| Selayang Pound: SPCA Selangor Urges DVS to Prosecute Posted: 31 May 2011 12:44 PM PDT Few improvements have been made by the councils – with even basic needs such as food, water and a clean environment often not provided for the dogs. By CruzinThots Wed, 18th May 2011, 08:34pm 25 FEBRUARY 2010, SELAYANG – Visits by the Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA Selangor) and animal rescuers to the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) dog pound in Rawang in the last few days have revealed that the pound is grossly mismanaged, and that almost a dozen dogs have died in the pound since Sunday.On Sunday, an animal rescuer visited the pound and reported that it appeared the dogs were not being fed or watered. She brought back 5 emaciated puppies, one of which was dying already. The SPCA vets had to euthanise the puppies due to their severe condition, and sent them for a post-mortem at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) on Monday morning. SPCA's help declinedSPCA contacted MPS Director of Health and Licensing Dr. Razif Zainol Abidin on Monday morning, offering a supply of dog food and assistance with improving conditions at the pound. However, Dr Razif declined the offers, saying that the MPS had food and did not need help with the pound. Later on Monday, the SPCA Selangor Inspectors and vet went to the pound, but were denied access to the pound. The caretaker refused to let them in, as he did not want to get into any trouble with the management. However, after some coaxing he allowed them to go in briefly to look around – but warned them not to take any photos. There were approximately 20 dogs and puppies in the kennels, only half of which appeared to be in reasonable health. The kennels and dogs were heavily infested with ticks. Volunteers from animal rescue groups Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better and AnimalCare had brought food and water containers, and bags of dog food earlier and had fed and watered the dogs.  Two dogs lie dead in the MPS Pound on Wednesday morning "Though the floor had been washed down, there was no evidence that the kennels were disinfected regularly to prevent the spread of prevailing diseases in the pound like distemper, parvovirus, and tick-fever," says SPCA Selangor Veterinarian Dr Karen Koh. There were four dogs in one kennel that looked very ill and emaciated. "Since providing medical care for the dogs is beyond the means of the council, they must ensure that dogs that are severely injured or ill are euthanized by a vet promptly, and not left suffering in these enclosures for days," says SPCA Selangor Animal Inspector Cunera Kimlon. A second visit was made early Wednesday morning. The gate to the pound was open, and the SPCA team began inspecting the kennels again and taking photographs. The sickly dogs that were seen two days earlier were no longer around. All the puppies had been placed together in one kennel, while the neighbouring kennels housed 2-3 adult dogs each. Food and water placed by animal rescuers was still there. Two dogs were found dead, a brown mix-breed dog and a black Spitz-mix wearing a red collar. "We were invited to a meeting with Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, to discuss how to immediately improve this miserable situation the pound dogs are facing, but this invitation was immediately revoked upon them learning of our pound visit on Wednesday morning," says SPCA Selangor Chairman Christine Chin. "However, we are still keen on teaching them how to manage their pound better in the short-term and long-term – if they are willing to accept our help. Municipals should be encouraging animal loving constituents to help at the pound, not chasing them out," she continues.  Puppies, some too small to drink from the water container |
| Protest group leader fears for safety following attack during Lynas public hearing Posted: 31 May 2011 12:26 PM PDT By Roslina Mohamad, The Star KUANTAN: Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas vice-chairman Tan Bun Teet has decided not to attend the public hearing before the foreign experts panel on the proposed rare earth processing facility after several people were attacked yesterday. "The crowd was unruly and what happened was unacceptable. "It also shows the kind of security measures taken by the police. "They could not even provide the minimum security for participants who attended the public hearing," he said yesterday. Tan said he had called up the International Trade and Industry Ministry, which coordinated the event, to inform it of the cancellation due to security reasons. Tan, who was scheduled to meet the panel at 3pm, said he would not mind missing the meeting with the foreign experts because there were other channels that could be utilised. Meanwhile, three people, including two female reporters from a Chinese daily, were attacked by a crowd of people in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where the second day of public submissions on the plant was taking place here yesterday. They were unhurt but shaken by the incident. Semambu assemblyman Datuk Pang Tsu Ming said the MCA wanted no harm to come to the people and the environment. "We want to know what they are going to do with the (processed) waste," he added. Teruntum assemblyman Chang Hong Seong said they had raised questions about the standards and enforcement level of the Atomic Energy Licensing Board. The foreign experts panel is expected to visit the Lynas construction site in Gebeng and the facilities in Kuantan Port today. |
| Najib needs to buy some time Posted: 31 May 2011 12:25 PM PDT By Oon Yeoh, The Sun ELECTION fever is in the air. Everyone seems to think national polls are imminent. The general argument in favour of this view is that things might get worse on the economic front later on down the road so we might as well get the election over with before it gets worse. I majored in Economics in university but I've never worked as an economist so I'm hardly an expert on the subject. But I know this much: It's very hard to predict how the economy would be even just a year down the road. Who's to say the economy won't be better in 2012 or 2013? Nevertheless one real economic challenge that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has to contend with is how long he can afford to delay cutting subsidies. The country cannot afford to keep the subsidies but if he makes these painful cuts, it would surely cost the government some votes. The Opposition has predictably criticised the government's plan to cut subsidies and has promised to keep prices low if it comes to power. This is not because they don't understand the need to cut subsidies but what do you expect the Opposition to do, hail such efforts? Naturally the Opposition will want to offer a better alternative. Whether they can afford to maintain the subsidies should they come to power is another question. But for now, supporting subsidies is a popular and electorally-shrewd stance to take. And it's a problem for Najib. The problem with holding elections soon – before any subsidy cuts are made – is that the Opposition can claim that subsidy cuts are imminent and that they will be implemented soon after Najib gets a new mandate. With the Internet now widely available, word can get around easily, making this a risky move. It probably would make more sense for Najib to both hold off on subsidy cuts for another year or so (the country is not going to go bankrupt during that time) and hold off on calling a general election until he can address the many other challenges his coalition faces. He needs to buy himself some time. There are many non-economic challenges. The Chinese are still upset over a wide range of issues including the Teoh Beng Hock case which is still unsolved and most recently the PSD scholarship debacle that left many straight A students without scholarships. Meanwhile, the Christians – many of whom are Chinese – are still upset over various issues including the right to use the word "Allah", Bible seizures, and unsubstantiated allegations about a plot to install a Christian prime minister. I've said before that Najib has a "Chinese Dilemma", especially in the urban areas. What the recent Sarawak state election shows is that this issue is not limited to the peninsula though it's certainly more pronounced here. With an Umno-owned newspaper and an Umno-friendly Malay rights group regularly blaring the "Ketuanan Melayu" message, it's really up to the non-Malay component parties – namely MCA and Gerakan – to win back the Chinese votes. The problem is that they are both a shadow of their former selves. MCA and Gerakan (which is nominally multiracial but is, for all intents and purposes, a Chinese party) have an uphill battle convincing the Chinese community they are effective in the face of an increasingly dominant Umno. Umno might be able to win considerable Malay support and, at the end of the day, this might actually be sufficient to win a simple majority even if the non-Malay component parties fail to deliver. But can a government with little non-Malay representation be viable in a multiracial country like Malaysia? Perhaps the answer can be found in the blunt message Pahang Mentri Besar Adnan Yaakob delivered to the MCA during the party's retreat in Genting Highlands over the weekend: "The Chinese must be convinced that MCA can fight for the Chinese ... we cannot say we are multiracial if there are no Chinese representatives in BN." |
| Malaysia-Indonesia MOU: Complicity In Violence, Abuse And Trafficking Posted: 31 May 2011 12:07 PM PDT By Dr Irene Fernandez, Teganita There is nothing domestic workers from Indonesia can celebrate over in the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed (on Monday) between Malaysia and Indonesia. This new MOU has further dimmed the lights on the protection of basic human rights of domestic workers. The two-year moratorium by Indonesia, has therefore failed to result in effective changes to increase the protection of its workers' rights. In January 2006, after the deaths of two Indonesian domestic workers, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, released a joint statement during a consultation at Bukit Tinggi, Sumatra, whereby it stated that the MOU on the placement of domestic workers to Malaysia will promote the protection of human rights. The Indonesian government was clear at that consultation that domestic workers' rights should be guaranteed under Malaysia's labour regulations. There was then, a glimmer of hope for domestic workers. In June 2009, Malaysia's Minister of Human Resources, Dr. S. Subramaniam, announced that a new provision will be made to the Employment Act which will provide a mandatory one-day off a week for all domestic workers. Two years later, this has not materialized. The newly signed MOU, however, states that 'a one-day off can be compensated with overtime payment'. The ambiguity of this is frightening – how will the Ministry monitor that such payments are made to the domestic worker? Our experiences in handling cases of domestic workers demonstrate clearly that even monthly wages are often not paid, what more with overtime work? As long as domestic workers are not recognized as workers under the Employment Act, domestic workers will continue to be treated as servants without any rights, and the State remains complicit in creating slavery-like practices. In the past 4 years, Tenaganita has handled more than 380 cases of domestic workers with over 3400 human rights violations. This situation reflects that one domestic worker goes through multiple forms of rights violations including rape and other forms of violence. In the past 4 months, out of the 28 cases handled, 40% of domestic workers have alleged sexual abuse and rape. The issue of rape is at an incredibly serious state in Malaysia, especially with the recent announcement by Polis Diraja Malaysia that every 2 hours, a woman in Malaysia is raped. As horrific as that is, the actual figure may in fact be a lot higher when factored in the number of unreported cases of domestic workers who are kept hidden in private homes, raped and eventually deported. Tenaganita is also very disappointed that the Indonesian government has not kept to its commitment to ensure its citizens are protected in Malaysia. Domestic workers work in isolated and individualized work environments, which facilitate a plethora of rights violations and bonded labor. It is critical, therefore, that the State ensure their full protection of rights through a standard contract of service, and a decent wage structure. It is ridiculous for the Indonesian government to justify its failure to negotiate for better wages by stating that wages in Malaysia are acceptable as long as they are not lower than Indonesia's minimum wage, of RM212/month. It is a bitter irony that Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Maznah Bt Mazlan, has recently stated the Malaysia government will soon introduce a minimum wage as 38.8% of Malaysian workers currently earn less than RM750/month (which is below the poverty line), while we systematically discriminate against domestic workers from poor communities whom we depend on highly in this country. The Malaysian government's refusal to a basic decent minimum wage for domestic workers is a clear sign that the government wants to maintain this acute exploitation of domestic workers in the country. Malaysia's Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (2007) clearly states that servitude, long working hours and debt bondage are all elements of labour trafficking. The newly signed MOU, however, by failing to state proper terms and conditions for the recruitment and employment of domestic workers has failed to take cognizance of this Act. It is highly disturbing that both Malaysia and Indonesia in its MOU continue to support practices of modern-day slavery. As the world community sits down together on the 1st of June for the 100th International Labour Conference in Geneva, with a focus on determining a new Convention for Domestic Workers to address the needs and rights of one of the most exploited and abused labour sectors (consisting mainly of women and children), the silence and invisibility by both Malaysia and Indonesia is both deafening and deeply concerning. It is with utmost urgency that Malaysia must awaken itself to the call to establish international standards of rights for domestic workers through the new Convention. It is indeed a sharp contradiction that while Malaysia seeks to hold on to its seat on the UN Human Rights Council, it continues to deny domestic workers the realizations of basic human rights and dignity. DR IRENE FERNANDEZ is the Executive Director of Tenaganita |
| People's Green Coalition : Memorandum To The IAEA Panel Posted: 31 May 2011 11:46 AM PDT The People's Green Coalition The risks to the community far outweigh the benefits which will largely be gained by Lynas since it will enjoy a period of 12 years of tax exemption. The employment opportunities purported is facile if the risks to the workers were taken into account. The People's Green Coalition met with the IAEA Panel to register its strong objection the the LAMP Project located at Gebeng Industrial Estate Pahang on the 31st of May 2011.
The Coalition was represented by:
1. Mr. Ahmad Bongsu Bin Abdul Hamid Tuah, Nuclear Physicist.
2. Dr. Jayabalan, Physician in Occupational Medicine and Toxicologist at National Toxicology Centre University of Science Malaysia.
3. Prof. Tan Kah Kheng, Professor of Chemical Engineering HELP University, Visiting Fellow University of Cambridge.
A Memorandum To The IAEA Panel Investigation on The Public Nuisance of the LAMP Project in Gebeng Industrial Estate Pahang Malaysia dated 31st May 2011
Submitted by The People's Green Coalition Malaysia is attached for your attention.
Written by Dr. Khim Pa
On behalf of the People's Green Coalition. _____________________________ Memorandum To The IAEA Panel Investigation on The Public Nuisance of the LAMP Project in Gebeng Industrial Estate Pahang Malaysia dated 31
st May 2011. Submitted by The People's Green Coalition Malaysia. Introduction
The People's Green Coalition was invited by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to submit its views on the LAMP project to the IAEA Panel at 4.30pm on the 31st, May 2011.
The Position of the People's Green Coalition
The Coalition supports resolutely the demand of the people of Pahang and Malaysia to stop LAMP from operating in Malaysia based on the following reasons:
1. The project will cause grave ecology disaster to the environment of Pahang and the whole of Malaysia resulting in irreversible damage to the flora, fauna and human settlements.
2. The toxic chemicals emitted during the manufacturing process and the radioactive waste products will severely damage the health and well-being of the population of Pahang and Malaysia. 3. A severely damage ecology will affect fishing, agricultural and animal husbandry industries whose products will be contaminated and hence will be rejected by both the local and international markets. 4. Once contaminated, the palm oil exports will not be accepted by the international communities with the dire consequences of causing a possible collapse of the palm oil industries in Malaysia resulting in irrevocable damage to the national economy. 5. The property prices in and around Kuantan have already seen a sharp decline due to the fear of chemical and radioactive contamination of the environment. The tourism industries will similarly experience a decline as tourists avoid visiting a contaminated environment.
6. The radioactive waste will last for an infinite period of time thus further endangering the health and life of generations to come. The risks to the community far outweigh the benefits which will largely be gained by Lynas since it will enjoy a period of 12 years of tax exemption. The employment opportunities purported is facile if the risks to the workers were taken into account. Malaysia has endured a tragic experience when Mitsubishi Corporation established the Asian Rare Earth Plant in Bukit Merah Perak about 30 years ago. It is an undeniable fact that the people of Bukit Merah suffered grievous bodily harm till today as Mitsubishi is still attempting to clean up the radioactive waste in the region.
Conclusion
The People's Green Coalition resolutely rejects the LAMP project in Gebeng Industrial Estate, Pahang.
Submitted by The People's Green Coalition Malaysia
Dated 31stMay 2011.
NB: A detailed study of the EIA and RIA reports will be submitted in due course in view of the short notice of invitation by MITI to this consultation as well as the late release of EIA and RIA reports by MITI on the 30thMay 2011. Watch the video of the Anti-Lynas gathering held on 31st May 2011. |
| Why sometimes I like to sound racial and scream: CINA BABI! Posted: 30 May 2011 09:17 PM PDT 
MCA Wanita secretary-geneneral Chew Lee Geok said that the requirement for female journalists to don headscarves and barring skirts and dresses was discriminatory. PAS election committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman told The Malaysian Insider that he had not issued such a directive and refuted reports carried yesterday in the Chinese media. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin MCA flays PAS over muktamar dress code MCA Wanita has criticised PAS for enforcing a dress code on non-Muslim journalists covering its annual general assembly over the weekend.
In a statement today, MCA Wanita secretary-geneneral Chew Lee Geok said that the requirement for female journalists to don headscarves and barring skirts and dresses was discriminatory.
"The choice of personal clothing is a fundamental and individual right. This is a clear example of PAS depriving people of their personal liberties.
"In a multiracial country, I absolutely respect the Muslim dress code, but we also want PAS to respect the non-Muslim customs and choices," she said.
Chew said that the rule shows that PAS held "extreme beliefs" and are "controlling individual rights". -- Malaysiakini READ MORE HERE: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/165648 ***************************************** PAS denies headscarf rule on non-Muslims PAS denied today that it had set rules forcing non-Muslim female journalists to wear headscarves when covering the party's 57th muktamar this week. PAS election committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman told The Malaysian Insider that he had not issued such a directive and refuted reports carried yesterday in the Chinese media. "As far as I know, there is no such condition," he said when contacted. Committee officials later confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that only Muslim journalists are required to wear tudungs (Muslim headscarf) during the muktamar while the non-Muslims must dress neatly in non-revealing clothes. "Both men and women are not allowed to wear shorts and t-shirts while the women cannot wear revealing clothes. Non-Muslim women are not required to wear headscarves," said an official. According to a report in the Chinese-language section of an online news portal yesterday, PAS had issued a circular ordering all non-Muslim female journalists to wear headscarves and forbidding them from wearing dresses and skirts. The report irked Wanita MCA secretary-general Senator Chew Lee Giok who likened the rule today as a form of "extremism, conservatism and discrimination against women". -- The Malaysian Insider READ MORE HERE: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pas-denies-headscarf-rule-on-non-muslims/ |
| Anwar Ibrahim’s Western Public Relations Effort Failing? Posted: 30 May 2011 08:50 PM PDT 
First, Anwar's political touch is turning out to make a lot more lead than gold. Most recently, he has taken to excusing away his inability to move the needle in local elections, in the process doing critical damage to his coalition's efforts in advance of the upcoming national elections by insulting a vital, potential ally. Christopher Badeaux, Red State In the West, we tend to ignore the Muslim countries of Southeast Asia too often in favor of the more rambunctious Middle East; whether this is because we are concentrating our limited energies on the larger problem spot, or ignoring places where things are going well, is probably a function of one's particular outlook on life. Regardless of the source of this disregard, it is an error as great as choosing to ignore the safe streets in city planning in favor of the bullet-ridden ones. The good things don't last without some tending of their own. That leads to Malaysia, a moderate Muslim country with strong trade ties to the United States, that we too often ignore along with its other, moderate neighbors in favor of a pointless bombing campaign in Libya and other adventures in futility. Malaysia has done well for itself, holding fast to a moderate strain of Islam while continuing to grow energetically. It is not heaven on earth, but it is better than most Muslim nations, with religious minorities freely practicing their faith, and calls for extremism loudly and roundly denounced by most Malaysians. It is in and from this fertile ground that Malaysia's current prime minister, Najib Razak, boldly decried the practice of suicide bombing, eschewing the usual Islam-means-peace pablum for a concrete denunciation of murder and suicide, explicitly calling them contrary to Islam and a mark of barbarism. This is especially significant because English is the lingua franca of Malaysia, and so Najib's Oxford speech was reported and understood at home. He cannot — and to his credit, does not — play the all-too-common game of tell-the-non-Muslims-what-they-want-to-hear, revert-to-death-to-the-Jews-death-to-America at home. His political opposite cannot say the same. I'm on the record having a low opinion of Anwar Ibrahim, but that's only because he's a virulent anti-Semite with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood who formed an opposition coalition in his country by recruiting a political party best known for calling for volunteers to fight with the Taliban against the United States. So, you know, little things. But what's worse is how he has played the nasty demagogue at home, then played the good democrat in the West; and what's worse than that is how the Western policy establishment has historically tolerated this. This is one of those critically easy policy rules: If someone is blathering about the Jews being the source of the world's problems, or, more particularly, his own, he is a very bad man, a nutter, or both. You don't need to be a failed painter with a nasty little mustache, a figurehead president with alleged (and hastily denied!) Jewish ancestry, or a former military juntaist whom we have unaccountably not snuffed as he has gone on to destroy one of the most vibrant and productive economies in Latin America for this to be so. You can be an opposition leader trying to wrest control of your country's parliamentary system from someone you casually describe as being controlled by the Jews. Indeed, given his ready trafficking in old anti-Semitic (and anti-Christian) tropes, it is a wonder the extent to which Anwar has retained so much of the goodwill he managed to rack up in the late Nineties. People whom many of us (I include myself) have respected for years tend to shock us by excusing away Anwar's disturbing tells. Probably the best, single example of this I've seen has been Jackson Diehl excusing the anti-Semitism as an unfortunately necessary means of political survival (while giving Anwar an on-the-record opportunity to explain away his minutes-long rant as the result of a slip of the tongue), and giving Paul Wolfowitz, who really should know better, a chance to provide Anwar some same-themed cover. That neither man would tolerate this sort of doublespeak out of, say, a Saudi prince is a telling indictment of their willingness to suspend their disbelief at inconvenient times. Diehl and Wolfowitz are hardly alone. For years — since at least 2008, when Anwar first explained his failure to win a national election as the result of the American Jewish Lobby doing … something — Western policymakers and opinion makers have given the man a free pass, ignoring each round of particularly vicious anti-Semitism as it occurs. Anwar has helpfully made himself available without pause or cessation, ready to say one thing to any Western voice that would listen, and another at home; he has been his own best press agent. A strange thing seems to have happened of late, though. Anwar is on trial for forced sodomy (mistakenly described by Diehl and others who should know better as consensual sodomy), and the judge presiding over the case has allowed it to go forward. In a matter of days, Anwar will have to present his defense, and will doubtless explain again to Western ears that he is a beleaguered democrat facing a political charge (something the Washington Post seems inclined to believe credulously), and tell audiences at home that this is because of the Jews, the Israeli special ops, and/or the Americans. But as yet, there is no groundswell of spontaneous opinion writing in his defense. There is no remarkable wave of excuses and dire warnings about democracy in Malaysia. There is, instead, silence. I would submit this is the result of two, critical factors. First, Anwar's political touch is turning out to make a lot more lead than gold. Most recently, he has taken to excusing away his inability to move the needle in local elections, in the process doing critical damage to his coalition's efforts in advance of the upcoming national elections by insulting a vital, potential ally. He compounded this by accusing the people of Sarawak — where he carefully hid his ties with radical Islam during the local elections, to no avail — of racism for failing to support his ticket, a charge that is not merely not helpful, but has the added bonus of being based on a complete misunderstanding of the facts on the ground. The Western press likes winners and canny underdogs. It's not quite so hot on fools who cannot keep their feet from their mouths. The second, critical element here is the Obama Administration's approach to Malaysia. I have been a not-infrequent critic of the Obama Administration's foreign policy — confused, overt deference to the genocidal People's Republic of China, and a willingness to snub the world's most populous democracy are not actually achievements of which Americans should be proud — but this is one area in which the Administration seems to have caught on more quickly than its outside supporters and critics. Not only is the Secretary of State praising Najib's call for religious moderation, but the Administration as a whole is treating Anwar as a matter of secondary importance. And as we learned during the 2008 Presidential campaign, the media are nothing if not sensitive to the directions open and implicit of this President. The next few months will be interesting to watch. Anwar's trial will conclude with a verdict of some kind, and Malaysia will move toward its next national election. In the face of dual pressure, it would seem reasonable to assume that Anwar will step up his availability and his lobbying of the Administration to build support either for his appeal (if convicted) or his election efforts (regardless of the trial's outcome). Whether his one-man public relations campaign yields the same willingness to ignore rank anti-Semitism and tolerance of Islamist lunacy will rest on the Administration's willingness to stand by its prior positions (an open question) and whether Anwar continues to inject his foot into his mouth when blood libels are not leaving it. |
| Landlord never sent any eviction notice, says PKR Posted: 30 May 2011 08:48 PM PDT 
(The Star) - PKR treasurer-general William Leong said they had never received any warning letter from the landlord to kick them out of the party's headquarters. He said the bank was auctioning off the two five-storey building because the owner had failed to service the bank loan. "If the landlord has any problem with us, they should come to us." "They have never taken any action nor served any warning to the effect," he said. Leong had claimed recently that they had been promptly paying the rental and that the bank was auctioning off the building because of the owner's failure to service the loan. It was reported last week that the bank had issued a notice to auction off the building on June 9. Leong said they had raised funds to participate in the auction. "If the price is right, we will bid for it." "If not, we will look for another place to house our headquarters or sign a lease agreement with the new owner," he added. Leong also denied speculation that the party had an agreement with a businessman to source funds for the rental. Sources claim that the businessman had stopped providing financial aid to the party after Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim failed in his bid to take over Putrajaya by Sept 16, 2008. Anwar had then claimed that he had enough Barisan Nasional MPs who were willing to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat to help the opposition coalition take over the Federal Government. It is learnt that the owner wanted to cancel the five-year lease agreement because PKR had allegedly failed to pay the rental. |
| Red faces after cash envelopes given out at government linked event Posted: 30 May 2011 08:08 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Reporters and organisers found themselves in an awkward situation when brown envelopes containing cash were given out at a media briefing for the Northern Corridor here today. Reporters who attended were surprised when officials representing the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) gave them brown envelopes containing cash during the briefing and were asked to sign for it. The reporters were not informed as to the purpose of the cash envelopes, one of which contained at least RM50, and later returned the envelopes to an NCIA representative, saying that it was against their company policy to accept cash. When contacted via e-mail, NCIA chief executive Redza Rafiq told The Malaysian Insider that the cash was surplus from the event budget and was given in lieu of a mid-day meal and to help with reporters' expenses. "The token that was provided is part of our budget to cover transportation and lunch costs (lunch was supposed to have been provided, but had to be taken out of the agenda due to several last-minute change — we would really like to apologise for this change)," he said. "The signing is actually to record the attendance based on the list that we have been given earlier." Event organisers do sometimes help with parking expenses, normally by validating the parking ticket, but rarely with travel expenses within the city. If lunch is not provided, organisers normally ask a company representative to accompany reporters to a nearby restaurant where the official will sign for the bill at the end of the meal. |
| Pemuda PAS bantah Konsert MTV Word Stage Posted: 30 May 2011 06:24 PM PDT 
(Harakahdaily) - Dewan Pemuda PAS Negeri Selangor (DPPNS) membantah penganjuran satu program hiburan bertaraf antarabangsa, Konsert MTV Word Stage di i-City, Seksyen 7 Shah Alam, 24 Julai depan yang dikatakan bertujuan mempromosi bandaraya Shah Alam di peringkat antarabangsa. 
DPPNS mahu Datuk Bandar Shah Alam, Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan menarik balik kelulusan program tersebut kerana bertentangan dengan Enakmen Kawalan Hiburan Negeri Selangor. Ketuanya, Hasbullah Ridzwan (gambar) berkata, pihak Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) ataupun pengurusan i-City dapat mematuhi garis panduan hiburan yang telah ditetapkan oleh Kerajaan Negeri serta mencari kaedah yang lebih sesuai untuk mempromosi Bandaraya Shah Alam selain daripada menganjurkan konsert secara terbuka. "Dewan Pemuda PAS Negri Selangor melahirkan rasa kecewa dan terkilan di atas kenyataan Datuk Bandar Shah Alam, Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan dalam satu sidang media pada 18 Mei lalu yang mengatakan konsert ini untuk memperkenalkan Bnadaraya Shah Alam di peringkat antarabangsa," kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan kepada Harakahdaily. Menurutnya, DPPNS amat bersetuju dengan kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam Khalid Samad dan Ketua Penerangan Badan Perhubungan PAS Negeri Selangor, Roslan Shahir yang disiarkan dalam satu protal berita tentang kemungkinan wujudnya pengaruh negatif berbanding positif hasil daripada penganjuran konsert tersebut. "Janganlah kita menggadaikan maruah anak bangsa dan negara hanya semata-mata untuk mendapatkan sedikit pengiktirafan dunia antarabangsa. "Penganjuran konsert yang membabitkan artis-artis barat dan artis tempatan yang pro barat sudah pastilah berlawanan dengan hasrat Kerajaan Negeri di dalam melahirkan modal insan yang terbaik untuk negeri Selangor," katanya. Tambahnya, DPPNS yakin bahawa penganjuran konsert ini pasti akan menimbulkan rasa resah, gelisah dan amarah khususnya kepada penduduk setempat. "Kami dimaklumkan telah ada persatuan penduduk di persekitaran tersebut yang telah menyatakan bantahan mereka terhadap konsert tersebut," katanya. Antara artis yang mengesahkan penyertaan pada konsert itu ialah '30 Second To Mars' iaitu pemenang Band Rock Terbaik di MTV Europe Music Award 2010 dan band tempatan Pop Shuvit. Sehubungan itu, DPPNS akan menyerahkan satu memorandum bantahan berhubung penganjuran konsert ini kepada Datuk Bandar Shah Alam dan Menteri Besar dalam masa terdekat ini. "Dewan Pemuda PAS Negeri Selangor berharap semoga Dato Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim serta barisan Ahli Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri Selangor mengambil tanggungjawab terhadap usaha-usaha mencalar imej dan agenda Kerajaan Negeri Selangor di bawah kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat," katanya. |
| Peguam tetap heret Najib, Rosmah ke mahkamah Posted: 30 May 2011 06:21 PM PDT 
(Harakahdaily) - Peguam bela Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan tetap memanggil Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor bagi memberi keterangan di mahkamah dalam kes Fitnah II. Menurut Sankara Nair, kedua-dua individu itu akan dipanggil apabila Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur bersidang semula pada 6 Jun hingga 30 Jun depan, lapor Keadilan Daily. Namun, Sankara berkata pihak polis menyukarkan usaha pihaknya untuk memanggil perdana menteri dan isterinya bagi memberi keterangan. Menurut Sankara, pasukan peguam Anwar sudah memberikan notis untuk memanggil Najib pada 16 Mei lalu tetapi sehingga kini, selepas dua minggu berlalu polis masih lagi tidak membenarkan Najib disoal siasat peguam Anwar. "Pihak polis belum buat apa-apa persiapan walau pun kami dah beri notis 16 Mei lalu," kata Sankara kepada Keadilandaily.com Najib Razak adalah antara saksi yang mahu dipanggil ke mahkamah oleh peguam Anwar kerana pernah menemui pengadu, Saiful Bukhari Azlan dua hari sebelum dia membuat laporan polis memfitnah Anwar. Najib sebelum ini memberikan alasan Saiful bertemunya atas urusan biasiswa sedangkan Saiful sebenarnya adalah pelajar yang gagal menamatkan pengajian di sebuah universiti swasta. Selain Najib dan Rosmah, peguam juga akan memanggil bekas atlet negara yang juga pembantu peribadi Rosmah, Datuk Mumtaz Jaafar, bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hassan dan bekas Ketua Pemuda Parti Keadilan Nasional, Ezam Mohd Nor. Pada perbicaraan di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur Mac lalu, Pegawai Penyiasat Jude Pereira membuat kejutan apabila mengaku mengambil keterangan Najib dan isterinya berhubung kes berkenaan. Saiful Bukhari dalam keterangannya turut mengaku bertemu Najib yang pada masa itu Timbalan Perdana Menteri tetapi menafikan berjumpa Rosmah. Sebaliknya Saiful mengaku pernah bertemu Mumtaz Jaafar di kediamannya. Beliau juga mengaku bertemu Ezam Mohd Nor antara tengah malam 27 Jun dan awal pagi 28 Jun, sebelum membuat laporan polis terhadap Anwar. |
| Suspend Anwar as opposition chief, says Ibrahim Ali Posted: 30 May 2011 05:06 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali backed today the call for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be suspended from leading the Opposition bench in the Dewan Rakyat until the sex scandals linked to the latter have been cleared in a court of law. "As MP, I support 101 per cent Datuk Seri Rais Yatim's suggestion for the Opposition Leader position held by Anwar to be suspended until the sex video allegation and his sodomy trial against Saiful are over," the independent federal lawmaker said in a statement. Ibrahim added it was in line with the law on public service principles and practice but did not cite the source. The suspension idea was mooted yesterday by Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, referring to the controversial sex video supposedly showing the PKR adviser fornicating with a woman not his wife. Rais said the Permatang Pauh MP could be reinstated should the court rule in his favour. "National and international laws too have acknowledged the practice of letting go positions pending the indictment or charge against a person," Umno's Utusan Malaysia reported the veteran minister as saying. Rais highlighted the case of the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was forced to quit his job there on May 18 after being indicted of sexual assault and attempted rape charges in the US and drew parallels to Anwar's situation. "Several of our ministers and mentris besar have also let go of their positions in the course of criminal trials against them," Rais was cited saying. The Attorney-General has yet to bring any formal charges against Anwar. Ibrahim insinuated the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lynchpin was above the law. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘MIC, just an Umno puppet’ Posted: 30 May 2011 04:48 PM PDT 
A DAP state assemblyman says the BN component party has done nothing for the community, except to 'steal' from the poor. (Free Malaysia Today) - GEORGE TOWN: MIC is an Umno puppet without any political conviction, said DAP state assemblyman A Tanasekharan. The Bagan Dalam rep said that because of this, MIC would never implement any policies to upgrade the living standards of the Indian community. He claimed that MIC had always taken Indians' hard-earned cash to carry out its projects that failed to benefit the community. Tanasekharan noted that the Maika Holdings and MIED scandals were perfect examples of MIC swindling poor Indians. He also remarked that MIC built AIMST University in Kedah from contributions of Indians from all walks of life. "But how many poor Indians can afford to study at AIMST University? How many Indians have benefitted from Maika Holdings and MIED?" he asked. Comparatively, he said Pakatan Rakyat state governments managed to address various Indian issues in a short span of three years. He said under Pakatan, for the first time in the country's history, Indian elected representatives were appointed as a deputy chief minister (Penang) and legislative assembly speaker (Perak). Currently, he said Penang, Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan had a record high of Indian representatives in state legislative assemblies. Aid for schools and temples Pertaining to Tamil schools in Penang, Tanasekharan said all 28 schools had been receiving annual state allocations to upgrade their facilities. In Selangor, he said the PKR-helmed state government had been allotting funds for similar projects. "Today parents can safely send their children to Tamil schools without the fear of seeing their children studying under trees, unlike during Barisan Nasional days," he added. He claimed that the Pakatan state government had provided land valued at RM4.5 million for the Azad Tamil School in the Waterfall area. For years, he said, the Tamil school was located under the basement of the Indian Association building in Jalan Bagan Jermal. "A new school has been built and is operational because of the sheer determination of Pakatan leaders to upgrade Tamil schooling standards," he added. Under Pakatan, Thanasekaran said no Hindu temple had been demolished in Penang, while many temples sitting on state lands were granted temporary occupation licence (TOL). He recalled that under the previous Barisan Nasional government, a Hindu temple in Butterworth, which was located on its own land, was forcibly removed and placed in a graveyard in Jalan Siram under the purview of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB). "The reason for the temple's removal was that it was causing nuisance to an Umno member, who was staying nearby. This is how Indians were treated under the BN government… sheer arrogance of Umno leaders," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| FMT Poll: ‘Yes’ to non-Muslim PM Posted: 30 May 2011 04:42 PM PDT 
Online poll shows almost 70% of respondents were receptive to the idea of a non-Muslim premier helming the nation. (Free Malaysia Today) - Malaysia is ready for a non-Muslim prime minister, a 10-day online opinion poll conducted by FMT revealed. Sixty-eight percent or 2,752 out of 4,065 readers who took part in the poll, which ran from May 20, said that the country was ready for a non-Muslim premier. Sixteen percent or 667 respondents said that the country was not ready for a non-Muslim prime minister while another 16% or 651 said that they did not care about the religion of the premier. Many claim that the prime minister must be a representative of the majority race and religion of Malaysia, and hence only a Malay-Muslim can be the head of government. The religion of the prime minister has been a contentious and sensitive matter as it is closely linked to Islam, whose special position is enshrined and protected under the Federal Constitution. Several independent constitutional experts have argued that there are no provisions in the Federal Constitution that state the premier must be a Malay-Muslim. More recently, the issue of the premier's religion popped up again during the "Christian Malaysia" controversy as highlighted by Malay daily, Utusan Malaysia. The Umno-owned paper's unsubstantiated report claimed there was a conspiracy by Christians and DAP leaders to install a Christian prime minister. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Not much difference between DAP and Umno’ Posted: 30 May 2011 04:39 PM PDT 
United Borneo Front president Jeffrey Kitingan also warns Sabahans to beware of Barian Nasional which is bent on moving towards extremism to perpetuate its hold on power. (Free Malaysia Today) - Peninsular-based DAP is bullying local opposition Sabah Progressive party (SAPP) just like how they (including PKR) thumbed Sarawak Nasional Party (SNAP) in the runup to the polls on April 16, said United Borneo Front president Jeffrey Kitingan. According to Jeffrey, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang had started on a wrong footing in Sabah with his arrogant attitude and by pitting local (opposition) parties against each other. "Judging from this new development among the opposition parties, we can see clearly that there is not much difference between DAP and Umno too. "Definitely they are not thinking of the Borneo agenda. "I expected DAP to be more understanding regarding our dreams as Sabahans, but obviously DAP is too much engrossed with trying to get the Sabahans' votes to the point that it feels it can come to Sabah and push us around although we are all in the opposition," said Jeffrey, a former PKR vice president. Jeffrey had cited PKR's arrogant rule of Sabah as the reason for quitting PKR early this year. He called on Sabahans to reject DAP's attitude and reminded them that only local parties can best serve their interests. "Let's do away with relying on Peninsular parties to defend our rights. The people of Sabah and Sarawak have been tolerating this problem for 47 years now and have been hoping that the federal leaders would change their attitude but they never seem to change. "We can see that the Peninsula leaders and parties are in Sabah to serve their own peninsula agendas … pushing their own political games at the expense of Sabahans. "And, the worst thing is that the Pakatan Rakyat component parties are obviously trying to outdo each other in Sabah and Sarawak. "Recently DAP and PKR bullied SNAP in Sarawak and now they are bullying SAPP in Sabah," he said in a statement. Third Force needed He said the best thing for Sabahans and Sarawakians to do now under such circumstances is to take charge of their own future rather than rely on peninsula-based parties. "We need to form the Third Force, the coalition of local parties outside the BN and the Pakatan. "This is the best approach because this will enable us to pursue our own agenda. "We must also beware of the current trend in which BN is bent on moving towards extremism to perpetuate its hold on power, at all cost. "Even the Pakatan is using extreme measures to fight the BN, and both are not too concerned about what all this will do to the country," he said. READ MORE HERE |
| Happy Birthday, Marina Posted: 30 May 2011 04:32 PM PDT |
| Rafizi: New Electricity Tariff Hike Will Burden the People Posted: 30 May 2011 03:43 PM PDT By Aidil Syukri, Malaysian Digest
KUALA LUMPUR, 31 MAY, 2011: PKR Strategic Director Rafizi Ramli today said the government's announcement to reduce electricity subsidy will only burden the people while Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and IPPs (Independent Power Producer) still enjoy the same profits. According to Rafizi, the announcement of an electricity tariff hike does not come as a surprise to the public as it was made in order to confront the largesse of the elite political-business group that had profited tremendously at the expense of the public by dismantling lopsided agreements that have long caused structural damages to the economy. Rafizi said, Barisan Nasional (BN) has proven time and time again that it lacks courage and political will to undo the crony-capitalism from which it has benefited for a long time. "BN claims that the tariff hike will not affect 4.4 million households as the tariff for the usage of 300 kWh per month and below is left unchanged. The monthly electricity bill for the households may not increase much as a result of the tariff hike, but their disposable income will definitely be affected by the ever rising inflation," said Rafizi. "There are also other households or dwellings (including accommodations shared by the students or workers) whose monthly electricity bill is above RM77 a month which will be affected directly by the tariff hike," he added. The last time the tariff was reviewed that affects the majority of domestic customers was in June 2006. The baseline tariff for the first 200 kWh per month was also maintained at the current 21.8 sen per kWh. "In spite of this, 2006 saw the second highest inflation rate for the second half of the last decade at 3.6%," he said. According to Rafizi, the only time when price increase was higher was in 2008 during the sudden petrol and diesel hike. A closer look at the inflation data in 2006 will reveal that a combination of electricity tariff and petrol/diesel price hikes was the main factor that had led to the increase in inflation. "BN is repeating the same prescription in 2006 for 2011- a combination of price increases for basic goods that include sugar, petrol, diesel and now electricity. The combined effect of this will see the inflation for 2011 surpassing that of 2006 and inflict difficulties to millions of households whose meagre disposable income will be reduced further," he added. "The public does not need a unilateral withdrawal of subsidies that cause these price hikes. Any responsible government facing a dual deficit and inflation crisis in Putrajaya should summon all the political will and moral courage to go to the root cause of these problems," he added. "The power generation sector in this country is shackled with the legacy of lopsided agreements which continue to exact economic pains on the public. TNB has to buy electricity at the much higher rate than its own cost from IPPs," he added. He said, in order to balance the price, TNB and IPPs were given huge gas subsidies borne by PETRONAS each year. "All in all, the result is constant that TNB achieves a status quo financially, the public bears the burden from the tariff hike and IPP is not affected at all from thus exercise due to the fuel pass through mechanism," he said.
READ MORE HERE. |
| Reveal truth about Felda’s RM6b loan, PKR tells EPF Posted: 30 May 2011 03:34 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — PKR has urged the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to clarify if it lent RM6 billion to the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) as has been alleged by a settlers' group. PKR central leadership council member Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong said the EPF board of directors has to explain why it chose to lend such a significant sum of money to Felda as the agency has always been cash-rich. "It's not your grandfather's money. It belongs to all 10 million contributors," he told reporters at PKR headquarters here today. The former deputy land and co-operative development minister pointed out there was no reason for Felda to borrow money while other plantation companies like IOI Corp and Tradewinds Bhd were making record profits on the back of high crude palm oil prices. He said this suggested that Felda was being badly mismanaged as the agency should be making at least RM1 billion in profit every year. The National Association for Children of Felda Settlers (Anak) alleged last week that Felda had borrowed RM6 billion from the EPF to develop settlers' lots. Anak chairman Mazlan Aliman showed reporters last Tuesday what he claimed to be minutes from a Felda Nitar 02's programme development committee meeting confirming the massive loan. According to the minutes, one of the issues discussed at the April 20 meeting was an application to increase the living allowance of the settlers. The document states that the application was rejected by the national settler consultation committee because "Felda had borrowed RM6 billion from EPF for the development of settlers' lots". Mazlan said this was proof that Felda, a government-linked company (GLC), was in dire financial straits. The dispute over Felda's financial status hit the headlines last June when opposition parties alleged that its considerable reserves had declined as a result of irregularities.
READ MORE HERE. |
| MACC clears A-G and Robert Phang of graft Posted: 30 May 2011 03:32 PM PDT By Florence A Samy, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) cleared Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail of graft allegations over his Haj pilgrimage to Mecca with his family. MACC also cleared former MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel member Tan Sri Robert Phang of having tried to bribe a ministry's secretary-general. There was not enough evidence to prove graft, according to the MACC on Tuesday. Malaysian online news portals and bloggers had been playing pictures of Abdul Gani seen together with Shahidan Shafie, who was said to be close to former Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli in the recent haj pilgrimage in Mecca. They had claimed that Shahidan had convinced Abdul Gani not to press charges against Tajuddin, who was chairman of MAS from 1994 to 2001, over the national carrier's loses which ran into billions. MAS was reported to have filed several reports against Tajuddin with the MACC, citing Tajuddin's move to relocate MAS' cargo operations in Amsterdam and Frankfurt to a single hub in Hahn, Germany, as the single biggest loss suffered under him. The new hub operation reportedly incurred monthly losses of between RM10mil to RM16mil before it was terminated and the government took over control of MAS in 2001. Meanwhile, the allegation against Phang was that sometime before Hari Raya of 2010, the secretary-general of a ministry, which was awarding a contract worth RM900mil, had to tell Phang to leave his office because Phang had tried to bribe him. |
| 'Submissions won't be made public for now' Posted: 30 May 2011 01:02 PM PDT By Irdiani Mohd Salleh, NST KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Commission of Inquiry investigating the death of Teoh Beng Hock has decided not to make public the written submissions by the three parties until its report is submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Commission secretary Datuk Saripuddin Kasim said the decision was made after a meeting between the commissioners and the lead counsel for the Bar Council, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the conducting officers yesterday morning.
He said the commission was scheduled to submit the report on June 24.
On whether the report on the outcome of the investigation would be made public, Saripuddin said that would be decided by the king. "The commission is answerable to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and it is his prerogative whether to make the report public."
He said the commissioners would have to examine about 30,000 pages of documents including more than 20,000 pages of verbatim reports of the inquiry proceedings, written submissions and appendix. Saripuddin said the commissioners, led by Federal Court judge Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen, were now studying the various documents.
Also present at the press conference yesterday were MACC counsel Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, conducting officer Amarjeet Singh and Christopher Leong who is representing the Bar Council.
Leong told reporters that the Bar Council would make an application to the commission to make the report public. Shafee said the parties agreed not to release the written submissions to the public in order to avoid a trial by media.
Teoh was found dead on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam on July 16, 2009, a day after he was taken in for questioning by the MACC over the alleged misappropriation of state funds.
At that time, Teoh was a political aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah.
The other commissioners are former Federal Court judge Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, former Court of Appeal judge Datuk T.S. Nathan, a forensic pathologist consultant at Penang Hospital Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh and Dean of the Medical Faculty, Cyberjaya University College of Medical Science Professor Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom.
The inquiry into Teoh's death began on Feb 14 and ended on May 10. It saw 70 witnesses giving evidence.
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| Tan Sri Muhyiddin, Kami sedia tanggung beban... Posted: 30 May 2011 12:56 PM PDT Selepas banyak permintaan kerajaan kami telan, kami cuma nak minta satu sahaja. Cuma satu sahaja yang kami minta, dan kami takkan minta apa-apa lagi kalau permintaan kami yang satu ini dapat Tan Sri dan kerajaan BN tunaikan. Kami berjanji jika permintaan yang satu ini dapat Tan Sri penuhi, undi kami memang kami janjikan untuk Barisan Nasional. By Changing our Mindset - GERIK, 29 Mei (Bernama) -- Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata rakyat perlu bersedia menanggung sebahagian kos subsidi yang kini ditanggung kerajaan sekiranya jumlah yang sedia ada meningkat ke paras yang lebih tinggi dan melampaui kemampuan kerajaan.
Beliau berkata kerajaan mempunyai tahap keupayaan untuk menanggung jumlah subsidi yang meningkat, bagaimanapun jika peningkatan harga minyak dunia melonjak ke paras yang lebih tinggi, berkemungkinan kerajaan tidak mampu lagi menanggung jumlah subsidi yang begitu besar dan rakyat perlu bersedia untuk menanggung sebahagian kos itu.
Kepada YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,
Wahai YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia, ketahuilah bahawa rakyat 1Malaysia sudah lama bersedia untuk bersama-sama memikul bebanan kenaikan harga petrol jika harganya naik lagi seperti yang Tan Sri war-warkan. Sejak sekian lama kami semua menerima sahaja kenaikannya walaupun ada di antara kami yang dulu mampu berkereta ke pejabat kini terpaksa bersesak-sendat dalam bas rapidKL, LRT dan KTM Komuter. Ketahuilah bahawasanya kami telah lama bersedia. Kami telahpun buktikan dengan pengorbanan kami menelan sahaja apa yang kerajaan mahu kami telan. Kenaikan harga petrol kami telan, kenaikan harga gula juga kami telan. Semalam Tan Sri meminta kami bersiap sedia untuk menelan lagi kenaikan baru harga petrol. Pasti enak rasanya untuk kami telan lagi.
Kami bersedia sahaja demi kerajaaan yang kami sayang. Minta kami bayar cukai pendapatan kami turutkan. Apa lagi wahai Tan Sri? Pohonlah apa sahaja akan kami tunaikan. Akan kami telan sampai kami muntah darah, semuanya kerana Malaysia.
Cuma kali ini kami ada satu sahaja permintaan. Selepas banyak permintaan kerajaan kami telan, kami cuma nak minta satu sahaja. Cuma satu sahaja yang kami minta, dan kami takkan minta apa-apa lagi kalau permintaan kami yang satu ini dapat Tan Sri dan kerajaan BN tunaikan. Kami berjanji jika permintaan yang satu ini dapat Tan Sri penuhi, undi kami memang kami janjikan untuk Barisan Nasional.
Cuma 1 yang kami minta, hentikan segala bentuk pembaziran daripada yang duit cukai yang telah kami bayar dan yang kami amanahkan kepada kerajaan untuk menggunakannya untuk tujuan pembangunan dan kesejahteraan rakyat. Duit cukai yang kami bayar ini bukan untuk subsidi kepada IPP atau menyelamatkan projek-projek kroni sehinggakan subsidi untuk rakyat pula TERPAKSA ditarik balik. Tan Sri kata subsidi petrol yang diperuntukkan oleh kerajaan adalah RM10 billion tetapi kini telah mencecah RM18billion, tetapi kami pelik kenapa subsidi untuk IPP RM19billion tidak ditarik balik? Mereka ada membayar cukai ke? Kami bayar! Mereka menikmati subsidi daripada duit rakyat sebanyak RM19billion tetapi masih mampu menjana keuntungan. Kami juga yang menanggung rugi. Jika sudah untung banyak untuk apa lagi dibayar subsidi? Adakah ini bukti Rakyat Didahulukan Pencapaian Diutamakan?
Memang ada perjanjian ditandatangani antara kerajaan dengan IPP tetapi kita semua tahu ianya berat sebelah kerana kepentingan rakyat bukan keutamaan semasa menandatangani perjanjian tersebut. Samada ia kesilapan teknikal atau disengajakan hanya mereka yang terlibat sahaja yang tahu. Jika kerajaan sedar ianya berat sebelah mengapa tidak dibawa ke meja rundingan semula?. Pengusaha IPP juga rakyat Malaysia, mereka juga manusia. Bawalah ke meja rundingan, perjanjian itu ciptaan manusia dan ia boleh diubah jika kedua belah pihak bersetuju. Malangnya kami tidak nampak usaha yang telus dilakukan untuk membatalkan perjanjian tersebut. Jika hal pertelingkahan ideologi politik boleh diheret ke mahkamah mengapa hal yang melibatkan kepentingan rakyat tidak boleh dipertahankan?
Bukan ini saja... banyak lagi pembaziran yang berlaku. Jika semua pembaziran ini dapat diberhentikan maka kami dengan rela hati akan menelan kenaikan harga petrol kali ini dan juga kenaikan-kenaikan pada masa hadapan serta kami berikrar dan berjanji undi kami akan sentiasa untuk Barisan Nasional. Antara pembaziran yang kami maksudkan (cuma sebahagian):-
1. RM500juta komisen kapal selam kepada Perimekar sepatutnya disalurkan kepada pembangunan rakyat. 2. RM111juta utk PERMATA di bawah First Lady of Malaysia Office (perlukah semua ini sedangkan isteri PM yang terdahulu tidak pun memerlukannya) 3. RM50juta untuk pembangunan email 1Malaysia 4. RM50sen dibayar oleh agensi kerjaan bagi setiap email yang dihantar kepada 27juta rakyat Malaysia 5. Ketelusan dalam pembahagian peruntukan Ahli Parlimen. Peruntukan untuk Parlimen Pembangkang tidak disalurakan. Ianya adalah duit cukai rakyat yang diperlukan untuk menbangunkan kawasan tersebut untuk kesejahteraan rakyat. Ianya bukan duit BN. 6. .....
Kami keliru kerana kami dihantar ke sekolah kerajaan supaya kami menjadi cerdik pandai, agar kami boleh membantu menbangunkan negara Malaysia. Kenapa apabila kami bersuara, pendapat kami dibangkang buah fikiran kami dinafikan. Read more at: http://ikhlasmalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/05/tan-sri-muhyiddin-kami-sedia-tanggung.html |
| RI, Malaysia end standoff on migrant worker rights Posted: 30 May 2011 12:56 PM PDT By Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post
After two years of tough negotiations, involving the top leaders of both countries, Indonesia and Malaysia eventually overcame the protracted deadlock on the sending of unskilled Indonesian workers to Malaysia. Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar and his Malaysian counterpart, S. Subramaniam, signed a new memorandum of understanding on informal sector workers here on Monday that effectively ended a June 2009 unilateral moratorium by Indonesia on sending workers. A previous MoU was signed in 2006 but Indonesia complained the document favored only the Malaysian side at the cost of Indonesian workers.
Indonesia took the drastic boycott decision following widely reported abuse of Indonesian workers in the neighboring country where many are undocumented and work in palm oil plantations, construction and as domestic workers. Malaysia attempted to reduce its dependence on foreign workers, including from Indonesia, its largest imported labor source, saying their presence created social and criminal problems.
"With the signing of the new MoU, the moratorium is lifted and as of tomorrow [Tuesday], workers are allowed to go to Malaysia to work under new labor contracts," Muhaimin said after the signing ceremony.
Despite the moratorium, Indonesians continued to flock to Malaysia and become illegal workers because of the labor and worker protection situation was worse here. There are an estimated 2 million Indonesians currently working in Malaysia.
Malaysia remains a major destination for Indonesian workers, alongside Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries.
Muhaimin, who also chairs the National Awakening Party (PKB), said Indonesia was able to win four of its key demands. With the new deal, Indonesian workers have the right to keep their passports and other official documents.
So far, employers are entitled to keep the official documents to force workers to remain with them. However, the document seizure is often a means of keeping the workers hostage.
The second concession won was that employers were obliged to provide one day off per week or to pay financial compensation to workers who had to work on their day off. READ MORE HERE.
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| Two Wrongs Don't Make One Right Posted: 30 May 2011 12:47 PM PDT By Tony Pua The Najib administration announced that it will raise electricity prices by an average 7.12 per cent from June 1 this year. According to Reuters, the price charged by Petronas for the sale of natural gas to electricity companies would rise to RM13.70 per mmBtu from RM10.70, and increase by RM3.00 every month. The industrial and commercial consumers will bear the brunt of the tariff hike with an average increase of 8.35 per cent in their power bills. This will inevitably fuel further inflation and reduce the competitiveness of our goods and services. The Government has employed the excuse of the need to reduce subsidy bills as the basis for the tariff hike in order to reduce the "misallocation of resources", which leads to declining competitiveness. However the Government has at the same time conveniently ignored the fact that the source of the "misallocation of resources" lies with the unbelievably lucrative Independent Power Producers (IPPs) power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB). As a comparison, the power industry structure in Malaysia and Thailand are highly similar, with a little more than 70% of the fuel-mix for electricity generation being natural gas. However despite the fact that natural gas prices are more than double that of Malaysia's at RM23.10 mmBtu, commercial electricity tariff in Thailand is only 0.4% higher at RM38.01 kWh, compared to Malaysia's 37.85 mmBtu.. In fact after the latest revision, it has become stark clear that electricity rates for our commercial sector will be significant higher than that in Thailand, despite the fact that natural gas prices for the sector in Malaysia will still be 68.6% cheaper. Using Thailand as a benchmark, Malaysian electricity prices should be 16.9% cheaper based on existing subsidy rates. Instead, the BN Government does the exact opposite to raise the electricity tariffs. This shows clearly that our problem with electricity industry "distortions" as described by Minister in Prime Minister's office, Nor Mohd Yakcop is not with its prices, but with our highly "ineffcient" power producing sector which charges high prices despite lower cost of production. And the key reason for that is the unfair PPAs which results in ridiculously high levels of electricity reserve margins. According to TNB, our reserve margin is 54.6% in 2008 and 52.6% in 2010, which is double that of Thailand and Java, Indonesia, at 25.4% and 26% respectively. The net effect is TNB is forced to purchase electricity which it does not need to the IPPs, resulting in inflated costs for TNB and correspondingly inflated profits for the IPPs. The Government's decision to reduce the subsidies to the electricity sector is a clear attempt to right an existing "wrong" with another "wrong", which will only lead to further distortions in our market, and not reduce it. Our export industries which are already affected by the strong ringgit will be dealt with a bigger blow due to higher electricity prices compared to the region as a result of an inefficient and distorted power sector which profits only the IPPs. The only and proper way to correct the distortions in our power sector is to restructure the lobsided PPAs. In fact by doing so, the Government can kill two birds with one stone, reducing its subsidies and correcting the inefficiencies in the power sector as a result of our super-high reserve margins, while at the same time maintaining our existing electricity rates. The fact that the Government chooses to punish our consumers and industries, without laying a finger on the IPPs only serves to prove that the Najib administration has no political will to carry out the necessary reforms to our economy, contrary to the rhetoric we hear every day. TONY PUA is DAP National Publicity Secretary and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara |
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