Ahad, 9 Oktober 2011

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Lawyer: PAS cannot go hudud

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 03:27 AM PDT

(The Star) - Despite the PAS bravado about implementing the hudud law in Kelantan without the approval of the Federal Government, it cannot be done unless the Federal Constitution and other laws are amended.

Human rights and constitutional lawyer Syahredzan Johan said the barriers set by the Federal Constitution and other legal provisions governing Islamic laws made it impossible for PAS to make its hudud plan a reality.

He said the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 provided limits to the jurisdiction of Syariah Courts in meting out punishment.

"Under the Act, Syariah Courts cannot mete out punishment of a jail term exceeding three years, fine of more than RM5,000 or whipping of more than six strokes, or any combination thereof.
"Under hudud, there are punishments such as stoning or amputation," he said.

Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat had said that the state government would set up a special technical committee to implement the hudud law.

Syahredzan said hudud law also violated the provision on equality under the Federal Constitution that stipulates everyone is equal before the law.

"The punishment for a Muslim under hudud could be more severe than for a non-Muslim for the same offence," he said.

Since the hudud jurisdiction is non-discretionary, Syahredzan said any person convicted would have no room for appeal.

"Although it takes a lot to convict a person since the evidential burden is quite high, it may also expose a Muslim suspect to double prosecution and punishment, one under the civil law and one under hudud," he said.

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh also said it was wrong for the Kelantan government to say that it was ready to implement hudud without the approval of the Federal Government.

He said it was not the Federal Government's place to sanction hudud as it was the Constitution which must be amended.

"As for DAP, we have reiterated that hudud is unconstitutional. Pakatan Rakyat leadership needs to sit down and find ways to overcome this," he said.

MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong called on Pakatan to come clean and inform the people of its stand on PAS.

"Is Kelantan a Pakatan or PAS government. Pakatan must answer this question. Is PAS part of Pakatan?" he questioned.

 

Navaratnam: Budget must protect against declining world economy

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 07:43 PM PDT

By Pauline Wong, The Sun

PETALING JAYA (Oct 9, 2011): While the 2012 Budget is full of goodies obviously intended to prepare for the next General Election, it must also protect the Malaysian economy against the declining global economy.

Centre for Public Policy Studies chairman Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam (pix) said it was a "goodie budget" aimed at the lower income group.

"That is right and proper, but the budget should also look into longer term measures to defend the resilience of the Malaysian economy," he told theSun.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak in tabling the budget, provided optimistic figures as to the expected growth of the economy, with per capita income expected to increase to RM28,725 in 2011 compared to RM26,175 in 2010, said Navaratnam.

The premier also estimated economic growth to remain strong in face of world economic slowdown, with growth of 55 to 5.5% in 2011.

However, Navaratnam cautioned that the Prime Minister cannot take Malaysia's financial strength for granted.

"Najib must ensure that he maintains fiscal and financial discipline to withstand the global decline, because if the economy continues its downward slide, the figures may change.

"Revenue must be increased, and the goods and services tax must be considered after the Elections. Expenditure must also be cut in non-priority sectors, for while it is beautiful to build castles, we cannot ignore the poor or afford to give less priority to the lower income bracket," he said.

The prominent economist and former Transparency International Malaysia president also said he would have liked to have seen more allocations made to strengthen government institutions.

"For example, more funds to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to counter corruption, which had an adverse effect on the economy; or more allocations to strengthen the judiciary to build investor confidence.

"The budget needs to also focus not only on expenditure but must be concerned with the benefits thereof," he urged.

He called on Najib to further liberalise the budget to increase meritocracy, competition, and productivity so that the ensuing output would be enhanced to counter growing inflationary pressures.

Najib says BN not just for rural folk

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 06:18 PM PDT

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak called on Barisan Nasional (BN) to not only be a "rural party" and reach out to the middle class and intellectuals.

"We don't want BN to be a party only supported by rural folk. We want the middle class and intellectual groups to support us as well.

"We want BN to be supported by all groups," the prime minister said at the BN Federal Territory Information session here, attended by about 8,000 of its members.

Najib has announced a raft of reforms over the past few months, including a Malaysia Day address where he pledged to amend and repeal several security and press laws including the controversial Internal Security Act.

He has also set up a parliamentary select committee to look into improving the electoral system in what is seen as a major concession to electoral reform movement Bersih.

His administration had come under heavy fire for its clampdown on the Bersih 2.0 rally for electoral reform on July 9, which saw thousands of middle class Malaysians join the march in the capital.

Bersih has claimed some 50,000 people took part in the street demonstration but official police figures place the number closer to 6,000.

Police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse the marches in chaotic scenes that resulted in over 1,500 people arrested, scores injured and the death of an ex-soldier.

Najib earlier highlighted the importance of only fielding "winnable candidates" in the next general election.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassan had previously acknowledged that there may be dissatisfaction among Umno leaders who are not chosen or are dropped as candidates, but maintained that the party leadership will be able to keep things under control.

"If we play, we play to win," Najib said today.

The Umno president said the ruling coalition should put forth a set of criteria for candidates in order to find the "winnable" individuals that will power them to victory in the next elections.

 

READ MORE HERE.

 

Putting Pakatan's "Flawed Budget" Under Scrutiny

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 05:59 PM PDT

(Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR, 9 OCTOBER, 2011: In trying not to miss the boat, the opposition has also scrambled to bring out what it called "a budget that ensures prosperity for all".

But beyond the lofty promises and glossy numbers, the so-called shadow budget, if ever it is implemented, could hurt rather than benefit ordinary Malaysians.

Unlike Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak's all-encompassing Budget 2012, which deliberately opted for a mildly expansionary approach to ensure economic growth continues, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has taken a more cautious and hawkish stance.
 
Under Najib's budget, the economy is forecast to grow at a respectable 5.0 to 6.0 per cent. Under Pakatan's plan, the growth momentum could slow sharply to 4.0 to 4.5 per cent, down from 5.0 to 5.5 per cent in 2011.

In fact, political analysts said the opposition's budget document had the hallmarks of the orthodox International Monetary Fund (IMF) prescriptions for Malaysia when Anwar was the finance minister during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis before he was sacked.

Those bitter pills include pushing interest rates sky high, tightening bank lending, raising import duties and sharply cutting back on public infrastructure spending, thus putting sharp brakes on the economy. 

Malaysians who lived through the crisis more than a decade ago will not easily forget those gripping pains they had to endure.

For a start, Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition of opposition parties, has envisaged a RM220-billion budget for 2012, much smaller than the government's RM232.8-billion budget.

But its forecast of government revenue of RM181 billion is way off the mark. The government had said that its revenue could top RM187 billion next year.

Najib opted to spend more in 2012 (up from this year's RM212 billion) to stimulate domestic demand and investments.

Furthermore, the country's economic fundamentals remain on a strong and solid footing. Inflows of foreign direct investment have regained momentum.

Foreign Direct Investment increased six-fold to RM29 billion in 2010, the highest growth in Asia. In the first half of 2011, FDI surged further by 75 per cent to RM21.2 billion compared with RM12.1 billion for the corresponding period in 2010.

However, Najib has given an assurance that the government would continue to remain fiscally prudent and keep a tight rein on the fiscal deficit.

There are a few other examples how life would be difficult under the opposition budget plan. Firstly, the relatively smaller subsidy allocation of RM22 billion against the government's RM33.2 billion would mean more people, especially the poor, would have to struggle to make ends meet amid the rising cost of living.

In his "People's Budget", the prime minister deliberately outlined each essential item that would continue to be subsidised by the government. It is not unusual for Malaysians, including the rich, to take these subsidies for granted. These subsidies include petrol, diesel, cooking gas, natural gas, sugar, rice, flour, and electricity bills.  

And Pakatan's proposed cut of a whopping RM10 billion off the Prime Minister's Department (JPM) allocation next year could deprive thousands of JPM staff of their monthly salaries. JPM forms the backbone of the nation's economic and government policy-making and implementation.

Perhaps the most controversial of Pakatan's budget proposals was to set the minimum wage at RM1,100 to wean off the over-dependence on foreign workers. However, many commentators felt that the threshold was blunt and socio-economically flawed.

The threshold, as it stands, is way above the current market rate for unskilled labour. It is absurd to expect a sudden big jump in wages even for unskilled labour without taking into consideration any direct and indirect impact on labour demand, inflation and productivity. 

A better approach would be to allow gradual increase in the minimum wage level over a three-year period. Interestingly, the RM1,100 minimum wage will also benefit some 300,000 civil servants who are in the lower-income group. This proposal and other special welfare payments plans for children, senior citizens and women, all to be paid annually, have raised concerns of the country's financial sustainability under Pakatan.   

"We can only distribute money when we are having a fiscal surplus or it might further burden the country," columnist Lim Sue Goan wrote in the MySinChew.com column.

Paying special attention to the civil service by dangling a RM5.9-billion carrot to them is also puzzling as Pakatan had made it clear from the start that the civil service is already bloated and needs to be trimmed.

Perhaps one would question the true motivation of Pakatan in taking such a populist posture to woo back civil servants.

At the end of the day, it's a case of Pakatan spending cash that it doesn't have and its budget remains overshadowed by the Barisan Nasional government's pragmatic socio-economic blueprint.

 

Utusan says Manoharan let off hook to save Guan Eng

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 05:57 PM PDT

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Utusan Malaysia said today DAP's lifting of assemblyman M. Manoharan's suspension was to "save" Lim Guan Eng from facing disciplinary action over his recent Johor remarks.

The Umno-owned newspaper said that suspending the Kota Alam Shah representative "will invite pressure from a lot of people" especially Indians.

"Manoharan has only been freed to save him. The party had missed the opportunity to show that they are not racist. DAP's leadership can sense that the suspension will spark more dissatisfaction among Indian members and supporters.

"Guan Eng is again shielded. Other than being Kit Siang's son, and holding an important position, his skin is lighter than Manoharan's," Awang Selamat, a pseudonym used by the newspaper's editors, wrote in its weekend edition Mingguan Malaysia.

Awang said the DAP secretary general had committed a much more serious offence as compared to Manoharan who had called for the national flag to be changed.

"There are people who saw Guan Eng's actions as an attempt to sabotage Johor's economy and to ruin the country's image.

"Guan Eng's actions shocked Malaysians especially Johor residents. A lot of people were hurt including the Johor Sultan, and the police who have worked hard to reduce the crime rate in the state," he said in his column.

Although Lim had apologised on September 30, Awang said his method was "not gentlemanly" as the Bagan MP had blamed the media for playing up the issue.

READ MORE HERE.

Bersih: Police corporal ‘scapegoat’ in Tung Shin scandal

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 05:55 PM PDT

By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Bersih 2.0 said today authorities have made a scapegoat of the policeman held solely responsible for firing tear gas into Tung Shin Hospital during the July 9 rally for free and fair elections.

"This is ridiculous. Everyone saw ... the whole world saw the video. The poor guy is the scapegoat.

"If you say just one, did they really do a proper investigation? How can they say it's one?" Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah told The Malaysian Insider.

Kuala Lumpur police had said yesterday that the police corporal who breached standard operating procedure (SOP) during the rally would be disciplined.

"Just like the minister of health (Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai) who denied Tung Shin was attacked by police, this is a denial that more than one police officer was involved," Chin added.

In a report made public on Tuesday, the Health Ministry had determined that police acted in an unethical manner and breached SOP when dispersing demonstrators who had converged on the hospital to escape riot police.

The report prompted a statement from Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam that the matter would be referred to the police disciplinary committee.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Police, protesters clash at US capital museum

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 03:40 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Authorities shut down Washington's popular National Air and Space Museum yesterday afternoon after antiwar protesters tried to enter the building and clashed with guards, a museum spokeswoman said.

One person was arrested during the melee at the Smithsonian museum involving between 150 and 200 protesters and six guards, museum spokeswoman Isabel Lara said.

"There was a lot of shoving going on," Lara said, adding one of the guards was surrounded and used pepper spray before the demonstrators were moved outside. She said she was not aware of any injuries.

The shoving match broke out in a vestibule between two glass doors at the museum entrance after guards told the protesters they could not enter with signs, Lara said.

Protest organisers said the attempt to enter the museum on the National Mall was part of the Occupy D.C. antiwar demonstrations that began on Thursday on the 10th anniversary of the start of the Afghanistan war.

"Along with the Occupy Wall Street movement, it represents an upswell of people taking to the street around the country to demand social and economic justice as well as an end to the immoral wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," organisers said in an e-mail sent to Reuters.

"It is outrageous that the security guard of a major museum in America pepper sprayed Americans as they entered the museum. The drones housed in this museum and the pepper spraying of Americans at the door are clear evidence of repression in America," Retired Colonel Ann Wright said in the e-mail.

Drones are armed tactical unmanned planes used by the US government to track and attack insurgents overseas.

The museum, which draws 8 million visitors a year and is the most visited Smithsonian Institution museum, was shut down at 3:15pm (1915 GMT). Lara said it would reopen today.

NYC protesters may expand

Anti-Wall Street protests continued in New York City yesterday and in other US cities, although crowds outside New York have been much smaller.

"We're tired of other people controlling, or thinking they control, our lives and our livelihoods," said Kristin Thompson, a 22-year-old preschool teacher and one of 100 protesters in Mobile, Alabama.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, about 250 protesters lined the streets outside a Bank of America branch, waving signs at passing vehicles.

Participants said they had been summoned via social network Internet sites, labor organisers, the liberal website MoveOn.org and members of the local Green Party.

"We are all in this together," said Ramona Beene, 45, who owns a cake company.

She said her two college-age children were "spending thousands of dollars and won't have jobs after they graduate."

In New York, hundreds of protesters marched from lower Manhattan to Washington Square Park in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood — the site of protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s — to discuss expanding their encampment to other sites.

Lucas Vasquez, a student leading the march, said protesters were looking at expanding into Washington Square and Battery Parks, but stressed, "We're not going to give up Liberty Plaza" — the protesters' name for Zuccotti Park near Wall Street, where about 250 have camped out around the clock.

"It's sometimes hard to move around there. We have a lot of people," he said.

 

Malaysia asked for more information on nude squat case

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 02:03 PM PDT

(The Straits Time/Asia News Network)- Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA) has written to the Malaysian High Commission seeking details of an investigation into how two Singaporean women were treated while in detention in a Johor lock-up.

An MFA statement released on Friday said there was an understanding with the Malaysian authorities that they would let Singapore know the results of the investigations as soon as it was ready, but they had not received any to date.

Instead, findings of Malaysia's probe into the highly-publicised matter were announced in their parliament session earlier this week, when a Home Ministry statement cleared the officers involved in the June incident of any wrongdoing.

"Following media reports in Malaysia that the Malaysian authorities have provided a reply to a Parliamentary question on the same case, MFA has asked the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore to provide more information," the statement said.

The two Singaporean women were driving into Johor Baru for supper on June 9 when they went through an unmanned checkpoint lane and entered Malaysia without getting their passports stamped.

Realising what had happened, the pair did a U-turn and approached some Malaysian officers who questioned them and sent them to a detention centre in Pontian.

There, the women claimed they were made to strip and asked to do 10 squats each while pulling their ears – acts which have been roundly criticised on both sides of the Causeway as inhumane and humiliating.

But, on Wednesday, Malaysia's Home Ministry, in a written reply to a question by opposition Member of Parliament Fong Po Kuan, said the checks were done in a "good and orderly fashion".

According to online newspaper Malaysian Insider, the ministry said the inspection was carried out according to standard operating procedures, such as having the women examined by a female officer. — The Straits Times /Asia News Network

No joy for Sarawak

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT

By Joseph Tawie, FMT

KUCHING:  Sarawak has not been given much attention by the Barisan Nasional-led government in the Budget 2012 although the state's rural areas are being touted as the coalition's 'fixed deposit',  claimed Sarawak DAP.

Said state DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen: "There is nothing much in the budget, except for the mention of building some roads, supply of electricity and water to the rural areas.

"Even then we don't know the amount as we have to share with Sabah. Given 20% of the RM232 billion of the total expenditure is for development, how much can Sarawak get for its development?

"In this type of budget, Sarawak roads will remain substandard forever. The amount of money given to Sarawak for its development does not commensurate with its contribution to the national coffers."

Chong, who is the Bandar Kuching MP, was commenting on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's   Budget 2012 announcement on Friday.

"For the past 14 years, the nation has (accumulated) a total deficit amounting to more than RM436 billion.

"The next year's budget has lot of goodies. Where will money for all these come from? And I think the only way for the government to finance all these is to obtain loans.

"We expect to incur RM45 billion deficit, and if you add this, our deficit will easily come to RM500 billion.

"This will be more than 50% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product)," he said.

Unhealthy budget

Reflecting on Greece's experience, Chong said the country went bankrupt when its deficits reached 67% of its GDP.

"We are very near towards that direction… this budget is  a very unhealthy one.

"Eighty percent of the nation's budget is for administrative operations and emolument, while only 20% is for the development fund," he said.

Chong believes a balance budget should be one that allocates 60% for administrative operations and 40% for development.

He said development projects such as roads will help to stimulate the economy adding that the current imbalanced budget had been going on for the past few years due to the over-sized civil service.

"For this year, we see the emolument of 1.2 million civil servants, and the amount spent on this is more than the whole amount of development fund for the whole country.

"This is very inefficient use of money. That is really shocking," he added.

Deafening silence on anti-corruption

Chong welcomed the government's allocations of fund for Chinese and mission schools and RM500 for a poor family, RM100 for each school child  and RM200 each for university students, pointing out that the only good feeling is that something is better than nothing.

"But the government can't really solve the financial burden of the poor.  It does not address the poverty issue unlike our Alternative Budget.

 

READ MORE HERE.

In quest to regain Selangor, Najib uses Budget as soapbox

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 11:51 AM PDT

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA SELANGOR, Oct 9 — Two hours before Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim showed up in Ijok yesterday, Datuk Seri Najib Razak was already in the Selangor mentri besar's constituency, promising pay increases and clean water and electricity.

Just the day before, the prime minister has tabled a record RM230 billion budget.

Yesterday, Najib talked mostly in terms of hundreds and thousands of ringgit instead to voters who handed Malaysia's richest state to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in 2008 on the back of rising costs and unhappiness over government wastage.

Najib told Ladang Tuan Mee estate workers in Ijok, where Khalid won by less than 2,000 votes in 2008, that they would see their pay rise by RM200 per month after "approaching every estate owner to increase their salaries."

To much applause, he reiterated his budget promises, telling those in estates that they will receive clean water and electricity.

From Ijok, to Rawang and then Gombak — all PR-held constituencies — he repeated the same script, touching on the RM500 payment to all households earning below RM3,000, RM100 to students and hikes in civil servant wages and pensions.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim also visited his Ijok constituency yesterday. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Despite doubts over Budget 2012's growth and deficit forecasts, Najib is brandishing it to convince fence-sitters in semi-rural areas to swing back to the ruling coalition.

Khalid, on the other hand, arrived late to meet old folks from Ijok for the Jom Shopping programme which hands out RM100 shopping vouchers to those aged over 60.

According to the state government, some 170,000 senior citizens, which the mentri besar admitted "are our weak link," are registered under the programme.

Instead, he left his wife, Puan Sri Salbiah Tunut, at Tesco Kuala Selangor to mingle while he rushed off to Gombak, defending yet another seat from Najib's onslaught.

 

READ MORE HERE.

We can deliver

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 11:38 AM PDT

By Eileen Ng, R. Sittamparam and V. Shuman, NST

RAWANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday dismissed the opposition's description of the 2012 Budget as unrealistic, stressing that he would not have tabled it if the government was not confident of fulfilling its promises.

"Of course we have the money and capabilities. If not, I won't be brave enough to table it. I would be committing political suicide if I tabled a budget that the government couldn't implement," he said after meeting some 2,000 residents of Kundang at SJK(C) Kundang yesterday.


Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had criticised the budget, calling it unrealistic because it would increase the countr y's deficit. He had also accused the government of copying the opposition's alternative budget.

Najib said: "T h at 's his answer, it'sa political answer. I want to know what he will say when we have fulfilled our promises." Najib stressed that the government's budget was drawn up based on facts, with the help of various exper ts.

"The budget proposals were drawn up by experts in the Finance Ministry, Bank Negara, Economic Planning Unit and other agencies — not by fools. They are brilliant people.

"We do not deceive the people. It is a commitment of the Barisan Nasional government. Our budget is transparent." He said what was important was the implementation, adding that all doubts would be laid to rest when it took off.

He also said the budget was manageable as the government had pledged to reduce its deficit to 4.7 per cent.

"This year, we had a 5.4 per cent deficit and we are monitoring our total debt, so we should be quite comfor table." On criticisms by some quarters that the government's projected growth of five to six per cent was too optimistic, Najib said it was made according to the present economic scenario and he was confident it could be achieved due to strong domestic demand.


"If there is a sharp downturn, of course it will be a different story." He said the government had restructured its total trade, making Asia and East Asia account for nearly 46 per cent of it. In contrast, Europe accounts for about nine per cent and the United States, about 10 per cent.

"Given the economic scenario, we are confident of success, especially if the Economic Transformation Programme and other government projects are implemented according to schedule." Replying to a question, Najib said he was made to understand that opposition members of parliament were keen for a review of the allowances of MPs, adding that he was surprised Anwar had responded otherwise.

"I understand his (Anwar's) MPs are asking for it. They told (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed) Nazri (Abdul Aziz), so it is a surprise to me that Anwar has different views." To another question, Najib said cigarette prices might be increased in the future.

"We didn't increase the prices (in the 2012 Budget) because it will encourage the smoking of illicit cigarettes." On preparations by BN Selangor to face the general election, Najib, who is also BN chairman, said everything was on track. But he said more effort was needed to increase support for BN.

Addressing the people earlier, Najib announced that a 3.2km shortcut linking Kampung Baru Kundang and Bandar Tasik Puteri Rawang would be built by the Public Works Department at a cost of RM4.2 million.

He said the road would benefit about 10,000 people who would be able to cut travel time from 30 minutes, over a 20km route, to just five minutes In Ijok earlier, Najib said the opposition 's criticisms of the budget showed that it had run out of ideas to attack the government.

He said this at a meet-the-people event at Tuan Mee Estate. Najib spent about an hour with more than 3,000 people. He also presented Deepavali and Hari Raya gifts to about 600 people.

Najib said the aim of the 2012 Budget was to ensure the well-being of the people and prosperity of the nation.

He said the government had done an in-depth study of what the people needed.

"I have outlined in the 1Malaysia concept several pillars, one of which is to be inclusive, meaning that everyone is taken care of by the government.

The budget has fulfilled this principle as it will benefit all groups of people." He said the 2012 Budget had also focused on the Indian community whereby the government had allocated RM50 million for basic facilities in plantations.

Najib said in the case of Tuan Mee Estate, he had spoken to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad chief executive officer Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian and the latter had agreed to provide clean water to the estate.

He also said prior to the tabling of the budget, he had asked all plantation owners to raise the wages of estate workers.

Najib said he was told that many workers of Tuan Mee Estate had been given a pay rise of RM200 each.

"I hope all estate workers will get a pay rise. We will take care of the welfare of all workers." He also said grievances about bus services and floods raised by BN coordinator for the Ijok state constituency, K. Partiban, would be attended to immediately.


Present were Selangor Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar, MIC president Datuk G. Palanivel, People's Progressive Party president Datuk M.Kayveas and Selangor BN leaders.

At another meet-the-people session in Gombak later, Najib said the government did not copy the opposition's budget.

"If we had, the country's economy would disintegrate." Najib also announced to the 3,000 people at the gathering that the government was allocating RM1.2 million to paint the Samudera Flats there.

2012 Budget – Cornucopia Of Goodies For Votes

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 11:32 AM PDT

By Lim Kit Siang

Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's 2012 Budget on Friday was a veritable cornucopia of goodies for votes in the 13th general elections – the most brazen and cynical budget exercise in the nation's history to reach out for voter support from a whole swathe of targetted groups comprising important vote-banks.

But the inequitable and corrupt system which bred decades of injustice, inequality and exploitation remains completely untouched.

The 2012 Budget is designed to win the next general elections for Najib and not to reform and transform the country's system, structures and institutions to end the rot which has seen Malaysia losing out in international competitiveness and being overtaken by more and more countries in national, economic and human resource development including in South East Asia.

It is no surprise that reactions to Najib's "election budget" apart from the Barisan Nasional bandwagon had not been so ecstatic, with Transparency International lamenting that the 2012 Budget "fails to inch the country towards any form of transparency and accountability" while economic analysts describing it as a "non-event for the market" because of its over-rosy projections whether revised economic growth target of 5 to 5.5 per cent of GDP for 2011 and from five to six per cent next year or the projected budget deficit of 4.7 per cent next year.

The question all are asking about the 2012 Budget is not whether Malaysia will become more competitive and better positioned to achieve the goal of a developed and high-income nation but whether it will fortify UMNO and Barisan Nasional's position in the next general election and save Najib's premiership.

This in a nutshell is what is wrong about Najib's 2012 Budget.

 

READ MORE HERE.

No Need To Criticise Budget, Says Abdullah

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT

(Bernama) PUTRAJAYA -- The opposition should not criticise the 2012 Budget just because they are desperate to make a statement.

Instead, it should cooperate to implement the budget for the welfare of the people and national development, said former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He described the budget tabled by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as a "good budget" that would benefit the people in general.

"They (opposition) only oppose. They also criticised me when I was prime minister. This is a good budget and I hope the government will implement it quickly," he told reporters after an appreciation ceremony for Artis Pencipta Alam (APA) organised by the Pulau Banding Foundation here on Saturday.

The ceremony was in appreciation of 11 artistes who were involved in a visit to the Belum Rainforest in Pulau Banding, Grik, Perak.

The visit in July was aimed at upgrading their knowledge in the functions of the forest in the protection of the climate and controlling global warming.

Hudud will empty out PAS’s non-Muslim wing, says chief

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 11:13 AM PDT

By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — PAS risks losing the support of and triggering an exodus from its non-Muslim wing if the Islamist party does not yield on the hudud issue, says PAS Supporters Congress (PSC) chairman Hu Pang Chaw.

He said many members were unhappy about PAS's plans to introduce hudud law in Kelantan and warned this could cause non-Muslims to desert the congress en masse, damaging the party's chances at the polls.

"We have to admit in politics anything can happen," Kelantan-born Hu told The Malaysian Insider.

The current flap began a fortnight ago when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dared PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat (pic) to enact the Islamic law in Kelantan. — file pic
"When you fall in love with somebody, by hook or by crook, you'll get together. But when the love is gone, when the feeling is not there anymore, you go your way, I go mine."

Hu said this was especially true of PAS's Chinese supporters, who were prepared to abandon the party if they felt they were not getting returns on their "investment".

"When they think this party ... can no longer be considered the best party, they will walk away. PAS has to bear this in mind," he said.

PAS should accept that Malaysia is a multiracial country and forgo its attempt to impose hudud on non-Muslims as this would backfire on the party, Hu added.

He said PAS should shed its "phobia" of non-Muslims and embrace this relatively new vote bloc instead of holding on to outmoded ways of thinking by championing purely Malay causes, he added.

"My sincere advice to PAS leaders is, if they really want to take over Putrajaya, they must get used to this way of life," he said.

The PSC, formerly known as the PAS Supporters Club, was formed in 2004 to help build non-Muslim support for PAS, just a week before the party suffered a rout in the 11th general election.

It was elevated to a non-voting wing of PAS in May last year to help recruit non-Muslim party members, mainly in Kedah, Perak and Selangor.

The 20,000-strong PSC has been credited with bridging the gap between PAS and non-Muslims, and softening the Islamist party's hardline image among the Chinese and Indians.

The current flap over hudud began two weeks ago when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dared Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat to enact the Islamic law in Kelantan now that the Umno veteran was no longer in power.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Premier on roadshow to highlight Budget goodies

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 10:11 AM PDT

(The Star) - A day after tabling the Budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak went on a roadshow to four towns in Selangor to highlight the basket of goodies that the Government will dish out next year.

He started the day by meeting hundreds of estate workers at Tuan Mee Estate in Ijok, where he explained that households with an income of below RM3,000 would be entitled to RM500 assistance.

He said the Government had also set aside RM50mil to develop basic facilities for Indian communities in plantations.

Before he left, he gave out 600 goodie bags in conjunction with Deepavali.

Najib then headed over to Kundang New Village, where thousands gathered at SJK(C) Kundang to greet him.

He managed to squeeze in some time to attend a private function before arriving slightly late in Rawang where thousands were also waiting for him.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I attended a wedding earlier. I was early but the bridal couple was late," he said.

He criticised the Opposition for calling the Budget he tabled "unrealistic" and a copy of their shadow Budget.

"First they said it was unrealistic. Then they said we copied their Buku Jingga alternative Budget.

"If it is true that we copied their Budget, then it means their Budget is unrealistic," he said.

Najib later gave out RM215,000 to 39 hawkers whose stalls were affected by the construction of a highway in Rawang.

His last destination for the day was Gombak, where he pledged RM1.2mil to repaint flats in Sri Gombak.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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