Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- MIC is doomed to destruction
- Singapore’s success should be a wake up call to Malaysia
- Add one more crime to disturbing statistics: Aliran office broken into
- Open letter to the Ministry of Education [via email]
- What's the difference between BN & George Soros?
- Defence Ministry Acquisition of Rapid Intervention Vehicles
- Kenyataan Mukhriz Sahkan Negara Hilang RM3.5 Bilion Setiap Tahun Kerana Agihan AP Yang Tidak Telus
| Posted: 16 Sep 2012 03:57 PM PDT
Thuraisingham Shan
If the current leaders who have not been elected to consolidate their positions, they should not be given the mandate to continue leading the Party. The Party leadership which took over the MIC from our former leader, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, has to immediately call for elections to consolidate their elected representation for the Indian community. For a start, the MIC Acting President should outline a strategy for the community with his elevation to the Ministerial position to consolidate the well-being of the Indian community. It was months ago that he had been appointed, but is yet to have a proper blueprint for this downtrodden community. Salient guidelines drawn up by Private Sector Initiatives of the Indian ETP programme has been shot down by the leadership, with no rhyme or reason. The Prime Minister's initiative to set up a cooperative has been raided by the political leaders of MIC. It had been a tradition that each of our previous MIC leaders had initiated a cooperative of their own: albeit Tun Sambanthan initiated the National Land Finance Cooperative Society; Tan Sri Manickavasagam pioneered the setting up of Koperasi Nesa, and Datuk Seri Samy Vellu founded Koperasi Pekerjajaya. However, the current Acting President has taken refuge in the Prime Minister's initiated Koperasi, the so-called Koperasi Suria, which is functioning in contravention of the Cooperatives Act and its rules and regulations were also registered bypassing the salient requirements of the Act. The two MIC leaders should keep away from this Prime Minister initiated venture for the community. It is an irony that the Special Indian Task Force initiating a forum of "Energising the Indian Cooperatives" seems to be a mundane affair with no firm, positive, follow-up action. Much enthusiasm prevailed from the 300-odd representatives from the existing 72 Indian based cooperatives who were present at the forum. The MIC should react with much concern to the matters raised, where pertinent matters raised were to be acted upon, with a task force group to be set up for prompt follow-up action. Nonetheless, the forum can be equated to a "Verbal Diarrhoea" session, akin to "A tale told by an idiot is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing". The italicised caption of this article speaks well of the leadership of the community. Various attempts to meet the leader had been thwarted with lame excuses and the finale was the rotten words of doom as per the caption. The Indian representation is doomed to anhilation, if drastic steps are not initiated immediately with a sense of urgency. The misfits and the leaders who were rejected by the electorate should best step out of the foray immediately. It is a fervent hope that the Prime Minister would help alleviate the predicament of the Indian community's dissatisfaction with concerted new ideas to garner the support of the Indian community for the coming GE13, where the role of the Indian community is crucial. Alternatively, the Prime Minister and PEMANDU should make public the Key Performance Index analysis of the Ministry for the Indian affairs. The public are not even aware of the structure of the Ministry and it specifications for the Indian community, rather than the words of misery captioned by the above so-called leaders.
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| Singapore’s success should be a wake up call to Malaysia Posted: 16 Sep 2012 03:52 PM PDT
Daniel John Jambun The latest report which says that Singapore is the wealthiest nation in the world by GDP per capita, beating out Norway, the U.S., Hong Kong and Switzerland, has further embarrassed our own country, Malaysia, which is Singapore's closest neighbour and economic rival. This report is especially painful for Malaysia because we know Singapore started off as an island of fishing villages with no natural resources. It survived and prospered as an entrepot (a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties), and imported raw materials for its needs, industries and exported processed products to the world. It is still buying nearly everything from other countries, mainly Malaysia, including sand, water, oil, vegetable, fruits, to name just a few. As of 8 August 2010, Singapore is the fastest growing economy in the world, with a growth rate of 17.9% for the first half of 2010. Malaysia on the other hand is struggling to achieve the official target of 4% to 5% growth for this year. A Reuters quarterly poll in July estimated Malaysia's GDP growth this year at 4.2 per cent. On the other hand, the Wall Street Journal report is replete with superlatives about Singapore economic performance, among which are as follows: "Singapore's GDP per capita – at US$56,532 in 2010, measured by purchasing power parity – is the highest in the world, topping Norway (US$51, 226), the US (US$45, 511) and Hong Kong (US$45, 301). The report also predicts that Singapore will hold its place as the world's most affluent country in 2050…. Singapore will see a 67% increase in centimillionaires over the next four years – [centimillionaires are those] with over US$100 million in disposable wealth…. Singapore has the highest percentage of millionaire households in the world, a title the city-state has held on to for two years running…." Some of the factors contributing to Singapore's forecast performance are its 'human capital' – a skilled and educated labour force (which is likely to lead to better long-term prospects for a country's economic growth), the dynamic business environment (with legislation to match), openness to trade, capital mobility and foreign direct investment…. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea are employing the same Singaporean strategies on Human Capital where the brightest and the brilliant are attracted from all over the world, universities rankings are among the top World 20. Surely something must be really right, as these countries do not have Natural Resources. In our beloved Malaysia, everything is the opposite, our government legalised 1.6 million foreign unskilled labourers who are non-taxpayer 'Bumiputras' consuming all the benefits funded by us taxpayers; our universities rankings have slid from the World Top 100 to unbelievably low levels so much that we have difficulty in competing internationally. Our brightest and brilliant are forced to mass migrate to Singapore, Taiwan and overseas. This is very ironic because we have immense natural resources which were extracted for half a century but our country seems to be always in debt and short of funds. The vast revenues obtained from tin, rubber, timber and petroleum had not done much to secure our economic standing. It is unbelievable that even Petronas, the supposedly superrich Malaysian corporation, is in danger of going bust. Surely something must be really wrong. A site, tranungkite.net writes that Petronas "has squandered its tremendous reserves for a number of projects it had no business to be involved in. It owns Putrajaya, the administrative capital that is a drain on the public purse. It owns Proton, the F-1 motor racing circuit in Sepang, and a slew of companies and products that is far removed from its main product: petroleum. The US$1 billion sponsorship costs for the F-1 championship in Sepang and the Sauber Petronas F-1 racing team appears to matter more than the future of its 70 IT specialists. It owns the Petronas twin towers, forced on it by the government so the Kuala Lumput City Centre (KLCC) would show the world how developed a country Malaysia is. Its considerable funds are used to cover government shortfalls and other financial needs. I suspect the Petronas management sees red ink dominating its balance sheets after its unrestrained financial profligacy." The latest glowing report on Singapore should serve as a warning May Day signal to Malaysia to revamp its system so that its public service is more transparent, honest, bribe-free, absolutely professional, and pro-growth in its approaches when dealing with investors and technocrats. In Singapore, the civil servants have very strict instructions to use all available government means to facilitate the license and permit applications by business people, and to assist them in all technical matters that arise. The civil servants are totally forbidden from accepting any gift of any kind, nor to accept dinner invitations from businessmen. Singapore has the high international reputation of being bribe-free and has a highly conducive business environment. On the contrary, bribes in the form of money and dinner invitation are expected by Malaysian civil servants, and there is a strong culture of 'undertable', and even 'over the table', dealings to lubricate business with the government. No wonder Sabah, with all its wealth of natural resources, had become Malaysia's poorest state. As if it is not enough that the state civil service is so corrupted, it also has to share its wealth with the BN-held states in the Peninsula.
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| Add one more crime to disturbing statistics: Aliran office broken into Posted: 15 Sep 2012 02:53 PM PDT
At around 9.00am on Tuesday, 11 September 2012, we discovered that the Aliran office had been broken into. The perpetrators had gained entry from the back portion of the building through the window by removing the grille. P Ramakrishnan, Aliran executive committee  Instead of deploying thousands of police personnel as was done during the Bersih 3.0 rally or any opposition-centred activities, these personnel should be out in the streets ensuring our safety and security. – Photograph: Dr Dzul's blog They unlocked the wooden door from within the ground floor and proceeded to the first floor. They prised open the secured wooden door upstairs and entered the first floor. The building wasn't ransacked;, nothing was strewn on the floor. They did a very neat job. According to the carpenter who came later to repair and fix the damage, these culprits had to be professionals because they did not cause severe damage to gain entry. He also revealed that his boss' house was broken into two months ago. He lost three laptops and cash. The loss that we discovered was amazing and somewhat startling. The notebook belonging to the current president of Aliran (Francis Loh) was stolen. The computer set and the printer belonging to the immediate past president (P Ramakrishnan) were stolen. The computer set used by the treasurer (Anil Netto) was also stolen. All these are old computers. But strangely two other computers used by the clerk were left behind! There was also RM26.90 in one of the drawers but this was not touched. We made a police report and were told to go back and wait for one Sergeant Karim who would investigate and take a statement from us. Sergeant Karim came sometime later informing us that he was at the Jelutong Secondary School immediately behind the Aliran office investigating another break-in there. We were informed that burglars had carted away computer equipment (laptop, projector) and cash from the school. The police dusted the Aliran office for finger prints without success, took pictures of the break in and took our statement. They were of the opinion that the burglars could have gone to the school after the Aliran break-in. Cash-strapped as we are, we feel the financial strain arising from the loss of our computers. But we are no stranger to this situation. We have always been struggling on a shoe-string budget. The struggle will continue. Much has been said about the reduction in crime rates to assure the populace that the security situation in the country is improving. Statistics are trotted out to convince Malaysians that the improving crime situation is no idle talk. But Malaysians remain cynical and unconvinced. They hear of so many crimes taking place in their neighbourhood which go unreported. There are Malaysians who are reluctant to make police reports on the perceived premise that nothing is done or can be done to bring the culprits to book. They rationalise that it is a waste of time reporting. But it is a fact, it seems, crimes take place on a daily basis across the country. People no longer feel safe. The fear is always present that they may be robbed or accosted or assaulted.. They feel intimidated. This is the reality. Malaysians argue that the police go after the opposition with a determined purpose for any infringement of the law, however remote or mild, but this vigorous pursuit is lacking when ordinary Malaysians are victims of crimes. They contend that instead of deploying thousands of police personnel as was done during the Bersih 3.0 rally or any opposition centred activities, these personnel should be out in the streets ensuring our safety and security. |
| Open letter to the Ministry of Education [via email] Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:58 PM PDT
For the attention of Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin. Re: MOE support/endorsement of 'LGBT' guidelines MCLM strongly objects to the Ministry of Education's support and endorsement of guidelines purportedly designed to enable schools and parents to identify behaviour allegedly associated with the 'LGBT' community. We are appalled by this decision because the MOE has arbitrarily taken upon itself a task and/or responsibility that is not mandated by law. Your ministry's primary and only purpose is to provide academic opportunities and infrastructure at all levels of the social strata for every Malaysian citizen. The MOE's vision and mission states: Vision: Excellent schools producing distinguished generations Mission: Developing the potential of individuals through quality education Objectives: • To produce loyal and united Malaysians • To produce individuals who are devout, honourable, knowledgeable, competent and contented • To provide manpower for the development needs of the nation • To provide educational opportunities to all Malaysians We do not see a pre-qualification on acceptable behaviour of students inserted in this statement. In fact, we would go so far as to say that it is exemplary because it does not contain any specific reference to gender, race or religion but rather, focuses on creating a united Malaysia. Actions like this endorsement of the LGBT guidelines go against the admirable spirit of your Ministry's vison and mission statement because it engenders discrimination within our schools. Your deputy, Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi, did not make it clear what steps the MOE took to verify the accuracy of these guidelines as well as the credentials of those who formulated them. However, even a layman can see that every single point is spurious and without merit. They merely serve to legitimise prejudice and bigotry in our society. The mental and emotional damage it will certainly cause to our children is incalculable. A person's time in school is already fraught with identity crises and peer pressure. Being labelled as LGBT will compound this situation as it will exacerbate sexual confusion, self-doubt and fear. By endorsing these guidelines, the Ministry is presenting bigots in schools with more ammunition to disenfranchise and terrorise those students who do not conform. Tan Sri Muhyiddin, we urge you to rescind your Ministry's endorsement of these guidelines for the sake of our youth who are the future of our nation. MCLM believes that the right to choose one's own journey to fulfillment in life is a personal choice, just as one is legally allowed to vote a representative into parliament without interference by the state. Malaysia will only excel to higher aspirations and achievements if its citizens truly believe in their hearts that they belong, without fear or favor. For that to happen, everyone matters.
Sharifuddin Abdul Latiff MCLM President |
| What's the difference between BN & George Soros? Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:36 AM PDT
Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser In the BN Government's on-going witch hunt against SUARAM to try to discredit us for pursuing the suspected corruption scandal over the Scorpene deal in the Paris court, they now try to suggest that there is a problem with us having received funds from George Soros' Open Society Institute. The Domestic Trade Minister wants Bank Negara to investigate if there is "money laundering" involved. In so doing, the Minister has unwittingly put Bank Negara in an embarrassing position. George Soros is well known as a currency speculator, philanthropist and promoter of open society. What is baffling is the BN Government's problem with Soros. From the BN Government's propaganda, there seem to be two problems: (i) He is a currency speculator (ii) He is Jewish.
The Jewish Question The fact that being ethnically Jewish (rather than being a Zionist) can be the basis for derision and condemnation in Malaysia (especially in the UMNO press) is evidence of the racist nature of the governing regime. This speaks volumes about UMNO's capacity for providing a non-racist path to progress in Malaysia. SUARAM certainly does not have a problem with Soros' ethnicity.
Who is NOT a Currency Speculator? Soros has a reputation as a smart currency speculator. But he has made his millions through his own means and devices. On the other hand, our own Bank Negara under Dr Mahathir's watch speculated in the international currency markets from 1992-94 using the rakyat's money and incurred losses cited as ranging from RM10-30 billion! It has been claimed that the maximum exposure of Malaysian taxpayers' money in the forex market during that irresponsible fling was as much as RM270 billion. (Malaysian Business, April 1994) It was the biggest disaster ever for Bank Negara which had to be bailed out by the Finance Ministry in 1994 but the biggest heads have yet to roll! It was after this fiasco and one of Dr Mahathir's most humiliating performances that he, in a pique of rage, called Soros a "moron". When the 1997 Asian financial crisis struck, Soros was again blamed. However, Mahathir eventually had to eat humble pie at a press conference with Soros on 15 December 2006 at which he accepted that Soros had not been responsible for the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Thus, after the 1992-94 forex scandal one would have thought that the BN government would think twice about denouncing currency speculators!
SUARAM's Principled Stand on Justice, Democracy & Human Rights Through the 23 years of SUARAM's existence, we have never compromised our principled stand on freedom, justice, democracy and human rights. We have never been beholden to any funders, whether foreign or local, as our anti-imperialist stand and actions in the Anti-War Coalition testify.
Malaysia sliding down the slippery road to banana republicanism From the Domestic Trade & Consumerism Minister's irresponsible statements about charging our company while CCM is still investigating the case and this latest gaffe involving Soros, the BN Government appears to be shooting itself in the foot. On the one hand, the Prime Minister is trying so hard to present himself as a reformer by promising more democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the run-up to the 13th general election; On the other, his minister continues to violate all these principles of good governance in his haste to try to discredit SUARAM. This seems to be the Prime Minister's dilemma. His words do not seem to match the BN Government's actions and with every gaffe by blundering ministers, we seem to be sliding down the slippery road to banana republicanism. |
| Defence Ministry Acquisition of Rapid Intervention Vehicles Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:28 AM PDT  The reprimand by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail on the acquisition of Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIVs) at exhorbitant prices highlights the malaise in the Ministry of Defence procurement exercises Tony Pua On Saturday 8 September 2012, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail asked that "nobody should take advantage of the situation for personal gains when acquiring equipment for the Special Forces," adding that recently four Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV) were purchased for RM2.76mil or RM690,000 each by the Ministry of Defence. Sultan Ibrahim then displayed one of the RIV vehicles and another personal vehicle that he purchased for RM150,000. "Which of these will be your choice? I do not understand why government purchases involve exorbitant charges that do not make sense," Sultan Ibrahim, who is also a Colonel in the Special Forces, was reported to have said. The above acquisition follows a series of controversial procurement of defence vehicles by the Ministry of Defence that have raised major question marks over whether the tax payers are getting value for their money. In 2008 the Ministry of Defence has acquired 12 Eurocopter Cougar EC725 for RM2.3 billion or RM193 million each despite the same model helicopter being acquired for only RM82.8 million each by the Brazillian government. The Ministry had attempted to justify their higher purchase price to the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on the basis that there were "customisations" on the vehicle to meet the needs of the local air force. Last year, the Ministry also awarded a RM6 billion contract to Boustead Naval Shipyard to build 6 offshore patrol vessels and a RM7.55 billion contract to purchase 257 units of 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) from DRB Hicom Bhd. The RM6 billion contract was subsequently inflated to a RM9 billion contract and the Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had justified the both the acquisition and the increase in price on the fact that Malaysians are acquiring the state of the art "littoral combatant ships" (LCS). It was subsequently exposed that the Ministry of Defence had merely "renamed" the German-made "Gowind Class" naval vessels into "LCS", which is the name for the more technologically advanced ships built for the United States. We can only interpret that the "renaming" of the ships is done to mislead the public into believing that we were indeed acquiring the best-in-class ships with the RM9 billion contract. Similarly, it was exposed that while we are buying 257 APCs from DRB-Hicom for RM7.55 billion, DRB-Hicom is acquiring the 257 APCs from Turkish defence contractor for RM1.7 billion. While DRB-Hicom will still need to install certain optional equipment, such as the turret guns and software systems onto the APCs, it is beyond reasonable believe that such additional "customisations" will cause the bill to be inflated from RM1.7 billion to RM7.55 billion; or from only an average of RM6.6 million to RM29.4 million for each vehicle. When the above controversies were exposed, I was accused by the Minister of Defence as a foreign spy seeking to expose national defence secrets and criticised as being ill-informed with regards to defence technology. However, when the critique comes from the Sultan of Johor, the Minister has no choice but to concede an investigation into the glaring financial irregularity. Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had responded yesterday that "the Defence Ministry takes note of the comment positively. [He] will look into the difference in prices between the RIV awarded by Sultan Ibrahim priced at RM150,000 compared with the RM690,000 sold by the supplier." We call upon all of the above deals to be investigated and scrutinised not the Ministry of Defence itself, but by an independent Parliamentary Oversight Committee. Malaysians have no faith that the Ministry will be able to conduct an investigation that is fair and above board. In the light of procurement transparency promoted by the Government Transformation Programme, it is critical that the Ministry of Defence supports the set up of the Oversight Committee to prove that all is above board. After all, if all the above transactions are of value for money to the Government, then surely there is nothing to hide from this independent panel.
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| Kenyataan Mukhriz Sahkan Negara Hilang RM3.5 Bilion Setiap Tahun Kerana Agihan AP Yang Tidak Telus Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:21 AM PDT
Jika jumlah AP yang dikeluarkan mencecah 70,000 setiap tahun seperti yang dianggarkan, negara dan rakyat kehilangan hasil sekitar RM3 bilion hingga RM3.5 bilion setiap tahun kerana kementerian yang turut diketuai Datuk Mukhriz kini hanya mengenakan caj RM10,000 sahaja setiap AP apabila ia diagihkan kepada pihak-pihak tertentu tanpa melalui proses tender terbuka. Rafizi Ramli,YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad Saya mengalu-alukan maklumbalas pertama Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir terhadap isu penurunan harga kereta memandangkan beliau adalah antara orang penting yang bertanggungjawab menggubal dasar automotif negara, atas kapasiti beliau sebagai Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI). Saya sertakan laporan BERNAMA bertarikh 7 September 2012 mengenai kenyataan yang dibuat beliau semasa merasmikan Persidangan Perwakilan Wanita Umno Bahagian Jerlun: Mukhriz: 'BN tidak berani buat janji kosong'
JERLUN - Barisan Nasional (BN) tidak akan membuat janji yang tidak mampu ditunaikan oleh parti, kata Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Kedah Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir. Kenyataan Datuk Mukhriz yang mengesahkan anggaran kementerian beliau bahawa permit import (AP) akan menarik bidaan setinggi RM60,000 setiap satu jika dikendalikan secara telus melalui tender terbuka mempunyai kesan yang besar kepada kewangan negara. Jika jumlah AP yang dikeluarkan mencecah 70,000 setiap tahun seperti yang dianggarkan, negara dan rakyat kehilangan hasil sekitar RM3 bilion hingga RM3.5 bilion setiap tahun kerana kementerian yang turut diketuai Datuk Mukhriz kini hanya mengenakan caj RM10,000 sahaja setiap AP apabila ia diagihkan kepada pihak-pihak tertentu tanpa melalui proses tender terbuka. Bagi setiap AP, negara dan rakyat rugi sehingga RM50,000 dan jumlah itu masuk poket pihak berkepentingan yang mengaut untung besar akibat dasar tidak telus Umno/Barisan Nasional. Jumlah RM3 bilion hingga RM3.5 bilion ini adalah lebih tinggi berbanding anggaran yang dibuat KEADILAN dalam menentukan sumber kewangan untuk menampung dasar menurunkan harga kereta melalui pemotongan cukai eksais secara berperingkat. Ia juga membuktikan kemampuan kewangan kerajaan untuk melaksanakan dasar ini, jika Umno/Barisan Nasional benar-benar serius mendengar desakan rakyat. Kenyataan Datuk Mukhriz juga menggambarkan beliau masih belum faham mekanisme yang boleh digunapakai untuk menurunkan harga kereta kerana terlalu terbawa-bawa dengan pandangan yang berpihak kepada tauke kaya dan pengedar kereta yang membuat untung berlebihan dari sistem AP sedia ada. Rungutan beliau, kononnya harga AP yang tinggi jika dilelong secara terbuka akan menyebabkan harga kereta bertambah tinggi membayangkan beliau mahu mempertahankan kadar keuntungan berlipat kali ganda yang kini dinikmati pihak-pihak berkepentingan ini. Menurut perkiraan beliau, bila kadar keuntungan ini dipertahankan, sebarang peningkatan kos kepada pengedar kereta akibat harga AP yang lebih tinggi perlu ditanggung oleh rakyat. KEADILAN mengesyorkan supaya pengedar-pengedar berkepentingan ini bersaing sesama mereka dengan mengurangkan kadar keuntungan demi mendapatkan pelanggan. Apabila harga AP meningkat dan harga kereta mula turun, mereka tidak ada pilihan melainkan mengurangkan kadar keuntungan yang tidak berpatutan yang mereka nikmati selama ini. Demi menerangkan lagi mekanisme ini kepada Datuk Mukhriz, KEADILAN ingin menjemput Datuk Mukhriz untuk turut sama hadir ke Forum #turunhargakereta yang diadakan pada hari Khamis ini (13 September 2012) jam 8 malam di Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Kuala Lumpur & Selangor yang bakal menemukan YB Tony Pua, YB Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad, Saudara Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Saudara Rafizi Ramli dan YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. Jika beliau benar-benar berjiwa besar demi kepentingan rakyat, kami yakin Datuk Mukhriz akan sudi singgah bersama-sama dengan rakyat berbincang kaedah terbaik untuk menurunkan harga kereta, terutamanya apabila beliau sendiri sudah mengesahkan bahawa kerajaan mempunyai dana yang mencukupi untuk melaksanakannnya.
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