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Posted: 09 Feb 2013 06:19 PM PST

The Opposition has also run out of ammunitions and their rank and file is woefully battle-fatigued. Self-doubts have emerged and major policy disagreements between DAP and PAS have divided the rank and file as well. Karpal Singh has done an invaluable service to the BN government. Whatever surprises that were touted as game-changers, such as the so-called political realignments in Sabah, could not be sustained and have not been transformed into any major groundswell.

By Matthias Chang – Future Fast-forward

In my previous articles, I suggested several reasons for having a General Election in 2013, one of which was that as long as the Opposition controlled four State Governments, it would be a strategic disadvantage to the BN Government to have an early election. The four State Governments controlled by the Opposition parties would not be dissolved in the event of an early election so that they could harness their limited resources and concentrate on the Parliamentary Election in an attempt to seize Federal power. The four State Governments would be the "impregnable forts" offering shelter and resources to opposition forces and afford them opportunities to conduct strategic forays in BN controlled areas.

Since 2010, the strategists in the Opposition camp have been baiting the BN Government to hold early elections and each time, I had warned of such a danger. The four "impregnable fortresses" have now been encircled and whatever forays outside the fortresses had limited battlefield success.

If I were Anwar Ibrahim, I would sack those strategists who were conducting continuous and relentless battles against the BN government since 2010. If Tommy Thomas was one of them, he should be the first to be "decapitated", figuratively speaking. How can any strategist be so stupid to adopt the blunders of Brutus (especially riding on the wrong tide) in the famous final Battle of Philippi as the winning strategy for the Opposition? Brutus, casting aside the advice of the more cautious Cassius, misread the tide and plunged into a disastrous defeat. To salvage what little honour remaining, Brutus committed suicide, as did other conspirators who murdered the great Caesar on the false pretext that the assassination was necessary to save Rome. And as they say, the rest is history!

History will repeat itself in the "Second Battle of Philippi", which will commence soon enough.

One must not ride on the crest of every tide for there are tides that will assuredly lack the force and momentum to guarantee victory. Low tide comes to mind.

In July 2012, the strategic balance changed for BN – from Strategic Defence to Strategic Parity. Since December 2012, we are witnessing a new phase – Strategic Offense – the gathering momentum for an irreversible High Tide!

A good analogy of what has happened would be the great victory by the greatest boxer in history, Muhammad Ali over the big puncher, George Foreman in Africa. Employing the "rope-a-dope" tactic, Ali baited George Foreman to punch relentlessly for eight critical rounds until exhaustion took over. Ali took every punishing blow to the head and the body, absorbing the pain and the relentless pace. When Foreman was all spent and worn out, Muhammad Ali unleashed a devastating blow that floored Foreman for good.

Well, the Opposition has thrown every conceivable punch at the BN for the last three years but there was no knockout punch. Like the abovementioned boxing match, the pace was relentless, and the blows punishing but BN took it all and is still standing.

Initially, the Opposition held the high ground, having the tactical advantage and when they over-estimated their strength, they launched a blitzkrieg offensive on several fronts, all at once and gained massive ground. But, the offensive sputtered in the second half of 2012 and by December stalled. It is clear that the Opposition "Generals" are at a lost as to which front-lines are to be abandoned, the troops pulled back to a more defensible perimeter and how to prepare for the inevitable counter-attack.

Napoleon made the same strategic mistake and so did Hitler when they attacked Russia. The critical blunder was to launch a broad frontal attack in the hope of a rapid collapse of enemy's forces thereby exposing the weakness of the supply lines, stretched thin by the wide frontlines. When the great Marshal Zhukov counter-attacked, the entire Eastern Front collapsed leading to the defeat of Nazi Germany!

The Opposition has now consolidated and reduced their frontlines to the battle for Penang and Selangor with expeditionary forces in Sabah and Sarawak as diversions. But, it is too late. Exhausted troops are manning the frontlines, not sure of fresh supplies or reserves. If truth be told, the Opposition has no reserves at all.

The Barisan Nasional has already launched its counter-attack with a full Division of fresh troops kept in the rear as reserves for two years for this one objective. And they have abundant supplies.

Additionally, the Opposition's propaganda campaign is losing momentum and has no longer any bite. It was a huge strategic mistake for the Opposition to latch on to the coattails of Deepak, a blackmailer whose agenda was hijacked by an opportunist legal goon to project himself as the "Knight in Shining Armour", who has opened himself to future prosecution for being complicit in drawing up the so-called first statutory declaration for private-eye P. Balasubramaniam.

My reasons are as follows. The clue is in the followings words of the press release dated December 20, 2012 by the solicitor of P. Balasubramaniam:

"As far as I am concerned, the 1st SD was transcribed, produced and eventually affirmed by my client over a period of two months during which time every detail was painstakingly checked and cross-checked to ensure the highest accuracy…" (and as reported by Malaysiakini)

Based on the above statement, the rakyat is told to accept as Gospel truth what is stated in the Statutory Declaration (SD). Who did the checking and crosschecking? The lawyer? The private eye? Some other third party? If it is the lawyer, what are the implications? Let me just say, he is on shaky grounds to assert so boldly that "every detail was checked and cross-checked". But, there are no statements as to how the checking and crosschecking were conducted and with whom did the lawyer and or the private eye checked and crosschecked the so-called details!

By the way, there is no such hotel as the "Prince Court Hotel" where it was alleged that the 2nd SD was executed. There is however a "Prince Hotel & Residence" in Kuala Lumpur and a "Prince Court Medical Centre" also in Kuala Lumpur. Was this fact checked and crosschecked by the solicitor when he released his press statement, I wonder? If not, why not? The location of an alleged crime scene is most important. But, this is now open to doubt notwithstanding that the crime scene was identified as the non-existent "Prince Court Hotel" by a member of the profession that prides itself as being honourable! If every detail relating to the 2nd SD was not meticulously checked and cross-checked as it should be, then one has to question the accuracy of the 1st SD and no one should take the word of the solicitor as the absolute truth.

Even the contrived "Deepak Scandal" did not have the desired effect. The goons behind this pantomime who postured as "knights in shining armour" were in fact muckrakers, peddling trash. The orchestrated press conference consists of innuendos and subtle speculations but devoid of hard evidence. The conductor of this third rate pantomime, if truth be told, is an opportunist and a coward.

Let's call a spade a spade – the conductor of this sordid pantomime was orchestrating an insidious blackmail and his co-conspirators who pride themselves as honourable were up to their eyeballs in this cesspool.

The entire political campaign of the Opposition (save that of PAS) was grounded on emotions and hate. In essence, the political campaign of the Opposition is a "Hate Campaign" – to demonise and politically assassinate the leaders of the Barisan Nasional (past and present).

More important issues are at stake and Malaysians should take time to analyse some critical facts with regard to the leading members of the Opposition parties. Take Lim Kit Siang. Politically as a member of parliament, he can be likened to a "rolling stone", one who has no loyalties to his constituency. How else can one explain his track record as an MP:-

• Bandar Melaka (1969–1974)

• Kota Melaka (1974–1978)

• Petaling Jaya (1978–1982)

• Kota Melaka (1982–1986)

• Tanjong (1986–1999)

When his Tanjong campaign to take over Penang failed in 1995 and 1999 (he was rejected and defeated in Tanjong together with Karpal Singh in Jelutong in 1999), he gave up totally the campaign to capture Penang. What happened in 2008 was unexpected, for if DAP was so sure of taking over Penang he would have waged battle in Penang. The DAP Chief in Penang, Chow Kon Yeow publicly declared in 2003 that there would be no more Tanjong 3! So, Kit Siang ran to Perak to seek greener pastures.

• Ipoh Timur (since 2004)

Karpal Singh is a lesser rolling stone.

Karpal's political career began in 1970 when he joined the DAP. He won the Alor Setar Bandar state seat in Kedah in 1974. He was first elected to parliament in 1978 when he won in the Jelutong constituency, Penang, as well as the Bukit Gelugor state seat. Karpal held the Jelutong seat for more than 20 years until losing it in 1999. He held the Bukit Gelugor state seat until 1990, moving on to contest the Sungai Pinang and Padang Kota seats in subsequent elections but was defeated. In the 2004 general election, Karpal returned to parliament with a 1,261-majority win in the new Bukit Gelugor seat and retained his seat in the 2008 election.

Lim Guan Eng has a similar pattern.

Lim was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka in 1986, after defeating Soh Chin Aun and was re-elected in the subsequent 1990 and 1995 general elections, albeit with reduced majority votes. He was ineligible to contest in the 2005 election on account of his conviction for sedition. He suffered a personal setback when he and his wife came in last and second-last respectively in the election for the DAP Malacca Committee. It came as no surprise therefore, that in the 2008 General Election he switched to Penang as it is clear he did not enjoy much support in Malacca even within his own party. The unexpected DAP victory in Penang in the 2008 general election allowed Lim Guan Eng to become the Chief Minister of Penang replacing the former Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon even though Lim Guan Eng is not from Penang. Senior DAP leaders of Penang such as Lim Hock Seng, Phee Boon Poh, and Chow Kon Yeow were bypassed and were instead appointed as excos.

The above, by any measure, is a reflection of the political opportunism practiced by the three top leaders of DAP and I would urge the Malaysian voters to be very cautious in entrusting the fate of our country to such leaders.

I must give credit where credit is due. It can be said without any fear of contradiction that of the three Opposition parties, PAS is the most consistent in its political aim of setting up an "Islamic Welfare State" whether one agrees with that agenda or not. PKR has similar political origins as the former Semangat 46, both came into existence as a result of differences within UMNO. But, DAP is a totally different political entity. Throughout its history, it could not forge any lasting cooperation with other opposition entities and or project a leadership role. It was only when Semangat 46 and PKR came into the ranks of the Opposition that DAP gained a wider acceptance. However, this was and is purely tactical so as to garner more electoral victories. DAP never aspired to be the ruling party and therefore had no long-term vision for the country. Being part of the "ruling coalition" that captured Penang and having the coveted Chief Minister post was a political bonus beyond its wildest dreams, as they had in 2003 given up all hope in capturing Penang when it abandoned the Tanjong 3 campaign!

Given the inherent political contradictions between DAP and PAS with regard to the establishment of an Islamic Welfare State, there is just no way that DAP will give support (other than lip-service) to PAS in those constituencies where DAP may have some influence over the Chinese voters.

The stand taken by Lim Guan Eng on the "Allah Issue" will be the straw that will break PAS' camel's back. Given that this issue is so close to the hearts of all PAS members and the blatant and very public refusal of DAP's leadership (especially Karpal Singh and Lim Guan Eng) to make a tactical compromise is an indication that when the crunch comes, the retention of Penang as a DAP stronghold is a bigger prize for DAP than the prospect of securing Federal power.

The cold calculation is simple. If the Opposition loses out in the General Election, for DAP it is better to have "a bird in hand (i.e. Penang) than two in the bush" for it can survive such a defeat. And to buttress its long-term survival, it is not beyond DAP's calculation to offer an olive branch to the BN on a similar understanding as what Gerakan accomplished in 1973.

Given this final equation, it is utterly stupid for the Chinese voters to give any support to DAP. DAP in Chinese parlance is a "Fun Kuat Jhai" i.e. a traitor, for DAP will assuredly betray PAS!

The soothsayer has spoken, "Beware the Ides of March" but this time, there will be no assassination of a Caesar, but instead we will witness the burial of Malaysia's Brutus, Cassius and the other conspirators after the Second Battle of Philippi!

BN’s Vishwaroopam is getting ugly

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 03:26 PM PST

Stop just looking at the bigger agenda. BN and Najib must also know how to sort out the smaller issues if they want to win over voters.

K Kabilan, FMT

(Vishwaroopam in Tamil means the true face. It is also the title of a Tamil blockbuster which is still awaiting release in Malaysia due to its supposedly controversial theme.)

Sometimes one does wonder if the government is really concerned about the peoples' wishes. Is it even listening to what the people are saying?

It appears as though the government is more interested in doing things which it thinks will be good for the rakyat.

Najib Tun Razak's earlier clarion call that his government was not one which subscribed to "government knows it all" seems like a half-baked lie right now.

Take, for example, the decision to fly down South Korean megastar Psy for the Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year open house in Penang. A cool RM3 million was reportedly spent for this.

Of course, it was not the rakyat's money as the Gangnam ride was reportedly sponsored by private parties. Still, that much for a singer who has only one known mega hit? And at a time when people are complaining of not getting real value for their money?

What about the Ponggal festival at Dataran Merdeka on Feb 2? Of course, it was deemed to be a mega success, by MIC standards. It would surely be if RM5 million was reportedly set aside to get the crowd.

Word has it that almost 1,400 buses were chartered to bring in Indians to the capital city to show that they all love our prime minister. In return, they did get a full meal of nasi briyani, courtesy of the BN government.

Is this how Najib wants to get the people to back him and BN again? This method seems so archaic, but it must be working for them to be doing it repeatedly!

But it goes back to the main question once again. Isn't Najib interested in what the people really want? Does the rakyat still want the government to dictate what's good for them?

The death of a security guard

Two ongoing issues reveal how ignorant the government can be in misreading the pulse of the voters, especially the Indian voters that Najib wants so much.

The first is the death of security guard C Sugumaran who died after allegedly being beaten by policemen and members of the public on Jan 24.

The first post-mortem stated that he had succumbed to a heart failure. The family wants a second post-mortem and that's where things have started to break down.

Sugumaran's body still lies in a mortuary while his family wants the know the true cause of his death. Very simple request. Any caring government, or a home minister, or prime minister, would have made the all-important call so that truth and justice are served.

But what we have here is the prime minister asking for a forensic report to be passed to him, and then even 10 days later, making no decision on the matter. In the meantime, the home minister sits quietly, letting the police handle the matter.

The police, on their part, want to follow rules and regulations to the letter while not doing anything conclusive at all.

It's a merry-go-round with a family still waiting for answers, and closure as a result of the death.

Is there an easier way to solve this problem? Yes, there is. It is actually as easy as Najib going to the local radio stations and trying to impress the Chinese voters with his Mandarin. But will he take the easy way to solve this problem? I doubt it!

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 03:20 PM PST

So Dato Hisham, please stop beating around the bush and tell us frankly: is the movie Vishwaroopam going to be released at all?

By S Vell Paari, FMT

In regards to Tamil movie "Vishwaroopam" which is showing successfully everywhere else in the world, I have been informed that there are four other local Indian Muslim NGO's who want the movie banned here in Malaysia.

It is as a result of these four NGO's, the Malaysian government has yet to approve for the spy thriller to be released in local cinemas even though the Censor Board has approved the second edited version.

The decision to release or not to release this movie is Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's call.

My questions to Hishammuddin are these:

1. In what way is the Muslim sentiment of the Tamil speaking Indian Muslims of Tamil Nadu, Singapore and rest of the world, together with the local 60 Indian Muslim NGOs, different to the four NGOs currently objecting to the movie?

I can understand if it's the case all over the world. Malaysia has the highest edits, 16 in total as opposed to seven in Tamil Nadu. Are you saying these four NGOs' ideology to Islam is different to the rest of the world?

This decision is no different to PAS ruling on the Chinese attire issue in Kedah.

2. The Home Ministry (KDN) speaks of sensitivity but where was this sensitivity in regards to the controversial book Interlok which was deemed to be insensitive to the Indian community? It took such a long time for a decision to be made to remove the book from school syallabus. Are you punishing us for objecting to Interlok?

3. This movie was cleared for general viewing in local cinemas by the Malaysian Censor Board. It was then banned by the ministry after a single show following complaints from the local Indian Muslim NGOs (the first group). So are you saying that the Malaysian Censor Board was ignorant of the feelings of Muslims in our country?

4. Where was this sensitivity when the cow-head incident happened in Selangor in 2009? And weren't you the one who said we must understand the feelings of the protesters? Why is it that when we (the Indian community) were subjected to abuse, we must understand the feelings of those abusing us? Why is it that our sensitivity is never taken into consideration? Why? Is it because we don't have feelings or are we not entitled to have feelings.

5. Pirated versions of the movie are flooding the local market. Your Home Ministry has helped to boost the income for the SME piracy market. These pirated DVDs and VCDs are uncut versions of the movie. So what did the four NGOs (the second group) and you achieve with the continued ban of Vishwaroopam?

Will the police force be now instructed to arrest the families of average Malaysians of Indian origin who decide to buy the pirated version of the movie due to KDN's double standard?

Will we be seeing kids handcuffed and dragged with their parents into police vehicles? What a disaster! With such stunts from KDN, who needs a tsunami?

Working against Najib

Dear Minister, you are in clear violation of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia ideology.

It's a clear case of insubordination by you against the direction and vision of the prime minister. You are clearly becoming a millstone around Barisan Nasional's neck.

So Dato Hisham, please stop beating around the bush and tell us frankly: is the movie going to be released at all?

What is so sensitive about the feelings of these four NGOs as against to the wishes of the other 60 Indian Muslim NGOs (with whom MIC had come to an agreement to allow for the release of the movie with mimimum edits) and the balance of the Indian community?

READ MORE HERE

Mahathir’s Tall Tales on Sabah!

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 08:22 AM PST

Putrajaya has no business whatsoever, under the constitutional documents on Malaysia, to block recommendations from the Sabah or Sarawak Governments on permanent residence in their respective territories. Yet we are told by Mahathir that he liberally gave out citizenships in Sabah during his 22 years in office as Prime Minister.

Joe Fernandez

We have heard it all now on Sabah from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

In his latest take on the on-going Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in the state, Mahathir claims that he instructed that only those eligible in Sabah should be granted citizenship.

This is rich!

He's degenerating before our very eyes even as a poor liar.

There's an old Malayalee saying with which Mahathir should be familiar: "Once you tell a lie, you must tell a thousand other lies to cover up the first lie."

No wonder there's an old Jaffna joke going around about the tragic fate of a cobra that was unfortunate enough to bite a Malayalee.

The cobra died!

The Jaffna people claim that they were chased out of Kerala and into northern Sri Lanka by the Malayalees who first welcomed the migrants from Tamil Nadu by draping them in yellow cloth, literally speaking, but later allegedly tried to slit their throats.

Citizenships are not based on any so-called directive from the Prime Minister, the Home Minister or the Federal Cabinet.

Mahathir's directive on citizenships a fairy tale

Citizenship is based on the Federal Constitution, the only Social Contract between the State and the people.

So, Mahathir could not have issued such a directive on the grant of citizenships. There was no need for one since there was no basis.

His so-called directive on citizenships is another red herring meant to divert attention from the tainted electoral rolls in Sabah and whether his family from Kerala, southwest India, ever determined their citizenship status in the wake of the British departure from Malaya in 1957. But more on that story in a little while.

The issue (child) of a citizen by operation of law – i.e. the latter holding no citizenship papers – or an issue of a citizen by registration – i.e. the latter with citizenship papers – is eligible to be citizen by operation of law whether born in the country or abroad.

Those born abroad must have had their births registered at the nearest Malaysian High Commission or Embassy, or at the British or a Commonwealth mission, where's there's no such representation.

Federal Cabinet failed to resolve stateless issue

The Federal Constitution is clear on this point.

The Government of Malaysia has no prerogative and discretionary powers on citizenship under the Federal Constitution except the Federal Cabinet when it comes to resolving the citizenship woes of Malaysians.

The Federal Cabinet can act in this case.

Many of those eligible to be citizens by operation of law in Malaysia are stateless because they carry no birth certificates like their parents, grandparents and ancestors.

These include Indians and the Orang Asal (Orang Asli) in Peninsular Malaysia and the Orang Asal – Dusuns, Muruts, and Dayaks -- in Sabah and Sarawak. The sea gypsies or Bajau Laut -- Pala'u – in Sabah are also stateless.

The issue of a citizen by naturalization – i.e. the latter a foreigner who obtained citizenship in Malaysia – is eligible for citizenship by registration. If born overseas, there are the other requirements to be met.

Failure to register as a citizen or failure to register the birth if born overseas would mean that the issue would be considered a citizen of the naturalized citizen's old country.

There are many in Malaysia in this category as a result of being born in Brunei, Indonesia (Kalimantan) and India, among other places. They are permanently doomed to carry red (permanent residence) and green cards (temporary residence) or even Special Passes (white) from the Immigration Department.

No basis to issue citizenship to 200,000 foreigners in Sabah

Citizenship by naturalization is a long process which begins with entry permit and work permits. However, foreign spouses of Malaysians need only to get a social visit pass in lieu of entry permit. The catch is one cannot apply for a work permit on a social visit pass.

The next step for the foreigner would be to acquire temporary residence – green card – followed by permanent residence i.e. red card.

Given the required numbers of years in residence in Malaysia, police clearance from the old country and the Malaysian Police, a foreigner can apply for citizenship by naturalization.

By right it should be a hassle-free process but the truth here is stranger than the fiction. Anything can happen at this juncture from long delays to an ominous silence from the authorities concerned.

It would be interesting to know on what basis and by what authority citizenships were issued to foreigners in Sabah. Mahathir had previously acknowledged that he gave out 200,000 citizenships in Sabah to those "who had stayed there for a very long time, spoke Malay unlike the Chinese etc".

Mahathir denied permanent residence to deserving professionals in Sabah

This is the same man who denied even permanent residence in Sabah to some 300 deserving foreign professionals serving in the state, many for even up to 30 years. The Sabah Government recommended them for permanent residence in Sabah and Malaysia.

The matter was only resolved when Chong Kah Kiat, as Chief Minister, personally called upon Mahathir at his office in Putrajaya and brought up the matter. It transpired that the little Napoleons in Putrajaya had been routinely consigning such applications from Sabah to the wastepaper basket. The fact that the professionals concerned were non-Muslims may have had something to do with their long wait.

It's back to square one today in Sabah and perhaps in Sarawak too.

Yet we are told by Mahathir that he liberally gave out citizenships in Sabah during his 22 years in office as Prime Minister.

Being in Malaysia a very long time and speaking Malay are not by themselves sufficient qualifications to be granted citizenship in the country. One must go through the proper procedures and process as set down in the Federal Constitution.

In Sabah and Sarawak, there are added criteria under the Malaysia Agreement. The Governments of these two Borneo Nations in Malaysia must be the initiating and recommending body for foreigners in their territory who apply for citizenship.

RCI should determine extent of tainted electoral rolls

The Federal Government cannot take it upon itself to issue citizenships to foreigners in Sabah and Sarawak.

Anyone who holds citizenship in Malaysia in violation of the Federal Constitution holds no citizenship at all. It's a nullity in law from the very beginning.

The same fate applies to those who obtained citizenship by furnishing false and misleading information with or without the knowledge of the authorities concerned.

The revelations at the RCI tell of foreign-born applicants obtaining Malaysian personal documents merely on the strength of Statutory Declarations wherein they claimed birth in Sabah.

The crux of the story in Sabah, and one for the RCI to determine, is the extent to which the electoral rolls in the state has been tainted by those ineligible to be there.

That's not the end of the story.

Mahathir is one lie after another on Sabah

We have also heard at the RCI that duplicate MyKads of Malaysians had been issued by the National Registration Department (NRD) to foreigners for the purposes of voting.

These foreigners apparently voted on behalf of Malaysians who had registered as voters but seldom turned up on polling day.

Other Malaysians who were eligible to register as voters didn't bother to do so. This provided another great loophole to nefarious elements who did not hesitate to issue duplicate MyKads to foreigners to enable them to register as voters on behalf of Malaysians.

Mahathir has been silent on these allegations which emerged during revelations at the RCI.

Instead, he keeps harping on what his directives were on the issuance of citizenships in Sabah and claimed that "other people including Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may have gone off at a tangent in Sabah" and obviously "unknown to him".

Mahathir is one lie after another on Sabah.

He has yet to come clean even on his own family from Kerala, southwest India, being in Malaysia.

Again, we are reminded of the old Malayalee saying on lies.

______________________________________________________________________

Joe Fernandez is a mature law student, among others, who feels compelled as a semi-retired journalist to put pen to paper – or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Ahad, 10 Februari 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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