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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Does Suing MRT Co Make Us Pinggir Za'aba, TTDI Residents Elite?
- Is Taib-Jeffrey alliance in the making?
- New voters add mystery to Perak contest
- MCA’s empty threats
- BK Residents Are Exposed to Life Threatening Toxic Gas!
- Bukit Koman air full of poison, says green group
- Rais: Media should be thinkers, critics prioritising harmony
- Anwar Ibrahim and his promises!
- What would we have been, if not for UMNO/BN?
- Malaysian Loves Corruption & Can’t Live Without It
- Slashed over hanging of BN flag, banner
- Ex-ISA detainee Yazid held under security laws
- When white is not white
- Asia at heart of matchfixing, ex-FIFA man says
- Bumburing’s men slam Yong for ‘attacks’
- Produce new evidence, Karpal tells Deepak
- MCA: Liew’s predictions on Johor cocky
- Shahrizat blows it for Umno in S’wak?
- Report: These 54 Foreign Governments (including Malaysia) Helped the CIA Torture, Detain, and ...
| Does Suing MRT Co Make Us Pinggir Za'aba, TTDI Residents Elite? Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:50 PM PST
Some wondered why I used my father's Tan Sri title in the press release - it is to clearly showcase that the suit is being brought by BN supporters against a BN project. It is not political - the plaintiffs are not politicians. They are aggrieved citizens that have a case. They need the government to listen. Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah bin Sanusi I'll begin first by thanking my good friend and occassional mentor, Ahiruddin "Rocky" Attan, for highlighting Pinggir Za'aba's suit against MRT Co. This suit is very much a private matter to the plaintiffs, my wife being one of them. I also thank those who have commented for and against the suit in Rocky's blog and hope they continue their interest here, and in the interest of getting some good feedback, I will also relax my typical restrictions to commentaries. For those who have misunderstood Rocky's definition of Elite, please have a look at the images of the houses of most of the plaintiffs on Pinggir Za'aba that I have attached below. Pinggir Za'aba is a long road, just as TTDI is a large housing area. The part of TTDI directly effected by the MRT has neither bungalows nor semi-D's and whilst we are not the poorest of citizens, we are not among the most affluent either. We are Elite though, in that we are nearly all tertiary educated, most are or were professionals, managers in corporations or civil servants.   Having heard the views of many, allow me to present my reason for supporting my wife's decision to join the civil suit against MRT Co. Metaphorically and in brief, I can say that the reason for my support of the suit is from my reading of Clausewitz's On War, where the great Prussian military philosopher describes War as simply the continuation of Politics or Policy by other means. Hence, this suit, is simply the continuation of Pinggir Za'aba's engagement of MRT Co by more aggressive means. To elaborate on the why, ever since residents of Pinggir Za'aba were informed our homes would be impacted by the MRT's construction by notices put up on trees along our road by SPAD some 2+ years ago, we have been trying our best to engage various government agencies. Understanding that the MRT is a nation-building project of some importance, we have never asked for it to be scrapped, but rather preferred re-alignment or an underground route for it, and failing that, that were at least hoping to be given due compensation either for damages to or for having to abandon our homes. The PR and engagement from SPAD and Prasarana was to me actually quite poor, though I would put more blame on SPAD for this - Prasarana seemed in these engagements as being victims of circumstance. SPAD's position was often inconsistent, its approach to engagement shoddy (beginning with notices put up on trees remember!), but at least there were no empty promises. Where they could not deliver on our suggestions of hopes, we received non-commitals and silence, which sounds bad, and may even sound strange for those who went to the PR 'roadshows', but worse was to come. Read more at: http://thoughtsintangents.blogspot.com/2013/02/does-suing-mrt-co-make-us-pinggir-zaaba.html
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| Is Taib-Jeffrey alliance in the making? Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:32 PM PST
Will wily old Taib Mahmud, who has kept Sarawak out of Umno's greedy clutches all these decades, outmanoeuvre Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak? Joseph Tawie and Pushparani Thilaganathan, Free Malaysia TodaySpeculations of covert conversations between "cornered" Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) chief Jeffrey Kitingan gained ground in Kuching following Jeffrey's call to Sarawakians to "support local parties". During a recent visit, Jeffrey advised Sarawakians not to support peninsula-based Pakatan Rakyat but instead to give their backing to local parties. The call, while confusing to some, has lent credence to rumours that Taib was keen on Jeffrey's Borneo Agenda and had met with him to discuss an "alliance". Local parties in Sarawak are Taib's Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP). All of them are currently aligned to Barisan Nasional in the federal capital. However, in recent months this "allegiance" has become suspect, partly due to the goings-on in Sabah and the peninsula. Within Taib's PBB and BN coalition itself there appears to be those who have sold their souls to Putrajaya and who are working below the line to ensure he is forced out "once and for all" and this "includes using the occult". But a PBB insider said Taib was well aware of these moves and the people involved. "He has his own plans and finds in Jeffrey and [Pakatan's Opposition Leader] Anwar [Ibrahim] a common agenda. "Both want to get rid of Najib [Tun Razak] and Umno-BN. "It works for Taib because now all three have a common agenda. Taib has nothing to lose at this point," the insider said, adding that it was a bonus for Jeffrey and Anwar that Taib could be a "generous man" when the need arose. The insider also said the latest rejection by Kuala Lumpur to his demand to be appointed Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak (head of state) in return for stepping down was pivotal to his decision to engage Jeffrey. "Taib wants the head of state's post but Kuala Lumpur has again rejected his demand. "By becoming the head of state, he can control state affairs, appoint the chief minister he wants, and escape the long arms of the law," said the insider. Jeffrey's remarks, which incidentally also had PRS president James Masing's reported support, came at time of great political confusion. Never before have so many political players been in so tight a race. According to FMT's sources, Taib is fully aware of a federal-funded attempt to oust him before the 13th general election and making use of his deputy Awang Tengah Ali Hassan to execute the plan. "The plan is to cut him off at every turn," said a source referring to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's declaration that only (federal) BN-sanctioned candidates and incumbents can contest in the general election. This, the insider said, spoilt Taib's plan to field his own men and outmanoeuvre Najib who is trying to pick his own PBB lineup loyal to Umno-BN and not to Taib personally. "Najib wants to ensure that Taib does not play a double game so he [Najib] wants to have his 'loyalists' in PBB fielded. But Taib wants his men on the ground. He is ready to field his own people who are aligned to him but are currently independents. "Najib wants Awang Tengah and his boys to remove Taib before 13th general election to ensure support for BN in Sarawak is intact and ensure the other BN components will remain loyal to Kuala Lumpur," said the source. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/08/is-taib-jeffrey-alliance-in-the-making/ |
| New voters add mystery to Perak contest Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:26 PM PST
"I would say that the surge in the number of voters in Pasir Panjang, Bukit Gantang and Gopeng is very troubling because these are not areas with large numbers of new housing developments and new voters moving in. Chen Shaua Fui, fz.com FOR the very first time, Abri Yok Chopil, 34, wants to cast his vote in the general election. Abri, an Orang Asli from the Semai community who lives in Kampung Chang, Bidor, Perak, registered as a voter last year. Previously, he had not taken his vote seriously because he was not aware of the importance of voting, Abri told fz.com in a phone interview. Abri, who is an activist for Orang Asli rights, says no one from the government, especially the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) that is in charge of the community's affairs, had briefed the villagers on their rights as citizens and their role as voters. Instead, programmes like karaoke singing competitions are organised or handouts distributed to the families to keep them happy, he says. The Orang Asli in the kampung, which is about 5km from Bidor, rely on subsistence agriculture and collect forest produce to earn a meagre living, says Abri. When the elections come around, the politicians come around to distribute provisions and pay for a community feast, he said. However, Abri and many of his friends had a gradual awakening to the importance of their votes after going through an empowerment process organised by a group of activists. They believe there is a need to have a change. "The people can choose the leaders they want," he said, expressing confidence in the power of democracy. Abri belongs to a growing number of young people who are shedding a long-standing Malaysian trait of staying on the sidelines of political developments. A series of public rallies in recent years have drawn tens and hundreds of thousands of people, showing that there is a mood of popular empowerment afoot. These rallies would strike a chord with many young Perak voters, who turned out in droves to protest when the Pakatan Rakyat state government was ousted in a dramatic political crisis in 2009. In that event, the Barisan Nasional took control of the Perak administration after three state assembly members quit the Pakatan coalition just one year after it unseated the BN state government in the 12th general election in March 2008. Straw polls suggest that many young Perak voters are waiting for the 13th general election to make a stand on the issue at the ballot. The question on many minds is whether this young tide of support for change is strong enough to decide the outcome of the upcoming general election. According to the Election Commission, there will be three million new voters in the next election, out of an electorate of some 13 million. Merdeka Centre Research Manager Tan Seng Keat said that out of these new voters, half of them fall under the age group of 21-25 years old. However, he pointed out that new voters are not necessarily young voters or first-time voters; they could be voters who have moved into a constituency due to labour or social mobility. As political parties from both sides had been working very hard to register new voters since the 2008 general election, it is normal to have an increase of new voters in a constituency. However, political analyst Ong Kian Ming pointed out that the surge of new voters is above the average rate of increase in several closely contested seats in Perak. Ong, who recently became a DAP member and is the party's election strategist, has been compiling the data of new voters in Perak. The number of new voters in the electoral roll up to the fourth quarter of 2012 shows an increase of 217,796 (18%) new voters in Perak, compared with 2008.
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| Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:21 PM PST
Only businessmen who have secured corrupt business deals through their connections should be concerned with a change of government. An SME Businessman, The Malaysian Insider Many argue that the most important reason why Pakatan Rakyat must be elected the new federal government in the forthcoming general election is to bring an end to 55 years of Barisan Nasional government. While Umno's frequent threats that May 13-style riots will occur if the elections produce a new government have lost their effect, the MCA has now joined this "threat game". Seeking to claim its traditional role of the party of big business, its president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek was reported in the mainstream media over the weekend as saying that Bursa Malaysia will drop 500 points if Pakatan wins, which would "have a direct impact on the national economy". Chua went on to say "PAS has also mentioned that it will close Genting and the Bursa. All these will frighten investors, be they local of foreign". Clearly these are empty threats. For Pakatan to be elected the new federal government it must have a simple majority in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat, say, about 125 seats. Because of the gerrymandering of constituencies by numerous Barisan administrations, Pakatan must receive a popular vote exceeding 55 per cent in order to win that number of seats required to form a working government with a comfortable majority that can also withstand any party-hopping that may occur thereafter. In this scenario, surely the 55 per cent of Malaysians who voted for Pakatan will not wish to have their newly elected government destabilised at any level, including our economy. I for one would personally support the stock market if there is a panic sell by the weak-hearted or the cautious, as would many of my business colleagues. I have no doubt that millions of our fellow Malaysians would rally to support the stock market, as we did during the 1998 financial crisis. It is our public duty to support the new government which we hope to elect, and if that means buying shares on the Bursa, sufficient Malaysians will do that. In any event, if a major sell-down occurs in the Bursa as a result of a Pakatan victory, the nation's economic institutions like EPF, PNB, Khazanah and other GLCs would have to do their national duty by supporting the market, something they have done time and again under the Barisan government. Next, the PAS bogey. PAS has administered Kelantan for more than 20 years, and Kedah for five years. These two PAS state administrations have neither acquired nor appropriated property, assets or businesses belonging to non-Muslims. The rakyat should also consider the Selangor and Penang experience. The treasuries of both states have been prudently managed, deficits reduced and investments increased. Penang is, as a matter of fact, a grand success story. The four PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have proven their ability by beating the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53 per cent of Malaysia's total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is the new champion of investments in Malaysia, coming out top in 2010 with RM12.2 billion. Even, the one-year administration of Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin in Perak was business friendly. The facts speak for themselves. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/mcas-empty-threats-an-sme-businessman/
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| BK Residents Are Exposed to Life Threatening Toxic Gas! Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:12 PM PST
Ahli jawatankuasa Pahang Raub Anti Cyanide di Perlombongan Emas (BCAC) telah memeriksa rekod pemantauan 12 Januari dan 20 Januari 2013 dan mendapati gas HCN telah dikesan setiap minit. Rekod pemantauan menunjukkan tahap kepekatan gas cyanide mencecah 0.5-0.8ppm kebanyakkan masa. Tahap kepekatan yang tertinggi adalah 1.11ppm!
Bancyanide BK Hasil Pemantauan Udara Menunjuk Bukit Koman Dicemari Gas Cyanide Yang Toksik!
Hasil dari pemantauan udara yang dilakukan oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) di SJK (C) Yuh Wah menunjukkan tahap hydrogen cyanide (HCN) yang tinggi menyebabkan udara di Raub telah tercemar dengan gas TOKSIK!
Jabatan Alam Sekitar negara kita telah menetapkan had piawaian hydrogen cyanide untuk kawasan perumahan Bukit Koman sebanyak 10ppm, jauh lebih tinggi berbanding had piawaian keselamatan dan kesihatan pekerjaan, iaitu di bawah tahap 4.7ppm!
Setakat ini tahap tertinggi gas cyanide yang pernah dikesan oleh pemantauan JAS mencecah tahap 1.11ppm. Lokasi pemantauan ini adalah lebih kurang 1km dari kilang perlombongan emas, oleh itu tahap kepekatan cynanide sudah tentu lebih tinggi didalam kampong Bukit Koman! Maka tidak ada sebab untuk membiarkan penghuni kawasan kediaman didedahkan kepada ancaman udara bertoksid selama 24 jam sehari!
Penduduk Bukit Koman Terdedah Kepada Gas Tosik Sepanjang Hari
JAS telah mula memasang alat pemantauan udara di SJK © Yuh Wah pada 3 Januari 2013 untuk menjalankan pemantauan selama 6 bulan. Papan tanda pula mula didirikan ditapak tersebut sejak 20 Januari. Hasil pematauan akan dikemaskini atas papan tanda tersebut setiap 5 jam. Menurut En Lokman, pengawai JAS yang bertugas di situ, JAS Negeri Pahang telah menghantar pengawai untuk menjalankan pemantauan tahap HCN dan pencemaran udara yang lain (10 parameter) sejak awal bulan Januari dan beliau menjalankan pemantauan selama 15 jam sehari. Ditanya mengapa tidak dapat menjalani pemantauan 24 jam, beliau jawab, "Saya dan mesin perlu berehat!".
Ahli jawatankuasa Pahang Raub Anti Cyanide di Perlombongan Emas (BCAC) telah memeriksa rekod pemantauan 12 Januari dan 20 Januari 2013 dan mendapati gas HCN telah dikesan setiap minit, tidak ada satu angka yang menunjukkan "sifar"! Kita juga dapati angka "sifar" jarang sekali muncul pada pemantauan hari –hari yang lain. Rekod pemantauan menunjukkan tahap kepekatan gas cyanide mencecah 0.5-0.8ppm kebanyakkan masa. Tahap kepekatan yang tertinggi adalah 1.11ppm!
Keadaan ini adalah sangat serius, kerana udara semula jadi tidak mengandungi gas cyanide. Hasil pemantauan JAS ini mengesahkan udara yang disedut oleh penduduk setempat telah dicemari gas cyanide dan pencemar toksik yang lain, malah tahap pencemarannya jauh lebih tinggi berbanding negara lain!
Sebenarnya piawaian udara HCN di kebanyakan negara adalah jauh lebih rendah dari 0.2ppm, dimana had piawaian New York adalah 0.03ppm, Soviet Union dan Republik Czech pula masing-masing ialah 0.009 / 0.007ppm. Hasil pemantanan di Bukit Koman menunjukkan pencemarannya jauh lebih tinggi dari piawaian udara negara-negara ini, malah adalah lebih 20 kali ganda dari piawaian New York yang dibenarkan.
Piawaian 10ppm Adalah Lebih Tinggi Daripada Piawaian Keselamatan Pekerjaan
Papan tanda yang didirikan JAS menunjukkan had piawaian yang ditetapkan oleh JAS adalah 10ppm. Setahu kita, Standard Kualiti Udara Persekitaran Malaysia (Malaysia Ambient Air Quality Standard) tidak merangkumi HCN, malah piawaian keselamatan perkerjaan (Occupational Safety and Health Act 1974) Malaysia adalah jauh lebih rendah, iaitu 4.7ppm! Kita nak tanya, bagaimana JAS boleh menetapi had piawaian di kawasan perumahan lebih tinggi dari piawian perindustrian / keselamatan perkerjaan?
BCAC pernah meminta JAS jelaskan had piawaian HCN berkali-kali, tetapi selama ini, JAS tidak pernah menjawab dalam laporan bertulis mereka. Pegawai JAS pernah menyatakan had piawaian yang digunakan adalah 10ppm, akan tetapi pihak JAS tidak dapat memaklumkan sumbernya. Kemudian dinyatakan pula, piawai yang dirujuk adalah digunapakai di Western Australia. Siasatan BCAC menunjuk tahap 10ppm sebenarnya adalah piawaian keselamatan pekerjaan untuk Western Australia, dimana piawai ini adalah tidak sesuai pakai di kawasan perumahan.
Piawaian keselamatan perkerjaan cuma sesuai digunakan untuk pekerja perindustrian, dengan had masa bekerja yang tetap (biasanya 8 jam); Berbeza dengan pekerja dalam kilang, penduduk di Buki Koman terdedah kepada ancaman gas cyanide selama 24 jam; piawaian keselamatan perkerjaan memang tidak sesuai digunakan untuk kampung yang mempunyai penduduk seramai 3000 orang ini.
Mengesahkan Aduan Kesihatan Penduduk Sejak 2009
SJK (C) Yuh Hwa adalah berjarak lebih kurang 1km dari kilang perlombongan emas, malah gas cyanide masih boleh dikesan di situ. Oleh itu kita percayai bahawa pencemaran dalam kawasan kampung adalah jauh lebih tinggi!
Selepas Raub Australia Gold Mine (RAGM) mula beroperasi pada Februari 2009, 300 orang penduduk dari kampung-kampung berdekatan melaporkan masalah kesihatan seperti gatal kulit dan ruam kulit, mata merah dan berair, ketidakselesaan tekak, sesak nafas, insomnia, mual muntah, sakit kepala, pening dan lain-lain. Pemantauan JAS ini sekali menunjukkan aduan selama ini adalah benar!
Tidak ada orang patut beritahu kita bahawa "angka-angka ini menunjukkan gas cyanide tidak melebihi piawaian, oleh itu tidak ada masalah!", malah ada laporan sains yang menunjukkan pendedahan kepada gas cyanide tahap rendah dalam jangka masa panjang boleh menyebabkan masalah kesihatan saraf, saluran pernafasan, saluran darah, dan kelenjar tiroid.
Nyawa adalah tidak ternilai! Kita menyeru kerajaan mengambil tindakan dengan segera dan menutup kilang Raub Australian Gold Mining di Bukit Koman untuk mengelakkan penduduk setempat dari terus dianiaya.
2012年2月7日
根据环境局在武吉公满育华华校所探测到的含山埃气体（氰化氢，HCN）指数已经说明，劳勿的空气已经被山埃污染了！
根据一些工业发达国家/ 先进国家的标准，山埃气体的允许暴露限值(工业安全标准限制)皆在4.7ppm以下！且暴露时间不能够超过10分钟~可是我国环境局却将武吉公满民宅区的含山埃气体指数顶限设为10ppm，远远高于我国的工业安全标准限制，这是极度荒谬和令人不能接受的！因为没有任何理由让人民居住的地方24小时暴露在工业有毒废气的威胁中！
目前测量到最高的山埃气体指数数据达到1.11ppm，探测地点距离金矿厂约1公里，所以从工厂所释放出来的山埃气体浓度肯定高出许多！
环境局在1月上旬开始派员到武吉公满新村每日探测HCN和其他污染指数，告示板则是在1月20日开始竖立。反山埃委员会第一时间到现场了解状况，在场驻守的环境局职员洛曼（Lokman）透露环境局于2013年1 月3 日开始在武吉公满育华华校架设空气探测器以进行空气探测，该空气探测器每日操作15小时，为期六个月，告示板的数据每五个小时更新一次。
委员会查阅了其中两天（1月12日和20日）的数据，发现探测器竟然每分钟都探测到山埃气体，没有一个数据显示"零"。后来再查阅其他日期的数据，发现出现"零"的次数极少。所看到的数据显示，大多数时候当地的山埃气体浓度高达0.5-0.8ppm，最高的指数1.11ppm。
这个情况非常严重，因为自然空气不含山埃气体，这些数据确认了村民呼吸的空气已受山埃气体污染，且污染指数远高于其他国家的限制！
上限竟高于工业标准
环境局竖立的告示板显示，该局设定的山埃气体标准限制是10ppm，但是马来西亚的空气素质指数（Malaysia Ambient Air Quality Standard）并没有涵盖HCN，有的只是工业安全标准，而且我国工业安全标准限制是4.7ppm，环境局怎么可能认为住宅区的上限还高于工业标准？
委员会曾多次向环境局询问山埃气体的限制标准，都得不到环境局的书面答复。环境局官员曾口头透露我国的标准是10ppm，但始终没法告知出处，后来则说是西澳标准，但经反山埃委员会查询后发现，10ppm其实是西澳的工业安全标准，不适用于公众民宅。
工业安全标准只适用于工厂内工作的员工，且都列明工作时限；有别于员工的是，居住在当地的武吉公满村民每天24小时都暴露在山埃气体中，工业安全标准肯定不适用于这个人口近3000的新村。
其实很多国家的HCN空气素质标准大都低于0.2ppm，纽约的标准是0.03ppm，苏联和捷克则分别是0.009/0.007ppm，武吉公满探测到的指数已远 高于这些国家的空气素质标准，甚至已超过大城市纽约的标准20倍以上。
长期暴露在山埃气体将严重影响健康
育华华校距离冶金厂一公里之外，尚能探测到山埃气体，相信村内的数据会更高。
村民也时常投诉在村里看到金矿厂发放烟雾，造成当地居民的健康频频出现状况，包括眼疾、皮肤病及呼吸困难的问题。
没有人应该告诉我们"数据显示山埃气体没超标，因此没有问题"，已有科学报告指出，长期低度暴露在山埃气体中可导致神经、呼吸道、心血管及甲状腺问题。
这次环境局的测试结果再次印证了村民多年的投诉和抗议。生命无价，政府理应即刻关闭村内的劳勿澳洲金矿公司，以避免武吉公满村民继续受害。
劳勿反山埃冶金委员会启
SJK(C) Yuk Hwa is more than 1 km from the RAGM CIL Plant can detected 1.1ppm! Can expected the Bukit Koman residents that nearer to the CIL Plant is expose to higher level of toxic gas
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| Bukit Koman air full of poison, says green group Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:09 PM PST
(Free Malaysia Today) - 'Cyanide exposure is more than 30 times higher than the level permitted in New York.' An environmental group has claimed that the use of cyanide in gold mining activities is causing excessive air pollution in Bukit Koman, Pahang. The pollutants include hydrogen cyanide gas, according to Sherly Hue, a leader of the Pahang Ban Cyanide in Gold Mining Action Committee. She told FMT that on a certain day in early January, the amount of hydrogen cyanide in the air around Bukit Koman was recorded at 1.1 ppm (parts per million), a level that World Health Organisation (WHO) considers hazardous. The reading was taken some time after Jan 3, the date on which the Pahang Department of Environment (DOE) erected a monitoring station next to SJK (C) Yuh Wah. The station measures the gas level for 15 hours a day. "According to WHO, the permissible levels for the gas exposure are 0.03 ppm in New York and 0.009 ppm in the Czech Republic," Hue said. "The cyanide exposure in Bukit Koman is 30 times above the safety level of New York." However, DOE has set the maximum exposure level at 10 ppm, as displayed on a board next to the monitoring station. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/07/bukit-koman-air-full-of-poison-says-green-group/ |
| Rais: Media should be thinkers, critics prioritising harmony Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:05 PM PST
(Bernama) - MEDIA practitioners, especially journalists, need to be thinkers and critics who always place importance on harmonious relations between countries in their writings, said Malaysia's Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. He said in the context of Malaysia-Indonesia relations, journalists were an important component in imbuing thinking of whether to report the truth or not. In his keynote address at a grand dinner to mark the Indonesian Press Day and 67th anniversary of the Indonesian Journalists Association here Thursday, he said although the media or journalists were free to write, report and criticise on whatever, they must uphold the regional Malay spirit, harmony and mutual respect that had existed for such a long time. "We come from the same stock and if we, as writers, cannot convey our similarities to the masses, these similarities do not guarantee us anything. "We should therefore think of what would happen to the regional Malay community if we as writers don't play our role from the perspective of promoting the meaning of humanity and Malay brotherhood," he said. Also present were his wife Datin Seri Maznah Rais, North Sulawesi governor SH Sarundajang and Malaysia's Informaton director-general Datuk Ibrahim Abdul Rahman. Rais, the first minister outside Indonesia to be given the honour of delivering the keynote address at such a function which was attended by over 1,000 Indonesian journalists, noted that he came to Manado with the aim of strengthening Malaysia-Indonesia ties. Recognising the role of the media and journalists as writers, messengers and critics, he said that role could have a meaningful impact on society. He said as writers, especially in Indonesia where they were free to report on anything, their reporting must still be balanced. As such, he said, good things like the Indonesian workers in Malaysia remitting home about RM6 billion a year and that more than 90 per cent of traders in Kuala Lumpur's Chow Kit area were Indonesians, should be given due news coverage. "As writers we must always infuse a sense of responsibility in all our articles in order to prevent others from getting angry with what we write," he said. Rais also suggested that the television programmes on TVRI and RTM which had such a positive impact on the two countries' ties be revived with new content. When met by the media after the event, Rais said he was touched by being honoured to deliver the keynote address and to convey the message of enhancing the already close Malaysia-Indonesia relations. "It was a result of the roles played by Ikatan Setiakawan Malaysia-Indonesia and Yayasan Ikatan Rakyat Malaysia-Indonesia. This noble initiative should be continued in the interest of the region's Malay community," he said.
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| Anwar Ibrahim and his promises! Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:01 PM PST Anwar claimed that free education in Malaysia is achievable. But HOW? Till today, he and his party has yet to provide a logic explanation for such a policy to be implemented. Wong Saikim At the International Convention for Education 2013 at University Selangor (UNISEL) recently, Opposition supremo Anwar Ibrahim assured his audience that free education can be achieved even though taxes are low in Malaysia, that makes Malaysia to become the only country in the world to achieve such an accomplishment. Anwar claimed that free education in Malaysia is achievable. But HOW? Till today, he and his party has yet to provide a logic explanation for such a policy to be implemented. Anwar, who serves as Economic Advisor to the Selangor state government, should have actually advised the state Govt he advises to implement free education in Selangor so that it can be replicated in the federal level should they take over Putrajaya. Free education could have been given in UNISEL. But failing to do so clearly proves that his promises remains far-fetched promises which will never be fulfilled. The problem with being caught in the blame game is that other than making sweeping statements in the Buku Jingga, the Opposition has yet to provide suggestions or solutions to the grand abolishment and free goodies they have promised. Liquidity funds are an important component in building capacities for free education to be realized. The country would need to increase its inventory of qualified lecturers, infrastructure, and many others. As education minister, Anwar, other than introducing 'Bahasa Baku' that tainted our national language, has left us with nothing to be proud of other than the PTPTN that he institutionalized. A decade and a half later, even he himself does not believe some of the policies he engineered, calling for abolishment of PTPTN. How are Malaysians going to trust him with running a nation?
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| What would we have been, if not for UMNO/BN? Posted: 07 Feb 2013 12:53 PM PST "What would we have been, if not for UMNO/BN, Mahathir, Pak Lah, and ...Najib" Celestine Ho To wade through today's murky political waters, it is important for voters to possess the appropriate tools to separate fact from fiction and make the correct conclusions. In the light of this need, it is necessary to revisit some of the postings on cyberspace that fly in the face of the truth. One such piece was written by lawyer and activist Haris Ibrahim headlined: "A glimpse of what might have been but for UMNO/BN,Mahathir, Pak Lah, and ... Najib". He implied that Malaysia could have become as 'successful' as Singapore but for... It is however more appropriate to ask the question: "What would we have been, if not for UMNO/BN, Mahathir, Pak Lah, and ...Najib" In his blog posted on 29 September 2012, Haris drew conclusions based largely on what former Singapore Premier Lee Kuan Yew had said in an interview with the New York Times in 2010. Haris asks what was it that Singapore had done right, and what was it that Malaysia had done wrong these past few decades. Haris illustrated his article by showing pictures that ostensibly showed Singapore's transformation from a riverine village to a modern metropolis, the implication being that Malaysia has remained in the backwaters since independence. Haris said LKY was quoted as having made the following statements (shown in italics): LKY: "I think if the Tunku ( Malaysia's first Prime Minister) had kept us together, what we did in Singapore, had Malaysia accepted a multiracial base for their society, much of what we've achieved in Singapore would be achieved in Malaysia." The fact however is that LKY cannot take all the credit for Singapore's economic success. Thanks to the colonial powers, Singapore was already a thriving entrepot trading post in the early 19th century--long before the PAP came into power. Malaysia, on the other hand, started almost from ground zero. At independence it was considered by foreigners as a basket case, with the same chance of success as the poorest of the global poor. Malaysia's economic success was therefore also spectacular. (See below) LKY: "We made quite sure whatever your race, language or religion, you are an equal citizen and we'll drum that into the people and I think our Chinese understand and today we have an integrated society. Our Malays are English-educated; they're no longer like the Malays in Malaysia and you can see there are some still wearing headscarves but very modern looking." Well, not quite true. Ask the Singaporean Malay and he will tell you • that there is discrimination in the award of scholarships. Last year (and for several years in succession) there was not a single Malay (or Indian) successful candidate among the list of local scholarship recipients. • that there is discrimination in the private sector. Advertisements for positions today simply state "Must be conversant in Mandarin" or "Must be effectively bilingual" as an essential requirement. This effectively cuts out Malays and Indians. • that the Chinese community has been the largest beneficiaries of all of the government's economic policies. • that there are elite Chinese only schools and co-ed Special Assistance Plans (SAP) schools where the Chinese outnumber the minority races by a massive ratio. Prestigious scholarships are virtually dished out to them annually by the private and public sectors. • that questions are being asked why many Malays are 'exempted' from serving national service. • that Chinese is the language that is spoken as the native tongue by the greatest number of Singaporeans. Malay was only chosen as the "national language" by the Singaporean government after independence from Britain in the 1960s to avoid friction with Singapore's neighbours. • Social integration is far from smooth on the ground. To some locals, newcomers —particularly Mainland Chinese — are commonly seen as uncouth and prone to objectionable behaviors. Similarly, South Asian construction workers and Filipino domestic workers have also been singled out as targets of public. A spate of online disputes in 2011 involving Mainland Chinese immigrants ridiculing Singaporeans as "ungracious," "disgusting and inferior" reveals the extent of social discord. In August 2011, an immigrant family from China went so far as to lodge a complaint against their Singaporean-Indian neighbors for the smell of curry emanating from their cooking. In response, a Facebook page urging Singaporeans to prepare curry on a designated Sunday drew over 57,600 supporters. • why is it that Singaporeans are not trusted to provide security services to LKY and the subsequent Prime Ministers at 38 Oxley Road? That job, for the last 50 years, had been outsourced to Nepali Gurkha soldiers. Another, more subtle, difference between Malaysia and Singapore is this: Singapore believes in a foreigners first, locals second policy. That is why Singapore is haven to the super rich of the world. Forty per cent of Singapore residents are foreigners. The local Singaporeans are beginning to resent their presence because they are partly the reason for the high cost of living. LKY: "Malaysia took the different line. Malay is the language of the schools although it does not get them into modern knowledge. So the Chinese build and find their own independent schools to teach Chinese, the Tamils create their own Tamil schools, which do not get them jobs. It's a most unhappy situation". That is a jaundiced view, not supported by the facts: A recent scholarly article by A. Abhayaratne of the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka said the following: "In the East and Southeast region, Malaysia stands out as one of the most outstanding economies in terms of the rate of economic growth and poverty reduction. During the last three decades, the annual growth of gross domestic product was higher than 6 percent except during the recession in 1985-86 and the financial crisis in 1997. This is a very impressive rate of growth by developing country standard. Consistent with the high growth rates during the period, per capita income increased from US$ 900 in 1970 to US$ 3400 in 2000 (Bank Negara Malaysia, 2000). Per capita income in Malaysia in 2000 was second highest in Southeast Asia and considerably higher than that of other countries of the region. "During the same period, the Malaysian economy experienced a dramatic reduction in the incidence of poverty. Poverty incidence in Malaysia fell from 52.4% in 1970 to 5.5% in 2000. There was also considerable progress in reducing hard-core poverty as well to only 0.5% by 2000. The reduction in poverty was accompanied by rising living standards with a relatively equal distribution of income. "It has been suggested by a number of studies that the large reductions in poverty incidence in Malaysia was the result of the high growth achieved by the economy. Some other studies suggest that this success in poverty reduction has not been a result of growth alone. They claim that this success was unlikely without the relentless efforts of the government in including poverty eradication as a major development objective and formulating specific policies and programs aiming at eradicating poverty." LKY: "We are non-corrupt. We lead modest lives". Sure. If other political leaders are also paid like Singapore politicians (the Prime Minister is paid US$1.7 million per year and the Cabinet Ministers also similarly high salaries), perhaps there will be little or no corruption. Haris then quoted a report by The Wall Street Journal that said Singapore was "the wealthiest nation in the world by GDP per capita, beating out Norway, the U.S., Hong Kong and Switzerland. But that doesn't say much about the quality of life of the Singaporeans. Every weekend, thousands of islanders cross the Causeway into Johor Bharu, and travel as far inland as Malacca for a taste of the good life. Consider these: • Four out of five Singaporeans live in cramped high-rise HDB flats. • More and more Singaporeans are packing up their bags and moving abroad. As of June 2011, an estimated 192,300 Singaporeans live abroad. An average of about 1,200 highly educated Singaporeans (including 300 naturalized citizens) give up their citizenship each year in favor of others. • In some social surveys among Singaporean youth, more than half of those surveyed would leave the country to build their careers if given the chance. • A recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit said that Singapore was the sixth most expensive city in the world. By comparison, Kuala Lumpur ranked 62nd out of 79 surveyed. The cost of living in Singapore is 200% or 300% higher than in Malaysia. There are also other exorbitant costs in Singapore like the S$80,000 license to own a car. And consider these too: • KL is world's 10th top destination city What indeed would we have done without UMNO/BN, and Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Badawi and Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak.
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| Malaysian Loves Corruption & Can’t Live Without It Posted: 07 Feb 2013 12:41 PM PST
The voters who voted opposition back in 2008 did not do so primarily because the current regime was corrupted. If that was the main reason, how on earth could former PM Mahathir rule this land for a whopping 22 years, despite the fact that his regime opened the floodgates of corruption and racism? In actual fact, Malaysian Chinese and Malays love corruption, without them realizing it. Finance Twitter If there's one hot topic of discussion during the coming Chinese New Year, it has to be the Mother of General Elections – the 2013 Malaysia General Election. This is perhaps the final time family members would sit together, cracking garlic-flavour groundnuts sipping Anglia Shandy or Carlsberg, and debate over who and which party to elect – either current regime (BN) or opposition (PR). This is also the time family members get to brainwash each other on which party to vote for the next federal government. The swing in support to either BN or PR would be fierce and wilder than Dow Jones during sub-prime crisis. Of course PM Najib Razak's PR team realizes the significance of this and has spent many hours on the drawing board preparing scripts to attract Chinese voters. That's why PM Najib looks more Chinese than all the past prime ministers combined. To a certain extent, he's even more Chinese than the Chinese themselves (*tongue-in-cheek*). There're thousands hanging buntings by the roadsides depicting him wearing Chinese traditional costume with his Chinese New Year message. Heck, he even tried his Chinese-friendly trick on radio station by having conversation in Mandarin with his son, although the stunt turns out rather funny (*grin*) and weird. If only he has the stamina he may just put on the lion dance costume and jump around your house begging for your votes. Ultimately, the question will be – which party to choose and why? If your answer is the opposition because the current regime is corrupt, then get ready for a rude awakening – the so-called corrupt BN (Barisan Nasional) will win the next general election hands down. In case you're still scratching your head peeling kuaci, the voters who voted opposition back in 2008 did not do so primarily because the current regime was corrupted. If that was the main reason, how on earth could former PM Mahathir rule this land for a whopping 22 years, despite the fact that his regime opened the floodgates of corruption and racism? In actual fact, Malaysian Chinese and Malays love corruption, without them realizing it. Like it or not, corruption has been part and parcel of Malaysian culture, thanks to Father of Corruption – Mahathir Mohamad. That was why a study done some moons ago found that graduates actually thought corruption was not such a big deal after all. Corruption has been ingrained into the mindset of Malaysian citizens so much so that it's almost legal and inseparable entity from daily lifes. Corruption was like lion-dance during Chinese New Year and "meriam-buloh" during Hari Raya festivals. While Malaysian Chinese consider corruption as a main ingredient to get business going, Malaysian Malays consider corruption as "rezeki". That's why the opposition can only go so far by drumming government massive corruptions as the reason why they should be booted from Putrajaya. Do you really think corruption will disappear into thin air after opposition wins the next general election and form the federal government? Why do you think everybody rush to lick Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim boots to be fielded as candidates? And do you really think Sabah's King of Frogs Jeffrey Kitingan, Wilfred Bumburing and Yong Teck Lee really want to take care of the Sabahan? Pleeeeze!!! With the exception of probably Lim Kit Siang and Nik Aziz, you can't really trust the rest of the opposition politicians. If they have no intention of enriching themselves, then President Obama is still a virgin. Ever wonder why Mahathir confidently declared he will not leave the country before the next election results are announced? That's because he was dead sure the current corrupt regime will still form the next federal government. If the recent AES implementation criticisms by the public was any indicator, it shows that the public can't live without corruption, well, at least majority of them. Malaysian drivers like to speed and drive as if they're Formula-1 drivers and they have no plan of changing their lifestyle (or rather drive-style). And AES was a classic example of how zero corruption will affect their lifes. While they accept the reality that they would be caught breaking the laws, they want the flexibility to negotiate their way out through bribes. And you can't "kautim" (settle) by giving money to the AES camera on the spot, can you? These people would rather pay RM50 as "coffee-money" for each of 10 traffic offences than to pay full RM300 for 2 offence tickets, literally speaking. From sales executives to company directors, 90% of their business deals involve "under-table" money, one way or another. If the only thing that opposition can promise is eliminate corruption, then a sizeable Chinese and Malays would rather vote for the corrupt regime, if that was how they secured their current businesses or "rezeki" in the first place. So, does that mean the current corrupt regime should be returned to power? Well, perhaps the answer can be found by the recent advise from Mahathir himself - choose between the lesser of two evils. Of course when Mahathir blogged his advise, he was referring to the possibility of violent demonstration should the opposition lose in the coming election, although I can't figure out till today how can one lose something that it does not possess in the first place (*grin*). Since the opposition has not win the federal government since independence, there's no benchmark of how corrupted they would become. Thus, the perception of the general public – the BN regime is tremendously corrupt while the PR regime will be mildly corrupt, if the latter choose to corrupt after all. The choice is pretty obvious based on Mahathir's "choose between the lesser of two evils" theory. The good news for the opposition fans – the corrupt Chinese businessmen are flexible to switch sides and butter the opposition's bread should there be a change in government. The bad news – the corrupt Chinese businessmen are worry and perceive a lesser corrupt governments to mean lesser business deals for them. Read more at: http://www.financetwitter.com/2013/02/malaysian-loves-corruption-cant-live-without-it.html#.URP_LyS0n9w.gmail And of course, there's this video: 7FTYE3rAu3k Or watch at: https://www.youtube.com/embed/7FTYE3rAu3k |
| Slashed over hanging of BN flag, banner Posted: 06 Feb 2013 10:21 PM PST
(NST) - A 31-year-old man was slashed on the back of the head after a quarrel over the placing of a political party flag and banner at Kampung Batu 5 1/2, Jalan Bendang Nyior here, yesterday. Mohd Dasuki Yusoff said he had scouted for a place to hang a Barisan Nasional flag and banner at a bridge, near his village, at 6:45pm when a car with three occupants in it stopped.
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| Ex-ISA detainee Yazid held under security laws Posted: 06 Feb 2013 08:48 PM PST Bukit Aman says that three people were arrested for allegedly recruiting others for terror activities. (FMT) - Ex-ISA detainee Yazid Sufaat was today arrested under the new security laws for alleged terrorism. Two others were held with him. The trio become the first persons to be arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, the law which replaced the preventive law, the Internal Security Act. A team of police officers from Bukit Aman made the arrests. Bukit Aman said in a statement that the three were involved in recruiting others for terror activities. It did not release the names of the detainees. Human rights watchdog Suaram, however, identified Yazid and his worker Mohd Hilmi Ahsin as those being detained. It did not mention anything about the third arrest. Suaram said Yazid and Mohd Hilmi were arrested at about 12.30pm today at the Jalan Duta High Court canteen. The canteen was operated by Yazid's wife. It added that the arresting officers had said that they were being arrested for "promoting terrorism". No other details are available. Yazid was previously held under the ISA in December 2001 following a crackdown on terrorism activities here after the al-Qaeda attacks on the US Twin Towers in New York earlier that year. He was released in December 2008. Suaram also stated that Yazid was taken to his house in Taman Bukit Ampang where the police conducted a thorough check. It is unclear if they took anything from Yazid's house. Under the new security law, Yazid and the two others can be detained for 48 hours, after which they should be allowed access to their lawyers. It is not known where Yazid and the other two were held. Suaram, meanwhile, criticised the detention of the trio under the new law, stating that everyone had a legal right to be brought to the court within 24 hours after the arrest.
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| Posted: 06 Feb 2013 08:01 PM PST
So why is white good while black is bad? Why do we say 'we have seen the light' when something good happens to us, such as we have 'seen' God? And why is everything bad associated with black? Black-hearted. Black market. Black death (the plague). Black period in history. Black Friday. Black sheep of the family. Black eye. Black out. Pot calling the kettle black. Black mark. And so on. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I never know how my days are going to start or end. In fact, while I know how my life started, I really do not know how and when it is going to end either. I suppose that is the spice of life. If everything is laid before us in clear and precise details then there is really no more point in continuing, is there? It is like how I am going to start this article. I am not even sure if I do want to write any article today. I just opened my Microsoft Word and stared at this blank sheet of paper. Of course, it is not really a piece of paper in the physical sense. It is more like an electronic paper. But then is this not where the world is heading -- towards an electronic world? I have probably four or five bookshelves of books, physical books printed on paper. Since mid-last year, though, I have stopped buying physical books. If I continue buying books I will also have to buy a new house, as there is no longer any room to store all my books. My books from merely two months detention in Kamunting alone are already one van-load. Anyway, paper-based books are so yesterday. Today we read electronic books and I have already accumulated almost 1,000 electronic books, which I store on my Kindle, of which I have thus far read maybe only 25 or so. Hence I have a long way to go and I was told there are millions of e-books available. So I am going to run out of breath before I run out of books to read. The same goes for my music. I am constantly 'surrounded' by music, even when I read or write. I start my day quite predictably by booting up my Mac. Then I go to my favourite radio station, Magic 105.4, London's favourite radio station -- or at least that's what the sweet voice of the DJ keeps telling us. In a way music influences my mood for the day. Sometimes, when I am in an aggressive mood, I want to listen to rock music. When I feel slightly mellow I listen to Magic 105.4. I mainly listen to the rock stations that play 1960s music by Grand Funk, Uriah Heep, Santana, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Iron Butterfly, Jethro Tull, and the 200 or so bands and singers of 'my generation'. And to make sure I get the best in sound, I play them on my Bose speakers and turn my workroom into a disco minus the flashing lights and fog machine. Anyway, here I am facing a blank sheet of white paper and still not sure what I am going to write about today. Okay, the 'paper' is not quite paper in the dead tree manner of speaking but more like a plain page of my Microsoft Word. Nevertheless, it is still a plain white page. And why do we call it a plain white page? Well, that is because there is nothing on it. If it were filled with letters, words, numbers, or graphics, then it would no longer be a plain white page. So what does 'plain white' mean then? What do we understand by the phrase 'plain white'? Plain white means absence -- the absence of letters, words, numbers, graphics, etc. When things are absent then we call it plain white. Hence when there is nothing we call it plain white. Hence, also, plain white is what is meant by nothing. And white can only be seen when there is light. If there is no light we cannot see white and white would become black. Hence white is white only because of the presence of light. In the absence of light white will turn to black. If you were put into a pitch-dark room with zero light penetration where you cannot even see your hand in front of your nose and you were given a plain white sheet of paper could you see that white paper? The plain white sheet of paper would become invisible although it exists and you are actually holding it. Hence white does not exist. White is only what you see when there is light. What exists is black. And light also does not exist. Light is merely the absence of darkness. Hence when darkness is absent then light exists and because light exists then white would also exist, which would not exist otherwise if the darkness does not allow the light in. White, therefore, is what you see in the absence of darkness. Therefore, also, darkness exists while white does not. So why is white good while black is bad? Why do we say 'we have seen the light' when something good happens to us, such as we have 'seen' God? And why is everything bad associated with black? Black-hearted. Black market. Black death (the plague). Black period in history. Black Friday. Black sheep of the family. Black eye. Black out. Pot calling the kettle black. Black mark. And so on. Honestly, black is not ugly. Black is beautiful. So why associate everything bad with black? Black is beautiful Anyway, yesterday an insurance agent phoned me and asked for a minute of my time but took 30 minutes instead. This agent wanted to discuss the prospects of me buying life insurance. I am 62 so he suggested I should start thinking of my family's future in the event I suddenly died. That got my thinking. What if I bought a RM1 million policy so that if anything happened to me my wife would be taken care of? But then, if I were worth RM1 million dead, would that not tempt my wife to bump me off because I would then be worth more dead than alive? And one should never tempt one's wife with such notions. No, maybe a RM250,000 policy should suffice. The insurance agent then worked out the cost of the premium and because I sometimes smoked cigars the premium would come to quite a bit (even with the one or two cigars a month that I smoked). It seems the brand and quality of the cigars did not affect the premium at all. Now that is downright unjust. I asked him how much I would need to pay, say, if I took a 15-year policy -- and over that 15 years I would need to fork out almost RM150,000 in all. What happens if I survived till way past 77? Well, then that RM150,000 would be money down the drain. I get nothing. My wife can only collect RM250,000 if I died before 2027. And I must not die within the first year. I can only die from the second year onwards. In other words, if I died next year, then will we make a gross profit of RM250,000 on an investment of only RM9,000. If I did not die, then we lose RM150,000. So the profit would be in dying quick and not in living long. Hmm… you lose when you win and you win when you lose. I told the insurance agent I would need to think about it first. He then told me they can insure me until age 90 and that there would be a very good chance I will die before I am 90 as most people in England never live past 90. Ah, yes, but this insurance agent has probably never heard of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Anyway, I if I take a 28-year policy that expires at age 90 and I still do not die till past 90 I would have to blow about RM250,000 or so on a RM250,000 insurance policy. This was starting to become even more unattractive. Anyway, I decided instead to allow fate to decide what happens and jumped into my car to drive to Liverpool to join my friends for a jam session and to pick up my new (second-hand) drum set. The problem, now, though, is that I do not feel like writing anything today because I can't wait to whack my drums to Santana playing in the background. Sigh…why is life so complicated? Well, never mind, maybe I can go drumming and write my article tomorrow instead. At least today you do not need to read any cheong hei article from me. My 'new' second-hand drum set The jam session in Liverpool last night |
| Asia at heart of matchfixing, ex-FIFA man says Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:39 PM PST (Reuters) - SINGAPORE: Gambling houses in Southeast Asia form the foundation for organised crime gangs to generate huge profits from sports match-fixing, according to Chris Eaton, ex-FIFA head of security and director of Qatar's International Centre for Sport Security. European police shone a spotlight on the region on Monday when they announced a Singapore-based syndicate had directed match-fixing for at least 380 football games in Europe alone, making at least 8 million euros (7 million pounds). The number paled in comparison to the gang's profiteering in Asia, Eaton told Reuters in a telephone interview on Wednesday. "It's infinitesimal compared to what was made in the Asian market. You can probably multiply that by a hundred," he said. The known cases of match-fixing occurred mostly in the West, but the real profits for the syndicates were in Southeast Asia, where the size of the gambling market completely dwarfed that of Europe. The region's lax regulation coupled with the sheer scale of the betting market made it far more attractive to people wanting to manipulate it, such as those accused of match-fixing by Europol. Gone were the movie images of people entering smoke-filled rooms with bags of money and betting slips. Today's gambling institutions most closely resembled international finance, with its banking, derivative trading and commodities trading, according to Eaton, a former Interpol operations manager. "It's all done with algorithms and machines, almost like any commodity house in the US or London. The three largest houses each transact US$2 billion a week – a hell of a lot of money." To put this into perspective, Eaton said this sum could purchase four international-standard hospitals or pay for a thousand police officers for a year. Although recent match-fixing scandals have struck South Korea, China and Italy, corruption in football has long been a global problem. Eaton believes the real facilitator of this is the opportunity it provides to commit betting fraud and the susceptibility of the Southeast Asian betting market, where most betting fraud is committed. Lack of will "If you don't focus on betting fraud, then you won't be able to properly address sport corruption. Sport corruption is borne of betting fraud – it's a cycle" he said. "It could just as well be betting on tiddlywinks, or on flies crawling up a wall." Eaton said that, instead of governments and agencies targeting betting, they targeted corruption in the sport itself, which was simply a means to an end. "There's no will to regulate gambling houses in Southeast Asia. There's a lack of commitment. Their responsibility isn't just to attract business but to properly regulate business," said Eaton. "This is bigger than Coca-Cola, which is a trillion a year. This is a global economy, a growing global economy, and it needs to be regulated and supervised, and governments aren't doing this." Italy was one of the major targets of the match-fixers identified by European police forces, despite having what Eaton considers to be one of the best gambling regulators in Europe. The international nature of the betting frauds meant the Italian authorities' supervision ultimately amounted to little when deterring corruption in sport. Eaton estimates that 30 percent of all gambling on sports in Italy goes through registered Italian bookmakers. The other 70 percent is unregistered, often channelled through Southeast Asian websites. "If they focused on transparency in gambling houses in Southeast Asia, being able to see who did what, when and how, this alone would have a major effect on addressing the issues of sport corruption," he said. "You have under-regulated, grey-area gambling where the regulators are not really serious, transparency rules are not to best practice and government oversight is almost non-existent." This "grey area" gambling lies between legal betting and "black area" gambling, which Eaton identifies as illegal, cash-based betting with a trusted clientele known to the bookmakers. Biggest concern The grey gambling market's lack of oversight undermined the efforts of countries such as South Korea, where 41 players from its K-League were banned for life by FIFA for match-fixing, and authorities have allied with sports agencies and police to combat the corruption. "The grey-area betting businesses, particularly out of Manila, are the biggest concern to us. We don't know enough about them and the government has an under-regulated environment," said Eaton. "It's almost impossible to measure how they do business and what weaknesses they have that allow organised crime to take advantage of them." The three largest gambling houses in Asia, IBCBET, SBOBET and 188BET, are all in Manila in the Philippines. Eaton describes their operations as "very opaque" and said what was known of them came purely from talking to people familiar with their workings, as there was no government record. Their huge profits made them ideal for exploitation by organised crime syndicates. These online businesses operated as an exchange, rather than a traditional risk-taking bookmakers which would bet against the gambler themselves. Instead they took a commission and farmed out the bets to bookmakers around the world, seeking to make slightly more than a one percent turnover, according to Eaton. "They're turning over so much money the organised crime is almost invisible to them," he said. Because the bookmakers were the ones taking on the risk, there was little incentive for the Manila-based exchanges to work against match-fixing. The match-fixers were also able to exploit the gambling house system by writing computer programs to place hundreds of bets at the house's maximum limit in a matter of seconds, mostly while the rigged matches were still being played. Typically this occurred late in the game, to lessen the odds of alerting the gambling house to the fraud. "These are very sophisticated frauds. They're not very easy to disguise, so the fixers have to time it in such a way as to get it past the houses," said Eaton. Eaton believes that until governments and authorities work to close these lucrative channels of profit for organised crime, match-fixing will continue to be a global problem for all sports.
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| Bumburing’s men slam Yong for ‘attacks’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:34 PM PST Wilfred Bumburing's group has accused SAPP of being on 'sabotage' mode. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Rakyat ally Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) is irked by accusation that its leader Wilfred Bumburing and Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin who helms another Anwar Ibrahim friendly grouping – Pakatan Perubahan Sabah – are bribing Anwar for seats in the coming general election. Lashing out at SAPP president Yong Teck Lee, APS said it was an insult and a poor reflection of Yong who was once held in high respect for pulling his party out of the BN coalition in 2008. Said APS information chief Lesaya Sorudim: "What Yong had uttered is an insult not just to Bumburing and Lajim but to the people of Sabah, the majority of whom are now coming together in support of these two leaders." Yong accused the two former Barisan Nasional MPs who quit the ruling coalition in July last year of "kow-towing" to Kuala Lumpur-based opposition parties in order to be Pakatan candidates. The accusation published in a local newspaper yesterday has infuriated APS, who believe Yong is sabotaging the opposition's chances in the coming election. APS, which comprises mainly native leaders, said the criticism by Yong is an insult to the Kadazandusun and Murut (KDM) community who are looking up to the two leaders as their flag-bearers for political and social reforms in Sabah. "Can anyone in their right frame of mind ever imagine Bumburing and Lajim disembarking from an airplane in KLIA armed with a bucket load of tiger prawns or lobsters or even a bundle of bird nests under their armpit purportedly to be given to some leaders in Kuala Lumpur in order to be chosen as candidates? "Could anyone have ever imagined that SAPP, which gained so much popularity and respect when it first left BN, would now resort to such low-level political mindset?" Sorudim asked. Yong claimed that the two leaders were bringing those goodies for their "political master" whenever they travelled to Kuala Lumpur. "Speaking of Bumburing, let me remind Yong that if ever it was the desire of Bumburing that he only wants to be a candidate, it would have been better for him to remain in BN because being the deputy president of a BN component then, he had every opportunity to make himself as one of the BN candidates. "After all being an incumbent [MP], he is the best person to retain the Tuaran parliamentary seat for BN," Sorudim told FMT. 'SAPP's politically short-sighted' "Yong's statement and accusation only goes to show how politically short-sighted SAPP is and how it is deprived of any issue to portray itself as an alternative to BN," he added. Sorudim said he was surprised that Yong, instead of attacking BN and Umno, chose to attack his fellow Sabahan opposition leaders. "This only goes to prove that SAPP's ultimate objective is to gain political power for itself."
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| Produce new evidence, Karpal tells Deepak Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:28 PM PST The lawyer-politician says that the carpet businessman must provide his evidence to the authorities so that the police can reopen the Altatntuya's murder case. G Vinod, FMT New evidence must be produced to help the police reopen investigation on the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, said DAP chairman Karpal Singh. "Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan must come forward with the evidence. Tell us what you have," said the lawyer-politician. Yesterday, former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said that the police must reopen Altantuya's case if there is new evidence found pertaining to the murder. In December, Deepak alleged that the prime minister's wife, Rosmah Mansor had sought his help in getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration which implicated the premier's family in Altantuya's death. The businessman also claimed that the prime minister's brother, Nazim Razak, had helped him to seal a deal with Balasubramaniam. Deepak is slated to approach the Attorney-General Chambers, to request protection under Whistleblower Act 2010 and Witness Protection Act 2009 before making further expose. On providing legal protection to Deepak, Karpal said,"Protection must be given to him, especially since this is a high profile case." On related matter, PKR vice president N Surendran said that the police should reopen the investigation as there are two men sentenced to death for Altantuya's murder. "There is no statute of limitation for murder cases. We must prevent a miscarriage of justice by looking at the new evidence," he said. In 2009, two police officers, Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri were sentenced to death by the High Court for murdering Altantuya. They have since filed an appeal against the verdict. Trial date is yet to be fixed.
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| MCA: Liew’s predictions on Johor cocky Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:17 PM PST
Labis MP Chua Tee Yong says the DAP's crystal-balling a possible win in Johor will not be taken seriously by BN. Anisah Shukry, FMT DAP's predictions of a possible win in Johor based on the support of 35% Malay, 80% Chinese and 50% Indian voters is "arrogant" and "presumptuous", a BN state leader said today. Johor, the birthplace of Umno and considered Barisan Nasional's last bastion, has been under the control of the ruling coalition since Independence. While Pakatan barely made a dent in 2008, winning just one federal and six states out of 26 and 56 seats respectively, DAP's Liew Chin Tong said that Johor could "fall like dominoes" in the 13th general election. Responding to this, Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, said: "It is worrying that DAP has assumed that the Chinese and Indians in Johor have no choice but to support PKR and DAP. "They assume that they will garner 50% of the Indian votes and at least 65% of the Chinese votes. This is very arrogant of them." Liew, who is Bukit Bendera MP, had listed several possible post-election scenarios in Johor, assuming Indian support for Pakatan was consistent at 50%:
But Chua, who is also Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, said that as long as the votes were not announced, no one could say for sure whether BN or Pakatan would win. 'BN doesn't make assumptions' He also refused to say if there was a possibility BN could actually lose to Pakatan in Johor, stressing that he did not dare make any assumptions. "Unlike Pakatan, we don't assume. That's why we still continue to work to gain the votes and confidence of the people," said Chua.
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| Shahrizat blows it for Umno in S’wak? Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:13 PM PST Umno wanita chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil's arrogance and ignorance has made her a laughing stock in Sarawak. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: If former Umno Women, Family and Community Development 's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had been observant, she'd have noticed the incredulous looks on the faces of the crowd when she recently warned Sarawakians to be 'wary' of peninsular-based opposition leaders who stoke racial and religious issues. Here was a minister, who seemed oblivious to the fact that it was her bosses in Umno who had fine-tuned the art of stoking and perpetuating racial and religious disharmony in their bid to stay in power. "If you talk about propagating racial politics and religious issues, Umno is the worst. "As Umno Wanita chief, she should be the last person to tell the people of Sarawak what to do about racial and religious unity," said Sarawak PKR vice chairman See Chee How. See, who is also Batu Lintang assemblyman, said peninsular leaders such as Shahrizat should know that Sarawak is above race and religion. "Here we don't play politics with race and religion. It is not difficult for her to find out that there are no such things as racial and religious issues here. "And this is because in Sarawak there is no Umno," said See. See was alluding to shocking testimonies of witnesses in the ongoing Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry which revealed the extent peninsular Umno-BN leaders and their agents in Sabah went – following its entry into Sabah – to nuetralise the Christian community and consolidate their vote-banks by offering citizenships-for-votes to illegal immigrants who were Muslims. Sarawakians have been closely monitoring the unravellings of the RCI and former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's admission of guilt as well his counter claim that Tunku Abdul Rahman had done the same by giving away citizenships to a million aliens at the time. He had also reportedly called for an RCI on this. Shahrizat, who was handpicked by Mahathir into his cabinet, bloomed under Mahathir's guidance and thinking. Currently Umno women's chief and national Barisan Nasional chairperson, she was in Kuching in connection with the launching of 'program Gagasan Aspirasi Wanita' last weekend. During the launch, she told the crowd that the opposition would make all kinds of election promises but that most of them would be lies.
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| Report: These 54 Foreign Governments (including Malaysia) Helped the CIA Torture, Detain, and ... Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:10 PM PST
(Mother Jones) - On Tuesday, the Open Society Justice Initiative released a 212-page report that details international assistance to US covert action related to controversial Bush-era anti-terror policy. The report (PDF), titled "Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition," identifies 136 people who were captured or transferred by the Central Intelligence Agency, and lists available information about the detainees—both the Islamist operatives and the completely innocent. "Globalizing Torture" also provides an annotated list of the dozens of foreign governments that played roles in the CIA's secret program in the years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. These governments provided crucial support in facilitating the CIA and Bush administration's war on Al Qaeda by, according to the report:
Here are the 54 listed, in alphabetical order:
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