FMT News |  |
- BN tiada masalah guna calon luar untuk PRU13
- MB S’gor sedia bertanding dua kerusi
- A drama close to our hearts
- UBS shares rise on rumours of massive job cuts
- EC plans info blitz on indelible ink
- Indonesian lawmakers see red over M’sian ad for maids
- A waterfall of tears in Frasers Hill
- Masing’s swipe at Taib?
- Ganguly calls it a day
- ‘Khalid akan bertanding di DUN Bkt Melawati’
- Cancel Bt Caves condo project, says MNS
- ‘I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…’
- Kamalanathan mahu Ronnie minta maaf
- Philippines’ Arroyo refuses to enter plea
- S Korea sets new window for rocket launch
- Penguin, Random House publishers agree to merge
- Red Bull eye three perfect races
- Mcllory: I thrive on being number one
- Moody’s raises Philippine credit rating
- Turkey under pressure over Kurdish hunger strike
- In tight US race, Asian Americans could be kingmakers
- Honda reports surging profit but slashes forecast
- Asian markets mixed after US growth data
- Mobile phones, a reporter’s best friend
- Tok Him tidak idam jadi Pengerusi PKR Kelantan
- Cabbies take their grouses to Parliament
- UMW banking on O&G business for growth, expansion
- ‘Hudud is not the issue…’
- Sex education: Piecemeal attempt won’t help
- Let’s talk about the AG’s Report
- Why it’s never too late to quit smoking
- Kayveas: We want seats lost by BN parties
- EC to blame for BN’s loss of Chinese support
- Pakatan’s priority must be poverty eradication
- ‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’
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- A-G got it wrong on RM213m project
- MP DAP tegur timbalan menteri
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- 8 glasses of water a day myth busted
- Tentang fardu haji
- Petronas agrees to extension on $5.2 billion Progress bid
- Stock markets to close on Monday, possibly Tuesday
- Asia language plan ‘central’ to Australian reforms: PM
- Lorenzo cruises to title as Stoner wins Australian GP
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| BN tiada masalah guna calon luar untuk PRU13 Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:02 AM PDT
Setiausaha Agung Umno Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor berkata, pihaknya tidak ada masalah untuk mengemukakan calon luar sekiranya permintaan itu lahir daripada hasrat akar umbi sendiri. “Kita nak calon yang rakyat nak, bukan pilihan parti. Itu yang paling penting. “Kalau itu hasrat bahagian sendiri saya yakin Dewan Tertinggi BN akan mempertimbangkannya,” katanya dalam sidang media selepas merasmikan majlis penyerahan buku 100 Wira Negara kepada Umno di PWTC di sini petang tadi. Bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sebelum ini turut bersetuju kerana baginya ada calon ‘payung terjun’ yang mempunyai pengalaman dan kebolehan tersendiri mampu membantu kerajaan dengan lebih baik selain berkelayakan untuk dilantik ke jawatan menteri Kabinet. Namun, beliau mengingatkan kaedah pemilihan sebegini tidak boleh diamalkan selalu kerana boleh memberi kesan negatif kepada parti dan kerajaan. Sementara itu, mengulas mengenai cadangan sama ada BN perlu mengumumkan calon lebih awal, Tengku Adnan berkata perkara itu akan diputuskan Presiden BN Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam masa terdekat. Katanya, keputusan bakal diambil selepas mengambil kira beberapa respon positif daripada 191 bahagian yang bersetuju dan memberi galakan supaya nama calon diumumkan lebih awal. “Presiden dah buat ketetapan. Senarai akhir calon akan ditetapkan semuanya oleh parti,” katanya. Beliau turut menjamin calon ‘kitar semula’ yang akan dipilih menghadapi PRU13 mampu membantu kemenangan BN nanti. Kecerugiaan berlaku Ini berikutan hasrat Majlis Bekas Wakil Rakyat Malaysia (Mubarak) yang mahu kembali turut serta dalam PRU13 dan mengemukakan senarai 21 calon mereka kepada Perdana Menteri. “Kerisauan (akar umbi) masalah biasa bila ahli Mubarak dapat kerja (calon) kecurigaan ini berlaku. “Niat Mubarak ikhlas nak tolong Umno capai kemenangan PRU13,” katanya. Sementara itu, ditanya mengenai dakwaan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng yang mempunyai dokumen ‘sulit’ BN Pulau Pinang, Tengku Adnan berkata perkara itu bukan isu besar. Malah tidak tergugat kerana pihaknya juga memperoleh beberapa dokumen rahsia milik Pakatan Rakyat, namun tidak mendedahkannya kepada umum. “Kita juga ada dokumen daripada puak pembangkang tapi kita tak bising. “Kita tahu siapa calon mereka. “Itu hanya dokumen laporan mengenai kesiapsiagaan supaya langkah pencegahan boleh diambil,” katanya yang menganggap gimik politik untuk ‘melemahkan’ semangat Umno Pulau Pinang. Lim minggu lalu mendakwa memiliki satu dokumen sulit BN yang menyatakan hasil kajian mengenai ketiga-tiga parti komponen itu tidak akan mampu merampas semula Pulau Pinang dalam PRU13 nanti, terutamanya dikawasan majoriti bukan Melayu. |
| MB S’gor sedia bertanding dua kerusi Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT
“Kalau diserahkan tanggungjawab, saya akan bertanding. Namun semua pengumuman ini dibuat oleh Ketua Umum dan Presiden (PKR). Saya tidak boleh campur,” katanya ketika ditemui media selepas hadir di Majlis Hari Raya Aidiladha anjuran Karangkraf hari ini. Abdul Khalid berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai kerusi DUN Ijok yang kini diwakilinya. Beliau turut menerima baik cabaran oleh Ketua Umum, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk kekal bertanding di kerusi parlimen- Bandar Tun Razak. Beliau berkata tidak khuatir sekiranya bertanding di dua kawasan memandangkan Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh turut mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa Menteri Besar mahupun Ketua Menteri boleh bertanding di dua kawasan/kerusi. `Saya terima’ “Saya terima baik cabaran itu (pertahan kerusi Bandar Tun Razak) dan pernah kata kepada beliau (Anwar). Ini bagi mengurangkan tekanan kepada Anwar kerana terlalu ramai minta untuk jadi calon di Bandar Tun Razak. “Namun saya tidak khuatir kerana DAP termasuk Karpal Singh terima hakikat bahawa Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri boleh bertanding di dua kawasan atau kerusi. “Tak jadi masalah kalau kita lakukannya,” katanya. Memetik laporan sebuah portal semalam, Anwar mencadangkan Abdul Khalid untuk mempertahankan kerusi Bandar Tun Razak dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang. Manakala pada 26 Oktober lalu, Karpal singh telah mengumumkan bahawa setiap wakil rakyat dari parti itu hanya boleh bertanding di satu kerusi. Namun, untuk individu tertentu seperti Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng diberi pengecualian. |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2012 03:30 AM PDT
The play, "Nadirah", opens at 8pm this Thursday night at the KL Performing Arts Centre and will run until Nov 11. The fundraising performance will be on Nov 6. It will be followed by a panel discussion beginning at 10 pm. The play was written by Alfian Sa'at, who has won several awards as a playwright. Jo Kukathas will direct the ICT production. Cast members include Neo Swee Lin, Patrick Teoh, Redza Minhat, Farah Rani and Ani Juliana Ibrahim. The protagonist of the drama, Nadirah, is the vice president of her university's Muslim Society. She is the product of a mixed marriage between a Malaysian Malay and a Singaporean Chinese woman who is a convert to Islam. One day, Nadirah's mother tells her that she is re-marrying, but to a non-Muslim. How does Nadirah make peace between people of different religions at her university when she faces the same problem at home? Will love or faith prevail? "The play touches on real-life issues which every Malaysian can connect to as the issues are very close to us," SIS executive director Ratna Osman said today at a press conference announcing the fund raiser. Kukathas described the play as unique in that it deals with heavy issues in a humorous way. SIS programme manager Suri Kempe said the collaboration with ICT was to show that SIS was a supporter of the arts and that it "propagates issues of justice and equality in marriage". SIS research coordinator Vivienne Lee Abdullah said the fund-raising event would be an opportunity for the organisation to "give back something in return" to its supporters. Tickets are priced at RM200. For reservations, please contact nadirah@sistersinislam.org.my |
| UBS shares rise on rumours of massive job cuts Posted: 29 Oct 2012 02:30 AM PDT
At 9:45 am (0845 GMT), UBS shares were being traded 5.07 percent higher at 12.85 Swiss francs, on an overall Swiss stock exchange down 0.19 percent. The Zurich-based bank, headed by Swiss Sergio Ermotti, is reportedly preparing to announce as many as 10,000 layoffs and a severing of its investment bank when it presents its third-quarter results Tuesday. UBS has for years been trying to get its investment bank back on track after it was hit with disastrous results during the 2008 “subprime” crisis, and already announced 5,500 job cuts in the troubled unit last year. The results to be unveiled on Tuesday are expected to be bleak, with analysts polled by the AWP financial agency expecting the bank’s third quarter net profit to tick in 57 percent lower than a year ago at just 430 million Swiss francs. The investment bank is meanwhile expected to show dramatic improvement, with a predicted third quarter net profit of 288 million Swiss francs compared to the whopping 2.1-billion net loss it posted for the year-ago figure. -AFP |
| EC plans info blitz on indelible ink Posted: 29 Oct 2012 02:25 AM PDT
The campaign will be carried out through TV commercials, brochures and other forms of communication, according to the commission's deputy chairman, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar. Among the main objectives is to prevent sabotage before or during the 13th general election. “We want to make sure voters won’t be tricked by irresponsible parties who mark them with some other ink come polling day," Wan Ahmad told FMT. He said EC officers had been trained to spot the difference between indelible ink and normal ink, but added that the commission wanted to prevent "difficulties" that might arise if voters who had not cast their ballots arrived at polling stations with their fingers already marked. Asked to explain why he thought anyone might want to mark a person who had not voted, he said: “People can do anything to create problems, maybe to test the efficiency of the EC, or maybe to make sure certain people don’t vote.” He added that the EC wanted to be prepared although it did not expect the problem to be widespread. “The whole purpose of having such ink is to prevent double voting. We don’t want anything that will defeat that purpose.” He said the commission had placed an order with the company that would supply the ink and would call for the shipment as soon as Parliament was dissolved.
The location of the company and the colour of the ink are kept secret to prevent sabotage. The cost, including shipping, would be less than RM10 million, said Wan Ahmad. The use of indelible ink was one of the key recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms, which was formed after the Bersih 3.0 rally last April. In the run up of the 2008 general election, the use of the ink was cancelled just three days before the polls. This was on the advice of the Attorney-General, who said there were doubts about its legality. It was also reported that the police had uncovered attempts to smuggle the ink into the country. |
| Indonesian lawmakers see red over M’sian ad for maids Posted: 29 Oct 2012 02:02 AM PDT
"The Indonesian government should sue the ones who made that ad," Golkar Party lawmaker Poempida Hidayatullah said. "[The government] should ask Malaysia about their seriousness in handling Indonesian migrant workers." A photo of the flyer, which listed a 40 percent discount on placement fees for Indonesian maids, was tweeted by Anis Hidayah, the executive director of Migrant Care on Sunday. The Kakarta Globe reported that less than 24 hours later, the tweet had grabbed the attention of lawmakers and news media in Indonesia, where incidents like this routinely ignite flare ups of anti-Malaysian sentiment. In recent months allegations that Malaysia had appropriated a traditional Indonesian dance, unfounded claims of organ harvesting and serious allegations of police violence have spurred public protests and vitriolic statements from lawmakers. This most recent controversy surrounded the wording of the ad, which was hung on trees in Chow Kit, with a large Indonesian population. The flyer read: "Indonesian maids now on SALE!!! Fast & Easy Application!! Now your housework and cooking come easy. You can rest and relax, Deposit only RM3,500! Price RM7,500 nett." The normal placement rate in Malaysia totaled RM12,000 ($3,931), Anis told Kompas.com. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle lawmaker Rieke Dyah Pitaloka said the ad was "degrading to Indonesian migrant workers." The head of Indonesia's Migrant Workers Placement and Protection Agency (BPN2TKI) called the ad uncivilized and threatened to permanently ban maids from Malaysia. "Indonesian migrant workers are not products," Jumhur Hidayat told the Antara News Agency. "If there is no strict action taken by the Malaysian government toward the ad, it is possible [Indonesia will] stop sending migrant workers [to Malaysia] permanently." Jumhur told reporters that he would file an official complaint with the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia. Blame the agencies The Indonesian Embassy's spokesman Suryana Sastradiredja weighed in on the controversy in a lengthy segment on MetroTV Monday afternoon, explaining that the matter had been discussed with Malaysian officials.
"[The] Malaysian government feels sorry for this, but said the incident might have been used by people who wanted to destroy the relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia," he added. The Jakarta Globe called Rubini Resh, whose number was listed on the bottom of the flyer. Rubini, who handles marketing at the maid agency Smart Labor Services, was confused by the amount of attention the ad received abroad. "I think we have got a misconception," she said. "We are not selling the maids, we are selling our services. It is just a catchy advertisement." The agency offered a 40 percent discount on fees associated with locating a potential maid, procuring her visa and drafting her contract, Rubini said. "We supply house maids and we are giving a discount for the application," she said. Rubini was surprised the ad had made it to Indonesia. The flyer was only hung around Kuala Lumpur, she said. "This is a really old advertisement" Rubini said. "I am very sorry." Indonesian maids placed by the agency are paid RM700 a month, the standard rate in Malaysia. But amid a moratorium, the agency didn't have any new Indonesian maids for customers, Rubini said. "We don't receive anybody at the moment now," she said. -Agencies |
| A waterfall of tears in Frasers Hill Posted: 29 Oct 2012 01:28 AM PDT
My wife Indra and I made a one day trip to Frasers Hill during this Aidil Adha holiday weekend to get away from the daily routine of attending to especially Indian poor issues which we monitor, document and report on a daily basis. We bumped into Parameswary, 48, and we learnt that despite 23 years, she remains as a cleaner in the very same hotel, denied skills training and upward mobility opportunities and is paid merely RM600 per month. About one third of her pay ie RM180 goes for her low-cost flat rental. Her Myanmar colleagues are paid higher than her at RM700 to RM1,200 per month – thanks to the government’s foreign workers policy. Her Malay colleague of six years standing earns more than her at RM700 per month – thanks to the racist spillover effect even in the private sector. Parameswary tells us that she is a single parent and her husband has secured custody of all her three children. After work, she walks home into a lonely, dark, gloomy and cold concrete pigeon hole. She gets up the next day and is back at work right up to about 10pm doing overtime. She is a hard worker but living in a racist country, her painful day to day mysery is a reality she and some two million Indian poor face. As we checked out the next afternoon, our hotel, food and beverage bill came up to RM800. I wondered that this one day expense was more than Parameswary’s one month salary. Parameswary’s dream of owning a roof over her head during her sunset years was shattered when told that because of her mere RM600 salary, a housing loan for even a RM45,000 low-cost flat was rejected. Even the much touted Special Government Housing Loan Scheme for the poor through BSN does not filter down to Parameswary and tens of thousands of Indian poor. Her scores of applications to join the local council as even a sweeper and with the hope of getting a government housing loan was also shattered. She was not granted any welfare help or the single mothers’ financial aid. But the RM251.6 billion 2013 Budget allocates RM1.2 billion for welfare and RM50 million for single mothers but which again does not flow down to Parameswary and the tens of thousands of the Indian poor. And when we protest this level of racism, Umno prosecutes us for Sedition while Pakatan Rakyat brands us as racist. Lack of a safety net When asked, I explained to Dr Francis Jana, an Orang Ulu holidaymaker from Sarawak who also stayed at our hotel, that unlike almost all the tens of thousands of Malay, Orang Asli, Kadazan, Iban poor etc who have their village safety net, the Indian poor do not have this. Even the Chinese poor are blessed with 508 Chinese New Villages nationwide. Even in her old age Parameswary has no village to go back to. Her family and community are in no better position financially to accommodate her. Even the Indian elite do not care. There is no community support system unlike in poverty stricken India where clansmen would somehow accommodate their poor. Francis conceded that the Indian poor are poorer than the Orang Asli and Orang Ulu who can toil on almost as much land as they want to earn a living. As we bade farewell, Parameswary suddenly broke out in tears and told us that both her breasts had been removed due to cancer and that even her three children hardly visit her. Almost all her income was spent on medical bills, cheomotherapy and her monthly check ups at Hospital University. She is even contemplating suicide. Changes must be effected We drove down Fraser's Hills feeling depressed and helpless knowing that Parameswary’s sad story is just the tip of the iceberg of the plight of about some 70% or some two million of the Indians in Malaysia. I walked into the Hindraf office today (Monday morning) only to see yet another letter by post from retirees N Nallathamby and N Pannirsilvam who are suffering from various illnesses. The latter wrote that even his Socso denied to cover his dialysis treatment. They wrote for help after being denied government welfare aid or any other National Welfare Foundation, Lembaga Urus Zakat, Yayasan etc help which is accorded to any Malay poor. Neither was any other "cari makan" opportunities granted for these families for example like the 10 acre Felda etc land ownership scheme. The Indian poor are prepared to work hard and do not expect free money. I had told Dr Francis that our only hope is change by the Malay and Chinese top political leaders from both sides of the political spectrum that eliminates all forms of racism victimising in particular the Indian poor. The Indian elite and even the alternative offer very little help. And we are not sure if Pakatan would care enough to effect changes to also include the likes of Parames, Nallathamby, Pannirsilvam and the tens of thousands of Indian poor into the national mainstream development when they get to Putrajaya judging by their rule in Selangor, Penang and Kedah. P Uthayakumar is the pro-tem secretary general of Human Rights Party and a Hindraf leader. |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2012 01:20 AM PDT
Masing’s emphasis on PRS being a “truly Dayak party” and that its elected representatives were “all Dayaks” wasn’t just a frivolous statement. It was tactical. It comes at a time of the rapid ‘Dayak awakening’ amongst the rural native communities courtesy of the alternative media, Radio Free Sarawak and a brazen opposition. Fueling this ‘awakening’ is the floundering Barisan Nasional partners – Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Sarawak United Peoples party (SUPP) – who can’t seem to get their act together. The only ‘water-tight’ party appears to be PRS and Taib’s PBB which incidentally is facing simmering discontent within its Bumiputera wing led by the allegedly much spineless Alfred Jabu Numpang. The next parliamentary election which must be held by April 2013 will be a challenging one for Sarawak BN’s component parties. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is desperately in need of Sarawak’s 31 seats in view of the fluid political situation in Sabah and in the peninsular. In the last parliamentary elections in 2008, it was Sabah and Sarawak’s collective 56 seats that helped BN retain Putrajaya. Sabah and Sarawak each lost one seat to the opposition, delivering 54 seats to the federal coalition. But the current scenario is somewhat different. The latest spin from the ground in Sabah is that the Musa Aman-led BN could lose up to 10 if not 12 of the 25 contestable parliamentary seats. In Sarawak the seat sharing ratio stands at PPB (14), SUPP (seven) PRS (six) SPDP (4) As it stands, speculations are rife that BN could lose up to seven seats from amongst SUPP, SPDP and PRS. Taib, on his part, has guaranteed Najib a return on all 14 of PBB’s parliamentary seats and there’s no reason for the PM to doubt his ability especially after his performance in the last state election. Taib is not too concerned about parliament. PRS truly represents Dayaks Parliamentary election’s is not Taib’s top priority, but state is. Rumours are rife that he’s had a finger in the chaos within SUPP, SPDP and PRS. A divided state coalition allows him to have better control of his ‘partners’ and an increasingly empowered native community courtesy of the opposition. Masing is said to be a thorn in Taib’s side. In the run-up to last year’s state election, Masing, unhappy with Taib constantly ignoring his proposals, met directly with Najib and in one instant managed to thwart attempts to allow an ex-PRS incumbent elected representative, Larry Sng, from contesting. On Saturday, stamping PRS’ sway over Sarawak’s majority Dayak community, Masing said the party was the “custodian” of Dayak interest and that its elected representatives were “duty bound” to protect the race. “For all intents and purposes, PRS is the party which truly represents rural constituencies where most of the Dayaks happen to reside. "Therefore, we do not apologise for who we are and the basis of our political stand and struggles," he said alluding perhaps to the known ‘issues’ between him and Taib. Masing further warned members to be wary of “attempts” to stir discontent within the party adding that enemies and approaches came in different forms. “There are people who are envious of our strength and will try to de-stabilise us. They maybe individuals or groups. “They will (either) contest against us when the general election is called (or) slyly fight us by pretending to our friends or friends of the group and pull us down. "The other way is to de-stabilise us is by picking on some of our members who exhibit certain weaknesses. This will be a subtle approach and by people who we are familiar with. Thus without realizing it, we will fall into a trap which will eventually break the party's solidarity," said Masing. Stand up and fight On a philosophical note, he said the hardest battle to win was the war within each individual. "Unless and until we can control our (individual) wants and needs, we will become the weak link in the party. “The battle to control our needs is a lonely battle. We have to fight it on our own. Party members will not be able to help us. “But if we and our party ideologies and struggles are strong, we will win," Masing said adding that members must not be afraid to fight for what is right. “If we are too scared to fight for what we believe are right, we might as well pack our bags and go home because in the next election, the rural population will throw us out. “When this happens, PRS will lose its seats and Barisan Nasional will lose its power to govern this country," Masing added. |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2012 01:15 AM PDT
The 40-year-old Ganguly, who quit international cricket four years ago, has been playing in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League tournament since its inception – most recently captaining the Pune Warriors, based in western India. But he told Times of India newspaper that his body could no longer take the strain even though he was contracted to play in the IPL next spring. "I had a wonderful time playing in the IPL for five seasons. It gave me a chance to keep playing top-class cricket even after quitting international cricket. But I can't go on forever, and I have requested the franchise owners not to consider me for IPL 6," he told the paper. "Twenty20 is a very demanding format. I will be almost 41 by the time IPL 6 ends. It would have been very tough for the body," he added. The left-handed Ganguly is the most successful captain in the history of the Indian national side, overseeing 21 wins in 49 Tests. He scored 7,212 runs in 113 Tests and 11,363 runs in 311 one-day internationals in a career spanning more than a decade. In an interview last month, Ganguly pushed himself forward to become the next coach of the national side, telling cricket chiefs they should turn to a home-grown candidate after the incumbent Duncan Fletcher calls it quits. Ganguly was part of a famed Indian middle order that also included Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman and Rahul Dravid. Tendulkar is the only one still playing international cricket and he has also spoken recently of his looming retirement. -AFP |
| ‘Khalid akan bertanding di DUN Bkt Melawati’ Posted: 29 Oct 2012 01:13 AM PDT
Semalam Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mengumumkan bahawa Abdul Khalid, Menteri Besar Selangor dan ADUN Ijok akan kekal bertanding di Parlimen Bandar Tun Razak dalam PRU 13. Alasan Anwar ialah Menteri Besar Selangor tidak pernah menyalahguna kuasa walaupun berjaya mengumpulkan wang. “Abdul Khalid akan bertanding dua kerusi – satu kerusi Parlimen dan satu kerusi DUN – mungkin kerusi Bukit Melawati,” kata Dr Mohd Khir. Dr Mohd Khir juga mendakwa, pengumuman bahawa Abdul Khalid akan bertanding di kerusi Bandar Tun Razak dibuat terlalu awal. Beliau yang melepaskan jawatan Menteri Besar Selangor selepas BN kalah dalam pilihan raya umum 2008. Beliau menambah, sehingga hari ini PKR tidak menonjolkan calon Menteri Besar yang baru. Azmin seolah-olah diketepikan “Azmin Ali tidak diberi peranan yang besar dalam jelajah PKR … beberapa kali beliau tidak berucap, beliau seolah-olah diketepikan. “Saya tidak nampak Azmin akan menjadi Menteri Besar Selangor dalam PRU 13,” katanya lagi. Azmin merupakan Pengerusi PKR Selangor dan juga ADUN Bukit Antarabangsa selain ahli Parlimen Gombak. Dalam PKR beliau merupakan Timbalan Presiden dan pengikut setia Anwar. Menurut Dr Mohd Khir, pengaruh Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizzah Ismail juga besar menyebabkan Anwar sukar untuk membuang Abdul Khalid begitu saja. Bagaimanapun, Dr Mohd Khir menilai Abdul Khalid telah gagal menjadi Menteri Besar Selangor sejak empat tahun lalu. “Pendekatan korporat Abdul Khalid telah menimbulkan masalah kepada rakyat. Dia bangga dengan wang RM2 bilion tetapi saya tidak nampak apa yang dibuatnya. “Tetapi mengapa beliau tidak membantu rakyat yang susah, kenapa janji pilihan raya tidak dipenuhi?” tanya Dr Mohd Khir. Beliau menegas cara pentadbiran Abdul Khalid ala korporat tidak sesuai dilaksanakan di Malaysia. “Orang korporat hanya mahu menyimpan duit. Saya nak tanya mana ada negara yang banyak wang tetapi rakyat susah? “Cara orang korporat tidak boleh dilaksanakan dalam pentadbiran politik,” tambah beliau lagi. |
| Cancel Bt Caves condo project, says MNS Posted: 29 Oct 2012 01:11 AM PDT
In a statement, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) representative Teckwyn Lim said that it was unsafe to erect buildings at the land as it received a ‘very high hazard rating" from the authorities. "The Minerals and Geoscience Department also considers the zone surrounding the base of the hill as a ‘very dangerous zone’, he said. Last Friday, about 300 people, led by the Sri Subramaniar Temple chairman R Nadarajah, staged a demonstration against the proposed 29-storey condominium project at a land adjacent to the temple. They feared that the project may cause damages to the cave and the idols in the temple. The Selangor state government had issued a temporary stop work order on the project and blamed the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) state government for approving the project in 2007. Selangor exco for local government Ronnie Liu also said that no environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done before the approval was given. "The development includes a 29-storey service apartment, a 25-storey service apartment, and in front are shophouses that have already been built," Liu was reported saying. Lim said that Batu Caves in one of Asia best sampled limestone hills in Asia that also provided habitat to 310 unique species of animals which could not be found elsewhere. "And there are numerous species that have yet to be formally described and are probably new to science. "It is surprising that no EIA was done on the proposed project to probe on how it will impact the flora and fauna there, as well as the area’s air and water quality," said Lim. He added that the proposed high-rise project would also block the view of the iconic limestone hill which may affect its national heritage status. "The authorities should recognise the importance of preserving the appearance of this natural heritage monument for its aesthetics and tourism value," said Lim. Bipartisan committee Meanwhile, MIC central working committee member, S Vell Paari called for all parties affected to form a bipartisan committee to find an amicable solution to the matter. "The committee should include people from BN, Pakatan Rakyat and the temple committee. Let us leave aside political bickering to find a solution to this mess," he said. Offering a solution, Vell Paari said that the state government could use legal channel to stop the project as no EIA was done before approval was given. "It’s a shady deal and the state government could scrap the project. The state government should also consider converting the land into a field for the use of a Tamil school nearby," he said. Vell Paari also urged the bipartisan committee to investigate on the people responsible in giving the approval without proper documentation. He also said that it was obvious that the land was not suitable for high-rise building and may endanger people’s lives should the buildings collapse in years to come. "This is serious matter. Obviously those who gave the approval got something in return for it. Haul them up and make them accountable for their actions," said Vell Paari. Also read: Liu shows proof it was all BN's work Cancel Batu Caves condo project, says Kula |
| ‘I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…’ Posted: 29 Oct 2012 01:06 AM PDT
He was responding to Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (also known as RPK) who claimed that Nazri and his son Mohamad Nedim received RM3 million and a sports car respectively from Chia. “Oh no, it’s not true, it’s not true. Chia is a friend. I don’t know if he lent the car to my son. You have to ask my son,” he told FMT in his office this afternoon. Although he did not directly criticise Raja Petra over the claim, Nazri said that he had no problem with this matter being raised. “RPK is a social person. He mixes a lot with people, so he probably gets information from them. Then by (Petra) writing this, it gives me the opportunity to give my side of the story,” he said. Nazri also stressed that he had no influence over the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the judiciary, adding that if he had, Chia’s case would have been dropped. In a Malaysia Today report, Raja Petra claimed that Chia personally came to Parliament to hand RM3 million over to Nazri, after the latter allegedly resolved a matter relating to the RM40 million scandal. He also claimed that Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Attorney-General Abdul Gani-Patail were similarly involved. It was the AG, MACC decision, not mine “The public should know that these answers to parliament were prepared by the AG Chambers and the MACC. I was speaking on behalf of the government and not in my personal capacity,” he said. “People are jumping to say I was trying to cover up the case. But it was MACC that said he was not arrested, not me. I would not have even known if ICAC had closed the case or not.” Asked why he did not disclose earlier his relationship with Chia, Nazri said the question was not posed in parliament. “It was not asked to me. I did not know about his (Chia’s) case until this issue was brought up in parliament. I’m not involved in his matters. I just happened to be the minister when the question was asked.” Nazri said that he would not shy away from the fact that he knew Chia personally, but maintained that he knew nothing about the RM40 million. “If for example I am close to Anwar (Ibrahim) and he attacks Najib (Tun Razak), I cannot suddenly disassociate myself from him. A friend is a friend,” he said. Also read: ‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’ |
| Kamalanathan mahu Ronnie minta maaf Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:58 AM PDT
“Saya harap Ronnie Liu akan memohon maaf secara terbuka dengan kadar segera. Saya juga sedang merujuk dengan rakan peguam saya,” kata Kamalanathan yang menerangkan bahawa beliau menjadi ahli Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) sejak 2004 hingga Disember 2006. “Dalam tahun 2007 saya tiada hak untuk mengambil bahagian mahupun membuat keputusan di dalam mesyuarat MPS,” tambah beliau sambil merujuk kepada laporan FMT bertajuk “Stop work order for Batu Caves condo project”. Menurut beliau, dakwaan Liu bertujuan untuk mendapatkan kelebihan politik. “Beliau hanya ada satu hasrat untuk mencemar nama baik saya dan mendapatkan kelebihan politik. Ini fitnah kelas pertama. Mereka bagus untuk perkara begini,” kata Kamalanathan. Pemimpin MIC tersebut turut menyoal mengapa kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat tidak mengambil tindakan menghentikan projek tersebut walaupun sudah berkuasa di Selangor. Kamalanathan menyoal: “Mereka mempunyai empat tahun dan enam bulan untuk memastikan projek tidak terlaksana. Mengapa tidak mengambil tindakan?” Beliau turut menjelaskan bahawa beliau tidak membalas dakwaan Liu sebelum ini kerana menghadiri mesyuarat persidangan ahli parlimen Asean di Bangkok. Lihat juga: Kamalanathan lodges police report against Liu Stop work order for Bt Caves condo project |
| Philippines’ Arroyo refuses to enter plea Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:57 AM PDT  MANILA: Former Philippine president Gloria Arroyo refused to enter a plea today on a graft charge that could see her jailed for life, as she appeared in court wheelchair-bound and wearing a neck brace.Arroyo sat quietly as judge Efren de la Cruz read the charge that she had plundered 8.8 million dollars in state lottery funds during her time as president from 2001-2010. One of Arroyo’s lawyers, Ferdinand Topacio, said no plea was entered because her legal team had questioned the legality of charge with the Supreme Court, which had yet to issue a ruling on the motion. “This arrest, as we have said before, is illegal and baseless,” Topacio told AFP. “It is a right of anyone accused not to enter a plea.” The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the country. However de la Cruz entered a “not guilty” on Arroyo’s behalf and asked the defence and prosecution to return on Dec 3 for a preliminary session during which both sides will present their list of witnesses. Arroyo ended her time in power as one of the country’s most unpopular presidents, amid allegations she had cheated to win elections, embraced feared warlords as allies and was involved in widespread corruption. Her successor, Benigno Aquino, won a landslide election after vowing to fight corruption and prosecute Arroyo. Government prosecutors charged Arroyo with vote fraud in November last year for allegedly rigging the 2007 senatorial vote. She spent most of the next eight months under detention at a military hospital, where she was treated for a spinal disease that requires her to wear the neck brace. However Arroyo won bail in July this year, with the court saying the case against her was weak. She was re-arrested early this month on the charge of conspiring to defraud the state lottery to finance an election campaign, and could face life in jail if found guilty. Arroyo has been allowed to remain at the same military hospital since being hit with the vote fraud charge. She was placed on intensive care this month to clear a blockage that prevented oxygen supply to her heart. She is now recovering from that condition. Arroyo is also facing a third graft charge involving a deal with a Chinese telecom firm in which her husband allegedly received kickbacks in exchange for her approving a national Internet broadband network. Court resolutions to these cases are expected to drag for years in the country’s slow justice system. - AFP |
| S Korea sets new window for rocket launch Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:52 AM PDT  SEOUL: South Korea said today it would make another atempt to send a satellite into space next month after a scheduled rocket launch last week was cancelled because of a technical glitch.A Science Ministry statement said the 140-tonne Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) would blast off sometime during a Nov 9-24 window from the Naro Space Centre on the south coast. The launch had been slated for last Friday, but was cancelled after engineers detected a broken rubber seal in the connector between the launch pad and the rocket’s first stage. After two previous failures in 2009 and 2010, the current launch is considered crucial for South Korea’s efforts to join an elite space club that includes Asian powers China, Japan and India. The KSLV-1 has a first stage manufactured by Russia, combined with a solid-fuelled second stage built by South Korea. South Korean and Russian engineers said Friday’s problem was not particularly serious, but added that the damaged seal had been sent back to its Russian manufacturer for an additional investigation. In 2009 the rocket achieved orbit but faulty release mechanisms on the second stage prevented proper deployment of the satellite. The 2010 effort saw the rocket explode two minutes into its flight, with both Russia and South Korea pointing the finger of blame at each other. Success this time around will mean a huge boost for South Korea – a late entrant into the high-cost world of space technology and exploration and desperate to get its commercial launch programme up and running. Seoul’s space ambitions were restricted for many years by its main military ally the United States, which feared that a robust missile or rocket programme would accelerate a regional arms race, particularly with North Korea. - AFP |
| Penguin, Random House publishers agree to merge Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:46 AM PDT
“Pearson and Bertelsmann today announce an agreement to create the world’s leading consumer publishing organisation by combining Penguin and Random House,” said a statement. Penguin and Random House will combine their businesses in a newly-created joint venture named Penguin Random House. Bertelsmann would own 53 percent of the joint venture and Pearson 47 percent. “The combination brings together two of the world’s leading English language publishers, with highly complementary skills and strengths,” the statement said. “Random House is the leading English language publisher in the US and the UK, while Penguin is the world’s most famous publishing brand and has a strong presence in fast-growing developing markets.” -AFP |
| Red Bull eye three perfect races Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:45 AM PDT
Germany's Vettel, winner of the title in 2010 and 2011, cruised to his fourth consecutive victory yesterday, leading the Indian Grand Prix from start to finish in a dominant display. The 26th win of his career gives Vettel a 13-point lead over his nearest challenger, Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who finished second at the Buddh International Circuit after starting fifth on the grid. Red Bull enjoy a healthy 91-point lead in the constructors' championship over Ferrari. But speaking after Vettel's consummate triumph in the heat and dust of New Delhi, Horner warned against complacency as he looked forward to the final three races of the season in Abu Dhabi, the United States and Brazil. "We certainly cannot afford to be complacent because Fernando Alonso keeps turning up," said Horner, after Vettel and his Red Bull teammate Australian Mark Webber sandwiched the Spanish driver in second place. "He (Alonso) drove a strong race today and it was a shame we couldn't keep Mark (Webber) ahead of him, as he had a KERS issue from lap 20. "We have got a great lead now in the constructors' championship, but it is only 13 points in the drivers'. We have managed to eke out a gap and, considering where we came from four races ago, it is impressive. "But we have to keep that momentum going. It is the first time Seb has won four races in succession and it was an incredible performance from him this weekend. "With 75 points available from three races, it is going to be crucial for us to have perfect weekends now." Horner was unfazed by Alonso's bullish talk that he will win at Interlagos in Sao Paulo on Nov 25 to take his third world championship crown. "Talk is cheap at the end of the day," he said, when reminded that Alonso has said he is "100 per cent convinced" he will win the championship again this year. -AFP |
| Mcllory: I thrive on being number one Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:40 AM PDT
The 23-year-old Northern Irishman heads a quality field at the $6 million tournament from November 8-11 that also includes American Phil Mickelson and three-times winner Adam Scott of Australia. World number 12 Louis Oosthuizen will also be among the contenders at the Sentosa Golf Club, but a confident McIlroy feels his A-game trumps that of his rivals. “The status (of being world number one) adds pressure but it’s one that I thrive on,” McIlroy, who won his second major at this year’s U.S. PGA Championship, said in a statement. “I know I can be hard to beat when I’m at my best, so I go into every tournament knowing that if I play well then I have a good chance of winning.” McIlroy finished runner-up at the BMW Masters in Shanghai at the weekend. “People expect me to play well, and I expect myself to play better,” he said. “To call myself a multiple major winner and world number one, it’s great. “I knew that I was good enough to achieve this at some stage,” added McIlroy, who helped Europe beat the United States in an astonishing Ryder Cup comeback win last month. “I’m a bit surprised that it has happened already when I’m still 23. My target now is always to win my next tournament, win my next major, keep improving all areas of my game.” McIlroy underlined his status as the golf’s top player with a runaway eight-stroke victory at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in August. He is also close to winning the European Tour’s Race to Dubai with a near 1 million euros ($1.29 million) lead and has the PGA Tour money title sewn up having banked more than $8 million. “I’m leading the Race to Dubai and it’s definitely my goal to finish there at the end of the season,” said McIlroy, bidding to emulate Luke Donald, who topped the Order of Merit on both sides of the Atlantic last season. “I need to have a strong end to the season in order to win both orders of merit titles. “A good performance in Singapore will certainly help my chances, so hopefully I can go a few better than my fourth place finish there in 2008.” McIlroy currently leads Sweden’s Peter Hanson by 812,572 euros going into the Singapore Open, co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours. “I definitely feel like I have more responsibilities,” McIlroy said, looking down from the peak of the world rankings with a healthy lead over 14-times major winner Tiger Woods. “I always dreamt of winning golf tournaments, of winning Majors and of reaching world number one. What I have always done is give myself targets – realistic ones. “It took me a while to get used to handling more attention, more pressure, more scrutiny when you are expected to play well. But I’ve learned how to handle winning big events.” -Reuters |
| Moody’s raises Philippine credit rating Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:22 AM PDT  MANILA: Moody’s Investors Service today raised the Philippines’ sovereign credit rating to one notch below investment grade, citing the country’s strong economic prospects and stable financial system.The international ratings service also said a recent breakthrough in peace talks, aimed at ending a decades-long Muslim separatist rebellion in the south of the country, had improved the country’s long-term economic potential. Moody’s raised the Philippines to Ba1 from Ba2, while maintaining the ratings outlook at “stable”. “Despite the headwinds from softening external demand, the Philippines has demonstrated considerable economic strength and fiscal resilience,” Moody’s said in a statement. “The country is poised to record a combination of faster growth, lower inflation, exchange rate appreciation and an increase in foreign exchange reserves, while maintaining trend debt consolidation.” Over the longer term, Moody’s said the peace pact between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed on October 15 could eventually spur economic growth in the resource-rich conflict zone. The MILF has been struggling since the 1970s for an independent homeland on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. The accord signed this month aims for a final peace deal by 2016, with the MILF controlling an autonomous region. The upgrade comes after Standard & Poor’s raised the Philippines’ long-term foreign currency credit rating to within one rung of investment grade in July, citing the government’s improving finances. Moody’s upgraded the Philippines’ credit rating to Ba2 in June last year. Central bank governor Amando Tetangco said he was “delighted” by the upgrade. “With the government’s concerted efforts and with the support of the private sector, the Philippines should achieve an investment grade credit rating sooner rather than later,” he said in a statement. The Philippine economy grew by 6.1 percent in the first half of this year and the government is hopeful of maintaining that expansion pace throughout 2012. Inflation averaged 3.2 percent in the first nine months of the year, allowing the central bank to cut interest rates four times. The benchmark overnight borrowing rate now stands at 3.50 percent, with the overnight lending rate at 5.50 percent. - AFP |
| Turkey under pressure over Kurdish hunger strike Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:19 AM PDT  ANKARA: The Turkish government is under increasing pressure over how to tackle a hunger strike by hundreds of Kurdish prisoners across the country as the protest nears its eighth week and their health deteriorates.Around 700 detainees at more than 50 prisons are surviving on salted or sweetened water and vitamins alone in a strike that has gained momentum since it began with several dozen detainees last month. Among the strikers are several leaders of the chief Kurdish party, the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). They are accused of ties to the outlawed rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has for decades sought autonomy for the Kurds. “The strikers’ situation is deteriorating with every day,” a Human Rights Association (IHD) official told AFP, saying the inmates had been mistreated but without providing details. He said the government needed to act to bring about an end to the protest, a call that was echoed in the press and by main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who implored the strikers to abandon their action while also addressing the government’s role. “I am asking the party in power to be more sensitive to these people's requests," he was quoted as saying in Friday’s English-language Hurriyet Daily News. Several dozen Kurdish detainees began the strike on September 12, the anniversary of a military coup in 1980, with a host of demands including the release of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and an end to Kurdish language restrictions. – ‘Give up this action’ – With the pressure on, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin paid an unexpected visit Wednesday, on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, to an Ankara prison where strikers are being held and called on them to halt their action. “For the well-being of your body, your health, your families: give up this action,” he said. He said the conservative Islamist-rooted government was listening to the strikers and that it could allow Kurds appearing in court to have the right to defend themselves in their mother tongue, which is one of their demands. But he offered no concessions on another demand: the authorisation of the use of Kurdish in all public places. This is a tough demand for the government to satisfy, even if there have been big steps forward in recent years in the area of Kurdish cultural rights as Turkey bids to join the European Union. The strikers are also calling for the release of Ocalan, who has been serving out a life sentence in a remote island prison since 1999. On Friday, BDP leaders sought permission from officials to visit Ocalan. The party’s co-chair Selahattin Demirtas said “a major step would be taken” toward putting an end to the hunger strike if they were able to ask Ocalan to intervene. Demirtas said the hunger strikes would come to an end if his party is allowed to prepare the ground for negotiations with Ocalan. “There will be no solution unless a leader of a people is set free, and mother-tongue education is allowed,” Demirtas was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper on Sunday. Reached by AFP, the justice ministry declined to comment on the possibility of such a visit, which would be a first, but a source close to the government said the authorities were doing all they could to end the hunger strike, adding that none of the strikers’ lives are in danger. “The government must put an end to Ocalan’s isolation and immediately, without wasting time, take the necessary steps to end this tragedy,” columnist Oral Calislar wrote in the Radikal daily. The strike comes amid a major escalation in fighting between Kurdish rebels and the army, with no political solution in sight to a dispute that has spanned decades. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and by much of the international community, took up arms for autonomy in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hardened his position on the Kurdish issue following deadly attacks by the PKK last year, has also said his government was ready to resume negotiations with the rebel group that were launched in 2010. Since 1980 at least 144 prisoners in Turkey have died in hunger strikes, according to an IHD statement, 28 of them during the government’s brutal crackdown on an inmate strike against new prison conditions in 2000. - AFP |
| In tight US race, Asian Americans could be kingmakers Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:17 AM PDT  FALLS CHURCH (Virginia): From the stall where he sells newspapers and scarves in the colors of the former South Vietnam, Tony Nguyen has been watching the tight US presidential election play out before his eyes.Representatives for President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney have been frequent visitors to the Vietnamese restaurants and beauty salons here in Washington’s Virginia suburbs, seeking what could be critical votes in a neck-and-neck race. “If the Vietnamese all vote for one candidate, it could make a very big difference in a close state like Virginia,” Nguyen said over a table of community newspapers with headlines about the November 6 election. Often overlooked in past elections, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. They make up around five percent of the US population but their numbers could surpass winning candidates’ margins of victory in battleground states such as Virginia, Nevada, Florida and Colorado. If trends prevail, Asian Americans will likely boost Obama. He won two-thirds of Asian American votes in 2008, a swift rise from the 32 percent who voted for fellow Democrat Bill Clinton when he was first elected in 1992. “This is a historic shift. The last time you’ve seen an immigrant group undergo such a major shift was among Jewish voters between the 1920s and 1940s” when they also rallied behind the Democrats, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside. Ramakrishnan is co-author of the National Asian American Survey, a poll of 3,034 adults that found that the community tilted heavily toward the Democrats on several key election issues — women’s rights, health care and immigration. Support varied among ethnic groups. Indian Americans were among the most strongly Democratic, with 58 percent saying they identified or leaned toward the party against a mere seven percent who sided with the Republicans. Ramakrishnan said that many Asian Americans came of age politically during the Clinton administration, which they recall as a time of prosperity. Since then, the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and “the increasingly conservative tone on immigration by Republicans has alienated a lot of Asian Americans from the Republicans,” he said. The survey also showed strong support for the Democrats from Americans of Chinese, Hmong, Japanese and Korean heritage. But Republicans enjoyed a slight edge among Filipino Americans, many of whom are devoutly Catholic. Republicans have traditionally polled well among Vietnamese Americans, whose older generation fondly remembers the party’s staunch anti-communism. But the survey said Obama has made strong inroads in the community, perhaps thanks to his health care reform aimed at increasing coverage to the uninsured. National polls have found that Obama, the nation’s first African American president, also enjoys overwhelming support among blacks and Hispanics, helping compensate for Romney’s strong advantage among white voters. Representative Mike Honda, a Democrat of Japanese heritage whose California district has become the first in the US mainland with an Asian majority, has been traveling to key states to encourage Asian Americans to turn out. “We’ve been trying to engage them by visiting their places of work, their malls and everywhere they go and also by hitting the language media,” Honda told AFP. Republicans reaching out to Asian Americans In a key challenge, Honda said at least 45 percent of eligible Asian Americans are not registered to vote. He has been recruiting volunteers and lawyers as Asian Americans “tend to be easily intimidated” away from voting. Honda has highlighted Democratic support for the so-called DREAM bill, which would offer a path to permanent US residency for young undocumented foreigners of good standing, along with the party’s broader economic themes. He also pointed to the tone set by Obama, who appointed a record three Asian Americans to his cabinet. In 2009, Obama encountered intense Republican criticism when he bowed to Japan’s Emperor Akihito during a visit to Tokyo. “In the Asian American community… for the president to bow is a sign of respect; it’s not a sign of being diminished,” Honda said. Tone could be a factor in Virginia, where Republican George Allen is seeking to retake a Senate seat he lost by fewer than 10,000 votes in 2006. In his last campaign, his support slipped after he was caught on video taunting a young Indian American campaigner for his opponent with the slur “macaca.” Republicans in Virginia have nonetheless been reaching out to Asian Americans. When Republican Governor Bob McDonnell ran in 2009, he spent two and a half hours mingling at an Asian festival while his Democratic opponent did not show up, recalled Sanjay Puri, chairman of the non-partisan US India Political Action Committee. Still, Puri doubted that Allen would fare well among Indian Americans in northern Virginia. “They all remember that comment. Now Senator Allen is in their minds symbolic of the ‘macaca moment,’” Puri said. Romney has tapped Taiwanese-born Elaine Chao, who was labor secretary under president George W. Bush, to make inroads with Asian Americans. Republicans have stressed their support for lower taxes and regulations as a large number of Asian Americans are small business owners. Despite Indian American support for the Democrats, the community’s two most prominent elected officials are both stars in the Republican Party — Governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina. A record 30 Asian Americans have run for Congress this year – 25 of them Democrats – with a growing number of them in districts without large Asian populations. One of the most closely watched races is in Illinois where Tammy Duckworth, a Bangkok-born US veteran who was severely wounded in Iraq, is seeking to unseat outspoken Republican Joe Walsh. In Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard looks likely to become the first Hindu elected to the US Congress. In New York City, Grace Meng is running to be the first Asian American to represent the metropolis in Congress. - AFP |
| Honda reports surging profit but slashes forecast Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:13 AM PDT
Investors pushed the stock down 4.65 percent to 2,399 yen by the close in Tokyo as they reacted to news that the maker of the Accord and Civic would report a profit that was 20 percent lower than previously expected. Blaming a strong yen and weakening sales, Japan’s third-biggest automaker said it now expects to earn 375 billion yen ($4.7 billion) in its fiscal year to March 2013, down from an earlier 470 billion yen forecast. Sales were tipped to fall to 9.8 trillion yen, from 10.3 trillion yen. “We expect earnings to come below the estimates announced on April 27, 2012, due to a decrease in sales volume amid the changing business environment and the impact of currency exchange rates,” Honda said in a statement. Honda’s profit and sales downgrade, which dragged down the shares of rivals Nissan and Toyota, stood in marked contrast to its latest half-year results. These saw net profit soar to 213.96 billion yen, up from 92.23 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. Sales in the period were 4.71 trillion yen, up from 3.60 trillion yen. Honda said the rosy results were largely due to a rebound from last year’s quake-tsunami disaster. The automaker did not elaborate on the impact of a simmering territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, which has put the brakes on Japanese carmakers’ sales in China, the world’s biggest vehicle market. The two Asian giants remain locked in a festering row over islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China, sparking double-digit sales declines in September for Japan’s biggest automakers. Japanese factories and businesses across China closed or scaled back operations in September over fears they or their workers could be targeted by mobs protesting against Tokyo’s nationalisation of the islands. “Honda’s sales apparently felt the impact from a weaker China market, as well as the stronger yen, and (this) raises the possibility that it will revise down its full-year forecast yet again,” Hideyuki Ishiguro, strategist at Okasan Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires. “Of course Honda’s problems are not unique — the magnitude of the China component in its earnings may be most felt in Nissan Motor’s earnings, since it has the heaviest proportional exposure to China.” Shares in Nissan, which has yet to report its latest quarterly results, were off 2.18 percent to 670 yen while Toyota shares fell 1.62 percent to 3,030 yen by the close. Japanese automakers saw extensive damage to their supply chains as a result of the twin disasters in Japan last year as well as record flooding in Thailand. A high yen also ate into exporters’ sales and profits. The country’s automakers have come under pressure from the value of the currency, which last year hit record highs against the dollar and remains strong. This makes exports relatively more expensive overseas and cuts the value of repatriated earnings. While the number of vehicles that Honda sold rose strongly in the first half — including a 73 percent jump in the key North American market — the company said revenue in Europe, the Middle East and South America all weakened “mainly due to unfavourable foreign currency translation effects”. The number of motorcycles that Honda sold in the first half rose by about 7.0 percent on-year, it added. -AFP |
| Asian markets mixed after US growth data Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:48 PM PDT
Trade was also nervous at the start of a crucial week that will see a Bank of Japan policy meeting, the release of US jobs data and a series of talks in Europe on Greece’s debt. Tokyo ended flat, dipping 3.72 points to 8,929.34, Sydney closed 0.10 percent, or 4.5 points, higher at 4,476.9 and Seoul was almost unchanged, nudging up 0.09 points higher to 1,891.52 In the afternoon Hong Kong eased 0.22 percent, with developers weighed by government plans aimed at curbing the red-hot property markets. Shanghai was 0.24 percent lower. The US Department of Commerce said Friday that the world’s number one economy grew at a 2.0 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter following the second quarter’s 1.3 percent expansion and up from the 1.9 percent forecast by most economists. A 13 percent jump in defence spending, which tends to be volatile, and better consumer spending and housing investment propelled the growth. However, the data did highlight flat business investment and shrinking exports. Wall Street was almost unmoved by the release as investors took in another set of disappointing earnings from the likes of Apple and Merck. The Dow ended up 0.03 percent, the S&P 500 lost 0.07 percent and the Nasdaq gained 0.06 percent. The New York Stock Exchange announced it will close its trading floor and make only electronic transactions, as Hurricane Sandy closed in on the US eastern seaboard. “In consultation with other exchanges and market participants, NYSE Euronext (NYX) will close its markets on Monday… and pending confirmation on Tuesday,” the market operator said in a statement. Joe Bracken, head of macro strategies at BT Investment Management in Sydney, suggested the impending hurricane could contribute to quiet trading in Asia. “You’ve got the US essentially closed, so there will be less of that US liquidity that drives a lot of international markets,” he told Dow Jones Newswires. Eyes are now on the end on Tuesday of a two-day meeting of the Bank of Japan, with most investors hoping it will unveil an extension to its monetary easing policy. Expectations of fresh cash being pumped into the market have weighed on the yen, which softened slightly in afternoon Asian trade. The dollar was trading at 79.67 yen against 79.62 yen late Friday in New York, while the euro bought 103.05 yen, compared with 103.00 yen. The European unit was also at $1.2930 from $1.2942. Also on the horizon are the release of manufacturing figures out of China and other Asian nations, while the US is to unveil its non-farm payrolls data on Friday, the last before the presidential election. And eurozone ministers are to hold a series of meetings on Greece to decide whether it has done enough to fix its debt problem to receive the latest tranche of crucial aid money. The ministers are also looking at a Greek request for the terms of its bailout to be extended by two years to 2016. Oil was lower. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December shed 38 cents to $85.90 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for December delivery fell 26 cents to $109.29. Gold was at $1,715.75 at 0600 GMT compared with $1,703.18 late Friday. In other markets: – Taipei slipped 0.59 percent, or 42.39 points, to 7,091.67. Leading smartphone maker HTC was 7.0 percent limit-down at Tw$219.5 while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co was 0.92 percent higher at Tw$88.1 – Wellington fell 0.82 percent, or 32.48 points, to 3,951.30. Telecom was off 3.45 percent at NZ$2.38 and Fletcher Building shed 0.7 percent to NZ$7.07. -AFP |
| Mobile phones, a reporter’s best friend Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:30 PM PDT
Scribbles in shorthand would be made the moment anyone said anything, along with reference arrows and drawings of politicians in mustaches. From there, the notebook would be carried back to the office where it would be typed out through a word processor, or if you’ve been in the business long enough, a typewriter. Today, reporters still carry notepads and pens, even if many probably don’t use Pittman Shorthand. The clickety-clack of the typewriter has been replaced by the tap-tap-tap of the electronic keyboard. Yet one thing trumps all when it comes to the arsenal of the modern-day reporter: the mobile phone. No reporter today would be caught dead without one (touch wood). It is a necessary evil and if you’re stuck in a boring political speech, a lifesaver. Most digital journalists here quickly learn that the mobile phone is not only a phone but also a notepad, typewriter, sound recorder, newspaper, instruction manual, document reader, camera, organiser, music and video player…all-in-one. Most civilians – as we like to call them- usually go for two or three functions, and fill up with games and apps. Even if we have our own recorders (and long-suffering cameramen), digital journalists need to use all of these and more, just to stay on top. At a press event, a politician’s words are typed out onto an empty page. During a lull, the phone switches to camera mode and a picture is taken. The story is typed out onto the page itself, checked for errors, and sent to the editors with the photo in minutes. A flash of a few sentences will be sent if the story is an important one, a full piece if not-so-much (a policy which varies from FMT to Malaysiakini to Malaysian Insider). Short of background information? Just fire up YouTube or a web browser. If there’s still time, the journalist can ambush the politician for a phone number, saving that into a contact list. If there’s nothing going on, or if the event is a waste of time, then all of the above becomes an hour-long session of Plants Vs Zombies. The way of the future Monitoring the feeds, he may or may not get an idea for another story. Either way, he has a smoke and drives off into the sunset. In my experience, the best mobile phones for journalists have always been the ones with the physical keyboards; like the Blackberry. Sure, they were pretty crap when it came to taking indoor photos (outdoor ones were a different story), and crashed if you have a few tabs open on your browser. Their desktop software also had the tendency to lag, especially when I wanted to tether an Internet connection. Made you wonder if there was a hidden porn dialer. But when it came to pure writing goodness, the Blackberry was gold. You could bang copy while running from tear gas and self-edit while puffing on a Dunhill Red. You could also drop it several times on the floor, and it’ll still work. Just not into a fountain (as one guy learned the hard way). Which was why I was a little sad when my Bold 9700 finally retired to the great mobile phone factory in the sky. So when I got a touchscreen (not saying which) as a replacement, I wasn’t all that excited. Sure, it had more features, and it didn’t lag when you had a thousand Opera tabs, Google Maps and other stuff open, but writing a full story was like watching Keluang Man; why am I putting myself through this? You can have all the haptic feedback in the world, but let’s face it, the grooves in-between the keys help a ton when you’re typing up something in Parliament. Putting it simply, touchscreens – Samsungs, iPhones, HTCs – while pretty, aren’t there yet; not for me at least. Though I have to say, the touchscreens certainly have a good future up ahead, especially when it comes to video footage and uploading them later. For some reason, people are less intimidated when a HTC lens and not a RM30,000 TV camera is staring them in the face. Also, they come in handy when the cops smash your cameras. It sure didn’t stop Al-Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett during Bersih 3.0, who corresponded with his office with an iPad and Skype after his company’s camera got smashed. Who knows how it might turn out for mobile phones and reporters? Maybe one day with smoother conference calls and on-site editing, you might not even need to come into the office. How’s that for the future? |
| Tok Him tidak idam jadi Pengerusi PKR Kelantan Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:29 PM PDT
“Dakwaan mengarut dan fitnah…demi Allah tidak terlintas dalam hati saya nak jadi ahli PKR atau Pengerusi PKR Kelantan,” kata Ibrahim yang juga ahli parlimen bebas Pasir Mas di Kelantan. Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas blog Sayuti Omar yang mendakwa Ibrahim marah kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kerana Ketua Umum PKR itu tidak melantiknya sebagai Pengerusi PKR Kelantan. Dalam blognya, Sayuti menulis Ibrahim menentang Anwar bukan ada sebab yang jelas dan bukan perkara hakikat misalnya soal prinsip. Dia (Ibrahim) menentang Anwar disebabkan Anwar tidak mahu melantiknya sebagai Pengerusi Perhubungan PKR di Kelantan. `Alasan semua orang tahu’ “Tetapi malang PKR Kelantan tidak sedia berketuakan Ibrahim kerana mereka sudah kenal bau dan bentuk mukanya,” tulis Sayuti lagi. Ibrahim menjelaskan, beliau menolak Anwar semasa mesyuarat Majlis Kerja Tertinggi Umno 1997. Katanya, beliau tetap teguh dengan bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sehingga sekarang walaupun Sayuti tulis buku Mahafiraun. “Sayuti ni marah sebab saya tidak tidak sokong Anwar…saya tolak Anwar atas alasan semua orang tahu. “Kesian Sayuti, semoga dia bahagia,” kata Ibrahim lagi. |
| Cabbies take their grouses to Parliament Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:10 PM PDT
Metered Taxi Drivers Action Group (BBPTB) chairman Amran Jan said that Malaysia’s convoluted system caused the public to view cabbies in a negative light. The group had earlier claimed to represent 21 taxi associations, or 2,000 taxi drivers. Speaking to reporters in Parliament today, Amran, who was accompanied by several of comrades, said: “Taxi drivers are not to blame. It is the failure of the system itself.” Among the issues raised by Amran included a dispute over the number of taxi permits issued, the taxi coupon system, alleged neglect by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and the Transport Ministry, as well as being taken advantage of by taxi companies. They addressed these issues in a memorandum, which they handed over to Pakatan Rakyat MPs, including PKR-Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, PAS-Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli and PKR-Kuala Langat MP Abdullah Sani. The cabbies appeared to be frustrated with SPAD, claiming the commission was turning a deaf ear to their concerns. At the same time, Amran asked why the Transport Ministry had failed to make a statement on local cabbies, criticising Minister Kong Cho Ha over the matter. ‘A lot of baggage’ He also asked why queries over taxi driver issues had been handed over to the Prime Minister’s Department, citing their responses in Parliament. These factors led him to denounce SPAD, adding that he and other cabbies intended to meet with the Transport Ministry over their grouses in the next three weeks. Amra’s colleague, S Manugaran, also attacked the local media for not taking their side. “We have a reputation. My children can’t go to school and say that their father is a taxi driver…don’t destroy our image,” he said. Pakatan Rakyat MPs who were present also lent their support to these cabbies. Blaming the government, Abdullah said: “They are not given EPF, Socso…This is a flawed system we cannot accept. The Transport Ministry has to take charge.” Taxi drivers were recently catapulted into the national spotlight when more than 200 of them demonstrated along Jalan Bukit Bintang over alleged government neglect. In a response, a SPAD source told FMT that it was trying to fix taxi driver system. He said SPAD had inherited problems that were present before the commission’s formation in 2010. “When we took over (from the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board), there was need to rationalise the whole thing, relate back to the Public Transport Masterplan and look at it from a holistic point of view,” said the source. The source admitted that SPAD was saddled with “a lot of baggage”, and that many of the problems were not as straightforward as most people thought. There are about 37,000 taxis in KL, along with 70,000 across the country, inclusive of limosuine taxis, rental cabs and budget models. |
| UMW banking on O&G business for growth, expansion Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:54 PM PDT
KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Holdings Bhd sees opportunities for its oil and gas (O&G) business as the region moves to explore and develop reserves to secure energy supply despite not exercising its option to buy a fifth new rig last month. UMW Holdings Bhd sees opportunities for its oil and gas (O&G) business as the region moves to explore and develop reserves to secure energy supply despite not exercising its option to buy a fifth new rig last month. President and group chief executive officer (CEO) Syed Hisham Syed Wazir said UMW's new fourth jack-up rig, to be delivered by February 2013, will likely be deployed in Malaysia in support of national oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) move to localise the contracting of services of such assets. The group's O&G business, which posted a net profit of RM23.1 million for its first-half financial period ended June 30, 2012, will redeploy its semi submersible Naga 1 rig, which is under refurbishment in Japan, off Sabah next month, according to Syed Hisham. The rig is co-owned and operated by UMW in partnership with Japan Drilling Co Ltd. Syed Hisham said the rig "has given us the confidence to expand and pursue more opportunities in Malaysia and the region." UMW owns and operates the Naga 2 jack-up rig as a contractor to Hess in Indonesia. There are some 25 jack-up rigs operating in Malaysia and UMW now has one deployed off Terengganu. Apart from the three offshore Naga rigs, UMW has seven onshore rigs operating in India and Oman. UMW has sold its fabrication yard business in Vietnam. Syed Hisham said the group is reviewing some noncore investments such as in Singapore that may go the same way as the group focuses its resources to core areas of oilfield exploration and services such as pipe treading, repair and coating. UMW plans to grow its existing businesses and expand into new areas over the next few years as the group prepares strategically for the Asean single market, come 2015. Syed Hisham believes the region's 600 million strong market, plus India and China, will require automobiles, energy, lubricants, heavy equipment and replacement parts that UMW hopes to provide via its core automotive, upstream oilfield services, heavy equipment, lubricants and auto parts businesses. "We will be able to sustain the strong growth experienced in 2012 into 2013, barring unforeseen circumstances. Our mid-term plan is to grow in the region ahead of the Asean single market in 2015. We already have a business presence in six of the 10 markets, " he told The Malaysian Reserve in an interview recently. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:50 PM PDT
The groups were against PAS’ proposal to impose hudud once the Islamic party comes into power. And they also noted that the process of Islamisation in Malaysia had begun much earlier. They were also of the opinion that the chance for hudud being implemented was low. KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive officer Tang Ah Chai said the Chinese were generally against hudud because the country was founded on the principles of a secular state. "We were never a religious state. So as a non-Muslim, we cannot accept an Islamic state but only Islam as the official religion," he told FMT. He said that given the current socio-political background, it would be hard for PAS to push forward its hudud agenda. "So rather than spending so much time discussing something which is only a possibility, why don't we look at the Islamisation process in our country which has been there for 30 years?" he asked. Tang said under the leadership of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country witnessed a wide-ranging Islamisation process that saw more prominence being given to Islamic syariah laws, and Islamic values were infused into the civil service. On the bright side, he said Islamisation also brought in the concept of Islamic banking system. He also noted that there were not many intellectual discussions among the Chinese on the issue of hudud, hence the community only held vague impression that hudud meant arm-chopping. "In-depth discussions were found lacking on topics such as the Islamic judiciary system, the evidence act and under what circumstances would someone’s hand be chopped," he said. Issue exploited for political mileage The Johor Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Lim Beh felt that the hudud issue was played up by "certain political parties" to suit their political agendas. "I feel this is an outdated question. If you chant about it in the 70s, maybe the people would get frightened. But now people are just bored of it," he told FMT. He noted that Mahathir had declared Malaysia an Islamic state in 2001 and questioned why should the people be afraid of hudud when certain Islamic agendas were already put in place. "That time when Mahathir made the remark, was there anyone who told him off?" he asked. Lim also reckoned that Pakatan would not be able to grab power in the coming general election, hence he was not too concerned about hudud. "For me hudud will never see the light in Malaysia," he said. Meanwhile, for Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Hua Zong) president Pheng Yin Huah, the current political system was still the best. "We don't think we can accept hudud because a dual-track legal system won't work well for a multiracial society like ours," he said. He added that it was only fair for the country to have a set of law that governed all. He was however non-committal when asked whether it would be a likely situation for PAS to impose hudud once coming into power. |
| Sex education: Piecemeal attempt won’t help Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:35 PM PDT
For over a decade, the Education and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministries kept dragging their feet in implementing sex education in schools, citing one too many excuses. In April 2010, deputy education minister Puad Zarkashi told Dewan Negara that sex education was unnecessary in Malaysian schools and would not be introduced as a specific subject. “Social and reproductive health studies is taught under health education and encompasses curricula of a wide variety of subjects such as biology, science, additional science, moral studies and religious education. “As such, there is no need for a specific subject called sex education,” Puad had justified. That explains the never ending attempts to 'shield' students from the topic of sex education; non-governmental organisations like Malaysian Aids Council wanting to hold talks in schools were warned against talking about condoms or anything else that would arouse the students interest in sex. So 'inhibited' is the government of the day that in February it via the Home Ministry imposed an indefinite ban on the sale of the book "Where Did I Come From?", a classic children's book by Peter Mayle that talks about the facts of life. The book, first published in 1984 tells of a man and woman who meet, fall in love, have sex and go on to become happy parents. Then, Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Abdul Rahim Mohd Radzi said the ministry was acting under Section 7 (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, the fear being that the book's content could pose a danger to the community's "moral". But as they say "one can run but cannot hide", 10 months later the Education Ministry is now facing a grave situation with teen pregnancies among girls below the age of 16 escalating. As always, instead of looking into the root of a problem, the ministries concerned have decided to "treat" the symptoms instead by deciding to introduce a pilot programme to teach pupils aged 12 and 15 of the dangers of out-of-wedlock sex. Inhibition or plain stubbornness As far as the Education and Women, Family and Community Development Ministries are concerned, abstinence i.e. not discussing this topic is the best way to 'protect' the young, a folly it has now come to realise. But now, faced with the rising numbers in teen pregnancies among girls below the age of 16, the authorities are at a lost as to how to deal with this issue, resulting in a knee jerk reaction by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Headed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has concocted a programme to teach Year Six and Form Three pupils the risks and dangers of sex. The pilot programme which has been made part of the school curriculum, intends to get the message across through the Reproductive Health and Social programme. The programme, based on the Reproductive Health Adolescents module of the Federation of Reproductive Health Associations, bears the responsibility of curbing teen pregnancies and birth which stood at 6,000 involving girls under the age of 16 since 2000. "Based on data of the National Registration Department, a total of 6,820 pregnancies and births involving girls below 16 were recorded between 2000 and Oct 9 2012,” the ministry said in a written reply to Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam) in Parliament. Piecemeal attempt not helpful This programme which kicked off last month in selected schools nationwide raises a host of questions, ranging from the target age to the real objective. Also, just how 'prepared' are the 67 teachers who have been trained to teach the 1,360 students on the hazards and risks of unmarried sex during the programme held between Sept 8 and 10? One of the reasons why sex education never took off in schools was attributed to the uneasiness faced by the teachers in talking about a subject they felt shy about. What 'miracle' have these ministries performed to turn our ever shy teachers into bold educators who are prepared to 'call a spade a spade'? On the contrary, the worry is that such piecemeal attempt is not the answer or solution to a social issue that has now become worry for the nation, in view of the many cases of baby dumping. Did both ministries seek ideas from women's groups on how best to tackle the problem of teenage pregnancies? Or have they for that matter studied the scenario in other countries and how the issue of teenage pregnancies is dealt with? How confident is the government that this programme will bring down the numbers of teenage pregnancies involving girls below the age of 16? And what made the relevant ministries certain that only pupils aged 12 and 15 would if ever, benefit from this programme? The issue involved in a serious one and the tryout far from convincing; no wonder then children are looking elsewhere for 'answers'. Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist. |
| Let’s talk about the AG’s Report Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:15 PM PDT
But the truth is stranger than fiction – or so I have found out. My attempt to level the playing field by speaking up against the mismanagement of Pakatan states was met with thunderous objection in the august house. No less than five opposition MPs stood up to prevent me from finishing my speech. All is well, for Hansard never lies. When chaos got the better of my words, I decided to pen down my analysis in the spirit of informing the public that life in Pakatan states is not necessarily a bed of roses, too. Kelantan The project was initially set to help the Kelantan poor by promising (for lack of better word) a monthly dividend and salary of RM200 and RM700 respectively. On top of that, the project planned to provide free accommodation and to stimulate the local employment rate. Of course, promises are meant to be broken. All of these promises never materialized. The poor who placed their hopes in this program are now still stuck in status quo. When two projects under the program failed to meet their targets, the Kelantan state government – through Perbadanan Pembangunan Ladang Rakyat Kelantan (PPLRK) – leased out the remaining 17 projects (total land involved is 76,780 acres) to 16 selected companies. But as the AG's report so aptly pointed out, no specific committee had been set up to evaluate the ability or past performance of the 16 companies. Much worse was when apparently, the 16 listed were actually suggested by none other than the CEO of PPLRK himself! Ah, the joys of running you own empire must be intoxicating, I believe. To compound the problem even further, audit analysis of the agreements with the 16 companies showed that the terms were lop-sided and were heavily stacked against the state government’s interests. For example, in the 20-year lease period, the companies are set to gain total net profit of RM1.6 billion. However, they would only pay Kelantan state government RM421 million in lease payments. The estimated net profit of the 16 companies is a staggering RM59 million a year for the next 20 years! And who are the stakeholders behind Liziz Standaco Sdn. Bhd.? In yet another land controversy in Kelantan, the AG's report took the state government to task for offering 1,000 acres of land to Liziz Standaco in 2003. This was supposed to be for a 12-year riverbank development and beautification project. In consideration thereof, Liziz Standaco must return to the state government assets amounting to RM389.09 million. But as far as the AG's Report is concerned, the Kelantan state government has only received a paltry sum of RM45.7 million to date. The remaining RM343.4 million is still outstanding at the time this analysis is drafted. Eyebrows were raised in concern when the AG's report also stated that Liziz Standaco had pledged 13.52 acres of the land in question as collateral to secure a RM75 million loan. While it is not immediately clear whether Liziz Standaco had used part of the RM75 million's loan to pay the RM45.7 million to state government, it can in many ways suggest that the company is not in the best financial footing to navigate the project to the shore of success. Kedah Some might argue that KCB's RM1 million scandal is pale in comparison to that of NFC's that involved RM250 million. But I disagree. Wastage, by any other name, is still a wastage – especially so for a small economy like Kedah. If we still insist to go by figures and statistic, the RM1 million involved in this case tantamount to 0.10% of Kedah's 2011 state budget of RM1 billion. Taken in this perspective, we will also find that the 0.10% is at par with NFC's 0.11% wastage vis-à-vis RM230 billion of the federal budget. KCB was also frowned upon when it made generous payments on two failed projects. The first involved the payment of RM4.26 million to a company in Papua New Guinea for a palm oil project which subsequently failed. The second involved a payment of RM1.6 million to a consultant company to "arrange" a USD44 million offshore loan earmarked to fund the same Papua New Guinea's investment. Apart from failing to raise the USD44 million loan (which has since put the project in jeopardy), KCB marched ahead to borrow an additional RM3 million from five local companies. What's appalling is that the borrowing had been done without the approval from its own board! Meanwhile the AG's Report has ticked off Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kedah for paying a whopping RM1,500 per unit for repair of loose electrical distribution board in low-cost public housing projects. And rightly so, too! The government approved market price is capped at only RM15.45 per unit. The difference per unit in this case is a staggering RM1,484.55. The Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kedah had also overpaid (by 31 times) for power sockets in its low-cost public housing projects. They actually paid RM1,500 per unit when the government-approved market price is only RM50.18 per unit. Simple arithmetic will show that this constitutes an overpayment of RM1,449.82 per unit. Selangor Since its inception in 2008, 19.4% (60,972) of 313,706 of those who were born in Selangor had applied for the scheme. Out of the 60,972 applications, only 21,918 have been approved. Selangor has allocated RM13.5 million for TAWAS. But out of that amount, about RM4.5 million was meant for operational costs, setting aside only RM8 million for the actual program itself. In education sector, Selangor government had incurred losses of RM39.69 million in 2010, and RM13.56 million through Pendidikan Industri YS Sdn Bhd (PIYSB) – the organ that operates UNISEL. These are only examples of leakages and wastages in Pakatan states. If you read the AG's Report with microscopic view, you would find much more examples of the same nature. The road ahead So, Pakatan has launched a mission to attack and undermine the administration of the two states. Ironically, the attack on the performance of Sabah and Sarawak has proved to be hollow year after year when the AG's report keeps giving both states top marks in state finance management and fiscal policies. In its latest report for 2011, the Auditor General accorded the highest commendation ("sangat baik") to only one state: Sarawak. Meanwhile, Sabah has maintained the second best status of “baik” from previous years. The 2011 Consolidated Fund accounts of Sarawak and Sabah governments are the highest among all states at RM18.5 billion and RM2.66 billion respectively. Selangor, on the other hand, is at third place with RM1.94 billion while Penang is at fourth place with RM1.13 billion. If we look at 2011 state revenue statistics, Sarawak has topped the list with RM6.6 billion, followed by Sabah at second place with RM4.4 billion. Selangor was at fourth place (RM1.6 billion) and Penang was at seventh position (RM602 million). This article is not intended to purposely exclude wastages and leakages in Barisan-held states. There are some pretty glaring examples of wastages and leakages in Barisan states, too. But what I intended to do by writing this article was to inform the public that leakages and wastages are not confined only to BN states; Pakatan state governments are equally guilty of the same charge! The writer is Umno’s MP for Kota Belud, Sabah. Also read: A-G got it wrong on RM213m project |
| Why it’s never too late to quit smoking Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:00 PM PDT
Published in The Lancet, a survey of nearly 1.2 million women in Britain showed that smoking throughout adulthood chopped on average 11 years off lifespan. These results echoed the findings of earlier research conducted on men. Among women who kicked the habit before the age of 40, the researchers measured an average lifespan gain of more than nine years compared with those who never stopped. For those who quit before 30 the gains were even bigger – about 10 years. “Whether they are men or women, smokers who stop before reaching middle age will on average gain about an extra 10 years of life,” study co-author Richard Peto of the University of Oxford said. But the paper warned this did not mean that it was safe to continue smoking until 40 before quitting. “Women who do so have throughout the next few decades [of their lives] a mortality rate 1.2 times that of never-smokers. This is a substantial excess risk, causing one in six of the deaths among these ex-smokers.” In Europe and the United States, the popularity of smoking reached its peak among women in the 1960s, decades later than for men.
The research is part of a vast survey that enrolled 1.2 million women in the UK between 1996 and 2001. The volunteers were asked to detail their smoking history, and were followed for an average of 12 years. The women were on average 55 years old when they signed up. Twenty percent of them were smokers, 28 percent ex-smokers, while 52 percent had never smoked. The researchers found that the group of women who continued smoking had three times the overall mortality rate of never-smokers. While the risks increased with the amount smoked, “Even those smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day… had double the overall mortality rate than never-smokers,” warned the study. It also cautioned against so-called “light” cigarettes, smoked by most of the women in the study. “Low-tar cigarettes are not low-risk cigarettes and… more than half of those who smoke them will eventually be killed by them,” the authors warned. The key causes of death among smokers were chronic lung disease, lung cancer, stroke and heart disease.—AFP |
| Kayveas: We want seats lost by BN parties Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:54 PM PDT
Party chief M Kayveas said: "We want to contest in BN areas that were lost to the opposition in the last general election as our chances of winning these seats are bright." Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's said he wants winnable candidates liked by voters and has warned component parties that there was no guarantee they will get the traditional seats. PPP has been assured of a two parliamentary and two state seats but it has proposed another two parliamentary seats and four other state seats for Najib's consideration. Kayveas said this to FMT after a recent visit to his Taiping PPP office but declined to name the seats as he fears possible sabotage by other BN component parties. He claimed that Gerakan and MIC had stabbed him in the back when he stood in the Taiping parliamentary seat in the 2008, causing him to lose the seat to DAP’s Nga Kor Ming. Kayveas warned them of a backlash if they again tried to sabotage PPP's chances in the polls as PPP has a membership of 600,000 in the 3,000 its branches nationwide. PPP was badly mauled when it lost both the parliamentary and state seats allocated to it in the last general election. To strengthen its chances in the polls, PPP has launched the ‘Mission 510′ voters which requires each branch recruiting 510 people as assured voters for BN. More seats sought Meanwhile, party insiders say that PPP wants the parliamentary seats of Gerik in Perak, Batu or Bandar Tun Razak, both in the Federal Territories. The party is also eyeing the Pasir Bedamar state seat in Perak and Kota Laksamana in Malacca. PPP has appealed to Najib for more seats in Pahang, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. During the last general election, Umno's Gerik parliamentary seat was loaned to Gerakan when their traditional Taiping seat was given to PPP. The Gerik seat was then won by Gerakan Wanita chief Tan Lian Hoe and now PPP is eyeing this safe seat after Gerakan took back Taiping for Tan to contest in the polls again. In 2008, the Batu seat was contested by Gerakan Youth Chief Lim Si Pin but he lost to PKR's Tian Chua who won by a 9,455 majority votes. In the last polls, MCA's Tan Chai Ho lost the Bandar Tun Razak seat to PKR's Abdul Khalid Ibrahim by a 2,515 margin. PPP national information chief A Chandrakumanan is expected to contest either the Batu or Bandar Tun Razak seats in the polls. The former PPP Pasir Bedamar state seat was given to MCA's Lee Heng who lost to DAP's Seah Leong Peng by a margin of 7,914 votes in the 2008 . Also, in 2008, MCA's Lee Kiat Lee lost the Kota Laksamana seat to DAP's Betty Chew by a 7,242 margin. |
| EC to blame for BN’s loss of Chinese support Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:45 PM PDT
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said the manipulation of election boundaries by the EC had caused the Chinese community in the state to lose their voice despite their large number. Speaking at a party event on Sunday, its secretary-general-cum-Tanjung Aru division chief Teo Chee Kang said the party hopes the coalition will nominate Chinese candidates especially in those mixed constituencies which have a large Chinese population. He noted that currently out of the 60 state constituencies, only 12 of them are the Chinese constituencies, as the result of gerrymandering by the EC. He cited Lahad Datu, Keningau and Tenom which have a sizeable number of Chinese voters do not have Chinese representatives to look after their interests. "Lahad Datu which has more than 8,000 Chinese voters has been divided by Lahad Datu and Tunku constituencies. Keningau which has more than 7,000 Chinese voters has been split by Liawan and Bingkor constituencies, while Tenom with more than 6,000 Chinese voters is being divided by Kemabong and Melalap constituencies," he said. He claimed that a recent survey conducted by several state BN Chinese component parties throughout the state had revealed that the absence of Chinese representatives in these constituencies has caused great dissatisfaction among the Chinese community there, which had inevitably affected their support for BN. Teo said his party hopes the BN leaderships should pay attention to this when fielding the candidates in the coming general election. "This is important as, if there's a Chinese representative, it would better facilitate the government solving of the various issues affecting the Chinese community in these areas," he said. Time for international university Meanwhile, the party is also championing a proposal to establish an internationally renowned university that excels in fields of engineering, information technology and medicine in Sabah. Speaking at the same event, state Assistant Infrastructure Development Minister Pang Nyuk Ming, stressed that such an institute would go a long way in lifting education standards in the state as well as put the development of the state on the right track. "With the rapid future development spearheaded by industries such as oil and gas and downstream manufacturing, Sabah will have great need for knowledgeable and qualified manpower," he said. He cited the case of Sarawak where it has successfully lured two internationally-renowned universities (Curtin University and Swinburne University) to set up their campuses in Miri and Kuching respectively. He added that such a move would not only significantly help to prevent a brain drain from the state but also be a significant saving for locals as they would no longer need to go overseas to get a better education. Pang who is also Merotai assemblyman and LDP vice president, said the deteriorating standard of the Malaysian education system as reflected by the low ranking of local universities was a cause for concern. "This finding has in fact validated the concern of many who have voiced grave concern of the ever-changing polices to the education system," he said. LDP leaders is trying to recoup its influence in the state government in the coming election after losing several of its elected representatives to BN colleague and rival Gerakan. |
| Pakatan’s priority must be poverty eradication Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:38 PM PDT
Pakatan Rakyat is planning to come out with its latest electoral manifesto with a plethora of new measures and policies that will literally transform the face of Malaysia. While the opposition members has hinted on some major measures, little has been heard of some vital ones. In the wake of the next budgetary performance by the Barisan National (BN), the Pakatan Rakyat will surely base its manifesto on the loopholes that will appear in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s speech at the august Parliament. This will give the opposition an edge in gearing towards the final preparations for its manifesto, which it is hoped will be a unified manifesto. Members of Pakatan, including Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, has already hinted at measures to reduce car prices, demolish tolls and build cheaper houses. These measure will surely benefit the rakyat who are considered less fortunate. They will also be a real bag of goodies for the young generation of Malaysians. The younger generations are definitely having problems in getting their own homes due to the spiraling prices in the property sector. Cheaper cars, we are told, will also help the Malaysians save more money by paying less interest and less duties. These (duties and interests) have been earmarked by Pakatan as the very reason for the hardship many families had faced in the past. Additional measures needed Nevertheless, Pakatan should put in action a series of additional measures that will help transform Malaysia in the long run. These measures could be as follows: Under the Prime Minister’s Office, the Pakatan Rakyat should consider the creation of two new departments – a department for the eradication of poverty, and a minority affairs department These can also be turned into ministries but if they are under the PM’s Office and their heads act as ‘Ministers in the PM’s Department’, there may be a direct control by the PM himself on the monitoring of the eradication and alleviating of both poverty and racial divisions. To achieve the aims of getting more Malaysians to enjoy the windfalls of cheaper cars, lesser excise and customs duties and cheaper homes, the living standards of a large number of people must be raised in the first place. Hence, these two elements should become the priority of a Pakatan regime. It must be said that recent reports indicated that Malaysia had a million families living within the poverty or below the poverty line. If that is the case, then it means that at lest a quarter of the nation is living in such dire straits. This cannot be allowed to continue as the entire population should benefit from the economic benefits the nation will seemingly enjoy under Pakatan. Why a Minority Affairs Department? For too long, the Malaysians of minority origin have been under-privileged and this is despite various efforts by the Barisan National to reduce this problem. The issue they faced with was not the availability of funds but a real political will to tackle the problem. The same goes for the problems of poverty in the country. The problem was not tackled properly and poverty has increased in many communities. With the formation of these two departments or at best ministries, the government will have a direct hand in the promulgation of rapid solutions or long term ones that could help rid the country of poverty and inequalities. Economic reliefs Thus arise the need for solutions and some of the solutions could well be in the formulation of ‘economic reliefs’ plans by the government in the future. The economic relief plans could be as follows:
What these will achieve is to strengthen the lower class while it will be pro-active in eliminating poverty in the country. Micro financing could also be used based on the Grameen Bank system or otherwise in order to assist the people who will fall into the categories listed above. It is hoped, with this article, Pakatan would take the eradication of poverty as a priority indeed. On the other hand, the citizens who are suffering economically and are in the bottom of the poverty bracket could also be given full support to educate their children. Based on the realities of education in Malaysia and in the event the PTPTN is dismantled, the very poor and needy will still be faced with many difficulties to get their children to study at higher levels. The role of these departments under the PM’s Office will be to ensure that these families are not left behind and then only the Pakatan’s manifesto can be considered as one which is reformist and modernist altogether. Ali Cordoba writes extensively on local politics. |
| ‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’ Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:25 PM PDT
The editor of the Malaysia Today blog, in his latest posting “The timber mafia is larger than you suspect”, also claimed that there were more people involved in the "untold story" of timber commissions scandal and it was not just limited to businessman Michael Chia and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman. “The likelihood of half the parliamentary seats in Sabah falling to the opposition is not an impossible scenario. And if that happens then the state can fall as well. That is how serious this matter has become,” he said. He said that BN could lose at least 10 of the 25 Parliamentary seats in Sabah to the opposition, while three other seats — Kota Belud, Ranau and Papar — would be “close fights and could go either way”. The10 seats he mentioned were: Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Sipanggar, Penampang, Beaufort, Keningau, Pensiangan, Tuaran and Kota Marudu. “If Pakatan Rakyat is clever and if they know the correct way in playing up this issue, Sabah may fall and they might even win enough parliamentary seats to march into Putrajaya. My concern is that Pakatan will instead fight amongst themselves over seat allocations, which will allow BN to retain Sabah, ” he said. Will Musa be replaced? Raja Petra predicted that with the scandal still brewing hot, the current chief minister’s position has become unstable and Umno may have to replace Musa as the Sabah Umno chief to appease voters. He said that his website had published articles about the timber scandals involving Musa and others since 2004, but many are still unaware of the extent of the alleged corruption. “Sabah Umno gives out timber concessions to its cronies and warlords at way below market price (or underpriced) and it collects a commission (or kickbacks) on the export of logs, mainly to Japan. “The money, however, is paid in Hong Kong. And note that there is no open tender for giving out timber concessions. It is all done on a 'negotiated' basis and awarded to the lowest bidder that offers the highest under-the-table 'commission',” he alleged. He claimed that after Chia was caught in Hong Kong in 2008 and the story "exploded", the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein went to Hong Kong to try to “settle” the matter with the Chinese authorities. “Gani and Hishammuddin told the ICAC that the money actually belongs to Umno and that Chia was only the courier or bagman for Umno,” alleged Raja Petra. He further alleged that the ICAC, in return, told the “official Malaysian delegation” that they were going to freeze the money, but for only three years. Raja Petra also alleged that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz was also involved. “Chia met Nazri in Parliament to hand over RM3 million in cash as the 'fee' for the latter to help the former resolve this matter. "And that flashy car that Nazri's son drives actually belongs to Chia,” alleged Raja Petra. FMT could not reach Hishammuddin, Gani, and Nazri for comment. Also read: The timber mafia is larger than you suspect 'I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…' |
| Eastern US in lockdown ahead of huge storm Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:23 PM PDT
New York authorities ordered the evacuation Sunday of 375,000 people from low-lying coastal areas as the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy forced the entire eastern seaboard into lockdown mode. More than 7,400 flights out of east coast hubs were canceled and ground transport was due to grind to a halt on as non-essential government staff were told not to show up for work and public schools were shuttered. Amtrak suspended all bus and train services up and down the coast. Subway services, buses and commuter trains were also shut down in New York, Philadelphia and Washington. And the New York Stock Exchange said it will be completely closed on Monday, and possibly on Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of residents in low-lying coastal areas were under orders to clear out and an AFP reporter said the beach resort of Rehoboth in Delaware was a ghost town as the deadline passed for mandatory evacuation. The storm made its presence felt on the knife-edge US presidential race as President Barack Obama’s jittery campaign voiced fears about turnout on November 6 and both candidates pulled out of rallies in must-win states. “My first message is to all people across the eastern seaboard, mid-Atlantic going north. You need to take this very seriously,” Obama said, urging 50 million Americans across the region to heed the advice of local authorities. The president, who spoke after being briefed at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), cautioned that Sandy was a slow-moving storm that certain areas would take a long time to recover from. “The time for preparing and talking is about over,” FEMA administrator Craig Fugate warned. “People need to be acting now.” As some defiant New Yorkers stocked up on beer and laughed off the evacuation orders saying they intended to ride out the storm, the National Weather Service office in neighboring New Jersey held no punches in its warning to residents. “If you are reluctant to evacuate, and you know someone who rode out the ’62 storm on the Barrier Islands, ask them if they could do it again,” a bulletin said, referring to the notorious Ash Wednesday storm of 1962. “If you are reluctant, think about your loved ones, think about the emergency responders who will be unable to reach you when you make the panicked phone call to be rescued, think about the rescue/recovery teams who will rescue you if you are injured or recover your remains if you do not survive.” Fearful residents from Washington to New York to Boston queued for emergency provisions like bottled water and batteries in long lines that stretched out the doors of supermarkets. After laying waste to parts of the Caribbean, where it claimed 66 lives, most of them in Cuba and Haiti, Hurricane Sandy was predicted to come crashing ashore in New Jersey and Delaware late Monday or early Tuesday. Packing hurricane force winds upwards of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour), the storm was about 470 miles (760 kilometers) south southeast of New York early Monday and beginning to turn west, the National Hurricane Center said. Winds stretched more than 520 miles (835 kilometers) from its eye, meaning everywhere from South Carolina to southern Canada was due to be affected. “The system is so large that I would say millions of people are at least in areas that have some chance of experiencing either flash flooding or river flooding,” National Hurricane Center director Rick Knabb warned. Forecasters cautioned that the massive storm was far larger and more dangerous than last year’s devastating Hurricane Irene that claimed 47 lives and caused an estimated $15 billion in damage. Current projections show Sandy barreling north on a collision course with two other weather systems that would send it hooking into the Delaware or New Jersey coast as one of the worst storms on record. Weather experts say the collision could create a super-charged storm bringing floods, high winds and even heavy snow across a swath of eastern states and as far inland as Ohio. Governors have declared states of emergency in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and the US capital Washington. Obama signed emergency declarations to free up federal disaster funds for New York state, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington, New Jersey and Connecticut. -AFP |
| A-G got it wrong on RM213m project Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:21 PM PDT
Citing the RM213 million construction of a road and bridge from Kuching to the Isthmus area, DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said the money spent was not justified. "Whatever feedback given by SPU, the AG just accepted it and deemed the project as vital to ease traffic congestion. "But if he is competent, he should have gone to the ground to find out how many cars are using the road, how many residents live there and how many buildings are in the area. "The reason given for carrying out the project is to ease traffic, but there is no traffic from Isthmus to Kuching at all. "And there are only two buildings. One is the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) and the other is the SESCO building. "When the project was launched in 2008, there was only the BCCK. The project is therefore a wrong priority," said Chong who is also Bandar Kuching MP. The project was funded with RM100 million from the federal government and the balance RM113 million from the state government. White-elephant project He said that the RM100 million could have been used to upgrade roads in Tabuan Jaya, Jalan Song, Jalan Urat Mata, Jalan Bayor Bukit, Jalan Batu Lintang, Jalan Mendu, Jalan Batu Kawah and Jalan Petra Jaya. “These roads are experiencing heavy traffic jams daily and yet RM100 million of the funds which are to upgrade roads in the urban areas were allocated to the building of the Isthmus Bridge and road. “Had the RM100 million been channeled to these roads, tens of thousands of road users in Kuching would have benefited. “On top of that, we are also asking the government to widen the Pan Borneo trunk road into a dual carriageway, but the government gave an excuse that less than 20,000 vehicles used the road per day. "But for Isthmus at the time it was implemented not even 20,000 cars per year were coming from Isthmus to Kuching, and yet the project was given priority. "It clearly shows the government when it comes to prioritisation of the project has other consideration in mind instead of the people's interest,” said Chong pointing out that the Isthmus is belonged to CMS Land, a company linked to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. "Isthmus is owned by CMS land, a company owned by the family members of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. Even when there is no heavy traffic, the RM213 million was allocated to the construction of the three-lane bridge project in order to increase the value of the land in Isthmus," Chong alleged. "I question the intention and the purpose of building the bridge," he said. Accusing the AG of failing in his duty, Chong said that a competent AG would have made a comment on this project which was a wrong priority. "The money should have been used for the benefit of the people rather than one or two families," he stressed. |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:14 PM PDT  KUALA LUMPUR: Ahli Parlimen Kepong, Dr Tan Seng Giaw dari DAP menegur Timbalan Menteri Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum dan Ahli Parlimen Arau Datuk Ismail Kasim (Umno) kerana menjawab terlalu panjang dalam Parlimen. “Cakap berlarutan. Ini soal jawab,” kata Dr Tan hari ini. Apabila Ismail cuba mencelah dan menjawab, beliau dikatakan ‘melanggar peraturan’ kerana cakap kedai kopinya. Pemimpin veteran DAP itu dalam sesi soalan tambahan bertanya sama ada pihak berkuasa mengambil tindakan terhadap pihak-pihak yang menyebar maklumat berunsur fitnah terhadap pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat seperti Ketua Pembangkang yang juga Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dari PKR dan Penasihat DAP merangkap Ahli Parlimen Ipoh Timor, Lim Kit Siang. Bagaimanapun, Joseph Salang dalam jawapannya sempat menegur Dr Tan. “Ahli Parlimen Kepong bertaraf antarabangsa. Tabiat macam ini bukan tabiat ahli Parlimen bertaraf antarabangsa,” kata Joseph Salang. Beliau memberi jaminan bahawa tindakan undang – undang akan diambil tanpa pilih kasih. Sebelum ini ketika menjawab soalan lisan Ismail, Joseph Salang menyatakan sejumlah 1,475 laman web disekat dan 32 kes siasatan dibuka di bawah seksyen 211 dan 233 Akta Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) pada tahun lepas. Untuk tempoh Januari hingga Ogos tahun ini, 74 kes melibatkan media baru disiasat dan 1,675 laman web disekat. Kebanyakan daripadanya ialah laman web yang cuba mendapatkan maklumat sulit pengguna (phishing). |
| GM tests magnesium sheet metal to make cars lighter Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:13 PM PDT
Making auto parts from magnesium sheets by heating the lightweight metal so it can be formed into precise, rigid shapes will help GM and other automakers meet demanding U.S. fuel economy requirements, said GM metals researcher Jon Carter. Magnesium auto parts formed by high pressure die casting are already common in cars and trucks, for steering wheels and other parts. Using magnesium sheets to make auto parts could be a significant breakthrough for GM and eventually lead to much more magnesium in vehicles, said Dick Schultz, managing director of Ducker Worldwide and an expert on metals used in manufacturing. GM is starting slow, using magnesium from sheet metal to make inner panels of doors and trunk lids. Magnesium is 75 percent lighter than steel and 33 percent lighter than aluminum, said GM engineer Paul Krajewski. He said it also costs three to four times as much as aluminum, but wider use will encourage magnesium sheet metal producers to make more, which will bring down the costs. “Magnesium will allow us to reduce the weight of certain sheet metal panels and thereby improve fuel efficiency and handling and overall performance,” Carter said in a telephone interview. GM will make about 50 vehicles, which will be sold to consumers, using the magnesium sheet process in the fourth quarter, but Carter would not indicate which model or models will be involved. By 2020, magnesium will be able to take out 15 percent of the weight of a vehicle, leading to fuel savings of 9 percent to 12 percent, according to the US Automotive Partnership. The auto industry has been stamping steel sheets into trunk lids, hoods and door panels for more than 100 years. Forming magnesium sheets into auto parts by heating them to 842 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius) is a slow process. Manufacturers can stamp out steel auto parts at room temperature. “The ultimate goal is to be able to one day stamp magnesium panels just like today we stamp steel panels at room temperature. We’re not there yet,” said Carter, but he added that magnesium sheet makers are working with new alloys that will allow the sheets to be formed at lower temperature. So the use of magnesium sheets for auto parts in GM vehicles will be small in the near-term, but may expand as researchers and engineers speed the process. GM’s Detroit rivals Ford Motor Co and Chrysler Group are among automakers that currently use magnesium auto parts made by suppliers in their vehicles. GM has patents on the process for heating magnesium and for making it more resistant to corrosion. The company plans to license the technology to allow auto-parts suppliers to produce the magnesium inner panels, according to GM spokesman Kristopher Spencer. -Reuters |
| Murum protest: NGO accuses minister of lying Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:03 PM PDT
Liwan had apparently told Masing that the protesting Penans have agreed to dismantle the blockades mounted since last month on the access road into the dam’s construction site. Chastising Lagang, Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE) national coordinator Raymond Abin said that the Penans in Murum have not dismantled the blockades. "The blockades are still there. However in the last two days some of the Penans went back to one of the villages, Long Luar, because one of the men died on Saturday and an elder woman died in Long Singu. "In the meantime a strong force of Penans is still at the blockade sites. Lagang is lying about the Penans. He has no respect for the Penan people," Abin said. Abin was commenting on a statement made by Masing who revealed that Lagang had successfully negotiated with the Penans to dismantle the blockades. Lagang, who is the Belaga assemblyman, headed a negotiation team with the Penans on behalf of the government in Belaga on Oct 25, 2012. According to Masing, Lagang had “briefed” them about the Penan situation in Murum, saying the Penans had dismantled the blockades and that the government was looking into their requests “very seriously”. "I am very confident all the issues will be settled," Masing had told newsmen after Parti Rakyat Sarawak’s (PRS) supreme council meeting in Sibu on Saturday. In his message to FMT, Abin said: "Please help to correct this misinformation (that the blockades have been dismantled) as the Penans are very angry. "Masing and Liwan are lying because they want Abdul Taib Mahmud (Sarawak Chief Minister) to sleep soundly." World focus on Penans Since the Penans erected the blockades against the construction of Murum Dam on Sept 26, 2012, their dilemma has been highlighted by both the opposition and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including international organisations. It will become a hot issue in Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency where PRS will be putting a candidate. And this is worrying not only PRS, but also the state government. This was clearly expressed by Masing when he called on the government to handle the Penan issues "carefully and with fairness" because the international community is keeping a close tab on how the Penans are being treated. "We have to handle them carefully and with fairness. That is very important," he said. More than 1,600 Penans from eight Penan villages are affected by the construction of the dam which is now about 70% completed. |
| 8 glasses of water a day myth busted Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:59 PM PDT
The new Australian recommendations suggest that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 2.8 litres for women and 3.4 litres for men. However, this includes fluid found in food and beverages. La Trobe University lecturer Spero Tsindos said that people could get their daily fluid intake from fruit, vegetables, juices and even tea and coffee. “If you’re feeling thirsty then drink by all means a beverage. It doesn’t have to be water”, Tsindos was quoted as writing in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t drink water. I’m saying the need to drink two litres of water on a regular basis is a complete myth.”
He said that drinking a large quantity of water in one sitting to reach the daily intake level was pointless because it would not be distributed where it was needed. It would just dilute the urine. Drinking large amounts of water to lose weight would not work either without a low-calorie diet, he emphasised. “There is further evidence that water and a well-balanced diet do far more than water alone”, Tsindos wrote. “Water is important for health, however, the recommendation of eight glasses of pure water a day appears an overestimation of requirements”, he said. The “eight glasses a day” notion may have stemmed from guidelines published in the US in 1945, Tsindos wrote. The National Academy of Sciences had recommended that about 2.5 litres of water should be consumed daily. |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:59 PM PDT
Ternyata filem berkenaan yang ditulis, diarah dan diterbitkan oleh Salim Ahamed pada 2011 mampu memberikan begitu banyak maklumat mengenai fardu haji berbanding sekian banyak drama Melayu mengenai topik sama yang saya tonton sejak kecil. Khabarnya Salim Ahamed mendapat idea bagi cerita ini lebih sedekad lalu di Jeddah apabila bertemu sepasang suami-isteri yang pergi umrah kerana bimbang tidak akan mampu menunaikan haji. Secara amat mudah, filem ini mengisahkan tentang seorang lelaki tua dan miskin bernama Abu serta isterinya, Aishumma, yang mahu memenuhi impian menunaikan ibadat haji. Saya sengaja memilih untuk menonton filem ini pada 25 Oktober 2012 untuk menghayati semangat sebenar Aidil Adha. Filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" amat perlu ditonton umat Islam di Malaysia untuk memahami makna sebenar fardu haji. Hal ini penting dan wajar kerana ramai dalam kalangan orang Islam sendiri "terlupa" makna sebenar "korban" yang menjadi dasar Hari Raya Haji. Malah, filem ini sangat menginsafkan dan mampu pula mengukuhkan nilai persaudaraan tanpa mengira kaum dan agama. Sebagai sebuah negeri yang dihuni penduduk pelbagai agama, Kerala mampu menyajikan filem-filem yang menggambarkan realiti kehidupan harmoni penduduk berlainan etnik, agama dan kepercayaan. Amat penting juga untuk diperhatikan bagaimana watak-watak beragama Islam dalam filem ini tidak lupa – atau meninggalkan – budaya mereka. Hal ini juga amat menarik untuk diperhatikan kerana di negara kita, ramai yang mahu menjadi orang Arab tanpa mampu membezakan antara kaum, budaya dan agama. Orang "Bukan Melayu" pula mahu menjadi "Melayu" sebaik memeluk Islam. Filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" dirakam menggunakan kamera digital di beberapa lokasi di Thrissur dan Kozhikode, Kerala selama lebih sebulan bermula November 2010. Cara Madhu Ambat menangani kamera, serta penyuntingan kemas oleh Vijay Shankar, lagu-lagu oleh Ramesh Narayan dan muzik oleh Isaac Thomas Kuttukapally meningkatkan lagi nilai filem ini yang disampaikan secara mudah tetapi amat berkesan. Kisah mistik dan keharmonian
Filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" turut menampilkan beberapa kisah mistik, bermula dengan Abu bermimpi berada di makam Nabi Muhammad. Kisah yang lebih mengundang pertanyaan adalah mengenai watak seorang ustaz yang secara penuh bijak dan seni disembunyikan identiti dirinya. Babak-babak yang menampilkan watak ustaz itu (lakonan Thambi Antony) mungkin sedikit "mengganggu" pemikiran penonton beragama Islam di Malaysia kerana berbezaan pengalaman, budaya, amalan dan mazhab berbanding di Kerala, India. Sudah saya nyatakan tadi mengenai keharmonian kaum/agama yang ditonjolkan secara amat bersahaja menerusi filem ini. Apabila Abu berhajat menunaikan fardu haji, ada beberapa pihak yang tampil membantunya secara langsung dan tidak langsung. Babak-babak ini juga sebenarnya memberikan begitu banyak maklumat dan fakta berguna mengenai konsep dan syarat untuk "naik haji". Watak Johnson lakonan Kalabhavan Mani, misalnya, bersedia membeli pokok nangka di hadapan rumah Abu bagi menampung baki wang yang perlu dibayar kepada agensi pengurusan haji. Walaupun batang pokok itu didapati tidak bermutu selepas pohon ditebang, Johnson tetap mahu memberikan wang bagi menampung kos Abu dan Aishumma pergi haji. Nedumudi Venu pula memegang watak seorang guru dan jiran beragama Hindu yang tahu pelbagai perkara mengenai Islam. Abu dan Aishumma turut menziarah jiran beragama Hindu itu untuk memohon maaf atas segala kesalahan dan dosa. Tindakan ini dilakukan sebagai persiapan sebelum berangkat ke Mekah. Pasangan suami-isteri tua itu juga mencari, mengesan dan menziarah bekas jiran mereka untuk memohon maaf. Hal ini kerana pernah wujud perselisihan kecil antara Abu dan Sulaiman (lakonan Gopakumar), yang kini terlantar di atas katil akibat kemalangan. Bagi saya, filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" turut memberikan maklumat mengenai pelbagai persiapan fizikal dan rohani yang perlu dilakukan sebelum berangkat ke Tanah Suci. Tentu sahaja segala maklumat ini tidak saya temui dalam drama tempatan yang lebih khusyuk menampil adegan lembu disembelih sempena ibadah korban. Konsep pakaian ihram
Begitu juga apabila Abu percaya bahawa pokok nangka yang ditebang itu ada "roh" dan "nyawa"; serta mereka "berdosa" kerana menebangnya untuk mendapatkan wang. Lakonan bersahaja Salim Kumar dan Zarina Wahab menjadikan filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" lebih berjaya. Salim Kumar sebenarnya salah seorang pelakon komedi terkenal dalam industri filem Malayalam (Kerala). Bagaimanapun, dia berjaya membuktikan kemampuan dan bakat memegang watak-watak penting dalam beberapa filem seperti "Perumazhakkalam" (2004) dan "Achanurangatha Veedu" (2006). Watak Abu yang dibawakannya dalam filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" pula memungkinkannya menang anugerah pelakon lelaki terbaik peringkat negeri dan kebangsaan. Filem itu juga menang pelbagai anugerah dan ditayangkan sempena festival filem berprestij di beberapa negara. Zarina Wahab pula memberikan kesegaran kepada watak seorang isteri beragama Islam – apabila dibandingkan dengan drama dan filem bertema Islam tempatan. Penonton di Malaysia mungkin masih ingat lakonan Zarina sebagai Razia Khan, ibu kepada Rizwan Khan (lakonan Shah Rukh Khan) dalam filem "My Name Is Khan" (2010). Dalam filem "Adaminte Makan Abu", apabila timbul kesempitan wang pada saat akhir, Aishumma mencadangkan supaya Abu sahaja yang pergi menunaikan ibadat haji. Abu menolak kerana katanya, dalam mimpinya sekali pun, mereka berdua yang sama-sama pergi ke makam Nabi Muhammad. Maka, dia tidak mahu pergi ke Mekah tanpa isterinya. Unsur persaudaraan tanpa mengira perbezaan agama juga disajikan secara amat meyakinkan menerusi filem ini; tanpa unsur berdakwah. Watak guru yang beragama Hindu, misalnya, pergi menermui Abu untuk memberikan sumbangan wang bagi menampung kos menunaikan haji. Abu pula terpaksa menolak dengan alasan-alasan yang amat wajar tetapi bukan kerana alasan perbezaan agama. Konsep pakaian ihram yang diterangkan oleh Abu juga sangat menarik dan membuatkan saya lebih faham keunikan pemakaiannya yang tidak pernah pula mampu diceritakan oleh rakan-rakan beragama Islam. Filem "Adaminte Makan Abu" berciri universal dan mengangkat tema kemanusiaan sejagat. Filem sulung arahan Salim Ahamed ini pernah dihantar untuk dinilai bagi Academy Awards dalam kategori Filem Bahasa Asing tetapi tidak dicalonkan. Namun, hal ini tidak bermakna bahawa filem ini kurang bermutu pada peringkat antarabangsa. Uthaya Sankar SB adalah penerima Anugerah Duta Keamanan atas sumbangan terhadap keamanan, persefahaman dan perpaduan melalui penulisan. |
| Petronas agrees to extension on $5.2 billion Progress bid Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:52 PM PDT
The decision was made by a regular monthly Petronas board meeting, the sources told Reuters, adding the Malaysian firm is also studying additional steps to reassure Canada that the proposed acquisition will have a “net benefit” for the country, the sources said. “Petronas will go all the way to secure this deal. It is important to Petronas that the deal is done,” one of the sources said. Canada blocked Petronas’ bid for Progress Energy this month after Industry Minister Christian Paradis said it was not likely to bring a ‘net benefit’ to the country. He gave Petronas 30 days to make additional representations. Progress CEO Michael Culbert has blamed a “communications breakdown” for Canada’s surprise rejection of the deal, and said he was optimistic the deal could get back on track. |
| Stock markets to close on Monday, possibly Tuesday Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:45 PM PDT
“In consultation with other exchanges and market participants, NYSE Euronext (NYX) will close its markets on Monday, October 29, 2012 and pending confirmation on Tuesday, October 30, 2012,” the operator said in a statement. Earlier, the NYSE planned to suspend only floor operations, but continue electronic trading. “We support the consensus of the markets and the regulatory community that the dangerous conditions developing as a result of Hurricane Sandy will make it extremely difficult to ensure the safety of our people and communities, and safety must be our first priority,” NYSE Euronext pointed out, after revising its earlier decision. “We will work with the industry to determine the next steps in restoring trading as soon as the situation permits,” it added. -AFP |
| Asia language plan ‘central’ to Australian reforms: PM Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:44 PM PDT  SYDNEY: Every Australian school will be partnered online with one in Asia by 2025 as regional languages become “central” to education reform plans, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said today.Boosting so-called “Asia literacy” is central to an ambitious plan to rocket Australia into the world’s top 10 wealthiest economies in the next 13 years by broadening links with fast-growing China and its neighbours. A policy paper, “Australia in the Asian Century”, was unveiled yesterday and contains a number of lofty goals for 2025 focused on education and business with key Asian partners China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and India. Australian students would have “priority” access throughout their schooling to Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese languages, with Gillard vowing to link every school with an Asian partner for online classes by 2025. “I’m going to put access to Asian languages at the centre of (our) national school improvement plan,” she told ABC radio today, promising a “far broader and far more systematic” approach to Asian language learning. Gillard said it was essential to send “the right message to our kids about how important it is for their future and the careers that they will choose for them to have Asia language capability and general Asian literacy”. The prime minister said Australia’s national broadband network (NBN) – a huge project working to connect 93 percent of homes to superfast Internet by 2017 – would be key to connecting with Asian classrooms and teachers. “We live in an age of different learning possibilities and choices,” she said. “The exchange on the NBN… can truly be two-way, where the language teacher is interacting with every child, and we want those children interacting with kids in a school in Asia.” Gillard said she had already seen one such programme in action, with an Australian and South Korean school holding joint online sessions and students continuing their friendship outside of lessons on social media networks. “Kids (are)… actually genuinely getting to know each other and something about each other’s lifestyles,” she said. “And I think if you can do that then you can help inspire the passion of children.” According to the latest population census, conducted last year, 76.8 percent of Australians only speak English at home. Mandarin is the most common language after English, spoken in 1.6 percent of homes, followed by Italian (1.4 percent), Arabic (1.3 percent), Cantonese and Greek (both 1.2 percent). - AFP |
| Lorenzo cruises to title as Stoner wins Australian GP Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:42 PM PDT  MELBOURNE: Jorge Lorenzo secured his second MotoGP world championship as he finished second in the Australian GP. Australian Casey Stoner won at Phillip Island for the sixth year in a row, but Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the lead. Pedrosa, who needed to finish ahead of fellow Spaniard Lorenzo to keep the title race alive going into the final race of the season, crashed on lap two. Briton Cal Crutchlow claimed third, his second podium finish of the season. Yamaha rider Lorenzo, who first won the title in 2010, started the race with a 23-point advantage over Pedrosa and was as good as handed the title when the latter crashed out. Stoner, who retires at the end of the season, had been dominant from first practice on Friday and was able to cruise to his fifth victory of the season. “This moment is so sweet for me,” Lorenzo told BBC Sport. “I’ve been very patient and concentrating hard for so long and now the title has come. Stoner started from pole position but was passed going into the first turn by Lorenzo and Pedrosa. Pedrosa hit the front at turn five and Stoner moved into second at the end of the first lap. The title was all but settled in dramatic fashion as Pedrosa ran wide into Honda corner and lost the front end of his bike. Pedrosa, who attempted to rejoin the race but had to retire, said: “Congratulations to Casey for his sixth win at his home Grand Prix and to Lorenzo because he deserved the championship. “It’s a sad feeling more than disappointment. I pushed as hard as I could. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. “Six wins, 10 second places, 16 podiums and only one retirement – it has been a ridiculous season from Jorge Lorenzo. He is MotoGP champion again and thoroughly deserves it.” “I have no regrets for my riding. I feel very proud of my team and of my performance throughout the year.” Stoner said: “When I knew I only had a few laps left and a big lead, I was watching the crowd and it was fantastic to see everyone cheering me on. It made me very proud to be Australian. “My biggest congratulations to Jorge. He’s ridden an almost perfect season finishing first or second when possible.” Earlier, Marc Marquez, who is replacing Stoner at Repsol Honda next year, sealed the Moto2 title with a third-place finish. Pol Espargaro took the race win, with Australian Anthony West second and Briton Scott Redding fourth. New champion Sandro Cortese won the Moto3 race, with British rider Danny Kent in fifth. -Agencies |
| Hurricane ‘havoc’ hits US election endgame Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:41 PM PDT  WASHINGTON: Hurricane Sandy, bearing a dangerous “October Surprise,” shredded candidates’ endgame plans for next week’s toss-up US election yesterday, in a new test of nerve for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.The US President and his Republican foe dumped planned rallies in swing states in the path of the monster storm, upending strategies months in the making designed to eke out every last vote a week from election day. “The storm will throw havoc into the race,” Democratic Virginia Senator and Obama supporter Mark Warner told “Fox News Sunday,” as coastal evacuations were ordered and millions of people feared flooding and power cuts. As Sandy’s advance bands soaked Washington, Obama left for Florida to campaign with ex-president Bill Clinton Monday, but postponed events in Virginia, Ohio and Colorado to manage the storm back at the White House. Obama was taking no chances, stressing his concern was with Americans facing impending danger, and implicitly not his own political fate. “Obviously my first priority has to be to make sure that everything is in place for families, and prepared,” the president told campaign workers in Florida. “That’s going to be putting a little bit more burden on folks in the field, because I’m not going to be able to campaign quite as much over the next couple of days.” Romney cancelled rallies in storm-threatened Virginia, one of the most crucial swing states, and went instead to inland Ohio, the midwestern epicenter of the unpredictable final week battle for the White House. The Republican linked up with his running mate Paul Ryan, who offered prayers to Americans cowering on the East coast in the path of the storm. “Let’s not forget those fellow Americans of ours,” Ryan said. The storm, expected to make landfall in the early hours of Tuesday, was the latest manifestation of the “October Surprise” — the fabled late-campaign news event with the potential to sway the outcome of a US election. Its immediate political impact was unpredictable. Obama advisor David Axelrod worried publicly that the storm could dampen turnout in early voting vital to the president’s hopes in states like Virginia. “Obviously we want unfettered access to the polls because we believe that the more people come out, the better we’re going to do,” Axelrod told CNN. But the storm also offered opportunity, albeit on a political knife-edge, for Obama, allowing him to pose as a cool, effective leader, marshalling the resources of an engaged government at a moment when citizens most need it. Sandy also posed peril for Romney — not just as Obama pulls the levers of incumbency, as it threatened to drown out his closing arguments ahead of the November 6 election, with days of storm-dominated news coverage. But Romney advisor Kevin Madden told reporters his boss had already got his message across to those in the hurricane’s path and said the safety of voters and their families was now the priority. Even as the storm approached, bruising rhetoric flared between the rival camps, and supporters of both men suffered a roller coaster ride of conflicting emotions as opinion polls see-sawed in crucial battlegrounds. Romney got good news when a poll showed him tied in all-important Ohio and he captured the endorsement of the Des Moines Register newspaper in Iowa, a state cherished by Obama as the cradle of his 2008 presidential run. But a new poll in Virginia by the Washington Post and ABC News had Obama leading by four points, compared to previous surveys showing a tied race. Romney leads by a few points in some national polls of the popular vote, but Obama appears to be clinging to a narrow advantage in the state-by-state race to 270 electoral votes needed to secure the White House. Republican party chairman Reince Priebus hit back at claims from Democrats that Romney’s momentum was leveling off and argued that key states like Ohio and Wisconsin were beginning to swing towards the challenger. “They’re not where they were in 2008. We’re far ahead of where we were in 2008. Our ground game is better than their ground game,” Priebus said on Fox News Sunday. Conventional wisdom holds that undecided voters break towards a challenger late in the race, fueling Republican hopes of an eleventh hour wave for Romney that could crest at the White House. But Obama’s campaign counters that some pollsters and Republicans are understimating both the likely turnout on November 6, and the proportion of minority voters who favor Obama. Romney used his trip to Ohio to press home a new narrative that he is the candidate of change, in a swipe at the president, who made that mantra his own during his historic 2008 race. “Our campaign is about fundamental change … taking a course correction in this country,” Romney said. “If people think things are going well, well he’s their guy. But if people want change – real change – we’re the team that will bring that change.” - AFP |
| US Tea Party movement: Lying low, but still active Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:37 PM PDT  WOODBRIDGE (Virginia): The Tea Party has been relatively quiet during the presidential election but supporters of the right-wing movement which burst on to the political scene three years ago say it has not gone away.“They say that the Tea Party is dead because we’re not probably as active out there with rallies,” said Nancy Schiffman, 75, president of the Tea Party Patriots in Prince William County in the southern state of Virginia. “Initially, when the Tea Party first started back in 2009, the rallies were the only way to express ourselves as a group,” Schiffman said. “Now (people) know who we are,” she said, and the Tea Party movement has become a force to be reckoned with. The loose coalition of conservative groups is unified by several key principles: a desire for a radically reduced role for government, lower taxes, an end to deficit spending, and a scrupulous adherence to the US Constitution. Just two years after Democrat Barack Obama’s historic 2008 election, Tea Party candidates enjoyed a wave of success in a 2010 midterm election that handed control of the US House of Representatives to the Republican Party. Schiffman said her Tea Party branch, which has around 700 members in Prince William County, has been lying low ahead of the November 6 contest for the White House between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Instead, Schiffman and her husband Yale, 74, have been spending their time focusing on local elections, ballot initiatives within their state and education measures in the schools. Kevin McCarthy, 61, a Tea Party activist, said the continued influence of the movement can be measured by the impact it is having down-ticket – in races for governor, senator, the House or Representatives and other contests. “The Tea party focuses not only on big issues, but on local elections too,” McCarthy said. No consensus on Romney The Tea Party movement has come to wield considerable clout in setting the Republican agenda in its brief existence but it was unable to prevent Romney – seen by many as not being conservative enough – from winning the presidential nomination. Other Republican candidates for the nomination such as former pizza executive Herman Cain, US lawmaker Michele Bachmann, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and even Libertarian-leaning Republican lawmaker Ron Paul were seen by some in the Tea Party as being more in line with their principles. “There was definitely not an initial consensus (on a candidate),” McCarthy said. As governor of traditionally Democratic Massachusetts, Romney was viewed as a centrist, embracing policies that included backing a woman’s right to have an abortion and a medical insurance reform overhaul that ended up providing the template for Obama’s health care reform. But since Romney’s nomination, the Tea Party, like other conservative groups, has rallied around the multi-millionaire businessman – spurred by their intense dislike of Obama and their ardent wish to see him defeated. As the presidential election approaches, the Schiffmans have come together behind Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, the congressman from Wisconsin. “I think Romney did very well (in the debates),” Nancy Schiffman said. “He certainly impressed people and now the polls have changed, the dynamic has changed.” “Especially in the first debate, Romney did very well and Obama was terrible,” McCarthy said. “In the last few days, and I think it will continue, the undecided voters are really trending towards Romney.” “Strategically Romney linked the idea of a strong American foreign policy to a strong economy at home, that was very good,” he said. Alluding to high gas prices, McCarthy added that “everytime you go to pump gas it’s a political commercial for Romney.” And while McCarthy has thrown his support behind the former Massachusetts governor, he wistfully points to another former governor – Ronald Reagan – as the truly ideal Tea Party candidate. “He really understood how the presidency is supposed to run, how this country is supposed to run,” McCarthy said of Reagan, who served as governor of California before going on to serve two terms in the White House. - AFP |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:31 PM PDT  CAIRO: Egypt’s Coptic Christians vote today for a new leader to succeed Pope Shenuda III, who died in March leaving behind a community anxious about its status under an Islamist-led government.The death of Shenuda, who headed the church for four decades, set in motion the process to elect a new patriarch to lead the community through the post-revolution era in Egypt, which is marked by increased sectarian tension. Five candidates – two bishops and three monks – are vying to become the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa in the Holy See of St Mark the Apostle. A council of senior clergy, current and former Coptic public officials, MPs, local councillors and journalists will cast a vote for their preferred candidate. The names of the top three vote-getters will then be written on separate pieces of paper and placed in a box on the altar of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo. On Nov 4, a child will be blindfolded and asked to choose one of the papers. The person chosen will be enthroned in a ceremony on Nov 18. The candidates are Bishop Rafael, 54, a medical doctor and current assistant bishop for central Cairo; Bishop Tawadros of the Nile Delta province of Beheira, 60; Father Rafael Ava Mina, the oldest of the five candidates at 70; Father Seraphim al-Souriani, 53 and Father Pachomious al-Suriani, 49. They have been visiting churches and preaching across the country ahead of the voting. Copts around the world were asked to fast for three days before the voting, and a second period of fasting will begin on Oct 31, said Bishop Paul, spokesman for the selection committee. One cleric who did not make the short list is hardline Bishop Bishoy because of, as the state-owned Egyptian Gazette said in a recent editorial, “his fierce attacks on other denominations and his previous statements to the press that could have sparked sectarian sedition in the country.” Bishoy came under fire over comments he made about the Muslim holy book, the Koran, and his exclusion suggests the church is trying to keep controversial figures out of the race. Egypt’s Copts, who make up six to 10 percent of the 83 million population, have regularly complained of discrimination and marginalisation, even under the secular regime of president Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled last year. The subsequent rise of Islamists, and the election of the country’s first Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, have sparked fears of further persecution at home despite Morsi’s repeated promises to be a president “for all Egyptians”. In the latest incident, five Egyptian Coptic Christians were injured Sunday in clashes with Muslims at a church in a village south of Cairo, security sources said. The violence took place as Muslim villagers attempted to block access to the church as the Coptic faithful arrived from throughout the area to attend Sunday mass. Bishop Morcos, chairman of the church’s influential media committee, recently told the state owned Al-Ahram weekly “we reject the notion of a religious state that would prevent us from exercising our freedom as Copts”. “The state should be ruled by law and not religion,” he said. - AFP |
| Obama’s black backers may hold White House key Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:27 PM PDT  NEW YORK: One thing that won’t keep President Barack Obama awake at night ahead of November 6 is whether America’s blacks still have his back. They adore him.But will they actually show up to vote on election day? For the president, that’s where electoral nightmares could begin. Polls show virtually all blacks in the United States favor Obama over Republican Mitt Romney – partly because he became the first black president in 2008, partly because they always heavily support Democrats. A Pew poll from October put the numbers at 92 percent to three percent, basically unchanged from the 95 percent to four percent recorded in Obama’s historic 2008 victory. However, in a tourniquet-tight race, the real number to watch will be turnout. Although blacks make up only 12 percent of the population, their unusually high 65 percent turnout in 2008 helped push Obama over the top. A dip this time could help drag him down, just as it did during the 2010 midterm congressional elections when Republicans trounced Democrats. “There’s no question that the black vote was a key part of what they call the coalition of the ascendant in 2008, or that the absence of black voters hurt Democrats in 2010,” David Scott, head of news at Black Entertainment Television, told AFP. “Any way you slice it, the black electorate is a big part of a potential reelection this year.” Scott said Obama supporters are feeling the jitters. He noted that 2008′s high turnout was led by black women but that in the almost euphoric excitement of Obama’s rise even the usually less active black male voters also made an extra effort. “No one’s taking for granted that those surge votes are coming back,” Scott said. “While there’s no question he’s got overwhelming approval in the black community, that doesn’t necessarily mean turnout. He’ll get 96 percent. The question is: 96 percent of what?” The answer may make all the difference in battleground states with large black communities, especially Florida, Ohio and Virginia, said Philip Wallach at the Brookings Institution. “Whether Obama gets good turnout of the sort he got in 2008 could really be the difference in the election in those states,” Wallach said. The romance is over One reason black turnout may dip would be familiar to many in the United States. “Some people are having a change of heart, because they were expecting a little more from him in a shorter period of time,” New York mother of two Sharoya Curry said, pushing a pram down a busy Manhattan street. “Some people feel he let them down.” If millions of Americans are feeling the stress of the country’s economic slump, blacks feel it even more keenly: unemployment in their community is above 14 percent, compared to eight percent overall. “It’s mainly to do with the economy, because a lot of people are still out of work,” said Curry, 29, although she stressed she was personally ready to give Obama more time. Obama has caused friction in sections of the black electorate with his support for same-sex marriage, and, conversely, what some see as his insufficiently tough line against Wall Street and big business. Hermene Hartman, editor of Chicago news outlet N’DIGO, which focuses on African Americans, said Obama has simply been brought down to earth – just like any president after a first term, but especially so given the high expectations. “In 2008, you had the romance, you had this historical significance, and you had hope and change. Those were real viable entities that made for a movement,” she said. “Now you have an incumbent running against his very own record.” Both camps are fighting tooth and nail to get their base to the polls. In Romney’s case that means injecting enthusiasm into the white electorate, although Democrats allege that Republicans are simultaneously trying to restrict the Democrat-leaning ethnic minority vote. At the center of those allegations is a push largely by Republican state legislatures to tighten rules on voter registration. Proponents say this combats polling booth fraud, while critics see poorly masked voter suppression. Measures include restricting early voting, curtailing the activity of voter registration organizations, and closer scrutiny of government-issue ID. Scott, at BET, said while tougher rules may seem innocuous, they have the cumulative effect of dissuading legitimate voters from the poorest, non-white communities. “We can perceive in some of those initiatives a political agenda to suppress the vote (like) where they focus on voter ID and end up disenfranchising an elderly black woman who was born in a place and era when birth certificates were not so neatly kept,” he said. “In a tight race – and this one is as tight as they come – that could really represent the difference between one outcome and another. So that’s why folks in our community are so focused and exercised about it.” Blacks in America spent centuries powerless. Now, they’ve not only helped elect the first African American president, but have the pressure of knowing they may be the ones to decide whether he stays on. A one-term Obama presidency would be “devastating” to many blacks, Scott said. “November 7 will be a cold day in black America if the president is not reelected.” - AFP |
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