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- Najib seeks young women’s backing for BN
- ‘Education blueprint has no ulterior motive’
- Green Walk ends near Dataran amid blockade
- Set up Minority Affairs Ministry, says Hindraf
- Iskandar Malaysia pemangkin ekonomi Johor
- MCA member slams leadership over education policies
- Muhyiddin lambasted for bad education policies
- Sri Lankan president won’t be visiting M’sia
- Conspiracy to oust Karpal?
- Najib: GE could be in Dec, or next year
- MIC wings postpone AGMs, focus is on GE
- 5 sebab Umno perlu diberi mandat besar
- Problems in Pahang
- Where are the textbooks in English?
- Mahabharata – Bahagian 8
- Ferguson troubled by recurring need for fightbacks
- Arsenal frustrated in Villa Park stalemate
- United storm back to steal Redknapp’s thunder
- Adam the hero again as Stoke sink Fulham
- Egypt’s Mursi faces judicial revolt over decree
- New corruption scandal rocks Brazilian government
- British PM ‘open-minded’ on press regulation
- ETA calls for talks over ‘definitive end’ with Spain, France
- Catalonia election tests Spanish unity
- Italy center-left picks candidate for next prime minister
- Bangladesh factory blaze kills nine, injures 100
- Thousands of Italians rally against Monti’s austerity
- Iraqi Kurds send more troops into standoff with Iraq army
| Najib seeks young women’s backing for BN Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:30 AM PST
Young women should not be influenced by the opposition parties’ political propaganda, which kept questioning the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) ability to administer the country, said Najib. He said the opposition should be more constructive in their criticisms and not just find faults with every government project, when in fact these projects stimulate the economy and provide job opportunities. “The opposition tries to derail projects such as Rapid in Pengerang, Johor and Felda’s listing on the Bursa Kuala Lumpur, on the basis that it does not wish to see BN succeed and show its ability to govern the country. “All our plans will remain stunted as mere plans if the transformation is derailed by the opposition and it does not get the political support of the people,” he said while closing the 2012 National Young Women’s Gathering, here today. Therefore, Najib said the young women of this country needed to fully support the present government, which was committed to helping them fulfill their inspiration, dedication, expression and aspiration. He said the BN government guarantees that it will do the best for a brighter future. “If young women want to have their inspiration, dedication, expression and aspiration fulfilled, then support the present government. And I assure you that we’ll do our best not to disappoint your expectations,” he said. Promoting women’s performance “According to a global survey, the younger generations considered employment as top priority among all the issues they faced. Najib emphasised that the government has never stopped women from progressing, as evidenced by their most encouraging diligence, dedication, loyalty and achievements. He noted that young women outnumbered men almost double, 25,000 to 13,000, when it came to the intake in institutions of higher learning. “This means we’ve never limited their chances to progress and that such an encouraging performance may have surpassed that of most other countries,” he added. Women’s performance was also proven by the fact that 31 percent of the highest posts in the public sector was held by them, including important ones like Bank Negara Governor, Zeti Akhtar Aziz, said Najib. “I believe we can expand this success to the private sector because the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is training a group of women with the potential to be appointed as directors in Bursa Malaysia listed companies,” he elaborated. Najib presented 12 ‘Kesatria Puteri’ awards at the event, among them to Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin (Performance Arts), Pandelela Rinong (Sports) and Nurul Iman Welfare Society for Children of People Living with HIV/AIDS president Norlina Alawi (Humanitarian). Tunku Panglima Besar Kedah Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz was the Nusa Mahsuri award recipient for her local and international level contribution in various community and humanitarian movements. - Bernama |
| ‘Education blueprint has no ulterior motive’ Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:21 AM PST
Describing the query on the status of Chinese education raised by the United Chinese Schools Committees Association of Malaysia, or better known as Dong Zong, as a misunderstanding, Muhyiddin said the government was fair to all schools. “The blueprint which was introduced to develop the country’s education is being seen as something done at the expense of Chinese education, that is not true at all. “All schools, except Chinese private schools which want to be independent, will benefit from the plan because we want to upgrade all schools,” he told reporters after visiting the Malaysian International Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (MAHA) Exhibition here today. Today, Dong Zong staged a gathering to protest the blueprint for fear that it would sideline vernacular schools. It also called on the government to be fair to all schools. On the issues raised by Dong Zong, Muhyiddin said there was no mention in PPPM that Chinese or Tamil schools would be sidelined, in fact, it clearly stated all national-type Chinese (SJKCs) and Tamil (SJKTs) schools would be maintained. He said the additional teaching time for Bahasa Malaysia in SJKCs and SJKTs would be carried out by conducting extra classes without affecting the time for the teaching of Chinese or Tamil. On the abolition of transition or ‘remove’ classes, which Dong Zong objected, Muhyiddin said the classes would be unnecessary if the learning of the Malay language in SJKCs and SJKTs was on par with normal schools. The deputy prime minister said Dong Zong should stop making accusations at the government, adding that their action was politically motivated. He said Dong Zong always looked at efforts made by the government as having ill-intentions and aimed at diminishing the Chinese language. “If that is the intention, it could have been done ages ago. The proof is that after 55 years of independence, the Barisan Nasional government did not do it. No Chinese schools were closed. There is no ruling that Chinese cannot be taught, instead there are more Chinese teachers and also Chinese schoolw now,” he added. This, he said, proved that the views of the Dong Zong were wrong and hoped that the Chinese community would not be misled by them. Bernama |
| Green Walk ends near Dataran amid blockade Posted: 25 Nov 2012 01:48 AM PST
The marchers then decided to sit down by the road, facing a police barricade that stopped them from entering Dataran Merdeka which has been cordoned off since yesterday. The police have also informed the marchers that no action would be taken as long as the barricade remained unbreached. At the same time, the marchers also formed a volunteer team to form a human chain to keep the other marchers from breaching the barricade.
Earlier, the organisers said the marchers had gathered at the Sentul market at about 1pm today before embarking on the last leg of the 300km march from Kuantan, which started 13 days ago. The march started on Nov 12 by Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack to campaign against the controversial Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng as well as to highlight other environmental issues. The crowd later broke into jubilation when Wong arrived at the scene at 5.30pm. “The people have risen, the choice is in our hand,” he said while addressing the crowd.
"We are not the last generation of this country; we will take responsibility, we will make the country better," he told the cheering crowd. The crowd, which at one point rose to about 10,000, then dispersed soon after, leaving only about 300 marchers behind as at 6pm Police to investigate These marchers are planning to follow through with their original plan of camping at Dataran Merdeka for the night.
"Tonight I decided to set foot here, I will talk to nature. Tomorrow I'll be here to witness the sunlight," he said. However, Wong's energetic speech was followed by Dang Wangi police chief Zainuddin Ahmad's announcement that Wong would be investigated under Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. He said Wong as the organiser has failed to apply for an assembly permit as required under Section 9(1) of the same Act. Additionally, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) also said that the marchers were prohibited from stepping into Dataran Merdeka because it was undergoing renovation.
"Along the way, every school, business, village and mosque opened their doors for us. But now that we have arrived at Dataran, after 55 years of independence, we are not allowed to set foot inside and rest," he said. Wong also urged everyone to gather at the spot tomorrow for the "People’s Assembly" to decide the next move. Traffic along Jalan Raja, too, returned to normal at about 6.30pm. Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the group had breached the Peaceful Assembly Act 2011 as it was a street gathering and some of the participants have brought their children along. There were also no police water cannon trucks or the Federal Reserve Units at Dataran Merdeka today. |
| Set up Minority Affairs Ministry, says Hindraf Posted: 25 Nov 2012 12:39 AM PST
Hindraf national adviser N Ganesan said this at the movement’s fifth anniversary gathering, held at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, to commemorate its hugely successful November 2007 rally. “Let Hindraf run the ministry as we are the only NGO that is steadfast in our cause. “We will only throw in our support to the coalition that will endorse our demand and our five-year blueprint,” said Ganesan, addressing the nearly 2,000 attendees. On Nov 25, 2007, tens of thousands of Indians marched to the nation’s capital seeking for a betterment of the Indian community’s plight but the incident was marred when police used heavy-handed tactics to break the crowd. Following the Hindraf rally, the traditional Barisan Nasional supporters threw their backing to Pakatan Rakyat in the general election in the following year, denying the ruling coalition its customary two-thirds majority at Parliament, and delivered five states to the opposition. Hindraf’s six demands 1) Stop displacing Indian plantation workers and provide reasonable compensation, as well as, offer skills training to them; 2) Resolve Indian stateless issue; 3) Provide equal education opportunities to all Indian students via meritocracy; 4) Provide equal job and business opportunities to Indians; 5) Stop police brutality and death in custody, and set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC); and 6) Stop institutionalised racism and ratify United Nations convention against racial discrimination. Ganesan said that Hindraf would be able to resolve the six issues affecting the Indian community through the Minority Affairs Ministry. He also urged the government to allocate RM4.5 billion annually to the ministry for that purpose. “And don’t tell me that the amount is big. Budget 2013 is worth RM230 billion and the amount we seek is not even five percent of the budget,” said Ganesan. Protecting minorities
He also claimed that minority groups in Sabah and Sarawak had supported Hindraf to lead the Minority Affairs Ministry, during a private meeting some time ago. “We will address the needs of other minorities as well,” he said. Waythamoorthy added that he had given a copy of the blueprint to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and several PAS leaders for scrutiny. At a press conference later, Ganesan said that the coalition in favour of the blueprint must endorse it in writing to receive Hindraf’s support. When asked if neither Pakatan nor BN agreed to endorse the blueprint, Ganesan said: “I will leave it to the Indian community then on whom to vote.” Waythamoorthy said that while developed nations take pride in helping the minorities, it was not the case when it came to Malaysia. “That’s why we need the ministry and people believe that Hindraf could make it happen,” he said. |
| Iskandar Malaysia pemangkin ekonomi Johor Posted: 25 Nov 2012 12:18 AM PST
Namun, setelah dilaksanakan, Iskandar Malaysia berjaya membentuk ekosistem yang lengkap di dalam industri yang dipromosikan. Timbalan Pengarah II (Pembangunan) Unit Perancangan Ekonomi Negeri (UPEN), Dr Badrul Hisham Kassim berkata, melihat kepada inisiatif ini, pelaburan asing telah meningkat kepada RM37.09 bilion setakat ini dari RM22.83 bilion pada 2008. “Pelabur tempatan pula, yang sebelum ini tertumpu ke Lembah Klang, mula menunjukkan minat untuk melabur di Iskandar Malaysia setelah percaya bahawa usaha dan pelaburan yang dibuat oleh kerajaan adalah satu inisiatif berkepentingan nasional.” “Peningkatan kadar pelaburan tempatan telah berlaku pada kadar yang lebih tinggi, Jika dilihat pada 2008, hanya 45 peratus pelaburan di Iskandar Malaysia merupakan pelaburan tempatan, tetapi sekarang pelaburan tempatan secara kumulatif telah meningkat kepada 63 peratus,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini hari ini. Beliau berkata ini menunjukkan keyakinan para pelabur tempatan terhadap Iskandar Malaysia dan trend itu dijangka berterusan terutama sekali di dalam bindustri yang dipromosikan di Iskandar Malaysia. Melalui Pihak Berkuasa Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar (IRDA), katanya kerajaan negeri sentiasa memastikan dasar yang selari dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan di dalam membangunkan Iskandar Malaysia. Insentif percukaian “Insentif yang diberikan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan, misalnya dari segi insentif percukaian terus disokong oleh Kerajaan Negeri melalui insentif tanah dan sebagainya.” “Kerajaan Negeri juga memastikan sistem penyampaian diperbaiki dan urusan kelulusan dan lain-lain proses dipermudahkan.” Kerajaan Negeri juga telah membuat dasar khusus untuk Iskandar Malaysia berkaitan permilikan hartanah, dasar perumahan dan dasar-dasar lain untuk membantu menjayakan inisiatif Iskandar Malaysia. Beliau berkata, oleh kerana kerajaan negeri juga berkaitan rapat dengan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (PBT), sinergi antara Kerajaan Negeri dan PBT diberi penekanan, terutama yang berkaitan dengan proses kelulusan. Selain Menteri Besar sebagai Pengerusi Bersama IRDA, Kerajaan Negeri juga diwakili oleh dua pegawai kerajaan Negeri, iaitu Setiausaha Kerajaan dan Pengarah UPEN. Di dalam Jawatankuasa Kelulusan dan Pelaksanaan IRDA yang di pengerusikan oleh Menteri Besar, ia juga di anggotai oleh ketua-ketua jabatan Negeri yang berkaitan seperti Pengarah UPEN, Pengarah Tanah dan Galian, Datuk Bandar Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru dan semua Yang DiPertua Majlis Perbandaran di dalam Iskandar Malaysia. Terdapat juga pegawai Negeri yang dipinjamkan ke IRDA untuk kelancaran urusan di antara IRDA dengan Kerajaan Negeri. Kini, katanya projek-projek seperti Legoland dan Taman Tema Keluarga Puteri Harbour menjadi projek pemangkin di Iskandar Malaysia kerana bukan sahaja memberi peluang pekerjaan dan perniagaan secara terus kepada rakyat tempatan, malah juga menjadi pemangkin kepada industri-industri lain yang berkaitan. Misalnya, selepas Legoland dibuka dua bulan lepas, kadar penghunian hotel di Johor Bahru telah meningkat kepada 75 peratus daripada 50 peratus. Taman-taman tema Pelawat ke tarikan lain seperti Johor Premium Outlet juga didapati meningkat bersama dengan pembukaan taman-taman tema di Iskandar Malaysia. “Semakin banyak projek seperti ini, semakin meningkatlah industri sokongan seperti perkhidmatan restoran, pengangkutan dan lain-lain. Pelawat juga akan mendapati mereka perlu tinggal lebih lama di Iskandar Malaysia untuk menikmati pusat-pusat pelancongan yang ada,” katanya. Iskandar Malaysia dijangka mencapai sasaran pelaburan RM100 bilion selepas mencatatkan jumlah pelaburan terkumpul RM99.79bil pada suku ketiga tahun ini. Bagi tahun ini sahaja, sehingga September, koridor ekonomi itu telah berjaya menarik sejumlah RM15 bilion dalam pelaburan kumulatif. Pelaburan terkumpul sejumlah RM99.79 bilion yang direkodkan oleh Iskandar Malaysia adalah menerusi pelaburan dalam sektor pembuatan sebanyak RM33.36 bilion, RM32.94 bilion daripada sektor hartanah, RM7.31 bilion oleh Kerajaan, RM9.52 bilion melibatkan utiliti, RM2.03 bilion dalam sektor pelancongan dan lain-lain RM14.63 bilion. - Bernama |
| MCA member slams leadership over education policies Posted: 24 Nov 2012 11:11 PM PST
Breaking ranks with the party leaders who had openly snubbed the rally, the Kota Kecil MCA chairman Tai Foo Him led three busloads of people to support the rally which was held in Padang Timur here. He told reporters that majority of 110 people who came with him were MCA members. He drew a mixture of cheers and boos when asked to speak at the rally where some of the protesters had carried banners reading: "Shameless MCA president betrays Chinese education" and "BN MCA, Corrupt and Abuse of Power". "I feel ashamed when I saw your placards condemning our party. I think our leaders must change," he said. "If they don’t, then maybe it's about the time for us to change," he added, without elaborating. He then cited the example of Black American activism in the 1960s to encourage the crowd to continue the struggle.
The branch chairman who joined MCA in 1989 also criticised the party for openly rejecting the rally. "MCA and the Chinese community are from the same root. Nevermind if you don't support the rally, but why oppose the rally?" he said. Tai warned that should MCA failed to change the outcome of the blueprint, he would pull out from the party. He also said he has done nothing wrong for the party to level a possible disciplinary action against him. Also read: Muhyiddin lambasted for bad education policies |
| Muhyiddin lambasted for bad education policies Posted: 24 Nov 2012 09:52 PM PST
Dubbed as "Peaceful Appeal Against National Education Blueprint", the rally saw more than 6,000 people gather at the Padang Timur here since 10am, many holding umbrellas under the hot Sunday weather. The protesters also displayed banners that among others read: "Safeguard SJK (C) and SJK (T)", "Guarantee existence and development of multi-stream schools", "Education blueprint stumbling block to unity" and "National school syllabus to fuse Chinese school". Both Barisan Nasional and the MCA were targeted by the protesters, as several placards were spotted reading: "Shameless MCA president betrays Chinese education", "BN MCA, Corrupt and Abuse of Power".
He criticised Muhyiddin, who is also the deputy prime minister, over his controversial policies such as the introduction of the Interlok novel to secondary school students and the National Education Blueprint. "What does he know? He knows nothing about education. He is the most stupid education minister in the world," he said, drawing the protesters' applause. Elaborating on this to FMT later, he said Muhyiddin was obstinate in pushing through the controversial policies despite objections from various quarters. "I believe that he does not even listen to his officials nowadays," said the NGO leader.
"I challenge the mufti to prove that this blueprint is acceptable from the Islam point of view," he said. By 12pm, the crowd size increased to about 10,000 people, who were made up from some 700 organisations nationwide. Protect vernacular education "The students would not have sufficient time to learn subjects such as geography and science if the proposal is passed under the blueprint. Chinese schools would slowly lose its unique feature," he said,
Meanwhile, a grassroots MCA leader drew a mixture of applause and boos when he was invited to the stage to give a speech. He cited the example of Black American activism in the 1960s to encourage the crowd to continue the struggle. KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall president Tan Yew Sing, meanwhile, said the education blueprint was ill-intended as it was designed to contain the rising number of students in vernacular schools.
PKR vice-president N Surendran, DAP vice- president Tan Seng Giaw, PAS central committee member Khalid Samad and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) representative Chua Soon Boi also spoke against the blueprint while supporting the multi-stream education policy. The two-hour rally concluded with the unanimous adoption of two motions, which are to oppose the blueprint; and to urge the government to comply with the global education development and to reflect the Malaysia's multicultural background in the blueprint. Also read: MCA member slams leadership over education policies |
| Sri Lankan president won’t be visiting M’sia Posted: 24 Nov 2012 09:50 PM PST
This has been confirmed by the Sri Lankan High Commission's media affairs counsellor, Rizvi Hassen. "President Rajapaksa will not be coming due to unavoidable circumstances," Rizvi said in an e-mail correspondence to FMT. Rajapaksa was invited to attend the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in Johor Baru from Dec 4 to 6. The invitation, however, had sparked off protests from leaders of the Indian community here. The Sri Lankan leader's absence, however, is not due to the various protests by political and non-political entities, said Rizvi. "It is not due to the protests. The decision [to not attend the WEIF] was decided before the protests took place," he said. On Friday, MIC Youth sent a protest memorandum to the Foreign Ministry objecting to the planned visit by Rajapaksa. Separately a committee was also set up by Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy to object to Rajapaksa’s presence here. Yesterday, Sri Lanka War Victim Concerned Team (Api) protested in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission over the proposed visit. MIC Youth members also lodged a police report against Rajapaksa for alleged war crimes. The Indians in Malaysians who are largely made up of ethnic Tamil have been expressing their displeasure due to Rajapaksa's role in quashing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009 after a 26-year civil war. It was reported that some 100,000 civilians including 40,000 Tamils were killed while more than 300,000 people were displaced during the long-standing conflict. Najib’s role? “I must thank the prime minister for being the middleman between the Indian community and the WIEF organisers,” he said He added that the opposition to Mahinda’s visit was raised by MIC president (and Minister in Prime Minister’s Department) G Palanivel and deputy president (and Human Resources Minister) Dr S Subramaniam during the cabinet meeting on Friday. “I was told that even Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein supported the motion against the arrival of Mahinda," he said.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy had no sweet words for Najib. “Najib should be criticised for inviting Rajapaksa in the first place. He is afraid of losing the Indian vote bank. He was forced to cancel (Mahinda) Rajapaksa’s trip,” said Ramasamy who is also DAP’s national deputy secretary general. Api representative S Barathidasan also echoed similar sentiments and claimed that the whole episode as being Najib’s drama. “It is Najib’s game. He invited Mahinda and is now trying to create a positive image to woo the Indian vote bank. It is a drama,” he said. He also added that a protest at the Parliament would proceed as planned. “We want Malaysia to cut its diplomatic ties with Sri Lanka. Malaysia must not recognise that country,” said Barathidasan. Also read: |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2012 09:31 PM PST
According to former DAP grassroots leader Tan Tuan Tat, such a plan is already allegedly in place to vote Karpal out from the central executive committee (CEC). Tan, a former Selangor DAP publicity secretary, said the plan was hatched to protect the self-interest of a few. “The warlords don’t want the Singh to be their King. They feel Karpal is against their selfish interests,” the former DAP’s Taman Seri Sungai Pelek branch chairman told FMT here. These ringleaders, he said, were extremely upset with Karpal's insistence on one man-one seat electoral formula as part of party strategy to face the next general election. Karpal's single seat proposal for a party candidate to contest only either a federal or a state seat, albeit some exemptions, has been overwhelmingly popular among party grassroots and lay public.
He alleged that the warlords were also unhappy with Karpal outspoken criticisms against PAS Islamic state and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim’s unsuccessful Sept 16 Putrajaya coup in 2008. A MP for seven terms, veteran Karpal joined DAP in 1970 and has been party supremo since Sept 4, 2004. Tan alleged that the ringleaders' ultimate goal is to maintain the dominance of Lim Dynasty in the party after the internal polls to be held during the national party convention on Dec 15 – 16 in Penang. Lim Dynasty is a popular political idiom expressed by DAP grassroots to taunt the internal faction led by party's national advisor and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang and his son and secretary general Guan Eng, who is also the Penang Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Bernama quoted Karpal as saying today that claims that there was a conspiracy to topple him at the party’s elections next month was a mere fabrication. He said such claims always surfaced whenever there was a party election. “This is a minor thing. I don’t respond to such things…there is no problem (in the party), all these are fabrications. People can say whatever they want but it is the delegates who will decide,” he told a press conference here today. |
| Najib: GE could be in Dec, or next year Posted: 24 Nov 2012 09:07 PM PST
He was confident that despite the monsoon season, the machinery of the political parties contesting in the election could face any eventuality. “If it rains or a flood occurs, (then we) can use the boat,” he said in jest when asked whether the GE would be held in the near future or Parliament would dissolve on its own on the expiry of the current mandate. He said this in an interview with editors of Bernama and Utusan Group in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2012 at his office in Parliament House, recently. Najib, who is also Umno president, however, did not rule out the possibility that the election would be held next year if it is not held next month. “If there is no election in December, then it will be held next year,” he said. Najib has up to April 28 next year to dissolve Parliament to make way for the 13th general election before the Parliament dissolves on its own, and the Election Commission is compelled to set a date for the general election within two months of the dissolution of Parliament. - Bernama |
| MIC wings postpone AGMs, focus is on GE Posted: 24 Nov 2012 09:02 PM PST
MIC Youth chief T Mohan said that the four wings were supposed to hold their respective AGMs on Dec 2 at the Putra World Trade Centre, a week before the party’s main national AGM on Dec 9. “We felt it is appropriate to postpone because we want to focus on strengthening the party and enhancing the development of Indian community in various sectors to face the 13th general election,” Mohan told Bernama today. Furthermore, Mohan said that 35 youth delegates would still have their voice heard as they would be participating at the national AGM to share their views. Meanwhile, MIC secretary-general S Murugesan said that party had shortened its 66th annual general meeting to a single day to save time and cut costs, as the party would need more than RM1 million to conduct the meeting over two days. The AGM to be held at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Dec 9 would be attended by 1,500 delegates and 2,000 observers, he said. - Bernama |
| 5 sebab Umno perlu diberi mandat besar Posted: 24 Nov 2012 07:49 PM PST
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, yang juga Pengerusi BN dan Presiden Umno berkata sebagai sebuah parti berpengalaman, Umno selaku parti tunjang dalam BN sentiasa memacu dan menggerakkan pelbagai idea dan transformasi ke arah masa depan negara yang gemilang berbanding pakatan pembangkang yang masih kabur mengenai perkara itu. Selain itu, Umno dan BN turut merupakan satu pakatan yang terikat kepada dasar-dasar yang disokong secara bersama dan tidak ada percanggahan sama ada dari segi dasar mahupun ideologi, dan ini berbeza dengan parti lawan yang seringkali mengeluarkan pendapat yang bertentangan walaupun atas soal-soal asas dan fundamental, katanya. “Ketiga, kita mempunyai ‘track record’ pencapaian yang terbukti dan tidak boleh disangkal dalam mengurus negara di mana kita juga telah dapat meyakinkan rakyat bahawa peta jalan ke hadapan adalah berdasarkan kemampuan kita untuk melaksanakannya selama ini. “Maknanya, keyakinan rakyat bahawa kemampuan kita untuk melaksanakan agenda negara iaitu transformasi besar yang ingin kita perlihatkan,” katanya dalam temubual eksklusif bersama para pengarang Bernama dan Utusan Malaysia sempena Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2012 di pejabatnya di Parlimen baru-baru ini. Najib berkata sebagai sebuah kerajaan, Umno dan BN memiliki kekuatan moral yang kukuh dan sentiasa berpegang kepada janji di mana setiap janji yang dibuat dipastikan supaya ditunaikan serta tidak akan membuat janji yang tidak mampu dipenuhi. Kepentingan rakyat Beliau berkata janji kerajaan BN adalah jelas untuk kepentingan rakyat dan sentiasa ditunaikan berdasarkan prinsip janji ditepati berbanding janji pakatan pembangkang yang bertujuan memperdaya pengundi demi memenuhi matlamat untuk menakluki Putrajaya. Pengerusi BN berkata sebab terakhir yang perlu diberi perhatian ialah rakyat tidak perlu menggadai masa depan dengan menyerahkan negara kepada parti yang tidak boleh menjanjikan masa depan lebih baik ketika kredibiliti mereka juga dipertikaikan. “Masa depan kita, masa depan anak-anak kita terlalu mahal untuk diperjudikan, sebaliknya dengan Barisan Nasional tahap keyakinan lebih tinggi… ini dapat dilihat dari segi prestasi pasaran dengan kemasukan pelabur-pelabur dari dalam dan luar negara,” katanya. Mengenai mengapa orang Melayu tidak menggunakan agama sebagai asas penyatuan seperti yang dilakukan kaum lain, Najib berkata: “Orang Melayu telah dikelirukan dengan hasutan dan fitnah yang bertalu-talu terhadap pemimpin Umno dan Umno itu sendiri, walaupun dakyah-dakyah tersebut merupakan serangan politik dan tidak ada asasnya.” Najib berpendapat orang Melayu juga terpedaya dengan imej luaran seperti label parti yang dikatakan parti Islam dan rupa pemimpin yang mereka anggap lebih Islamik. Beliau berkata sepatutnya sesebuah parti itu dinilai dari segi pengisian dan agenda yang boleh meninggikan perjuangan dan syiar Islam, dan Umno telah membuktikan parti itu dapat memperjuangkan tuntutan Islam berdasarkan Maqasid Syariah. “Sejak dulu lagi kita perjuangkan Islam, bermula dengan Perlembagaan, pembentukan institusi-institusi Islam serta program-program Islam yang kita telah wujudkan dan martabatkan seperti perbankan Islam,” katanya. Ditanya harapan beliau kepada para perwakilan selepas tamat perhimpunan kali ini, Najib berharap seluruh warga Umno yang hadir dapat menghayati mesej yang diterapkan seterusnya menterjemahkan dalam bentuk tindakan serta sikap masing-masing. “Umpamanya, banyak penegasan akan dibuat tentang bagaimana mereka harus mendepani cabaran PRU-13 dan bagaimana kita harus meletakkan persediaan kita secara mantap bukan sahaja dari segi persiapan fizikal seperti bilik gerakan, bantuan material dan sebagainya tetapi juga dari segi semangat dan sikap untuk meletakkan kemenangan pilihan raya sebagai yang perlu diutamakan dan tidak ada apa-apa perhitungan yang lain meskipun sesuatu itu memang sangat dihajati oleh kita,” katanya. Beliau juga berharap perwakilan yang berbahas mampu mengupas, menjawab dan menangkis sebarang isu nasional serta tohmahan yang dihalakan kepada parti. - Bernama |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2012 07:45 PM PST
But are their pleas being heard? The answer is an emphatic ‘no’ from the ground. Both Kuantan and Raub are in Pahang – Najib’s home state. Both are riddled with issues – Lynas rare earth plant in Kuantan and the contentious goldmine in Rabu. But Najib pretends nothing is wrong, and he allows it to happen. Can a man who does not even care for his own home state, care for the country? Najib has not dared go and meet the people in Kuantan. The question now is will Najib go to Raub? Will he meet with citizens who live next to the gold mine? Or will he allow “interested” parties to twist the arms of the poor who live there into conceding that everything is alright? I went to Raub and saw for myself what is happening there. Some of the citizens are so scared to speak. Should we always wait to see and regret matters in hindsight. Look at what’s happening in Batu Caves now. Remember too the Memali incident, and don’t forget the Bukit Merah rare earth project. The BN government has not cared for its people. At the height of the “Save Batu Caves” campaign in late 1970s, the Selangor BN government refused to budge from its decision to delay the ban on quarrying activities, knowing that it risked destroying the scared Hindu temple. Remember Memali? Dr Mahathir created it and blamed (his deputy) Musa (Hitam) for it. Memali was not in Johor, it was in Kedah, Mahathir’s homestate. But Mahathir could not and refused to empathise with this group of rural Malays. Also don’t forget Mahathir defended the Bukit Merah rare earth project knowing full well its effect. My guess is the profits probably far outweighed the lives of the poor people of Bukit Merah. Are these the work of people who care? Toffee Rodrigo is a businessman who spends his free time writing to create awareness. He blogs at Toffee'sTurn. |
| Where are the textbooks in English? Posted: 24 Nov 2012 07:34 PM PST
On behalf of parents who are stuck in the current doldrums of confusion and uncertainty of the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI), we are completely outraged and feel betrayed by the way the Education Ministry is handling this PPSMI issue for those who are "privy" to it. The directive to allow the continuation of PPSMI last year dated Nov 4, 2011 stated that those who have started with PPSMI may continue to do so as per status quo. However apparently the directive is just a decoy to make parents believe that the ministry will give that flexibility. In actual fact, we see clear elements of direct sabotage to hammer the nail in the coffin of PPSMI. How so? Control the printing of textbooks; control the principals and teachers, no direction in science and mathematics in the Malaysian Education Blueprint, all done to ensure that PPSMI stays out. We had the same problem last year of not having enough text books for Science and Mathematics in English. Some schools carried on this year without the English books even though they had access to them the previous years. The state and district education departments were sending science and mathematics examination papers in BM only and it was left to the schools to translate them. Where is the EDU, the Education Delivery Unit? If it is to kick off next year, it should be ready for pilot testing now. It is nearing the end of 2012 but yet again, the very same problem persists and repeats and it is worse. No English textbooks are available in bookstores now. Printers, when contacted, admitted they were not told to print textbooks in English at all for next year. This smacks of foul play and is just one of many more connected problems to come next year. Can the minister prove us wrong? The ministry and its support services must supply the needed Science and Mathematics textbooks in English immediately. There must be a cooperative effort to ensure that the children do not become victims or collateral damage in a war of policy changes. The slogan “Janji Ditepati” has been trumpeted continuously to us by the government. Therefore we expect the minister to keep to his promise of allowing PPSMI to continue unhindered for those who want it. Leave your ego aside and put the children first, for the sake of their future and the future of our nation. The writer is the secretary of Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE). |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2012 07:01 PM PST
Pelajar kepada Vyasa yang dianggap paling tekun dan berminat ialah Vaisampayana. Pelajar itu pula kemudian diminta oleh Janamejaya – putera kepada Parikshit – supaya menyampaikan kisah Jaya kepada golongan manusia – orang kebanyakan – supaya kehebatan keturunan Kuru dapat diketahui umum. Suatu perkara yang menarik untuk diperhatikan adalah bahawa Vaisampayana mengambil kisah Jaya yang disampaikan oleh Vyasa dan melakukan sedikit pengubah suaian. Hasilnya, versi yang disampaikan kepada orang kebanyakan adalah epik yang dinamakan Bharata. Mulut Hassan dan Hussain terlopong. Mata mereka terbeliak. Otak mereka ligat berusaha mencerna pelbagai maklumat baru yang disampaikan datuk. Selepas berhenti sejenak, datuk meneruskan pula cerita mengenai Suta. Nama lain bagi Suta ialah Ugrasrava Sauti. Dia berpeluang mendengar kisah Bharata yang disampaikan oleh Vaisampayana. Adalah dipercayai bahawa Suta amat tertarik dengan kisah keturunan Kuru yang amat kompleks dan amat sesuai dijadikan asas – cerita berbingkai – untuk menyampaikan pelbagai ajaran dharma, agama dan budaya kepada masyarakat (manusia biasa). Lalu, Suta yang merupakan pelajar kepada Vaisampayana mengambil keputusan untuk melakukan pengubah suaian terhadap kisah Bharata (yang merupakan versi ubah suai daripada Jaya) dengan menyelitkan (menokok-tambah) kisah-kisah berkonsepkan "dharma" dan "cara hidup". Maka terhasillah epik versi baru yang dinamakan Mahabharata. Versi ini disampaikan oleh Suta alias Ugrasrava Sauti kepada sekumpulan maharishyi yang diketuai Saunaka di Hutan Naimisa.
"Dewa Ganesha yang berkepala gajah menjadi tukang tulis profesional manakala Suta pula menjadi tukang cerita profesional," Hussain berkata sambil memandang Hassan di sisi. "Yalah. Nampaknya walaupun teks Jaya karya Vyasa sudah didokumentasikan dalam bentuk bertulis oleh Ganesha sendiri, epik berkenaan masih disampaikan secara lisan oleh para pengikut Vyasa." Demikian reaksi kembarnya. "Dan masih berlaku pengubah suaian dan proses menokok-tambah seperti yang dilakukan oleh Vaisampayana bagi menghasilkan Bharata dan oleh Ugrasrava Sauti untuk melahirkan Mahabharata," Hussain sempat menambah. Datuk tersenyum mendengar pandangan dah hujah yang dikemukakan kedua-dua cucunya. Datuk tidak mahu Hassan dan Hussain sekadar tahu kisah Mahabharata sebagai sebuah epik kudus. Lebih daripada itu, beliau mahu cucu-cucu kesayangannya mengetahui pelbagai kisah yang tersirat di sebalik epik itu sendiri. – Bersambung minggu depan Uthaya Sankar SB sedang mengusahakan penerbitan kumpulan cerpen "Kisah dari Siru Kambam". Maklumat lanjut di www.uthayasb.blogspot.com |
| Ferguson troubled by recurring need for fightbacks Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:21 PM PST  MANCHESTER: Alex Ferguson admitted Manchester United’s tendency to fall behind in games is a major concern after his side launched another impressive comeback to beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1.For the ninth time in 13 league games this season, United trailed to Harry Redknapp’s new club following an early second-half goal from Jamie Mackie at Old Trafford on Saturday. But United responded superbly, with three goals in eight minutes from Jonny Evans, Darren Fletcher and Javier Hernandez meaning that Ferguson’s side have now claimed 18 points from losing positions this season. “Of course it’s frustrating,” said United manager Ferguson. “We have to be concerned about it. The one thing was, from the moment when we scored (the first goal), we really got at them and played with a great determination and speed, which made a difference. “We played for 15 or 10 minutes — that was the sum total of a real performance from Manchester United.” Victory took United to the top of the Premier League, for 24 hours at least, with champions Manchester City playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The game was also a huge landmark for midfielder Fletcher, who has fought back from a career-threatening bowel disease. His goal, his first in the league since October 2011, came on his first league start in a year and marked an emotional moment for the popular Scotland international. “I think everyone is delighted,” said Ferguson. “It’s been a long road back for him. It’s the first time we have used him twice in a week and he didn’t let us down again. “Of course it was lovely to have him back, and we will view the situation on Wednesday, but he made a great contribution today.” Fletcher will have to wait to discover if he keeps his place for that Wednesday fixture, at home to West Ham United, but he said the team’s come-from-behind victory was more important than personal landmarks. “It was a nice moment,” said Fletcher. “Just playing the games are great moments, all the games I’ve played in this season. “I’m desperate to be part of it and the more games I get, the more I want to feel part of it, be involved and contribute to what hopefully will be a successful season. “It’s not great going behind all the time but the positive is that we keep coming back. We can’t allow it to happen but you could see when we went behind we lifted the urgency in our game. It should not take a goal to do that. “The biggest thing is the goal put us in the lead — it was nothing about me personally, just the fact we won the game. “It was great coming back, great scoring a goal and good to be winning games. When we went a goal behind, I thought ‘Here we go’, but the lads responded. And the biggest, most pleasing thing is the goal put us 2-1 up.” Redknapp watched from the stands but the job of team selection was left to Mark Bowen — former assistant to the sacked Mark Hughes — who admits he does not know what the future holds for him or the existing coaching staff. “I haven’t spoken to Harry. He didn’t have any input today,” said Bowen. “Friday (when Hughes was sacked) was a desperate day because, apart from anything else, Mark is a friend of mine. “When I spoke to (chief executive) Philip Beard, I just said to him, ‘We are professionals and we will carry on. We are still employed by this club.’ “I don’t know what will happen now. I haven’t spoken to Harry yet. Harry will have his own plans and we just have to wait and see what happens next.” - AFP |
| Arsenal frustrated in Villa Park stalemate Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:19 PM PST  BIRMINGHAM: Arsenal were left to rue poor finishing after their Premier League encounter with Aston Villa ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw yesterday.Arsene Wenger’s side created plenty of chances at Villa Park but were unable to strike the decisive blow, with Wales international Aaron Ramsey particularly guilty of wastefulness in front of goal. Villa substitute Brett Holman went closest for the home side with a shot that rattled the crossbar from distance, but the point was still enough for Paul Lambert’s side to climb out of the relegation zone. Arsenal, meanwhile, remain sixth, a point below fifth-place Everton and four points outside the Champions League qualifying places. The visitors made three changes from their mid-week game against Montpellier as Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna were dropped to the bench in favour of Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Ramsey. Aston Villa coach Lambert made one change from the side that lost 5-0 to Manchester City last weekend, with Karim El Ahmadi replacing Stephen Ireland in midfield. Villa carved out an opportunity in the 13th minute when Ashley Westwood’s cross-field pass picked out Andreas Weimann and the Austria international saw his shot from a tight angle beaten away at the near post by Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Moments later, Villa forward Christian Benteke laid the ball into Barry Bannan but his ambitious 30-yard shot was comfortably gathered by Szczesny. Arsenal started to find their rhythm as the first half wore on and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain threatened when he cut in from the right flank in the 21st minute, only to drag his shot wide. The Gunners opened up the home side’s defence again seven minutes later and Ramsey’s low angled shot through a crowd of bodies forced Brad Guzan to make a smart diving save in the Villa goal. Villa had the ball in the net in the 28th minute when a Bannan free-kick caused a scramble inside the penalty area and Weimann squeezed the ball home, but the assistant referee had already raised his flag for offside. Arsenal missed a golden chance to break the deadlock shortly before half-time when Laurent Koscielny lifted a shot over the crossbar from close range after he had been picked out by Olivier Giroud. The visitors began the second half brightly and the lively Santi Cazorla curled a shot round the post just after the break following a swift counter-attack. Villa were dealt a blow in the 50th minute when captain Ron Vlaar limped out through injury and was replaced by Eric Lichaj, with Matthew Lowton shifting to centre-back. Ramsey failed to capitalise on a teasing cross into the six-yard area from Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 55th minute and then lifted a shot over the bar from close range seven minutes later when the ball fell to him from a corner. Gabriel Agbonlahor teed up substitute Holman in a Villa counter-attack shortly afterwards but his low, stinging shot from 12 yards was saved by Szczesny. The Polish goalkeeper then produced a stunning full-stretch save to touch Holman’s brilliant long-range effort onto the bar. Ciaran Clark’s last-ditch interception denied Gervinho at the back post as the Arsenal forward attempted to get on the end of a cross from fellow substitute Andrey Arshavin late on, but Villa held on to claim a point. - AFP |
| United storm back to steal Redknapp’s thunder Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:17 PM PST  LONDON: A quick-fire three-goal salvo gave Manchester United a 3-1 win over Harry Redknapp’s new club Queens Park Rangers yesterday that took them to the top of the Premier League table.Incoming QPR manager Redknapp was present at Old Trafford, hours after his appointment as the successor to Mark Hughes was confirmed, and he saw his new charges take a shock lead in the 52nd minute. Kieron Dyer’s cross-shot from the left was palmed out by Anders Lindegaard and Jamie Mackie found the roof of the net from close range. After losing at Norwich City and Galatasaray in their last two outings, United were staring at the prospect of a third consecutive defeat, but three goals in the space of eight minutes saw them roar into the lead. Jonny Evans headed in the equaliser from close range in the 64th minute and four minutes later, Darren Fletcher marked his first league appearance in over a year by scoring with a thumping header from Wayne Rooney’s corner. Substitute Javier Hernandez then beat QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar from Anderson’s pass in the 72nd minute to kill the game off and lift Alex Ferguson’s men two points above Manchester City at the summit. City are not in action until Sunday, when they visit fourth-place Chelsea and their new interim coach, Rafael Benitez. “We only played for 10 minutes and those 10 minutes were brilliant. I thought Anderson changed the game for us,” said Ferguson, who also praised Fletcher for battling to overcome a career-threatening bowel condition. “The boy has had a long journey back and he has showed he is back to his best.” Arsenal, bidding to trim the five-point gap that separates them from the top four, play at Aston Villa in the evening kick-off. Everton were prevented from closing to within a point of Chelsea as Sebastien Bassong netted a last-minute equaliser to earn Norwich a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park. Steven Naismith had given the hosts the lead with a 12th-minute tap-in before Bassong struck at the death, meeting Wes Hoolahan’s deep free-kick with a back-post header. Earlier, West Bromwich Albion continued their superb start to the season with a 4-2 win at Sunderland that took them up to third place. Zoltan Gera’s curling 25-yarder put the visitors ahead after half an hour’s play at the Stadium of Light, before a fumble from Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet gifted Shane Long the Baggies’ second. Romelu Lukaku’s 81st-minute penalty made it 3-1 after Craig Gardner had scored with a deflected free-kick, but Stephane Sessegnon brought Sunderland back into the game again with a late strike from close range. However, Steve Clarke’s men struck again in injury time through substitute Marc-Antoine Fortune to secure a fourth straight league win. “To talk about European football at this stage would be folly,” warned West Brom coach Clarke. “There are a lot of games to go, so we’ll keep our feet on the ground.” Wigan Athletic prevailed 3-2 at home to fellow relegation contenders Reading after Jordi Gomez completed a hat-trick with an injury-time winner at the DW Stadium. Reading looked to have snatched a point in the 80th minute when Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi allowed Hal Robson-Kanu’s deflected shot to squirm into the net, only for Gomez to restore Wigan’s advantage in stoppage time. Stoke City defeated Fulham 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium, with Charlie Adam claiming the game’s only goal in the 26th minute to take his side above Liverpool into 11th place. - AFP |
| Adam the hero again as Stoke sink Fulham Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:12 PM PST
Adam bagged the winner in Stoke’s previous match in front of their own fans against QPR at the Britannia Stadium and the former Liverpool star made the decisive intervention once more to lift City up to 11th place in the Premier League. His first half goal extended Stoke’s unbeaten home league run to 13 games stretching back to February, while ninth-placed Fulham are now winless in their last five games. In driving rain, Martin Jol’s visitors who made the brighter start, with Giorgos Karagounis firing just wide in the second minute. Stoke hit back and Robert Huth headed wide from Matthew Etherington’s corner before Adam broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Adam showed impressive footwork as he took one touch, turned and fired home from close-range after Peter Crouch headed down Ryan Shotton’s cross. Ryan Shawcross almost made it 2-0 in the 36th minute when his header crashed off the crossbar. Stoke kept pressing and midfielder Glenn Whelan miscued his shot over the bar from a Jon Walters pass early in the second half. Fulham’s Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer tipped away a header by Huth from Etherington’s corner before Shawcross nodded wide from another set-piece. The Cottagers went close to equalising against the run of play when former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov saw his drive tipped away by Asmir Begovic. But Stoke finished strongly and substitute Kenwyne Jones thought he had doubled his side’s lead in the closing moments, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside. - AFP |
| Egypt’s Mursi faces judicial revolt over decree Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:05 PM PST
The Judges’ Club, a body representing judges across Egypt, called for a strike during a meeting interrupted with chants demanding the “downfall of the regime” – the rallying cry in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year. Mursi’s political opponents and supporters, representing the divide between newly empowered Islamists and their critics, called for rival demonstrations on Tuesday over a decree that has triggered concern in the West. Issued late on Thursday, it marks an effort by Mursi to consolidate his influence after he successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August. The decree defends from judicial review decisions taken by Mursi until a new parliament is elected in a vote expected early next year. It also shields the Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt’s new constitution from a raft of legal challenges that have threatened the body with dissolution, and offers the same protection to the Islamist-controlled upper house of parliament. Egypt’s highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial Council, said the decree was an “unprecedented attack” on the independence of the judiciary. The Judges’ Club, meeting in Cairo, called on Mursi to rescind it. That demand was echoed by prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei. “There is no room for dialogue when a dictator imposes the most oppressive, abhorrent measures and then says ‘let us split the difference’,” he said. “I am waiting to see, I hope soon, a very strong statement of condemnation by the US, by Europe and by everybody who really cares about human dignity,” he said in an interview with Reuters and the Associated Press. More than 300 people were injured on Friday as protests against the decree turned violent. There were attacks on at least three offices belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement that propelled Mursi to power. Polarisation Liberal, leftist and socialist parties called a big protest for Tuesday to force Mursi to row back on a move they say has exposed the autocratic impulses of a man once jailed by Mubarak. In a sign of the polarization in the country, the Muslim Brotherhood called its own protests that day to support the president’s decree. Mursi also assigned himself new authority to sack the prosecutor general, who was appointed during the Mubarak era, and appoint a new one. The dismissed prosecutor general, Abdel Maguid Mahmoud, was given a hero’s welcome at the Judges’ Club. In open defiance of Mursi, Ahmed al-Zind, head of the club, introduced Mahmoud by his old title. The Mursi administration has defended the decree on the grounds that it aims to speed up a protracted transition from Mubarak’s rule to a new system of democratic government. Analysts say it reflects the Brotherhood’s suspicion towards sections of a judiciary unreformed from Mubarak’s days. “It aims to sideline Mursi’s enemies in the judiciary and ultimately to impose and head off any legal challenges to the constitution,” said Elijah Zarwan, a fellow with The European Council on Foreign Relations. “We are in a situation now where both sides are escalating and its getting harder and harder to see how either side can gracefully climb down.” Advisor to Mursi quits Following a day of violence in Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and Suez, the smell of tear gas hung over the capital’s Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the uprising that toppled Mubarak in 2011 and the stage for more protests on Friday. Youths clashed sporadically with police near the square, where activists camped out for a second day on Saturday, setting up makeshift barricades to keep out traffic. Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of Egypt’s most widely read dailies, hailed Friday’s protest as “The November 23 Intifada”, invoking the Arabic word for uprising. But the ultra-orthodox Salafi Islamist groups that have been pushing for tighter application of Islamic law in the new constitution have rallied behind Mursi’s decree. The Nour Party, one such group, stated its support for the Mursi decree. Al-Gama’a al-Islamiya, which carried arms against the state in the 1990s, said it would save the revolution from what it described as remnants of the Mubarak regime. Samir Morkos, a Christian assistant to Mursi, had told the president he wanted to resign, said Yasser Ali, Mursi’s spokesman. Speaking to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Morkos said: “I refuse to continue in the shadow of republican decisions that obstruct the democratic transition”. Mursi’s decree has been criticized by Western states that earlier this week were full of praise for his role in mediating an end to the eight-day war between Israel and Palestinians. “The decisions and declarations announced on November 22 raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. The European Union urged Mursi to respect the democratic process. - Reuters |
| New corruption scandal rocks Brazilian government Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:03 PM PST
Federal police raided government offices in Brasilia and Sao Paulo on Friday and arrested six people for running an influence peddling ring that sold government approvals to businessmen in return for bribes. Among those under investigation are the former personal secretary of ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rosemary de Noronha, who has headed the regional office of the presidency in Sao Paulo since 2005. The bribery scandal erupted on the heels of Brazil’s biggest political corruption trial that sentenced some of Lula’s closest aides to prison terms for buying support in Congress for his minority Workers’ Party government after taking office in 2003. Rousseff, Lula’s chosen successor, was not affected by the vote-buying scandal and she has built on his popularity by gaining a reputation for not tolerating corruption. But the ruling Workers’ Party was rocked by the scandal which tarnished Lula’s legacy even though he was not implicated. The new corruption case could further hurt the standing of Lula, who remains Brazil’s most influential politician. Friday’s arrests included two brothers who were recommended for positions in the federal government by Lula’s former secretary, Noronha: Paulo Rodrigues Vieira, director of the National Water Agency and Rubens Carlos Vieira, director for airport infrastructure at Brazil’s Civil Aviation Agency. Police accused the brothers of recruiting second-tier government employees who would be open to bribery, while a third brother also under arrest, Marcelo Rodrigues Vieira, contacted businessmen willing to pay for false or speeded-up approvals. Police have been investigating the bribery ring since 2010 when an official in the government accounting office who was offered US$150,000 for a favorable report got cold feet, returned the money he had been paid and blew the whistle. Early on Friday, police seized computers and data from the Brasilia office of Deputy Attorney General Jose Weber de Holanda Alves, who has been dismissed and is under investigation along with a dozen other people, including a former senator. “By presidential decision, all the government employees under investigation by the Federal Police will be dismissed or fired from their positions,” a statement form Rousseff’s office said. She ordered all agencies mentioned in the police probe to open internal investigations. Police are investigating possible bribery cases at several other federal agencies, including the Ministry of Education. While Noronha served as chief of staff of the president’s regional office in Sao Paulo, Rousseff had inherited her as a Lula appointee. Veja news magazine reported that Noronha, who was very close to Lula and traveled with him abroad when he was president, received bribes for influence peddling that included a luxury cruise trip and plastic surgery. - Reuters |
| British PM ‘open-minded’ on press regulation Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:02 PM PST  LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron is keeping an open mind about the regulation of the press, his office insisted yesterday, after a newspaper report claimed he would reject full-blown state regulation.British newspapers are nervously awaiting the publication on Thursday of the first results from an extensive judge-led inquiry into press standards which could result in tougher regulation of the industry. The Mail on Sunday reported that Cameron would beef up the current system of self-regulation and replace the Press Complaints Commission, which is staffed by newspaper editors. The newspaper said Cameron would stop short of tougher measures, but would hold out the threat that a statutory system could be brought in later if the behaviour of the press fails to improve. But Downing Street played down any suggestion that Cameron had already made up his mind on the Leveson report – named after the judge who is leading the inquiry – which is supposed to remain secret until Thursday. Cameron and a handful of senior government figures will see it on Wednesday to allow them to prepare their response. A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is open-minded about Lord Justice Leveson’s report and will read it in full before he makes any decision about what to do.” Victims of press intrusion are calling for the introduction of an independent regulator, with the backing of the law, while editors have warned that statutory regulation would limit press freedom and hamper investigative reporting. Cameron set up the inquiry in July last year in response to revelations that the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World hired a private investigator to hack the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler after she disappeared in 2002. - AFP |
| ETA calls for talks over ‘definitive end’ with Spain, France Posted: 24 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST
Basque newspaper Naiz published an advance summary of an ETA statement, which said the group wanted talks over the return of ETA prisoners to the northern Basque region, an end to its military structure, and a full disarmament. The paper said the full statement would be published on Sunday. ETA said in the statement that successful talks over those three areas “would bring about a definitive end of the armed conflict”. Just over a year ago ETA announced an end to a four-decade armed struggle for independence in which more than 800 people were killed, but did not fully end operations, nor turn over its weapons. ETA has broken ceasefires in the past. Spain’s Interior Ministry could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday. The government has repeatedly said it would not negotiate with ETA, and has called on the group to disarm and disband. ETA said in the statement that it would listen to proposals from both the Spanish and French governments over an end to the conflict. The group has lost support in the Basque Country and been crippled by numerous arrests and discoveries of arms caches in recent years, mostly in Spain and France. Earlier this month British police arrested a suspected ETA member in Liverpool linked to several murders, while its military head was arrested in France in October. The statement came four days after discussions were held between Basque political parties, labor unions, the Catholic Church, and French Socialists in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian. After that meeting the groups said an end to ETA was close. - Reuters |
| Catalonia election tests Spanish unity Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:57 PM PST
Opinion polls show two-thirds of voters in this region on the French border will cast ballots for parties, both rightist and leftist, that want Catalan independence from Spain. Catalan President Artur Mas will likely win re-election since his conservative Convergence and Union party is forecast to take a majority, some 62 to 64 seats, in the 135-seat regional assembly, or Parliament. Frustration over high unemployment and a deep recession have fueled a separatist resurgence in Catalonia, where polls show that for the first time more than half of the people want to break away from Spain. Many Catalans believe their economy would be more prosperous on its own, complaining that a high portion of their taxes go to the central government in Madrid. Mas, who adopted the independence cause in September after a massive street demonstration, campaigned on a promise to hold a referendum on secession. If he carries through with the pledge, it will put him on a collision course with Madrid, where Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will use the constitution to block a referendum. “Catalonia has never faced elections this important,” Mas said at a campaign rally this week. He told supporters he wanted to be the last president of Catalonia within Spain. A strong mandate for Mas and other Catalan independence leaders from the left will undermine Rajoy’s mission to persuade investors of Spain’s fiscal and political stability. Spain’s deep recession and high public deficit have put it at the heart of the euro zone debt crisis and the government’s borrowing costs are painfully high. Alicia Sanchez-Camacho, the candidate for Rajoy’s People’s Party in Catalonia has campaigned on a message that leaving Spain and the European Union would lead to economic disaster. The PP is vying to be the second biggest party in the Catalan Parliament with opinion polls forecasting it will win 17 seats. “Don’t stay at home (on election day) if you don’t want them to kick us out of Spain and out of Europe,” she said at a campaign rally this week. Polls open at 0800 GMT and close at 1900 GMT. Identity and economy In the rest of Spain the Catalan secession drive is viewed with disbelief and suspicion. Many Spaniards fear that if Catalonia moves to break away, the Basques could soon follow. Like Basques, Catalans speak their own language and have always seen themselves as distinct from the rest of Spain. The land of surrealist painter Salvador Dali and architect Antoni Gaudi prides itself on a regional character that blends pragmatism and idealism. Home to car factories and banks that generate one fifth of Spain’s economic wealth, Catalonia also has one of the world’s most successful football clubs, FC Barcelona. This year at Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou stadium fans started a new tradition. They chant “independence” at every game when the clock hits 17 minutes and 14 seconds – 1714 being the last year that Catalonia was under the Crown of Aragon before the Bourbon King Philip V united most of what is now Spain into one kingdom. Catalan independence movements have waxed and waned over the centuries. Secessionism had been politically dead since Spain returned to democracy and gave its 17 autonomous regions significant self-governing power in the 1978 Constitution. But now there is a widespread perception among Catalans that autonomy did not go far enough and the region is treated unfairly. Most supporters of Mas’s CiU party say the tax system drains resources from their region and that Madrid has refused to negotiate improvements. Even though the Catalan treasury is broke and Mas has had to cut spending on schools and hospitals, many people in the region still blame Madrid for their woes. “It’s like a marriage, when things are good then everything is fine, but when things go bad then you see if there really is any love there,” said Elias Banares, the 35-year-old owner of a shop that sells prams. He plans to vote for CiU. The political mood has driven demand for “esteladas,” a flag that symbolises the independence movement, with a lone star against the red and yellow stripes of the official Catalan banner. The “estelada,” once too politically risky for most Catalans to fly, now waves all over the Catalan capital, the Mediterranean port city of Barcelona. “In two weeks we’ve sold more than in the last eight years. Amazing figures,” said Margarita Bascompte, owner of a family business that makes the flags in the city of Vic, in the heart of the most pro-independence province of Catalonia. - Reuters |
| Italy center-left picks candidate for next prime minister Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:55 PM PST
Opinion surveys show Democratic Party leader Pier Luigi Bersani is front-runner among five candidates, followed by youthful Florence mayor Matteo Renzi, who has vowed to shake up Italy’s political establishment if he is chosen. Voting booths will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 local time (07:00 GMT to 19:00 GMT) with results due around midnight (23:00 GMT). About 3 million party and non-party voters are expected to take part. Bersani may fail to secure the 50 percent he needs for a first-round victory, which will mean a second round run-off will be held on December 2 to decide who will lead an alliance that is well ahead in opinion polls for the next election. In a second round Bersani is likely to pick up the votes of third-placed left-winger Nichi Vendola, the openly gay governor of the southern Puglia region. The party vote will eliminate a major element of uncertainty in Italian politics ahead of the national poll to choose a successor to Monti’s technocrat government. While the slick and dynamic Renzi, 37, is much more popular across the general population, canny career politician Bersani, 61, is favored by party supporters who will decide the primary. Both men reject the idea encouraged by international markets that the respected and sober Monti should return after the vote to continue his economic policies that have so far included unpopular spending cuts, tax rises and labor reform. Protests on Saturday by tens of thousands of students and workers from across the political spectrum highlighted the levels of discontent among Italians grappling with recession and rising unemployment in the euro zone’s third biggest economy. With Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party slumping in opinion polls to less than half its support in the last election in 2008, the center-left has a clear field to win the general election. However there are still several elements of uncertainty presented by the dramatic rise of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which is now second in polls for the next election, and the around 50 percent of Italians who say they are either undecided or will abstain. The center-right is due to hold its own primaries on Dec 16, but PDL secretary Angelino Alfano said on Saturday that may no longer make sense after Berlusconi told reporters he was again thinking about running, deepening chaos in his party. It is also still unclear what electoral system will be used for the national vote now expected on March 10-11, as politicians have been arguing for months over how to reform an unpopular electoral law that allows party leaders to hand-pick members of parliament. - Reuters |
| Bangladesh factory blaze kills nine, injures 100 Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:53 PM PST  DHAKA: At least nine people including seven women have died after a blaze tore through a garment factory outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, police said.The fire broke out at the ground-floor warehouse of the multi-storey Tazreen Fashions factory 30 kilometres north of Dhaka yesterday night, trapping hundreds of workers on the upper upper floors, police said. “So far we’ve nine dead including seven women,” police inspector Mostofa Kamal told AFP, adding about 100 workers were also injured, seven of whom were shifted to a top clinic in Dhaka including one in critical condition. Kamal said many workers jumped from the factory’s upper floors to escape the raging fire before fire-fighters arrived to put the blaze out after more than four hours. It was not immediately known what caused the blaze but fires due to short circuits and shoddy electrical wiring are common in Bangladeshi garment plants, which use cheap labour to produce clothes that are shipped to Western countries. Fire Brigade Director General Brigadier General Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah told reporters that they suspected the fire originated from an electrical short-circuit. “We can say it for sure after investigation.” He said a lack of water in the area delayed efforts to control the fire. Fire trucks in Bangladesh are not always equipped with enough water to put out blazes. In December 2010, at least 29 workers were killed, most jumping to their death from factory rooftop, after a fire gutted a Hameem Group factory, which was making apparel for Western retailers like Gap and JC Penney. - AFP |
| Thousands of Italians rally against Monti’s austerity Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:50 PM PST
Appointed a year ago when Italy came close to a Greek-style debt crisis, Monti has pushed through painful tax increases and spending cuts to try to rein in public finances at a time when schools and universities say they desperately need more support. “We need to fight for our rights. This government doesn’t represent us and these austerity measures and all the cuts they’ve introduced are totally anti-democratic,” said student protester Tommaso Bernardi, attending a rally in Rome. Far-right group Casapound marched through the capital Rome later on Saturday, chanting “Monti, go away!”. Anti-fascists staged a counter-demonstration in another part of town. “This government is making the nation starve and is destroying the social welfare system,” said Casapound president Gianluca Iannone. “The weakest are hit hardest – the disabled, students and single-income families.” Police organized different routes and times for the rallies to reduce the risk of violence after scuffles broke out between police and demonstrators during protests on November 14 that saw the police criticized for heavy-handed tactics. Several thousand students and workers also rallied in other cities including Naples, Florence and Catania. No clashes were reported but the widespread protests highlighted the scale of discontent in the recession-hit country ahead of parliamentary elections next year. Occupied schools “We need to change this country, starting from investments in schools, universities and culture,” said Michele Orezzi, a university union coordinator, adding that Italy’s education system was “crumbling into pieces”. With youth unemployment at about 35 percent, more than three times the national average, and Monti’s austerity policies biting into education spending, school pupils and university students have taken an active role in anti-government protests. Much anger is focused on an education reform bill going through parliament that would give schools more autonomy and allow them to accept other sources of funding than the state. Protesters believe this is intended to encourage privatisation. Students have occupied schools around Rome in recent weeks to express their anger and frustration at repeated funding cuts, chaining gates shut and camping inside classrooms. Monti has defended his austerity plan, saying he believes his technocrat government will be remembered for having helped Italy pull itself out of a deep economic crisis without needing to resort to external aid. Italy has been the European Union’s most sluggish economy for more than a decade, fuelling investor concerns about its ability to bring down public debt of around 126 percent of output. - Reuters |
| Iraqi Kurds send more troops into standoff with Iraq army Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:48 PM PST
The second military buildup this year illustrates how far relations between Baghdad’s central government, led by Shi’ite Muslim Arabs, and ethnic Kurds have deteriorated, testing Iraq’s federal cohesion nearly a year after US troops left. Baghdad and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region earlier this week began sending troops to an area over which they both claim jurisdiction, raising tensions in a long-running feud over land and oil rights. More Kurdish troops and tanks were mobilised yesterday and headed towards the disputed areas, the deputy minister for Kurdish military affairs said late on Saturday, adding that they would hold their positions unless Iraqi forces made a move. “If they overstep the line, we will strike them,” Anwar Haji Osman said. The Iraqi army and Kurdish troops have previously come close to confrontation only to pull back at the last moment, flexing their muscles but lacking any real appetite for a fight. Iraq’s speaker of parliament, who visited Kurdish President Massoud Barzani on Friday, said “significant progress” had been made towards defusing the standoff and that a meeting between military leaders from both sides would be held on Monday in the Defence Ministry in Baghdad. Washington intervened to end a similar standoff in August and is again in contact with Iraqi and Kurdish officials to ease tension mounting over the formation of a new command center for Iraqi forces to operate in the disputed areas. Kurds say the Dijla Operations Command is a threat to them and an attempt by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to seize control over the oil rich territories along the internal border that demarcates the Kurdish region from the rest of Iraq. Maliki says the Dijla Operations Command is necessary to keep order in one of the most volatile parts of the country. Barzani on Saturday turned down an invitation from Shi’ite cleric and lawmaker Moqtada al-Sadr to meet with Maliki to discuss the situation. In a statement posted on the Kurdistan regional government’s website, Barzani’s spokesman said he had refused because the matter was not personal, but rather a result of Maliki’s “constant non-commitment to the constitution”. The latest flare-up began one week ago when Iraqi troops went after a fuel smuggler who had taken refuge in the office of a Kurdish political party in Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (106 miles) north of the capital, sparking a clash with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in which one passerby was killed. Maliki has sparred more aggressively with Barzani since the withdrawal last year of US troops who had served as a buffer between the federal Baghdad government and Kurdistan. - Reuters |
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