FMT News |  |
- KL shares end lower
- Shahrizat’s May 13 remark a ‘crime’
- Asian markets mixed as China data offset by US worries
- ’1,000 foreign workers died in M’sia last year’
- Bank Negara no power to return frozen money
- Ronnie Liu stands his ground
- South Africa crush Australia to clinch series
- Nomura: ETP investments to propel M’sia’s growth
- India awaits Olympic ban verdict
- Ex-aide damns ex-IGP in SD
- ‘Missing’ delegates at Penang DAP convention
- Bimbang PM Melayu Pakatan tidak peduli Melayu
- SAC’s Cohen shows no signs of retreat despite scandal
- Share prices trade lower at midday
- ‘No gains from Deepavali carnival’
- Ponting bows out after 17-year Test career
- Health D-G demoted over ‘khalwat’ case
- HWANGDBS positive on FGV’s replanting programme
- Najib in control of Umno
- Samy least qualified to criticise Pakatan S’gor
- It’s time to stand up and fight like a girl!
- FMT-Universal Music Robbie Williams contest
- Obama salutes entertainers
- Anwar: I’m not behind Deepak, Musa
- Chin’s U-turn may ruin BN’s chances
- ‘Dr M tells Umno leaders to kill Najib after GE’
- Former leader says MIC being shortchanged
- Restaurant with wedding chapel
- Ghani bakal lepaskan jawatan MB Johor?
- MAS still faces turbulent weather
- CM uses inter-faith dinner to bash Umno
- The fear to hold polls
- ‘Life of Pi’ shows bond, but tigers still under threat
- Thousands attend Pakatan ceramah in Umno territory
- DAP must stick to Pakatan plot
- Jerit lancar Rakyat Pengayuh Perubahan
- UK Heriot-Watt University opens campus in Malaysia
- India’s ‘dancing bears’ retire
- PAS dakwa Umno panik
- TNB signs PPA with its subsidiary TPSB
- Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan
- Pemuda PAS desak suruhanjaya bebas siasat Hishammuddin
- Indonesia’s Blue Bird taxis may hit KL streets
- Twilight outshines Bond
- Tenaga mulls phase 5 expansion of Manjung plant
- Psy admits he gets sick of ‘Gangnam Style’
- Star Trek’s future is history in new book
- Demolition of shrine illegal and unforgivable
- KL shares lower in early trade
- Questions on Rasa Ria remain unanswered
| Posted: 03 Dec 2012 02:25 AM PST
At close, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) erased 3.48 points to 1,607.35 after opening at 1,608.31. The market barometer moved within a tight range of between 1,606.38 and 1,610.46 throughout the day. “They [investors] are cautious and holding back fresh purchases as a result of the uncertainty over the outcome of the impending general election,” Mercury Securities spokesman told Bernama. In the absence of fresh catalyst from the local front, he said market performance regionally was perturbed over the blurry progress on the US fiscal cliff. “Re-elected President Barack Obama also did not give full commitment over this issue,” he added. However, buying support was partly supported by better-than-expected China’s manufacturing data which signalled positive growth for Asia’s biggest economy. Losers outpaced gainers 394 to 278 while 316 counters were unchanged, 650 untraded and 22 others were suspended. Volume fell to 728.743 million shares, worth RM1.275 billion, from Friday’s 1.18 billion shares worth RM2.21 billion. The Finance Index added 7.12 points to 14,962.18, the Industrial Index climbed 6.07 points to 2,662.71 and the Plantation Index garnered 17.85 points to 7,925.29. The FBM Ace Index shed 2.81 points to 4,171.34, the FBM Emas Index lost 15.101 points to 10,964.38, the FBMT100 erased 13.98 points to 10,815.25 but the FBM Mid 70 Index jumped 28.89 points to 12,083.0. Among actives, Tiger Synergy declined 6.5 sen to 35 sen, Patimas Computers was half-a-sen lower at two sen while Nextnation Communication rose half-a-sen to 12 sen. Of heavyweights, Maybank lost three sen to RM9.02, CIMB earned a sen to RM7.48, Sime Darby shed a sen to RM8.96 while Axiata decreased two sen to RM5.90. Volume on the Main Market eased to 592.779 million units valued at RM1.259 billion from 911.78 million shares valued at RM2.18 billion. Turnover on the ACE Market was lower at 91.108 million shares valued at RM12.908 million compared with 203.3 million shares worth RM24.85 million. Warrants declined to 44.340 units, worth RM2.584 million, from 72.5 million units, worth RM3.74 million, previously. Consumer products accounted for 48.93 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products 173.48 million, construction 16.27 million, trade and services 220.73 million, technology 30.82 million, infrastructure 10.20 million, finance 32.93 million, hotels 422,200, properties 37.53 million, plantations 13.81 million, mining 79,100, REITs 7.55 million and closed/fund 31,000. - Bernama |
| Shahrizat’s May 13 remark a ‘crime’ Posted: 03 Dec 2012 02:13 AM PST
The opposition leader said that it is an attempt to sow animosity among the races and to spread fear of violence and bloodshed if Umno loses power. “This is not only reckless but highly seditious and therefore criminal,” he told a press conference this morning. Anwar said that while he understands that Shahrizat was trying to revive her political career after the damaging cattle rearing National Feedlot Centre scandal, it is “inexcusable to resort to such low hand tactics”. He said this “relentless campaign of hate and fear mongering” is a prelude to a loss of power scenario which Umno fears will come true if Pakatan Rakyat takes over the government. “With the mainstream media at its complete disposal, Umno is using every trick in the book to sow racial discord and instil fear among the people of the consequences that will befall them when Pakatan Rakyat comes to power. “The just-concluded Umno general assembly provided yet another pretext to go on overdrive in this offensive of lies and intimidation led by Prime Minister and Umno president Najib Tun Razak. “We condemn his reckless statement that Malaysia will lose its sovereignty in three years after Pakatan takes over,” he added. Anwar claimed that the prime minister’s statement aims to sow the seeds of distrust among the people that Pakatan leaders are traitors who will pawn the nation's sovereignty for political power. “Citing no facts nor providing any evidence, Najib's scurrilous suggestion is therefore totally unfounded and can only be made by someone who has neither respect for the truth nor any sense of moral rectitude,” he added. Shahrizat had raised the May 13 riots during the opening of the Wanita Umno general assembly here to encourage delegates to work harder for Umno’s victory. The politician told delegates that a weak Umno would spread uneasiness among the Malay community and possibly invite the same racial conflict that caused the bloodshed during the 1969 tragedy. "Do we want to such a terrible situation repeated in our country? Of course we do not," she had said, according to the text copy of her opening address to those gathered at Dewan Merdeka here. |
| Asian markets mixed as China data offset by US worries Posted: 03 Dec 2012 01:55 AM PST
Indonesia's benchmark index rose 0.62%, up 26.30 points to close at 4,302.44. A total of 4.69 billion shares valued at nearly Rp5.58 trillion were exchanged in Jakarta today, according to Bloomberg data. The Jakarta Composite Index's decliners outnumbered advancers, 143 to 116. Tokyo closed 0.13%, or 12.17 points, higher at 9,458.18, Seoul ended up 0.37%, or 7.12 points, to 1,940.02 and Sydney gained 0.57%, or 25.5 points, to 4,531.5. But in afternoon trade Hong Kong was 0.34% lower and Shanghai was down 0.36%. Beijing said on Saturday that factory activity grew for the second month in a row in November, the latest figures showing the world's number two economy is emerging from its recent slowdown. The country's official purchasing managers' index (PMI) reached 50.6, up from 50.2 in October and 49.8 in September and the highest since hitting 53.3 in April. Anything above 50 indicates expansion. In a separate survey, HSBC said its PMI hit a 13-month high of 50.5 in November from 49.5 in October. The bank's PMI had been in negative territory for 12 months. Chinese manufacturing has been hit by weaker demand in Europe and the United States, with economic growth hitting a more than three-year low of 7.4% in the July-September quarter. A more upbeat outlook for China filtered through to currency markets, where the euro continued its recent rise. The single currency gained to US$1.3023 and 107.17 yen in afternoon trade, from US$1.2982 and 107.07 yen in New York late on Friday. The dollar eased to 82.28 yen from 82.48 yen in US trade. The yen has weakened over the past few weeks as investors expect a win in Dec 16 polls for Shinzo Abe, the opposition leader who has pledged to carry out more aggressive monetary easing measures to jump start Japan's limp economy. However, there are worries over the lack of progress US lawmakers are making in agreeing a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff of tax hikes and spending cuts due to come into effect on Jan 1 and that could tip the economy into recession. Republican House Speaker John Boehner told the Fox News Sunday TV show that talks were going "nowhere." He said he was "flabbergasted" when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, President Barack Obama's point man for the talks, presented the White House's proposal, which included huge tax increases for the rich. "I looked [at] him and said, 'You can't be serious,'" Boehner recounted, saying three of the seven weeks available had "been wasted with this nonsense." "Right now, I would say — we're nowhere, period. We're nowhere" toward reaching a compromise. Oil prices were higher. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January, gained nine US cents to US$89 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for January delivery added 33 US cents to US$111.56. Gold was at US$1,718.70 at 0640 GMT compared with US$1,728.37 late on Friday. - AFP |
| ’1,000 foreign workers died in M’sia last year’ Posted: 03 Dec 2012 01:49 AM PST
PETALING JAYA: More than 1,000 foreign workers died from accidents, illnesses and suicide in Malaysia last year, while thousands of immigrant workers have lost their lives in the country over the last few years, an Al Jazeera report claimed. “They [foreign workers in Malaysia] work in so-called ’3D’ conditions – dirty, dangerous and difficult,” the international television station said in a programme called 101 East. In a 25-minute video report by Chan Tau Chou entitled “Worked to Death”, Al Jazeera claimed that the high death rate is a result of slack safety standards, poor housing conditions and weak enforcement of laws to protect the foreign labour. It claimed that Malaysia was the largest importer of labour in Asia where migrant workers provide cheap labour in construction, manufacturing and plantation industries. “There are more than three million foreign workers, of which nearly a third are undocumented. Most of the migrant workers come from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Nepal. “Desperate to repay debts from the high recruitment agency fees and under financial pressure from their families back home, migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation. Many suffer non-payment of wages, abuse, serious injuries and even death,” the report claimed. The video report depicts the mundane and often extremely dangerous lifestyle migrant workers are subjected to in Malaysia. It also features the plight of these foreign workers, who are ill-protected against exploitation which involves the non-payment of salaries, physical abuse and most significantly, death. Gruesome experiences The report also features Human Resource Minister, Dr S Subramaniam, who denied these allegations. “You are telling about 1,200 fellows dying a year… how can? No, no, no… this is not true, absolutely not true. We keep track of the numbers,” he said in the report. The Al Jazeera report claimed that foreign workers were also exposed to various work-related mistreatment. This, the report alleged, was because the workers do not have an institution to voice out their frustrations and gruesome experiences, as these migrant workers were not permitted to join trade unions. "They come here to work, but they end up dying", Bed Kumar Khatiwada, a Nepali trade unionist based in Malaysia, was quoted as saying in the report. He said that there is a notable lack of enforcement of labour laws, especially when it involves foreign workers who are injured while on duty and are not compensated monetarily. He said the Workmen's Compensation Act 1952 has compensation packages for migrant workers which sums up to an inadequate amount, compared to the amount offered by the Social Security Organization (SOCSO) for local workers. This is just one of many biased provisions in existing labour laws which clearly place migrant workers at the losing end. The report summed up that the main issue here was a lack of a detailed and thoroughly solid migrant worker policy and unimaginably weak enforcement by the government. Also read: |
| Bank Negara no power to return frozen money Posted: 03 Dec 2012 01:42 AM PST
Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim Siang Chai said any assets involved in criminal proceedings could only be administered with a court order. “Investors can file a third party suit to the court for the return of their money or assets,” he told the Dewan Negara today. He was responding to a supplementary question by Senator Chew Lee Giok who wanted to know whether investors in illegal investments schemes whose assets had been frozen could have back the money they had invested. Lim said any action to that effect by Bank Negara or any the enforcement agencies would only be taken against any investment companies if they had breached the provisions in the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001. Earlier, in response to an original question from Chew on the difference between a legal and illegal gold investment schemes, Lim said the illegal ones would normally offer high profit within a short period and involved no risk. “They also use the names of VIPs or enforcement agencies without their permission to convince the people,” he added. As such, he advised the people to check the background of the companies concerned before agreeing to invest with them. |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2012 01:26 AM PST
He maintained that Klang was historically known to be below sea level, evident by the town's Hokkien name, and the indiscriminate disposal of rubbish into drains contributed to the floods. He said his critics were simply "fault-finders" and that the local council has done its job to collect the rubbish. Former DAP man Tan Tuan Tat said it did not make sense for Liu to say that the floods were caused by high tides, rubbish pollution and Klang town being situated below sea level. Liu said this when replying to a question at the Selangor State Legislative assembly last week. Tan said only the area near Port Klang faces potential flash floods during high tide, and the state should not blame the public for its council’s failure to collect rubbish on time. Klang Flood Action Committee member Teh Teong Guan said that Liu's remarks were in stark contrast to his earlier statement that floods were caused by irresponsible developers. Referring to The Star's report on Nov 30, he said Liu blamed developers who did not comply with rules and regulations as the cause of the floods, but told a different story later. A check by FMT found that Liu, the Pandamaran assemblyman, did make the statement on developers when answering a question on floods in the Kajang Municipal Council's areas. Liu today said that it was indeed true to say that irresponsible developers, Klang's nature of the terrain and rubbish pollution were the causes of floods in the town. "Sometimes developers refuse to build retention ponds, that’s what causes the floods. “And the reason why Klang is called Pa Sang (pasang) in Hokkien is because high tides and low tides affect the town," he said. On the poor rubbish collection, Liu said the Klang Municipal Council is the only local authority in Selangor that has back-up rubbish collectors to complement its appointed contractors. "But it is very challenging task, because there are many foreign labourers in Klang, that’s why our notices nowadays are all written in Bangladeshi or Burmese language," he said. He said for a thorough solution to Klang’s flood woes, the federal agency, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, has estimated the cost to be RM1.2 billion but had not funneled the fund to the state. Liu suspected that the criticisms levelled at him were "politically-motivated" as the DAP party election approaches this month. "They should do something more productive help to fight for the funds from the federal government. How do you expect a chef to cook if you don’t have the ingredients?" he asked. Also read: Liu rapped over Klang's flood woes |
| South Africa crush Australia to clinch series Posted: 03 Dec 2012 01:25 AM PST
Australia, 40-0 overnight, were bowled out for 322 in their second innings and never looked getting anywhere near the victory target of 632 which would have allowed them to leapfrog the Proteas to return to the summit of the game. Ponting made a modest eight in his 287th and final test innings but the day belonged to the Proteas, who inflicted a first test defeat on Australia in 2012. The hosts had the better of the drawn tests in Brisbane and Adelaide but the tourists struck back with some brilliant cricket in Perth to become the first team since West Indies in the 1980s and 1990s to win consecutive series Down Under -Reuters |
| Nomura: ETP investments to propel M’sia’s growth Posted: 03 Dec 2012 01:06 AM PST
Its South East Asian economist, Euben Paracuelles, was also positive of the ringgit’s outlook and projected that the currency would appreciate to RM2.92 against the US dollar by end-2013 and RM3.02 by year-end. He said capital inflows into Malaysia was continuing and this would be supportive of Asian currencies. “In the run-up to the general election, the ringgit tends to be strong. There are no signs of capital flight because of elections concerns. We’ve been talking about the elections for a while,” he told a press conference on the fixed income outlook for 2013 and in conjunction with the release of a report on the outlook for Asia next year. He said Malaysia had done very well in terms of the overall economic management since the 2008 financial crisis and expected a full-year Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of above 5% in 2012. “And, Malaysia has done very well and the growth for this year is above 5%," he said. However, Paracuelles said the country’s GDP growth in 2013 was expected to slow down to 4.3% in the face of weakening domestic and external demand. The consumer price index inflation will average 2.4% in 2013, higher than 1.7% recorded in 2012 due to higher wage hikes, cost push pressures and modest subsidy adjustments. Paracuelles pointed out that Bank Negara Malaysia would maintain its policy rate throughout the first half of next year before gradually hiking it by 50 basis points in the third quarter. “I think in terms of monetary policy, the BNM has been very clear about its stance. It is not just about inflation and growth they are worried about. “It is all about financial imbalances that comes with keeping rates too low for too long. I think the bias of BNM is to normalise rates as soon as it can. I don’t see them cutting the rates from here,” he added. Meanwhile, Nomura International chief economist Robert Subbaraman said 2013 would be another tough year for advanced economies and the growth of developing economies was expected to be weaker next year than in 2012. He also said Asian economies would remain resilient buoyed, among others, by China and robust capital inflows into the region. - Bernama |
| India awaits Olympic ban verdict Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:31 AM PST
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board, which meets in Lausanne on December 4 and 5, will decide if India should be suspended for flouting the Olympic charter in its election process. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had been directed by a Delhi court to hold elections according to the government’s sports code, while the IOC wanted it to abide by the Olympic charter that favours autonomy. Elections to the faction-ridden IOA are due to be held on December 5, but have become a formality after a rival group led by IOC member Randhir Singh withdrew from the contest last month. It left tainted sports official Lalit Bhanot elected unopposed as the IOA’s secretary-general, while Haryana state politician Abhey Singh Chautala was set to take over as president. Bhanot is out on bail after being held in custody for 11 months last year over corruption charges during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi when he was secretary-general of the organising committee. The IOC Ethics Commission had in October warned the Indian body against fielding either Bhanot or former IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi — who is also on bail over corruption charges. Chautala, known to be a close associate of Kalmadi, said there was nothing wrong in Bhanot contesting elections since he had not been convicted. “Many people have cases pending against them, but they can’t be called guilty till the courts say so,” Chautala told reporters last week. “Bhanot has every right to contest.” Chautala said two IOA members had been deputed to meet IOC officials in Lausanne ahead of the possible vote against India at the Executive Board meeting. Suspension from IOC membership would mean India would not receive IOC funding and its officials would be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events. India’s athletes would also be barred from competing in the Olympics under the national flag, although the IOC could allow some to take part under the Olympic flag. India’s lone individual Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra said seeing Bhanot elected as the IOA secretary-general made his “blood boil”. “It’s about politics and stooping to a new low,” rifle shooter Bindra wrote in the Hindustan Times on Sunday. “It is agonising to see such people coming back.” But he added: “If our Olympic association is banned, it could be a blessing in disguise. With no multi-sport event in 2013, Indian athletes could… unite to change the present system.” Clean Sports India (CSI), a body of former sportspersons seeking a corruption-free sports administration, also supported the IOC’s stand. “If medicines do not work, it needs a surgery,” said CSI official and former shooter Morad Ali Khan. “IOC’s threat of suspension is a surgery for the Indian sporting system.” -AFP |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:29 AM PST
The police force, which is ailing from a serious public confidence crisis, was dealt another black eye last week by none other than its former chief Musa Hassan. The former inspector-general, whom detractors had accused of having several closets laden with skeletons himself, claimed that criminal elements had infiltrated the force. Pointing the finger at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Musa also charged that politicians interfered with investigations. But his successor Ismail Omar downplayed the allegations as unimportant while Hishammuddin questioned the timing of Musa’s revelations which came during the Umno annual general assembly. The snub by his successor led an infuriated Musa, who had described Ismail as a "good man" just hours before, to denounce him as a "snob" later. Amid this raging controversy, a statutory declaration (SD) made in 2009 had now re-surfaced. The document accused Musa of a slew of wrongdoings during his tenure and exposed how he had purportedly ruled with an iron fist, silencing critics with transfers and trumped-up charges. The SD was by police officer Noor Azizul Rahim Taharim, who served as Musa’s aide de camp from 2005 to 2007. Azizul claimed that during the period which he served under Musa, he had witnessed numerous things which caused him to lose confidence in the latter’s leadership. Likening his former boss to a "pengkhianat" (traitor), he said: "Many of his [Musa's] actions undermined the integrity and credibility of PDRM…" "On many occasions, I observed that the public persona displayed by Musa was opposite to his private conduct. Musa’s actions constituted an act of betrayal of his oath of office," he added. Azizul claimed that former CID director Christopher Wan had revealed to him that Musa had directed the setting up of a covert blog to publish allegations of corruption against then deputy home minister Johari Baharom. The contents of the blog, he said, damaged Johari’s reputation and subjected him to a probe by the then Anti-Corruption Agency (now known as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission). "I am also aware of the statutory declarations made by several policemen, police informants and subjects of police actions showing links between Musa and the underworld, specifically concerning restricted residence detainee Goh Cheng Poh @ Tongku and one shadowy figure, BK Tan. "Based on my personal knowledge and involvement as the ADC to the IGP, I can confirm that the statements made by these deponents concerning Musa were true…," he alleged. Referring to the SDs of ASP Mior Fahim Ahmad and ASP Hong Kin Hock, Azizul confirmed that their allegations had basis. The pair had claimed that there was manipulation of promotions, ranks and postings in the PDRM involving BK Tan. "I have personal knowledge and involvement in that I was asked to compile and coordinate such posting orders based on the drafts and proposals made by BK Tan. "Officers were transferred to achieve certain objectives. In some cases, there were ‘entrapments’ that made certain officers appear guilty of wrongdoings. In others, allegations were made against certain officers that resulted in them being given 24-hour transfer orders or short notice transfers. "This gave the impression that Musa was eradicating corruption and abuses within PDRM… in most cases that was the furthest from the truth," said Azizul. "The credibility of these officers would be ‘demolished’ such that whatsoever information they gathered about Musa would be discredited. These officers would suffer hardship being transferred away from their families and home base. They would also get bypassed in promotions and suffer disciplinary action without the proper process. "Consequently, less able officers climbed the ranks and the victimised officers were used as warnings against others… This process of ‘mecantas’ [pruning] explains the apparent lack of ability by PDRM to tackle crime, the lack of motivation and low morale within PDRM that saw crime escalating at an alarming rate during Musa’s tenure," he added. ‘Government was fully behind him’ Azizul revealed that he had informed various individuals, both within and outside the police force, regarding this matter but nothing was done to curb Musa. Among those he had turned to included former IGP Haniff Omar and ex-home minister Radzi Sheikh Ahmad. "I also informed former CCD [commercial crime department] director Ramli Yussuf, whom I knew had been Musa’s superior for six years and who at the time was investigating some money-lending syndicate. "I believe that Ramli would have reported the information to the deputy home minister within the scope of his investigations on the money-lending syndicate," he said. However, Azizul said nothing could be done against Musa when former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave him a two-year extension in 2007. "This served as a powerful endorsement that the government was fully behind Musa. A sense of fear also gripped many within PDRM and outside when not long after that in October 2007, the lawyer who assisted CCD [Ramli] in the Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku matter [after the AG Chambers declined to prepare affidavits for the CCD], was himself arrested in a most humiliating manner and charged one day before Aidilfitri. "The message was clear that Musa had the support of the ACA, the attorney-general and the prime minister in all his actions. The fear among officers in PDRM became the need for self-preservation after six rank and file policemen including Ramli were charged with various offences. Not long after that, the AG ordered the release of the said Goh Cheng Ph @ Tongku. "Many in PDRM became demoralised that a criminal was released by resorting to legal niceties whereas our own fellow brothers were charged," he added. Meanwhile, former MACC adviser Robert Phang, who took Azizul to meet ex-IGP Haniff over his SD, said that Azizul was not willing to come out into the open. "However, if a royal commission of inquiry was set up to probe the matter, then Azizul would be willing to testify," he told FMT. |
| ‘Missing’ delegates at Penang DAP convention Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:21 AM PST
Those who remained were either having a snooze or were talking among themselves, paying scant attention to the speakers. This prompted Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who, by nature, is reserved to say that perhaps they should have lucky draws with cars and condominiums as prizes. Chow’s remarks may not apply to Penang alone. There was a poor turnout at the Selangor convention and the situation was similar in some other states. But Chow, being the wily old politician, corrected himself by saying it was the same for other political parties. But, here Chow, the Tanjong MP, stand to be corrected. At the PAS muktamar, one had to line up to use the restrooms, while at the Umno general assembly, they sat on the floor to listen to the proceedings. “We should not read too much into it as this is not an election year at the state level,” said state DAP Youth activist Chris Lee. Testament of power DAP’s power base basically revolves around Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and parts of Johor. It now also has a growing presence in Sarawak and a moderate representation in Sabah. A political observer here, Ng Whien Chin, says DAP has always been a top-heavy organisation in terms of active members . “DAP, however, is a party populated more by high-octane personalities than those with a crowd following. The exception now is DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who is popular among the grasssroots,” Ng said. Lim would be revered in DAP and become its permanent statesman, if he can deliver Putrajaya, similar to how his father Kit Siang had managed the party through the turbulent years , Ng claimed. Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi shares the same view as Lee over the turnout, saying that usually, conventions only have a reasonable turnout – not an overwhelming one since there is no election. But Ng does not agree. He says from a neutral view, accumulating a crowd is a testament of power and to illustrate to the fence-sitters that DAP is not to be taken for granted by either Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. “Penang has one of the highest number of fence-sitters as the people here are highly educated and independent-minded.” he said. A power broker As the Chinese electorate ground is said to be solidly behind the Anwar Ibrahim-driven Pakatan, DAP is speculated to be a power broker when the “dust settles” after the coming election. PKR has wavered after a spate of defections while PAS seems to be mired in its Islamist movement world, having unsettled DAP with its uncompromising stance on "hudud" and enforcing their own moral code. DAP chairman Karpal Singh remained steadfast through this maze though, saying the party must stick by its principles whether in government or in the opposition. Karpal scolded the local authorities in Selangor and Kelantan for their alleged undemocratic measures. He was referring to an unpopular plan to build a housing project near Batu Caves and the summons issued to hair salon operators in Kelantan for allowing their females workers to cut the hair of the male patrons. On the surface, it looks like all is not well within DAP. The grassroots members in Penang are not happy that DAP is unable to differentiate between what is government and what is party. A sense of uneasiness has also engulfed members here over how Lim is importing in young talent, who are an unproven lot in DAP. Ng said all these may not derail the party from securing its seats here, as many voters in Penang simply hate BN, and are willing to overlook DAP’s shortcomings. |
| Bimbang PM Melayu Pakatan tidak peduli Melayu Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:15 AM PST
“Kita bimbang Perdana Menteri Melayu tidak akan mempedulikan orang Melayu. Itulah yang kita bimbangkan,” kata Abdul Rahman yang juga ahli parlimen Kota Belud serta setiausaha Umno Sabah. Beliau berkata demikian ketika mengulas pengumuman pengerusi DAP Pulau Pinang, Chow Kon Yeow ketika berucap dalam konvensyen tahunan DAP negeri Pulau Pinang 2012. “Kita mahu menyakinkan orang-orang Melayu bahawa orang Melayu tidak akan hilang kuasa di tanah sendiri. Cuma UMNO yang akan hilang kuasa dalam arena politik Malaysia. “Orang Melayu masih boleh pegang kuasa dalam aturan politik baru yang dipepolori oleh PR,” kata Chow juga ialah ahli parlimen Tanjong dan Adun Padang Kota pada hari Sabtu lalu. Mengulas lebih lanjut Abdul Rahman berkata dalam tempoh lima tahun berkuasa di peringkat negeri, tiada satu institusi kerajaan yang mewakili orang Melayu dan Bumiputera yang tidak dicemuh para pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat. “Dasar Ekonomi Baru, Mara, Felda dan institusi diraja… semuanya dicemuh oleh Pakatan,” kata Rahman. Merujuk kepada bajet alternatif Pakatan Rakyat, Rahman berkata: “Tiada satu ayat di dalam bajet tersebut yang merujuk kepada masyarakat Melayu dan Islam.” Beliau turut mengkritik dasar kepimpinan DAP di Pulau Pinang yang memaksa orang Melayu keluar dari kawasan pulau. ‘Orang Melayu terpaksa keluar’ “Orang Melayu terpaksa keluar dari pulau kerana kos perumahan yang tinggi. DAP juga tidak sensitif memaksa orang Melayu berpindah ke kawasan rumah kos rendah berhampiran dengan kilang di tanah besar,” kata Rahman. Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Pulau Pinang Mujahid Yusof Rawa bagaimanapun mempertahankan kenyataan Chow. “Orang Melayu ialah faktor perubahan dan penentu politik Malaysia. Kenyataan bahawa orang Melayu akan hilang kuasa ialah satu pembohongan yang tidak berpijak di bumi nyata,” kata beliau yang juga merupakan ahli parlimen Parit Buntar. Beliau menegaskan bahawa kedudukan orang Melayu tidak akan tergugat kerana ia sudah terjamin menerusi peruntukan di dalam perlembagaan. Mujahid turut menambah PAS akan mewakili kepentingan Melayu. “Orang Melayu akan ada alternatif di dalam PAS. Yang tiada ialah Umno. Ini tidak bermakna Melayu terhapus,” kata beliau. |
| SAC’s Cohen shows no signs of retreat despite scandal Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:43 PM PST
Over the past week, Cohen, long envied on Wall Street for his years of double-digit returns, has absorbed a one-two punch as yet another of his former managers was arrested on insider trading charges and US securities regulators warned they may file civil charges against his 20-year-old hedge fund firm. For many managers, this kind of news would have been personally devastating and might have prompted a retreat. But if anyone thought the 56-year-old billionaire might use the heightened regulatory scrutiny as reason to retire early and close up shop, they are mistaken. That is the message Cohen conveyed to investors on a call last Wednesday. Employees of SAC heard from him a day later. These people said it is business as usual at Stamford, Connecticut-based SAC, where employees have grown accustomed to drawing scrutiny from federal authorities for several years now. To date, federal authorities have charged or implicated seven former employees of SAC Capital with insider trading while working at the firm, but have not alleged any wrongdoing by Cohen himself. Personally signed off The criminal and civil charges filed on Nov 20 against Mathew Martoma come closest to Cohen because authorities allege the SAC Capital owner personally signed off on the trades by Martoma that generated profits and avoided losses totalling US$276 million. But securities lawyers said the government may have a tough time finding evidence that Cohen knew Martoma had relied on illegal information to trade, and that may bolster Cohen’s resolve not to make any radical changes at SAC. And his results remain good. His main fund has returned 10% this year, while hedge funds on average have risen only 5% according to industry tracker HFR. “Managing hedge funds is in Steve Cohen’s blood,” said Don Steinbrugge, managing partner at Agecroft Partners, a hedge fund industry consulting and marketing firm. “He is one of the most successful managers in the history of the industry. I would expect him to fight the accusations with all of the energy he has.” The early indications are that most of Cohen’s outside investors, which include an investment fund managed by private equity firm Blackstone Group, aren’t looking for the exits. His 900 employees also don’t appear ready to move on either, according to investor sources and Wall Street headhunters. One investor said he was reassured when SAC president Tom Conheeney emphasised on Wednesday’s call that the possible charges would be civil and not criminal, giving the investor the feeling that the accusations of insider trading may not be as “big a deal as it was being made out to be”. The firm declined to comment beyond the statement made following Martoma’s arrest. In that statement, the firm said: “Mr Cohen and SAC are confident that they have acted appropriately.” Fortune Before the investor call, there had been some speculation on Wall Street that Cohen might tell investors he planned to return their money. With outside investors making up only 40% of the fund’s assets, Cohen could easily follow in the footsteps of elder industry statesmen George Soros and Carl Icahn and convert his firm into a family office where he invests only his personal fortune. At least US$6 billion of SAC Capital’s money is believed to be Cohen’s. In recent years, he’s become an avid art collector, with a number of Jeff Koons sculptures gracing the grounds of his 30-room mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. Cohen, who grew up on Long Island in Great Neck, New York, is also pursuing the kind of charitable legacy building done by other famous Wall Street money managers. In 2010, the North Shore-LIJ’s pediatric hospital was renamed the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, after Cohen and his second wife in recognition of their donations. More recently, he took a minority ownership stake in the New York Mets baseball team after failing to win the rights to buy another team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. But people who know Cohen say that even while he has scaled back his involvement some in the firm’s day-to-day trading, he’s not the kind of person to leave it all behind. That’s even more the case with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continuing to look into allegations of improper trading at SAC Capital – something the FBI has been doing since 2007. Source of information In the complaint against Martoma, the fund manager who allegedly used illegal tips from a doctor to sell shares in two healthcare companies and save SAC roughly a quarter of a billion dollars in losses, the government said Cohen was intimately involved in the sales. Securities defence lawyers said that one important thing that was absent from the complaint was evidence suggesting Cohen knew the source of Martoma’s information. “The SEC and the government have had quite a bit of success against some of the insider trading cases they’ve prosecuted. But the SEC has also been taking a lot of hits in recent years,” said Stephen Plotnick, a partner at law firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn. The government said Martoma and Cohen spoke by telephone on a Sunday in the summer of 2008 about Martoma’s plan to sell SAC’s holdings in Elan and Wyeth, now owned by Pfizer. For Cohen’s managers, calls on Sunday afternoons are nothing unusual, and are in fact a regular part of the job. The work week at SAC generally begins then with rigorous grillings from Cohen about managers’ “best ideas” and strongest convictions on stocks and other securities. People who know Cohen said given the magnitude of the position Martoma was moving, it would be impossible for the boss not to be personally involved in the trade. Martoma earned a US$9.3 million bonus in 2008, based largely on his success in trading Elan and Wyeth. There’s no evidence in either the criminal complaint or civil complaint filed by the SEC that Martoma told Cohen how he came to his decision to recommend reversing the hedge fund’s view on Elan and Wyeth and why he had soured on the clinical drug trial being conducted by the two companies on an Alzheimer treatment drug. While these people familiar with the firm, some of whom used to work for Cohen, said the manager would want to know the rationale for the decision, it’s possible that Martoma simply said it had come from an industry consultant he had been working with. If the government were to bring a case against SAC, it would have to offer up a raft of evidence to win, the lawyers said. Even if Martoma were to take a plea and cooperate, something he does not seem inclined to do, his testimony alone might not be enough to pursue a case against Cohen. “They’ll need documents,” said Plotnick. “Juries like documents. You can attack people for cooperating with the government in various ways, but documents are another thing.” - Reuters |
| Share prices trade lower at midday Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:21 PM PST
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) lost 2.79 points to 1,608.04 after opening at 1,608.31. Dealers said investors remained cautious ahead of the upcoming general election period. The Finance Index rose 0.811 of a point to 14,955.87 and the Industrial Index gained 4.52 points to 2,661.16. The Plantation Index, however, fell 12.90 points to 7,894.54. The FBM Emas Index shed 12.351 points to 10,967.13, the FBM Mid 70 Index gained 14.26 points to 12,068.37, and the FBM Ace rose 9.58 points to 4,183.73. Decliners outpaced advancers by 287 to 218, while 280 counters were unchanged, 853 untraded and 22 others suspended. Turnover stood at 325.874 million shares worth RM465.870 million. Among actives, Tiger Synergy was down six sen to 35.5 sen, Nextnation Communication gained half-a-sen to 12 sen, Berjaya Corporation increased 1.5 sen to 56.5 sen and Luster Industries slipped one sen to 10.5 sen. Of the heavyweights, Maybank lost three sen to RM9.02, CIMB added two sen to RM7.49, Sime Darby was flat at RM8.97 and Axiata lost one sen to RM5.91. - Bernama |
| ‘No gains from Deepavali carnival’ Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:57 PM PST
MITA secretary Maheswary Ramasamy said the shopping carnivals held in conjunction with Deepavali last month drastically affected the livelihood of many local Indian businessmen in the Klang Valley, especially those in Little India, Brickfields. “Such carnivals and trade fairs participated by foreign textile, handicraft and costume jewellery companies have affected the local traders’ good business during the festive season. “It’s not fair for foreign traders to come into our country and take away the local traders’ business,” she said. Indian trade fairs organised by local event management companies were originally meant to be participated by manufacturers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to introduce products like textiles, handicraft and costume jewellery to local traders. Maheswary noted the objective had changed over the years as foreign traders involved in the trade fairs started doing retail sale to local customers. The trade fairs had also become an avenue for foreign textile companies to sell their substandard and rejected items to vulnerable consumers. She urged the relevant authorities to stop issuing permits to local event management companies that bring in foreign traders to Malaysia. Meanwhile, Surendran Subramaniam, a saree shop owner from Sungai Petani, Kedah, claimed he suffered 70% business losses due to the Deepavali carnival held at Bukit Jalil and Village Mall, Sungai Petani, recently. “With all these trade fairs being organised in September, October and November, the good business we used to enjoy during Deepavali is also doomed,” he said, adding that local Indian traders can only expect good business during the festive season to recover their debts. Another Indian trader from Penang who insisted on anonymity said many Indian traders selling lower range items in the island suffered losses of about 20% to 30% due to the Deepavali shopping carnivals and trade fairs. “There were many stalls set up by organisers of such trade fairs at Penang International Sports Arena and this had badly affected the business of the surrounding Indian traders selling lower range items like clothings and imitation jewellery costing below RM100,” he said. -Bernama |
| Ponting bows out after 17-year Test career Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:39 PM PST
Not long after the adoring crowd in Perth gave him a rousing sendoff, Australia’s most successful captain was soon back in the pavilion with just eight runs as his side chased an improbable 632 to win the third Test. But Ponting, who turns 38 this month, will be judged over the course of a stellar career that equalled Steve Waugh’s mark of 168 Test matches — the most in the history of Australian cricket. His South African opponents gave due recognition as he came out to bat on Monday, lining up to applaud him onto the pitch. But in truth Ponting had failed to fire in the current series, and admitted that his time was up. The Tasmanian, who boasts 41 centuries, with only Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar scoring more, said ahead of the series decider in Perth that he knew retirement was imminent. “Over the last couple of weeks my level of performance hasn’t been good enough,” he admitted. “My passion and love for the game hasn’t changed but at the end of the day (the decision) was based on my results.” Ponting won more Tests as captain — 48 — than any other Australian and has the astonishing success rate of almost 72 percent as the country’s one-day leader, winning 164 of his 228 games. He had already called a halt on his captaincy of the Test and one-day team in March last year, but continued as a player. Despite skippering Australia in more than 300 Test and one-day matches, taking over from Waugh, his magnificent innings were blighted by three Ashes series losses as captain. Nicknamed Punter by Shane Warne for his penchant for a bet (punt) on the greyhounds, Ponting amassed 13,378 runs in 168 Tests at 51.85, and 13,704 runs in 375 one-day internationals. As captain, he oversaw a painful transition in Australian cricket following several high-profile retirements, including Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. But even with such greats in the ranks, Ponting, as captain, lost the 2005 Ashes in England, and despite engineering a 5-0 revenge in the ensuing home series in 2006/07, he again lost in 2009 and 2010/11. That last failure was badly received in Australia — it was their first Ashes loss at home for 24 years and followed a series of defeats by Ponting-led teams. Born the eldest of four children in the working-class Tasmanian suburb of Mowbray, Ricky Thomas Ponting was influenced to play cricket by his uncle Greg Campbell, who played Tests for Australia in 1989 and 1990. Ponting went on to make his state debut at 17, the youngest to represent Tasmania in the domestic Sheffield Shield competition, before making his international one-day debut aged 20 in 1995. He only scored one against South Africa in his first match but went on to become one of cricket’s batting titans, with his Test debut coming 10 months later in December against Sri Lanka in Perth. Ponting had a rocky beginning in the public eye and was banned for three matches in 1999 by Australian cricket chiefs following an early-morning brawl in a Sydney bar. Married with two children, he is known as a campaigner against cancer and established The Ponting Foundation with wife Rianna to raise money for young Australians afflicted by the disease. Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland described him as one of the best players to ever to pad up, and wants him to continue in the game in some capacity, although Ponting is yet to announce his future plans. -AFP |
| Health D-G demoted over ‘khalwat’ case Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:24 PM PST
PSC chairman Mahmood Adam said the decision was made at a meeting of the PSC today. He said in a statement that the disciplinary action against Hasan was taken under Regulation 33(1) of the Public Officers Regulations (Conduct and Discipline) 1993. The PSC had decided on Nov 26 that Hasan be suspended pending a decision on the disciplinary action to be taken against him. Mahmood also said that the PSC decided that Grade U41 nurse Wan Syarifah Nooraazmanita Wan Hassan, who was involved in the case, be subjected to a drop of three salary movements for a period of 12 months. On Nov 14, Hasan, 56, and Wan Syarifah Nooraazmanita, 36, were fined RM3,000 and RM2,900, respectively, by the Syariah High Court after they pleaded guilty to "khalwat" at a room of the Putrajaya Pullman Hotel here at 2.18 am on that day. - Bernama |
| HWANGDBS positive on FGV’s replanting programme Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:18 PM PST
In a research note, HWANGDBS Vickers said FGV had fulfilled 95% of fertilising requirement and was striving to streamline its operations. “The management expects minimal impact from the implementation of the minimum wage effective Jan 13,” it added. The research house has cut FGV’s 2012 financial year earnings forecast by one percent, imputing a 6% decline in its fresh fruit bunches (FFB) output due to slower-than-expected yield recovery. Meanwhile, in a separate research note, Kenanga Research said the company’s initiatives to replant its estates with better seeds should augur well for the long term, despite a potential drop in earnings year-on-year, due to lower crude palm oil prices in the 2012 financial year. “We have reduced our 2012-2013 financial year core net profits estimates for the group by between 18%-17% cent to RM786 million-RM927 million after assuming lower average crude palm oil prices of between RM2900-RM2850 per metric tonne. “For the above mentioned period, FFB yields have also been lowered by four percent each to 16 metric tonne per hectare to 18 metric tonne,” he said. Kenanga Research has maintained its “market perform” call on the stock, with a RM4.40 target price. - Bernama |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:13 PM PST
The 66-year-old party formed in 1946 was at a crossroads. Its support from the majority- Malay community had slid to an alarming level evident from the results of the 2008 general election, which saw the ruling Barisan Nasional lose its long held two-thirds majority in the 222-seat Parliament. To compound matters further, the BN, led by Umno, also lost four state governments – Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor – at the election. Kelantan was already under the clutches of PAS. It subsequently regained Perak after four state assemblymen opted out of Pakatan Rakyat to be independents in favour of the BN. The 2008 general election was historic. Results of the polls also led to the ouster of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as prime minister and Umno chief. Efforts to push out Abdullah were spearheaded by another former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Abdullah was replaced by Najib in 2009 and the latter barely had three years to build back lost support, take control of Umno – the backbone of the ruling BN – and check inroads made by the opposition, just to name a few tasks. Since taking helm of the country, Najib has come out with various incentives for the rakyat. These incentives have to a certain level managed to turn the tide and support is trickling back to the BN. Although the opposition has not let up on the relentless attacks on Najib, Umno and the BN, efforts by the ruling coalition to shore up support were also keeping Pakatan on its toes. The opposition knows that realising its dream of capturing Putrajaya, the federal administrative centre, at the coming general election, is no easy task. It has to redouble its efforts, find new strategies to break down BN support and, more importantly, make credible inroads into Sabah and Sarawak, which is touted to be the safe vault of the BN. Proving a point With all this in the background, Najib had to prove a point. The prime minister and Umno president needed to show that he was in full control of the largest political party in the country despite being appointed to the presidency. Najib has yet to contest the president’s post and win. He was appointed to the position due to Abdullah’s resignation. This were no easy tasks, taking into account the leaders and warlords in the party, who have been wielding their stick every now and then, making all sorts of demands and statements detrimental to the party. Prior to the general assembly, held over the last weekend, there was even speculation that Mahathir had joined hands with Umno deputy president and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a bid to oust Najib. Apart from Mahathir, Muhyiddin was the first Umno leader to call for Abdullah’s resignation after the 2008 general election. Bloggers and political observers did not discount the same fate falling on Najib. However, Najib, unperturbed by all the speculation, pushed ahead. On the eve of the Umno general assembly, he issued the dos and don’ts for delegates attending the three-day meeting. Debaters were asked to keep to the topic. Avoid talking about non-Malay issues for fear of stoking the anger of the non-Malays. They were also told to keep a lid on religious issues. These are just the few things Najib had stressed during the traditional closed-door meeting just before the assembly. Opening the general assembly, Najib went on a rampage. His attack was aimed at Pakatan, especially Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. He also took a swipe at PAS which he claimed used Islam to fish for votes. Najib also rallied his Umno troops, firing them into battle mode. He touched on their emotions, saying that if there was infighting or sabotage at the next election, Umno and BN might not form the next federal government. Do-or-die mission He told those attending the assembly that it was a do-or-die mission. He also described how Umno, which fought for the country’s independence, has come to this stage. Delegates were asked to do some serious soul-searching and ensure that the party once again stood tall among Malaysians and, more importantly, Malays. He also asked party members to accept candidates picked by the Umno leadership to contest under the BN banner at the upcoming general election. He asked them not to be involved in any act of sabotage, if they were not aligned to those picked as candidates. Observers and political pundits have been closely watching debates that followed Najib’s speech. Surprisingly, not even one delegate who spoke touched on the forbidden subjects. Everything was according to script. They were toeing the party line. There was no voice of dissent. The debaters were in full support of Najib and Muhyiddin. They wanted Najib to continue his plans and “reform” ideas. Orchestrated or otherwise, the whole proceeding of the general assembly showed that Najib was indeed in control of the biggest political party in the country. This is contrary to what many had said after he took over Umno some three years ago. They predicted that Umno will sink with Najib at the helm, but the Umno president has managed keep himself and the party afloat. How long he will float is another question. But, for the time being, he has managed to do what he set out to do. Unite Umno as a single unit and bring it under his control. |
| Samy least qualified to criticise Pakatan S’gor Posted: 02 Dec 2012 10:05 PM PST FMT LETTER: From M Manoharan, via e-mail Recently Samy Vellu has been in the news expressing support for Najib Tun Razak’s transformation programmes as well as attacking the Pakatan Selangor state government for lacking achievement. The former MIC president has also been spotted alongside the PM at many functions. It is rumoured that Palanivel is perceived as weak, both within and outside the MIC. So, we see Umno’s pitbull and proven lackey unleashed, as part of a late onslaught on Pakatan, to boost BN/MIC’s chances at the ballot box. It looks like termites are finding their way out of the woodwork. That Najib has to rely on the discredited Samy vellu, who was put to pasture by Najib himself when he became PM, points to an increasingly desperate MIC/BN. Samy Vellu presided over MIC and was the sole representative for the Indians at the Cabinet level for almost 30 years. During this period, we have seen the total marginalisation of Indians in all areas under the Malaysian sun. We witnessed a spike in the crime rate, the neglect and deterioration of Tamil schools, rampant demolition of Hindu temples, narrowing of access to government jobs and business capital as well as a diminishing corporate stake. In contrast, Pakatan’s contribution to the Indians has been remarkable in Selangor. There is an unprecedented specific annual allocation of RM4 million to Tamil schools and RM2 million to Hindu temples. The newly renovated and refurbished SRJK (T) Midlands school and convention centre is the pride of the Indian community and for the first time in Malaysian history, we will have a full residential Tamil school in ljok. In comparison, BN’s 55 years saw five major estates make way for the iconic Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. Samy Vellu stood powerless when former workers were relocated to low-cost homes that were just too far away from schools, temples and other amenities causing untold hardship. Indians became a displaced community all over Selangor as more and more estates made way for development. In almost all cases, the culprits were state (BN) owned companies. To top it all, Samy Vellu himself was implicated in the hijacking of land allocated to the Effingham school in Bandar Utama, PJ. To date, the issue remains unresolved. It was always a trade mark of Samy Vellu’s leadership to surround himself with weak leaders. Selangor was no exception. The successive Selangor MIC leadership of Jagaraj, TM Durai, Sivalingam and Kamala Ganapathy mirrored the national leader’s philosophy of never offending the Umno master. They were happy with the crumbs thrown at them by Umno. This attitude trickled all the way down to the division and branch levels. For instance, Tamil school headmasters, who were often local MIC branch chairmen and leaders, kept silent on the plight of their students for fear of offending the local state Department of Education as well as the powerful Umno warlords. If each and every MIC branch had chosen to champion just 10 cases of the critical stateless Indian problem, today the issue would have been totally resolved. A servile attitude permeated all levels of the MIC leadership, who were keen on minor state awards like PJK, PPN, AMN and the like. It was common for them to look forward to the GE and the by-elections as occasions to make money through the many campaign allocations dished out by their Umno counterparts. Thus, the MIC was always at a ‘sandiwara’ with Umno in its dealings with the Indian community. MIC lamented the lack of resources at its disposal but Umno pronounced that enough had been done for the Indians through the MIC. Indians finally had enough of the ‘wayang kulit’ and sent a loud message through the ballot box in 2008. This prompted Najib Tun Razak to reach out directly to the Indians when he was appointed PM in 2009. It looks like Najib has failed in his direct approach by the way he has reverted to the old formula of letting MIC and Samy Vellu do his bidding at the hustings. And Samy Vellu should know better than come out of retirement because he is synonymous with BN’s failed Indian leadership in Selangor and elsewhere. The writer is state assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah |
| It’s time to stand up and fight like a girl! Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:56 PM PST
Describing Endometriosis as "something like a cancer", Fareen champions the cause 'Yellow for Endo' saying, "We are pushing for awareness as this disease brings a truckload of problems to the women facing it. These problems range from chronic pain to infertility." A defect of the uterus, Endometriosis affects one out of 10 women. Doctors are still unclear as to what causes the disease and until today, there is no known cure for it either. So little is known of Endometriosis that awareness among the general public including women is particularly low. Being a young sufferer herself, Fareen was born with the disease and at an early age began experiencing the excruciating pain associated with it. However not to be defeated, she has taken on a somewhat philosophical view of the whole thing saying, "Endometriosis is the tragedy that is slowly proving to be a triumph of my strength." Providing emotional support "The aim of the campaign is to provide a sense of emotional support to fighters of this disease as well as to educate society about this rare, mostly unheard of condition," says Fareen. Working tirelessly to champion her cause, Fareen and her team mates organised a month-long Facebook campaign in February, a lead-up to their big March event. She says, "On this page people shared their discoveries and thoughts about Endometriosis as well as educated each other and provided support and advise for those fighting it." Then Bite My Music, an indie music awards site stepped in to feature her fight against Endometriosis while encouraging their viewers to join the 'Yellow for Endo' campaign. Fareen was also featured in the Malay Mail and HELP College’s 'The Voice' magazine. She even had a stint on radio where she chatted with Liang of Capital FM about her disease. Seeing this as one of her biggest achievements so far Fareen says, "I felt like I educated a lot of women that day." She and her mates also sold buttons and t-shirts with motivational messages like “Fight Like a Girl!” and “Fight Like a Boss” during an event at Advanced Tertiary College. She says, "We played games, screened awareness videos, promoted fellowship and also previewed the movie “Soul Surfer” to encourage those with the disease to remain strong." Staying alert Feeling strongly about this issue, Fareen says women must be responsible when it comes to their own health as well as that of the women they support such as their mothers and daughters. Advocating regular gynaecological checks she says, "Facing the truth is hard, but sometimes it’s the best thing that can happen to you." LINKS: |
| FMT-Universal Music Robbie Williams contest Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:42 PM PST
Besides the Take The Crown album, the 1st prize winner also stands to win 4 other CDs from Universal music while there will be 4 consolation winners who will win one Take The Crown album each. Take The Crown in available nationwide to be purchased on iTunes. All you have to do is :
The questions: Winners will be notified via email. Please also make sure you like and follow the following social media sites Universal Music: Facebook ; Twitter Robbie Williams Bio
As Robbie Williams looks to the future with the release of the incredible ‘Take The Crown’ – his ninth studio album – it might also be interesting to remember some his considerable achievements so far.In a career strewn with awards, Robbie has quite simply sold more records than any other British solo artist in history. Having sold a staggering 60 million albums over his solo career, Robbie has also won more Brit awards than any other artist in history (a grand total of 17, to be precise). For more information: |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:22 PM PST
The eclectic tribute in Washington, alternated between solemn veneration and light-hearted roasting of honourees Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, wisecracking late-night talk show host David Letterman, blues guitar icon Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin. “I worked with the speechwriters – there is no smooth transition from ballet to Led Zeppelin,” President Barack Obama deadpanned while introducing the honourees in a ceremony in the White House East Room. Friends, contemporaries and a new generation of artists influenced by the honourees took the stage in tribute. “Dustin Hoffman is a pain the ass,” actor Robert DeNiro said in introducing Hoffman, the infamously perfectionist star of such celebrated films as “The Graduate” and “Tootsie.” “And he inspired me to be a bit of a pain in the ass too,” DeNiro said with a big smile. At a weekend dinner for the winners at the State Department, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that the performing arts often requires a touch of diplomacy as she toasted Makarova, a dance icon in the former Soviet Union when she defected in 1970. Tiler Peck of the New York City Ballet, who performed in “Other Dances,” one of Makarova’s signature roles, said she has studied her idol’s technique for years.
Despite the president’s misgivings about his own speech, the performance at the Kennedy Center navigated the transition from refined ballet to gritty blues music when the spotlight turned to Guy, a sharecropper’s son who made his first instrument with wire scrounged from around his family’s home in rural Louisiana. “He’s one of the most idiosyncratic and passionate blues greats, and there are not many left of that original generation…,” said Bonnie Raitt, who as an 18-year-old blues songstress was often the warm-up act for Guy. George “Buddy” Guy, 76, was a pioneer in the Chicago blues style that pushed the sound of electrically amped guitar to the forefront of the music. “You mastered the soul of gut bucket,” actor Morgan Freeman told the Kennedy Center audience. “You made a bridge from roots to rock ‘n roll.” In a toast on Saturday night, former President Bill Clinton talked of Guy’s impoverished upbringing and how he improvised a guitar from the strands of a porch screen, paint can and his mother’s hair pins. “In Buddy’s immortal phrase, the blues is ‘Something you play because you have it. And when you play it, you lose it.’” It was a version of the blues that drifted over the Atlantic to Britain and came back in the finger-rattling rock sound of Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page, 68, was the guitar impresario who anchored the compositions with vocalist Robert Plant, 64, howling and screeching out the soul. Bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, 66, rounded out the band with drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. The incongruity of the famously hard-partying rock stars sitting in black tie under chandeliers at a White House ceremony was not lost on Obama. “Of course, these guys also redefined the rock and roll lifestyle,” the president said, to laughter and sheepish looks from the band members. “So it’s fitting that we’re doing this in a room with windows that are about three inches thick – and Secret Service all around,” Obama said. “So, guys, just settle down.” The gala will be aired on CBS television on Dec 26.—Reuters |
| Anwar: I’m not behind Deepak, Musa Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:16 PM PST
However, Anwar stressed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein should respond to the accusations directly. "Musa has been coming out with very serious allegations against the minister of home affairs. I think coming from the former IGP and involving the security of the nation, it should warrant a response from the minister. Whether you agree or disagree, you cannot dismiss it," he told reporters at the PKR headquarters today. "Similarly, coming from Deepak, who is known to be direct associate of Najib and Rosmah [Mansor]. You can't just be dismissive. "If it is just a scurrilous attack. I would understand that Najib would dismiss it. But this is specific, that he is involved to reverse a statutory declaration, so, answer lah," he added. Anwar dismissed suggestions of Pakatan Rakyat or PKR being behind Deepak or Musa’s statements, but expressed that PKR was open to Musa joining them if the matter came to that. “The allegation [that Pakatan is behind these exposes] is baseless. Look at the facts. “Have I met him [Musa]? No. Yes, I did met him when he withdrew the civil suit against me. But that was it. “Did he indicate that he was interested in joining PKR? No. What if he does? I’ll think about it. But the issue is irrelevant. It is not fair because I have not heard, neither has he indicated interest about being in politics,” he said. Musa recently held a press conference in his capacity as the patron of a newly launched anti-crime NGO MyWatch, saying that there were political interference by the home minister during his tenure and that such incidents still occurred. He also alleged that criminal elements had infiltrated the police force, and expressed that his successor Ismail Omar needed to buck up. On Deepak’s revelations, Anwar said that the timing of his expose was clearly linked to a court trial he was giving testimony in. “What has that got to do with us? He wanted to adduce evidence, saying that money was Deepak recently gave several media interviews in which he expressed regret in helping a “female friend” when he got private investigator P Balasubramaniam to reverse a statutory declaration that implicated Najib in the Altantuya Shariibuu murder. Deepak had also alleged that Wanita Umno leader Senator Raja Datuk Ropiaah Abdullah had cheated him out of millions in a land deal. Anwar pointed out that he had no influence in setting the date of a court case. “Are you saying Anwar can decide on court dates?” he asked. |
| Chin’s U-turn may ruin BN’s chances Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:12 PM PST
"Chin's inconsistency could affect BN's chances of winning the Miri seat," said Jerip, who is a spokesman for Wong Soon Koh's faction. He was reacting to a news report quoting Chin that he might contest the Miri seat if the Prime Minister and BN chairman Najib Tun Razak wanted him to do so. On several occasions Chin, who is Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, had stated he was stepping down as MP for Miri and would not contest in the coming election. Yet, his name is on top of the list for consideration for the Miri seat. The other possible candidate for Miri is his political secretary Sebastian Ting. "My stand has always been that I want to retire from active government duty and that I don't want to seek re-election during the general election. "My stand has always been that Sebastian Ting should be the one to take over from me as BN and SUPP candidate for Miri," he told reporters. "SUPP nominated two names to the PM – myself and Sebastian in accordance with the wishes of Barisan top leaders. “This was to gives them a choice on who they think is the most winnable candidate. That is why my name is still there as a possible candidate,” said Chin. "It is not that I’m making a U-turn. My stand has not changed," he said. Chin was, however, reported to have said that he might consider Najib's view on the matter as the Prime Minister is leading a team to seek a mandate to form the next government. ‘Don’t confuse members’ He said he would leave his political future in the hands of the Prime Minister. "Although I have expressed my intention not to defend the Miri seat, I cannot be seen as making the final decision because the list of candidates will be finalised by the BN chairman," said Chin. His admission that his name is on the list has infuriated Jerip and members of Wong's faction, saying that his (Chin's) inconsistency could affect BN's chances of winning the Miri seat. "Whether he wants to contest or not is up to him. But as the president of the party, he should be consistent in his stand because this would affect BN supporters. "He should be firm in his decision as this would enable the party to be better prepared and not confuse members. It could affect BN's chances of winning the seat," he added. Meanwhile, in Miri several people were surprised by the U-turn of the incumbent MP to defend the seat. One of them was Sarawak PKR's Dr Michael Teo who said Chin's decision would give people of Miri an opportunity to evaluate his performance the over 30 years he was in power. "There are many issues we from Pakatan Rakyat can debate with Chin come the polls and hopefully he can provide the answers to the voters," he said. Teo said that he is keen to contest the seat if PKR is given the chance to contest the Chinese majority seat which is made up of two state seats of Piasau and Pujut, now in DAP’s hands. Former SUPP president and deputy chief minister George Chan was toppled in last year's state election in SUPP's stronghold of Piasau. Pakatan Rakyat is likely to put up a candidate from PKR in Miri, while Stampin is likely to go to DAP. These are among the seats are yet to be settled among the PR component parties. |
| ‘Dr M tells Umno leaders to kill Najib after GE’ Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:11 PM PST
The opposition leader said he "knew for a fact" that Mahathir had been asking state leaders to lend their support to Umno and Barisan Nasional while suggesting that they could "topple the leader after the election." "This message has gone to almost all state leaders. I think that is why because of this fear, Najib feels that his personal position is rather insecure," he told a press conference here. Anwar was responding to Najib’s sudden move to thank Mahathir for voluntarily campaigning for Umno towards the end of the party's annual general assembly on Saturday and congratulating the former premier for his Vision 2020 yesterday. "Najib has displayed very little courage as a leader, he cannot deal with [Wanita Umno chief] Shahrizat [Abdul Jalil] firmly, can’t imagine he can deal with Mahathir firmly. That is why he is trying to appease everyone," he said. Asked if he thought Najib now realised that he needed Mahathir in the run-up to the 13th general election, Anwar said: "Knowing Najib he will need to cling to everyone; his personality of seemingly [appearing] confident was never Najib's style." Anwar said that Najib’s camp was not happy that Mahathir had been “interfering with government matters and in the giving out of contracts to cronies”, but had no choice as Najib was unable to put his foot down. “Najib does not have the courage to put his foot down… you have a party where Dr Mahathir still goes around calling party leaders. I don’t think he [Najib] has the courage to deal with it… [so] he has to appease all parties, because he does not have the clout to enforce his policies or views,” he said. On the Umno general assembly, Anwar said that the ruling party’s confidence of winning back four opposition-held states and re-capturing the two-thirds majority was a sign of denial. “They [Umno leaders] are in a state of denial. They sit in five-star hotels, smoke expensive cigars, spend time in lounges, that’s where they devise their strategy… a clear disconnect between the multimillionaire Umno leaders and the masses on the ground… the urban, rural Malays… non-Malays,” he said at a press conference to rebut issues raised at the 66th Umno general assembly. Umno has changed – for the worst Anwar said that the Umno assembly did not touch on core issues affecting society including “economic hardship, soaring prices, endemic poverty”, but instead focused on “power, and how to retain it at all cost”. He said he was not the least worried by Umno’s display of “sheer arrogance” and its need to “protect its condos, cows, petroleum companies, San Miguel”. “If he [Najib] was really confident, he would not treat us as if we are a big threat. The tempo and tone of the attacks show that they [Umno leaders] are in fear, as if there is a giant dragon that is waiting to pounce on them,” he said. Anwar also chided Najib for failing to give the nation a clear vision during his speeches. “I agree with Najib and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that Umno is a changed party. It is more corrupt, more racist and more insecure. The presidential speeches should give a clear indication of the way forward, a clear vision to chart the nation in terms of dealing with government policies. But this was not done. Yes Umno has changed – it is more desperate to cling to power, resorting to fear-mongering, it is retrogressive,” he said. |
| Former leader says MIC being shortchanged Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:10 PM PST
M Muthu Palaniappan said Umno will do this under the guise of selecting winnable candidates for the coming elections. Muthu told FMT today that MIC under the weak leadership of G Palanivel was being bullied by Umno in surrendering some of its traditional seats to Umno to ensure that BN wins these seats in the coming polls. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had been reported as saying that only winnable BN candidates will be given seats in the coming polls and that there is no room for BN component parties to claim traditional seats as was practiced in the past. "MIC will be committing political suicide if it gives up its traditional seats to Umno as they will never get them back from Umno," warned Muthu. Earlier this year, Muthu defected to PKR after differences with the MIC leadership and now he is set to be the PKR candidate to contest for the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat. Muthu's advice is that MIC should ask for replacements for the party's traditional seats that Umno wants or demand to contest such party seats for the 2013 polls before surrendering them. The latest speculation in Negeri Sembilan is that the traditional MIC seat of Teluk Kemang is being eyed by Umno to be contested by former menteri besar Isa Samad. This comes after speculation that some of the MIC leaders like Palanivel, MIC vice president SK Devamany and party secretary-general S Murugesan did not want to contest in this traditional MIC seat, allegedly fearing defeat. Another media report had quoted that MIC deputy chief Dr S Subramaniam's parliamentary seat of Segamat in Johor might be taken over by Umno and the deputy chief pushed either to Malacca or Negeri Sembilan. Meanwhile in Perak, the two traditional MIC state seats of Behrang and Pasir Panjang have been taken over by Umno, and MIC was supposed to be compensated for these two losses with a senator's post and another state seat in Selangor. However, Palanivel and former party state chief S Veerasingam had declined the Umno's offer and had insisted on two more state seats. It was also speculated that MIC was eyeing MCA's two state seats of Buntong and Tronoh as replacements. |
| Restaurant with wedding chapel Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:04 PM PST LAS VEGAS: Denny’s, the 24-hour American diner, opened a restaurant on Thursday in Las Vegas with a wedding chapel where couples can tie the knot after a meal of bacon, peanut butter and bananas between two slices of French toast finished off with a bacon vodka chaser. The restaurant is near the Las Vegas strip on historic downtown Fremont Street. Its modern curves, neon and steel are meant to fit in with the city’s “over the top” feel, said Frances Miller, chief marketing officer.
The chapel is scheduled to start hosting nuptials in the first quarter of 2013, with a celebrity wedding slated for February. Details of the wedding were not disclosed. “I kind of hope it’s Kim Kardashian because then you could have repeat performances,” architect James Wines quipped at the ribbon cutting. With this new restaurant, Denny’s Corp, based in South Carolina, hopes to capitalize on redevelopment that is underway in the downtown Las Vegas area. The restaurant’s neighbours include a zip line that carries visitors above street-level traffic and a restaurant that holds a Guinness Record for the highest-calorie burger. The area soon expects to have what is being billed as the world’s largest gay nightclub. Miller said that at 6,000 meters, the Fremont Street Denny’s is among the company’s 10 largest in the world. She said the restaurant, owned by the parent company instead of being franchised, is also among the most expensive Denny’s to build, but she declined to say how much it cost. P.S. The French toast plate is called the “King Stack.” As in Elvis.—Reuters |
| Ghani bakal lepaskan jawatan MB Johor? Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:56 PM PST
Ini bermakna beliau tidak akan dilantik sebagai Menteri Besar lagi.Ghani menjadi Menteri Besar Johor selepas pilihan raya umum 1990. Sumber Umno memberitahu, Ghani akan dilantik mengetuai sebuah agensi yang dilantik Putrajaya bagi projek mega petrokimia berharga RM60 bilion di Pengerang. “Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak telah bersetuju melantik Ghani untuk mengetuai agensi itu,” kata sumber Umno yang ditemui di ibu negara sempena perhimpunan agung parti itu, Sabtu lalu. “Ghani pada mulanya mahu bertanding sekali di kerusi Serom tetapi dibantah oleh pemimpin setempat dengan alasan sudah terlalu lama menjadi Adun. “Beliau juga berminat untuk bertanding di kerusi Parlimen tetapi tidak ada yang sesuai,” kata sumber itu lagi. Pemimpin-pemimpin Umno Johor serta bahagian Ledang yang diketui Abdul Ghani tidak dapat dihubungi untuk mengesahkan dakwaan tersebut. |
| MAS still faces turbulent weather Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:55 PM PST
KUALA LUMPUR: While Malaysian Airline System Bhd's (MAS) recent return to the black could be taken as the first baby steps for the troubled airline, analysts see the road to sustained profitability for the national carrier is still a long and winding one. Analysts say MAS needs to be more aggressive in cost-cutting and more imaginative in ratcheting up operational efficiency before it can even begin to dream of regaining its place and stature of old. MAS announced on Nov 27 that it had returned to its first net profit of RM37 million for the July-September period after six consecutive quarters of losses. It also announced plans to raise RM3.1 billion via rights issue and reduce its par value per share from RM1 to 90 sen. Operation-wise, MAS made a small profit of RM3.9 million versus a net loss of RM191 million for the corresponding period in 2011. Revenue was lower at RM3.4 billion from RM3.5 billion previously due to decreased passenger traffic. The airline also reported earnings per share of 1.11 sen versus a loss per share of 14.29 sen. No dividend was declared for the quarter. A research note from Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said the recent results suggest that its cost-cutting initiatives are beginning to bite. However, the researcher believes MAS' strategy of picking up routes from the bargain bin – South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan and Dubai – is misguided as these routes are not profitable and "added to the overall bottom line of the company". The airline's reorganising of its flight frequency timetable and finding bumping up capacity, however, has helped reduce unnecessary increases in costs. In announcing the quarterly result, MAS group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya is rightfully pleased that the airline's "revenue initiatives have begun to gain traction in the market" and that the management is beginning to see the results of their hard work. An OSK Research Sdn Bhd analyst said even though the cost-cutting has achieved a short-term result, MAS needs to address structural issues that will determine long-term profitability. He said it needs to take an aggressive approach in its cost-cutting strategies and shore up its revenue. "Its yields have not improved considerably and could further receive pressure from low-cost carriers and other foreign full service carriers in the international segment," he said. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve. |
| CM uses inter-faith dinner to bash Umno Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:47 PM PST
The event, which was supposed to foster closer relations between the different religions in the country, was turned into a political forum by Lim taking potshots at Umno and the ruling BN. He also took the opportunity to campaign for the opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat, saying that the coalition of three opposition parties – PKR, DAP and PAS – has managed to bring about good change since the 2008 general election. “Umno has taken a very extremist view that does not respect the rights of non-Muslims. For instance, an old Indian shrine was demolished by Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) controlled by the federal government last year. To-date it has not fulfilled its promise to rebuild the Hindu shrine. “Umno leaders have also not respected the requirement of providing land for non-Muslim places of religious worship on development approvals. When Umno slandered me with lies that I had sold off mosque land in Bayan Mutiara to Ivory Property Group by open competitive tender, it failed to mention I had also sold off non-Muslim religious land." “Clearly, Umno did not mention non-Muslim religious land because the previous Umno state government thinks non-Muslim have no right to being provided with non-Muslim religious land," he said. “I wish to stress that the state government had not sold off mosque or non-Muslim land in Bayan Mutiara as such religious land is a requirement for approval by local councils. If no Muslim or non-Muslim land is provided, then no development orders will be given. And the state government will provide for non-Muslim religious land,” he said at the dinner. He also took a potshot at Perkasa calling it a racist and extremist organisation. "All Malaysians regardless of race, religions or gender are treated as our children by embracing love and rejecting hate, promoting peace and rejecting violence so that everyone can live with dignity. “There is deep concern that there is no action against those involved in violence or condone violence by racist and extremist organisations such as Perkasa. “When a young Chinese girl was handcuffed for stepping on the picture of the prime minister, why was similar punishment not given to the Perkasa leaders who conducted a Hindu funeral rite in front of my house?” the Penang chief minister asked. Lim said while God does not take sides based on political party lines, “there are those who have recently claimed that they are the chosen people, and that their party has been chosen by God to rule the country". “I believe that rather than asking whether God is on our side of our party, we should ask whether our party is on the side of God, good moral values like justice, integrity, freedom and truth,” he added. |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:45 PM PST
Was it not this prime minister who told the Chinese that if they do not want to lose all the wealth that they have gained thus far, then they must vote BN because if Pakatan comes to power, they will lose it all? This same prime minister told the Malays that they must be united and make sure Umno is still in power if they do not want to lose all that they have gained under Umno these last 50 over years. If the Malays do not vote, Umno they will lose Ketunanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), lose their Sultans, lose their privileges. And it is this same prime minister who put fear into all the other races in Malaysia, telling them that only Umno can ensure peace and prosperity in this nation of ours. And this prime minister who has put all this fear into us all is now himself in fear of calling an election? Why is he so much in fear of calling for the 13th general election? Is it because all the information available to this prime minister tells him that BN will lose in the 13th general election? That Special Branch has reported to him that BN will not be the rakyat’s choice for government after the 13th general election? This, in spite of the RM500 already given to so many of them; in spite of the tyres already bought for taxi drivers; in spite of the Hari Raya bonus for civil servants; in spite of all the transformation programmes and economic initiatives started by Najib Tun Razak. Win or lose, Umno is in for the ride of its life! Everything has changed for Umno and yet nothing has change within Umno. The world outside Umno has evolved towards an open, responsible and accountable society where everyone wants to have a voice and a role to play (if they so choose) in their future. But nothing has changed within Umno. Desperate plea Few people think that Najib can deliver what he has been promising. Taxi drivers could not care less – they already have their tyres. The civil servants will have their bonus and all those who would have benefited from any cash handouts have had their cash. So would they remember that it was Najib and BN that gave them the cash and vote for him and BN in the 13th general election? Maybe they will, maybe they will not. As Mahathir said, "Melayu mudah lupa" and the same can be said of many Malaysians. Najib desperately hopes that this time around the people of Malaysia and the "pendatangs" (immigrants) who have been given right of abode and the right to vote, all of them will be translated into votes for BN . If it does not, then Najib has a problem. And that makes him very afraid of what the 13th general election will bring him. I do not envy the game Najib is playing but he has no other choice. He has nothing to draw upon from his years in public service to validate his desperate plea to the people to give him an elected term in office as their prime minister. Do you want Najib as your prime minister? What credentials does he possess to ask us for the privilege of leading us after the 13th general election? And do not forget that it is a privilege to be leader of any nation – not a right! And who will give him the privilege of leading this nation again come the 13th general election? Not Adam the taxi driver. He already has his tyres. He wants to be able to use the money he earns to pay for the taxi that he owns, not to pay for the taxi that someone else owns. Nathan did not qualify for the RM500 handout but he still has to find the money to pay for the school uniforms of his children. Chan has enough to pay for the education of his son at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, but for now he would have to make do with his 10-year-old Honda Civic for several more years until his son graduates and is able to earn his keep – in Australia or Malaysia. It is people like Adam, Nathan and Chan – millions of them – who pose the biggest challenge confronting Najib’s BN in their bid to secure another term in government at the 13th general election. Najib dreading losing power Najib will have to convince these three and the millions like them that things will get better when Umno is returned after the national polls. These are the millions who will decide Umno's fate at the next general election. Will Najib be able to do that? Who is afraid of Najib? Not Rosmah. Not Anwar Ibrahim. Not Muhyiddin. And yet Najib has built his bid to win the general election on fear. He has been telling anyone who will listen that it would be a disaster for all if Umno loses the general election. But Najib knows that having the general election is as good as handing over power to Pakatan. Handing over power is one thing Najib dreads but more so the questions he has to answer to the new Pakatan government and to the people about the abuses and misuse of executive power by him and his ministers while in office, and that line stretches as far as the eye can see right up to at least the start of Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister. Spending time behind bars is not something anyone of them would want to even think about, much less endured. But for long can he hold off having the general election? CT Ali is a reformist who believes in Pakatan Rakyat's ideologies. He is a FMT columnist. |
| ‘Life of Pi’ shows bond, but tigers still under threat Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:43 PM PST  NEW DELHI: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s new epic “Life of Pi” showcases the relationship between a teenage Indian boy and a Bengal tiger. But in reality, the predators are under increasing threat from humans.Poaching remains a tremendous danger for the remaining feline population, with rising demand for tiger parts from East Asia, especially China where tiger bone is used in traditional medicines, experts say. Rising man-animal conflict is also one of the leading causes of decline in tiger numbers. Animal rights group PETA is hoping to use the popularity of the film to focus people’s attention on the real-life plight of Bengal tigers. “Life of Pi is a work of fiction, but in real life, there are threats to animals in their natural habitat that must be addressed,” said Manilal Valliyate, director of veterinary affairs at PETA-India. India is home to 1,706 tigers according to the latest census, almost half of the worldwide population. But that figure is a fraction of the 40,000 that roamed the country in 1947 at the time of the country’s independence. In one of numerous reported attacks on the endangered big cats, villagers near the Bangladesh-India border bludgeoned a tiger to death earlier this month after it strayed from the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. Armed with sticks and boat oars, the angry crowd set upon the animal which was suspected to have attacked a local fisherman.
“The first instinct when a tiger is spotted is to just kill it,” laments Gurmeet Sapal, a wildlife filmmaker based in New Delhi. “The feeling of fear and retribution is so strong that it shuts out any other emotion. What we don’t realise is that the tiger never attacks humans until it is forced to,” Sapal told AFP. In Lee’s movie, the protagonist Pi is forced to share a lifeboat with the tiger after a shipwreck kills his family after they set out for Canada from India, accompanied by animals from the zoo they ran. Pi is initially nervous, but tries to train the cat in the hope it will not kill him as long as he keeps its hunger at bay. The relationship that gradually develops between them over the 227 days they spend together on the lifeboat endears both the characters to the audience. India has been struggling to halt the tiger’s decline in the face of poachers, international smuggling networks and the loss of habitat which encourages the animals to leave the forest in search of food. So far this year, 58 tiger deaths have been reported in the country, according to Tigernet, the official database of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. “The tiger’s prey base has been rapidly depleting because we have been eyeing his resources. The predator has to make a lot of effort to get its food,” said Mayukh Chatterjee, a conservationist with Wildlife Trust of India. “In such a scenario, livestock and human beings become easy prey for the tiger and lead inevitably to conflict,” he told AFP. Filmmaker Sapal says it is only normal for people to think of the tiger as a dangerous animal, but its image as a voracious killer is misplaced. “Tigers never kill for sport. They don’t store meat in the deep-fridge. They kill their prey only when they are hungry,” he said. “If we can make people understand the importance of the tiger in our food chain and ecosystem, we would have won half the battle.” The other half — against poachers greedy for tiger parts — can only be won with constant monitoring and patrolling, says Belinda Wright, director of the non-profit Wildlife Protection Society of India. “The tragedy is tigers are more valued dead than alive by wildlife criminals,” Wright told AFP. “There no longer should be any compromise on our conservation efforts if we want these magnificent creatures to survive.”—Reuters |
| Thousands attend Pakatan ceramah in Umno territory Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:39 PM PST
Never in Johor's political history has an opposition rally attracted such an enormous crowd. The assembly was part of the ongoing state-level Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Peoples' Uprising Assembly) series being organised by Pakatan nationwide. It followed the national-level assembly staged in Taman Seremban Jaya in Senawang on Nov 3 which also attracted about 30,000 Malaysians. Johor PKR chairman Chua Jui Meng and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim arrived together at about 11pm and were pleasantly surprised by the mammoth crowd. They both had to wade through a sea of people to get to the stage with their shoes and trousers covered with mud. PAS president Hadi Awang was then in the midst of his speech. After Hadi wrapped up his ceramah, a brief ceremony was held to introduce and accept the membership application forms of several ex-senior Johor civil servants and former key Umno members who joined PAS. Anwar was then called to the stage to deliver his ceramah and got the crowd roaring when he shot off with: "This is not an Umno assembly! What (Prime Minister and Umno president) Najib (Tun Razak) doesn’t understand is the emergence of Kebangkitan Rakyat (Peoples' Uprising)." "Malaysians today are well informed about socio-political issues. They are also much more intelligent and it is not so easy, as in the past, to fool them. "There is no room for lip service and mere rhetoric in politics anymore. We must tell the rakyat (people) what we can offer and what we can do to provide good governance. "We must make clear our people-oriented policies and that we are here to serve the people and to ensure their welfare and country's progress. "Unlike BN, if we are given the mandate to administer Putrajaya after the next 13th general election, we will ensure the eradication of corruption," Anwar said. The tiger is awakened
"In fact, I had arrived together with Anwar from the Johor PKR Deepavali Open House cum ceramah in Tebrau. "The turnout was about 5,000 people and what was encouraging was that 90% of the audience were Indians. This indicates Johoreans want people-centric and cleaner state and federal governments. "The strong turnout by the Indians in Johor also confirms that the community is also giving wider support to Pakatan compared with the March 2008 political tsunami," he added. |
| DAP must stick to Pakatan plot Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:30 PM PST
The party is still moving on the fringe of the Malay-Muslim community despite its association with Pakatan Rakyat and its landmark rule in Penang. The extent of their "fright" was seen with some PAS members voicing their "concerns" at the Islamist party’s collaboration with DAP. And this, after having enjoyed the victories that came with PAS’ association with the "ogre". The most hard-hitting criticism of the PAS-DAP alliance came from Umno, with Perkasa taking the frontline offensive. The DAP has been linked to former communist elements, yet this is only part of the heavy criticism that PAS had to contend with in recent times. The demonising of DAP will continue into the final days of the 13th general election. The risk with this state of affairs, is that Pakatan may end up losing more support if the DAP is continuously portrayed as "traitors" and as the "ogre" that will eat the Malays once it is in power. If the DAP’s role in the Pakatan coalition is to represent the Chinese community, it is certain that it does not have 100% support from the community. PKR has a wider appeal for the fence-sitters in the Chinese community since it is well represented in the party. The Chinese seem more comfortable with Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership in PKR than with MCA’s junior role in BN. The DAP is yet another party, like PAS, that has joined the "reformasi" and benefited largely from the electoral "tsunami" of 2008. The party has also benefited from its association with Pakatan in Sabah and Sarawak and will continue to do so as long as it is associated with Anwar and Pakatan. These are facts DAP cannot deny. Henceforth, any "hidden" agenda by the DAP, if any, to subvert Pakatan’s victory parade in the corridors of power will be futile. Why is that so? Pakatan is today a transformed organisation. The people voting for Pakatan are those voting for change. There will only be change in Malaysia if Pakatan remains a solid and united political coalition after it takes power. Any attempt by the DAP to impose any of the anti-Malaysia and anti-Islam agenda will fail as there will be no majority in the Parliament to support such a move. Status quo Likewise, a Pakatan cabinet will be Muslim-dominated. Unfortunate as this sounds, the reality is that the next regime in place will be forced to continue to play along "communal" lines. There is no way Pakatan can deny the role played by the Malay-Muslim community in local politics. PAS and PKR, under Anwar, will have to ensure that the status quo on the communal field is respected. The DAP will, nevertheless, get to play a more active and a greater role in enhancing Pakatan’s avowed policies of equality, justice and fairness for all Malaysians. If this is what the Umno-BN and pro-Umno, pro-extreme right Malay voices within the PAS are afraid of, then there is nothing they can do if Pakatan is in the seat of power in Putrajaya. There are reports, unconfirmed of course, of the DAP being infiltrated by former communist elements. There again, it is doubtful that these elements – if they are given a chance to be in Parliament – will be able to influence any decision-making that may affect the Malays. In the event former communist elements within the DAP are catapulted into the cabinet, one wonders whether they will be able to carry out subversion in the country. The claims that such elements have infiltrated the DAP is indicative of a total failure of the strict and draconian laws that were in place to curb subversive elements. If 54 years of the Internal Security Act (ISA) did not stop the "communists" from camouflaging and infiltrating into Pakatan on the onset of the "reformasi" era, then what can stop them? Does the DAP have a pro-China agenda that will boost the Chinese community’s progress report card in Malaysia? There is little doubt that a regime under the helm of Anwar will have a very pro-Western approach. Pakatan in power, if it wins the general election, will tend to consolidate Asean’s new-found trust in the US. It will also kowtow to the "Asian values", promoted by Anwar while he was deputy prime minister. Pakatan will not allow Malaysia to become a "mini-China" as it will be guided – as mentioned above – by the need to protect the majority community while it enhances the role of the minorities. Here again, we see how DAP will be limited in its scope to influence even the foreign policies of a country run by Pakatan. The opposition coalition has, on many occasions, shown support for the "revolts" in the Arab world and is against the survival of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria. If this is any yardstick to measure the DAP’s real influence in Pakatan, then one might just say that China will lose more under a Pakatan regime in Malaysia than it is under a BN regime. China is a supporter of the Assad regime and has vetoed attempts by the West to declare total war against Syria. This is against Pakatan’s foreign policy, which is a pro-war approach in Syria. Anti-DAP campaign What the DAP will probably do is to get more non-Malays into the civil service, to join the police force and to make life easier in their job applications. DAP, with Pakatan’s support, will also "protect" the interest of the minorities. At least, this is what one can gather from the incessant campaigns for justice and freedom by DAP stalwarts and MPs across the country. DAP is not the only party that benefited from Pakatan’s performance. PAS controlled three states after the polls, relegating PKR and the DAP to play second fiddle. This gave some PAS members the sensation that they were more powerful. It was a fallacy, written all over the walls in Perak, when the PAS-led state government was booted out unceremoniously. Then why did the BN portray DAP and its popular leader Lim Guan Eng as the devil in disguise? The answer is within the Islamic-based party itself, as pro-Umno elements are rearing their heads on the eve of the of general election. The imminent danger for Pakatan is the effect of such a long-drawn campaign against the DAP. The campaign started since the DAP took over the helm in Penang as part of the victorious "bounty" for Pakatan’s smashing of BN in 2008. With the election drawing nearer, there are reports that the civil service is being subjected to a virulent anti-DAP campaign, portraying it as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and a danger to the nation. Pakatan will benefit largely if it dilutes the "agenda" of the three political organisations into one single political will, and that political will should be that of the famous "Vox Populi, Vox Dei" and nothing more. That is to say, the will of the majority of the people. Limiting the "singularities" of the three parties – PKR, PAS and the DAP – by turning these into a unifying force for Pakatan is what is needed in the wake of the bashing from the ruling coalition. In this scenario, the DAP will have to abandon any secret aspiration, if it has any, and support the leadership of Anwar despite the PAS’ dream of electing its leader as the next prime minister. Ali Cordoba writes extensively on local politics. |
| Jerit lancar Rakyat Pengayuh Perubahan Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:27 PM PST
Kempen basikal pertama telah dijalankan empat tahun lalu di seluruh negara selama dua minggu. Berbanding dengan kempen pertama, kempen kali ini hanya berlangsung selama empat hari. Penyelaras Jerit, M Sivaranjani ketika dihubungi berkata: “Kami mahu mendapatkan sokongan rakyat terutamanya dari kawasan pedalaman. “Para pengayuh membawa lapan tuntutan. “Acara kemuncak dalam kempen ini akan berlangsung apabila pengayuh basikal menyerahkan memorandum lapan tuntutan kepada Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan pada pukul 10 pagi. Ia akan berlangsung pada hari terakhir kempen ini,” jelas Sivaranjani. Lapan tuntutan tersebut ialah pilihan raya bersih dan adil, hentikan pemusnahan alam sekitar, lindungi hak demokrasi rakyat, hentikan peswastaan perkhidmatan asas, perumahan selesa untuk rakyat, mansuhkan undang-undang zalim dan perlindungan hak kebajikan pekerja. Seramai 20 pengayuh basikal akan memulakan kayuhan dari Seremban pada hari Jumaat dan kempen dijangka tamat pada hari Isnin. Kempen mengayuh akan meliputi Seremban, Port Dickson, Rembau, Tampin, Kuala Pilah, Jempol dan Jelebu. |
| UK Heriot-Watt University opens campus in Malaysia Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:19 PM PST
PUTRAJAYA: The Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh opened its Malaysian campus in Putrajaya last Friday after being chosen by the government and Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd to set up a branch in the country. The opening of the new campus, which is temporarily being housed at Menara PJH in Putrajaya, follows the establishment of the Heriot-Watt's Dubai campus in 2005. The university has opened enrolment for the Edinburgh Business School MBA programme, and expects to turn out its first batch of post-degree graduates by September next year. British High Commissioner to Malaysia Simon Featherstone, who officiated at the function, said the university represented British education at its best. "Heriot-Watt is one of Scotland's leading universities. Its campus in Putrajaya, the only foreign university awarded this honour following a very competitive bidding process, will give students in Malaysia a further opportunity to experience British education at its best," Featherstone said. The university, together with Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd, will construct a purpose-built campus in Putrajaya in 2014. The new campus, costing about RM173 million, will house 4,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and it will offer a range of courses in science, engineering, business, mathematics and design, with a view to gaining a UK-recognised degree. About a third of the university's 7,000 students come from outside the UK and the Malaysian campus demonstrates its ambition to strengthen its international links as well as open up potential for students in Scotland to study overseas. Photo: (from left) UCSI University chancellor Panglima Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia principal and vice-chancellor Professor Steve Chapman, Featherstone and Heriot-Watt University provost and CEO Prof Robert JM Craik at the launch of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Opening in Putrajaya. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve. |
| India’s ‘dancing bears’ retire Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:15 PM PST  NEW DELHI: The sight of poorly fed and badly treated bears being forced to dance on the streets of India is a thing of the past as a campaign to wipe out the practice has finally borne fruit, activists say.The tradition of forcing sloth bears to dance for entertainment dates back to the 13th century, when trainers belonging to the Muslim Kalandar tribe enjoyed royal patronage and performed before the rich and powerful. Descendants of the tribe from central India had kept the tradition alive, buying bear cubs from poachers for about 1,200 rupees (US$22) and then hammering a heated iron rod through their sensitive snouts. After removing the animal’s teeth and claws, the bear trainer threaded a rope through its snout and then headed for the streets where onlookers would pay a few rupees for a show in which the bear would sway and jump around. “It’s taken us many years but all the tribesmen we keep track of have moved on to different livelihoods,” Vivek Menon from the non-profit Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), told AFP on the sidelines of a bear conference in New Delhi last week. “The tradition might still be present in people’s minds, of course, but we don’t know of any cases where Kalandars are still practising it.”
The key, say the donation-funded groups, has been bringing the Kalandars on board, providing them with money and incentives to re-train in other professions. The success points the way for other campaigns, such as the one to rid India of its snake charmers who can still be spotted illegally plying their trade, often with the snakes’ mouths sewn shut. “It was very difficult to convince the bear trainers to give up their work. Most of them were very scared, they have never known any other way of life but this,” WSPA campaign coordinator Aniruddha Mookerjee told AFP. One of the owners to give up was Mohammed Afsar Khan, a 30-year-old father of three girls who used to work with his father and brother travelling across central India with three bears in tow. He says he used to earn about 300 rupees a day until he gave up the job six years ago. “It’s a hard life. You can never settle in one place, your children can’t go to school, you end up feeling trapped. Then you are always worried about police harassing you for bribes,” he said. He handed over his bears to Wildlife Trust of India officers, who offered his family financial assistance and helped him and his younger brother learn driving skills. He used the funds to rent a tractor and ferry bricks from kilns to construction sites in Chhattisgarh state. Today, he owns his tractor and earns about 500 rupees a day. Declining bear populations The bears recovered by the animal groups were often in a wretched state, suffering from infected snouts, root canal problems, even diseases such as tuberculosis which they contracted from humans. The sloth bears also suffer from malnutrition after being fed bread, lentils and milk for years, leading to an extremely reduced life span. Menon from WTI say that the dancing bear industry was also “a dominant cause behind the disappearance of the sloth bear” — a focus at the bear conference which focused on conservation and welfare.
“The widespread poaching of bear cubs and the killing of mother bears clearly affects the population of the species,” Menon told AFP. “India is changing rapidly and this is an outmoded, inhumane tradition. The trainers themselves realise now that it is far easier for them to earn a living doing other jobs,” Menon said. Aziz Khan is another former bear-owner who never expected to leave his ancestral trade but was happy for the way out offered by WTI when officers approached him and his friends more than a decade ago. “I didn’t earn much, but I was afraid to leave it. I didn’t know how else I would be able to feed my three kids,” the 45-year-old told AFP. WTI helped retrain Aziz Khan and his friends as bakers. They now run their own bakery, producing 350 loaves of bread each day. “I have no regrets today, it was a dead-end job and I am glad I was able to move on,” he said.—AFP |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:10 PM PST
“Biasanya perhimpunan agung Umno adalah medan penting kerajaan bagi merangka dasar membela nasib bangsa Melayu dan perancangan masa depan negara, sama ada ekonomi, sosial dan agama. “Namun, persidangan kali ini diadakan seolah-olah sebagai pra-kempen pilihan raya umum ke 13 (PRU13) dengan menghentam Pakatan Rakyat dan medan Umno berkempen sesama ahli Umno. “Semua ini jelas menandakan Umno kini berada dalam situasi ketakutan tidak menentu. Gambaran ketakutan ini mencerminkan gelora dalaman Umno bahawa mereka kini berhadapan dengan realiti rakyat yang akan menolak mereka dalam PRU13,” kata Tuan Ibrahim yang adalah Pesuruhjaya PAS Pahang. Perhimpunan agung Umno yang berlangsung sejak hari Selasa sehingga Sabtu menyaksikan Ketua Wanita Umno Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil “tidak segan-silu mengugut rakyat bahawa peristiwa Mei 13 bakal berulang seandainya Umno ditolak dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang”. Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob yang juga ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno mendakwa beliau sanggup “potong telinga" dan "terjun sungai Pahang" seandainya Pakatan Rakyat berjaya menawan Bentong. Tuan Ibrahim menambah Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak merangkap Presiden Umno gagal menjelaskan pendedahan yang dibuat oleh ahli perniagaan Deepak Jaikishen berkenaan bantuan yang diberikannya kepada Najib dan isterinya Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. “Sesungguhnya, rakyat menanti respon PM dalam ucapan penggulungannya, namun sayang ianya langsung tidak disentuh oleh beliau di perhimpunan agung Umno. Jika peluang diambil untuk membuat penjelasan, sudah tentu ia didengari oleh kebanyakan rakyat kerana ucapannya diberi liputan begitu meluas. “Membiarkan tuduhan sebesar ini tanpa penjelasan menambahkan keyakinan dan persepsi umum terhadap kebenaran dalam segala yang dinyatakan oleh Deepak,” kata beliau. Tuan Ibrahim turut menyoal kebisuan Najib berkenaan dakwaan bekas Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Musa Hassan berkenaan campur tangan politik dalam penyiasatan polis dan isu-isu lain. “Lebih penting lagi, PM juga tidak menggunakan peluang untuk mengisytihar perang terhadap budaya rasuah yang melanda kerajaan pimpinannya. “Namun bagi Umno, semua ini bukan isu besar ibarat kata sebilangan perwakilan Umno bahawa skandal RM40 juta yang dikaitkan dengan Ketua Menteri Sabah Datuk Seri Musa Aman melibatkan jumlah yang sedikit dan remeh untuk diperjelaskan,” kata beliau lagi. Tuan Ibrahim menambah bahawa perhimpinan agung Umno membuktikan budaya sabotaj sangat serius di dalam Umno. “Yang ada di perhimpunan agung Umno hanyalah kebimbangan PM terhadap sabotaj dalaman parti bilamana akan ada yang tidak bersetuju apabila mereka tidak dicalonkan. Kebimbangan PM menampakan bahawa isu cah keting sesama Umno bukan lagi cerita di sebalik tabir, tetapi ugutan secara terang-terangan.” |
| TNB signs PPA with its subsidiary TPSB Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:08 PM PST
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with its fully-owned subsidiary TNB Prai Sdn Bhd (TPSB) for the generation and purchase of 1,071MW of power, expected to commence from 2016. Under the agreement, TPSB will build and operate two combined cycle generating blocks that will be located in Seberang Prai Tengah, Penang, the company said in an exchange filing last Friday. TNB will also lease the land on which the proposed generating station will be sited in Seberang Prai Tengah to TPSB. TNB said the PPA was the result of international competitive bidding organised by the Energy Commission to meet part of the energy requirement for Peninsular Malaysia for 2016 at the most competitive rate. The PPA spells out the obligation to sell and buy the daily capacity and net electrical output generated by the facility for a period of 21 years. The signing of the PPA and the land lease agreement will not have any effect on the issued and paid-up capital of TNB but will have a positive impact on the earnings over the duration of the PPA upon project completion and commencement of the operation of the facility, the company said in the filing. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve. |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:00 PM PST
Ketua Pengarah DBP, Dr Awang Sariyan mengemukakan pandangan yang sama sewaktu kami bertemu di pejabat beliau di Menara DBP, Kuala Lumpur pada 30 November lalu untuk berbincang tentang program Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan (BBK). BBK 2012 peringkat kebangsaan dilancarkan oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin di Stadium Tertutup Nilai, Negeri Sembilan pada 10 Oktober lalu manakala pelbagai program bahasa dan sastera diatur selama tiga bulan di seluruh negara. "Dalam tempoh sebulan, waktu tidak cukup untuk melibatkan kelompok-kelompok yang penting dan meluas dalam pelbagai kegiatan yang padat dalam masa sebulan," katanya sebagai menjelaskan perubahan yang dilakukan mulai tahun ini. Sesungguhnya banyak program rasmi dan tidak rasmi diatur sepanjang Oktober hingga Disember 2012 di seluruh negara. Maklumat mengenainya disiarkan dalam majalah-majalah DBP keluaran Oktober lalu. Dr Awang yang menerima Anugerah Profesor Kehormat Pendidikan Bahasa dan Kebudayaan daripada Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) pada 31 Ogos lalu melihat "Kembara Bahasa" sebagai salah satu pengisian penting bagi BBK. "Dalam program Bulan Bahasa dan Sastera Negara (BBSN) dahulu, Kembara Bahasa merupakan satu pakej penting. Kali ini, ia diadakan kembali sebagai usaha pemantauan bahasa, menghayati nilai keindahan bahasa dan tegur bahasa," katanya. Penyertaan Bukan Melayu masih kurang
Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan) turut menerima undangan pada 12 November 2012 tetapi memandangkan rata-rata ahli Kavyan baru sahaja kembali ke tempat kerja selepas cuti panjang (10-18 November) sempena Deepavali, amat mustahil untuk memohon cuti tambahan bagi menyertai Kembara Bahasa dengan notis yang relatif singkat. Mungkin penganjur terlepas pandang perkara ini sehingga menyebabkan penyertaan khalayak Bukan Melayu dalam Kembara Bahasa kurang memberangsangkan. Bagaimanapun, Kavyan sempat menganjurkan "Baca Cerpen Kavyan" di Menara DBP pada 3 November sebagai pengisian BBK. Persatuan-persatuan penulis dan NGO lain turut mengendalikan pelbagai aktiviti di seluruh negara dengan tema "Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara". Dr Awang mengakui bahawa penyertaan masyarakat Bukan Melayu pada kali ini memang amat kurang disebabkan pelbagai faktor. Bagi BBK 2013, beliau berharap perancangan dapat dilakukan sejak awal tahun supaya penglibatan adalah lebih menyeluruh dan menggambarkan realiti masyarakat pelbagai kaum di Malaysia. Sekali lagi, tentulah tugas dan tanggungjawab melakukan perancangan lebih teliti sambil mengambil kira pelbagai perkara seperti di atas tidak terletak pada bahu DBP semata-mata. Sebaliknya, semua pihak pada semua peringkat harus sama-sama terlibat serta sensitif terhadap cuti musim perayaan kaum/agama pada Oktober-Disember apabila membuat perancangan aktiviti. Janganlah pula memberikan undangan pada saat akhir sehingga menyukarkan orang ramai menyertai aktiviti yang dianjurkan. Malah, berdasarkan program selama dua bulan lalu, Ketua Pengarah DBP mengakui bahawa objektif BBK belum tercapai sepenuhnya. Walaupun penyertaan adalah jauh lebih luas berbanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya, masih ada banyak ruang untuk melakukan pembaikan. "BBK perlulah dianggap sebagai program negara walaupun masih ada yang melihatnya sebagai program DBP. Saya harap pihak swasta, kementerian, persatuan penulis, NGO dan semua sekali terlibat sama bagi memeriahkan dan menjayakan program memartabatkan bahasa kebangsaan," katanya. Perlu buat perancangan lebih awal
"Melalui pseta buku itu, kita bukan hanya mempamerkan atau menjual buku, tetapi kita sepadukan dengan kegiatan bahasa dan sastera. Untuk itu, soal pemilihan lokasi adalah penting. Kita perlu memilih tempat yang selalu dikunjungi orang supaya objektif tercapai," beliau menghuraikan. Sekiranya senarai aktiviti BBK dirujuk dalam majalah-majalah DBP keluaran Oktober lalu, rata-rata program yang dirancang adalah bagi bulan berkenaan sahaja. Majalah-majalah keluaran November dan Disember tidak pula menyiarkan sebarang jadual aktiviti bagi bulan-bulan berkenaan. Dr Awang mengakui bahawa kebanyak program besar sempena BBK sudah dilaksanakan manakala bulan ini diisi dengan pelbagai acara kecil yang masih meneruskan tradisi dan semangat memartabatkan bahasa kebangsaan sebagai bahasa milik seluruh rakyat. Berbalik pada soal kurangnya penglibatan masyarakat Bukan Melayu, beliau menegaskan bahawa DBP dan semua pihak terbabit perlu mengambil kira masalah yang timbul serta menggerakkan usaha bersungguh-sungguh melibatkan penyertaan masyarakat pelbagai kaum dengan membuat perancangan teliti sejak awal tahun sebagai persiapan bagi BBK 2013. "Publisiti juga harus dilakukan secara lebih meluas supaya dapat mewar-warkan kepada orang ramai mengenai program-program yang diatur. Persatuan dan NGO pelbagai kaum yang berminat melaksanakan aktiviti sempena BBK boleh mengemukakan permohonan lebih awal kepada DBP. Peranan media juga amat penting dalam menyebarkan maklumat berkaitan kepada khalayak. "Malah, saya berharap aktiviti bukan hanya di kota-kota dan kawasan bandar, sebaliknya sampai kepada khalayak di kawasan terpencil juga. Saya mengalu-alukan penyertaan mana-mana pihak yang mahu terlibat sama dalam usaha memartabatkan bahasa dan sastera kebangsaan," katanya. Audit Bahasa bermula Januari 2013 Dalam soal memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia di luar konteks program BBK itu sendiri, Dr Awang menekankan pentingnya ketegasan dalam pelaksanaan usaha itu. "Gerakan bahasa dan sastera kebangsaan semakin mendapat perhatian kerajaan dan orang ramai. Namun, komitmen yang lebih menyeluruh daripada semua pihak masih diperlukan. Saya berharap Audit Bahasa yang akan dimulakan pada Januari 2013 mendapat sokongan padu semua kementerian, jabatan dan agensi kerajaan. Pengauditan ini bertujuan memastikan penggunaan bahasa kebangsaan yang betul dalam semua sektor," beliau menghuraikan. Dr Awang optimis bahawa dalam masa tiga tahun, kita akan nampak lonjakan semangat dan komitmen untuk menggunakan bahasa kebangsaan yang betul dan bermutu dalam pelbagai sektor. Ringkasnya, walaupun BBK yang pada asalnya dijalankan selama sebulan sudah diluaskan selama tiga bulan, tugas semua pihak dalam usaha untuk sama-sama memartabatkan bahasa kebangsaan perlukan dilakukan secara berterusan sepanjang masa. Dalam soal ini, tidak dapat tidak, saya teringat akan kenyataan Dr Awang yang disiarkan di Free Malaysia Today pada 29 Ogos 2012. Beliau bersetuju dengan pandangan saya bahawa golongan politikus menjadi antara pihak yang paling banyak menghancurkan Bahasa Malaysia. Maka, bagi BBK 2013, mungkin pemantauan khas boleh dilakukan terhadap penggunaan Bahasa Malaysia dalam kalangan golongan politikus; khususnya sepanjang kempen Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU-13) dan selepas memegang jawatan dalam kerajaan pusat/negeri selepas PRU-13. Persatuan dan NGO yang berminat mengendalikan aktiviti sempena BBK 2013 boleh menghubungi infokavyan@yahoo.com.my untuk mendapatkan panduan memohon dana. |
| Pemuda PAS desak suruhanjaya bebas siasat Hishammuddin Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:34 PM PST
Pada masa yang sama ia juga mendesak pemimpin Umno itu bercuti hingga siasatan yang di buat selesai. “Hishammuddin perlu bersikap "gentleman" dan mengikut jejak langkah Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil dengan mengambil cuti ekoran skandal Pusat Fedlot Kebangsaan (NFC) yang lalu,” kata Ketua Pemuda PAS, Nasrudin Hassan. Bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hassan dalam satu sidang akhbar di Petaling Jaya minggu lalu ketika menjawab pertanyaan wartawan mendakwa bahawa pasukan polis semasa di bawah pimpinannya berdepan dengan campurtangan Hishammuddin. Tindakan Hishamuddin itu menurut Musa bersalahan dengan Seksyen 4 (1) Akta Polis (1967) yang membenarkan hanya beliau sebagai Ketua Polis Negara saja yang boleh memberi arahan kepada pegawai bawahan. Pemuda PAS menurut Nasrudin memandang serius terhadap pendedahan Musa itu. “Pendedahan tersebut tidak boleh dianggap satu pengkhianatan tetapi maklumat yang wajar didedahkan dan disiasat dengan segera kerana ianya melibatkan persoalan integriti Pasukan Polis Malaysia,” tambah Nasrudin. Sehingga kini tiada sebarang tindakan dilakukan untuk membongkar segala kemungkinan penyelewangan dan salah laku yang berlaku. Pemuda PAS juga berharap agar Polis Diraja Malaysia bertindak menjaga rakyat mengikut arus perundangan bukan menjaga parti politik serta mengikut arahan mereka semata-mata. |
| Indonesia’s Blue Bird taxis may hit KL streets Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:33 PM PST
KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian taxi operator Blue Bird Group has been invited by the Malaysian government to set up its operations here, as part of plans to broaden the public transport network. Details have not yet been confirmed as talks are in the early stages, but Malaysia will fit into the company's plans to expand beyond Indonesia in 2014. Blue Bird vice-president for business development Noni Purnomo told The Malaysian Reserve in an e-mail: "We have been talking with various authorities from the Malaysian government as well as private companies. We were invited by the Malaysian government to support the public transport in Kuala Lumpur." The company is Indonesia's largest taxi operator in terms of fleet size, and according to a report in The Jakarta Post, it is also eyeing the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and the United Arab Emirates. The expansion would be in the form of collaborations with local companies, said the report. The government of the Philippines had also extended an invitation to Blue Bird to study the taxi market in the country, said Purnomo. The planned expansion would not be easy, she said, as markets had to be studied along with their cultures. For the past several months, local taxi operators in Batam, Indonesia, have protested the recent issuance of Blue Bird's operating licence in the city, according to a separate report in The Jakarta Post last Thursday. Batam has 12 operators and 2,500 taxis. The protest led to Blue Bird's licence being revoked in July. An appeal led to a reversal and the licence was re-issued in October. Last Thursday, taxi drivers in Batam smashed the window of a Blue Bird taxi and injured its driver, leading to the arrest of five drivers, as Blue Bird officially began operations in the city. The arrest led to a protest involving hundreds of Batam taxi drivers, who claimed Blue Bird's operations would ruin their business. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve. |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:32 PM PST
Pitt’s new movie, the small-budget gangster film “Killing Them Softly,” bombed with filmgoers who panned it with a rare “F” grade on average in polling by audience survey firm CinemaScore. The movie landed in seventh place with US$7 million in ticket sales at domestic theatres. The results were much brighter for “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” the fifth and final film in the “Twilight” vampire and werewolf saga, which has earned US$254.6 million at North American (US and Canadian) theatres since its smash debut on Nov 16. The top rankings were similar to last week’s Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Bond movie “Skyfall” starring Daniel Craig as superspy 007 grabbed US$17 million and held on to second place, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters. Steven Spielberg’s historical drama “Lincoln,” featuring a critically acclaimed performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th US president, kept the No. 3 slot with US$13.5 million. A week ago, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2″ and “Skyfall” helped push the five-day Thanksgiving weekend to a box office record. The success of the two films, plus upcoming releases such as fantasy prequel “The Hobbit” and musical “Les Miserables,” are likely to power 2012 ticket sales to an all-time high, according to industry forecasts. As of yesterday, year-to-date sales were running 5.9 percent ahead of the same point in 2011 at US$9.9 billion, box office tracker Hollywood.com said. Critics were kinder than audiences to Pitt’s “Killing Them Softly.” Seventy-nine percent of reviews collected on the Rotten Tomatoes website applauded the film, which blends a violent but comic gangster story with criticism of politicians’ failure to address the economic crisis. In the movie, Pitt plays a hitman brought in by mafia bosses to eliminate a group of thieves who raid a high-stakes poker game. The film is set in an unspecified US city marked by abandoned houses, closed shops and petty criminals and mobsters trying to get by. The Weinstein Company distributed the movie, which was produced for less than US$20 million by Annapurna Pictures, Inferno Entertainment, and Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment. In the No. 4 slot, family movie “Rise of the Guardians” captured US$13.5 million . The Dreamworks Animation film has taken in US$48.9 million since its Thanksgiving weekend debut, one of the slowest starts for a movie from the studio behind “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda.” “Guardians” features the voices of Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin as the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and other childhood favourites who save the world. Rounding out the top five, survival story “Life of Pi” earned $12 million and fifth place. The critically praised film from director Ang Lee is based on a book about a boy stranded on a boat with an adult Bengal tiger. Its two-week domestic total reached US$48.4 million. The other nationwide release, horror thriller “The Collection,” took in US$3.4 million and finished in tenth place. The movie, a sequel to 2009 movie “The Collector,” tells the story of a serial killer who kidnaps women. “Breaking Dawn – Part 2″ was released by Summit Entertainment, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment. Sony Corp’s movie studio distributed “Skyfall.” “Lincoln” was produced by Dreamworks and distributed by Walt Disney Co. Viacom Inc’s Paramount studio distributed “Rise of the Guardians.” News Corp’s 20th Century Fox studio released “Life of Pi,” and LD Entertainment distributed “The Collection.”—Reuters |
| Tenaga mulls phase 5 expansion of Manjung plant Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:31 PM PST
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has plans to increase thermal power generated from coal with further expansion of the generation capacity of its Jana Manjung plant in Manjung, Perak, by another 1,000MW. The power utility's Manjung plant now has an installed capacity of 2,100MW (three x 700MW) and the company is now in the midst of adding 1,000MW under the fourth phase expansion at a cost of about RM6 billion. "TNB intends to increase generation capacity by another 1,000MW under the fifth phase expansion of the Manjung facility," an industry source told The Malaysian Reserve. To meet the expected 4%-5% annual rise in electricity demand (or about 600MW per year), and to some extent lower generation capacity dependency on natural gas, various news report recently said the Energy Commission is set to call for tenders to build up to 3,000MW of new coal powered generation capacity. The power utility's plan to increase the capacity of Manjung can be gauged from TNB's in-house forecast of its coal imports growing to about 29 million tonnes in five years from 22 million tonnes this year. The phase-four 1,000MW expansion, scheduled to be commissioned by the first-quarter of 2015, will likely use up to three million tonnes of coal annually. The source believes, if all goes according to plan, TNB plans to begin the fifth phase expansion works after mid-2013. The company was also successful in winning the bid to build the 1,071MW (two x 535MW) gas-fired plant in Prai, Penang, valued at about RM3 billion. This content is provided by FMT content partner The Malaysian Reserve. |
| Psy admits he gets sick of ‘Gangnam Style’ Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:15 PM PST SINGAPORE: South Korean pop music sensation Psy admitted Saturday that he sometimes gets sick of his massive hit “Gangnam Style” but will continue performing the number that made him world-famous. Speaking at a news conference in Singapore ahead of a free performance for fans, the 34-year-old — clad in a black suit and his trademark sunglasses — was modest about his fame and said he was just another person doing his job. “Sometimes, honestly, yes I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them, you know, like average let me say 50 requests per city, per country,” said Psy, whose full name is Park Jae-Sang. “I already taught the dance to so many people, so many times but still the dance makes me here, to make a press conference in Singapore, so of course sometimes I’m tired about it, but I got to do it, it’s my job,” he added.
But Psy said that despite the many times he has performed the number, “I really like the dance still.” The chubby K-pop veteran made his debut in South Korea in 2001 but it was only 11 years later that he shot to global fame with “Gangnam Style”, which a week ago made history by becoming the most watched video on YouTube. The video has so far notched up more than 860 million views, overtaking “Baby” by Canadian teen heart-throb Justin Bieber, on more than 807 million. “Gangnam Style”, which parodies the extravagant lifestyles of residents of an upmarket Seoul neighbourhood, has inspired thousands of online imitations, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan. The song has also earned Psy a nomination in the “People’s Choice” category of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year 2012″ contest together with other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China’s Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. But Psy played down his chances of topping that chart. “I feel really strange and weird why I’m there,” he said. “It’s not going to happen, I think, and I don’t deserve that much. I just did my job.” Psy is currently fourth in the online rankings out of 40 candidates. The North Korean leader was well ahead in the poll on Saturday.—AFP |
| Star Trek’s future is history in new book Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:09 PM PST LOS ANGELES: More than 45 years after “Star Trek” took fans boldly into the 23rd century, television writer David A. Goodman has written the first detailed narrative in history-book form of events depicted in the iconic science-fiction TV and movie franchise. “This is the history of the galaxy as it’s already been painted by the writers of the original ‘Star Trek’ series, the sequel series, and the movies up to but not including the (2009 “Star Trek”) J.J. Abrams movie,” Goodman, whose work includes writing for the most recent TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise,” told Reuters.
The 167-page book, to be published on December 4, connects the dots and fills in many of the black holes of “Star Trek” history as seen in the live action TV series, animated series and movies since 1966. Like a precious collection of memories, the timeline of events is important to Trekkies – and they are watching. “If I’m going to buy an official Trek History, I expect it to be true to that history,” wrote fan “KingDaniel” on fan website Trekbbs.com. Website Trekcore.com has already made its judgment, referring to Goodman’s book as a “Historical Trek Masterpiece.” The book comes packed with original illustrations depicting epochal moments and iconic characters like Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Khan, Zefram Cochrane, Richard Daystrom and Solkar of Vulcan. Inside the back cover is a pocket containing “documents from the Federation Archives,” including a handwritten letter by a young Jim Kirk to his mother. US history as inspiration From the beginning of “Star Trek,” its late creator, Gene Roddenberry, often used U.S. history and current world events as inspiration for his stories. Some of those themes are reflected in Goodman’s work. His “Articles of Federation” strike an especially familiar note. “Our worlds hold these truths to be self-evident that all species are created equal,” with the stated goal “to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic and intergalactic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, and promote the general welfare,” Goodman writes. The pivotal event of Goodman’s history is “The Romulan War” which, he said, has echoes of World War Two. The relationship between “Star Trek”‘s Romulan emperor and his admiral was inspired by Japan’s wartime admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto, Goodman added. The class of spaceships that included Captain Kirk’s Enterprise, and the way their construction was farmed out across the Federation, was inspired by the B-52 bomber program, which spread over several U.S. states to gain wide political support. And the character of Captain Jonathan Archer from the 2001-2005 TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise” is “the George Washington of the founding of the Federation,” Goodman said. The book comes housed in a plastic pedestal display which lights up with the push of a button to the familiar voice of actor George Takei as Admiral Hikaru Sulu introducing the history. “A deluxe history book” was the idea behind the book’s design, said design manager Rosanna Brockley. “We really wanted it to look elegant.” “Star Trek Federation – The First 150 Years” is published by 47NORTH and produced by becker&mayer! and has a list price of US$99.99. But if #1SheGeek’s comment from StarTrek.com – “I HAVE to have this. I will die without it” – and Alexander’s comment from blastr.com – “Shut up and take my money!” – are any indications, Goodman’s book may be poised to explore sales numbers that boldly go where few “Star Trek” books have gone before.—Reuters |
| Demolition of shrine illegal and unforgivable Posted: 02 Dec 2012 06:57 PM PST FMT LETTER: From S Param, via e-mail I refer to the recent demolition of an alter built within a house compound by officers from the Sepang Municipal Council. This high handed, insensitive and selective action by the Pakatan Rakyat led government in Selangor ought to be condemned. I fully support MIC's strong stance against the Sepang council's barbaric action and its demand for an apology. It was reported that the alter in the house was demolished as it was said to be built without the council's approval. There are hundreds of alters of different shape and sizes built without permission in many Hindu, Buddhist and Christians houses in Sepang. In fact through out the country in many non Muslim houses its a religious and cultural practice to have or /built a small alter. Generally these mini alters are built within the house compounds to offer daily prayers to the deities to seek divine help and protection. Are the authorities going to demolish all of these structures in the many hundreds of non Muslim houses in the Selangor state? The Sepang Municipal Council's intrusion into a private property (house) with sledgehammer-swinging officers is illegal and unforgivable. The SMC should have approached advice of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam on highly sensitive religious matters of this nature. There is no need for such a provocative and dramatic action which has angered the public especially those of the Hindu faith. I would have supported the SMC officer's demolition action if the structure has been built outside of the house compound or in a public place without permission but this is not the case. In the past during the BN government’s rule I have not heard of any officers trespassing into a private house swinging sledgehammers dangerously in the name of upholding the law. This Sepang incident has created serious doubts in many non Muslims whether to trust the Pakatan Rakyat government to protect the religious rights of the minorities in the country. Lately there were several highly charged sensitive incidents that has been affecting non Muslims in the Pakatan Rakyat governed states.These unpleasant incidents should not have occured in the first place and it has cast a doubt on the minds of the public especially the non Muslims on the sincerety and ability of Pakatan Rakyat to lead the country. It appears that the Indians, especially the Hindus are again been exploited and manipulated by certain hidden hands or forces. As usual the Hindu Sangam which is supposed to be the guardian of the Hindu faith in the country will play it safe. I urge the Hindu Sangam to view this ‘religious tresspass’ incident seriously and to work closely with like-minded NGOs to send a clear message to the Pakatan Rakyat authorities or their agents not to meddle with the religious sentiments of the minorities. Demand an apology for this blasphemous incident or teach them a lesson in the coming election. 'Xavier must apologise for sacrilege' Will they demolish that shrine again? |
| KL shares lower in early trade Posted: 02 Dec 2012 06:53 PM PST
As at 10.05am, the barometer FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 2.01 of a point lower at 1,608.82 after opening 2.52 points easier at 1,608.31. The Finance Index, however, rose 17.391 points to 14,972.45, the Industrial Index declined 0.07 of a point to 2,656.57 and the Plantation Index fell 25.09 points to 7,882.35. The Ace Index increased 26.81 points to 4,200.96, FBMT100 lost 14.421 points to 10,814.81, FBM Emas slipped 12.51 points to 10,966.96 while the FBM Mid 70 index declined 20.301 points to 12,033.81. Losers led gainers 170 to 162 while 184 counters were unchanged, 1,122 counters untraded and 22 others were suspended. Volume stood at 116.126 million shares worth RM113.8 million. Actives, Tiger Synergy slipped 3.5 sen to 38 sen, Berjaya Corporation increased one sen to 56 sen, Compugates Holdings gained half-a-sen to nine sen and Tiger Synergy warrants slipped half-a-sen to 27.5 sen. Heavyweights, Maybank slipped one sen to RM9.04, CIMB Group Holdings rose four sen to RM7.51, Sime Darby shed one sen to RM8.96 and Axiata Group declined three sen to RM5.89. - Bernama |
| Questions on Rasa Ria remain unanswered Posted: 02 Dec 2012 06:39 PM PST FMT LETTER: From Suzanne Vigenser (Australia), via e-mail Why won’t the Sabah Wildlife Department answer questions regarding treatment of orangutans at Rasa Ria. To the director, Dr Laurentius Ambu, why have you remained silent on this issue and will you answer the following questions put to you and the Sabah Wildlife Department please. Why was Tenten the orphaned orangutan sent to a holiday resort rather than be retained at Sepilok for rehabilition? Isn't Sepilok better able to administer the care and expertise required of such a young orangutan? We imagine donors to Orangutan Appeal UK would be alarmed and disappointed to discover Sepilok is passing on cute babies to a luxurious hotel. Was anyone arrested and prosecuted for the killing of Tenten's adult mother? The Shangri-la company has recently announced a big increase in profits. Why, therefore, do they solicit donations at the resort and what happens to this money? Is there a permanent, full time vet at Rasa Ria? How often does the SWD inspect the orangutans and their cages? We received reports of volunteers sent home for taking pictures of the condition of orangutans? Why is this so? How many orangutans have died at Rasa Ria in the last five years? In this regard we have received a worrying report. By not addressing the above questions it raises suspicion that Sabah is not doing their job in protecting wildlife and orangutans and that is not proactive as it claims. |
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