FMT News

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• ‘Govt must investigate Musa Hassan’
• Wan Azizah should contest in Penang
• When crime brings people together
• Jeffrey wants ‘Homeland Security’ for Sabah
• Mohsin doesn’t write books in movie forms
• Mahabharata – Bahagian 9
• Muhyiddin’s seven principles of ‘war’
• Najib: We will maintain momentum into GE
• Umno riding high on ‘red wave’
• Police report lodged against Shahrizat
• ‘Goalkeeper Rosmah will cause BN downfall’
• Liu rapped over Klang’s flood woes
• Fahaman Syiah meresap dalam PAS
• ‘Desperate Umno singing old tune’
• Ulama Umno: Nik Aziz pecahbelahkan Melayu
• `Musuh dalam selimut’ boleh jahanamkan Umno
• Umno condemns ‘pluralist’ Pakatan
• BN not giving out free radios to rural folks, says Salang
• Lawyers gain from ‘say-on-pay’ suits targeting US firms
• Bursa to stay firm on positive external developments next week
• Moody’s cuts AAA rating of ESM rescue fund
• Embracing diversity, integration in education
• FriedChillies’ Favourite 5 Veg Spots
• 2 klip video Nik Aziz ditayang di perhimpunan Umno
• New KL mayor to revive Plaza Rakyat project
• Quirky Sabah politician seeks PM’s post
• ‘DAP’s partisan politics will backfire’
• GE13: Of boats, floods and snakes
• Stop judging and start learning
• Mancini wants Toure brothers to skip Nations Cup
• McDowell seizes three-shot lead at World Challenge
• Benitez: Terry may make return at Club World Cup
• Redknapp not thinking about QPR targets
• Premier League clubs spend £77 million on agents
• Top footballers urge rethink on U21 finals venue
• Obama cranks up ‘fiscal cliff’ pressure
• Stung by UN defeat, Israel pushes settlement plans
• Senate approves new sanctions for Iran energy, shipping
• US lays out plan for achieving worldwide AIDS-free generation
• Syria jets bombard rebel targets on airport road
• Gushing UK papers laud PM Cameron’s stance on press law
• US disturbed by sentencing of blind Chinese dissident’s nephew
• Egyptians protest after draft constitution raced through
• High court leaves open if it will take up gay marriage case
• Mexico’s Pena Nieto picks close aides for top Cabinet jobs

‘Govt must investigate Musa Hassan’ Posted: 01 Dec 2012 10:09 AM PST PETALING JAYA: The government should initiate investigation against former IGP Musa Hassan  over claims of his alleged triad links, his alleged role in undermining several senior police officers as well as alleged abuses of power during his tenure as the police chief. Making this call today, former MACC advisory panelist Robert Phang, said only such an investigation, or even perhaps a royal commission, would reveal the truth about Musa. "Musa has no sense of loyalty to the organisation that has given him his livelihood and his lifetime career. "As a rule-of-thumb, I will never trust an individual who badmouths his organisation, much less an organisation which he had helmed for four years," said Phang. Phang was referring to Musa’s revelations earlier this week that the police force had been infiltrated by criminal elements and that the current IGP Ismail Omar was weak in heading the police force. He also claimed that there had been political interventions, including from the Home Ministry, even during his time as the IGP. He said the presence of criminal elements was the reason for the rising crime rate in the country. Coming to the defence of the police force and Ismail, Phang said the crime statistics had increased under Musa’s tenure and the situation had only started to turn around after his retirement in 2010. "If truth be told, Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the current IGP has now managed the Herculean task to return crime rate to the pre-Musa Hassan time. "Thus Musa's attacks against Ismail is clearly unwarranted and below the belt. The current IGP has managed to clean up the mess left by his predecessor, both in terms of crime rate and in terms of restoring the morale of the police force. "What I see before me is that Musa has failed as a leader when he was the IGP, and currently lacks the humility to comprehend just that," said Phang. ‘I remember history’ Phang, a member of the National Crime Prevention Foundation, also revealed his knowledge on Musa’s contract extensions as the national police chief. "I am an old man, and I remember history. Musa says that after he clashed with Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on his powers as IGP, his contract was terminated. That is a lie. "The truth is that Musa had his contract extended twice. He was so cunning that he placed people who can pose no threat to him in the succession line of the PDRM." He added that Musa had also ensured that those who can succeed him will retire before him, and claimed that Musa had a mercurial rise to become the IGP by "fixing people up". "There are still people from the force with enough knowledge about all these. Some had been sidelined, others faced trumped-up charges, and one even had prepared a statutory declaration to reveal the truth," he said. Warning to PKR Phang also expressed bewildrement over PKR’s alleged role in bringing Musa back to the limelight despite all this while claiming that he (Musa) had played a major role in Anwar Ibrahim’s persecution in both the sodomy charges. "If Musa is backed by PKR, then I must express my utmost disappointment that PKR appears to be a desperate party. "Let me remind PKR that its very existence came about after Anwar’s black eye incident. Has PKR forgotten that Musa had tried to fabricate medical reports that the injuries were self-inflicted?" He said that PKR should disassociate itself from Musa because "supporting his cause will mean that the leadership of PKR has no principles". He said the party should ask itself why Musa was now attacking the goverment whereas he was once its key perpetrator. The PKR link is being made as Musa’s press conference was called by a newly formed NGO called Malaysian Crime Watch Group (MyWatch), believed to be backed by the party and helmed by the party’s mid-level leaders. Musa is the patron of MyWatch. Also read: 'Criminal elements present in police, politics'

Wan Azizah should contest in Penang Posted: 01 Dec 2012 10:05 AM PST Reports that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be a candidate in the next general election is a hotly debated issue among the public. Will she be a candidate or not? Where will she be a candidate to fight her way back into mainstream politics? These are the main questions. The answers are not easy to come by since it is not known where will she lean to in the end. However, there may be a solution to the corny issue that might simply tame Umno as well as hunt them for the next five years. Wan Azizah may well be a candidate for a state seat, rather than a parliamentary seat, and it should be in Penang. There are already two members of the Anwar Ibrahim family who will contest in their respective parliamentary seats in the next general election – Anwar in Permatang Pauh and daughter Nurul Izzah in Lembah Pantai. This leaves way for Wan Azizah to be a candidate for a state seat and Penang seems to be the best bet so far. There is the possibility that the Malay voters in Penang may be giving some credence to the BN-Umno propaganda in Penang. The opposition should not allow any lapses in their campaigns and they may need a stalwart politician from the PKR to fend off this menace. With this in mind, Pakatan Rakyat may as well allow Wan Azizah to contest in the state rather than Selangor – the two states reportedly interested in paving way for her return. The decision to let her contest in Penang may just render BN’s anti-Pakatan campaign in the state to be ineffective. It will be an unexpected move as it will mean the communal campaign led by the BN will have been diluted with the presence of a major Malay opposition figure in the Penang state assembly contest. Her campaigning in Penang may altogether divide the pro-BN supporters and this will surely cause a steep fall in the BN’s expectations to retake Penang back. It is such wildcards, if used wisely by Pakatan, that will win the opposition more seats in both the state assemblies and in the parliament. Her Wan Azizah’s presence will also ‘douse’ any hesitations by the Malay-Muslim community in Penang while it will comfort the even bigger ‘pro-reformasi’ community there. The prominent role played by her in the reformasi movement and her presence as a valuable opposition MP in Parliament since 1998 until her resignation in 2008 will be an added boost to the opposition in Penang. It is not to be forgotten that her international campaigns altogether pressured the BN government and contributed to the release Anwar in 2004. This is true to her immense popularity in some Arab states and even in the US after her multiple interviews online and in private international television stations, just as she is still popular locally. So its best that PKR convinces her to contest for a state seat in Penang. KL-based Amir Ali works for an Indonesian NGO called the Warisan Melayu Riau, which is based in Bengkalis, Riau.

When crime brings people together Posted: 01 Dec 2012 10:01 AM PST When we think about trust, we naturally think first of all about personal relationships. That’s too narrow. Trust is much broader, and much more important. Nothing in society works without trust. It’s the foundation of communities, commerce, democracy, everything. Consequently in today’s hyper-connected society, understanding the mechanisms oftrust is of utmost importance. Issues of trust and security are critical to solving problems as diverse as crime issues and our current moribund political system. It would be easy to assume that a social problem only affects the people whom it directly touches, but this is not the case in actual fact. There is no doubt that there is widespread public concern about the high level of crime in this country today. Although the statistics fluctuate year on year, the picture is clear: over the past two generations crime has increased enormously. A great deal of crime goes unrecorded, and much of the crime that is reported to the police is not adjudicated upon by our criminal courts. The result is that there is a substantial cost to the community and many people go about in fear of being the victims of crime. People ask, quite reasonably, how this has come about. In an age of great technological advances, when so many people enjoy a prosperous lifestyle far beyond that of their parents and grandparents, why is it that so much crime and anti-social behavior are ruining it all? There is a widespread feeling of helplessness that nothing can be done about the situation and that, if one is the victim of crime, it is a misfortune like falling ill. We are left with the feeling that nothing works. A large amount of time and money is spent in dealing with the results of criminal and anti-social behavior, and even more is spent to deflect and deter young people from starting a life of crime, to catch those who do commit a crime and to deal with them appropriately. The task can be summed up by three Ps: parenting, policing and punishment. (Many would add a fourth: piety. Selfishness is the forerunner of every criminal act.) So while there is no doubt that crime can divide society, it can also unite society in a surprising twist of fate. One of MARAH's (Malaysians Against Rape, Assault & snatch) most active supporter and the founder of the volunteer Community Policing organisation posted in our facebook group page about a woman who got hurt during wayside robbery in Kepong on Sept 1, 2012. Prayer for Madam Khoo Madam Khoo Bok Eng slipped into coma after being hit with a crash helmet. She was discharged from two government hospitals as her injuries needed expert attention, and she was later kicked out of a private hospital after her son ran out of funds after paying bills amounting to RM26,000. She is currently warded in room Sunway Medical Centre, with escalating medical bills amounting to almost 60k. Her only son, aged 30, had exhausted his savings and EPF and desperately asked the MARAH member to help his mother. The MARAH member, Kuan Chee Heng, duly called me and explained the situation, and despite my stand on MARAH staying away from collecting money from the public, this poor lady's situation moved me. I decided to allow MARAH members to contribute to Madam Khoo's medical bill fundfor two reasons: I had verified the authenticity of the case with Kuan, and that this lady truly deserved assistance. I imposed a condition that any and all monies collected would go only through Kuan. Donations are entirely on a voluntary basis and I am glad to report that many MARAH members have given generously to aid Madam Khoo. Many others have pledged to pray for her speedy recovery as well. This is a very good example of Malaysians uniting to help a fellow Malaysian in need without regard for color, religion or creed. If you are moved to help this poor lady after reading this article, please do surf to the MARAH facebook page to see how you can help her. You are also most welcome to visit her if you wish as her current location is also listed. Finally I would like to ask a small favour of you – please do say a prayer for Madam Khoo's recovery from her horribly traumatic experience of being robbed and assaulted. Thank you. Visit MARAH Facebook here Dave Avran is the founder of MARAH (Malaysians Against Rape, Assault & snatcH)

Jeffrey wants ‘Homeland Security’ for Sabah Posted: 01 Dec 2012 09:56 AM PST KOTA KINABALU: Police in Sabah are coming under increasing pressure to send a message to residents that their state is not going to be overrun by what is perceived to be the seedier elements of legal and illegal immigrants flooding the state. The latest to rap the performance of the the police force over growing fears that crime has spiralled out of control in the state over the years is the Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party or STAR Sabah. The opposition party which is gaining rapid grassroots support around the state has suggested that the state government should set up its own Homeland Security Division to fill in for the shortcomings of the federal agencies in protecting the people in Sabah. Party chairman Jeffrey Kitingan made the provocative recommendation while speaking at the launching of its election canvassing unit in Kaingaran, on Saturday. He was responding to the public furore over the alleged murder of Norikoh Saliwa, a 16-year-old student from Kota Marudu last Sunday. Kitingan noted that the public outrage over the teenager’s death was reflected in the torrent of postings on social network sites with the vast majority blaming Sabah’s teeming population of immigrants. The STAR Sabah chairman pointed out that one of the key factors which pushed Sabah to join with neighbour Sarawak and Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963 was the security threats from Indonesia and Philippines. The idea being that being in the federation would provide better security for the state and its people. "However, the federal agencies responsible for Sabah's security and borders have failed to live up to the people's expectations. "Therefore, Sabah must have its own Homeland Security to ensure the better safety of its citizens and its borders in the wake of increasing crimes being committed by foreigners/illegal immigrants against locals and the influx of illegal immigrants all over the state," he said. Kitingan noted that in recent times foreigners in the state had become bolder and more ruthless. "They have shot and killed locals, grievously hurt and assaulted others to the extent of limbs being severed and have been responsible for many, many cases of break-ins, burglaries and robberies. "Even the police are not spared and have been assaulted by these foreigners," he pointed out. He said the brutal crimes committed by these foreigners, especially those who are in possession of the MyKad reflected the serious breach of Sabah's internal security and border controls. The teenager’s death along with the kidnapping of two businessmen from their property in Lahad Datu on the east coast of the state last month by a group of heavily armed men, all believed to be foreigners, relegated as hype months of loud assertions by government leaders that crime in the state was under control.

Mohsin doesn’t write books in movie forms Posted: 01 Dec 2012 09:47 AM PST Man Booker Prize nominated Mohsin Hamid does not weave his yarns around heroes. But fallen guys or those whom we would call anti-heroes.  Strange that Hamid should focus on the dark and the negative. For he had all the trappings of a good life. Educated at Princeton and Harvard, he was born in Pakistan, a nation where most people cannot even dream of such universities, let alone study in them. Hamid's protagonists in the two books he has published till now, Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, are guys who slip into the unenviable side of life. While Moth smoke follows  a former banker in post-nuclear Lahore who falls in love with his best friend's wife and is damned, heroin addiction completing his destruction, The Reluctant Fundamentalist talks about a rising star, a brilliant Princeton graduate  with a plum job in New York who gets checkmated by 9/11. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is now a motion picture, helmed by Mira Nair and which opened the ongoing Doha Tribeca Film Festival, and earlier Venice. Moth Smoke which was made into a telefilm in Pakistan some years ago is now set for something bigger. India's Rahul Bose has adapted it to screen, and the shoot will begin early next year. Meeting Hamid during the recent Doha Tribeca Film Festival one of the first questions that crossed my mind was the relationship the author has had with Nair and Bose. Some of the authors I have known have been displeased and even angry with helmers who have transformed their words into visuals. One of the best examples I can think of is Paul Zacharia whose novella was made into a movie, Vidheyan or Servile by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Zacharia was never really happy with what he saw on the screen, although Adoor's earlier tryst with Basheer's literary work, Mathilukal (Walls), was appreciated. Or so I was given to understand, for by the time I got around writing a biography of Gopalakrishnan, Basheer was dead. Hamid's relationship with Nair appears to be happy, with the man himself co-writing the screenplay for The Reluctant Fundamentalist. And as the writer avers the secret to a good relationship with the filmmaker is "either you are heavily involved, as was the case with Nair's work, or very minimally involved, as it is probably going to be with Bose. If you are somewhat involved then there is a greater chance for frustration and conflict”, Hamid smiles. In the beginning, he had hoped to keep his involvement in Nair's movie to a minimum, but ended up being hands on, primarily because it was hard to find a good scriptwriter (ah that great scourge in India). But in Bose's case, there is already a script written by him, and Hamid's contribution will be quite minimal. "This is a good thing, for a director has his own vision of what he wants his work to be". Good time Both kinds of participation come with pluses and minuses. When an author is an integral part of the filmmaking process, he has a greater opportunity to shape the celluloid work the way he wants to. "The pitfall here is if the writer-director relationship is not good, then it can be very exasperating. Luckily with Mira, this was not the case, and we had a good time". The advantage of being minimally involved is that an author gives the helmer the right to create his own version of the book. And this may or may not be a good thing. Yet, "I do believe that the print and the visual medium are two very different forms, and as long as a movie created out my book does not offed me, and as long as it is politically not very different, I am fine with it. To me a director making a film out of my book is like a reader, and like any reader, the helmer has the privilege to interpret my work the way he wants to." It would be as meaningless to take offence with such an interpretation as it would be to get angry with a sculptor who would sculpt a model after listening to a song! The lyricist could tear his hair up and say but that is not what my song is all about. Admittedly, Hamid has all the right ideas about where an author should draw his line when it comes to getting his book on film, but I am tempted to get a little deeper into this. When he was writing The Reluctant Fundamentalist did it occur to him that this novel too could be filmed? "Maybe vaguely yes. But I try to write novels to do what novels can. I do not write novels that are movies in book forms. My novels create ambiguity in a reader's mind. They invite a reader to be a character. This is inherently a very difficult thing to film. This is also going to be the case with Rahul's movie". In which case, what is that attracts helmers to go to Hamid. He believes in story-telling, and is convinced that he has to earn a reader's time by engaging him or her. And as the late Ismail Merchant once told me, a movie must above everything else tell a good story, and I would presume that both Nair and Bose must have been drawn to Hamid's fiction only because it is gripping. Hamid’s third fiction is ready to hit the stands. Titled How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, it is not one of those ‘do it’ works, but another novel. The publicity lines run like this: “It is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change”. Anyone with a megaphone to take this on? Gautaman Bhaskaran is a Chennai-India based author, columnist and film critic, and can be contacted at gautamanbhaskaran@yahoo.in. He is an FMT columnist.

Mahabharata – Bahagian 9 Posted: 01 Dec 2012 09:44 AM PST Kisah dalam epik Mahabharata bermula dengan penceritaan mengenai Raja Santanu daripada keturunan Kuru yang memerintah Kerajaan Hastinapura. Pada suatu hari, Santanu berada di tebing Sungai Ganges apabila baginda terpandang seorang gadis yang terlalu rupawan. Hati baginda terus tergoda dan memutuskan untuk memperisterikan gadis yang tidak dikenali asal-usulnya itu. "Beta pemerintah kerajaan ini. Sudikah kau menjadi isteri beta, sekali gus menjadi permaisuri bagi Kerajaan Hastinapura?" Demikian Santanu yang dilamun cinta berahi terus bertanya kepada gadis berkenaan. Gadis itu pula kelihatan agak terkejut; apatah lagi tiba-tiba disapa dan ditawarkan peluang menjadi permaisuri. Gadis yang memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai Gangga berusaha menolak cinta Santanu secara penuh sopan. "Maafkan saya, tuanku. Tapi tuanku tidak mengenali saya. Apakah semata-mata kerana tertarik pada rupa fizikal saya, maka tuanku bersedia untuk memperisterikan saya dan menjadikan saya permaisuri di kerajaan ini?" Santanu yang sedang dilamun cinta berahi mengakui bahawa itulah yang sebenarnya berlaku. Baginda tidak kisah tentang asal-usul serta apa-apa perkara mengenai latar belakang Gangga. Apa yang penting adalah bahawa gadis itu bersedia menjadi teman hidupnya. "Begitu mudah seorang raja membuat keputusan untuk berkahwin dengan seorang wanita yang langsung tidak dikenali?" Hussain bertanya apabila datuk menghentikan sebentar penceritaannya. "Yalah, datuk. Sebagai seorang raja yang disegani dan dipandang tinggi oleh penduduk Kerajaan Hastinapura, tindakan Raja Santanu kedengaran amat tidak wajar dan membelakangkan kedudukan sebagai keturunan diraja," tambah Hassan pula. Datuk memilih untuk tidak menghalang pasangan kembar itu mengeluarkan pandangan dan komentar mengenai kandungan epik yang terkenal itu. Memanglah wajar segala kisah yang dipaparkan di dalamnya dianalisis, diteliti, dibahas dan diperkatakan mengikut konteks semasa. "Demikianlah nampaknya apa yang berlaku dan diceritakan pula oleh Vyasa dalam teks Jaya. Ingat lagi teks itu?" "Ya, datuk. Teks itu kemudian dikembangkan menjadi epik Bharata dan seterusnya menjadi Mahabharata yang sedang kita perkatakan," Hassan menjawab sebelum Hussain sempat membuka mulut. Datuk mengangguk sebelum membelek-belek halaman buku Razmnameh yang merupakan terjemahan epik berkenaan dalam Bahasa Parsi. Kemudian, beliau meneruskan cerita. "Wahai gadis jelita, kau mintalah apa sahaja yang kau mahu. Beta akan berikan. Mintalah kesemua harta milik beta atau mintalah supaya seluruh Kerajaan Hastinapura ini diserahkan kepada kau. Atau mintalah nyawa beta. Semuanya sanggup beta serahkan asalkan kau sudi menjadi isteri beta," Santanu meraju tanpa segan-silu. Gadis yang ternyata jelitawan dan menggoda paras rupanya itu akhirnya bersetuju untuk berkahwin dengan raja berkenaan. Santanu gembira bukan kepalang dan terus melonjak kegembiraan di tebing Sungai Ganges. Akan tetapi, Gangga mengenakan beberapa syarat yang wajib dipatuhi oleh Santanu tanpa sebarang persoalan. "Syarat pertama adalah bahawa tuanku tidak akan bertanya apa-apa mengenai asal-usul dan identiti sebenar saya," gadis ayu itu berkata dengan tegas tetapi manja sambil duduk di sisi Santanu. "Beta setuju," raja itu menjawab dengan segera. "Beta tidak kisah tentang asal-usul kau. Apa yang penting adalah bahawa kau bersedia menjadi isteri beta, mampu membahagiakan beta dan layak melahirkan waris beta. Malah, kau akan menjadi permaisuri di Kerajaan Hastinapura." "Tapi itu baru syarat pertama. Dengarlah syarat-syarat seterusnya," kata Gangga. – Bersambung minggu depan Uthaya Sankar SB adalah presiden Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan yang mengendalikan aktiviti bahasa, sastera, seni dan budaya di seluruh negara sejak 1999.

Muhyiddin’s seven principles of ‘war’ Posted: 01 Dec 2012 05:26 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin today outlined seven principles to be complied with to ensure victory for Umno and the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general election. The seven principles are to obey the leader; draw up correct strategies; understanding the role and responsibility which must be carried out diligently; knowing the enemies in the general election particularly the opposition; strengthening solidarity at all levels of the party; ensuring preparedness to face the election "war" and to fight all out right up to the last minute. “The seven principles that I mentioned here will be disseminated so that they could be studied at all levels of the leadership and party members throughout the country to ensure that we achieve victory. “We want to ensure that our strongholds are defended so that the areas that we had lost can be regained,” he said when winding up the debate at the Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre, here. Clarifying further on the seven principles, the deputy prime minister said loyalty to the leaders was appropriate and must be complied with by all Umno members. “We must accept all decisions to be made by our party leader on matters pertaining to the general election, whether concerning the tasks and responsibilities that must be carried out, the selection of candidates or the election constituencies allocated to every component party,” he said. Muhyiddin said Umno must draw up the correct strategy to defend its existing strength by ensuring that the areas and states that the BN had won in the last general election remained in the hands of the BN and to regain the areas and states that it had lost, so that the party would achieve a bigger victory in the 13th general election. “As such, it is crucial that the leadership at the state, divisional and branch levels translate and implement all matters decided at the federal and state levels effectively to gain bigger support from the people,” he said. Deviationist ideologies He said party members must understand the roles and responsibilities that must be carried out diligently to face the challenge from the opposition. “All the deviationist ideologies that they practise can bring negative effects on our [future] generation, thus they cannot be left unchecked,” he said. Besides knowing the party’s enemies, namely PAS, DAP and PKR, Muhyiddin said Umno members must know the activities carried out by the opposition at the national, divisional and branch levels. He said they must ensure that the operations carried out by the opposition did not penetrate the Umno areas. For this purpose, he said the three wings of the party, namely Youth, Wanita and Puteri, must strengthen solidarity and coordinate activities at all levels. “All our infantry namely the Wanita, Youth and Puteri leadership at the divisional and state levels must move in a coordinated manner to ensure there is no dispute,” Muhyiddin said. The people, he said, had realised that Umno and the BN had brought exceptional transformation and they now wanted to see strong solidarity in Umno. Regarding Umno’s preparedness, Muhyiddin pointed out that every second was important and party members must ensure their physical, mental and spiritual preparation to face the challenge. “In order to ensure that we are in a state of actual preparedness, we will ensure that the war rooms set up at the state and division levels and those given the responsibility to do so were fully mobilised beginning today until the election is announced by the party president,” he said. Muhyiddin drew attention to the operations of the opposition which appeared to be increasingly affected and might be desperate following the Umno general assembly which had strengthened the party’s resolve to fight all out. He also reminded Umno members to work hard as shown by the party president. - Bernama

Najib: We will maintain momentum into GE Posted: 01 Dec 2012 05:19 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak expressed confidence today that Umno members would maintain the momentum they gained from the party's general assembly up until the general election, but again remained mum on when it would be held . "We can sustain [the momentum] until the big day, I’m confident," he told reporters at a briefing after delivering his winding-up speech to an audience of over 2,000 here today. But when reporters tried to prise the election date from the premier by asking if the momentum could last for several months, Najib said: "Depends on when the big day is." The general assembly will be the Malay party's last gathering before it faces the 13th general election, said to be the toughest yet for Barisan Nasional in the face of a slew of exposé from the opposition coalition in the past few years. The upcoming general election, which must be held before April 28, 2012, will be the first for Najib to secure his own mandate. But he has yet to announce the date, sparking speculation that the premier is not confident of a win. "But the momentum is growing and I’m sure, I’m quite confident they will take back with them the spirit of this assembly," said Najib. "What I said, what the deputy president said and also the mood of the whole assembly has been very energising, I would say. "So Umno is ready and the party spirit is strong," he added. When reporters pressed on the date again, he said: "[I will hold the election] when the time comes. "Why are you so eager to have elections? Why, you want to go for holiday, is it?" he asked the reporters with a laugh. But Najib said that once the polls are finally held, the target would be for Barisan Nasional to regain a two-thirds majority – a record that had been broken in the 2008 general election when Pakatan managed to win five states. When asked about internal sabotage, Najib said he was sure Umno members would be able to be rational over the matter. "This is all in the heart and mind. If in the heart they love Umno, in the mind they know that their actions would hurt the party and themselves, then I believe they will act rationally." Earlier, Najib had in his speech expressed "slight" concerns over internal sabotage, and urged members to give full support to candidates once they were announced.

Umno riding high on ‘red wave’ Posted: 01 Dec 2012 02:33 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: The "Red Wave” of Umno members and supporters attending the 2012 Umno general assembly at Putra World Trade Centre here clearly indicates that the country’s largest party has recovered from the political tsunami in the 2008 general election. The spirit to fight for Umno, the leading party in Barisan Nasional, to face the 13th general election (GE13) is soaring high, not just among the 2,759 delegates in the Merdeka Hall, but also among thousands of Umno supporters outside the hall. When delivering his policy speech on Wednesday, three times Umno president Najib Tun Razak asked: “Has Umno recovered?” and three times the delegates replied confidently: “Yes!” Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad also said Umno, based on the general assembly, had appeared stronger and high spirited, hence indicating that the delegates, and Umno members as a whole, were fully prepared to face the opposition in the GE13. Come what may, the political power of the Malays must be retained and Putrajaya must be defended – that is the spirit and pledge that would be shared by the delegates with party members, who numbered 3.2 million. The delegates have also been entrusted with the responsibility to interpret and convey the president’s message, which emphasised the importance of party’s preparedness to face the GE13, with party members at the grassroots level upon returning to their respective constituencies. Batu Umno chief Yahaya Mat Ghani@Abbas said the fact that Umno had recovered was not just an empty talk by the party’s top leadership, but was actually felt by party members at the grassroots level. “We [party members] want to win. This is a matter of life and death for us, for our race, for our religion, for our country. If we don’t listen, don’t follow orders from the top leadership, what will happen to our children?” he asked. The political transformation made by Najib and his team of leaders had been accepted by Umno members and their counterparts in BN component parties, as well as the public who benefit most from the efforts and initiatives taken by the government to improve their social wellbeing. Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah also acknowledged that the approach adopted by party leadership, that is to go to the ground to meet the people and solve their problems, had succeeded in restoring their faith in Umno and BN. However, he also reminded Umno not to slack off as the transformation in the leading party of BN should be implemented continuously to ensure that Umno would remain relevant. As a political analyst, Abdul Ghapa Harun of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia put it: “A government, which is responsive to new challenges and people’s aspiration and then, make transformation, will get the people’s support.” Najib, in his policy speech, also reminded Umno members that the party was facing a radical demographic change that would influence the people’s taste and aspiration, especially among the more knowledgeable and critical-minded young generation. The priority, taste, value system and profiles of voters in Malaysia have also contributed to the transformation of the political landscape following the improvement of the quality of life, town-planning process, access to education, advancement of information technology, communication and transportation in the country, he said. Tokyo Umno Club president Ariff Yasir Zulkafli, who represented the young generation, had expressed hope that Umno would remain in power and continue to become the platform to fight for the rights and interests of the young generation. His sincere call for Umno members to set aside their differences and to return to Umno’s original objectives should be an eye-opener that the young Umno members were aware and fully understood the ever-changing political landscape of Malaysia. - Bernama

Police report lodged against Shahrizat Posted: 01 Dec 2012 01:04 AM PST PETALING JAYA: An Indian-based NGO coalition which felt threatened by Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jail's statement on May 13 has lodged a police report against the former minister. "Shahrizat's statement was meant to threaten the non-Malays. She was trying to say if the non-Malays vote for the opposition and this results in a weak Umno, a race riot similar to the violence on May 13, 1969 will happen," Tamilar Action Force head A Vethaamoorthy said. Leading a group of 12 members to lodge the report at the Sentul police station today, he said Shahrizat should be charged with threatening the public and instigating racial divide. Shahrizat raised the spectre of May 13 in her speech at the Wanita Umno annual general assembly on Wednesday. She said that a weak Umno would spread uneasiness among the Malay and possibly spark a May 13 racial bloodshed. "Do we want such a terrible situation repeated in our country? Of course, we do not," she said. "By giving this kind of statement, it shows how desperate Umno is," Vethaamoorthy said. He said the May 13 incident is already history, and the leaders of the country should now realise that the people have the right to choose who they want in the general election. "It won't help by making this kind of unnecessary remark," he said. Several Pakatan Rakyat MPs including M Kulasegaran and Khalid Samad have also criticised Shahrizat, calling her "shameless" while saying that Malaysians were now more united than in 1969.

‘Goalkeeper Rosmah will cause BN downfall’ Posted: 01 Dec 2012 12:56 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan today made a startling prediction: Barisan Nasional will suffer a big loss in the upcoming general election, all because of a goalkeeper called “Rosmah”. In a cryptic SMS sent to the media, the well-connected businessman used a football metaphor and named “Rosmah” as the sole Umno goalkeeper who would fail to stop Pakatan Rakyat from scoring big. Deepak said he was referring to the speech given by Umno Kelantan delegate Md Alwi Che Ahmad who drew the analogy of Umno being like the “red warriors”, the committed and hardworking football players of the state. The Kelantan opposition leader was quoted as saying that “Umno players” are winnable candidates and are able to score goals. “The party’s president want the best players to score goals… winnable candidates” he reportedly said. Deepak, however, laughed off the suggestion, saying that he found it amusing as the Kelantan players actually belong to PAS. “I refer to the Umno Kelantan speech & his anology of kelantan’s champion footballer’s ‘red warriors’ as d criteria for ‘winnable candidates’,” he wrote. “Najib is indeed an excellant striker & a winnable candidate in Pekan but unfortunately Umno’s only goalkeeper today is Rosmah & she has her hands full catching the billions coming her way that she won’t have the time to stop PKR from scoring goals in parlimentary seats.” The man, who has previously admitted to being close like a sibling to Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, then made a startling prediction in his text. “GE13 will be PKR 123, seat Rosmah RM26 BILLION, BN 99 seats. A prophercy that will happen.” ‘Goalkeeper not interested in catching balls’ Asked about the meaning behind his SMS, Deepak said: “You have a winnable candidate who can win his seat, but this is not the presidential election. If he wins and the others lose, there is no point. “I fully agree that we should have winnable candidates. I’m saying that, yes, Najib can win in Pekan, but you have so many players and you only have one goalkeeper; this goalkeeper is not interested in catching the ball, but in catching billions,” he told FMT. “You can win that one Pekan seat. But you are going to lose 120 other seats because your goalkeeper is not trying to catch the ball the opposition is trying to score." The past week, Deepak has resurfaced after some period of silence, giving several media interviews in which he claimed he regretted getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration (SD) concerning murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Balasubramaniam’s first SD had linked Najib to the murder, while the second one reversed it a day later. Balasubramaniam subsequently went missing. In the interviews, Deepak said that he got involved as a favour to a “female friend”. Deepak also spoke about a land dispute case, involving him, a Selangor Umno leader and the Defence Ministry, which Najib had then helmed. Deepak has accused Najib of receiving “contributions” from him for the former's intervention in the land deal but is upset that the premier now refuses to aid him in resolving the dispute. He also talked about a fall-out with Najib’s family after his involvement in the Altantuya matter. Subsequently, Deepak has also claimed to have been forced out of 26 companies that he was a director in. He said that he was also harassed by government agencies and had several government-linked contracts cancelled. Also read: Deepak to reveal more dirt from under the carpet

Liu rapped over Klang’s flood woes Posted: 01 Dec 2012 12:28 AM PST PETALING JAYA: Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu came under fire today for saying that the frequent floods in Klang were caused by littering and the nature of the terrain. Former Sepang DAP parliamentary liaison committee member Tan Tuan Tat said Liu has made inaccurate and misleading statements about the cause of the floods. He added that it was improper drainage system that is to be blamed. Tan said among the three state constituencies in Klang, only the Port Klang constituency is situated next to the sea and faces potential flash floods during high tides. Kota Alam Shah and Pandamaran constituencies were located in the interior parts of Klang and were not flood-prone until recently, he added He claimed that in Liu's own constituency of Pandamaran, several organisations have asked for allocations to upgrade the drainage system along Jalan Chenniah in 2009, but their request went unheeded. He also claimed that in Kota Alam Shah, the drainage design of the Harbour Place shopping complex has deviated from the local council's building plan, thus causing floods in the area. "All this showed that Liu's statement was inaccurate and misleading," he said in a statement today. Liu told the Selangor State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that studies showed that the flash floods in Klang were caused by high tides, littering and the fact that Klang is lower than the sea level. He said the Selangor government has approved RM5 million allocation to build nine flood mitigation projects to tackle the long-standing problem. Liu added that seven of the projects would be completed by this year-end and two by March next year. On public littering (throwing rubbish into drains), Tan said the real problem was with the state government which did not collect the rubbish on time. He also wants to know the locations of the mitigation projects, saying that only the ones in Jalan Tengku Kelana and Bayu Perdana have been known to public. Tan, the former Taman Sri Sungai Pelek branch chairman, also asked why only RM5 million was allocated for flood mitigation works. Also read: Flood victims mull suit against govt agencies

Fahaman Syiah meresap dalam PAS Posted: 01 Dec 2012 12:26 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Tindak-tanduk PAS yang kebelakangan ini dilihat melampaui syariat agama adalah kerana ahlinya yang mendukung fahaman Syiah. Wakil  Marang Senator Toh Puan Zaiton Mat Amin berkata, masyarakat Islam kini menghadapi ancaman baru apabila pemimpin PAS cuba menyebarkan fahaman Syiah. Katanya, pengikut fahaman Syiah yang mangamalkan bidaah ekstrem dan memutarbelitkan ayat al-Quran itu lazimnya memusuhi ajaran ahli sunnah wal jamaah yang diamalkan majoriti umat Islam negara ini. “Saya sering dengar dalam ceramah PAS sering menyanjung Syiah. “Ada pemimpin PAS yang secara terang mengaku pengikut Syiah dan menyebarkan fahaman Syiah,” kata Zaiton  di Perhimpunan Agung Umno di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) pagi tadi. Beliau bagaimanapun tidak mendedahkan secara terperinci identiti pemimpin PAS yang terlibat. Tambahnya, sifat terlalu mengagungkan pemimpin sehingga begitu takjub dengan segala perintah juga antara ciri-ciri pengikut fahaman Syiah. “Syiah mendidik sifat ketakjuban yang tinggi. “Pemimpin mereka dianggap maksum dan keramat…ini adalah benar dan tidak boleh ditentang, ketaksuban mengatasi segala-gala,” katanya. Sementara itu, perwakilan Kedah Mohd Kamal Saidin menyifatkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional adalah amanah Allah untuk semua rakyat. Katanya, mempertahankan dan memartabatkan Umno merupakan satu jihad demi bangsa dan negara.

‘Desperate Umno singing old tune’ Posted: 30 Nov 2012 11:51 PM PST PETALING JAYA: PAS leaders hit out at Umno for its PAS-bashing session at the Umno general assembly which ended today, saying the ruling party is playing an "old tune". They said the attack on the Islamist party indicated that Umno feels threatened by the opposition. PAS vice-president and Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub said that the allegations hurled at PAS have had no effect. During the assembly, many Umno delegates have attacked PAS for being "unIslamic" and a "commercial" party obsessed with taking power at Putrajaya. "Umno is just singing an old tune. I'm not 'excited' at all about the attacks made by Umno," said Salahuddin. "I think PAS has reached a level where it has become a true rival to Umno because these attacks show that the ruling party feels threatened by PAS," he said. "These attacks also indicate that Umno is desparate as it feels that Pakatan Rakyat can replace the ruling party," he said. PAS Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad said the diatribe launched against PAS was made to garner the support of the Malays. "All the statements were made to threaten the Malays. Basically, Umno wants to emphasise that only the ruling party can protect the Malays and not Pakatan. "The PAS-bashing just goes to show how desparate Umno is to the extent that it is playing on the religious sentiments of the Malays [to win support]," Dzulkefly said. "Umno says it has been championing Islam, but if it really does things in the name of Islam, how does it explain scandals such as the NFC [National Feedlot Corporation] and other cases of corrupt practices involving its leaders?" Dzulkefly said Umno has also failed to address the issue of inequality. "I challenge the prime minister to address the issue of equal redistribution of income and wealth. As long as he does not solve this problem, this matter will remain." He drew a comparison between the Umno assembly and the PAS muktamar (national conference), saying that "although PAS made some blunders, at least we have put forward [constructive] proposals about the economy, political institutions, education and morality. "Umno, on the other hand, creates noise. Frankly, I have not seen anything substantive emerging from the Umno assembly." PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu took a swipe at Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for talking about the concept of wasatiyyah (modesty). "With his wife allegedly owning a ring costing millions, and with their lavish lifestyle, does that show wasatiyyah?" He also said that Najib should be willing to debate with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, and not run away. He added the PAS-bashing will not put a dent to the opposition flank..

Ulama Umno: Nik Aziz pecahbelahkan Melayu Posted: 30 Nov 2012 11:48 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk  Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat terus dibidas pada hari terakhir Perhimpunan Agung Umno (PAU) 2012 apabila disifatkan sebagai punca utama masyarakat Islam di negara ini berpecah belah. Ulama muda Umno Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya ketika membahaskan usul agama dan pendidikan berkata, Menteri Besar Kelantan itu gemar melabelkan golongan yang tidak menyokong PAS sebagai murtad dan kafir. Akibatnya, dakwaan itu tertanam dalam pemikiran penyokong PAS dan menjadi satu ideologi sehingga timbulnya perbezaan kelompok Melayu-PAS dan Melayu-Umno. “Ideologi kafir mengkafir tidak akan kita benarkan dalam parti. “Kita tak redha orang-orang kita buat begitu. “Cukuplah perpecahan yang dicetuskan menerusi amanat Tok Guru (Nik Aziz),” katanya mewakili Perlis di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) di sini hari ini. Jangan terpengaruh Beliau turut mengingatkan supaya ahli Umno tidak terpengaruh dengan budaya mengkafirkan atau memurtadkan orang lain seperti yang diamalkan PAS. Ini kerana menurutnya, melabelkan seseorang sebagai murtad dan kafir boleh didakwa dan dikenakan satu hukuman yang berat. “Adakah ahli Umno yang 3 juta lebih ini murtad dan memperlekehkan Islam? “Sedangkan dalam Fasal 3 Perlembagaan Umno menyebut untuk menegak, mempertahan dan mengembangkan Islam. “Itulah yang sedang kita lakukan zaman berzaman. Kita tangkap pengasas ajaran sesat…kita pertahankan akidah,”katanya. Sebelum itu, Fathul menyiarkan klip video Nik Aziz pada muktamar PAS di Kota Bharu bulan lalu yang menyebut bahawa orang yang memperlekehkan Islam adalah murtad dan pada masa yang sama turut mendakwa Umno sebagai parti yang memperlekehkan Islam.

`Musuh dalam selimut’ boleh jahanamkan Umno Posted: 30 Nov 2012 11:46 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Tirai perhimpunan agung. Umno akan dilabuhkan petang ini. Perwakilan  akan pulang ke kampung masing-masing membawa amanat untuk memastikan kemenangan  dalam pilihan raya yang bakal menjelang tiba. Riuh rendah perwakilan sejak Khamis lalu dari seluruh negara kecuali Sarawak bermakna telah sedia menghadapi pilihan raya. Pemuda, Wanita dan Puteri bersidang sehari lebih awal. Mandat BN akan berakhir pada bulan April depan iaitu empat bulan dari sekarang. Datuk Najib Tun Razak walau tidak lekang dengan senyuman namun sedar pilihan raya akan datang  ini menentukan hidup mati Umno. Perdana Menteri dan pimpinan parti telah melakukan segala-galanya untuk memastikan kemenangan BN, bukan saja mengembalikan majoriti dua pertiga kerusi Parlimen tetapi juga merampas Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor dan Pulau Pinang. BN kehjilangan Selangor, Kedah dan Pulau Pinang pada pilihan raya 2008, manakala Kelantan sejak 1990. Jika dilihat secara menyeluruh, Umno tidak menghadapi sebarang kecacatan dalam menghadapi mana-mana pilihan raya sekali pun. Umno mempunyai ahli terbanyak iaitu sekitar tiga juta orang mengatasi mana-mana parti sekalipun. Malah gabungan DAP, PAS dan PKR tidak mampu  menandingi jumlah ahli Umno. Bagaimanapun, dalam perang moden tentera yang ramai bukan penentu kemenangan. Najib  tentu sudah mempunyai senarai calon-calon yang memiliki faktor kemenangan untuk pilihan raya; jentera yang tersusun serta pengalaman. Pernah dilaporkan berlaku Namun,  beliau mungkin tidak boleh menyekat sabotaj dalam pilihan raya sebagaimana yang pernah dilaporkan berlaku kepada calon Umno di beberapa tempat tertentu. Sabotaj atau khianat merupakan musuh dalam selimut yang bukan saja menyebabkan calon kalah tetapi juga kemusnahan keparti Umno. Sabotaj ini boleh berlaku bila-bila masa masa dan tidak mengenal tempat. Tetapi ia mudah berlaku di kawasan yang mana peluang Umno untuk menang. Ia berlaku kerana masing-masing hendak menjadi calon kerana menyedari kemenangan terbentang luas di depan mata. Kerana kemenangan menjanjikan kemewahan, kuasa dan sanjungan, sabotaj di kalangan ahli Umno ini tidak boleh dipandang ringan. Meskipun Najib berkali-kali mengingatkan hal ini, bukan bermakna ia tidak akan berlaku lagi. Mereka yang khianat sahaja yang sanggup melakukan sabotaj kepada parti. Jika khianat ini tidak berlaku dalam pilihan raya ke 13 ini, Umno mampu menang besar walau pun ia tidak semudah yang disangka. Kini pilihan di tangan orang Umno sendiri. Sabotaj parti mungkin keseronokan sendiri tapi akanb menyebabkan parti tersembam dan hilang kuasa.

Umno condemns ‘pluralist’ Pakatan Posted: 30 Nov 2012 10:50 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Umno today ended its general assembly with loud warnings against voting for the opposition as it would tantamount to putting into power a government that is anti-Islam. The last round of delegates debating the presidential policy speech said Pakatan Rakyat was a clear advocate of “liberalism” and religious “pluralism”, which promotes homosexuality which one delegate called “the teaching of the devil”. Their attacks were trained on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community (LGBT), which Umno delegates claimed was supported by Pakatan. “This LGBT is haram [illegal] in Islam but the opposition is making LGBT halal… they even said that the law on sodomy is obsolete… ,” said Pendang delegate Mohd Kamal Saidin. He claimed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, twice accused of sodomy and subsequently acquitted, as the man responsible for the spread of the “disease”. Pakatan’s push for openness and new politics has placed the opposition coalition on the defensive as its rival exploited it by portraying the pact as supporters of ideas against Islamic teaching like homosexuality. Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia while religious “pluralism” is seen as a threat to Islam’s dominance in a Muslim-majority country. Age of ignorance One delegate, Ariffin Mohd Arif, from Kimanis, called for an official sanction against those who spread the ideas while another echoed earlier calls for the government to include anti-homosexual subject into religious education. Tanjong representative Mohd Shaharudin Mohd Hasan Tajudin described the current spread of the LBGT “problem” as the “dark age of ignorance” and only the Umno-Barisan Nasional government is capable of containing it. “So who else will you vote for?” he asked. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had revealed earlier this week that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had objected to the inclusion of LGBT rights when signing Asean's first human rights charter recently. Najib said Malaysia was against principles that violated “the order of human nature”. Muhyiddin also took a swipe at Anwar and suggested that the opposition leader supports homosexuality and was influenced by Western ideas. The government recently came under heavy fire again when it was reported to have endorsed a list of identifiable gay and lesbian traits for schools and parents, purportedly to prevent the spread of the phenomenon among teenagers, especially students. The government later denied that the Ministry of Education had authorised or endorsed the guidelines.

BN not giving out free radios to rural folks, says Salang Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:56 PM PST PAKAN (Sarawak): The Barisan Nasional in Sarawak will not give out free transistor radios to the people, especially those in rural areas, for campaigning purposes before the coming general election. Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Joseph Salang said this was because since its formation in 1973, the BN had been synonymous with the country’s rapid development, progress and prosperity. Its administration too had been very fair, inclusive, caring and pragmatic in its services to the people, he told reporters after attending a Mesra Rakyat gathering at the Rh Dunggok Megong longhouse in Tubai Buah, Pedanum near here last night. Salang was commenting on a move by the opposition, namely PKR and Sarawak Worker’s Party (SWP) to distribute radios to the rural folks. The state too has now two private radio stations, the Free Sarawak Radio FSR) and the Radio Kenyalang, currently broadcast in Iban language. The Radio Kenyalang is set up by SWP while PKR encourages its supporters to tune in to the daily evening broadcast of the Free Sarawak Radio (FSR) which is always taking up issues against the government and its leaders. Earlier, Salang took the deejays of the FSR stations to task for their penchant for endless criticism of the state elected Dayak leaders. “I am sure the Radio Kenyalang deejays are going to follow a similar trend. This is ridiculous and a great injustice to the Dayak community,” he said at the gathering jointly organised by Kemas from Julau and Pakan areas and the Prime Minister’s Department. “I feel people have to think twice to listen to them. I am not saying they are wrong but if they have been so successful, and better off than those they criticised, we should listen to them,” he said. He said two of the deejays had lost their bids to get elected in previous state elections in the Layar and Katibas constituencies and now they were passing judgment on the performances of those who had won. On the coming election, Salang again reminded the people that only the BN could help them to achieve a better standard of living. -Bernama

Lawyers gain from ‘say-on-pay’ suits targeting US firms Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:54 PM PST NEW YORK: Since the Dodd-Frank law gave shareholders a say in executive pay in 2010, courts have routinely rebuffed efforts by shareholders to force companies to heed their voice. Now, lawyers have found a new way to bring lawsuits over executive pay, resulting in a handful of legal settlements. But the settlements to date have produced no changes in executive compensation and no money for investors. In fact, the main financial beneficiary so far has been a small New York law firm that brought the bulk of the cases. The law firm, Faruqi & Faruqi, said the settlements benefit shareholders by giving them the information they need to make investment decisions, but it declined to comment on monetary details. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires companies listed in the United States to hold shareholder votes at least every three years on the compensation of top executives. These “say-on-pay” votes are advisory and non-binding. While most of them pass, a few fail, sometimes resulting in shareholder lawsuits against company directors. Of the 12 such cases that have been decided by courts, 11 have been dismissed, according to a report by the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. The lawsuits filed by Faruqi & Faruqi, however, are brought before votes are even taken and do not challenge compensation packages directly. Instead, the lawsuits accuse companies of failing to give shareholders enough information on compensation plans to make informed votes. This can either be executive compensation, which is subject to the advisory votes, or employee share plans, which require shareholder approval. In both cases, the lawsuits seek to prevent votes from going forward at annual shareholder meetings. Some 20 public companies including Microsoft Corp, H&R Block Inc and Clorox Co have been hit with these lawsuits in the past year, according the report by Pillsbury and court records. Pillsbury usually represents companies that are defending themselves against shareholder lawsuits. It is not representing any defendants in the current wave of cases. At least six of the new cases have resulted in settlements in which the companies have agreed to give shareholders more information on the pay of their executives or on the employee share plans. The settlements have also resulted in fees of up to US$625,000 for the lawyers who brought the cases. Assisting shareholders Juan Monteverde, the partner at Faruqi who is leading these lawsuits, said his firm was providing shareholders with information to protect their investments, even if there was no monetary award. “The settlements confer a benefit to shareholders by providing adequate disclosure necessary to make decisions on important issues,” Monteverde said. The extra information sought has included such things as the data the company reviewed in determining executive compensation and analyses showing the effect on shareholders of increasing the number of shares in a stock plan. Lawyers from defence firms, however, have taken note that while settlements have provided additional disclosures and legal fees for Faruqi, they have netted no cash for shareholders. “It’s a shakedown for a quick buck,” said Boris Feldman, a lawyer at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati who is defending a case against cancer radiation company Accuray Inc. Mark Chandler, the general counsel of Cisco Systems Inc, which is facing one of the lawsuits, said the practice is a “new cottage industry for plaintiffs’ lawyers.” Cisco makes sure its proxy disclosures are thorough, he said. Monteverde, the partner at Faruqi, declined to comment on the criticism. The new strategy mirrors lawsuits in which shareholders have been able to delay mergers and acquisitions by bringing lawsuits accusing company directors of trying to sell companies at an unfair price. Settlements quickly follow and, as in the new say-on-pay lawsuits, the accords usually involve more disclosures from the company, no cash for the class and fees for the lawyers. Many of the M&A lawsuits are brought in Delaware, a major venue for business litigation, where judges have become increasingly critical of settlements in which attorneys get paid but plaintiffs receive more information but no cash. The compensation lawsuits, however, were filed not in Delaware but mostly in the states where target companies are headquartered. Judges have given the cases a mixed reaction. Victories In an early victory for Faruqi, Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg in Santa Clara, California, on April 10 blocked a vote at networking equipment manufacturer Brocade Communications Systems Inc scheduled for two days later. Brocade was seeking to increase the number of shares available under its stock plan. The plaintiff alleged the company failed to disclose details and misrepresented how the increase would dilute investors’ holdings. Kleinberg said the plaintiff had shown a “substantial likelihood” of success in establishing the company did not disclose material information about a proposed increase in shares granted under the incentive plan. “Denial of the proposed injunction would forever preclude the Brocade shareholders from casting a fully-informed vote on a proposal that could have dilutive effects on their shares, and after-the-fact damages calculations would be speculative and ineffective,” he wrote. Instead of delaying the annual vote, Brocade reached a settlement on April 11 in which it disclosed more details about the executive compensation plans while paying US$625,000 in fees to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, which were led by Faruqi. John Noh, a spokesman for Brocade, declined to comment. The plaintiffs in all of Faruqi’s cases were individual investors. One plaintiff, Natalie Gordon, is named in three of the lawsuits. The lawsuits gave no details about Gordon or the other plaintiffs, except to say that they are investors in the companies. Gordon could not be located for comment. The one case that was not brought by Faruqi was filed on behalf of an institutional investor, the St Louis Police Retirement System, against blood analytics company Abaxis Inc. In that case, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Oct 23 determined that the company failed to reference material information on compensation in its proxy statement and blocked a shareholder meeting from going ahead. “The law requires that when a board of directors seeks a shareholder vote, the board must fully and fairly disclose all material information regarding the matters on which votes are sought,” said Eric Zagar, a lawyer at Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check who represented the plaintiff. A spokesman for Abaxis did not respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit is ongoing. At least five companies have reached settlements rather than fight an injunction demand, according to Pillsbury’s report. Most recently, WebMD Health Corp agreed on Nov 15 to a disclosure-only settlement that would pay investors nothing but award Faruqi at least US$250,000. As part of the settlement, WebMD provided supplemental disclosures to investors that detailed the “guiding philosophy” of the board’s compensation committee and more details on why it had approved an increase in the number of shares available under a stock plan. Representatives of WebMD and the other companies that settled – Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc, NeoStem Inc and Applied Minerals Inc – did not respond to requests for comment. Fighting back Other companies, though, have fought on and recently some judges have sided with them. At least five times, judges have denied injunction requests, the Pillsbury report said. In a case involving Clorox, Superior Court Judge Wynne Carvill in Alameda County, California, rejected an injunction request on Nov 13. While noting the “public controversy surrounding executive compensation,” Carvill said there was “no risk of any interim, much less irreparable harm” if a say-on-pay vote went forward. “This is not a merger or takeover case that would require the court after a trial on the merits to ‘unscramble the eggs’ if plaintiff were to prevail,” Carvill wrote. Kathryn Caulfield, a spokeswoman for Clorox, said the company was “pleased with the ruling". A day later, New York state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Whelan in Suffolk County rejected a similar injunction request in a case involving Globecomm Systems Inc. Jonathan Wagner, a lawyer at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel who represents Globecomm, said courts recognise that the information the plaintiffs are seeking is not material. The plaintiffs are trying to turn the rules for disclosure in compensation proposals “upside down,” he said. Elsewhere in New York, state Supreme Court Justice Vito DeStefano in Nassau County on Nov 16 rejected an attempt to get an injunction in an investor lawsuit against Hain Celestial Group Inc. The chance of shareholders being irreparably harmed by letting the say-on-pay vote go forward was “purely speculative given the advisory nature of the vote,” DeStefano wrote. A spokesman for Hain Celestial did not respond to a request for comment. Not all of the cases make it to a decision or settlement. In some cases, Faruqi dropped lawsuits before a judge could rule on the injunction request and without a settlement. Last week, Faruqi withdrew a lawsuit against Microsoft. The company said in a statement that the lawsuit was “meritless” and that it was “confident that courts will continue to recognize these cases don’t serve the best interests of shareholders.” Despite the recent defense wins, few lawyers believe they’ve seen the last of this kind of lawsuit. Faruqi last week issued a news release saying it was investigating the directors of Greenbrier Companies Inc over their conduct in seeking shareholders’ approval of an amendment to its stock incentive plan. A spokesman for Greenbrier did not respond to an email seeking comment. Sarah Good, who co-authored Pillsbury’s report, said there was little companies could do to avoid being hit with these lawsuits. “Where the plaintiffs securities bar sees that they will get a return on their investment, they’re going to keep filing them,” she said. - Reuters

Bursa to stay firm on positive external developments next week Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:44 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) is expected to stay firm next week on positive external developments and firmer commodities prices, a dealer said. Vice-president/head of retail research, Affin Investment Bank, Nazri Khan, said favuorable US and Eurozone economic data and optimism that the world’s largest economy’s leaders would be able to resolve the fiscal cliff situation by Christmas have lifted risk-taking sentiment. He said local equities are expected to get support from the firmer commodities prices and regional strength with MSCI Asia Pacific, the measurement index for equity market performance in emerging markets, closing at its best level since May this year. "We are currently pegging 1630 and 1620 as the next zone of resistance while the support zone stands at 1,600 and 1,580 levels,” he told Bernama. Nazri said the recent week’s bullish reversal and a dramatic shift in technical indicators in the last two days might inspire more aggressive buying and upside for FBM KLCI toward the mid-November high of 1630 level. He said local news that might catalyse the domestic market includes MAS’ turnaround plan to hit the RM1 billion profit margin by 2014, IJM selling its 9% Scomi stake if the bond deal falls through, and SP Setia’s attractive RM845 million Bangsar-Shah Alam land swap deal. Other news might include Malaysia Airports bidding for China/Indonesia airports and rumours on CIMB lodging a bid for Thailand Bank of Ayudhya, he added. Nazri said the stronger ringgit is expected to also give some boost to local shares to drive some money into the local market. “As for weekly stock picks, our featured top five bluechips for retail are Public Bank, Hong Leong Bank, Petronas Dagangan, SKPetro and WCT Bhd,” he said. Throughout the week, the local bourse rebounded on Wednesday from an early week loss due to an oversold condition. Local funds dominated trading in the week that was filled with big companies’ quarterly results announcements. For the week just-ended, the FBM KLCI fell 3.49 points to 1,610.83 from last week’s 1,614.32. The Finance Index declined 9.61 points to 14,955.06, the Industrial Index dived 114.05 points to 2,656.64 while the Plantation Index firmed 23.57 points to 7,907.44. The FBM Emas Index decreased 39.76 points to 10,979.48, the FBMT100 was 29.09 points lower at 10,829.23, the FBM ACE Index eased 79.7 points to 4,174.15 and the FBM 70 Index slid 59.01 points to 12,054.11. Weekly turnover rose to 5.39 billion shares valued at RM8.62 billion from 4.79 billion shares valued at RM7.45 billion last Friday. The Main Market volume increased to 4.09 billion shares worth RM8.43 billion from 3.88 billion shares worth RM7.33 billion previously. The ACE Market volume more than doubled to 936.84 million shares worth RM170.87 million from 470.71 million shares worth RM81.76 million last Friday. Warrants improved to 382.66 million units valued at RM18.72 million from 368.12 million shares valued at RM19.27 million last week. - Bernama

Moody’s cuts AAA rating of ESM rescue fund Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:13 PM PST WASHINGTON: Moody’s cut the triple-A rating of the European Stability Mechanism rescue fund yesterday by one notch and gave it a negative outlook, citing its earlier downgrade of key ESM backer France. Moody’s said the French downgrade on Nov 19, a one-step cut also from AAA, reflects its view that there has been “a marginal diminution” in the likelihood that Paris will keep to its financial obligations, including its commitment to support the ESM. For that reason, Moody’s also lowered the ESM’s rating to AA1. It cut the ESM’s predecessor, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), to a “provisional” AA1 from provisional AAA, for the same reason. “The credit risks and ratings of the ESM and the EFSF are closely aligned to those of its strongest supporters,” Moody’s said. “France is the second largest contributor to the two entities’ financial resources, as a provider of callable capital in the case of the ESM and as a guarantor country in the case of the EFSF.” Germany is the largest backer of the two mechanisms, and its credit rating remains at the top-level Aaa. The ESM and EFSF are crucial mechanisms for the rescue plan for the eurozone, routing aid from Europe’s wealthy countries to the crisis-stricken governments and banks of Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. Moody’s said both remain highly rated because they have strong capital bases and firm controls and that the ESM enjoys, as a lender, preferred creditor status. ESM chief Klaus Regling objected to the Moody’s downgrade as unwarranted. “Moody’s rating decision is difficult to understand,” he said in a statement. “We disagree with the rating agency’s approach which does not sufficiently acknowledge ESM’s exceptionally strong institutional framework, political commitment and capital structure.” Eurogroup president Jean-Claude Juncker, who also serves as ESM and EFSF chairman, said: “The 17 euro area Member States are fully committed to ESM and EFSF in political and financial terms and stand firmly behind both institutions.” - AFP

Embracing diversity, integration in education Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:41 PM PST By Dr Boo Cheng Hau The recently announced National Education Blueprint contains nothing new. And it shows the powers-that-be have no real intention to listen to the public or make any bold reforms to our ailing education system. It is a repetition of the sad old story about racial prejudice, not much different from the so-called "National Education Policy" which was largely based on Umno's Malay nationalist belief that the national language should be the sole medium of instruction. Proponents of the Malay-medium only policy also emphasise the Malay nationalist perspective of history that having one common language – such as in our neighbours Indonesia and Thailand – can save Malaysia from disintegration. Racial prejudice and political demagoguery as the basis for our nation's education agenda of true unity will not get us far. Let me prove how discriminatory is our education system and the false impressions that it projects. I had a taste of victory for what it means to have "equal opportunities" in education about 30 years ago when I argued for admission, on behalf of a schoolmate, into an American university which has produced some of the Nobel laureates. My friend was originally from Taiwan but studied in a Chinese independent secondary school here in Malaysia. She did not sit the SPM or UEC (Unified Examination Certificate). To my surprise, the admission officer of the American university requested for UEC results in lieu of SPM qualification. She did not sit the UEC because the exam was still new at that time. After a long discussion, the admission officer agreed with my proposal that she be admitted conditionally on producing evidence of completing 12 years of primary and secondary education – a standard which almost all American universities and colleges go by. She was then admitted "under probation" for one semester, meaning she would be considered a regular student after the period of study with a GPA of 2.0 and above (an average of C and above). She graduated eventually without any impediment. Her experience goes to show how democratic, liberal and flexible the American education system is. This is one of the key factors that allow the United States to become the most technologically advanced country, and one to which many talents from other parts of the world choose to emigrate. The value of the UEC In the 1970s, nobody in Malaysia took the UEC exam seriously except for the powers-that-be who attempted to ban it on account that the exam was (perceived to be) "anti-national". Nonetheless besides Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore where the UEC was recognised, many American universities and colleges had already begun accepting it as a gateway for college admission. As far back as 30 years ago, one of my classmates was admitted to the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology based on her UEC results and Chinese Independent School coursework assessments. Would our public universities and UiTM open their admission policies and welcome UEC holders by integrating them into the mainstream of higher education institutes rather than discriminating them? Some top American universities even admit Chinese independent secondary school students based on school results and class ranking without referring to standardised examinations such as SPM, UEC, GCE, SAT and the like. Yet after 30 long years, our own Malaysian government still despises the UEC as "anti-national". In fact, except for respective language subjects, all UEC subjects are offered in three languages; in other words, one can opt to have his math, science, or other papers tested in English, Malay or Chinese. Chinese independent school graduates are barred from using their UEC results as a means of admission to local public universities and teacher training colleges. This discrimination is deemed necessary to maintain Umno's self-righteous "National Education Policy" for the promotion of "interracial unity". How can political demagoguery such as Umno's ever help in promoting national unity and interracial integration? One could argue that the party is actually more interested in maintaining its tight grip on power by continuing to mislead the country that vernacular schools somehow pose a hidden threat. STPM and matriculation – apple and orange? The powers-that-be have since declared that racial quotas are no longer applied in local public universities. Instead, they claim a "merit-based" admission system has been put in place. However, at the same time, university admission standards are "diversified" into two separate entry points – STPM and matriculation. After years of protests by the non-Malays, only 10% of matriculation programmes has been opened up to the non-Bumiputera, and even this percentage is described by the Malay nationalists as a "sell-out" of Malay rights. Non-Malays are supposed to be grateful for this small "kindness", like once upon a time coloureds were supposed to thank their white masters for allowing them to go to schools in apartheid South Africa despite great disparities along racial lines in school facilities. Almost all the non-Malays who managed to gain a seat in the local universities are students who sat the STPM. Many rue this blatant division of university entrance assessment – along racial lines – as comparing apples and oranges. Satu Sekolah's inherent contradiction The authorities contradict themselves by professing a single-language system to promote national unity through putting children under one roof but at the same time segregating them either at Form 1 or when they finish Form 5. There is an obvious discrepancy between the teaching facilities provided to the vernacular schools which sorely lack government aid and support, and the residential schools and Mara junior science colleges as well as the elite schools catering for Malays – for example, the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) and Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC). Institutional racism practised in public university admission routes gives rise to an added dimension of polarisation. The racial distribution of students is further exacerbated when non-Malays, erroneously seen as well-to-do, are enrolled in private higher institutions of learning. Most people seem to forget that privately funded education, whether locally or abroad, comes at a heavy cost to their parents. The indirect makings of apartheid To generalise most Malays as "poor" and all non-Bumiputera, particularly the Chinese, as "rich" is just as good as apartheid. The Malay ultras believe they are above being associated with the apartheid system in South Africa created with the ostensible excuse of helping the "poor", Dutch-speaking whites of that country. But then what should the international community make of UiTM – Malaysia's biggest public university with campuses in every state – where almost all its students belong predominantly to a single race? In the former apartheid of South Africa and during the 1950s in the Confederate states of the American south, physical segregation was made visible by the sign saying, "No Coloured and Dogs allowed". In Malaysia, there are no signs to say "No Non-Bumis and Dogs allowed". However, de facto apartheid still permeates through the fabric of the Malaysian public education system. It is de facto racial segregation in its utmost hypocritical disguise without leaving any physical evidence. Therefore, I see no difference between those poor whites in the former Confederate states of the American south that once held demonstrations against university admission of black students and those Malay ultras that hold demonstrations barring "non-Bumiputera" from entering local public institutions. UiTM students did demonstrate against their university opening its door a crack when Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim proposed relaxing the admission just a tiny bit to the so-called "Non-Bumis". America's highest court ruled for equality In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the US Supreme Court unanimously decided that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". It stinks of double standard, if not a glaring blind spot, when vernacular schools keep getting blamed for institutional racism in Malaysia. If mother tongue vernacular schools (open to all students) are incorrectly termed as racist, then the one-race UiTM is nothing but apartheid. The old, presumed poverty line along the race divide is no longer valid, not when Malaysia has endured discriminative policies predicated on ethnicity since 1970, which is all of 42 years or almost half a century. There are very few Malay intellectuals willing to tackle the truth of the matter, but Dr Azly Rahman is one of them. At least he's been honest and bold enough to speak out on the "bankrupt Umno ideology" of race supremacy in his article Dismantle Our Apartheid Education – see http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/191989. What is required is for more members of the Malay intelligentsia to question the veracity of a "moral" claim in the perpetuation of a quota system that amounts to apartheid. The only difference is that segregation, like that perpetuated by residential schools, Mara junior colleges and UiTM, is couched using terminology portraying a righteous morality. The other difference is that Chinese schools are accessible to any non-Chinese, but UiTM does not welcome the non-Malays. In some Chinese independent secondary schools, non-Chinese are given a blanket free tuition. Are Malays courageous to re-evaluate? The Malays are a strong majority in numbers and without doubt politically dominant. Why should Umno cling tenaciously to the view that preferential treatment based on race is the "affirmative action" that Malays still require? Professor Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi in Memories of Unity vividly describes his confidence to compete in his science class and how he emerged as one of the top students among his almost all Chinese classmates back in the 1970s (see http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?sec=lifefocus&file=/2012/9/23/lifefocus/12063972). I had a Malay classmate who went to the same Chinese independent school as I did. He graduated as one of the top students and went to a local public university, and he is currently a lecturer at another local public university. It is a myth that Bumiputera students are unable to compete with non-Bumiputera students on a level playing field. This misconception is wrongly used to justify the institutional racism imposed on the public education from top to bottom. There are tens of thousands of Malays who have made it in local and prestigious foreign universities and thrived in adverse socio-cultural settings. There is no moral justification for segregating Malaysian post-secondary students into STPM/ matriculation except for satisfying Umno's racial imperatives. NEP and education apartheid A few successful Malay billionaire cronies do not mitigate the failure with regard to certain protectionist areas of the NEP. This includes educational apartheid. The rejuvenation of the vernacular schools since the late 1970s when NEP went into full swing is a consequence of our race policies, and not the chief cause of racism. The NEP was based upon the empirical generalisation that Chinese and Indian Malaysians were all well off and should be "positively discriminated"against in order to help the "poor Malays". It's a different story today as the civil service has become Malay-dominated and this is empirical truth. The tables have been turned as Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent are marginalised. The original purpose of the NEP to eradicate the identification of race with profession – Malay farmers, Chinese shopkeepers, Indian clerks – is sidetracked when the civil service has become wholly identified with the Malay race. The racial traits along professions, as reflected in the hiring practices of both the private and public sectors, have been deepened by the NEP. When I recently requested some documents to be certified by a government department, the Malay clerk gave me a jealous one-eye wink knowing that it was for the purpose of applying to colleges in the US. The one-eye wink might perhaps have been nothing more than the coded message that all you "Chinamen" are rich and can afford to send your children overseas to be educated. This only goes to show up the failure of the NEP in correcting the racial prejudice among races in Malaysia. How the Chinese prioritise education The fact is that I told my children I would sell our house and live in a smaller one if we needed funds for their education. I mean education is where they would learn something new and be happy including getting away from institutional racism. We neither hope for Public Service Department or any other government scholarships after hearing so many sad stories of racial degradation. Selling homes and other property for the sake of the children's education among the lower- and middle-class Chinese Malaysians is not a new practice. I remember my mother decided to sell off the six-acre rubber plantation left by my deceased father to put myself and my sister through university. She later worked as a babysitter to cover all our expenses studying overseas. We always thought that there might be more Malays who did not have land to sell. Nonetheless, our good reasoning has not helped many Malays to get rid of their own ingrained racial prejudice both against themselves and other races. As I write this article, coincidentally, my 17-year-old daughter has just received news that a high-ranking American university has agreed to admit her into its Fine Arts programme based on her multiple talents, multilingual skills and ability to play the Chinese zither and flute. Some universities already made it clear they will admit her by waiving the requirement of her SPM or UEC results. On the contrary, her talent in playing ancient Chinese musical instruments is definitely not a criterion for admission into any local public university. On the contrary, it may even work against her favour as it could be looked at as a form of Chinese chauvinism and clinging to our ancestral roots. Deserving of places in local universities I am not trying to boast my daughter's academic achievement. She is actually a B-average student but it sure makes a parent proud when one's child deservedly gains recognition for her talents and, more importantly, she will be able to further develop her talents without being labelled as a non-Bumiputera. I am glad that her dedication to social work and extracurricular activities, including organising a joint concert of Chinese Orchestra and Western bands, won her recognition from some highly ranked American universities. One of her recent achievements is receiving a Gold Medal in an international Chinese essay-writing contest in Taiwan. Instead of chucking her unique credential aside, an American university admission director gave great words of encouragement, such as "your family must be very proud of you [for the Gold Medal received]…We would like you to be with us, and I hope you will continue to contribute to the international programme here if you decide to join us". I was surprised that she was offered admission and given a partial academic scholarship before we even sent out applications to other American colleges and local private universities. Some universities are amazed that our students can master two or three languages. They usually give positive encouragement like: "Considering English is your third language, your English is really good." No parents will send their kid to a college where he or she faces the possibility of being humiliated and degraded on account of race, creed and "non-native status" when my daughter is actually a native-born fourth generation Malaysian. As a matter of fact, most UEC holders have a greater proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia which is their second language as compared to English which is their third language. If the UEC holders can do well in universities overseas that teach in English, why can't they be given the same opportunities by our local public universities? It might be true that their Bahasa Malaysia may not be as good compared with SPM/STPM holders just as their English may not be as good as the Americans, British or Australians when they enrol in American, Australian or British universities. However, if they are given the opportunity to enrol in local public universities, they will be able to polish their BM just like how when given the opportunity to study abroad they are able to polish their English. More importantly, such openness is needed in order to "converge" the vernacular school alumni into the local higher education institutions and complete an education integration process rather than forcibly "diverge" them to local private institutions and overseas colleges. We have to be fair and realistic in assessing our students' language ability based on what is the best they can do in their learning environment. In fact, cultural immersion is the best method to improve Malay language or any other second language proficiency instead of educational segregation like what has been practised here. Some 30 years ago, it was rare to encounter Americans learning an Asian language. Today, there are American reporters who insist on interviewing me in perfect Mandarin or Bahasa Indonesia. It is a fast-changing world out there but it seems our Umno elites – with the exception of Najib Tun Razak whose son is a fluent Mandarin speaker – are lagging behind time. The very first step for the Malay ultras to take in the right direction is to cease making a scapegoat out of Chinese and Tamil primary schools. It is an unfounded charge that little children are responsible for racism and racial disunity in Malaysia. It is, on the other hand, our fear to embrace cultural diversity and true interracial integration that has left us lagging behind many other countries. It is time for the Malay ultras to open their eyes and correct their ingrained prejudice that has worked against their own competitiveness. The writer is the Johor DAP chairman and state assemblyman for Skudai. This article first appeared at the CPI website.

FriedChillies’ Favourite 5 Veg Spots Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:18 PM PST It can be tough to find a delicious spot for vegetarian food. Many places often forget the people who go meatless and if they have vegetarian options they’re often bland and unappetizing. These five spots will prove that vegetarian meals can be delicious because they focus purely on vegetarians and are so tasty that even a meat lover might consider a veggie meal once in a while. 1. If you fancy a nice dinner: Kechara Oasis This is the kind of restaurant that will have you toying with the idea of becoming a full-time vegetarian, if you aren’t already.  The menu is filled with tasty concoctions that will have your tummy singing. Try the petai-fried rice which is spicy and unmistakably pungent, or the sweet and sour mushrooms which are crispy and chewy with the thick sauce. A surprising dish is the mango fish because if you weren’t told it was vegetarian you wouldn’t have a clue. It is beautifully crisp with a seaweed layer meant to represent the skin and is topped off with a sour fragrant mango puree that has a kick of bunga kantan. The dishes here are cooked with many fragrant herbs and spices that make for a delectable experience. Kechara Oasis Jaya One: Unit 19-LG1, Level B1 Block D Jaya One, No. 72A Jalan University, 46200, PJ. Tel: +603 7968 1818, Fax: +603 7968 8118 Kechara Oasis Viva Home: Lot 2.08 2nd Floor West Wing, Viva Home 85 Jalan Loke Yew, 55200 KL. Tel: 03 – 9284 1818, H/P: 019 – 361 8333, Fax: 03 – 9281 8118 Open daily for lunch at 11.30 am -3.00 pm and dinner at 6.00 pm-10.00 pm 2. If you want an Indian feast: Annalakshmi This Indian vegetarian restaurant has always been an advocate of pay what you feel it’s worth. Here they serve a buffet spread of 10-16 food items including a section for dessert. The best part about Indian vegetarian food is that you don’t need the meat to have an extremely delicious meal. The spices like turmeric, red chili powder, cumin, and coriander mixed with the different types of veggies are suffice with hot steaming rice. Some of the popular dishes of this restaurant are matar panner, gobi mutter, masoor dal, jeera pilav, bindi masala, gobi masala,raita, chapati, and palak paneer. They also make their own papadoms, so crispy and tasty that we can’t get enough of them. While the policy is pay what you think it’s worth, we guarantee that you’ll always want to pay more than it’s worth after tasting the yummy bites. Temple of Fine Arts, 114-116 Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, 50470, KL. Tel: +603-2272-3799 Open Tuesday – Sunday for lunch at 11:30am – 3pm and dinner at 6:60 pm – 10.00 pm 3. If you’re a hawker food junkie: Blue Boy Restaurant This typical Chinese kopitiam transformed into a full vegetarian food court when their owners turned vegetarian some 20 years ago. Aside from having a large chap fan spread during lunchtime they also have offer a fully vegetarian Nasi Lemak, Char Kuey Teow, Mee Jawa, Yong Tau Foo, Prawn Mee, Lam Mee, Curry Laksa and even Assam Laksa. To be able to find our local delights in meat-free form is a blessing in disguise. Now vegetarians can enjoy all these dishes too and not only are they meatless but they are actually very tasty. No.6001 Blue Boy Mansion, Jalan Tong Shin, KL. Tel: 03-2144 9011 Open daily 7.30 am to 9.30 pm 4. If you’re looking for a good lunch selection: Kuan Yin Temple This temple offers up mouth-watering vegetarian food during lunch hour and is almost always packed with people from the nearby offices. There is something heartwarming about dining in a temple, almost a spiritual food experience. A favourite here is the vegetarian curry which is rich and deep in flavour, so good that you won’t even miss the meat. Aside from this you’ll find the typical stir fries and mock meat Chinese dishes cooked perfectly. Another draw to this temple for lunch is the free parking, many will flock here to be able to enjoy a delicious meal without having to worry about the additional cost. 77 Jalan Ipoh Open daily 11.00 am – 2.00 pm 5. If you’re hankering for something spicy: Ghandi’s If you have a hankering for something spicy head over to Brickfields and indulge in the vegetarian mixed rice at Ghandi’s. Here you’ll find a spread of over 50 items showcasing your usual Indian dishes like mutton varuval, chicken curry, fish curry and more using soy protein to mimic the texture of meat. For something crisp fill your plate with the battered and fried cauliflower and bitter gourd chips. These are tasty and absolutely delightful! You won’t be able to have just one. The best part is that at Ghandi’s you’ll leave full without having to fork out too much dosh. Scott Sentral Serviced Apartments Jalan Scott Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur Monday-Sunday: 8:00 am – 2:00 am GPS Coordinates: N 3 8.07036 E 101 41.50913 [This content is provided by FMT content partner www.friedchillies.com, "Solving your makan problems since 1997"]

2 klip video Nik Aziz ditayang di perhimpunan Umno Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:09 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Dua klip video membabitkan Muryidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat ditayangkan dalam perhimpunan agung Umno di PWTC hari ini. Pertama ketika Nik Aziz membaca doa ‘menghancurkan’ Umno semasa muktamar PAS di Kota Baru baru-baru ini. Manakala yang kedua ialah sewaktu Menteri Besar Kelantan itu yang didakwa mempertikaikan akidah Umno. Klip video itu ditayangkan ketika wakil Perlis, Fathul Bari Jahya membahaskan usul agama  perhimpunan agung Umno ke 66. Dalam ucapannya, Fathul Bari  juga mengajak ahli Umno menolak budaya fitnah. Kedua-kedua program itu menjadi perbualan umum bukan saja di kalangan orang PAS dan Umno tetapi masyarakat Islam keseluruhannya. Ketika klip video ditayangkan beberapa pemerhati menjerit ‘nyanyuk’ kepada Nik Aziz.

New KL mayor to revive Plaza Rakyat project Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:03 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: The long-abandoned Plaza Rakyat project might be revived in the near future as the new Kuala Lumpur mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib has promised to appoint a new contractor for the project. At a press conference after meeting with KL MPs yesterday, Ahmad Phesal said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is going through an arbitration process with the original contractor, Plaza Rakyat Sdn Bhd (PRSB), with RHB Bank being the arbitrator. This followed the decision by the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry to terminate PRSB contract in 2010, 12 years after the company abandoned the mixed-development project. Ahmad Phesal, 58, who was appointed the new mayor for a two-year term starting July 18, did not disclose the time frame for the arbitration to complete. However, he said the new contractor would be appointed after the arbitration has ended, with the consent of RHB Bank. But Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, who was present, expressed scepticism on the revival plan, saying that the project, which was launched in 1994, has never been successfully reactivated despite attempts from different mayors and ministers. "I remember when the project was launched, Time Square hasn't been built yet. But it has gone through such a long time, even some of purchasers have passed away," he told reporters. Located next to the Pudu Sentral transport hub, Plaza Rakyat was supposed to be a RM1.4 billion project comprising a 79-storey building, a 290-room four-star hotel and a service apartment. However, construction stopped in 1998 following the Asian financial crisis and several attempts to revive the project were unsuccessful. Affordable housing Ahmad Phesal also announced that DBKL would build affordable housing with the ceiling price of RM300,000 and minimal built-up space of 800 sq ft on government land. He said the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry is drafting a guideline on the matter, which will take into account the percentage of affordable housing needed to be built by developers in the future. On the integrated traffic information system (ITIS), which critics said was a failure, the mayor said DBKL will conduct an open tender in January to improve it. The system, installed in 2004 and managed by three companies, features closed-circuit television and variable message signs to inform motorists of the traffic situation and the alternative routes to take in Kuala Lumpur. However, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar pointed out that the new "improvements" would cost ratepayers an additional RM300 million, on the top of the RM300 million used previously. "KL folks will have to bear RM600 million in total due to the ITIS fiasco," she said. Meanwhile, on the land dispute in Bukit Kiara Park, Ahmad Phesal said DBKL was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court this year to alienate 62 acres of land from the park to developer Berjaya Corporation Bhd. The residents in Bukit Kiara have been asking DBKL to acquire the plot of land from Berjaya, but the court has ruled in favour of the developer and ordered DBKL to split the plot of land out from the 423-acre park. The mayor said DBKL has proposed to the developer to build a hospital, community facilities or an international school on the plot of land. Also present at the meeting were Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, and Batu MP Tian Chua.

Quirky Sabah politician seeks PM’s post Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:32 PM PST KOTA KINABALU: Suhaidin Langkap has stood for elections multiple times and failed but that has not dented the 63-year-old’s ambition of capturing Putrajaya and becoming prime minister. Considered something of professional now after standing as a candidate in the last three elections and losing his deposit all three times, the Sabah politician is determined to contest in the coming 13th general election as well. This time he is coming out all guns blazing. The president of Parti Bersatu Sasa Malaysia (Bersama) or Malaysia United People’s Party, will also be fielding candidates in all the 222 parliamentary and 502 state constituencies in the country. Langkap claims his party membership stands at around two million with most of the members being former members of MCA, Gerakan and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP). However, this has not gone down well within his own party and he is facing a revolt and a leadership challenge. An irate Bersama divisional head for Kota Marudu, Timis Sambadi, said that by making the "fantastic" membership claim, the party president had blundered and created confusion in his own ranks. "He did not even mention how many members the party has in Sabah. MCA and Gerakan members put together might not even go beyond two million," Sambadi pointed out, and demanded Langkap resign to make way for others who are more capable to lead the party. Langkap, who hails from Keningau, the throne of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leader Joseph Pairin Kitingan, has always been a controversial figure from the time he started to focus on politics more than two decades ago. He founded the United Democratic Sabah People’s Party (Setia) in 1994 during a period of political turmoil in the state after Umno spread its wings to Sabah and when PBS was in the opposition. He led the party in 1999, 2004 and 2008 elections but its candidates all faired miserably with all of them losing their deposits after failing to win the minimum number of votes. Defeat after defeat In the 1999 state election, Setia contested in 18 seats but all its candidates lost their election deposits. They had contested in Kudat, Bengkoka, Matunggong, Tamparuli, Dulaman, Likas, Petagas, Kimanis, Pantai Manis, Lumadan, Kundasang, Ranau, Tambunan, Labuk, Sungai Sibuga, Sekong, Elopura, Kunak, Lahad Datu and Kalabakan. The party fielded candidates in the 2004 election and again they all lost their deposits in the state seats of Klias, Kuala Penyu,Kundasang, Keranaan, Paginatan, Sungai Sibuga, Tungku, Kunak, Balung, Tanjong Batu and Sebatik. The party’s candidate for the Pensiangan parliamentary seat also lost his deposit in the same election. Langkap himself lost his deposit after bagging only 314 votes in a four-cornered contest for the Bingkor seat in 2004 which was won by Justin Guka of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation for the Barisan Nasional coalition. He suffered defeat again in 2008 after polling only 202 votes in a four-cornered contest for the Sook state assembly seat which was won by BN component, PBS’s Bobbey Ah Fang Suan. Last year, Langkap decided to expand the reach of the party and changed its name to Bersama when the party spread its wing to Peninsular Malaysia on April 23, 2011. The Registrar of Societies allowed the party to make major changes and amendments to its constitution. These changes included having a new symbol which depicted Mount Kinabalu with three rings overlapping its face. When launching Bersama’s wing in Kedah, Langkap announced that the party would field candidates in all states in the 13th general election. The Election Commission website states that Bersama is among 32 parties whose symbols are registered with the commission, a prerequisite for eligibility to participate in an election. During the party’s supreme council meeting early this month, Langkap disclosed that the party was ready to face the coming general election and its candidates’ list was almost finalised. However, the embarrassment within the party over his flamboyant claims may see him ignominiously ousted from his post and doom him to defeat before the election is called.

‘DAP’s partisan politics will backfire’ Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:20 PM PST GEORGE TOWN: The DAP’s tendency to indulge in partisan politics will backfire in the long term, says a state Gerakan leader. Penang Gerakan vice-chairman Wong Mun Hoe said the people in the state now would prefer to see the party engaged constructively with its opponents rather than to run them down endlessly. Since 2008, DAP has been engaged in partisan politics, criticising its rivals at every turn and corner, he said. “For the DAP, it is either you are with me or against me. This had been its adage for a very long time. Now that the party is in government, this sort of attitude is opened for all to see,” he said in an interview. The public does not like what it is seeing, Wong added. Hence, a growing list of deractors have emerged in Penang, amid accusations that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has become a cocky and arrogant person, he said. “The critics are not necessarily from the Barisan Nasional. Everyone in Penang from the hawkers to the trishaw peddlers hold strong opinions [about the state government]. Can Lim accept criticism?” For example, Wong said the DAP-led Penang government was now embroiled in an alleged disagreement with the PAS-led state government in Kedah over a deal to supply raw water from the Muda River. Lim has denied the existence of such a deal but Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak had reportedly told a recent State Legislative Assembly sitting that is neighbour (Penang) has agreed to purchase water from Kedah. When Penang BN chairman Teng Chang Yeow spoke about the conflicting statements from both, the DAP turned around and asked him (Teng) to resign, Wong said. "Almost every DAP statement is about asking its opponents to step down." When its rivals pointed out that DAP’s has own “skeletons in the closet,” the party leaders became paranoid and issued gag orders on their own members, Wong said. ‘Behave like a government’ He said DAP should be accommodating and be more statesman-like in dealing with issues of nation-building. The party is now in the government, so it must behave like one, he said. It should be focusing on governing and not on the past mistakes of the previous government, he added. If DAP wants to point out the errors of its opponents, it must also be willing to admit its own mistakes. “But because of partisan politics, some DAP leaders do not want to admit their mistakes. They just want to twist and turn. When they are no longer able to twist, they keep mum.” He said voters nowadays want a constructive form of politics. "The people want our politicians to argue over who has the better policies and who has the better results. We are living in a result-oriented society. We should focus on what the people want, not on what we, politicians, crave.” DAP has become a party which likes to dictate things to the people in Penang and cannot stomach criticism, judging from the present conduct of some of its leaders, he said. “Eventually, the voters would decide the destiny of every elected politician. We can talk all we want, but it is the people who would decide."

GE13: Of boats, floods and snakes Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:15 PM PST On Nov 25, an English daily quoted Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as saying that the general election can be held in December despite the monsoon. To quote verbatim from the daily, the prime minister said: “If it rains or a flood occurs, [then we] can use the boat.” Boat? What boat? Is it the government machinery boat or his own boat? Also, is there a sudden rush to hold the polls that the monsoon season has to come into consideration? Although there is no law against it, it is certainly not right to hold the polls during the flood season as the voters and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat who have no boats will be greatly inconvenienced. Ah, yes! The keyword here is "boat". This means that if the 13th general election is held during the flood season, then Pakatan is sure to lose, what with the dirty voter rolls being factored in as well. The Tenang by-election in Johor was held on Jan 30, 2011. PAS, which was contesting at that time, suffered a total washout as the government machinery was used to ferry the voters, especially the Felda settlers, to the polling centres. That date was also less than a week away from the Chinese Lunar New Year. The Umno candidate obtained 6,699 votes while PAS polled 2,992. Umno won by 3,707 votes and this is considered a big margin because this is only a small state seat. There were 142 spoilt votes while voter turnout was 67%. Therefore the best time to hold the polls to avoid any inconvenience caused by floods is after mid-March as the weather forecasters have recently predicted that the monsoon will last till early March. By then everyone of the BR1M applicants would have received their cash handouts, too. This is so that Najib’s slogan of "Janji Ditepati" (Promises Fulfilled) can be seen to be proven true. There is a Cantonese saying which goes like this: "After all, we have waited so long, what is another three more months?" Moreover, the prime minister has always said that the Barisan Nasional federal government is a fair and caring government which does not want to exclude anyone in its policies and programmes. Surely that includes being fair to Pakatan in the planning, run-up and campaigning for the 13th general election? Otherwise, what is the prime minister talking about? Outstanding questions Be that as it may, there are still many outstanding questions pertaining to issues that Najib has yet to answer and preferably he answers them himself before the polls are held instead of getting someone to answer the questions. Listed below are a few questions: 1. Why is there a sudden re-delineation of the parliamentary boundaries in Selangor? 2. Why is the AES (Automated Enforcement System) outsourced to two private companies? and 3. What about the fast-tracked MyKad project especially in Selangor? Selangor PAS has collated a lot of black-and-white evidence of the MyKad project in Selangor, especially in the seats held by Pakatan lawmakers. Till today no one including the Election Commission (EC) has come forward to address this issue. The powers-that-be have kept an absolute silence and avoided this issue like the plague despite police reports being made by Pakatan. And the greatest question of all: will Najib hand over power gracefully in the event that BN loses the 13th general election? Although this seems a remote possibility due to collusion between the powers-that-be and the national institutions that are supposed to remain neutral, he still has to answer the question and give the assurance that there will be a prompt and smooth transition. A DAP strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity opined that the polls will be held either in late December or January as there will be no time to do so in February due to the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. “He will not hold the polls in March as Pakatan will then remind the rakyat about March 2008. Anyway, our DAP campaign slogan if the polls are held before March will be ‘New year, new government’. At the end of the day, whether he drags the date further or holds it in December, Pakatan is ready,” said the strategist. The BN federal government must also take into consideration that there is a danger posed by snakes in the water during floods. Some years ago, patrons of a restaurant in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, were enjoying their evening meal when a large python slithered into the restaurant during the floods. This was reported in an English local daily. Therefore dangers of snakes in the floods are for real whether in the urban or rural areas. If polls are held during the rainy season, voters may encounter snakes in the water while wading on their way to the polling centres. This is definitely not advisable and not conducive to the safety of the rakyat. Selena Tay is a FMT columnist.

Stop judging and start learning Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:54 PM PST When the government scrambled to ban an annual LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders) event a year ago, it was the beginning of a witch-hunt against this marginalised community. Excuses were concocted by the authorities to put an end to any semblance of this group. A year later and the federal government-waged war against the LGBT group continues.This time it is Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who has embarrassed the country when she alleged that homosexuals are to be blamed for spreading AIDS. But then making Malaysia the butt of jokes is not new to Rosmah. Malaysians will recall her March 2011 comment that the earthquake-tsunami that battered Japan was the result of negligence in conducting environmental-friendly developments. Needless to say, those comments earned Rosmah brickbats despite husband Najib claiming that her remarks were taken out of context. A year on, Rosmah, who is patron of Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC), has once again erred in the most damaging manner. Her discrimination and ignorance on the "development" of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia is unacceptable, bringing to light the fact that after over 30 years, HIV/AIDS is still branded a "gay problem". Befuddling as it is, why and how is it that Rosmah, as patron of MAC, is out of sync with the reality on the ground, putting the blame on the LGBT people for spreading AIDS in this country? Rosmah was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last week where the controversial Asean declaration of human rights was signed, and it was there that she defended the exclusion of protecting the rights of the LGBT people. In an interview with the Phnom Penh Post she was quoted as saying: "You know why HIV and AIDS occur… how it is being spread? Now the number of people suffering from HIV is alarming. What is it you want? Do you want to allow this…or do you want to contain it? "You have to nip [homosexuality] in the bud. If you don't, when the time comes and you have to stop [homosexuality], you will find it's too late." Ignorance was definitely no bliss, not when Rosmah has got her facts wrong and her LGBT-bashing stand further affirmed international concern that human rights in Malaysia with regard to the marginalised group continue to be violated. How on earth did Rosmah arrive at the conclusion that homosexuals are the "culprits" behind HIV/AIDS is anyone's guess. But it is obvious that Roshmah's understanding of the issue of AIDS is at an all-time low; what is worrying is that she is perpetuating the myth that there is only one way of contracting HIV vis-à-vis sex and that HIV/AIDS is exclusively a "gay issue". HIV/AIDS no longer a gay issue Rosmah is wrong in assuming that AIDS in Malaysia is the doing of the LGBT community. A chat with MAC would have educated her that HIV/AIDS is no longer a gay issue but has "progressed" into the heterosexual sphere. The message has not reached Rosmah that it is not "who you are" but what you do that determines the fate of HIV/AIDS. It is not about being gay or straight but rather the lifestyle that one leads – not practising safe sex, refusing to use condoms and intravenous drug users are the factors that have caused the explosion of AIDS in Malaysia which to-date has claimed 13,000 lives. The 2011 statistics on HIV/AIDS show that 87,000 people are living with HIV in this country. With her prejudiced mind-set, has Rosmah, albeit lending "support" to MAC, turned her back on these victims? It is predicted that by 2015, there will be 128,000 people living with HIV in Malaysia; will Rosmah insist they are all homosexuals? Rosmah's prejudicial and discriminating stance saw her being criticised by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. Its president Ou Virak described Rosmah's comments as "bogus and extremely homophobic". "Come on, it's 2012," Virak said. "The world knows this is not true. This confirms our fears about the declaration – that these clauses were included to give governments excuses to not uphold universal principles of human rights." Clearly, it is time for Rosmah to stop judging and start learning and understanding the issues behind HIV/AIDS in her own homeland before addressing the global community. Furthermore, as founder of the early childcare and education programme Permata, is Rosmah capable of educating the "young minds" when she continues to display a prejudiced and biased attitude towards people living with HIV? AIDS is everyone's problem Just as flawed and perturbing is Rosmah's description of human rights as "the rights of an individual based on what you believe in, based on your culture and your religion". Rosmah's homophobic outburst is shared by Najib who six months ago described the LGBT people as "deviant aspects" who do not "have a place in the country". Despite the Rosmah-Najib anti-LGBT "conspiracy", figures relating to the HIV/AIDS scenario in Malaysia are sure to send the shivers down one's spine. Rosmah obviously has no inkling that 870 children below 13 are living with HIV in Malaysia and that everyday, nine people in the country are infected with HIV. Maybe she is just as unaware that one in three new HIV cases involve youngsters in their 20s or that every week, two Malaysians below the age of 19 are infected with HIV. The numbers are alarming but just as disconcerting is the revelation that the real picture behind HIV/AIDS is not being grasped by educated minds. Gone are the days when homosexuals became the hate target for the spread of HIV. The fact is that any one of us can get AIDS so educating oneself is no longer an option. AIDS does not discriminate and we should not either. Gay, straight or bisexual, AIDS has no preference! By the way, today is World AIDS Day. Does it make a difference to Rosmah? Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Mancini wants Toure brothers to skip Nations Cup Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:53 PM PST MANCHESTER:  Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini wants brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure to skip the Africa Cup of Nations in January. The Ivory Coast are expected to call up both men, as well as City fringe player Abdul Razak, for the tournament which takes place in South Africa from January 19 to February 10. “If we lost Yaya and Kolo and maybe Abdul — who has not played a lot of games here, but maybe in January could be important — if we have two or three players injured and we don’t have other players, I hope that they don’t go to this competition,” said Mancini. “We talk and we need to talk more with their (international) manager, but it is difficult.” - AFP

McDowell seizes three-shot lead at World Challenge Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:51 PM PST CALIFORNIA: Graeme McDowell got off to a hot start on a cool, damp day Friday, finishing with seven birdies in a six-under 66 for a three-shot lead in the Tiger Woods-hosted World Challenge. Northern Ireland’s McDowell had a 36-hole total of nine-under 135 at Sherwood Country Club, where 18 golfers are chasing a first prize of $1 million from the total purse of $4 million. Bo Van Pelt, Jim Furyk and Keegan Bradley shared second on 138. Van Pelt posted a 68 while Furyk and Bradley both carded 69s. Woods, who hosts the unofficial event for the benefit of his charitable foundation, thrust himself into contention with a run of four birdies in five holes starting at the ninth. But he lost some traction with his second bogey of the day at 15 and signed for a three-under 69 for 139. “I certainly hit the ball a lot better than I did yesterday, made a couple more putts,” said Woods, who added that “a nice little groove hitting irons” was the key to his run. Otherwise, Woods said the conditions on the rain-softened course were “tricky”. “The greens were so soft, and we had to hit so much club to try and take the spin off the ball … but you know, all the par-fives were reachable with good drives, and a couple of pins you could use slopes to get the ball close.” McDowell won this tournament in 2010, capping an outstanding season that included his US Open triumph up the Pacific coast at Pebble Beach. He hasn’t won since, and admitted it would be nice to punctuate a season in which he finished equal second at the US Open and tied for fifth at the British Open with a win — even in a non-tour tournament. “I would love to compete and play well this weekend, you know, really to kind of put a little icing on what’s been a mediocre year,” he said. “Despite the fact that I feel like I’ve played some decent golf this year, I really don’t have a lot to show for myself, and this would be a nice way to finish.” That said, McDowell said he wouldn’t put any pressure on himself, also cautioning that the course could yield plenty of low scores at the weekend. “I still believe there’s something particularly low out there this weekend for someone,” he said. “Certainly, seven-, eight-, nine-under par is not out of the question on this golf course. It’s very receptive, and the green surfaces have remained very pure as well. You can make some putts.” McDowell started quickly with three straight birdies. After his lone bogey of the day at the par-four seventh, McDowell added four more birdies coming in on a course softened by overnight rain and further dampened by intermittent misty showers on Friday. Van Pelt, who had three birdies in his first five holes, kept the pressure on with birdies at the par-five 13th and par-three 15th that briefly saw him seize a share of the lead. McDowell, meanwhile, notched back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17, and Van Pelt fell back further with his first bogey of the day at 18. - AFP

Benitez: Terry may make return at Club World Cup Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:50 PM PST LONDON: Interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez revealed on Friday that captain John Terry may not make his return from a knee injury until the Club World Cup in Japan in mid-December. Terry has been out for nearly three weeks after straining ligaments in his right knee in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, but he is close to making a comeback after returning to training. However, Benitez does not think he is ready to play in either Saturday’s league game at West Ham United or the crucial Champions League clash at home to Danish club FC Nordsjaelland on Wednesday. Chelsea then travel to Sunderland in the Premier League, but when asked if Terry could go to Japan without having played, Benitez said: “Yeah, it could be. “It’s a question of confidence. When you forget you have that problem in your knee is when you are ready.” He added: “He’s pushing — ‘I want to be there, I want to be involved’ — but still he will need some time. “It’s a knee, not just a muscle. You have to see the reaction when you turn. You cannot put him in a position where he could get injured again.” Terry has played fewer than one and a half games of football since the start of October, due to a combination of his four-game ban for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand last season and his knee injury. Despite his absence, Benitez says the former England captain’s approach has been exemplary. “Early this morning, he was in front of me walking onto the (training) pitch and he didn’t know I was following him,” said Benitez, who has overseen goalless draws against Manchester City and Fulham since replacing Roberto Di Matteo. “Three young players were coming along and the way he approached them was quite positive.” Frank Lampard, who has been out for over a month with a calf injury, could also make his return at the Club World Cup. Chelsea will play their first game in the tournament of continental champions on December 13 in a semi-final against either South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai or Monterrey of Mexico. Terry and Lampard were both unavailable during the alarming slump in form that led to Di Matteo’s dismissal and Benitez admitted that their absences may have played a part. “You have to analyse what has been happening in the last month, but you can see these players with this character and leadership can be helpful when things are wrong,” he said. Benitez should be spared the booing that accompanied his first two games at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea visit West Ham on Saturday, but he may not receive a friendly reception from the home dug-out. The Spaniard clashed with West Ham manager Sam Allardyce several times during his tenure as Liverpool coach and was particularly critical of Blackburn Rovers’ rugged playing style under Allardyce. “As a manager, you have to defend your club and try to do things in the right way,” Benitez said. “We were talking about what we thought that we could see, the way things could be done in a different way. “But it’s not just the manager. It’s the style, sometimes, or the way that things were going on. I’ll do the same (again) if I have to.” Benitez also denied claims he had used a dismissive hand gesture in a game between Liverpool and Allardyce’s Blackburn after his side scored an early goal. “How could I have said the game was over after 20 minutes? It would be crazy,” he said. “I’d never say the game was over at that stage.” - Reuters

Redknapp not thinking about QPR targets Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:48 PM PST LONDON: New Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp says his side’s need for points is so pressing that he has not had time to think about potential targets in the January transfer window. QPR are currently four points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table and host fellow strugglers Aston Villa on Saturday in what will be Redknapp’s first home game at the helm since he replaced the sacked Mark Hughes. The former West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur coach is renowed for his ability to uproot bargains in the transfer market, but he says there will be no point buying new players if QPR’s performances do not improve. “I’m not looking at January. It’s about now. There are games between now and the window that will decide where we’re going,” Redknapp said on Friday. “If we don’t pick up some points and wins in that period, what’s the point of putting yourself in trouble trying to buy players? “That way you could get lumbered with a big wage bill for next season. It’s not the situation we want. “We need to pick some points up. If we’re in the mix then we can take a look at it again in January.” Redknapp’s arrival at QPR has prompted a raft of transfer rumours, but he dismissed reports linking the club with Aston Villa striker Darren Bent, Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole, Marseille forward Loic Remy and former England captain David Beckham. “Darren Bent’s a good player — Villa paid £20 million ($32 million, 24.6 million) for him. I haven’t asked about him,” said Redknapp. “I was interested in Remy at Tottenham. That was then, now is a different situation. He’d be expensive. It depends on how we’re going in January. “I’ve always liked Joe — I signed him as an 11-year-old (at West Ham). No-one knows him better than me. There’s still a top player in there. “I like him as a person as well as a player, but I’ve not made any enquiries. I tried to take him to Tottenham, but he joined Liverpool. “David’s a top bloke, he’d be an asset to anyone just because of his presence and professionalism. But it’s not something we’re pursuing.” - AFP

Premier League clubs spend £77 million on agents Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:47 PM PST LONDON: English Premier League clubs paid out £77 million (94.9 million euros) to agents over the past year, with champions Manchester City alone spending more than £10 million (12.3 million euros), a report revealed. Roberto Mancini’s side’s expenditure of £10,537,982 (12,990,612 euros) was up from £9,663,700 (11,912,838 euros) with struggling Liverpool second having spent £8,600,444 (10,601,732 euros), an increase from £7,000,242 (8,629,787 euros). The Premier League report listed bottom club Queen’s Park Rangers, bank-rolled by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, as having spent the third largest amount on agents, with their figure trebling to £6,818,688 (8,405,682 euros). Payments made by each Premier League club to agents from October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012; Arsenal £5,580,873, Aston Villa £2,730,539, Chelsea £6,490,382, Everton £3,092,891, Fulham £2,581,208, Liverpool £8,600,444, Manchester City £10,537,982, Manchester United £3,681,580, Newcastle £3,485,503, Norwich £1,248,725, QPR £6,818,688, Reading £2,167,833, Southampton £646,106, Stoke £1,717,266, Sunderland £2,173,762, Swansea £1,100,845, Tottenham £6,595,905, West Brom £1,341,301, West Ham £4,436,992, Wigan £1,974,305 - AFP

Top footballers urge rethink on U21 finals venue Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:46 PM PST PARIS: Dozens of professional footballers, including Didier Drogba, have written to UEFA in protest at a decision to award Israel the under-21 European championships next year in the wake of fresh conflict with Palestinians. In a letter to the European game’s ruling body, which organises the tournament, the players said that allowing the Jewish nation to host the competition would condone its recent offensive against Gaza-based militants. The players, among them a number of top players from the English, French, Italian and Spanish top flight, said they expressed solidarity with Gazans who were “living under siege and denied basic human dignity and freedom”. “The latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza, resulting in the death of over a hundred civilians, was yet another stain on the world’s conscience,” they added in the letter, which was widely published on the Internet. The players also highlighted the Israeli bombardment of a football stadium in Gaza on November 10 that killed four teenagers and the plight of a number of Palestinian footballers detained by Israel since February this year. “It is unacceptable that children are killed while they play football. Israel hosting the UEFA Under-21 European Championship, in these circumstances, will be seen as a reward for actions that are contrary to sporting values,” the letter said. “Despite the recent ceasefire, Palestinians are still forced to endure a desperate existence under occupation, they must be protected by the international community. “All people have the right to a life of dignity, freedom and security. We hope that a just settlement will finally emerge.” The eight-day confrontation ended with a November 21 ceasefire deal. Some 175 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and six Israelis, two of them soldiers, were killed in the conflict, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Signatories of the letter included five members of English side Newcastle United, among them Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Yohan Cabaye, Eden Hazard of Chelsea and the former Stamford Bridge star Drogba, who now plays in China. The draw for the eight-team competition, which runs from June 5-18, was made this week in Tel Aviv. A number of international pro-Palestinian groups and the Palestine Football Association itself have previously written to UEFA president Michel Platini, urging him to move the competition elsewhere. - AFP

Obama cranks up ‘fiscal cliff’ pressure Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:30 PM PST HATFIELD (Pennsylvania): President Barack Obama turned up the pressure in “fiscal cliff” talks yesterday, hitting the road to drum up support for his drive to raise taxes on the wealthy and warning Americans that Republicans were offering them “a lump of coal” for Christmas. In a visit to a Pennsylvania toy factory, Obama portrayed congressional Republicans as Scrooges who risked sending the country over the fiscal cliff rather than strike a deal to avert the tax increases and spending cuts that begin in January unless Congress intervenes. In Washington, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner declared a stalemate in the talks and said Obama’s plan to raise taxes on the rich was the wrong approach. “There is a stalemate. Let’s not kid ourselves,” the Ohio Republican said. “Right now we are almost nowhere.” Lawmakers are nervously eyeing the markets as the deadline approaches, with gyrations likely to intensify pressure to bring the drama to a close. Major stock market indexes fell as Boehner spoke but recovered afterward. It was a repeat of the pattern earlier in the week when the Speaker offered a gloomy assessment. The latest round of high-stakes gamesmanship focuses on whether to extend the temporary tax cuts that originated under former President George W. Bush beyond their December 31 expiration date for all taxpayers, as Republicans want, or just for those with income under $250,000, as Obama and his fellow Democrats want. “If Congress does nothing, every family in America will see their taxes automatically go up on January 1,” Obama said during his visit to a factory in suburban Philadelphia. “That’s sort of like the lump of coal you get for Christmas. That’s a Scrooge Christmas.” Obama, who made higher tax rates for the wealthy a centerpiece of his re-election campaign, said Americans should pressure Republicans to quickly agree to extend the middle-class tax cuts that cover 98 percent of the public. “We already all agree, we say, on making sure middle-class taxes don’t go up. So let’s get that done. Let’s go ahead and take the fear out for the vast majority of American families so they don’t have to worry,” Obama said at The Rodon Group factory, which makes K’NEX building toy systems as well as Tinkertoys and consumer products. Victory lap Obama’s trip to Pennsylvania was part of a renewed public relations push on the fiscal cliff that the White House hopes will build support for his stance. The effort has infuriated Republicans, with Boehner calling it a “victory lap” on Thursday as he rejected Obama’s proposals to avoid the cliff. “It tells you he’s not interested in negotiating. He’s more interested in traveling around the country trying to campaign,” Representative Jim Gerlach, a Pennsylvania Republican, said on CNBC on Friday. The effort continues next week, as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Obama’s lead negotiator in the talks, makes the rounds of television talk shows on Sunday. Obama will meet a bipartisan group of governors at the White House on Tuesday, and the president will address the Business Roundtable on Wednesday. Boehner is scheduled for an appearance on Fox News Sunday. Obama and Boehner both said they still believe the two sides can work together to find a solution before the end-of-year deadline. But Boehner has been scrambling to keep his House Republicans in line, with some signaling more flexibility on ways to find a combination of new revenue and spending cuts that could yield an agreement. Most House Republicans refuse to back higher rates, preferring to raise revenue through tax reform. But some have suggested they would support a deal with higher rates for the rich if it includes significant cuts in the government-sponsored Medicare and Medicaid healthcare entitlement programs. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that Republicans would agree to more revenue – although not higher tax rates – if Democrats agreed to such changes as raising the eligibility age for Medicare and slowing cost-of-living increases in the Social Security retirement program. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who has opposed such changes, brushed off the comments. “Nothing new in that statement from Mitch McConnell,” she said. Moderate Republican Representative Steven LaTourette of Ohio, who is retiring at year’s end, said he would back some high-end tax rate increases if the deal reforms Medicare. He said he would support new limits on high-income earners’ Medicare benefits, and raising the eligibility age for entitlement programs. Obama said he was encouraged by the shifting views of some Republicans, and urged House approval of a bill that has already cleared the Democratic-controlled Senate that would lock in the middle-class tax cuts and raise the rates for the rich. “If we can get a few House Republicans on board, we can pass the bill … . I’m ready to sign it,” Obama said. - Reuters

Stung by UN defeat, Israel pushes settlement plans Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:28 PM PST JERUSALEM: Hours after the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to grant de-facto statehood to Palestine, Israel responded yesterday by announcing it was authorizing 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. An official, who declined to be named, said the government had also decided to expedite planning work for thousands more homes in a geographically sensitive area close to Jerusalem that critics say would kill off Palestinian hopes of a viable state. The decision was made on Thursday when it became clear that the UN General Assembly was set to upgrade the Palestinians’ status in the world body, making them a “non-member state”, as opposed to an “entity”, boosting their diplomatic clout. The motion was backed by 138 nations, opposed by nine, while 41 members abstained – a resounding defeat that exposed its growing diplomatic isolation. An Israeli official had earlier conceded that this represented a “total failure of diplomacy” and warned there would be consequences – which were swift in coming. Plans to put up thousands of new settler homes in the wake of the Palestinian upgrade were always likely, but the prospect of building in an area known as E-1, which lies near Jerusalem and bisects much of the West Bank, is seen by some as a potential game changer. “E-1 will signal the end of the two state-solution,” said Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli expert on settlements. He added that statutory planning would take another six to nine months to complete, meaning building there was not a foregone conclusion. About 500,000 Israelis already live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem on land Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war – territory the Palestinians claim for their independent state. The United States, one of the eight countries to vote alongside Israel at the UN General Assembly, said the latest expansion plan was counterproductive to the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Absurb Ahead of the UN vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had argued that the unilateral Palestinian move breached their previous accords and accused the 193-member world body of failing in its responsibilities. “The General Assembly can resemble the theatre of the absurd, which once a year automatically approves ludicrous, anti-Israeli resolutions,” said government spokesman Mark Regev. “Sometimes these are supported by Europe, sometimes they are not,” he added, alluding to the fact that only one European state, the Czech Republic, had voted against the Palestinians. Nonetheless, analysts said the vote exposed the gulf that had opened between Europe and Netanyahu over his handling of the Western-backed administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and the depth of EU opposition to settlement expansion. “The government has failed to appreciate the gravity of the challenge to Israel’s fundamental legitimacy in Europe,” said Gidi Grinstein, head of the Reut Institute think-tank. “The Palestinian bid in the UN is turning out to be a bigger defeat than anticipated.” In many ways, Israel was caught off guard. Last week it was fighting Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip, grateful to see much of the West offering support for its determination to stop indiscriminate rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave whose leaders preach Israel’s destruction. The eight-day bombardment ended in a truce that was widely viewed as handing Gaza’s Hamas Islamists a PR boost at the expense of Abbas and the Palestine Liberation Organization, who have renounced violence in favor of diplomacy. The West pumped billions into Abbas’s administration over the years to bolster a partner for Middle East peace and felt they had to rally to his support in New York. Before the Gaza conflict, the Palestinians said they would win 115 ‘yes’ votes at the United Nations. They ended up with more. Court threat By itself, the UN upgrade will make little practical difference to the Palestinians or Israelis. However, the new position will enable Abbas to seek membership of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague if he wants. This is what worries Israel. The Geneva Convention forbids occupying powers from moving “parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”, leaving Israeli officials potentially vulnerable to an ICC challenge. Israel says its settlements are legal, citing historical and Biblical ties to the West Bank and Jerusalem. The Palestinians say they are in no rush to go to the ICC, but the threat is there, putting pressure on Israel to come up with creative solutions to overcome the peace-talks impasse, which the Jewish state blames on Abbas. “This U.N. vote is a very strong signal to the Israelis that they can’t shove this matter under the carpet for any longer,” said Alon Liel, former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “This is a red light for Israel.” With politicians campaigning ahead of a January 22 election, Israel is unlikely to change course. Opinion polls suggest Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc will win a new term in office. The coalition includes pro-settler parties, and the prime minister’s own Likud group appeared to shift to the right in primaries this week, making any land-for-peace compromise with the Palestinians look more complex than ever. His opponents seized on the UN vote, with ex-foreign minister Tzipi Livni, aspiring to become Israel’s second female prime minister, blaming a failure of initiative. “When we do not initiate, we are imposed upon,” she said. Israeli officials say the Palestinians themselves must show they are ready to make the sort of concessions that they believe are needed to secure an accord – such as renouncing any right to return to modern-day Israel for refugees and their descendants. However, analysts say that with the elections out of the way, the new government will have a period of calm to try once more to end their decades-old conflict with the Palestinians. “The strategy toward the Palestinian Authority and statehood is likely to be on the top of the agenda of the next government in the winter,” said the Reut Institute’s Grinstein. “The outcome of its strategic reassessment may well be active engagement in upgrading the powers and responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority toward statehood, and eventually recognizing the Palestinian Authority as a state.” If E-1 building goes ahead, the chances of talks resuming will be close to non-existent. - Reuters

Senate approves new sanctions for Iran energy, shipping Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:26 PM PST WASHINGTON: The US Senate resoundingly approved yesterday expanded sanctions on global trade with Iran’s energy and shipping sectors, its latest effort to ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. The new package, which keeps in place exemptions for countries that have made significant cuts to their purchases of Iranian crude oil, would be the third round of sanctions in a year if passed into law. The existing sanctions have already hurt Iran’s economy, but it is uncertain whether the additional measures will stop or slow Iran’s nuclear program. Washington says Tehran is enriching uranium to levels that could be used in nuclear weapons. Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes. Senators voted 94-0 to make the new sanctions part of an annual defense policy bill. “We must be clear to the Iranians that toughing it out and waiting it out is not an option, that it will only get worse,” Democratic Senator Robert Menendez said. Menendez, of New Jersey, co-authored the package with Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois and Senator Joseph Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut. The measures would also restrict trade with Iran in precious metals, graphite, raw or semi-finished metals, such as aluminum and steel, metallurgical coal and software for integrating industrial processes in Iran’s energy and shipping sectors. Insurance or reinsurance providers would be restricted from trade with Iran in energy, shipping and ship-building sectors. Further, the new sanctions include measures aimed at stopping the flow of gold from Turkey to Iran. White house concerned The Obama administration has not publicly commented on the proposals, but has privately raised concerns that it does not provide enough “waiver flexibility,” said Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Levin said those concerns may be addressed when the Senate and House of Representatives work out differences to finalize the massive defense bill. The House has approved its version of the bill, and both bodies will need to approve a final version before it is sent to President Barack Obama to sign into law. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel lobby group, endorsed the measures, which it said would close a loophole in existing laws. “In an effort to circumvent international sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, some purchasers of Iranian oil and natural gas have been using gold and other precious metals to pay for petroleum products,” AIPAC leaders said in a letter to senators ahead of the vote, urging support for the bill. Israel says international sanctions against Iran are not working and is threatening to use military force to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Washington says all options are on the table in dealing with Iran, but sanctions and diplomacy should be given more time. Some experts expressed doubt on Friday that a fresh round of sanctions will prompt Iran to make concessions on the nuclear issue. Paul Pillar, a former CIA analyst, said sanctions will not work without solid diplomacy to accompany them. “It is a fallacy to believe there is some breaking point at which the regime in Tehran cries ‘uncle’ and makes major changes in policy even if it sees itself as getting nothing in return,” Pillar said. Jeff Colgan, a professor at American University in Washington who studies the geopolitics of oil, said the expanded sanctions would represent a “continuation of a cat-and-mouse game.” “The sanctions get placed, Iran tries to find ways around them, and the US tries to close the loopholes. But so far, a dent in the (Iranian) economy has not resulted in a change in the nuclear program,” Colgan said. The United Nations’ nuclear chief said on Thursday his agency has made no progress in its year-long push to investigate whether Iran has worked on developing an atomic bomb. - Reuters

US lays out plan for achieving worldwide AIDS-free generation Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:24 PM PST WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday unveiled a game plan for achieving a global “AIDS-free generation,” committing the United States to rapidly scaling up medical interventions that are beating back what once was seen as an unconquerable disease. Clinton, announcing the next stage of the decade-long US fight against AIDS around the world, said advances in drug treatment and prevention strategies had brought the end of the epidemic within reach. “HIV may well be with us into the future but the diseases that it causes need not be,” Clinton declared, saying it was possible to foresee a time when the number of people receiving treatment worldwide outpaces the number of new infections. “That will be the tipping point. We will then get ahead of the epidemic, and an AIDS-free generation will be in sight,” she said. The US PEPFAR program, launched by former President George W. Bush in 2003, has been a catalyst for advancing HIV treatment, particularly in Africa. It now supports some 5.1 million people worldwide who are receiving anti-retroviral drugs. The UN AIDS program said this month that ending the pandemic was now “entirely feasible” as it released an annual report showing that both deaths from AIDS and new infections with the HIV virus that causes it were falling. Worldwide some 34 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2011, the UNAIDS report said. Deaths from AIDS fell to 1.7 million in 2011, down from a peak of 2.3 million in 2005 and from 1.8 million in 2010. The number of people newly infected with HIV, which can be transmitted via blood and by semen during sex, is also falling. At 2.5 million, the number of new infections in 2011 was 20 percent lower than in 2001. Despite the good news, not everyone is optimistic that the end of the epidemic is around the corner. The ONE foundation, a charity founded by Irish rock star Bono, said this week that budget cuts in major donor countries were slowing efforts to reduce new infections and that a goal set last year by global leaders of turning the corner on AIDS by 2015 was now unlikely to be reached until 2022. No child born with aids virus The new PEPFAR blueprint aims to accelerate the fight by scaling up both drug treatment and new strategies for combating the spread of AIDS including voluntary male circumcision, microbicide gels and interventions to stop pregnant women from passing the virus on to their unborn children. “We can reach a point where virtually no children are born with the virus, and as these children become teenagers and adults they are at far lower risk of acquiring HIV than they are today,” Clinton said. Clinton has lobbied hard to save US overseas development spending in an era of increasingly tight budgets, and has stressed that Washington will not step back from the AIDS fight despite potential cuts to other programs. The Obama administration has asked Congress for $6.4 billion for PEPFAR and other AIDS programs in 2013, down from US$7.2 billion in 2012. Officials say economies of scale and savings from the purchase of generic drugs are making programs more efficient. The US government spent roughly US$46 billion on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs from 2003-2010. US Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby said the new PEPFAR plan could likely lead to increased spending on anti-retroviral drugs as more people start the treatment earlier. But he emphasized that the United States would not be paying for this alone, and said that US efforts now would be to rally support from other donors as well as the recipient countries themselves. “This administration has put a huge amount of political capital on this issue from day one. We remain committed. And we realize that we’re the major motor on the planet,” he said in an interview. The new PEPFAR plan includes a greater emphasis on marginalized populations most at risk for HIV, including injecting drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with men, as well as turning over more responsibility for management and oversight to recipient countries. Reaction to the new PEPFAR plan was broadly positive, although some advocates said the onus was now on Congress to fully fund the campaign. “What we’ve needed for a while is an action plan that had caught up to the science of today. The blueprint takes us a step toward that,” said Chris Collins, director of public policy at the Foundation for AIDS Research. - Reuters

Syria jets bombard rebel targets on airport road Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:21 PM PST BEIRUT: Syrian air force jets bombarded rebel targets on Friday close to the Damascus airport road and a regional airline said foreign carriers had halted flights to the capital. Activists said security forces clashed with rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad around Aqraba and Babilla districts on the southeastern outskirts of Damascus which lead to the international airport. Internet connections and most telephone lines were down for a second day, the worst communications outage in a 20-month-old uprising in which 40,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee the country. The mostly Sunni Muslim rebels who are battling Assad, from Syria’s Alawite minority linked to Shi’ite Islam, have been making gains around Syria by overrunning military bases and have been ramping up attacks on Damascus, his seat of power. A spokesman for a rebel Military Council in Damascus, Musaab Abu Qitada, told Reuters on Thursday they were also trying to “liberate” the airport to stop planes they said were delivering arms to the government. A resident of central Damascus said he saw black smoke rising from the east and the south of the city on Friday morning and could hear the constant boom of shelling. State television said Assad’s forces were fighting rebels in those areas. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the conflict had reached “new and appalling heights of brutality and violence”. The government had intensified its campaigns to root out opposition strongholds and increased shelling and air strikes, Ban told the UN General Assembly. “Opposition elements also have stepped up their attacks. I am horrified and saddened and condemn the seemingly daily massacres of civilians,” he added. An aviation source in neighboring Jordan said two Syrian Air flights crossed Jordanian air space heading for the Syrian capital on Friday evening and that Damascus airport was open, although international airlines were staying away. The head of the national airline Syria Air said its services were operating according to schedule, state television reported. EgyptAir and Emirates have suspended flights to Damascus in response to the recent violence and there was no sign that Air Arabia and flydubai had flown scheduled trips yesterday. “Airlines are not operating to Damascus today,” said a Dubai-based airline official. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based opposition monitoring group, said jets were bombarding targets in rural areas around Aqraba and Babilla. The Observatory’s director, Rami Abdelrahman, said the airport road was open, but there was minimal traffic. A decisive phase US and European officials said rebels were making gains in Syria, gradually eroding Assad’s power, but said the fighting had not yet shifted completely in their favour. A Damascus-based diplomat said he believed the escalation in fighting around the capital was part of a government offensive which aimed to seal off the state-controlled centre of the city from rebel-held rural areas to the south and east. Activists say Assad’s forces have also been shelling the Daraya district to the southwest of the city, trying to prevent rebels from cementing their hold of an area which could give them a presence in a continuous arc from the northeast to southwest of the capital’s outer districts. “I don’t know whether the shelling has succeeded in pushing back the FSA (rebels) – experience shows that they return very quickly anyway,” the diplomat said. “We seem to be entering a decisive phase of the Damascus offensive.” At least 12 Lebanese gunmen were killed in a Syrian army ambush in the central Syrian province of Homs, a security source said on Friday, highlighting how Lebanon’s neighbours are being dragged into the war. The sources said the Lebanese men were killed near the town of Tel Kalakh and were from majority Sunni northern areas of Lebanon. Who cut the internet? Syria’s Internet shut down on Thursday, a move which activists blamed on authorities but which authorities variously attributed to a “terrorist” attack or a technical fault. Global hacking network Anonymous accused Syria’s government of blocking communications to silence critics and said it would respond by attacking Syrian government websites around the world. “As we discovered in Egypt, where the dictator (Hosni) Mubarak did something similar – this is not damage that can be easily or quickly repaired,” Anonymous said, referring to an Internet outage during the 2011 uprising in Egypt. French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said the communications cut was of a matter of “extreme concern”. “It is another demonstration of what the Damascus regime is doing to hold its people hostage. We call on the Damascus regime to reestablish communications without delay,” he said. CloudFlare, a firm that helps accelerate Internet traffic, said on its blog saboteurs would have had to simultaneously cut three undersea cables into the Mediterranean city of Tartous and also an overland cable through Turkey in order to cut off the entire country’s Internet access. “That is unlikely to have happened,” it said. - Reuters

Gushing UK papers laud PM Cameron’s stance on press law Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:19 PM PST LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron woke on Friday to find usually hostile newspapers gushing about his statesman-like qualities after he signaled his opposition to a new law governing the press. After his party suffered a night of humiliation in three parliamentary by-elections, instead of facing questions over his leadership, he was cheered for rejecting the main plank of proposals from a public inquiry he set up in the wake of outrage at the excesses of tabloid newspapers. Under a headline over two pages lauding “Cameron’s Stand for Freedom”, the right-wing Daily Mail said a “Defiant PM” had refused to accept the call for laws to control the press. “To his enormous credit, however, David Cameron sees this report for what it is – a mortal threat to the British people’s historic right to know,” it said in its editorial. “If he prevails in protecting that right, with the help of like-minded freedom lovers in the Commons and Lords, he will earn a place of honor in our history.” The Daily Telegraph, another right-leaning newspaper that has been far from fulsome in its support for Cameron, said the unexpected decision had revealed his leadership and acceptance that press freedom was “a constitutional necessity”. “He has answered the hopes of a Conservative Party that sometimes wonders what he stands for,” the paper said in a commentary piece on its front page. Cameron’s clear sign he would reject the main recommendation of the report from Lord Justice Brian Leveson followed a year-long inquiry that heard in unflinching detail from celebrities, victims of crime and others who said the notoriously aggressive press had ruined their lives. It also followed weeks of frantic lobbying by the newspapers who argued any involvement of the law in press regulation would amount to state control and an attack on free speech, putting Britain on a par with Zimbabwe. Critically, Cameron’s stance also puts him on the same side as the majority of his senior Conservative ministers who had openly opposed legislation, and in alliance with Boris Johnson, a former journalist and London mayor who is cheered by the press and seen as a possible challenger to Cameron in the future. Murder victims While it will bolster his position in the eyes of press barons ahead of a 2015 election, it is not without risk. It puts him in clear opposition to Nick Clegg, leader of the junior Liberal Democrat party in the coalition, and vulnerable to defeat in parliament if the opposition force a vote. It also earned him the condemnation of those who spoke out against the press, including celebrities and families of murder victims, who accused the prime minister of betrayal. “Having taken David Cameron’s assurances in good faith at the outset of the inquiry he set up, I am merely one among many who feel duped and angry in its wake,” said Harry Potter author JK Rowling. The billionaire writer told Leveson’s inquiry last November how she was forced to move house because of tabloid harassment. Both the politicians who oppose Cameron and the press victims plan to keep up the pressure as lawmakers try to find a consensus. In a statement Rowling encouraged people to sign an online petition run by the Hacked Off pressure group demanding Britain’s political leaders implement Leveson’s recommendations in full. Malcolm Rifkind, a Conservative party grandee and former foreign secretary, told Reuters the pressure applied by senior members of the cabinet had meant Cameron could not simply accept the Leveson recommendations in full. Rifkind has given his backing to statutory regulation. Industrial scale Newspaper editors said they would discuss “a fresh approach” next week at a meeting of their Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, a body set up under the UK’s existing system where publications police much of their own behavior without state control. Commentators on the popular ConservativeHome website mostly backed Cameron for showing backbone over the issue but even they warned he should not get used to the adulation. Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid, which has been particularly tough on Cameron’s government and would typically oppose any apparent attack on the press, joined his Times paper in being conciliatory towards Leveson and less exuberant about Cameron. The 4 million pound (US$6 million) inquiry was ordered after the Sun’s sister title the News of the World admitted hacking into phone messages on an industrial scale to generate ever more salacious stories. “Much of Lord Leveson’s report on the press makes sense,” the Sun said in its editorial, adding it applauded Cameron’s decision to oppose any legal basis for a new watchdog. The only major newspaper to question Cameron’s decision was the left-leaning Guardian, which led much of the coverage of the phone hacking scandal last year. “The prime minister has surprised many, especially the victims, with his multi-leveled concerns about statute … It is not clear if this is a position of principle, or to win friends on the Tory benches and in Fleet Street,” it said. - Reuters

US disturbed by sentencing of blind Chinese dissident’s nephew Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:17 PM PST WASHINGTON: The United States is deeply disturbed that the nephew of blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng was sentenced to more than three years in jail and views his trial as “deeply flawed,” the US State Department said yesterday. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the trial and sentencing of Chen Kegui lacked basic due process and was a violation of China’s own commitments to respect human rights. Chen Kegui was charged after using knives to fend off local officials who burst into his home on April 27, the day after they discovered his blind uncle had escaped from 19 months of harsh house arrest in eastern Shandong province and fled to the US Embassy in Beijing. “This was a deeply flawed legal process that convicted him and sentenced him to three years in prison,” Nuland said. Chen Kegui had been held incommunicado by police for more than six months and was denied access to his choice of lawyers prior to his sentencing yesterday by a court in eastern China. Chen Guangcheng’s escape from house arrest in April and subsequent refuge in the US Embassy was deeply embarrassing for China, and led to a serious diplomatic tussle between the two nations. Nuland said Chen Kegui’s parents had been repeatedly denied permission to visit their son, and were given little advance notice of the trial. She said several Chinese attorneys who had offered to represent him pro bono had been warned that their licenses could be suspended. “We regret China’s failure to honor its international commitments and we call on them to review this case,” Nuland said, adding that the case appeared to contradict Chinese assurances given as part of the deal that saw Chen Guangcheng travel to the United States that his family would not be targeted for reprisals. In another move likely to irritate US-China ties, Nuland confirmed that the State Department’s top human rights official met on Thursday with family members of several Tibetans who had recently burned themselves to death to protest Chinese rule of their homeland. Michael Posner expressed US condolences for the immolations – which have now claimed about 60 lives since March 2011 – and expressed US concern over “the spiraling violence and harsh crackdown in Tibetan areas,” Nuland said. “We remain very concerned about rising tensions that result from counterproductive policies including those that limit freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, (and freedom of) association in Tibet,” Nuland said. China has branded the self-immolators “terrorists” and criminals, and has blamed the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, for inciting them. Beijing brands the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist, but he denies supporting violence and says he merely seeks greater autonomy for his homeland, which he claims is a victim of Chinese “cultural genocide.” Activists say China tramples on religious freedom and culture in Tibet, which has been ruled with an iron rod since the 1950 takeover. China rejects such criticism, saying its rule ended serfdom and brought development to a backward area. - Reuters - Reuter

Egyptians protest after draft constitution raced through Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:15 PM PST CAIRO: Tens of thousands of Egyptians protested against President Mohamed Mursi yesterday after an Islamist-led assembly raced through approval of a new constitution in a bid to end a crisis over the Islamist leader’s newly expanded powers. “The people want to bring down the regime,” they chanted in Tahrir Square, echoing the chants that rang out in the same place less than two years ago and brought down Hosni Mubarak. Mursi said a decree halting court challenges to his decisions, which sparked eight days of protests and violence by Egyptians calling him a new dictator, was “for an exceptional stage” and aimed to speed up the democratic transition. “It will end as soon as the people vote on a constitution,” he told state television while the constituent assembly was still voting on a draft, which the Islamists say reflects Egypt’s new freedoms. “There is no place for dictatorship.” But the opposition cried foul. Liberals, leftists, Christians, more moderate Muslims and others had withdrawn from the assembly, saying their voices were not being heard. Even in the mosque where Mursi said yesterday prayers some opponents chanted “Mursi: void” before sympathizers surrounded him shouting in support, journalists and a security source said. Tens of thousands gathered across the country, filling Tahrir Square and hitting the streets in Alexandria and other cities, responding to opposition calls for a big turnout. Rival demonstrators clashed after dark in Alexandria and the Nile Delta town of Al-Mahala Al-Kobra, some hurling rocks in anger. An opposition leaflet distributed on Tahrir urged protesters in Cairo to stay overnight before Saturday’s rallies by Islamists; the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies said they would avoid the square during their demonstrations backing Mursi. The disparate opposition, which has struggled to compete with well-organized Islamists, has been drawn together and reinvigorated by the crisis. Tens of thousands had also protested on Tuesday, showing the breadth of public anger. Potent machine But Islamists have a potent political machine and the United States has looked on warily at the rising power of a group it once kept at arms length now ruling a nation that has a peace treaty with Israel and is at the heart of the Arab Spring. Protesters said they would push for a ‘no’ vote in a constitutional referendum, which could happen as early as mid-December. If the new basic law were approved, it would immediately cancel the president’s decree. “We fundamentally reject the referendum and constituent assembly because the assembly does not represent all sections of society,” said Sayed el-Erian, 43, a protester in Tahrir and member of a party set up by opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei. ElBaradei said in a statement the constitution had “lost legitimacy” and called for ending the polarization of Egypt. The plebiscite on the constitution is a gamble based on the Islamists’ belief they can mobilize voters again after winning every election held since Mubarak was toppled in February 2011. Despite the big numbers opposed to him, Mursi can count on backing from the disciplined Brotherhood and Islamist allies, as well as many Egyptians who are simply exhausted by the turmoil. “He just wants us to move on and not waste time in conflicts,” said 33-year-old Cairo shopkeeper Abdel Nasser Marie. “Give the man a chance and Egypt a break.” But Mursi needs the cooperation of judges to oversee the vote, and many have been angered by a decree from Mursi they said undermined the judiciary. Some judges are on strike. The assembly concluded the vote after a 19-hour session, faster than many expected, approving all 234 articles of the draft, covering presidential powers, the status of Islam, the military’s role and human rights. It introduces a presidential term limit of eight years – Mubarak served for 30. It also bring in a degree of civilian oversight over the military – though not enough for critics. An Egyptian official said Mursi was expected to approve the document on Saturday and then has 15 days to hold a referendum. “This is a revolutionary constitution,” said Hossam el-Gheriyani, head of the assembly, urging members to campaign for the new constitution across Egypt, after the all-night session. Deepening divisions Critics argue it is an attempt to rush through a draft they say has been hijacked by the Muslim Brotherhood, which backed Mursi for president in a June election, and its Islamist allies. Two people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests since the decree was announced on November 22, deepening the divide between the newly empowered Islamists and their critics. Seeking to placate opponents, Mursi welcomed criticism but said there was no place for violence. “I am very happy that Egypt has real political opposition,” he told state television. He said Egypt needed to attract investors and tourists. The crisis threatens to derail a fragile economic recovery after two years of turmoil. Egypt is waiting for the International Monetary Fund to finalize a US$4.8 billion loan to help it out. An alliance of opposition groups pledged to keep up protests and said broader civil disobedience was possible to fight what it described as an attempt to “kidnap Egypt from its people”. Several independent newspapers said they would not publish on Tuesday in protest. One of the papers also said three private satellite channels would halt broadcasts on Wednesday. The draft injects new Islamic references into Egypt’s system of government but keeps in place an article defining “the principles of sharia” as the main source of legislation – the same phrase found in the previous constitution. The president can declare war with parliament’s approval, but only after consulting a national defense council with a heavy military and security membership. That was not in the old constitution, used when Egypt was ruled by ex-military men. Critics highlighted other flaws, such as articles pertaining to the rights of women and freedom of speech. A new parliamentary election cannot be held until a new constitution is passed. Egypt has been without an elected legislature since a court ordered the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated lower house in June. -Reuters

High court leaves open if it will take up gay marriage case Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:12 PM PST NEW YORK: The US Supreme Court’s nine justices met in private yesterday to consider whether to enter the legal fray over same-sex marriage but made no announcement about any decision they may have reached. The high court is considering whether to review five separate challenges to a federal law that prevents married same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage benefits such as Social Security survivor payments and tax exemptions. It is also considering whether to review California’s ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, which voters narrowly approved in 2008. An announcement about whether the court will review the gay marriage cases could come as early as Monday morning. Thirty-one of the 50 states have passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriage while Washington, DC, and nine states have legalized it, three of them on Election Day, Nov 6. At issue is the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which only recognizes marriages between a man and a woman. Gay men and lesbians have challenged a part of the law that prevents them from receiving federal benefits that heterosexual couples receive. Most courts that have addressed the issue, including federal appeals courts in Boston and New York, have found the law’s contested provision violates the equal protection provisions of the US Constitution. Even in states where same-sex marriage is legal, the couples do not qualify for a host of federal benefits because of DOMA. If the court takes up the issue and invalidates the law, states could still be free to legalize or deny same-sex marriages on their own terms. Friday’s court conference was one of the Supreme Court’s regular weekly sessions at which it considers what new cases to add to the calendar. The meetings, attended only by the justices, are held in a small conference room adjacent to the chambers of Chief Justice John Roberts. The justices vote in order of seniority, and while it takes five of the nine for a majority decision in a dispute, it takes only four votes to add a case to the agenda and schedule oral arguments. If the court does not issue an order on the gay marriage cases on Monday, it could relist the cases for further consideration at its weekly conference next Friday. The justices will sometimes hold particularly complex cases for a future conference if they need more time to figure out what course of action to take. California ban The court is also considering whether to review a challenge to California’s ban on same-sex marriage. The California case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, had sought to establish a constitutional right to marry for gays and lesbians. The 9th Circuit court in February found the gay marriage ban unconstitutional, but it ruled narrowly in a way that only affected California and not the rest of the country, finding that the state could not take away the right to same-sex marriage after previously allowing it. No other state that has legalized gay marriage has later banned it. If the Supreme Court decides to take the case, it could follow the 9th Circuit’s decision and also rule narrowly, allowing same-sex marriage only in California but not the rest of the country. Or it could recognize a right to marriage equality. If the justices decline to take the case, the 9th Circuit’s opinion would stand and same-sex marriage would resume in California. That would significantly boost the number of same-sex couples able to marry, given the state’s large size. The Supreme Court on Friday also took no action on an appeal from the state of Arizona which asks the court to revive a state version of DOMA. The Arizona law, which the 9th Circuit invalidated, eliminated domestic partner healthcare benefits for gay and lesbian state employees. Same-sex couples in Arizona cannot marry under a state constitutional ban passed in 2008. - Reuters

Mexico’s Pena Nieto picks close aides for top Cabinet jobs Posted: 30 Nov 2012 05:10 PM PST MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s incoming president, Enrique Pena Nieto, picked close allies yesterday to head the finance and interior ministries as he seeks to craft economic reforms and reduce drug violence in Latin America’s second-biggest economy. Right-hand man Luis Videgaray will take on the Finance Ministry, while Pena Nieto’s close political ally Miguel Angel Osorio Chong will oversee a more powerful Interior Ministry that will be responsible for security in the new government. Their jobs will be to push through tax and oil reforms and restore order in a country where more than 60,000 people have been killed in turf wars between drug gangs and clashes between the cartels and security forces under outgoing President Felipe Calderon. Pena Nieto, 46, who will be sworn in for a six-year term as president on Saturday, is hoping to win over skeptics about the return to power of his centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. The party’s reputation was marred by corruption, authoritarianism and frequent allegations of vote-rigging during its 71 years of unbroken rule that ended in 2000. In contrast to Calderon six years ago, Pena Nieto did not present his Cabinet and was not even in attendance as Osorio Chong read the list of appointments. The incoming ministers then left without making statements. Seeking to build consensus across party lines, Pena Nieto also gave jobs to Calderon’s last finance minister Jose Antonio Meade, who switches to the Foreign Ministry, and a former leftist mayor of Mexico City, Rosario Robles, who becomes minister for social development. Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, who had been chairman of the PRI, was named energy minister. Gabriel Casillas, an economist at Mexican bank Banorte, noted the Cabinet had several members educated at prestigious universities in Mexico and the United States, saying it should help enhance the country’s image in the eyes of international investors. “They have a lot of technocrats, but not just technocrats – people with experience in Congress and that’s what we need for reforms,” Casillas said. The ministerial posts do not require ratification by Congress, although the appointment of veteran PRI politician Jesus Murillo as attorney general does. Oil and taxes The PRI has trumpeted its desire to pass legislation aimed at stamping out corruption and creating more transparency, but the main planks to its vision for a stronger economy are plans to expand the tax base and reinvigorate oil monopoly Pemex. Videgaray and Osorio Chong will have to thrash out political deals to boost Mexico’s tax take, which is the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as a proportion of gross domestic product. Supported by incoming Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, 55, the two will aim to break with PRI tradition by allowing more private investment in Pemex, a symbol of Mexican self-sufficiency, which the party created in 1938. Since 2004, output of the oil giant has slumped, calling its future into question. Videgaray, 44, an economist with experience in the private sector, ran the PRI’s presidential election campaign and served as Pena Nieto’s finance minister when he was governor of the state of Mexico from 2005 to 2011. A protege of former Finance Minister Pedro Aspe, Videgaray won the respect of political adversaries during his stint in the state of Mexico and when he chaired the budget committee of the lower house of Congress before Pena Nieto’s election bid. Osorio Chong, 48, was governor at the same time as Pena Nieto in neighboring Hidalgo state, when the two forged a close alliance. Ulises Beltran, a pollster who worked in the past two PRI governments, said Osorio Chong would be the main political operator in the Cabinet, but was unlikely to seek the limelight. “Chong is a very discreet man, very low-profile,” Beltran said. “But he’s efficient and very professional.” Critics say he was sensitive to attacks during his time as governor and often locked horns with the media. In the five-month transition between the July 1 presidential election and the change of office, Videgaray was the public face of the incoming administration, with Osorio Chong working behind the scenes. - Reuters

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