Umno Flags Seen In Sarawak

Umno flags can be seen in some places now, even signboards at business premises.Who is behind this group as UMNO does not recognized this group.this group is labeled as losers by the sarawak bn leaders, but are they really losers or they have no avenue any longer t voice out in PBB.According to source there are 70 Umno branches in Sarawak with the biggest in Kuching. More young Malay professional are joining it.It's moving "underground" as it's illegal.These group together with the other bumis like Iban are fed up with the state leadership, but they at hearts still believe in the BN government but not the state leaders.
My opinion is Umno should enter Sarawak very soon before DAP spreads their wings as they are getting more and more supports especially from the chinese and now to the extend of the iban peoples.If BN does not "wakes up" its future in sarawak won't be good like it's enjoying today.The chinese who always support the BN government today turns their back.Their only grieve is the land premium issue which SUPP(BN) had failed to deal with it and dap is taking full advantage of this.Pkr has not much support in sarawak according to a source.
For Umno to come to Sarawak, its something like cross taib mahmud's dead body.Umno should start moving in slowly and wins the heart of the people here especially the Ibans.Umno should not forget at any time the importance of Iban and their privileges.If Iban supports Umno then taib mahmud can't do much.If Umno comes in sarawak then i guess Daud a n Adun of sarawak will join umno happily but let us see what he says now.

Daud dedah ‘golongan’ cuba bawa UMNO ke Sarawak

MIRI, 28 Mei: Naib Presiden Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman berkata golongan ahli politik yang kecewa dan cuba membawa masuk UMNO dari pintu belakang tidak dialu-alukan di Sarawak.
Beliau berkata PBB sebagai tulang belakang BN Negeri tidak mengenali orang-orang ini yang dipanggil penaja UMNO dan cuba membawa parti Semenanjung itu tanpa persetujuan mereka.
Daud berkata Pengerusi Barisan Nasional Pusat, Datuk Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, Setiausaha Agung UMNO Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad tidak memberikan persetujuan untuk mengembang sayap UMNO ke Sarawak kerana BN Negeri dapat menjaga kepentingan mereka di bawah semangat dan konsep perkongsian kuasa BN.
“Mereka (golongan yang cuba membawa masuk UMNO ke Sarawak) adalah ahli-ahli politik yang kecewa, kami tidak mengenali mereka, siapa mereka dan apakah kepentingan mereka jika UMNO dikembangkan ke sini,” kata Daud kepada Utusan Borneo semasa dihubungi di Kuching hari ini.
Menurut Daud, UMNO di peringkat persekutuan tidak diberi mandat untuk mengembangkan sayap ke Sarawak kerana presiden UMNO dan anggota-anggota kanan UMNO sudah memberi jaminan kepada BN Negeri.
Daud memberitahu, jika UMNO mahu mengembangkan sayap ke negeri ini mereka mesti datang menerusi pintu depan dan bukan pintu belakang dengan para pemimpin politik yang tidak dikenali oleh para pemimpin dan anggota-anggota parti komponen BN.
Daud, yang juga Menteri Muda di Jabatan Ketua Menteri berkata, UMNO di peringkat persekutuan tidak akan membelakangi parti-parti komponen BN Sarawak yang merangkumi PBB, SUPP, SPDP dan PRS.
Beliau juga ditanya mengenai bendera-bendera UMNO yang kelihatan dikibarkan di beberapa buah kampung di Miri sejak beberapa hari lalu.
Naib presiden PBB itu menegaskan bahawa mereka yang dipanggil penaja UMNO cuba memburukkan nama dan memperlekehkan kerajaan BN Sarawak dan parti tulang belakang, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), di bawah kepimpinan Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Beliau berkata, orang-orang ini tidak memahami keperluan senario politik dan keadilan pengagihan pembangunan bagi semua kaum di sini memandangkan rakyat di Sarawak merangkumi 27 suku kaum.
Daud berkata, di Sarawak kekuatan parti komponen BN bergantung kepada PBB, sebuah parti majmuk yang berjuang untuk kepentingan semua kaum kerana tidak ada kaum tertentu yang menjadi majoriti di sini.
Beliau berkata kerajaan satu kaum sahaja yang memerintah di negeri Sarawak bukanlah trend yang sihat, tetapi PBB menerima semua kaum tidak kira Islam mahupun bukan Islam untuk menjadi rakan-rakan dalam konsep perkongsian kuasa BN.
“Mereka tidak faham, bukan mudah untuk mentadbir dan melindungi kaum-kaum di Sarawak, dan rakyat tidak akan memandang enteng usaha untuk mencemari kerajaan yang cuba memberi pengagihan pembangunan secara adil,” kata Daud.
Daud menjelas lanjut, Ketua Menteri Pehin Sri Taib yang juga ketua BN Negeri selaku presiden PBB sudah membawa pembangunan yang pesat kepada negeri dan mengagihkan pembangunan secara adil kepada semua kaum seperti apa yang dinikmati sekarang.
Beliau berkata, Ketua Menteri mesti adil kepada semua kaum daripada pelbagai agama dan kaum selain melindungi konsep BN dalam memerintah dan membangunkan Sarawak.
“Kita dalam PBB mengamalkan politik cara Sarawak, setiap kaum mesti bertolak ansur, dan ini adalah penting untuk menegakkan konsep parti,” kata Daud sambil menegaskan bahawa tidak ada parti lain di negeri ini yang dapat memperjuangkan konsep perkongsian kuasa.
Beliau berkata politik di Sarawak adalah berbeza daripada politik di Semenanjung Malaysia atau Sabah kerana tidak ada kaum tertentu yang menjadi majoriti di sini.
Daud berkata perbezaan politik di Semenanjung Malaysia dan Sabah ialah UMNO dapat memerintah di sana kerana majoriti rakyat di sana beragama Islam tetapi bukan di Sarawak yang memerlukan konsep perkongsian kuasa untuk membentuk kerajaan BN.
Beliau menegas lanjut, jika UMNO dibawa masuk menerusi pintu belakang, rakyat di sini tidak Akan mengalu-alukan pergerakan mereka di dalam negeri.

Umno Supreme Council Likely To Discuss Impact Of Pay Hike

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- The Umno Supreme Council meeting tomorrow may discuss the effects of the salary increase for civil servants announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on May 21.
To be chaired by Abdullah who is Umno president, the meeting is expected to consider ways to ensure the pay hike would not lead to exorbitant price increases.
"Umno fights for the well-being of the people. Surely the party wouldn't want unscrupulous parties to exploit the situation to gain profit," an Umno source said today.
Beginning July 1, government servants will get a pay increase of between 7.5 per cent and 35 per cent while military and police personnel will enjoy an additional 20 per cent of the increase.
The source said that other issues expected to be raised at the meeting would include the outcome of Abdullah's recent visit to Japan and matters pertaining to the Umno branch and divisional meetings.
Umno branch meetings are to be conducted from May 1 to June 10 while the divisional meetings are from July 1 to Aug 12. The Umno general assembly is scheduled for Nov 6 to 10.

tunku : the middle income group are suffering these days , not to mention the lower income group.do something and please make the economy at its best in reality, not only on papers.people angers are every where, goods price increase, land premiums , etc.we hope the government will find solution and act fast rather than talks and talks and talks.

Pas party polls

Dr Hasan Ali, one of the three PAS vice-presidents, has opted not to defend his post in the party election slated for Friday in Kelantan after declining the nominations he received.
His withdrawal, confirmed by secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaffar to malaysiakini today, means there will be five contenders for the three vice-presidential posts.
They are the two incumbents Husam Musa and Mohamad Sabu, information chief Ahmad Awang, PAS Johor commissioner Dr Mahfodz Mohamad and ex-Youth chief Mahfuz Omar.
“The number of nominations received by the candidates cannot be ascertained as yet because we are still doing the final round of checking and confirmation,” Kamaruddin said.
The candidates’ list was initially scheduled to be announced today after a meeting of the central working committee - the party’s highest decision-making body - in Kota Bahru this morning.
“Now we have up till midnight tonight to let the candidates decline nomination or for us to be informed on any nomination that has yet to recorded. We will officially announce the final list tomorrow,” Kamaruddin explained.
Hasan, who is also PAS Selangor commissioner and a motivational speaker, could not be reached for immediate comment as he did not return calls or respond to voice messages.
It is also understood that Hasan was missing from the CWC meeting.
Party insiders believed his pullout is linked to the low number of nominations he has received.
“He has not performed since the last party election two years ago and the majority of the divisions in Selangor - his base - did not nominate him,” said an insider, who requested anonymity.
Of the five contenders, the chances look good for incumbents Husam - a prime mover in Kelantan government policies - and Mohamad, a former Kuala Kedah MP who known for his fiery and witty oratory skills. The duo are said to have topped the nomination list.
Tussle anticipated
The nominations for the vice-presidency also proved what is widely seen as a tussle between the conservative ulama (religious scholars) led by deputy president hopeful Harun Taib and the Young Turks led by Nasharuddin Mat Isa.
Ahmad and Mahfodz are both from the ulama faction while the other three belong to the more progressive group of Young Turks who swept into power two years ago.
Ahmad, a close associate to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, was an one-time head of the Malaysian Ulamak Association while Mahfodz had led an angry protest last year against the Article 11 forum in Johor to discuss religious freedom in Malaysia.
Observers widely believed that the Young Turks, who may face harsh criticism of their leadership during the muktamar (annual meeting), will retain power given the possibility of a snap general election.
“The challenge from the ulama is a signal that ‘we are watching you’,” said a party worker.
The winds of change in PAS in the 2005 party polls followed its dismal performance in the 2004 general election. PAS lost Terengganu and was on the brink of losing Kelantan which it has ruled since 1990.
Since then, the party has gone on a rebranding exercise including new leadership, playing down its intention to set up an Islamic state and organising numerous programmes to reach out to youths and non-Muslims.
Dewan Muslimat
The PAS secretary-general also confirmed it will be a straight fight between Harun and Nasharuddin - a former academician - for the deputy president’s post.
Harun, who heads the influential Dewan Ulama, has decided not to defend his post, therefore paving the way for a straight fight between Kelantan Dewan Ulama chief Mohamad Daud and Dr Mohamad Daud, an ex-lecturer.
Both Mohamad Dauds' are from Kelantan, also sitting on the party's highest body Majlis Syura Ulama (Religious Consultative Council). The first Mohamad Daud is also the Demit state representative.
Kamaruddin said president Abdul Hadi Awang (photo) and PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub have won their posts uncontested.
The deputy PAS Youth chief’s post was won uncontested by newcomer, Pahang PAS Youth chief Nasaruddin Tantawi, after incumbent Idris Ahmad chose not to defend the post.
However, there will be a three-cornered fight for the Youth vice-presidency between current secretary Ahmad Sabky Yusof, Kelantan PAS Youth chief Mohd Zaki Ibrahim and Terengganu PAS Youth chief Azman Shaprawi Abdul Rani.
In the women’s wing or Dewan Muslimat, chief Azizah Mat Khatib will be challenged by Federal Territory Muslimat chief Nuridah Salleh, who has actively involved in the anti-Internal Security Act campaign.
The No 2 post will see Selangor Muslimat chief Wan Hasrina Wan Hassan make her second attempt to take on incumbent Dr Lo’ Lo’ Ghazali.
The Muslimat vice-president’s post was won by senator Siti Zailah Mohd Yusof unopposed.
The three-day muktamar will kick off on Friday with some 1,000 delegate casting their votes in the afternoon. The results are expected to be announced on Sunday.

tunku : pas will never change as long as hadi is the president.they even put a joker who is candidate for vice president and an incumbent mat sabu. for what i see pas will take another 30 years to be capable of ruling malaysia, definitely not now.hassan ali is out from the race as he has no charm in pas anymore as he had failed and serve him right.

Malacca Strait : Who's to pay for smooth sailing?

By Vijay Sakhuja
The Strait of Malacca was the center of tension in 2004 between the waterway's littoral states and US Admiral Thomas Fargo, commander in chief of US Pacific Command, who announced that under the Regional Maritime Security Initiative, the US was planning to deploy marines and special forces in and around the strait to combat terrorism, proliferation, piracy, gun-running, narcotics-smuggling and human-trafficking.
The following year, Lloyd's Market Association's Joint War Committee (JWC) declared the Strait of Malacca, along with several maritime areas in West Asia and Africa, as highly prone to piracy, war, strikes, terrorism and related perils. It was feared that al-Qaeda could exploit piracy in the Strait of Malacca to attack ships, and the JWC declaration resulted in the imposition of higher insurance premiums for ships transiting through the strait.

At the time, Malaysia and Indonesia were averse to the US initiative, positing that such a deployment raised serious sovereignty concerns. The littoral countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand - responded through the so-called "Eyes in the Sky" initiative, and the International Maritime Bureau acknowledged that the sea and air patrols undertaken by the littoral states had proved effective and incidents of piracy had reduced drastically.
Today, however, there is a shift in the way the strait is viewed by the international maritime community. Significantly, as a result of considerable improvement in security, issues of safety of navigation in the strait have taken priority and begun to dominate discussions.

In the coming years, traffic density is projected to increase from 94,000 ships in 2004 to 141,000 in 2020. Given this projected phenomenal increase in traffic, the quality of navigational aids in the strait will have to be enhanced for a smooth flow of traffic and to prevent accidents. Under Article 43 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is the responsibility of the littoral states to maintain navigational aids in the strait, as it is to prevent pollution.
The littoral states have held several Track I and II interactions on improving the safety of navigation in the strait, including an August 2005 ministerial-level tripartite meeting of the Strait of Malacca littorals and International Maritime Organization (IMO)-sponsored discussions in Jakarta in 2005 and in Kuala Lumpur in 2006.
The recently concluded Symposium on the Enhancement of Safety of Navigation and the Environmental Protection of the Straits of Malacca called for sharing the cost of maintenance of navigational aids and preventing environmental hazards that could severely impact on the livelihood of coastal communities - including the fishing and tourism industries. The littoral states have vehemently argued that with a manifold increase in traffic, the costs of maintenance are expected to be as high as US$300 million in the next decade, and they should not bear this burden on their own.
Japan has long contributed financially to the upkeep and maintenance of the strait, and in recent years India, South Korea and the United States have also pledged assistance. China has offered to restore and repair navigational aids damaged during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Over and above these voluntary offers, the Nippon Foundation of Japan has suggested that all ships transiting the strait contribute a voluntary fee of 1 US cent per deadweight ton of cargo. This contribution could generate $40 million a year and would help support and upgrade navigational aids in the strait. Another approach suggested is for shipping companies to make contributions based on the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Footing the bill
The "all users pay" suggestion has been gathering momentum, but has received a mixed response from the shipping community. The International Chamber of Shipping, the Association of Independent Tanker Owners, and the Baltic and International Maritime Council have agreed to discuss the issue of voluntary contributions.
The Singapore Shipping Association, a group consisting of 300 members, has urged the Asian shipping industry to participate in discussions but has noted that ships visiting ports in the littoral states pay so-called "port and light" dues, and this money should be used for the maintenance and upkeep of the navigational aids in the strait.
It is of interest that most of the shipping traffic transiting the strait is classified as "long-haul through traffic" - that is, most vessels do not call at any ports of the littoral states and thus do not pay any port charges. It is also evident that there are several stakeholders involved in the safety of navigation in the strait: littoral countries, user states, shipping companies, insurance agents and, above all, the IMO, the top maritime body under the UN.
The littoral countries are desperate to seek support from other stakeholders, but user states and their companies are not forthcoming and argue that the responsibility should lie solely with the littorals. There are also fears that the "all users pay" demand could set a new precedent, and would naturally tempt other littoral countries that straddle narrow sea passages and choke points through which global shipping transits to impose similar charges.
These overriding issues notwithstanding, the ongoing discussions at both the Track I and II levels have raised the issue of safety of navigation in the Strait of Malacca as a top priority. The proposal by littoral states of burden-sharing will clearly not be smooth sailing, but could yet yield results. The IMO could become a central repository of an international fund with contributions made by flag states to extend disbursements to needy countries.

This approach is bound to be very slow, time-consuming and peppered with politics and bureaucratic hassle. For their part, the flag states could raise such funds from registered shipping companies whose vessels are engaged in international shipping. Since this burden is not likely to be very large, the shipping industry could pass it to suppliers and end users.
But all stakeholders must appreciate that a safe and secure environment in the Strait of Malacca cannot be achieved by the efforts of littoral countries alone, but instead requires mutual understanding and cooperation from all parties. For that, it is necessary to start by sharing common values on the benefits of burden-sharing, to be provided for and enjoyed by the entire maritime community.

Best of both worlds for Saifuddin

Newly-minted PKR strategic director Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has said there is no conflict of interest because of his new position and membership in another opposition party, PAS.
Saifuddin told malaysiakini that the offer of the newly-created post was made to him by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur a week before the PKR congress, held last weekend.
“My consideration in taking up the offer is beyond partisanship and personality (Anwar). It is in the interest of the whole struggle,” the ex-Lunas state assemblyperson said when contacted today.
“He (Anwar) needs someone who can help not only PKR as a party but BA (Barisan Alternatif) as a whole since the general election is around the corner, so this (offer) is done in the context of BA.”
Saifuddin, 42, who won the bitterly-fought Lunas by-election in 2000 after defeating a MIC candidate, had held the post of Keadilan vice-president before the party merged with PRM in 2003 to become PKR.
Although seen as a popular figure in the party, his profile has dropped since the 2004 general election. He opted not to defend his vice-presidency in the inaugural PKR poll the same year after differences arose with certain leaders.
Since then, he has moved his base to Kota Bahru and works for the PAS-led Kelantan government under a training and community project.
He was in the media limelight again when he campaigned actively for PKR during the Ijok by-election last month, but he went public recently with the news that he had joined PAS’ Pokok Sena division in Kedah early this year.
“But I have yet to receive a PAS membership certificate,” he said when quizzed on the status of his membership.
“We shouldn’t look at it from this angle - when I first joined the (Kelantan) state government two years ago, I was still a PKR member and the menteri besar’s office had no problem with it. This is the dynamic that we have.”
It is said that Saifuddin’s appointment to the prominent position in PKR has ruffled feathers among some PAS leaders. Nevertheless, communication and consensus was said to have reached between the two party top leaders over his new role.
Malaysiakini also understand that Saifuddin was initially offered the PKR secretary-general’s post.
Asked about this, the staunch reformasi activist responded: “I felt honoured when it was first mention to me but I think it should be left to others who are within the rank and file. I prefer the current role and I am more comfortable with it.”
Countering Azmin’s influence?
Saifuddin’s comeback in PKR, which has been described as a “pleasant surprise” by some, was announced by Anwar last Sunday at the end of the party congress. It was greeted with cheers and applause by the delegates.
With his new position, he will also sit in the influential political bureau to be chaired by Anwar and which comprises top leaders.
PKR insiders widely see Saifuddin’s appointment as an effort to counter the strong influence of vice-president Azmin Ali and to pacify the unhappiness among supporters of ex-Youth chief Ezam Mohd Nor.
The two former long-time aides of Anwar had fallen out in the run-up to the party elections and Ezam subsequently relinquished all posts in February.
Saifuddin disagreed that his appointment was to please Ezam’s followers in the party.
“I don’t think so. There was discussion about Ezam’s role and Anwar made it clear I should maintain communication with Ezam. He (Anwar) welcomes Ezam if he changes his mind but I am not replacing Ezam in the party.”
He was also optimistic that his position would not elicit unhappiness among other party leaders.
A Youth leader known to be aligned to Azmin said: “This is an attempt to balance the influence from Azmin but I think it is a right decision by the party because it will gather every faction together to face the next general election.”
Election strategy
Asked about his immediate tasks, Saifuddin said it will include working towards a formidable opposition electoral pact in facing the next general election. This will cover seat negotiations, preparation of an election manifesto and a functional election machinery.
Asked whether this would overlap the roles of the election bureau currently chaired by Azmin, Saifuddin said they would complement one another.
“I have been made understand that I will focus more on the strategy while (the election bureau) will focus on preparing the list of parliamentary and state seats (to contest), analysing the party’s strength and weakness, and identifying the candidates,” he said.
“My role will be more macro and the bureau will focus on micro aspects.”
As for his personal plans to contest the general election, Saifuddin said: “I leave it to the party, (PAS or PKR) I’ll keep my options open, (so long as it does not mean) contesting on a Barisan Nasional ticket.”

tunku : best of both world, that means two world, it's just like anwar two worlds or in other term "bi".his party is full of craps.saifuddin said he'll keep his option open as long as he is not contesting on a BN ticket. well saifuddin,BN will never take you as their contester, what make you think that they'll make you one?

Indian not wanted in PKR

Yes he did, no he didn’t...

The question of whether or not S Nallakaruppan brought 10,000 members into Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) remains unresolved, as bickering continues in the wake of his abrupt resignation from the party last Friday.
Ex-Klang division head P Krishnasamy, among a clutch of grassroots leaders who quit with him, claimed to be holding copies of “thousands of membership forms” to prove that Nallakaruppan (photo) did indeed expand the party base.
Krishnasamy claimed that he still has 2,000 to 3,000 of the forms with him, but that the rest had been submitted to party headquarters for approval.
He said he gave the forms to Faisal Mustaffa, who assists secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Abbas.
“The party is supposed to key the names into the system. (But) I’ve noticed that many pro-tem members were not given positions because their membership has not been approved. And now they claim that Nallakarupan never brought in 10,000 members,” he said.
He was responding to former Youth deputy chief S Manikavasagam who asked what had happened to the membership forms and the members, if Nallakaruppan’s claim was true.
“I asked him (Nalla) once about the 10,000 members and he told me to ask Krishnasamy. They are cheating,” Manikavasagam said.
“Only 130 Indian representatives attended the party congress (last weekend). Where were the members during the Ijok by-election (on April 28)?”
‘Forms were returned’
When contacted, Faisal said he had received the membership forms but had returned these to Krishnasamy for further action.
“I did receive the forms. There were hundreds of forms, but I returned them to him because they were in bundles and had yet to go through the divisions,” he said.
Explaining the procedure, Faisal said the application forms must be endorsed by the division secretaries where the members are registered before the forms are submitted to the supreme council for approval.
However, Krishnasamy denied that Faisal had returned any forms to him.
“I regularly asked him about the membership forms and he would give the excuse that everyone was busy preparing for the congress. I believe nothing was done because they didn’t want Indians to attend,” he alleged.
Krishnasamy said Nallakarupan had spoken to then party adviser (now de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim about the forms and was told to submit these directly to headquarters.
“When I spoke to Tian Chua, he told me to pass the forms to Faisal,” he said.
Krishnasamy also demanded to know why only Nallakarupan was being attacked for not taking members to Ijok for the by-election, when “even some of the supreme council members” were not there.
Nallakaruppan, 61, a close friend of Anwar, resigned on grounds that Indian members were being sidelined in the self-professed multi-racial party. He himself had been “backstabbed” twice since April in his quest for a higher profile.

tunku : i guess nalla should bring all the 10000 indians and join any other party, maybe it will be best for nalla to join IPF as its president has no longer has the zest to continue.indian is a minority group, so logically in order to be heard and survive it's best for them to join the government not the opposition.

New Bridge And Other Linkages To Come Naturally, Says Najib

SINGAPORE, May 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Singapore can decide "at any point of time in the future" on the type of linkages that are needed to facilitate easier movement of people, goods and services between both countries, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.
The construction of the new facility would come naturally as the movement of people and goods increased, the deputy prime minister told a news conference after holding a series of meetings with fund managers based here today.
Najib said that during the meeting, the fund managers had raised the issues of "debottling the obstacles" to a freer movement of people and goods between both countries.
"But it does not necessitate the construction of a new bridge. We can do so with the current (Johor) causeway and the Second Link," he said.
"But in the future, we can let this to happen in a natural manner...because if you have a greater flow of people, goods and services and there is increase in demand, then the two countries can decide at any point in time to construct a bridge or whatever linkages that we need to build," he said.
He said that both countries might look at mass rapid transit linkages as well as other facilities to transport goods in the future.
"So, all these things will come naturally as more and more investment and more and more people flow in and out of Johor's Iskandar Development Region," he added.
Malaysia had previously suggested to Singapore that the 82-year-old Johor Causeway be replaced with a new bridge but scrapped the idea last year.

tunku : najib statement sound diplomatic statement and also a losing side statement. why wait in the future when you can build now and you will build it at half the cost if you build it in the future.

Ong And Chan Relinquish Posts As S'gor And Pahang MCA Chiefs

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 (Bernama) -- The MCA top leadership today made surprise changes involving five state liaison committee chairmen, including MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting who relinquished his post as Selangor MCA chief.
His deputy, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy also relinquished his post as Pahang state chairman.
However, Ong maintained the post of Negeri Sembilan chairman and Chan the Penang chairman, Ong told reporters after chairing the MCA Central Committee (CC) meeting here today which endorsed the changes.
He said Selangor MCA secretary and State Executive Councillor (Exco) Datuk Ch'ng Toh Eng had been appointed to replace Ong as the Selangor MCA chairman, while Pahang MCA secretary and State Exco Datuk Hoh Khai Mun was appointed as the new Pahang chairman.
"Hoh and Ch'ng were appointed in order for them to take more important tasks at the state level as they are already State Exco members. Moreover, they have good relationships with state leaders," he said.
Meanwhile, MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn was appointed as the new Malacca MCA chief, filling up the vacancy following the death of Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam.
Following the new appointment, Fong relinquished his post as Kelantan MCA chairman which was taken over by MCA treasurer-general Tan Sri Lau Yin Pin.
Lau's position as Terengganu state chairman was taken over by Senator Datuk Wong Foon Meng.
The other MCA leaders maintained their respective state chairmanships.
They are vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (Johor), secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan (Perak), Datuk Tan Chai Hoo (Federal Territory), Datuk Oui Ah Lan (Perlis), Datuk Beh Heng Siong (Kedah) and Datuk Edward Khoo (Sabah).
Asked why the latest appointments departed from the normal practice of appointing either the party president, deputy president, vice-presidents or secretary-general as state chairman, Ong said "It depends on the suitability and timing."
He said as a state chairman, he had to do a lot of running around and this had taken up most of his time, and "by doing this rationalisation, it will help us to focus on our government positions."
Apart from Ong, who is the Housing and Local Government Minister, other MCA leaders holding government posts are Chan, who is Transport Minister, Fong the Human Resource Minister and Dr Chua the Health Minister.
The CC meeting today also appointed the Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka, Wong Nai Chee as its new member, taking over the vacant position left by Poh, who died of cancer in March.

tunku : what surprise changes as both of them still the mca chairman for penang and negeri sembilan.it is best that both the president and his depuy relinquished all their state chairmanship and concentrate on federal level.follow umno, the president and deputy is not holding the chairmanship of the state.

A lovely couple-After 50 years of marriage

It quite impossible nowadays to have 50th wedding anniversary, and here you look at this couple, Tun Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Siti Hasmah.They are full of joy even after 50 years. May Allah bless this couple always.

again thanks to jinggo for the lovely photos.

Tun Mahathir received courtesy call by Kuwaiti Prime Minister

courtesy of jinggo http://minaq-jinggo.fotopages.com/

Kunjungan PM kuwait ke atas Dr M

Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad hari ini menerima kunjungan Perdana Menteri Kuwait Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, di kediaman peribadi beliau di Seri Kembangan.
Kunjungan selama satu jam tersebut turut disertai enam orang anggota delegasi Kuwait terdiri daripada pegawai-pegawai tinggi pejabat Perdana Menteri Kuwait, serta pejabat
Emir Kuwait dan juga Duta Kuwait ke Malaysia.

Menurut pegawai pengiring kunjungan Sheikh Nasser ke atas Dr Mahathir adalah untuk bertanyakan keadaan kesihatan Dr Mahathir dan untuk menyampaikan salam hormat Emir Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Menurut pegawai tersebut, Emir Kuwait juga turut mendoakan kesejahteraan kesihatan Dr Mahathir dan berharap agar Dr Mahathir segera sembuh.
Dr Mahathir, pada 15hb Mei telah dimasukkan ke hospital selepas mengalami sesak nafas semasa lawatan ke Langkawi. Beliau kemudiannya dipindahkan ke Institut Jantung Negara untuk rawatan lanjut. Di IJN juga doktor pakar telah mengesahkan bahawa Dr Mahathir telah mengalami serangan jantung (myocardial infarction) serta infaksi paru-paru.

Beliau dibenar pulang ke rumah pada 24hb Mei lalu.
Sementara itu Sheikh Nasser juga telah menyampaikan jemputan kepada Dr Mahathir untuk melawat negara teluk itu.
Beliau juga turut mengambil kesempatan berbincang bersama Dr Mahathir beberapa isu berkenaan hubungan dua hala Malaysia-Kuwait, perkembangan ekonomi Kuwait serta pembangunan ibukota pentadbiran Kerajaan Pusat Putrajaya, yang merupakan ilham Dr

Mahathir semasa beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri.
Sheikh Nasser dan delegasi Kuwait berada di Malaysia untuk menyertai Forum Ekonomi Islam Dunia (WIEF) di Pusat Perdagangan Dunia Putra, Kuala Lumpur.

thanks to jinggo

Listen To The People, Civil Servants Told

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 (Bernama) -- Civil servants must listen to the people's views on their service and serve with integrity, said the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan.
He said they should strive for continuous improvement and not be satisfied with the current level of performance though considered good.
"My hope is that all civil servants will give their best," he said in an interview on the "Isu Semasa Khas" live talk show on the RTM1 television channel here Monday night.
The 45-minute show moderated by Datuk Johan Jaafar touched on various issues concerning the civil service following the recent announcement of a pay hike for public sector employees.
Mohd Sidek told civil servants to constantly remind themselves that their responsibilities were also their duty to God.
"Every month we are paid a salary for our service ...as such we should do our jobs efficiently and with integrity," he said.
He also said that the changing environment required civil servants to be technology-savvy to enhance the delivery system.
He said that he himself was using the Internet and providing his e-mail address to enable the public to provide suggestions or make complaints to him.
On the effectiveness of the service delivery, he said the people could evaluate this for themselves by looking at the country's development over the last 50 years, which in a large part was due to the public sector's contributions.
He said the Malaysian public sector's clients did not only comprise the country's 27 million population but also the people of other countries including investors.

tunku : if i'm to rate our civil service performance between A to E, i'll give C.there is so much to improve especially the one dealing directly with public.some of the goverment staff thinks that the are superior than anyone else.i hope by the increase in their salary recently, they will work harder, give public the best service and stop taking tea break. just imagine you go to goverment office at 9-10.30am, staff having tea break, sometimes this person missing, sometimes that person missing, same goes at 3pm-4pm, again same thing.so this means that they only work for 4-5hours maximum in a day,the JPA should really look into this matter.

Tun Mahathir doing very well

Dr M to rest, schedule cleared

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad will rest for the next few days and will not attend public functions until after next week, according to his personal aide Sufi Yusof.
Mahathir was discharged last Thursday from the National Heart Institute after recovering from a heart attack.
Other than receiving a possible courtesy call by Kuwaiti prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmed al-Sabah tomorrow, Mahathir is not expected to see anyone else.
“His scheduled is cleared for the next few days. There’s nothing major scheduled,” said Sufi.
He said the former premier still occasionally comes to the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.
“Today he was in the office. He still comes in once in a while,” said Sufi.

When contacted today, Mokhzani Mahathir said his father was “okay” and confirmed that he is unlikely to be in the public eye any time soon.
Prior to the attack, Mahathir was scheduled to speak at the Nikkei Conference in Tokyo, held for a week from last Monday. He was also to receive an honorary doctorate from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, where he serves as adviser.
The attack, the second in seven months, was initially attributed by family members to exhaustion. Doctors said breathing problems were caused by lung congestion associated with a heart attack.
Released after chest physiotherapy and light exercises, doctors said Mahathir was not in any danger.

tunku : hope tun really takes care of his health more than anything else, we still need him around.

Malaysia oil pipeline project moves toward reality

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's ambitious plan to build a $7 billion trans-national oil pipeline to ship Middle East crude to big Asian importers moved a step closer to reality on Monday after several regional firms signed on as partners.
The 310 km (193-mile) pipeline aims to cut time and costs by bypassing the crowded Malacca Strait, but observers have been skeptical as similar ventures for a Southeast Asian shipping short-cut over the past few decades have failed to materialize.
Compounding these doubts is the fact that the pipeline project is being developed by a small, loss-making company owned by two little-known Malaysian businessmen.
But Trans-Peninsula Petroleum Sdn Bhd sought to dispel these doubts on Monday, signing a master alliance with Malaysian engineer Ranhill Bhd. and Indonesia's PT Tripatra, a unit of integrated energy group PT Indika Inti Energi.
At a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, it also signed up Saudi Arabia's Al-Banader International Group and Indonesian steel pipe maker conglomerate PT Bakrie & Brothers Tbk
"We wouldn't be here today, we wouldn't have the support of the Saudi partners, if this project was not feasible or this project cannot be financed," Trans-Peninsula Petroleum Chairman Rahim Kamil Sulaiman told reporters after the signing.
He said the project aimed to divert about a third of the Middle Eastern crude that currently sailed through the Malacca Strait and around Singapore into the South China Sea.
"We are not going to displace the 12 million barrels of oil that pass the Straits of Malacca. We are going only for about 30 percent of the volume that goes through the Strait of Malacca, to ease the congestion in the strait," Rahim said.
Trans-Peninsula Petroleum planned to build the pipeline over eight years from 2008. The first phase, costing $2.3 billion, could transport 2 million barrels of oil per day (bpd). After the final, third phase, capacity would reach 6 million bpd.
Ranhill would undertake the main construction work while Bakrie, controlled by the family of Indonesian chief social welfare minister Aburizal Bakrie, would supply steel pipes.
Bakrie shares were up 7 percent after the news. Ranhill shares were suspended from trade.
Al-Banader would help secure oil supplies from the Middle East and inject capital. Tripatra would manage the project.
The pipeline would stretch from the west coast town of Yan, which the government has designated a petroleum development zone, to the small fishing port of Bachok in the east.
Despite government backing, some analysts have questioned the rationale for the pipeline, saying it remains cheaper to sail around Singapore than to unload a super-tanker at Yan, pump the crude to Bachok and put it on another tanker.
A similar project in Thailand was scrapped two years ago due to rising steel costs, safety issues after the tsunami and environmental concerns.

Don’t set pre-condition, DAP tells PKR

The PKR-DAP seat talks that were to have kicked off this week appear to have foundered even before their representatives can meet.
This came about after the DAP told opposition ally PKR not to set any pre-conditions for the negotiations in their electoral pact - and even denied that any agreement had been made with the latter to start the talks this week.
“Don’t talk about pre-conditions when we haven’t even started talking,” DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng told malaysiakini today, in reference to PKR’s request to seek a revision of the seat-distribution formula.
“There must be sincerity (in the talks), otherwise there won’t be an ideal outcome. I don’t want to engage in this media game, let us (both parties) meet in private. This is the game they (PKR) want to play but I am not interested.”

PKR vice-president and election bureau head Azmin Ali had revealed yesterday that the party is eyeing a contest in 60 parliamentary and 120 state seats in the next general election. The majority of the seats are expected to be in Penang, Selangor and Sabah.
Azmin also said the party hoped to revise the seat-distribution formula which has been used in the past. He said PKR wanted to contest more Malay- and Chinese-majority seats, which are traditionally contested by PAS and DAP respectively.
Agreeing, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim had stressed that the previous formula should not be made a “definite rule” during the seat negotiation.
‘Anwar told us differently’
Lim, however, claimed this was “different” from what Anwar had told DAP in the past.
“Anwar told DAP leaders several times that the Chinese-majority seats will be contested by the DAP. He said it not only to me, but to DAP leaders - for example, at the luncheon address (at the DAP retreat recently) and again, openly during the Machap by-election campaign,” said Lim.
On the same note, Lim said he was surprised at Azmin’s statement that the PKR-DAP seat talks were scheduled to start this week.
“That is news to me, so far I have not heard anything, nothing so far. If there is communication (with the DAP), it would have come from Anwar. I don’t think Azmin has ever communicated with any of the DAP leaders because they would have informed me,” he said.

tunku : dap actually don't really knows who anwar is, he had never ask people to do something himself, he always like to use other people so he will always look clean. remember how he used zahid hamidi during his time in umno? anyway the opposition pact is a very loose pact, everyone sharing the same bed but different dreams.this coalition will never work.the had tried since 1990(4 GE)

Keadilan disappointment

SEREMBAN (May 28, 2007): Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (Keadilan) biennial congress this year turned out to be a huge disappointment for many -- for its adviser, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had hoped to be elected president, and for the delegates, who had wanted the party to show that it is prepared for the next general election.
The focus of the three-day congress, which began on Friday, was clearly on Anwar, who is very much in control of the party set up in 1999 after he was removed as deputy prime minister.
On Saturday, when everyone expected Anwar to officially take over the helm from his wife, Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, he dropped a bombshell that he would withdraw from the three-cornered race against Wan Azizah and former deputy president Abdul Rahman Othman, better known as ARO.
On the sidelines earlier, Anwar had told reporters he would not be cowed by the registrar of societies (ROS) into withdrawing from the contest. Under the Societies Act, Anwar is barred from active politics for five years until April next year because of his conviction for corruption. The registrar rejected his application for an exemption on Friday.
After a break, an hour following his announcement, when some 1,500 delegates were ready to cast their ballots, Anwar asked to explain his position to the party.
"I am ready to face any risks (by accepting the presidency) despite there being a threat (from the registrar) that I will be jailed for three years or fined RM10,000 should I defy the decision by the ROS," he said to a round of 'reformasi' from the delegates.
No one expected what followed. "But now there is a problem. There is an implication and threat to the party. At the individual level, I am really to sacrifice, but for the party, I have to think (about my decision) carefully," Anwar said.
"I urge you all to support Wan Azizah. Choose her if you support my leadership. This was the most difficult decision in my life."
Throughout his speech, not once did he use the word "withdrawal".
Anwar's decision was said to have been made at the supreme council meeting at midnight before the election.
"Wan Azizah told the supreme council members she did not want her husband to take the risk of being put in jail again," one party insider said.
But not all were pleased with Anwar's decision, including information chief Tian Chua, who was absent from the meeting to attend a funeral in Malacca.
Visibly upset, Chua was overheard asking Anwar "How can you do this?" after the announcement was made.
While Anwar listened to his supporters debate whether he should defy the ROS, delegates who were dismayed at his decision walked out.
"Wayang! Wayang! Siapa nak tengok wayang boleh masuk sekarang. Free! (Show! Show! Whoever wants to watch the show can enter now! Free!)," one delegate declared before walking out of the hall with about five others.
A last-minute withdrawal by ARO from the presidency contest also raised eyebrows. Just three days earlier, he had challenged Anwar's legitimacy to contest because of the latter's conviction.
"The general election is very near now. I could see that the delegates supported Anwar's decision to withdraw and Wan Azizah as president, so I responded accordingly," he said when met after announcing his decision.
In her winding up speech yesterday, Wan Azizah tried to ease the tension. "I was a reluctant and novice politician, and I had to get advice from Anwar. But I have been party president for eight years now. Cacing sudah jadi naga (the worm has become a dragon)," she said to laughter from the hall.
At a press conference later, Anwar was asked why he had insisted on contesting the presidency despite knowing the ROS would likely turn him down.
"I thought the ROS would grant me permission," he said.
Asked how he was going to consolidate the party with the unhappiness over his decision to withdraw, Anwar said: "I can't risk the position of my party. There are many unscrupulous people waiting to tarnish the image of the party."
Those who had waited to see how the party would move forward to prepare for the next general election were also disappointed.
"The quality of debate for policies was poor and there was no intensive discussion on the strategy for the next general election. (The delegates) were not interested in the debate but in the party elections and positions as well as in whether Anwar is to be president," a political observer said.
There are doubts about the party's ability to face the formidable Barisan Nasional machinery in the next general election.
Events at the congress were disrupted and delayed daily as a result of poor coordination. The youth wing election on Friday was delayed several hours due to an allegedly missing voter list.
"I am not confident that they will be very organised in the next general election. They weren't even organised in their own congress," a political analyst said.

tunku : with anwar around,it's always "wayang".from the days in umno till now he always do "wayang". this man is a devil in disguise. pkr member should leave the party as they can't afford to have a leader is always like to do "wayang". anwar only good at giving speech, that's all,but never walk the talk.

Announcement for AMO contact lens users

Company recalls contact lens solution

PETALING JAYA: Contact lens wearers who use Advanced Medical Optics' (AMO) Complete MoisturePlus solution should stop using it immediately.
AMO said it was voluntarily recalling the product from the market, although it emphasised that there was no evidence that the move was related to a product contamination issue.
"This does not impact any of AMO's other contact lens care products, including our family of hydrogen peroxide disinfecting solutions," the company said in a press release.
The recall was made based on information from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about eye infections from Acanthamoeba, a naturally occurring water-borne organism, which can contribute to serious corneal infections.
The CDC had interviewed 46 patients who had developed Acanthamoeba keratitis since January 2005 and 39 of these patients were soft contact lens wearers and 21 reported using Complete MoisturePlus products.
Acanthamoeba keratitis can produce corneal ulceration and cause severe loss of vision and even blindness. Persistent redness and pain in the eye are among the signs and symptoms.
The CDC also estimated a risk of at least seven times greater for those who used the solution against those who did not.
“Any consumer who is concerned about an eye condition should contact their eye care practitioner in the first instance,” the company said.
For more information, the public can call the consumer information hotline at 03-7710 6311 from Monday through Friday (9am to 6pm) or log on to www.amo-eyecare-sea. com.

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia

BUKIT HIJAU,KEDAH
Located about 112km south-east of Alor Setar, deep in the forest of Gunung Inas in the Baling district is Peranginan Bukit Hijau, a great retreat for the locals. Also known as Lata Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest, it is famed for its amazing seven-level cascading waterfalls that create seven pools of cool, crystal clear water.
Although picnickers come here during weekends and public holidays, its large camping ground with basic toilet facilities along the Sungai Mempelam (Mempelam River) is more than adequate for all. Activities available there include nature walks along the bridle path that leads to the forest reserve where one can see nature at its best.

Getting There
From KL, take the North South Expressway heading to Kulim. Located 42km from Kulim, you can drive to Bukit Hijau Park using the link road, looking out for signs directing you towards Taman Rekreasi Bukit Hijau. Optionally you can also take a taxi from Kuala Ketil town.

Rotten eggs will not hurt me, says Khairy

The Star
Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin is unfazed by a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) delegate's threat to throw rotten eggs or tomatoes at him to prevent him from speaking at public events.
“My responsibility is to destroy the opposition. If they want to welcome me with an eggplant or rotten egg and tomatoes ... let them do it. I am not afraid,” he told reporters.
He was commenting on the call made by PKR Federal Territory delegate Othman Karim during the debate on the president’s address at the party’s annual congress here yesterday.
Othman said Khairy was a destroyer and a “murderer” of opposition parties.
“Attack him. Arm ourselves with rotten eggs or tomatoes when he comes around and throw them at him. His voice must not be heard,” said Othman.

tunku : hope that khairy will always walk with an umbrella in hand so that he can use it whenever an expected object thrown at him.but i guess this suggestion by the pkr member is a suggestion of a school boy, that's why they never wins.

Jakim monitoring websites carrying deviationist teachings

THE Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the Communication and Multimedia Commission have begun monitoring websites and blogs carrying misleading Islamic teachings.
This was prompted by recent exposure on groups using the Internet to spread deviationist teachings.
Jakim director-general Datuk Mustapa Abdul Rahman said as Jakim had no power to act against such bloggers or websites, it would channel complaints to the commission, including the relevant authorities such as the police, so that appropriate action could be taken.
"We are also considering coming up with guidelines and statements via our website unku : in this new era, people seems to believe more from the internet about religion,from time to time," he said when asked on steps to be taken to counter wrong information on Islam and its teachings posted on the Internet.
Malay tabloid Metro Ahad exposed a blog whose contents were said to be against Islam, similar to the one propagated by a deviant group leader, Kahar Ahmad, which was banned by the Selangor Fatwa Committee in 1991.
Kahar, 56, was charged in the Syariah Court with five accounts of spreading deviationist teachings on July 17, 2005.

t yes you can get knowledge about religion from the internet but it should be from a credible source not just any tom dick and harry website or blog. there's one blog named Messenger Of God Today and the blogger abdul kahar ahmad claiming himself as the malay prophet. i think jakim should take immediate action on this guy.people like him should be placed in the mental hospital and lock for life.

Promises of RM1,000 wage, free healthcare

SEREMBAN: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) wants to re-examine the taxation system if it is given the mandate to rule the country.
Party president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail pledged to provide free healthcare to all workers, free education for children of lower income workers and affordable housing for all.
She said the party would also introduce a RM1,000 minimum wage for all workers.
“We will encourage workers to unionise, as it is only through unionisation that we enable workers to claim their rights, including the right to be trained in relevant skills by their employers,” she said in her policy speech yesterday at the party’s national annual congress.
Expressing concern about the lot of foreign workers, she said they were continually mistreated and abused by government policies, by the conditions in which they were arrested and the treatment while in detention.
On human trafficking, Dr Wan Azizah said the situation was getting worse and “bringing shame upon our country in the eyes of the world.”
She said this involved not only the exploitation of women and children forced into the sex industry but also foreign workers who were forced to work beyond their contract demands.
On the economy, Dr Wan Azizah expressed concern that many Malaysian entrepreneurs, especially non-Malays, were taking their business out of the country.
She also spoke about the power of modern technology like blogging and the alternative media to overthrow oppressive regimes.
Dr Wan Azizah believed the Government was afraid of this, hence blogs and bloggers were now seen as a threat to the ruling coalition.

tunku : it's always easy to promise moon and sky when you are not in the position to fulfill it.let me remind azizah that blogs and bloggers were now a threat to those who do the wrong thing, may it be the government or opposition.

Cinemas use night goggles to nab pirates

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian cinemas have found a powerful new weapon in their fight against movie pirates -- military-style night-vision goggles.
After showing people to their seats, trained ushers are strapping on the goggles and scanning darkened cinemas around the country to spot anyone trying to make illegal copies of movies with hand-held video recorders or mobile phones.
The Motion Picture Association, which is training Malaysian ushers to catch the pirates, said cinemas had caught 17 people in the past two months, during which Hollywood studios released blockbusters like "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
"All of the cases were spotted with night-vision goggles," the association's Malaysia manager, Nor Hayati Yahaya, said on Friday. "Its very successful."
Malaysia figures on the U.S. watchlist for movie and software piracy, but local authorities have launched a major crackdown on producers and retailers of illegal DVDs since the country began free-trade talks with the United States a year ago.
The association, which represents the big Hollywood studios, recently brought to Malaysia two dogs trained to sniff out DVDs -- with stunning results. The two Labradors, Lucky and Flo, have sniffed out more than a million DVDs and broken a fake DVD ring.
They have been so successful that authorities believe Malaysian pirates have put a bounty on the dogs' heads.

tunku : good way to nab pirates, not only pirates but it can nab actors doing their own "live" movie in cinema too.

Wan Azizah Wins Unopposed After Anwar, Rahman Withdraw

SEREMBAN, May 26 (Bernama) -- Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail retained the seat unopposed at the party' election after two other candidates for the top post, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Abdul Rahman Othman, withdrew from the contest.
Anwar, who is also the party's advisor, said he took the action as PKR risked being deregistered by the Registrar of Societies had he done so.
He cannot hold any political position until April 14, 2008 because of the five year prohibition rule under the Societies Act pertaining to convicted persons.
"The party comes first. My personal ambitions are secondary.
"I expect the general-election to be held in early August as I am seen as a big threat," he told reporters here today.
Speaking shortly before the nominations were announced to the 2,500 delegates and observers present, Anwar implored the voters to give their full support to Wan Azizah. At this time, Abdul Rahman was still in the fray.
He also took to task the ROS for replying to his appeal for an exemption from the prohibition rule only at 4.30 pm yesterday, shortly before government offices closed for the weekend.
The ROS rejected his appeal.
However, Anwar reiterated that he would continue to serve the party as long as the members wished for him to do so.
Many in the crowd stood up to express their displeasure that his appeal was rejected.
They said the ROS should have considered his age factor in making the decision. Anwar is 60.
Shortly after Anwar spoke, Abdul Rahman, who received 10 nominations against Anwar's 120 and seven for Dr Wan Azizah, passed a note to the permanent chairman Abdul Rahman Abdul Kadir stating his intention to withdraw from the race.
The delegates when told of the development gave a thunderous roar of approval.
When met later, Abdul Rahman said that he had discussed the matter with his supporters and that they had given their blessings (for him to withdraw).
The election process began after the delegates returned from lunch and the full results are expected to be out by 10pm. The assembly, which began yesterday, ends tomorrow.
Dr Wan Azizah in her presidential address among others promised to set a minimum wage limit of RM1,000 for Malaysians both in the public and private sectors if PKR won the general election.
She said this was necessary to ensure the lower income groups enjoyed a better standard of living.

tunku : it was expected what anwar will do as he has no guts but rahman pull out was a very shameful act.yesterday he was shouting out loud and today he chicken out.this is party of jokers.where is "lawan tetap lawan" spirit mr anwar??? chicken.

Oxford vs Oxford

Pua challenges Khairy to a debate

Name the time and place...
These were the words of DAP leader Tony Pua to his fellow Oxford graduate Khairy Jamaluddin after issuing a challenge to him for a public debate on the civil service issue.
Although the duo, in their early 30s, graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) from the same prestigious university, they have ended up on opposite sides of the political fence.
Yesterday, Khairy - who is also Umno Youth deputy chief - lambasted Pua and demanded an apology from him for saying that the civil service had become a ‘dumping ground’ for unemployed Malay graduates.
At a press conference in Petaling Jaya this morning, Pua, a self-made millionaire, once again ruled out the possibility of tendering an apology. He wanted a debate instead.
“Instead of asking the party and myself for an apology, Khairy should do away with emotive arguments as well as semantics and focus on the issues at hand,” he said.
Pua, who is the economic advisor to DAP secretary- general Lim Guan Eng, said the debate could be held at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall next Wednesday at 8pm.
Or it could be held at any time or place of Khairy’s choosing, he stressed.

“We will make time for him. There is no point in making statements in the press, nitpicking on certain points that I raised based on facts and not focusing on the issues at hand,” he added.
Khairy, who is also the son-in-law of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had described Pua’s remark as “inconsiderate and insulting.”
Three issues
Meanwhile, Pua said the debate should focus on three issues:
1. How to prevent our education system from churning out graduates who are unable to gain employment despite the large number of advertised vacancies in the market.
2. How to improve our civil service delivery system to substantially increase the satisfaction of the people and the successful completion of government projects.
3. How to streamline a bloated civil service, disproportionate to the size of the Malaysian population to reduce tremendous economic burden of the government.
Pua also claimed that his earlier statement had been misconstrued by the media.
He acknowledged saying that the civil service had become a ‘dumping ground’ for unemployed Malay graduates but denied stating that the civil service was totally made up of unemployed Malays.
“I have no intention to make such claims,” he stressed.
He claimed that the racial issue came into the picture because of the harsh response from several quarters to his statement.
Pua’s remarks had also drawn flak from Cuepacs president Omar Osman who accused the DAP leader of “belittling the Malays.”


tunku : to me neither one is an honest politician and it would be good to see them debating at an open forum. i hope kj is man enough to take the challenge.

Anwar not eligible for PKR elections, but will contest anyway

KUALA LUMPUR The Registrar of Societies has informed Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PRK) that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not eligible to contest in the party's elections this weekend.
Under the party constitution, a person barred from holding posts at the national level cannot hold a party post.
If Anwar wins but remains legally barred from holding the party presidency, it would likely be occupied by Deputy President Syed Husin Ali, who already has been elected unopposed, officials said.
He has expressed his intention to go ahead with the elections tomorrow.
Is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a hurry to become Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president when it is still unclear that he can legally hold the post? After all, he is already the party’s adviser and de facto leader.
Some members are surprised that he seems to be more keen to become president now, especially after the party’s disastrous outing which he led in Ijok last month.
A win at the by-election would have improved morale among members and crowned him as the undisputed party leader.
It would have won him much clout among other opposition party leaders in a bid to cobble together a strong front or at least a workable electoral understanding to challenge the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming general election.
It would also have fizzled out the feeble challenge by former party treasurer and deputy president Abdul Rahman Othman, better known to his friends by his initials ARO.
Barring last minute changes, the challenge to Anwar’s bid for the presidency remains. At the same time, others are not making it easy for him to have his own line-up in the supreme council.
His wife Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail, who has been president since the party’s formation in 1999, has also accepted nominations for the presidency to prevent Abdul Rahman from becoming president should Anwar be declared unqualified to hold the post because of his conviction.
Although ARO does not pose a signficant threat to Anwar’s bid for the top position – long considered a shoe-in – his decision to contest against the virtual numero uno is an indication of the members’ dissatisfaction with some top leaders, including Anwar.
The withdrawal of his close buddy, Datuk S Nallakaruppan, from the vice-presidency race despite receiving the second highest number of nominations is an indication of the trouble brewing in the young party.

tunku : why anwar is so greedy and selfish? well the answer is he is greedy by nature.he has no patient like always. remember what he did to Tun Ghaffar.After he can't wait to be the PM and tried to demonized Tun Mahathir but he had failed miserably.
what anwar should do is just wait till next year, after all he is the advisor and his wife is the party president.when the time comes, the party could hold a special meeting to make election for the president.but anwar like always, too greedy.
he can betray his own buddies who helped him through thick and thin.he betrayed his best buddy nallakarupan, who used to play tennis with him and as a supplier of .....
he betrayed malaysia when he tried to sell us to IMF.
anwar should not only barred from contesting but barred from staying in malaysia.he is mother of all TRAITOR.what's going on in pkr is a proof that he is a no good leader.he talks more than action.he is king of backstabbing.

Nalla Quits PKR

A combative S Nallakaruppan today announced his decision to quit from the PKR with immediate effect but remained tightlipped on his immediate political plans.
Making the announcement in the midst of 100 of his staunch supporters in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Nallakaruppan came out charging that the party was guilty of sidelining the Indian community.
“I am disappointed that the party has been marginalising the Indian community and my decision to quit the party arises from that,” he said, confirming an earlier malaysiakini exclusive report on his impending decision.
“I am announcing my decision to resign as a member today. As for my immediate plans, I will have to discuss with my family, supporters and friends before making an announcement,” he said.
His wife M Vijayakumari and their three children were seated among the crowd when he made his announcement.
He also stated that he has received ‘many invitations from other political parties’. However he refused to name the parties.
“There are many parties. Gerakan is there, as well as PPP and DAP. I might even form my own party,” he joked.
Nallakaruppan also expressed his disappointment over the role played by his good friend and party adviser Anwar Ibrahim in getting him (Nalla) to withdraw from contesting for the vice president’s post.
“He (Anwar) said he’s not interfering (in party matters). But he called and asked me to withdraw from the (vice-presidency) race. That is called interference.”
Nallakaruppan, claiming that he brought in almost 10,000 Indian members to the party, said that ‘many’ of his supporters would follow his decision to quit the party, but he is not sure of the exact number.
Replying to a supporter who asked why he (Nalla) joined PKR when it has been argued that Anwar had done nothing to the Indian community when he was the country’s deputy prime minister, Nallakaruppan said “everyone deserves a second chance”.
“If someone falls, he must get up. He’s doomed if he doesn’t,” he said, adding that he (Nallakaruppan) joined PKR because he believed Anwar would do something for the Indian community “after his fall”.
“Now when I realise he is not doing anything (for Indians), I have decided to leave the party,” he said, adding that he will continue helping the Indian community.
Along with Nallakaruppan, nine senior Indian leaders also quit the party.
Among them are Selangor information chief and Klang division head P Krishnasamy, FT deputy chief and Segambut division chief S Maniselvam (photo) and Bandar Tun Razak vice head.

tunku: it took you so long to know the real anwar , nalla. however its good for you to leave pkr as now its so clear what anwar reality is. pkr days are numbered.it won't be long now before it dies.pkr is a laughing stock now.

Deputy Minister's brother arrested for drug

Ties between drug syndicates and deputy minister's brother?

KOTA KINABALU: Police are trying establish if the brother of a federal deputy minister might be involved in a drug trafficking syndicate following his arrest with his wife at the airport here last Sunday.
"Our investigations are still on, we cannot immediately determine any other links in the case," outgoing Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Hassan told reporters at a ceremony to hand over duties to his deputy Sr Ast Comm1 Noor Rashid Ibrahim.
He said this when asked if police had so far established any links between the suspect and drug trafficking syndicates in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.
Mokhtar, who confirmed that the 36-year-old suspect was a brother of a deputy minister, declined to disclose the quantity of the drugs seized, though reports stated that the drugs involved a sizeable amount of ganja and a few packets of syabu.
Rashid, meanwhile, said that a further remand for the suspect and his wife was obtained to facilitate investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drug Act which carries the mandatory death sentence.

tunku : who's the deputy minster and why police declined to disclosed the quantity of the drugs? if it's true , then i guess it will kill his brother's political carrier.

Malaysia Voted Top 5 Tourist Spot By Biggest Guangdong Daily

BEIJING, May 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia was voted as one of the five most popular outbound destinations for 2006 in a poll organised by Guangzhou Daily, the biggest newspaper in southern China with a daily circulation of 1.8 million.
Suhaimi Shaharuddin, Tourism Malaysia director in Guangzhou, received the award from the Chinese daily's group vice-president, Ling Jinkeng, last night at the Westin Hotel in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.
The other four countries were Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The five winners were not ranked accordingly.
Readers were asked to name their favourite destinations out of 100 countries. The outcome was also decided by the visa numbers from the Chinese immigration and also a poll of selected travel agents.
"I hope this will further boost the interest of more Chinese tourists to choose Malaysia as their favourite destination, given that 2007 is also Visit Malaysia Year," Suhaimi said.
Suhaimi, who was posted to Guangzhou one-and-a-half years ago, thanked travel agents and airlines for their support.
"This is the first time that the Guangzhou Daily has included a category for most popular outbound destination in its readers' poll on tourism.
Among the attractions cited by those who voted for Malaysia are our beautiful islands, beaches, food and shopping. They also find Malaysia a safe place and they can have quality and affordable holidays," Suhaimi said.
South China is the biggest market for mainland tourists to visit Malaysia.
Last year, nearly 450,000 visited Malaysia and two thirds were from the south, mostly from Guangdong province.

tunku : malaysia need to double its effort to bring in more tourists, 450000 out of more than 1 billion people in china is too little. anyway tourism malaysia is doing a good job.hope the hoteliers, retailers and our taxi drivers don't take advantage with our tourists.always smile and be helpful to them, they'll come again and again.

New Motor Vehicle Sales in Malaysia Fall for 15th Straight Month in April

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- New motor vehicle sales in Malaysia fell 17 percent in April from the same period a year ago amid a lack of consumer confidence, difficulty in securing loans and weak resale value, an industry group said Wednesday.
It marks a 15th straight monthly decline in new auto sales in Malaysia, Southeast Asia's largest passenger car market.
Sales fell to 33,679 units in April, and was also down 13 percent from March, the Malaysian Automotive Association said in a statement.
For the first four months of the year, sales sank 16 percent from a year earlier to 138,629 units, it said. Sales in May are expected to be maintained at the same level amid new car launches, it added.
Last year, new auto sales in Malaysia dropped 11 percent to 490,768 units. The association has predicted sales to rebound and grow 1.9 percent this year to half a million units, but there has been no improvement so far.
It has urged the government to give cash incentives to encourage car owners to voluntarily scrap old cars and ensure less stringent financing terms to boost sales. It said new vehicle sales in the country were spurred largely by owners upgrading their cars, but weak resale value of used cars has hurt demand for new ones.
The Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Association of Malaysia, which groups some 2,000 car dealers, has estimated that more than 600,000 used cars worth 12 billion ringgit ($3.4 billion) were unsold in the country.

tunku : car sales fall for 15th straight month...and the government saying that our economy is at it best.the bank are not giving the loans,this happen only when the economy is not good.think for yourself whether the economic situation is bad or good.

M’sian judiciary is 9th least corrupted worldwide

It seems that Malaysians have a better opinion of their judiciary than citizens of most industrialised nations, and this has befuddled Transparency International (TI) Malaysia and the Bar Council.
According to those surveyed, we have a world-class judiciary.
Ranked No 9, Malaysia is far ahead of Hong Kong (11), United Kingdom (21) and United States (33) in a survey on perceived judicial corruption of 62 countries carried out by TI last year.
Malaysia is however behind nations which have traditionally rank high in TI's annual Corruption Perception Index, including Denmark (1), Singapore (2), Sweden (3) and Finland (4).
Malaysia also fared better than Japan (16), South Korea (29) and Taiwan (44), and most of other Asian countries. The survey was revealed in the recently released TI’s Global Corruption Report 2007. [See chart below]
When respondents are asked to rank their judiciary system between 1 to 5, only 19 percent of respondents described Malaysia’s judiciary system as corrupt.
TI Malaysia chairperson Ramon Navaratnam was unable make sense of the results. At a public forum on the report today, he shared his ambivalent views with Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan and Institut Integriti Malaysia (IIM) president Dr Mohd Tap Salleh.
Ramon said the methods used by TI was not revealed. “It would not have been wise to identify who they surveyed because it is known that security forces of some nations would abuse that information.”
“And I must reiterate that the survey (perceived judicial corruption) is not to be confused with Corruption Perception Index,” he said.
Malaysia ranks 44 out of 163 countries in the corruption index, which was released late last year.
According to the judicial corruption report, 59,661 people from all the countries were surveyed between June and September last year. TI did not indicate the number of respondents per country.
“We also don’t know who these people are. Are they foreign investors in other countries or are they residing in Malaysia? What is the ratio of foreigners versus locals?” said Ramon.
Ramon said that he would be contacting TI's Berlin headquarters to ask for a "proper explanation" on the survey.
A system that works fairly
Ambiga said the results of the survey might lead people “to rest their laurels” despite recent campaigns by the Bar Council to reform the country’s legal system.
“We want to be first class. We want to have first-world judiciary, whenever we suggest improvement, it’s not to be perceived as nuisance. We want the system to work fairly,” she said.
Mohd Tap insisted that the ranking system be dropped. “When there’s a ranking system, people would think that we are better than certain countries ... we should stick to the fact that 19 percent of people thought that the judicial system is corrupt.”
Ramon proposed that the Bar Council and TI-Malaysia undertake a local survey to “find out the level of faith and confidence” in the judiciary and prosecution services.
During a press conference, Mohd Tap said IIM would coordinate with the council for the coming survey on public perception on corruption in general. He did not reveal when the survey would be carried out.
“It’s a good guide for us to know what other people think. The perception survey reflects reality,” said Ramon.
“However, the methods must be systematic. If you get a bunch of crooks and ask them: Are you good? They’ll say yes,” he added.

tunku : ask the opposition, see what they says.for sure they'll say that this survey is "rubbish" because not favouring them especially anwar.

Quit Rembau Umno Youth, Khairy told

Khairy Jamaluddin is being urged to step down as Negeri Sembilan’s Rembau Umno Youth division chief for allegedly caving into pressure from ‘outsiders’.
According to Rembau exco member Azman Mat Shah, Khairy failed to stand up for his division’s choice of delegates to the party’s upcoming annual general meeting (AGM).
He alleged that Khairy, who is also Umno Youth deputy chief, acquiesced to pressure from Abdul Ghani Hassan - the brother of Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hassan.
Abdul Ghani had allegedly over-ridden the Rembau Umno Youth division’s choice of delegates to the AGM which was made on May 13.
In their place, he added, Abdul Ghani had ‘appointed’ his own preferred delegates.
Azman said instead of upholding the independence of the Umno Youth wing and challenging the interference, Khairy had purportedly given his backing to Abdul Ghani.
“If Khairy cannot uphold our independence from outsiders (to the wing) such as Abdul Ghani, how can we expect him to stand up to opposition parties or challenges from foreign powers?” he said when contacted.
“In such a case, Khairy is not qualified to lead even this division of Rembau,” he added.
Contacted later, Abdul Ghani dismissed the allegations.
“Allegations are allegations, which anybody can make. There is no interference. No such thing. We’re all Umno members,” he said when contacted.
“I’ve known Azman for some time now. Let’s just say that all’s not quite right with that boy,” he added without elaborating.
Khairy, who is also Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son-in-law, could not be reached for comments.
Meanwhile, Azman said following Khairy’s failure to respond to numerous attempts to talk to him on the matter, the Seliau Youth branch - which Azman heads - has drafted a resolution calling for Khairy to step down.
He said the resolution will be presented to Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussien on Monday.
According to Azman, two other Youth branches in Rembau will be making identical resolutions and submitting them soon to the movement’s leadership.
Questioning Khairy’s standing and authority, Azman said he had not earned his stripes to throw his weight around in such a manner.
“There is no benchmark that Khairy has set in Rembau that he can boast of. The only thing he has done is his efforts for the Halal Hub industry.
“He may be the prime minister’s son-in-law and the deputy chief of the movement, but that doesn’t mean he can do this. Umno Youth is not for the son or son-in-law of anyone to treat the movement as he sees fit,” he added.
Azman said he is aware of the risks involved in openly criticising Khairy.
“If this causes my political death, so be it. But it has to be said that we are disappointed in the way he has cast us aside.
“There are many more issues we have with Khairy but we will raise these later when the time is right,” he added.

tunku : i don't think kj acquiesced to pressure from Abdul Ghani Hassan. It's the other way round.it's all about kj's choice.still i salute azman mat shah for voicing out as nowadays there's no opposing voice coming out from umno leaders may it be at branch,division or state. everyone is thinking about their own "pocket".