DAP-PKR tiff in Penang worsens- Yet another drama

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang DAP-PKR tiff is catching fire with Penang DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow describing Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim as being politically frustrated.
He said there was no doubt that the PKR Bayan Baru MP was unhappy over his removal as state party chairman and was now attempting to break up the Pakatan Rakyat coalition here.
Chow claimed he had been informed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that Zahrain was frustrated as he (Lim) had refused to endorse the MP’s decision to award tender for the privatised management of the Bukit Jambul Golf Club to a RM2 company.
“Zahrain may want to personally burn his bridges with us but he shouldn’t allow his political frustrations to break up Pakatan Rakyat in Penang,” he told a press conference at the party’s headquarters here on Saturday.
On Zahrain calling Lim a communist-minded dictator and chauvinist, he said this was a baseless, racially-motivated lie.
“Even Umno and Barisan Nasional never labelled Lim a communist when he was detained under the ISA in 1987,” he added.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman, who is the state PKR chairman, said the party’s central committee would meet today to discuss Zahrain’s outburst.
He said the party would announce the outcome of the meeting – whether action would be taken against Zahrain or otherwise – on Tuesday.
He said while the party allowed leaders to make criticism, it would not tolerate name-calling in the press.
When contacted, Zahrain said he “could not be bothered” with what the DAP had to say as he always spoke his mind.
“We cannot compromise on PKR principles just because we want to work with them. Lim is not qualified to be chief minister.
“I spoke to many people including party members and non-governmental organisations who all agreed that Lim is a dictator so I am not retracting my statement,” he said adding that he was prepared to face any action by his party, even sacking.
He also denied any involvement in the issuance of the tender for the Bukit Jambul Golf and that “if anyone implies otherwise, I won’t hesitate to sue."
It was reported on Friday that dissension within Pakatan had spread, and the simmering feud between DAP and PKR leaders broke into the open when Zahrain verbally attacked Lim.

tunku : the opposition pact is full of drama. just imagine how if the rules the federal government.zahrain should blame anwar too not just lim guan eng.zahrain like zulkifli nordin like to hit at others but dare not touch their boss who is the mother of all trouble in this country.there are only 3 parties in pakatan and yet so much of differences. it is best for them to go separate ways.the voters should not gamble the future of this country by voting them.on the other hand bn should not get too excited with these dramas by pakatan.

Khalid Samad Suspended For Six Months, Dr Hasan Gets Warning

SHAH ALAM, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The PAS disciplinary committee suspended Shah Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Samad from all party posts for six months effective from Friday.
However, Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali was issued with a warning.
Khalid, who is PAS Shah Alam division head and central political bureau member, and Dr Hasan, were found guilty by the disciplinary committee at a meeting today, according to a report in Harakahdaily.
The report also said that Khalid, who is abroad, when contacted, accepted the decision and would appeal against the suspension.
Meanwhile, Harakah reported that Dr Hasan accepted the decision with an open heart and regarded it as a learning process for him.
Khalid had to face the disciplinary committee for allegedly undermining Hasan as the state commissioner by openly asking him to resign, revealing information about the party to the public, disobeying party directives, tarnishing the party's image and breaching party constitution.
Dr Hasan was accused of undermining the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.
The disciplinary committee initiated investigations against them after a special meeting in November last year.

tunku : this is another drama by pas.suspended for 6 months as shah alam division head is nothing and hassan ali only gets warning.this is just a drama staged by pas disciplinary committee. if they really means business,he should at least be suspended for 2-3 years as a lesson to all.6 months is just a vacation not suspension.

Khairy Asked To Resign.

Please refer to the article publish at www.mykmu.net : EKSKLUSIF: EXCO Minta Khairy Lepaskan Jawatan Ketua Pemuda.

Umno Youth under kj is just like a man waiting to die of serious ailments. We can't see activities carried out by the movement under the leadership of kj. It is in hibernation mode.it is bad for Umno. kj must be man enough to let go the post for the movement sake. he is still young and can start all over again,that is if he is a sincere man but i doubt about that. The above news by mykmu.net had mentioned that the movement exco members are not happy with his leadership.of course those who received "things" from kj will favour him. I don't think that this incident had ever happened in the movement where the exco members are not happy with their boss and demanding his resignation.It is just because of those 304 delegates wrong choice, the movement had to suffer.Let it go kj......it is still not too late. the movement need a dynamic,tough,brave,sincere,good and willing to sacrifice for Umno as their head which you are not.the movement need a leader that can lead them to be the frontier of Umno. are you waiting for the movement to throw you out?

Rethink Decision To Build UiTM Campus Project In Melaka - Selangor MB

SHAH ALAM, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has urged the federal government to rethink its decision to set up the RM300 million Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus project in Jasin, Melaka.
The project was originally earmarked for Serendah, Selangor.
"I am not questioning the decision but the people will eventually lose, not the government, if the plan goes ahead.
"I only hope that the use of taxpayers money is taken into consideration and the decision is carefully studied," he told reporters after chairing the state executive council meeting here Wednesday.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was quoted as saying that the new UiTM campus would be built in Jasin due to Selangor government's refusal to approve the project on a land owned by Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan (YBK).
YBK could not proceed with the development of the project because it had refused to bow to the pressure from the state government, including appointing Khalid as its chairman and another nominee to YBK's board of trustees.
It was reported that the foundation failed to settle quit rent arrears for 656.8ha of its land.

tunku : it is because of khalid ibrahim stubbornness.he insist wants to be the chairman of YBK before approving the land for the campus site.yes like khalid said that the people will eventually lose.they should put all the blame on his head.he was hoping making some quick bucks as the chairman.now why you want the federal government to listen to you after you rejected the request from YBK?

Call for calm and cool heads following mosque incidents

PETALING JAYA: Police will meet with all religious groups here to seek their assistance to cool things down following two incidents, where pig heads were thrown into the compound of a mosque in Taman Dato Harun and Taman Sentosa respectively.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said police would investigate the incidents in Taman Dato Harun and Taman Sentosa thoroughly and bring those responsible to book.
“I have directed that extra patrols be conducted at places of worship throughout the country.
“We will not compromise as far as peace and security is concerned and will do everything within our means to ensure no untoward incident happens. I warn the culprits behind the attacks not to stoke racial tension.
“We will also meet with heads of all religious groups in the district to seek their assistance to cool things down,” he said while appealing for information regarding the two incidents.
Musa added that they have not ruled out the possibility that people behind the two incidents were hired to carry out the acts.
Petaling Jaya Selatan Umno division chairman Raja Datuk Hanipuddin Raja Nong Chik urged residents to be calm and not to take the law in their hands and let the police conduct its investigation.
He had also condemned the conduct of the culprits responsible for the incident.
“I am extremely disappointed by the disrespectful actions of a few Malaysians at places of worship. We must strive for better,” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said on social media network Twitter.
The MCA strongly condemned what it described as “provocative action.”
“This episode is regrettable in the light of recent arrests of various suspects to assist in investigations into the attacks against places of worship,” said party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee keat.
“I hope that the police and relevant authorities will continue to carry out their duties in a professional and swift manner to bring those responsible to book, and to maintain law and order in the country.
“All religions teach the values of understanding and peace. I urge all Malaysians to continue to be calm.
“We should keep up with our efforts to create understanding and respect among different faiths, and not allow the actions of a few to create dissatisfaction and spark enmity among ourselves,” he said.
MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said such actions were insensitive.
While all political leaders and religious representatives are trying to resolve religious issues, there are irresponsible people trying to stoke the fire, he said.
Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said the acts were aimed at disrupting unity and harmony in the country, and called for calm and unity against “mischievous opportunists.”
“We are saddened and disappointed that such an incident took place. We are confident the authorities will act fast to nab the culprits responsible for it,” Chang said in a statement.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism also condemned the attacks and expressed its condolences to its Muslim brethren.
“The latest incidents ... demonstrate how sick perpetrators of such acts can be and to what extent they are willing to go to cause hurt and harm to religious communities. Their end is to drive a wedge between religious communities in the country.
“We, who are law-abiding citizens, must not allow them to succeed in their wicked mission,” council president Rev. Dr Thomas Philips said in a statement.
The DAP also condemned the incidents “in the strongest possible terms,” said Tony Pua, the DAP national publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP.
He described them “as despicable acts which are not only insensitive to our Muslim brothers, but are clearly an act to incite racial hatred and sentiments in our multiracial and multi-religious society.”
“Ordinary Malaysians of all faiths and creed must not be entrapped by these acts whose motives are clearly to enrage Malaysians into conducting similar tit-for-tat acts to destroy the peace and tolerance in the country,” he said.
Pua also called for the Government to convene an all-parties meeting, including all political parties, religious bodies and civil society organisations, “to unite as one to condemn such attempts to sabotage the future and unity of Malaysians.”
“We call upon the Prime Minister to call for an emergency Parliamentary meeting for all Parliamentarians from across the divide to condemn without reservation the increasing incidence of arson, vandalism and desecration at all places of religious worship including mosques, suraus, churches and temples,” he said.
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar described the acts as “yet another in a series of attempts to destroy the peace and harmony of our country by certain elements.”
“We must not let them succeed nor must we allow these cowardly actions to frighten us,” she said.
Nurul Izzah also called upon the Government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to further investigate these and the recent spate of arson attacks and vandalism on churches, mosques and even a Sikh house of worship.
“No thinking Malaysian would attack a place of worship. No religion condones such violence and we hope that all men and women of goodwill shall condemn these recent sectarian provocations,” she said.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok concurred that these acts went against the values of all religions in Malaysia.
“I urge all Malaysians to stay calm and not react violently to this cowardly act. Neither should we retreat into our respective ethnic or religious groups for perceived safety and protection from any perceived ‘external threat.’
“Instead, this is an opportunity for us to rise up in unity to strongly condemn this shameful act and send a strong message that such acts have no place in the Malaysia that we call our home,” she said.

tunku : and the certain elements is anwar ibrahim. the police should get down to these "certain elements" asap. we hope those out there who are trying to unstable the government and brings racial tension to think carefully.it take seconds to destroy something and to build and maintain takes forever.

Zul's melodrama

Gag order on Zul Nordin

PETALING JAYA: PKR’s Zulkifli Nordin has been referred to the party’s disciplinary committee which will decide on what action, if any, to take against the maverick Kulim Bandar Baru MP for lodging a police report against his Pakatan Rakyat colleague from PAS, Khalid Samad.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said a media gag order has also been imposed on Zulkifli until the committee meets.
Zulkifli has claimed that “little Pharoahs” have been “barking everywhere calling for his head to be axed.”
“The little Pharaohs are already in the process of mincing me in the media but until now I have not been summoned to explain or defend myself,” he said in his blog Tuesday, IZATUN SHARI reports.
He said media reports make it seem as though he has already been sentenced even before party disciplinary proceedings had begun against him over a police report he had lodged against his Pakatan Rakyat comrade from PAS, Khalid Samad, for alleged sedition.
He said he had yet to receive any notice to attend any disciplinary committee meeting or of a political bureau proceeding being convened to decide on action to be taken against him over his police report.
PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to attend the political bureau meeting and hold a press conference at 2pm Tuesday.
Zulkifli said he was only told of a special briefing by Anwar to all PKR MPs and leaders pertaining to his sodomy case which would begin next week.
Zulkifli said he had informed his party that he would not be able to attend due to a prior engagement.
He maintained that he would not compromise on his stance that the word “Allah” can only be used by Muslims and was prepared for any possibility.
“My sin is only to defend the holy term ‘Allah’ from being trivialised and contaminated by those who idolised politics,” he said.

tunku : why zul did not lodge police report against others like the melodrama queen anwar,nik aziz etc.why only khalid samad? this is just an act played by anwar the melodrama queen. at last only warning will be given to zul.just wait and see. anwar is using zul to get support from the Malays and on the other hand using others like zaid ibrahim etc to get support from non Malays.what a drama.

Zahid On Peace Mission Ride

BANGKOK, Jan 25 (Bernama) - Straddling a 1,800cc Honda Gold Wing superbike, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is on an 11-day "Ride for Peace" mission from Chiang Rai to Bukit Kayu Hitam, made a stopover at the Malaysian embassy here Monday.
He was greeted by ambassador Datuk Husni Zai Yaacob on arrival at the embassy at 11am (noon Malaysian time).
"Apart from establishing people-to-people contacts, the expedition of 50 bikers from three nations - Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia - also aims to enhance military diplomacy," said Ahmad Zahid.
He said the 50 bikers and 40 pillion riders comprised high-ranking military personnel and professionals from the three countries. Their journey began in Chiang Rai, Thailand last Wednesday and is scheduled to end in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah this Sunday.
"Peace can be contributed unofficially. Actually, we are promoting unofficial diplomacy. Although we come from different countries, races, religions and backgrounds, we speak the same language - bike language," he said.
The expedition is organised by the Superbikers Association of Malaysia of which Ahmad Zahid is the chairman.
"There is no need for a roundtable discussion should any problem arise later on in carrying out our duties as we have established interpersonal relationships. We can solve a problem with just a phone call," he said.
Ahmad Zahid, an avid biker for almost 30 years, said he would consider making the event an annual affair as suggested by Husni.
"I will continue to ride as long as I can," said the 58-year-old minister who has five children and six grandchildren.
Husni said such an expedition augured well for Thailand-Malaysia relations as well as cemented people-to-people contacts as envisaged by Asean.
Asked what fascinated him most during the expedition thus far, Ahmad Zahid said it was Thai hospitality right from the mayors, and military and police personnel to the ordinary people.
To another question, Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia would continue its role as an observer at the US-Thai Cobra Gold military exercise despite South Korea having upgraded its status from observer to participant of the exercise this year.
Malaysia, he said, would continue its bilateral military exercise with Thailand and Indonesia respectively.
More than 11,000 soldiers from Thailand, the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea will take part in the 11-day exercise beginning Feb 1 at the Thai provinces of Rayong, Phetchaburi and Lop Buri.

tunku : i suggest that zahid resign from his cabinet post and be a full time biker. he can go around the world and do his peace mission ride. the cabinet will be better without him.we hope zahid will bring nazri aziz with him for the long ride.

MTUC wants EPF to declare higher dividend

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) on Sunday called on the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to declare a higher dividend this year, saying the EPF had obtained increased income from its investments.
MTUC vice-president A. Balasubramaniam said that in the last 10 years, the highest dividend paid was six percent, in the year 2000.
In the other years, it was between 4.25 and 5.8 percent, he said, adding that last year it was 4.5 percent.
Balasubramaniam said the EPF had announced an income of RM5.5bil in the third quarter of last year compared to RM3.6bil in the similar quarter of 2008.
"As a result of this increased income, we expect the EPF to pay a higher dividend," he told Bernama.
The EPF has 12 million members, of whom 5.1 million are active contributors. - Bernama

tunku : it make sense and we demand EPF to declare higher dividend to the contributors.majority of the contributors are depending on their savings with EPF as their retirement fund.they should give the best dividend to the contributors.it should not go below 5.5% unless EPF make losses.

Al Fatihah - Tun Ghazali Shafie dies

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- Former Home Minister Tun Ghazali Shafie passed away at his residence in Subang Jaya, near here, about 7.45pm Sunday.
The death of Ghazali, 88, was confirmed by his grand-daughter Farah when she was contacted.
Ghazali, who was born in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, leaves behind two sons, Bachtiaer and Sheriffudin.
His wife Toh Puan Khatijah Abdul Majid passed away in April 2008.

'King Ghaz' Remembered As No-nonsense Man

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Former Home Minister Tun Muhammad Ghazali Shafie who died at his home in Subang Jaya Sunday was known to be so strict in his work that it earned him the nickname, "King Ghaz".
Those who knew him, including media reporters who interviewed him, were expected to have enough knowledge when they asked a question on an issue or subject so as not to incur his wrath or displeasure.
This gave many reporters the jitters when interviewing him during their assignments.
The late Ghazali had served under four prime ministers beginning with Tunku Abdul Rahman until Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's time. He was also known internationally when he was foreign minister, besides serving with various international bodies and missions.
He famously escaped death in a plane crash in Kampung Janda Baik on Jan 10, 1982 which killed his personal bodyguard and the co-pilot. The incident shocked the nation at the time.
Born in Kuala Lipis on March 22, 1922, he received his early education at a number of Malay and English schools in Raub, Kuala Lipis, Bentong and Penjum before studying at Clifford School, Kuala Lipis from 1939 to 1940.
In 1941, he furthered his studies at Raffles College in Singapore before obtaining his LLB (Honours) at University College of Wales and then a degree in international relations from the London School of Economics in 1954.
From 1941 to 1946, he served in several defence forces including the Malayan Volunteer Force and Anti-Japanese Movement.
Ghazali who had worked as a clerk with the Selangor Council, was appointed as Malaya's High Commissioner to India in 1957 and two years later, was made the secretary-general of the Foreign Ministry. He was foreign minister from July 1981 to July 1984 and resigned from the post the same month.
A highly important task held by Ghazali was as a member of the Cobbold Commission on the formation of Malaysia.
His long service in the Cabinet started in 1970 when he was appointed minister with special functions and a year later was given the additional information portfolio.
Sixteen months later, he was made home and information minister and in July 1981, was appointed foreign minister.
After resigning from the Cabinet in 1984, Ghazali held various important positions in the corporate sector and international organisations.
He was chairman of Paremba, Landmark Holdings Bhd, Westmont Bank Manila, the Philippines and Intermega Energy NL, Australia, among others.
In the political arena, Ghazali was Kuala Lipis member of parliament, Kuala Lipis Umno division head and Umno Supreme Council member.
He lost in the contest for a party vice-president post in 1972 and 1975. However, he won the post in 1981.
His contributions in other fields included being the founder and president of the National Art Gallery, University of Malaya Governing Council member, National Security Council member, chairman of Institut Teknologi Mara Governing Council, and founding member of the Malayan Forum, United Kingdom.
In sports, he held various important posts including honorary life president of the Royal Selangor Flying Club and president of the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (1962-1988). For his contribution in sports, he received the "Tokoh Sukan" Award in 2002.
He was also a respected figure at the international level where he was president of the Asia Conference on the Question of Palestine in 1983, member of the South Commission and chairman of the commission set up to revamp and strengthen the Asean mechanism.
He was also appointed to the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on South Africa in 1981, member of the Commonwealth Observer Group for South Africa's general election, member of the observer groups for the general elections in Sri Lanka and Bosnia Herzegovina, as well as chairman of the observer group for the general election in Bangladesh.
The late Ghazali had also been special advisor to the prime minister on foreign affairs and consultant to the World Bank Economic Development Institute.
He received awards from several foreign countries including Singapore, France, South Korea, Iran, the Philippines, Japan, Tunisia, Thailand, Austria and North Korea.

AL FATIHAH

JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail, passed away at the Puteri Specialist Hospital here at 7.08pm on Friday. He was 77 years old.

He will be buried at the Royal Mausoleum at 2pm on Saturday. Members of the public can pay their respects at the Istana Besar from 9am 10.30am, while dignitaries can do so from 11am to noon.

He was admitted earlier Friday due to an unspecified illness.

Sultan Iskandar was born on April 8, 1932 in Johor Baru and became Sultan on May 11, 1981. He was also the eighth Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, from April 26, 1984 until April 25, 1989.

Two hours before his death, the Tengku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ibrahim Ismail was appointed the Regent.

News about the Sultan not being well had surfaced Thursday night. Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman cut short his trip to India with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and returned by 6pm on Friday.

The first to visit the Sultan in the morning was the Sultan and Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, who arrived by helicopter, while former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visited him at about 3.40pm.

By then, the press and a large group of members of the public were waiting at the lobby of the hospital. Media offices were inundated with calls from people who wanted to know about the sultan’s condition.

Tunku Ismail and the Raja Muda of Johor Tunku Ismail Idris Tunku Ibrahim Ismail left the hospital at 4.40pm.

The swearing-in of the regent was held soon after at the Istana Besar here.

In the ceremony, Johor Council of Royal Court Yang DiPertua Tunku Osman Tunku Temenggong Ahmad declared that Tunku Ibrahim will perform the duties of the Sultan of Johor as required under Section 9(1)(b) and 9(2) of the Johor State Constitution 1895.

During his declaration of oath as acting ruler, Tunku Ibrahim said that he would rule fairly for all the rakyat (people).

“I also swear to guard and respect Islam as well as the Malay tradition under the state constitution,” he said.

Among the dignitaries in attendance were the Tengku Bendahara Tunku Majid Idris, Raja Muda Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, Johor State assembly speaker Datuk Ali Hassan, Johor Mufti Datuk Tahrir Shamsuddin, Johor Islamic Council adviser Datuk Nooh Gadut, several state executive council members and state police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff.

Sultan Iskandar is survived by his wife Sultanah Zanariah Almarhum Tunku Ahmad and 10 children, including Tengku Mahkota Tunku Ibrahim Ismail and Tengku Bendahara Tunku Majid Idris.

He received his early education at Ngee Heng Primary School in Johor Baru before furthering his studies at English College, now known as Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar.

He later furthered his studies at the Trinity Grammar School in Australia and then to United Kingdom.

Upon completing his studies in 1956, Sultan Iskandar returned to Johor and served as a cadet officer with the Johor Civil Service. He was formally appointed the Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) on April 29, 1981. On May 11, 1981, he was proclaimed the fourth Sultan of Johor following his father’s death.

He also received basic military training with the Johor Military Forces founded by his great-grandfather Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar in 1885. He was the commander of the military before he passed away.

In his younger days, his hobbies including horse-riding, fast cars, go-carts, race boats, hunting, tennis, golf, boxing, swimming and polo.

Timor Leste wants to send maids to Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Timor Leste is exploring the possibility of sending domestic maids to Malaysia, its Ambassador Juvencio Da Jesus Martins said Friday.
He said an employment agency here met him recently to propose bringing in maids from his country as there was a high demand for foreign maids in Malaysia.
Martins said he would inform the Timor Leste government of the proposal.
“This involves approvals from the two governments. I am going to raise the matter with my government and if there is a green light from Dili, we will try to discuss the matter with the Malaysian government,” he told Bernama.
In fact, he said, the matter was first mooted in 2005 during discussions between the then Timor Leste foreign minister and current president, Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta, with former Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar on the possibility of sending about 10,000 domestic maids to Malaysia.
“However, there was no progress on the matter after that. But I think the matter is still relevant as there is still high demand, especially from non-Muslim families, for maids in this country,” he said.
Malaysia currently employs about 320,000 legal foreign maids, mostly from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand. But the problem in sourcing maids occurred after the Indonesian government stopped sending maids to Malaysia in June, 2009.
The former Portuguese colony, which gained independence in May 2002, has about a 1.2 million population, comprising 98% Christians, with the rest being Muslims and Buddhists.
“Since there are also Muslims in Timor Leste, we can also identify Muslim maids for Malaysian Muslim families. If we can get all the approvals, Malaysia will be the first country for our maids going overseas,” Martins said.
He said that there would be many benefits if maids were sourced from Timor Leste. These included the distance between the two countries, similar languages as they can speak in Indonesian and English which are the working languages there, and reasonable wages.
“Besides that, by providing employment to our people, it will help in reducing the unemployment rate in our country. The remittances will help our economy and those recruited as maids will also gain experience,” he said. -- Bernama

tunku : we welcome Timor Leste proposal to send maid to Malaysia.government should not delay with the offer from them.most of indonesian maids are giving problems here.at least we will have alternative and Timor Leste can provide that.we hope the agents won't charge very high fees as what they are charging now.

Dr Mahathir: 9/11 was staged

KUALA LUMPUR: There is strong evidence that the Sept 11 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 could have been “staged” as an excuse to mount attacks on the Muslim world, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“I am not sure now that Muslim terrorists carried out these attacks. There is evidence that the attacks were staged.
“If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,” the former prime minister told a press conference here yesterday after delivering his speech at the General Conference for the Support of Al-Quds to aid the Palestinians.
He said killing innocent people to provide an excuse for war was not new to the US.
“But whether real or staged, the 9/11 attacks have served the United States and Western countries well. They have an excuse to mount attacks on the Muslim world,” he added.
Mahathir also criticised US President Barack Obama for failing to fulfil his promises concerning the country’s commitment in West Asia, including his promise to resolve the prevailing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I am a bit disappointed because so far none of his promises have been kept. He promised to get out from Afghanistan but he ended up sending more troops there instead. “He promised to close down Guantanamo but he has not closed down Guantanamo. “It is quite easy to promise during election time but you know there are forces in the United States which prevent the President from doing some things. One of the forces is the Jewish lobby, AIPAC,” he said.
On another issue, Dr Mahathir said he supported the plan to set up the inter-faith council as it could help promote effective understanding among religious groups in the country.
Such a council, he said, would provide a platform for people to talk about sensitive religious matters reasonably without taking it to the streets.
Earlier in his speech, Dr Mahathir spoke about the Palestinians’ claim on their land in West Asia which he said was based on legitimate grounds.
He said one of the greatest injustices done was to take Palestinian land to give to the Jews to create the state of Israel.
Later in Putrajaya, Dr Mahathir said the opinions of “powerful nations” should not deter Malaysia from continuing with its effort to help Palestine.
He was speaking at a ceremony to hand over certificates of appreciation to nine Malaysians who were part of the Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza.

tunku : it was staged, no doubt.just imagine 3000-4000 people were on leave that day who works in that building,mostly jews.it was just a solid excuse for them to launch attack/war on muslim nations which does not 'obey' them. usa is run by the zionist.barack obama is only a puppet of the zionist. not only him whoever becomes the president of usa has to be puppet for the zionist.3000 died in 9/11 drama and millions of muslim died in real terrorist attacks, the terrorist are of course the united state of america which is a proxy of the zionist regime with their evil friends.they are the biggest terrorist in this world.GOD DAMN THE ZIONIST.

Perdasama Sad Over "Bumiputera Corner" At Some Hypermarkets

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association of Malaysia (Perdasama) has lamented what it claims to be the practice of some hypermarkets of placing Bumiputera-manufactured products in a back section where there is little customer movement.
Perdasama president Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir described such practice of having a "Bumiputera Corner" as a step backward and not the right thing to do, and said a trader would want his or her product to be placed next to well-known brands and not secluded from the other products in the premises.
"In my opinion, there should be no discrimination of products," he said in his paper on "Perdasama: The Facilitator in Retailing" at the National Conference on Agri-Marketing in Seremban today. The paper was faxed to Bernama here.
Moehamad Izat said hypermarkets chose their own preferred brands for display at the prominent spots.
He said manufacturers would like to have their products and brands prominently displayed at places frequented by customers, especially at the most strategic spots nearer to where they came in or went out.
Moehamad Izat said it was not surprising that retailers were the most concerned as they could not compete with hypermarkets.
He said product manufacturers felt that if hypermarkets could buy their products in large amounts to meet the demand of buyers, it would definitely increase their product manufacturing.
"Yet this prediction is rather untrue as this opportunity has been used by the hypermarkets to buy the products at the lowest price with long-term payback. The manufacturers are finally trapped," he said.
Moehamad Izat also said that, at the same time, producers must also be wary that their products should be attractive, presentable and well-designed to be displayed side-by-side with the well-known brands.
"And this is where Perdasama plays a role. We advise and guide our members to design their products to reflect international standards. Bumiputeras should take up the challenge and be brave enough to get a proper designer to design their products and promotional materials, which include labels, bottles, wrappers, boxes and leaflets which have proper copy writing," he said.

tunku : this is racist. where is nazri and his opposition friends?why don't they comment on this? why there should be bumiputera corner at the hypermarkets? later we will see, every races has their own 'corner' everywhere.

What a shame Khalid.

Kuala Selangor PKR Led By Khalid "Crippled" Following Resignations

SHAH ALAM, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Selangor Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) division led by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is said to be "crippled" after 11 of its committee members as well as its Youth and Wanita heads resigned because they have lost confidence in his leadership.
According to the division's deputy chief Arshad Abu Bakar, the division had even disbanded as it was only left with three elected leaders comprising himself, Abdul Khalid and committee member Faridah Abdul Rahman.
He told reporters today that the 11 committee members, and division Youth chief Nazarudin Darmawan and Wanita head Fauziah Sulaiman had resigned from their posts between November last year and Jan 18 this year.
However, Arshad said, those who quit their posts remained as PKR members but had lost confidence in Abdul Khalid to lead the Kuala Selangor division.
They claimed that Abdul Khalid had placed Kuala Selangor PKR in disarray as he failed to build a strong management foundation for the division.
Arshad said the division had not held its committee meeting in the last 14 months. As a result, there had been no activities carried out to strengthen the party.
He claimed that Abdul Khalid did not take the initiative to strengthen the party although there were cases of non-Malay PKR members in Ijok and Batang Berjuntai quitting the party.
When asked to comment on Arshad's statement, Abdul Khalid denied that the division had disbanded.
Met after chairing a state executive council meeting, he said there was no meeting held to disband the division.
"The election to choose a new committee will be held in March. That is why some want to quit their posts."
He said a crisis like this was normal to him, and felt that it was better for members who were not in tune with the party to resign as it would otherwise make the party difficult to be managed.
Abdul Khalid noted that there were only 100 PKR members in Kuala Selangor in early 2007 and the number had now increased to 3,000.
"The excuse of losing confidence is nothing unusual...or perhaps the statement was written by Umno for him (Arshad) to say out," he added

tunku : this is not a matter of people jumping out or in, this is a matter where a division is crippled where it is led by the menteri besar. that shows how bad his leadership is. he is just like the puppet which is controlled by the melodrama queen moron. he can't even organize activities in his own division, he can't even take care the people in the division......what a cartoon character this menteri besar has.

The Dragon Boat Tragedy - who to be blamed?

A dragon boat training session involving Chung Ling High School students ended in tragedy when a teacher and a student drowned after the vessel capsized in the waters off Macallum Street Ghaut .
The boat with 18 people on board had become unstable after being hit by strong waves and it crashed into a tugboat moored nearby. It capsized after it was hit by a second wave. 4 person died and two still missing.

tunku :first of all, deepest condolence the the family who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.
i wonder where are all the dap leaders.they are not commenting on this issue as it happened in penang,the state they control. how can they be so double standard on this matter.they should make noise like the collapsed bridge tragedy in perak. so we want the government to set up a royal commission,the parents to sue the teachers,school,ministry and the government for negligence. why the state government changed the event location from a dam to the open sea?

Dap can seize thing from cop.

DAP is seeing red with the police after its security personnel found an alleged special branch officer spying on the party's national convention in Ipoh this evening.
The intruder was detected after he was spotted peering through a window, one floor above the hotel ballroom where the proceedings were taking place.
Following this, a group of security personnel rushed up to confront him, only to find out that he had locked himself in another room and refused to reveal himself.
Hotel staff managed to unlock the door later and after some hesitation, the intruder admitted that he was an undercover police personnel.
Security personnel managed to seize the intruder's tape recorder and eight audio tapes.
At a hastily arranged press conference later, Perak DAP chief Ngeh Khoo Ham criticised the police for intruding a private function.
"Perak has become a police state and every law abiding citizen has to live in fear of intimation and harassment from law enforcement officers," he said.
Ngeh said he believed that many DAP leaders also have their mobile phones tapped, and this was another intrusion of privacy by the police.
He added that the party took extra security measures in view of the arson and vandalism attacks against several churches across the country.
At about 6.30pm, Ngeh and security personnel lodged a police report against the intrusion.

tunku : the police has every right to be at any function.i don't understand how the dap security personnel seized those so called tape recorder from the police officer.ngeh said that perak has become a police state, i want to ask him, has dap become a police force? i hope the police can clarify this thing.we don't want next time anyone can seize anything from the police officer.i think this party had turned to a gangster group.

Nik Aziz Bailed Out Son In-Law's project

Nik Aziz admits to project blunder

KOTA BARU: Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has admitted that the state government made a huge blunder in the construction of a shopping lot in the town centre which might cost the state up to RM50mil.
He said the state government would have to buy back the land and building that was managed by the Kelantan Mentri Besar Incorporated (PMBK), helmed by his son-in-law Abdul Ariffahmi Abdul Rahman.
The admission is expected to fuel controversy for the state government which was already plagued with problems over Abdul Ariffahmi’s leadership of PMBK.
Nik Aziz said the state government was obliged to buy the building after PMBK had given the project to a private company to manage and build it.
“I have said before that units at the bazaar would be given to traders who were relocated from the UDA arcade and the old MPKB market.
“But a mistake occurred and to rectify it, we have to buy the building back from the appointed private company.
“The state government will have to buy the units from the company and then sell them back to the relocated traders,” he told reporters in Bachok yesterday.
On Thursday, Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz alleged in his blog Kickdefella, that the state government suffered a loss of RM50mil from the bazaar that was being developed by PMBK and a private company.
Syed Azidi claimed that the state government would incur a loss of RM30mil for the 3.36ha land and an additional RM23mil to pay for the ground floor of the bazaar.
The blog also claimed that a recent exco meeting had unanimously agreed that the RM23mil be paid to the private company to protect Nik Aziz’s reputation.
Syed Azidi claimed that Nik Aziz had promised to give the ground floor of the baazar to the traders from the UDA Arcade and Bazar MPKB in the last general election because the project to be undertaken by PMBK was not profit-oriented.
Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional assemblyman and state opposition leader Datuk Alwi Che Ahmad demanded that the state government explain the issue to the people as taxpayers’ money was involved.
“I was made to understand that the agreement involved a 2.36ha land but only 0.6ha was utilised to build the bazaar and the rest of the land was given to a company,” he said in an interview.

tunku : if this thing is done by the opposition then it is not a wrong thing to do but if BN did that then they will jump up and down like a baboon looking for food. what type of ulamak is this.he is clearly using his position to help his son in-law out. he is worst then pak lah. if syed azidi had not revealed this blunder no one would have known about it but then again if syed azidi still with pmbk we will never know about it too.what a shame.he call himself more islamic than others but his acting like an evil.state government has no money and now have to dig 50million to cover up the mistake of tok guru's son in-law.

Tougher penalties for hiring illegals

PUTRAJAYA: There will be no second chance for employers who hire illegal immigrants.
Come Feb 15, the authorities will throw the book at errant employers by also charging them under the the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (ATPA).
Currently, errant employers only face charges under the Immigration Act, which would see them being fined RM5,000 for each illegal worker. They also face whipping for harbouring illegals.
Errant employers will now face longer jail sentences and heavier fines when they are also charged under the ATPA.
Immigration director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman said harbouring or hiring illegal immigrants could be linked to offences under the APTA which include exploitation, debt bondage and slavery.
“These drastic measures are needed to curb the number of overstayers in the country.”
The department is now giving errant employers, including multinational companies, till Feb 15 to clean up their act, after which there will be no second chance.
He said during this period, the department would try to educate employers through associations, industries as well as fliers on the penalty for hiring or harbouring illegals.
“After that, we will go after them aggressively. They should come forward now because when we get them, charge them and push for maximum penalties, they cannot feign ignorance of the law," he said in an interview yesterday.
"Even if they come forward now and surrender their illegal workers, they would still have to face the law. They may get leniency from the department or from the court."
But there would be no leniency after Feb 15 as the chief justice, in a recent meeting with the department, had told prosecuting officers to push for the maximum sentence in each case, he said.
"We were told not to ask the court to use their discretion when sentencing those caught for hiring or harbouring illegals."
Rahman was responding to the issue of nearly 40,000 Indian citizens missing from Immigration records, stated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to visiting Indian journalists on Tuesday.
Rahman said the department could not give the exact number of foreigners who were overstaying here as many could have left Malaysia through illegal channels.
He said operations to weed out illegal immigrants would also focus on those who came into the country on student passes.
Last month alone saw 6,261 student passes issued in Peninsular Malaysia, with 1,014 granted to those from China (see table A). Last year, Sabah issued 150 student passes while Sarawak issued 8,306.
Rahman said many had abused the RM60-a-year pass to avoid heavier levies. Those who work in the service sector pay RM1,800 a year.
The department last year arrested 46,900 foreigners and locals for Immigration offences while 73 employers were charged with hiring illegals. More than 30 employers were also arrested for harbouring illegals.
Rahman said the country was also losing significantly in cash outflow where reports in 2006 revealed that US$2.7 billion (RM9.18 billion) was channelled out to Indonesia alone.
He said the current maximum fine of RM3,000 for overstaying, was not enough of a deterrent.
"Take a person working in the illicit flesh trade who makes RM300 a day and overstays for 60 days. They would have earned RM18,000. After being fined that amount, they would still return home with RM15,000."
Rahman said the department was expected to ensure tourists' arrivals were not impeded by strict enforcement at entry points.
He, however, revealed that the department had last year imposed the "Not Permitted to Land" ruling on 25,084 foreign individuals (refer to table B).

tunku : the law is there but no stern action taken by the authorities.we can see thousands are working without permit.why and what make them to work freely without fear, may it be the employee or employer? we hope the authorities concern DARE TO TAKE ACTION on those employers who are hiring illegals.they should have gone after them aggressively long time ago and not after the pm told the media about those "missing" people.we hope this action won't be a seasonal one.

Sodomy 2 : Roadshow by coward.

Roadshow ahead of Anwar's sodomy trial

In a campaign to stir public support for Anwar Ibrahim, Pakatan Rakyat is embarking on a nationwide roadshow of ceramah (talks).
“This is the first in a series of talks to explain the conspiracy against Anwar,” said PKR deputy president R Sivarasa to a crowd of about 300 cheering supporters last night.
Sivarasa, who is among Anwar's lawyers in the upcoming sodomy trial, was speaking at a community hall in Section 7, Kota Damansara, Selangor.
He urged those present to attend the hearing, scheduled to start on Jan 25, as a show of support for the PKR de facto leader.
“Programmes like these are good because we can talk and explain directly to the people. The mainstream media is not free.. nor is it balanced in its reporting,”said Sivarasa.
He complained that the voices of Pakatan leaders are being drowned out in the pro-government mainstream media.

tunku : if the melodrama queen,the master moron is innocent, why he need a roadshow to get the support from the public? just produce facts and evidences in court.there's no need going out of the court and barks. what a roadshow, only 300 attended it last night. it is just like selling traditional medicine at the night market.why do they need mainstream media, when they have all the alternative media to themselves. nowadays mainstream media is no longer a main source of news/info for the people. people should realize by now, how this moron tell lies all the time. go to the court and settle it there, no need to bark outside the court.are you afraid moron?

Nearly 40,000 Indian Nationals "Missing" In Malaysia - Najib

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- A total of 39,046 Indian citizens are "missing" in Malaysia after their tourist visas expired and it is a worrying issue for the country, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
The prime minister said they had gone missing from the Immigration Department's records, according to an estimate drawn up in June last year.
That was why the department was not keen on visa-on-arrival for Indians as the facility had been abused, especially by those from Chennai, he said.
"These people who came to Malaysia through the visa-on-arrival facility, could be back in India or be among people here...(maybe) working in the Indian restaurants.
"We just don't know where these people are now...probably still in Malaysia for economic reasons," he said in a interview with visiting Indian journalists at his office here Monday.
Najib indicated that he might take up the issue during his three-day official visit to India, beginning Jan 19.
The prime minister said Malaysia had been quite liberal in allowing priests and barbers from India to come and work in the country.
"We would like the Indian people to visit Malaysia as tourists. We have been quiet liberal. We want genuine ones. They are most welcome.
"We are willing to consider reintroducing the visa scheme for people coming from cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi but not from Chennai. The problem of overstaying is only from Chennai, he said.
Asked whether the government would hold any dialogue with the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Najib said many people had realised that the group had "really exaggerated and manipulated the whole situation" of the ethnic Indian minority.
He said that most Indians in the country wanted the government to be sensitive to their needs and the government had been responsive.
"We have attended to a lot of the Indian problems and I don't see that Hindraf has been an important force in Malaysian politics," he said.
Asked on the move by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to appoint a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Najib said any follow-up action would be possible only if India and Pakistan were agreeable.
"Malaysia feels that the issue should be settled through peaceful negotiations," he added.

tunku : it is not only the indians went "missing" in malaysia after their visas are expired but also from pakistan,china,indonesian,bangladesh and some from africa and south america.the government should launch a massive raid nationwide to look for these 'missing' people as they are not only creating social problems etc but also threat to the national security. these people can do any crime and go missing without trace.the government lost it's revenue too from these "missing" people as they are "working" in this country without legal documents.i am sure the crime rate will reduce if these "missing" people are traced.

Savings From Sugar Subsidy Can Help The Poor, Says Umno Youth

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth says the estimated savings of RM260 million from subsidising sugar could be managed and distributed through a transparent mechanism to help instead the poor and lower income group of people.
"Any general removal of subsidy should be accompanied by a compensation package or special assistance to the needy group," it said in a statement Monday.
The party also called on the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism to increase the level of monitoring and enforcement to prevent steep price increases in goods as well as the smuggling of goods.
The price of sugar went up 20 sen to RM1.65 per kg in Peninsular Malaysia, and to RM1.75 per kg in Sabah and Sarawak effective January 1.
On the proposed restructuring of petrol subsidy to come into effect May 1 this year, Umno youth said it fully supported the principle of ensuring that only those who qualify for the subsidy get to buy petrol at the subsidised cost.
However, it also expressed concerns that the restructuring of petrol subsidy could bring about several problems.
It would not be completely accurate and fair to measure one's economic capacity based on the size of their vehicle engine capacity as vehicles with higher engine capacity need not be expensive vehicles, it said.
Umno Youth also said that people who own several vehicles would be able to fill up petrol for their cars with smaller engines and later transfer it to the larger cars.
This system of two prices could possibly bring about the resale of petrol from one individual to another and consequently create a black market, it said.
In view of this, Pemuda Umno urged the government to counter the potential problems that could arise from the fuel price restructuring.
Beginning May, petrol will be sold under two different prices. While qualified citizens will pay for subsidised petrol, foreigners will be paying the original cost minus subsidy.
The petrol price for citizens meanwhile will depend on their vehicle's engine capacity and with the use of Mykad.

tunku : we want the government to help the poor and for the education of our children. recently the education ministry has cut down the food budget for those students staying in hostels.they used to enjoy free food for 250 days and now it has been cut down to 200 days. that means the student need to pay on their own for the balance 50 days from this year onwards.for the less income group it will be a burden for them.not only that, the special assistance for the poor students to get free tuition has been cancelled/scaled down too because of the smaller budget to the schools and allowance cut for the teachers.this will make the poor student will get less opportunity to get extra lesson.this is where the government should give assistance and special attention.we hope the government will look into this matter and give extra budget to the schools.we want umno youth to address this issue and help those students to get back what they deserve.

update 14/1/10 : thank you government.

Bravo Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun

JP chief Malakun: Drop using word “Allah”

KOTA KINABALU: Council of Justice of Peace Malaysia president Clarence Bongkos Malakun is asking Christians to take stock and drop using the term “Allah” in the interest of national security and public order.
He believed the Catholic Archbishop, Murphy Pakiam, had already made a good point for the “Herald” on the constitutional rights of the non-Muslim religion to use the word “Allah” by winning “the first round at the court”.
“It is now perhaps the right time for us Christians, in particular Catholics, to take stock of the situation and in the interest of national security and public order to willingly drop the use of the word “Allah” in order to pacify the feelings of our Muslim brothers who were angered by the High Court ruling,” he said.
“Instead of insisting the right to use the word Allah, the Catholics should just use Tuhan or Tuhan Yang Mahakuasa. We should not argue that Allah is commonly used by Christians in Indonesia or Egypt or Yemen. “We are not in Indonesia nor in Egypt, Iraq or in Yemen. We are in Malaysia and so we should follow what is justifiably sensible law or rules in Malaysia,” he said. “Let us therefore allow our Muslim brothers to have exclusive use of the word ‘Allah’ so that for all eternity, we can all live in peace and harmony in Malaysia.
“The Home Ministry may then allow the Herald to live in peace. The Holy Bibles, if already printed with the word “Allah” can always be replaced and perhaps the Government can consider giving special allocation to replace them.
“The Home Ministry should also consider giving the church authorities permit to print the Holy Bible in Bahasa Malaysia, which had caused the Christians to buy Bibles from Indonesia in the first place because they could not easily get them in Malaysia,” he said.
He said non-Muslims in Sabah may validly argue that they had been using the word “Allah” even before Malaysia was formed.
“But after having seen the latest burning of some churches in West Malaysia, we should now quickly come to terms with the matter and come up with a solution without wasting time to wait for the Court of Appeal verdict.
“The Christians must understand that our Muslim brothers are angry because they feel that the word Allah is traditionally used in Malaysia to refer to the Islamic concept of God.
“Allah to them is perceived to be radically different from the ‘God’ that the Christians venerate and adore,” he said.
Malakun said he was aware that many fellow Christians would disagree and perhaps “start to condemn me” but “if we are really true Christians, we should be forgiving, reasonable and peace loving people”.
“Why do we fight over a word? What do we really gain by winning the legal battle to use the word Allah? Why do we really need the court of law to grant us the right to use of the word Allah?
“Did our Father in Heaven ask us to go to the court in order that His name be officially confirmed or endorsed by the courts as Allah?
“Did not the Lord Jesus say somewhere in the Bible that we should be forgiving, merciful and kind to our fellow human beings and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves?,” he said.
Malakun, who is also the Chairman of the Institute for Development Studies (Sabah-IDS) doubted whether the followers of Christianity in Malaysia would suddenly decrease or increase by 10-fold if the church can no longer use the word Allah.
“We sometimes hear people spontaneously shout Puji Tuhan! or Praise the Lord! in the church. They never say “Puji Allah!”. “If the Government decides that non-Muslims should not use the word Allah then we should just try and comply without going to the courts.
I do not think that many of us became Christians in the first place, simply because the court of law decided that for us,” he said.
Having understood the Muslim concept of God or Allah, he said the Christians should be willing to reconcile for in Malaysia it is enshrined in the Constitution that Islam is the official religion.
“The ultras will gain strength if we push too far on the issue and if the reasonable and liberal Malay leaders are out, things can become worse as what happened in Iran after the Shah was pushed out of power,” he said.
Malakun sympathised with the Judge who was first assigned to hear the case and also the Judges at the Court of Appeal and perhaps later at Federal Court level, who have to make a decision either for or against their respective belief or religion.
“We should consider the difficulty faced by the Federal Government, as well as by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as head of Islam, as well as the various Rulers who are pressured by their subjects to make a stand on this Allah issue,” he said.
Towards this end, he urged the Catholic Church to be careful not to be seen as leading the “fight” against the Government while the rest of the Christian denominations as well as the Hindus and the Buddhists are officially not joining in the court case.
“The Archbishop must be careful not to be used or prodded from the back.
If anything goes bad, the Catholics in Malaysia would be blamed but if there is any good coming out of the situation, the silent ones might also claim the same benefits for their own group,” he said.
If the Christians could agree to forgo the use of the word “Allah”, he believed there would be a lasting peace and understanding between the various faiths in Malaysia.
“The Federal Government under Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will surely be beholden to the Christian leaders for their willingness to compromise and assist the Prime Minister as well as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in solving one very sensitive and explosive issue,” said Malakun who joined is a member of Upko led Bernard Dompok.

tunku : full compliments to datuk clarence. like he said this issue should not have been brought to the court. he had pointed out all the points so left me nothing much to say more. we hope that this issue will be settle behind close door and not in the court. let us live peacefully and move on.the government too should assist in the reprinting of the Bibles like suggested by datuk clarence.we hope all the leaders will sit down together to resolve this issue asap.

Bernama Should Highlight Gaza's True Scenario - Dr Mahathir

SEPANG, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants national news agency Bernama to highlight the true scenario in Gaza.
"That's good, Bernama went along. I think Bernama must make a point of showing all the destruction.
"I hope you have taken pictures of the destruction, houses and buildings," the former prime minister, who is also Perdana Global Peace Organisation chairman, told a press conference Sunday.
He was speaking after the arrival of a nine-member Malaysian team which had participated in the largest Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The Malaysian team comprised a four-member Bernama TV crew, four Perdana Global personnel and a Yayasan Al Bukhari representative. They were part of the 450-member convoy.
The Bernama TV crew was made up of assistant producer and news presenter Azmawati Azmi; journalist Kuzaimah Idris; news presenter Masrenny Masri and cameraman Mohd Shafie Abdullah.
Team members had related at the press conference that there were bomb explosions in Gaza while the western media had reported to the world that Gaza was currently a peaceful zone.
"You talk about bomb explosions. I thought the Gaza war is over. Most people think now it is very peaceful in Gaza," said Dr Mahathir, looking disappointed.
"The western world talks about some minor issues but when a place like Gaza is constantly attacked by Israel, "this practically is not news even in the local Malaysian newspapers.
"I have not read about bombs and things like that. I only know their houses have not been re-built and they have to live in very primitive conditions."
Dr Mahathir also hoped that Malaysian newspapers would not depend on the western press as "it is owned by people related to Israelis."
He noted that everyone knew that the Jews were killing Muslims and Christians in Gaza, and Christians in Palestine.
On the Malaysian team's spirit, Dr Mahathir said the team had good spirit as it wished to accomplish the (humanitarian) mission.
"Of course, from this distance in the comfort of our homes and our country, we may not appreciate the drive that is needed to accomplish such a mission."

tunku : very true, nothing is reported about the situation in Gaza because we depend very much on western medias which will never write the truth about what's happening in Palestine. they cover up all israel's cruelty against the people of palestine.we hope news agency like bernama and few credible medias will expose the actual situation in Gaza.it is so sad seeing the palestinians are kill daily brutally by the zionist regime and its people in their own country.GOD DAMN THE ZIONIST.

Dr Mahathir Reminds People To Stay Calm On Church Issue

SHAH ALAM, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad advised the people to stay calm in the wake of the arson attacks at three churches around Kuala Lumpur and not resort to any unruly behaviour which could jeopardise racial harmony in the country.
He said it was always easier to control sophisticated, educated and liberal people in matters involving religious sentiments but not the "so-called" less-educated and irrational ones.
"The only way to resolve this issue (church arson) is to stay calm, but how can you assure that the less-educated would also listen and (stay clam)," he told reporters after launching Proton's 2010 Family Day celebration held in conjunction with its 25th anniversary, here Saturday.
Three churches, the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur; the Assumption Church and the Life Chapel in Petaling Jaya were subjected to arson attacks late Thursday night and early yesterday.
Mahathir said that it was always better to discuss sensitive issues like religious issues behind closed-doors and not by going overboard in holding public rallies and demonstrations.
"In this country, certain sensitive issues should be resolved behind closed-doors, but when you have a public event with courts making decisions, then some people might be happy and there will be some unhappy ... I am unhappy," he said in referring to the High Court decision on Dec 31 allowing the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in its weekly publication, Herald.
On the call by the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ) asking media publishers not to play up racial issues in their publications, Mahathir said newsmen should be mature enough not to play up such issues.
He also called on Malaysians not to toe the line on liberal views on certain sensitive issues being adopted and practised by some developed countries. "We are living in a multi-religious, multi-economy, multi-cultural and multi-lingual society ... we shouldn't be toeing the line of so-called developed countries' civilization and liberal views.
"We have become a developed country in our own mould and that doesn't mean being so liberal as to start walking around naked and so forth. That is their (developed countries') way of considering themselves being developed and not us," he added.

tunku : we should all stay calm not only one group.we have seen now some tried to retaliate by an attack on a surau in klang. this is not a healthy situation. media too must not play racial issues.we have seen malaysiakini playing racial issues daily in their website.the KDN should act immediately on them. the Allah issue should not have been brought to court in the first place. like what Tun Mahathir said that issue which is sensitive like religious issues should be discuss and settle behind closed-doors.when thing happens like the current issue, certain group takes advantage for their personal agenda and make life worst for all of us.the pakatan leaders visit the arson attack sites and blames the government for the incidents without any helps but the government visit the site and offer helps without blaming others.

Pakatan Rakyat behind The Arson Attack ?

This is the expertise of anwar,to bring chaos in the country.With the Sarawak state election expected to be held this year he is trying hard to get the support from Sarawakians and he knows that the majority of Sarawakians are Christian. He had used the same day that the Muslim did some peaceful protest rally for his mission. This was well planned by them.Right after that we can hear the voices from pakatan leaders especially zaid ibrahim started to blame Umno.Umno till today had never terrorize as it always believe in negotiations and discussions.We achieved our independence through negotiations and discussions. anwar and his pakatan buddies had planned this to undermine the government and had planned for the international level pressure to Najib's government.Malaysian should be alert on this matter as we want to maintain our peaceful society.We don't even want to be like Australia where Indians are torched alive. So my fellow Malaysians, don't falls into the pakatan's trap. I am not saying all their leaders are bad but most of them as to them power comes first , people and the country last. people like anwar does not deserve to be citizen of this beloved country. he has only his own personal agenda. He's trying his best to divert all the issue from his coming court case which will be very soon. As for yesterday arson attacks, we hope our fellow Christian brothers and sisters calm down and we the Muslims in this country condemn the arson attacks.We had live together peacefully all these while and we will make sure that we will live peacefully together forever.

Arson attacks: It was a bloody coward and stupid act

PM, other leaders condemn arson attacks

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has condemned the attacks made on three churches in the Klang Valley but has asked the public not to start pointing fingers at who may have been responsible for the attacks.
The Prime Minister said he viewed the matter seriously as these actions could jeopardise harmony, adding that the Government would take all possible action to prevent such incident from recurring.
At the same time, Najib had directed the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to beef up security and surveillance at places of worship.
“We must not allow the peace and the understanding that we have among Malaysians of various ethnic backgrounds and faiths be threatened by anyone or any parties.
“As I have said before, whatever problems that arise, we must use the right channel and method to solve it. Our action must not be against the law as this can jeapordise harmony,” he told reporters after chairing the fourth Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) on Friday.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Chief Secterary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan.
Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin at the Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati on Friday
Najib also reminded the public not to point fingers on who the perpetrators behind the church attacks were but should allow the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
“Action will be taken against those responsible based on facts and the law,” he said.
Asked if there were fears of retaliation due to the incident, the Prime Minister said the authorities must nip the problem in the bud.
“I hope with statements and action taken by the police, people will not take law into their hands. The IGP will report to me on the incident once there are evidence and new developments,” he added.
MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen at the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati on Friday.
Other public figures have come out to condemn the arson attacks against the two churches.
Urging all parties to remain calm, they also asked for swift police action to ensure the situation does not get out of control.
In the meantime, the MCA is offering the Metro Tabernacle Church the use of its hall at Wisma MCA for its services this Sunday, vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.
The MCA, through its religious bureaus, will find an immediate place for the Metro Tabernacle to relocate, she said.
“This is the act of a very small group of Malaysians. We need to come together and work against any form of violence.
“Do not leave it to the Government or the police alone; the rakyat (people) must come together and stand up for each other,” she said.
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who was at the Assumption Church, condemned the attack, describing it as a cowardly act.
“I urge the police to give protection to all churches and conduct a thorough investigation on the attack on the Assumption Church,” he added.
Khalid also said that he was grateful to the church auuthorities, who had given their reassurance that they would not react to the arson attack.
“I appeal to the people in Selangor to refrain from any further such action, which will only cause further trouble for all people,” he added.
Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin said it was a dark day for Malaysia.
"This is a despicable act. This is not the Malaysia I know," said Khairy, who visited the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawait in Kuala Lumpur, which was attacked by arsonists early Friday.
He urged the police to act swiftly.
Saying that Barisan Nasional Youth strongly condemned the action, Khairy Jamaluddin added that whatever the feelings of anyone on the issue of the usage of the word “Allah” in the Herald, the irresponsible action of those who destroy places of worship should not be defended by Muslims.
“If Muslims are responsible for this incident, they should be ashamed and remorseful because clearly Islam advises Muslims to respect other religious beliefs.
“Malaysia is a multiracial country. There will be arguments and misunderstandings over issues which touch on race and religion.
“What is important is the people should resolve any problems with maturity and respect for each other’s sensitivity,” he said in a statement.
Selangor PAS termed the arson attacks as cowardly acts.
“We view the news of the attacks on churches, including in Selangor, with sadness and regret. Such attacks have never happened in our country and they do not at all reflect our culture, tradition or the religious beliefs of Malaysians.
“Selangor PAS sympathises with the affected churches and urges all PAS members in the state to remain calm and patient and pray for the safety of all,” its state Information chief Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir said in a statement.
Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir said it was very important for all Muslim Malaysians to condemn the act whole-heartedly.
"This is not what Islam is about. The leadership must play its role and come out and tell the people not to condemn houses of worship," she told reporters at the church site.
Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said all political party leaders should take a common stand to condemn the attacks.
They should condemn “in the strongest possible terms the spate of church attacks in the wake of the ‘Allah’ controversy and ensure that there is no further escalation.
“As Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should immediately impress on the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to take all urgent and necessary measures to protect the good name of the country or be held responsible for any undesirable consequences,” he said.
Wangsa Maju Member of Parliament Wee Choo Keong said he was very shocked.
“The Prime Minister and Inspector-General of Police mus take immediate action to protect all places of worship regardless of their religion.
“We do not want to inflame the present tensions in the country or the country’s unity will be set back many years -- this is a test for the Prime Minister and his 1Malaysia vision,” he said.

tunku : WE STRONGLY CONDEMN THIS STUPID AND COWARD ACT BY SOME MORONS.we demand the government to take fast action on this matter and do not delay in the investigation. the police must really get down to it and find those culprits involved in it.these people should be charged under the ISA for national security.we do not want such incident to happen in Malaysia. what we can see here is clearly some people taking advantage of the current issue to achieve their personal agenda. they are using this to create tense so the government won't be stable.we want police to get them asap.

Actual Value Of F5-E Engine Is RM303,570 Each - Zahid

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The actual value of a piece of F5-E jet engine belongs to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) based on the purchase contract in 1972 is RM303,570, including the afterburner, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
He said that an aircraft fixed with two of such engines at that time would have the value of between RM3.895 million and RM28.047 million.
"I would like to stress that the contract to purchase (the two missing F-5E engines) was made in 1972.
"At that time, the engine's price, including the afterburner, was USD121,428 each and based on the dollar-ringgit exchange rate at that time, the price was RM303,570," he told reporters when asked on the actual value of the engine which was previously reported to be about RM50 million each.
Ahmad Zahid said the RM50 million estimation was not made by the Defence Ministry nor by any of those involved in the investigations.
The RM50 million figure could have been originated from other parties who made the valuation based on the current price of a new engine, he said.
He also said that the ministry took a long time to clarify the engine's price due to procedural matters.
"We need to carry out internal investigations and this requires time to obtain all the information and related documents," he said.
He also said that there should not be any prejudice over the court process on the issue, saying it was wrong to assume that only small fries were prosecuted in the case.
Yesterday a RMAF personnel and a company director were charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court over the missing F-5E engines belonged to the RMAF.

tunku : the question here is why after a very long time then only zahid came out with the actual price of the stolen engines? he should had announced it after it was reported earlier.is there a conspiracy between zahid and kj to discredit najib's administration? najib should open his eyes wide.

Two price structures for petrol from May 1

PETALING JAYA: There will be two price structures for petrol from May 1 -- one for Malaysians and another for foreigners -- Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Thursday.
For Malaysians, the price of petrol will also be based on engine capacity, which means that not all would be entitled to subsidised fuel, he added.
Different petrol prices would be introduced for different groups of Malaysians, Ismail told a press conference here on Thursday after launching the new corporate identity of the F&N Soft Drinks Division. Amongst the things that would be considered are the engine capacity of vehicles and socio-economic factors, he said.
He said that the subsidy for petrol would be retained but only targeted groups would receive the subsidy.
“The categories will then be divided into sub-categories such as the engine capacity of the vehicles used and other factors such as socio-economy,” he said.
“For RON95 petrol, the Goverment’s subsidy is 30sen per litre now. The current price of RON95 petrol is RM1.80 compared to the actual price, which is RM2.10.
“So, Malaysians who are not eligible for the subsidy and also non-citizens will have to pay RM2.10 or more,” he added.
Besides introducing the new structure, the ministry also plans to make the usage of My-Kad compulsory when buying petrol to identify one’s nationality.
“We have Thai nationals who drive into Malaysia to fill up their tank as they don’t receive any subsidy, which makes petrol such an expensive commodity there,” he said.
Further information on the new structure would be announced on May 1, 2010.
Umno deputy youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who first broached the subject in 2007 when debating the economic resolution before the last general election, had said that the subsidy must reach only the people who most needed it.
The current method was tantamount to a misallocation of funds, he had said.
Meanwhile, the subsidies on flour, sugar and gas would be retained, announced Ismail.
“Although the price for sugar has increased by 20sen, the Government is still footing the 80sen subsidy on sugar,” he said.
Ismail later conducted spot checks on several stores and eateries in the area to check on whether they had increased the price of food items after the increase in sugar price.
He said that the 20sen increase in sugar price should not be taken advantage of by food outlet operators.
“Food outlet operators should not regard this as an opportunity to increase the prices of food items,” he said.

tunku : the two price structures for petrol that is one for Malaysians and another for foreigners is a very good method but different prices for malaysian is not a good thing for the government to implement.we hope the government will listen to the people.we heard that only car below 1600cc will get subsidized petrol come 1st may. not everyone using a 2000cc car is from higher income group. a rm8000 car of 20 years old can be 2500cc. the government should really think every aspect before implementing the different price structure for malaysian. the best is cars below 2800/3000cc should get subsidized petrol and anything above that without subsidized petrol.please listen to the people before implementing it.we have seen pak lah's stupidity before which the result was very clear with the election's result.hope najib will learn from it.one thing for sure no subsidized petrol for kj.