Desperate PAS To Open Door For Non-muslim Leaders If The Need Arise

SHAH ALAM, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- A PAS Supreme Council member claimed the party was willing to accept non-Muslims into positions as high as deputy president should the need arise.
Dzulkefly Ahmad who is also the Kuala Selangor Member of Parliament (MP) believes the prospect was possible as it could address the change for intellectual renewal and withstand the challenges of time.
"Maybe the need is not there now but if put forward, we are ready to discuss the possibility at the PAS Muktamar.
"However, this depends on the need and necessity of the party," he said at a news conference after participating in a forum entitled "Mengapa Undi Melayu Pecah" at Karangkraf Complex here Tuesday.
At the forum, the moderator Dr Maszlee Malik, a lecturer from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA), had asked Dzulkefly whether PAS was ready to emulate the footsteps of the Egypt's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, who appointed Coptic Christian intellectutal Rafiq Habib as its vice-president.

tunku: never knew that pas can go so low but it is not a surprise statement by its leaders as they have changed a lot lately. in 5 years time i guess pas will not be a islamic base party anymore. hope the Muslims in pas could realize this and quit the party asap. pas is demonized. later they will come out with the statement non muslim can be the pm of this country just to fish for vote.

PAS Will Never Recognise Israel but will remain with Anwar, Says Nik Aziz

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- PAS Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has reiterated that the party will never recognise "the forbidden state of Israel".
He said it is an appropriate stand considering that Israel came about by way of the denial of the rights of Muslims and deprivation of the rights of the Palestinian people.
It is forbidden to accept the existence of Israel, all the more when the Israeli authorities engage in the endless torture and killing of the Palestinian people, including children, women and the elderly, he said in a statement published on the party's website, www.pas.org.my.
"We leave it to (Opposition Leader) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to accept this stand of PAS," he said.
Nik Aziz's statement comes in the wake of his meeting with Anwar, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor, over the latter's statement expressing support for "all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel".

tunku : it is obvious that anwar did made the statement of “I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel”.he is not suing WSJ, he is not suing local media as they all did report the truth.now that nik aziz had confirmed it too by saying that they leave it to anwar to accept the stand of pas. this shows clearly he did mean what he said. the question here now is pas. why is pas still with anwar? pas said they will never recognize the state of israel but still working hand in hand with anwar. if anwar becomes the pm and made a policy to protect the security of israel what can pas do with less majority of members in the government? this clearly shows that pas is together with anwar in whatsoever.

Anwar says Nik Aziz understands Israel statement

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who met Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat on Tuesday to explain his controversial statement on Israel, said the PAS spiritual leader understood his stand on the issue.
The Opposition leader also said he would not sue The Wall Street Journal over the report "as it was not wrong".
However, Anwar accused the mainstream media of deliberately misconstruing his statement.
"Nik Aziz heard and listened to my explanation. I understand PAS' strong and clear views on the issue of Israel.
"I feel good now that I have explained and cleared any doubt there was over the statement made (on Israel)," he said.
Anwar met Nik Aziz and party information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man for an hour.

tunku : as mentioned earlier, it's just over like that. both are happy and anwar will not have to sue WSJ as it reported the truth and nik aziz is "charmed" by anwar that he had to accept whatever anwar said to him. it is all drama.

Nik Aziz And Anwar Meeting Tuesday - Mahfuz

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- The much anticipated meeting between Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in relation to the opposition leader's controversial statement supporting Israel's security actions, is scheduled for Tuesday.
On Feb 13, Nik Aziz urged Anwar to retract his statement if he had actually made it or sue The Wall Street Journal if they had got it wrong.
PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar confirmed the meeting during a press conference at the party headquarters today, but gave no details on its location and time.
Questioned as to what PAS would do if Anwar failed to retract the statement, Mahfuz said, "We'll wait for the outcome of the meeting."

tunku : the outcome of the meeting will be nik aziz will say that he is satisfied with anwar's explanation and that's it. before this pas's majlis syura demanded an explanation from anwar regarding his remarks of supporting israel's security.by right anwar should meet them and explain not to nik aziz alone. and if anwar said that the wall street journal has twisted his statement, when is he going to sue them as demanded by nik aziz earlier?this is just a drama played by those two jokers.

EPF Announces 6 Per Cent Dividend For 2011, The Highest In A Decade

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) today announced a dividend of six per cent for its members for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2011, an increase of 20 basis points from 5.8 per cent for 2010.
Chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said the rate, the highest in 10 years, would involve payment of RM24.47 billion, from RM21.61 billion for the previous year.
Based on previous reports, the highest dividend announced by EPF was 8.5 per cent, paid to subscribers from 1983 to 1987.
Samsudin said 2011 marked another commendable achievement for EPF, despite the challenging investment landscape, by posting a gross investment income of RM27.24 billion, an increase of 13.18 per cent from 2010.
"It is the strongest performance since 2001, an affirmation of our long term and prudent investment strategy, combined with continuous efforts by our investment team," he said in a statement here today.
While the fixed income investments provided stable returns, Samsudin said, the EPF's overall performance was contributed by the gains in both the domestic and global public listed equities and management programmes.
As at Dec 31, 2011, he said EPF total investment assets continued to register healthy growth of 6.52 per cent to RM469.22 billion, from RM440.52 billion in 2010.
"This rise is primarily contributed by the positive net annual contributions from members and employers, as well as consistent and encouraging investment performance," he added.
He said equities formed the largest income contributor at RM13.29 billion or 48.81 per cent of the total income from investments.
"This is followed by loans and bonds, Malaysian government securities and money market instruments, which contribute RM7.54 billion, RM5.63 billion and RM656.36 million, respectively.
The balance of RM115.41 million or 0.43 per cent is from property and other miscellaneous income," he added.
Samsudin said EPF had gradually and cautiously moved into higher yielding assets within tolerable risk limits.
"The strategy seems to bode well, in advance of our expectation as we managed to out-perform the current fixed deposit and interest rates," he added.
He said one of the highlights of EPF investment activities in 2011 was the completion of the joint acquisition (with UEM Group) of Plus Expressway Berhad through co-investment vehicle, PLUS Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
"In addition, we have also expanded our global investment exposure in properties, as well as equities and Sukuks.
"These expansions are in line with our investment objective and strategy guided by our Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Management Framework," he added.
He said EPF members could check their account statement for the crediting of the 2011 dividend either through the EPF kiosks, counters or i-Akaun, from tomorrow.

tunku : thank you EPF. with good corporate governance and with good government policies and hard works, we are able to achieve this. hopefully EPF will do better next year.

PR did not demand Anwar's retraction on Israel

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Keadilan Rakyat secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution said during the Pakatan Rakyat's presidential council meeting on Monday, none of Pas leaders present demanded for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to retract or take legal action against the Wall Street Journal over his statement on supporting "all efforts to protect the security of Israel."
Saifuddin told The Mole although Anwar’s statement in the WSJ was discussed during the meeting, they have not decided anything yet.
“We had our meeting yesterday (on Monday) and the leaders have already discussed the statement. We will wait for the response from Anwar himself ,” he said adding the party’s de facto leader is abroad and scheduled to return on Wednesday.
“None of Pas representatives made any demands during the meeting similar to that made by Pas’ Majlis Syura (Council of Religious Elders),” he added.
The Machang MP said PKR will be issuing an official statement regarding Pas’ demands and Anwar’s statement after their monthly political bureau meeting today.
Pas’ spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat had urged Anwar to retract his statement as reported by Wall Street Journal.
In a news report in Pas’ newsletter Harakah, Nik Aziz reportedly said, “if it had been wrongly reported or conveyed a different meaning, we advise Anwar Ibrahim to take legal action against WSJ to clear his name.”
PKR Wanita head Zuraida Kamaruddin also said that Anwar is expected to issue a press statement soon regarding the matter.
“I think it is best to let Anwar himself to verify the matter,” she said, declining to comment further.
The Mole had previously reported that Pas leaders are still seeking clarification from Anwar regarding his controversial remarks on protecting the state of Israel.
Meanwhile DAP leaders had decided to keep mum over the matter, regarding it as ‘highly sensitive.’
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said in a text message, “I don’t want to comment on this highly sensitive issue.”
Only its national vice chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw acknowledged that Anwar’s statement had brought an important point of discussion for people.
Nonetheless in a text message reply, Dr Tan said, “we (DAP) have supported the United Nations resolution on Palestine and Israel.’’
“The rights of all parties must be protected including the rights of Palestinians to their territories before the 1967 war.’’
“There must be a peaceful solution for Palestine,” he added.

tunku : no one bother to discuss about this issue. they are only commenting on it individually but when it comes to pakatan, there's no official stand. what does it mean? this is all melodrama by pakatan leaders to cover up the damaged done by it's leader. by right they should had come out with a firm stand that pakatan do not support the state of israel.i am sure they will come up with some "story" later to clear the mess.let us wait and see. nik aziz too will say he had "accepted" anwar's explanation. let us wait for next week to see the dramas.

Nik Aziz, PAS' Ulama Council Ask Anwar To Retract Statement On Israel

KOTA BAHARU, Feb 14 (Bernama) -- Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has urged Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to retract his purported statement that he (Anwar) supported all actions taken to safeguard the security of Israel.
Nik Aziz, who is also PAS spritual leader, said PAS' Ulama Council (Council of Relgious Elders) which met in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, decided that Anwar should retract the statement which was carried by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
"If The Wall Street Journal was inaccurate in reporting what he (Anwar) said, then we hope he will sue the newspaper," he told reporters after attending an event here Monday night.
Nik Aziz said he had sent a letter to this effect to Anwar.
"As friends, it is our duty to correct each other, and if see something not right with our friends, then we should tell them so and vice versa. This what Islam teaches us.
"So I have done my part as a friend and as PAS spiritual leader in asking him to retract his statement on Israel," said Nik Aziz.
In a separate statement, Nik Aziz said the security of an illegal state like Israel was not the responsibility of Arabs or Muslims at large because the state itself was formed on the back cruel policies.
He added that PAS was not in favour of the two-state solution to the Palestinian problem.

tunku : do you think anwar has the gut to sue the wall street journal? he don't even dare to sue ezam,dato T etc.he only dares to sue utusan, thats all. by right nik aziz should give an ultimatum to anwar, retract or we are out from pakatan, that is the way to do it. this is just another drama by nik aziz because of the pressure from the grassroots.

Federal Government To Itemise Aid Given To Kelantan Over The Years - Mustapa

KOTA BAHARU, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- The federal government is to itemise its financial allocations to the Kelantan government over the years to enable the people know the facts, Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said today.
He said the people of Kelantan have yet to get a clear picture of the federal government's assistance to the PAS-led state government to develop the state.
"The people of Kelantan do not know the details of the federal government financial allocations to the state all this while. This is a major thing that we will explain to them soon.
"Every year, more than 30 per cent of the allocation is used for state administrative purposes and 70 per cent for development expenses. The people should know this," he said after chairing a meeting of the Kelantan Federal Development Action Council at the Federal Development Department, here.
Mustapa, who is international trade and industry minister, said the move to itemise the aid is purely to counter the allegations of the opposition that the federal government has been mean to the state government in terms of financial allocation.
He said the people should also know that the federal government has built a water treatment plant at Pintu Geng here at a cost of RM52 million.
He also said that the federal government has allocated RM100 million to build state roads in Kelantan.
Mustapa refuted opposition claims that the federal government has failed to implement several projects in the state, saying that the Sultan Ismail Petra bridge project was delayed in implementation and not abandoned.
"The federal government will ensure that each project it undertakes does not fail but there are valid reasons for any delay in implementation," he said.

tunku : they should have done this long time ago. kelantan umno should not only list down aid given to kelantan by them but also list down aid given by pas government too.people can compare then what pas had done in kelantan for the past 2 decades.

Khalid: Hasan wanted to be Selangor MB

SHAH ALAM: Sacked PAS leader Datuk Dr Hasan Ali had actively sabotaged Pakatan Rakyat as he wanted to be Selangor Mentri Besar, alleged Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.
He claimed then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had agreed to appoint Dr Hasan as Mentri Besar if PAS and Umno had formed a unity state government right after the 2008 general election.
"There was about 10 days before the Mentri Besar was sworn in.
"A meeting was arranged to meet Umno, and I went on behalf of Dr Hasan under the instruction of the party leadership to meet Abdullah and (former Mentri Besar) Dr Khir Toyo.
"(PAS secretary-general) Datuk Mustafa Ali was with me," Khalid told reporters at his office here Thursday.

tunku : so what is the problem here. hasan will only be the selangor menteri besar IF pas agrees.khalid samad and mustafa ali were involved in it too, so what the fuss? that means you too involved in backstabbing dap and pkr.

Pak Lah Leaves It To Najib To Choose Kepala Batas Candidate

KEPALA BATAS, Feb 8 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he left it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to decide whether to renominate him to defend the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat in the 13th general election.
"What is important is not only to ensure that Barisan Nasional retains the seat but also to get better results," he said after presenting RM2.2 million incentives for revenue growth to 1,803 farmers here.
Abdullah, who is Member of Parliament for Kepala Batas since 1978 and stepped down as prime minister three years ago, said he would continue to head the Kepala Batas Umno division until the next party's election.
Asked about sabotage occurring in the Kepala Batas Umno division, he said he was not sure the extent of the problem.

tunku : enough pak lah. why are you giving unnecessary headache to pm. why you want him to think over whether you should defend your seat or not. as a responsible leader you should make his job easier by saying that you will not defend your seat. after all you are an ex pm, still want to fight for election??????? rest pak lah.

PAS wants to stop Valentine’s Day celebration

PETALING JAYA: With Valentine's Day due in a week, PAS has again pledged to put a stop to the celebration.
Its leaders, including PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan at-Tantawi, said it must be stopped as it would lead to immoral activities.
His deputy Nik Abduh Nik Aziz wants the Government to place anti-Valentine Day's advertisements on television to discourage Muslims from celebrating the event.
“Every year we join forces with various Muslim non-governmental organisations to create awareness that celebrating Valentine's Day is against the Islamic syariat,” he said.
“We do not want the celebration to become a trend among Muslims,” he said, adding that ulamas worldwide forbid Muslims from celebrating the day.
“The best way to disseminate the message is through television.
“And the Government can easily do that as it controls the mainstream media,” he added.
Nik Abduh, a son of PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, said the movement had yet to meet to discuss its anti-Valentine's Day campaign this year.
Nasrudin said the movement was not out to punish those celebrating Valentine's Day.
“We are also not trying to assume the role of moral police. We are not enforcers.
“But, we want to help save the youngsters from falling into the Valentine's Day trap that promotes immoral activities,” he said.
Ahead of Valentine's Day every year, PAS Youth and various Muslim activist groups campaigned against young couples having unlawful sex and distribute leaflets to university students warning them against celebrating the day.
Islamic officials in Malaysia isued a fatwa in 2005 that the day is associated with “elements of Christianity”.
Last year, religious authorities arrested more than 100 Muslim couples over the celebration ban.
The roots of Valentine's Day celebrated on Feb 14 go back to ancient times, when people honoured an early Christian martyr named St Valentine.
It is traditionally a day when lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering sweets and chocolates and sending greeting cards. These days, they also use e-mails, Facebook and Twitter.
Many couples become engaged or get married on this day. For others, it is a day to fall in love.
MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said PAS had no right to impose its values on others.
“This is a democratic multi-racial country. We can't stop people from celebrating whatever event they wish to celebrate,” he said.
“Commercially driven events depend on supply and demand, PAS Youth should not interfere,” Wee said, adding that Chap Goh Mei was the Chinese version of Valentine's Day.
Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang challenged Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to check PAS Youth.
“Anwar should take action if he wants to show Pakatan Rakyat embraces moderation,” he said, adding that the coalition should take action against PAS Youth.
“It is not an issue with Muslims, but PAS Youth never fails to make an issue out of it,” he said.


tunku : now tantawi and few others will have to show something to their followers that they are islamic especially after hasan ali was sacked from the party. i wonder what would khalid samad's and other top leaders in pas view on this matter? are they with tantawi or would say that its tantawi's and nik abduh's personal view? and most important is what is the stand of dap and pkr on this matter? if they don't agree with this, tantawi or pas can shout,scream etc but it would not be supported in pakatan. so it would be just a rhetoric or drama played by pas. imagine if the rules federal and dap/pkr are aginst pas view, what can they do? nothing.make your coalition understand and agree with you first before you bring it out.

Hasan claims PAS leadership controlled by secular group

MUAR: Ex-Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali claims 72% of the party's leadership is now controlled by a secular group "who are in collusion with DAP and PKR."
He said the rest of the leadership comprised religious scholars who were willing to ignore the original struggle of the party to support opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whose ambition was to conquer Putrajaya in the 13th general election.
"I had a secular education but I want PAS to be led by the ulamak who obtained their education in Egypt and Jordan," he said in his ceramah organised by the Muar Malay Development and Integrity Organisation (Pekim), near Bukit Naning, here, Friday night.
Hasan, who was recently sacked from PAS, also revealed how the party leadership had tried to persuade him to soften his stance and just follow the directives of Pakatan, which was unhappy with his action to check what he claimed were efforts to convert Malays in Selangor to Christianity.
"They asked me to be patient by saying that Islamic laws will be enforced after Putrajaya is conquered," he said.
Hasan in his ceramah also reminded Malays of their rights, as enshrined in the constitution, which would be undermined if they allowed PAS, DAP and PKR to gain control of the country.
He said the Opposition alliance did not want to hear the word Islam, Malays and King and would give their children a liberal education if they were given the opportunity to rule the country. - Bernama

tunku : no wonder if we look at the top level leaders in pas, only few are in the category of ulamas.worst still if you look at the deputy president, mohd sabu, how can a party like pas having clowns like mohd sabu(deputy president), mahfuz and husam(vice president).pas is no longer an islamic party.pas is becoming worst than a secular party.now the leaders can even go to pork market to campaign and shake hand with the sellers there.bravo pas....you have really transformed.

Zaid Ibrahim: EGM will be held soon to dissolve Kita

KUALA LUMPUR: Kita founder Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said in his blog on Thursday that an extraordinary general meeting would be held soon to dissolve the political party as it had failed in its aim of being a party that supported moderate and progressive ideas and brought civility and decorum to the political discourse.
He also said that he had been unable to raise enough funds to keep the party going.

Below is his blog posting:

An Extraordinary General Meeting will be held soon to dissolve KITA. This is necessary to remove any and all doubts that we indeed do support the Opposition, especially in light of some of our members in Kedah and Penang being openly critical of the Pakatan Rakyat. They have been doing this on a regular basis, making it clear that they are not interested in real issues affecting the country and merely want to embarass and ridicule the Opposition.
My idea to set up a political party that supports moderate and progressive ideas and brings civility and decorum to the political discourse has failed. I have not succeeded in bringing in enough members who are interested in democratic ideals, good governance and accountability amongst public officials . I have also not been able to raise sufficient funds to manage the party's activities, and friends who had promised to help have since decided otherwise.
The media's deep interest in the petty issues that affect the party is also indicative of the difficulties that we will continue to face. There are enough people out there who are just interested in criticising my leadership of KITA, and who manufacture stories to ridicule me.
The Malays have a proverb, jika sesat di penghujung jalan, kembalilah ka pangkal jalan. Essentially, it translates to: if you get lost along the way, go back to the beginning. I realise now that forming KITA was a mistake. I had hoped to provide alternative ideas in politics and to bring a wider diversity of talent to the Opposition's leadership. That has not happened. I have made many mistakes in my life but I am not disheartened. I remain convinced that change will come for the betterment of this country and I will do my part, again and again, to help achieve that. I will not waiver in my deep-seated belief that serving the public is good, and that we can carry out this service with honour and dignity.
To the genuine members of the party who are obviously unhappy with this decision, I seek your forgiveness. I appreciate your support and I hope you will accept this decision, for it is for the greater good of the Opposition. The survival of democracy depends on the viability of the Opposition. If it is destroyed as the Barisan Nasional is bent on doing then there can be no democarcy, no freedom and no moderate policies ever again.

tunku : the only main reason for zaid to dissolve Kita is because of money. although he is a multi millionaire(thanks to BN) he is not willing to sacrifice his wealth of his political agenda.the second reason would be there s hardly any support for this tiny party. it is just a frustration......thats all. that is why you can see his appearance in anwar's "shows" lately even though it's because of anwar he quits pkr and formed Kita. what a jerk.

A Road That Finally Reaches Ba'kelalan

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- For years, the abandoned and muddy logging track between Long Luping and Ba'Kelalan in Lawas, Sarawak, has been the main access to the outside world, apart from four-times-weekly air service operated by MASWings.
The journey through this logging track to reach Ba'Kelalan, located on the highlands bordering Kalimantan, Indonesia, can be very challenging and dangerous due to it appalling conditions.
But since the end of last year, the situation has dramatically improved following the upgrading of the track, which begun in 2009 as part of the effort to help the rural communities.
It used to take eight hours to two days, depending on weather conditions, to reach Ba'Kelalan from the nearby town of Lawas; but today, travellers can reach their destination within three to four hours.
The former logging track between Long Luping and Ba'Kelalan -- a 75km stretch often impassable when it become too muddy after a heavy downpour -- has been improved through an allocation of RM52 million by the federal government.
The recently completed improvements, which include access roads to several villages and 10 new bridges, was carried out by the Royal Engineering Regiment of the Malaysian Armed Forces, through a soil stabilisation technology under the "Jiwa Murni" project.
Ba'Kelalan community leader Tagal Paran, 78, has been reported saying the upgraded road has cut travel time by half, and the people are delighted that they do not have to worry about being cut off from Lawas during the monsoon season.
He said villagers are grateful to the federal government for funding the project, and the Defence Ministry for sending soldiers to complete the work through the ministry's community outreach programme, Jiwa Murni.
In order to show their appreciations, about 30 community leaders and village elders from Ba'Kelalan and Bario travelled recently from the highlands to Putrajaya to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, to thank him personally for the road.
What is interesting about this project is that the army managed to build the 75km Long Luping-Ba'Kelalan road for only RM52 million, slashing 75 per cent from the estimated RM250 million if it had been implemented by conventional contract.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the project was a development concept that has never been carried out before.
"What attracted me and the government most is that the project, under the old thinking, would have needed to wait for quite some time, as the allocation was substantial, but it could be completed very quickly once we had taken the decision," he told the visiting community leaders and village elders.
Just a few days after he took office, the Prime Minister sent his political secretary Datuk Shahlan Ismail to Ba'Kelalan to survey the people's needs and make recommendations.
"He came back with gruesome pictures of road conditions, and it would have taken a long time to resolve the problems with the conventional concept. That is why we decided that a new concept was needed," Najib said.
Already the impact of the project has been tremendous, as villagers now enjoy lower transportation costs and cheaper daily necessities.
"I was told that a can of soft drink used to cost RM3 but now it's RM2, while a cylinder of gas that costs RM60 is now RM45 in Ba'Kelalan," Najib said.
Completion of the road has brought much relief and happiness to the Ba'Kelalan folks.
As pointed out by Sandra Munga Tagal in a letter to a local newspaper and on a blog, the completion of the Luping-Ba'Kelalan road enabled many natives to return to the highlands to celebrate last year's Christmas.
With limited off-days and just timber tracks connecting the outside world to her village in Ba'Kelalan, she explained, it used to be very difficult for people to spend holidays in the remote highlands with their families.
However, last Christmas, many drove home from various parts of Sarawak.
"Today, many enjoyed Christmas and the long holiday season with their families and loved ones in the remote highlands. You no longer need to travel by four-wheel-drive vehicles and spend the night on the road when it rains.
"This year we enjoyed the biggest Christmas gathering in history, as almost everyone made it a point to drive home to Ba'Kelalan. Those who returned home to Long Semadoh and Ba'Kelalan for Christmas drove from as far as Kuching (more than 1,000 km), Bintulu, Miri, Brunei and Kota Kinabalu, much to their old folks' delight," she wrote in a blog.
She said some had been dreaming for 29 years of getting their families together at the village for Christmas, but it was never easy, especially for those travelling with infants and children on the rough tracks.
Getting a seat on MASWings -- a rural air service operated by Malaysia Airlines' subsidiary -- during the festive season was too difficult because of the limit of 19 seats in the Twin-Otter aircraft.
However, with the newly built road, many people were able to spend Christmas in the village with their parents and families.
"Thank you, Mr. PM (Prime Minister), for what you have done and, Oh! The smiles on those wrinkled faces.
"And you should have seen the joyful light in the eyes of the fresh little faces," she summed up.

tunku : did baru bian thank the BN government for it? will the ba'kelalan people still vote for opposition party? the people of ba'kelalan should think about it comes next election.