Govt Plans 'Hadhari Mosque' In Each State

JOHOR BAHARU, June 17 (Bernama) -- The government plans to build one "Hadhari Mosque" in each state this year.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the idea came from the management of Bandar Baru Uda Jamek Mosque here who had been successful in strengthening the unity among the various levels of society.
"The Bandar Baru Uda Jamek Mosque's success can be emulated by others.
"This mosque is not only a place for prayers but also have facilities like for hemodialysis and health treatment and offer many programmes for youths and women," he told reporters when visiting the mosque Tuesday.
He said that for the start, the government would develop the Salahudin Al-Ayubi Mosque in Gombak to be like the Bandar Baru Uda Jamek Mosque before building similar mosques in other states.
The RM4.2 million Bandar Baru Uda Jamek Mosque was opened in 1997 and managed by the Bandar Baru Uda Jamek Mosque Foundation.

tunku : first of all i don't understand why it's called 'hadhari mosque'? we don't have to build new one for this concept as we can upgrades the existing mosques.it should not be only one in each state but in each division if possible.

Can Abdullah Badawi Be Trusted After All the Lies About the Oil Price Hike?

Can Abdullah Badawi Be Trusted After All the Lies About the Oil Price Hike? You Be The Judge
by Matthias Chang
Future FastForward, Sunday, 15 June 2008 12:46

Many people have asked me why I have not written anything about the petrol price hike after it was announced to the consternation of the entire nation.
It is not that I had no intention to write about the issue. I just wanted to see what the so-called mainstream media and bloggers would write on an issue that I had warned repeatedly since December 2006 and more intensely in 2007. This is all laid out in my latest book, “The Shadow Money-lenders and the Global Financial Tsunami”.
Recall that when my articles appeared in the “Malaysia Today” website, many bloggers and commentators – hired guns of the Badawi regime and the die-hard fanatics of the Anwar bandwagon went on a rampage trying to discredit my analysis by the use of profanities and character assassination. They went on a rampage against just one person. That was their desperation!
There was a pattern. These scumbags would not dare expose their real identities, with some bloggers using more than one pen-name to give the impression that many did not support my analysis. It was so obvious from the language and choice of words repeated over and over again.
Scumbags such as FFT, DagoRed 94, Ahjamal, Sukinong, HamChak, Ultraman, Myke, Unomalaysia, Fireduck, Born Free, Antiilluminati, Chaptokam, Clim123, Watcheye, Taikotai, Navigator, Pasar-road etc. worked overtime, the silent allies and conspirators of the Badawi regime, but masquerading as “opposition” thereby confusing the rakyat.
The result is that they have done me the biggest favour. For by helping the Badawi regime to lull the people into believing that the good times would continue and the Anwar bandwagon into believing their own lies, the rakyat is now in a state of shock with the sudden announcement of the massive price hike!
The objective of this article is to expose the lies of the Badawi regime as well the lies of the bloggers masquerading as “champions of the rakyat” when their real intention is to confuse and distract the attention of the people from the real issues. Malaysia is starting to experience the consequences of the global financial meltdown.
Ask yourself why the main stream journalists and the above-named scumbags (to name just a few) did not bring to your attention the following:

LIE NO. 1
The Star – 25th May 2008 Front Page
“There is more good news. There will be no hike in petrol prices at least until September, despite spiraling global crude oil prices. There were fears of a price increase, particularly after Indonesia raised fuel prices by 30% yesterday”.

LIE NO. 2
The Star – 6th June 2008 Page 8
“The decision to expedite the announcement of the increase in petrol and diesel prices was not an ‘afterthought’ but rather a need, said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad. Admitting that the ministry had assured consumers recently that there would be no increase in fuel prices until August, Shahrir explained that the Government could no longer delay the decision.”
Which is correct – September or August? Whatever, it was a lie!

LIE NO. 3
The Star – 6th June 2008 Page 6
“Petronas will go bust within ten years if all its profits are handed to the Government to continue subsidizing fuel, said its president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Hassan Merican”.
But no one has demanded that Petronas hand over all its profits to the Government and it is not true that all the profits have been utilized to subsidise the price of petrol and diesel. The critical issue is how the profits are utilized, not whether it is handed over to the government.
Is Tan Sri Hassan Merican implying that the Government cannot be trusted with the custody of Petronas profits?

LIE NO. 4
The New Straits Times – 9th June 2008 Page 6
“The current prices of petrol and diesel will be maintained until next March [2009] even if world oil prices touch US$200 (RM660) a barrel, said Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad”.
When crude price reached US$80, the Government announced an increase in petrol prices. When it hit US$137 per barrel, the Government announced a hefty 40% hike amounting to an increase of RM 78 sen per litre of petrol and RM1 for diesel. Does this idiotic Minister think we are so stupid and naïve to believe that when crude hits US$200 per barrel there will be no increase until March 2009?

LIE NO. 5
The Sun – 12th June 2008 Front Page
“The price of fuel will stay for the rest of the year, the Cabinet decided yesterday. This is to allow people time to adjust to the situation”
The New Straits Times – 12th June 2008 Front Page
“No more price hikes this year, assures PM.”
Once again, one idiot says March, 2009 the other idiot says the end of 2008. Who do you trust?
I HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR THE PRIME MINISTER TO STEP DOWN AS HE HAS NOT THE FAINTEST IDEA AS TO HOW TO RESOLVE THE GROWING FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS.
The prime minister has responded to the call by saying that he will hand over the reins of power to Datuk Najib in an orderly manner.
But can we trust him to do the right thing?

LIE NO. 6
New Sunday Times – 15th June 2008 Front Page
“Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the exact date for the leadership transition to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak had not been decided yet … The leadership change will definitely take place at the right time”.
If Badawi can lie so blatantly about the petrol price hike, how can anyone trust him that he will step down so that the country will not have to suffer further from his failures and inefficiencies? If not now, when the country is falling apart, when will it be the right time?

BADAWI’S GAMBIT
All this talk about handing over the reins to Najib is but a spin so as to lull UMNO members in not nominating any challenger to take on Badawi in December 2008. With this announcement, Badawi’s spin doctors can then launch the propaganda that since Badawi is stepping down there is no need to challenge him. And by this default, Badawi gets to continue his corrupt ways.
Time will tell whether UMNO members will be fooled by this chameleon!

tunku : pak lah and anwar, the two people that should not be trusted at all.both of them are chameleons and both are devil in disguise.for anyone to believe them is the most foolish thing to do.lies after lies.

High food, fuel prices may spur crime

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is concerned that high fuel and food prices, as well as a downturn in the economy, could cause a surge in crime, including human trafficking.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said Malaysia's borders were porous and syndicates from poorer countries could try to enter the country to look for an alternative way to "earn a living criminally". "Even domestically, if there is a lot of unemployment then crime will be higher than usual," he told reporters on Tuesday after opening the 8th Asean senior officials meeting on transnational crime.
Syed Hamid said the situation must be managed both on the economic and enforcement side to prevent crime from "inundating our lives (so much so) that we don't have safety or security."
"We must tackle it so that it does not become a problem for the country," he said.
The Government announced a 41% hike in petrol prices earlier this month.
On the planned July 5 anti-fuel hike demonstration, Syed Hamid said demonstrations were not going to solve the problem of high fuel prices because it was an international phenomenon.
"Fuel prices are not going to go down. What we should do is work together to find the best way to live under these new circumstances," he said.
He said people should not take to the streets as this would cause hardship to others.

tunku : don't just talk, do your work.before the price hike already the crime rates were rising.now it will be worst and the worst yet to come.we hope the police will take all the necessary actions and plans to combat the crime issue.please make sure the safety and security of our lives and belongings.

25 Umno branches back Ku Li and Muhyiddin

MUAR: Twenty-five Umno branches in the Pagoh division have passed a joint resolution calling for Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and party vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to contest the party president and deputy president posts respectively.The branches, which held a joint extraordinary meeting at Kampung Simpang Empat Sungai Terap on Sunday, also want Umno to abolish the quota system in party elections.Kampung Raja Umno branch chairman Daud Hasbulah said the branches also proposed for nominations to contest for any post in Umno
elections be limited to only two.“We also want the party’s supreme council not to impose the no-contest decision for the posts of party president and deputy president.This no-contest decision by the council for the two top posts has been practised for several years and it is time Umno has an open election for all posts,” he said at the joint meeting on Sunday.



tunku : this momentum should not stop. it has to go on. i guess if najib is so afraid, then let it be Ku Li and Muhyiddin combination to fight pak lah and najib but will muhyiddin do that? a very big question mark.i salute to these 25 branches of Pagoh for their bravery and courages joint resolution calling for Ku Li and Muhyiddin to contest the party president and deputy president posts respectively.

Shahrizat: Let Pak Lah and Najib do their jobs

KUALA LUMPUR: Pressuring the Prime Minister and his deputy on the leadership transition issue will distract them from national administration and Umno matters, said the party women’s wing deputy chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
She said the responsibilities of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at present was to strengthen Umno, boost the country’s economy and implement development projects for the people.
“I hope all Umno members can understand their (Abdullah and Najib’s) responsibilities,” she said in a statement.
Shahrizat added that she supported Abdullah’s stand to defend his Umno presidency in the party elections in December.
She also supported his announcement of plans for Najib to be his successor, and hoped that the transition of power would be carried out in a proper and well-mannered method.
On Friday, Abdullah said that he and Najib had reached an agreement on the right time for a leadership change.
He also reiterated that they were both in a good working relationship, contrary to negative speculation.
Najib had also said earlier that he would not challenge Abdullah because he would not risk destroying the party his father had helped to build.

tunku : of course this women, shahrizat will support pak lah till the last blood as she is receiving more than RM 400,000 a year being an adviser to pak lah on woman affairs.i wonder why government spending so much money paying her more than 400k a year, more than 30k a month.it's a waste of tax payer money especially when we already have a minister who is in charge of woman affairs.

Compensation for AirAsia flight delays

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia will compensate passengers whose flights are delayed for more than three hours.
The budget carrier said it would give RM200 e-gift vouchers that can be used to buy their next AirAsia flight or any AirAsia product or service online. The e-voucher would be valid for three months.
Labelled as its “On Time Guarantee,” all flights from yesterday were accorded the service, which comes at no extra cost to passengers.
“We decided to put our money where our mouth was (in giving 5-star service).
“And interestingly enough the idea came from one of our staff,” said the budget carrier’s chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.
“I dare say we’re the first in the world to do this, and the fact that it’s gonna “hurt us” if we’re late is testament to our commitment to 5-star service for passengers,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
The refund, however, will only be applicable for delays caused by AirAsia and will not cover circumstances such as bad weather, air traffic control, airport closures and acts of God.
Passengers eligible for the compensation will receive the voucher within three working days of the delayed flight via e-mail. A call centre will be set up soon for those without e-mail accounts.
He said the three-hour period was just a start, adding that once the 12 new Airbus 320 were delivered, likely within this year, there would be room for improvement. The delay period would be reduced to one hour.
“In addition, over the last few weeks, we were the only airline to announce new routes to 'market ourselves' to survive the skyrocketing oil prices,” he said, adding that ticket sales had not been affected.
Tomorrow, AirAsia is expected to announce an array of new additions to their food menu.
In a separate statement, AirAsia clarified that it was financially strong and had been making monthly payments to Malaysia Airports Berhad in response to reports that AirAsia had not paid the latter since 2002 for airport terminal charges and tariffs.
“Contrary to claims made, the current management of AirAsia has made payments to Malaysia Airports Berhad over the last five years,” it said.
The statement further places on record that the amount owed was RM62.67mil, and not RM110.36mil purportedly claimed by the airport operator.
tunku : this means that airasia 5 star services means that delay below 3 hours is normal. so expect the delays below 3 hours.

Petronas chief: Report is public

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas has been publishing its annual report for the past 18 years and it is easily available, including on its website, said its president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican.
“We print 5,000 copies of the report every year even though we are legally required to publish only two. We distribute the report to the Parliament library, ministries and even the media,” he said in an interview.
Replying to queries by various quarters that the national petroleum corporation’s accounts were not made public, Hassan said yesterday that this was not true and it was just that certain people “refused to look for iteven though it is easily available.”
”If they cannot find one of the 5,000 copies we've printed, then they should have searched our website under the heading 'Investors Relations' in the Corporate webpage.
“The accounts from 2002 to last year are listed there.
“We have got nothing to hide. When I joined the corporation in 1990, I told my then boss the late Tan Sri Azizan (Zainul Abidin) that we have to publish an annual report if we are to be a global petroleum player,” he added.
A copy of the 2007 annual report was made available to The Star last April. The 165-page report has 84 pages dedicated to Petronas’ financial statements.
The report not only states the accounts but also gives five-year financial highlights, review of its business and even its corporate sustainability targets, including its role in protecting the environment.
Hassan said the standard of the report surpassed the requirements of the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
“We behave like a public-listed company in publishing our report. I do not understand why people say that our report is not made public.
“By law all companies are required to submit their accounts to the commission and if they cannot get a copy of our report then they should have extracted a copy from the commission,” he added.
Opposition leaders and several Barisan Nasional backbenchers had called for Petronas’ accounts to be made public.
Some, including Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had claimed that Petronas’ accounts were secret.
The calls were made following the government’s decision to raise the price of petrol by 78 sen to RM2.70 per litre and diesel by RM1 to RM2.58 per litre.

tunku : hope that kj, lim kit siang, anwar and look alikes do their homework before making any calls or comments.we thought that oxford's graduate are brilliant lot but sometimes they are not.the tend to forget in the race to be heroes.

Another Million for www.chedet.com

It started with an article "The Appointment Of Judges" on 1st May 2008. May 31st saw www.chedet.com hit it first million. Today 17th June it hits another million. With more to come from the Grand Old Man we believe it is the most hit blog in Malaysia.47 days with 2 millions.
Long Live Tun Dr Mahathir
02000000

Visitors [Pengunjung]

Ku Li's campaign gains momentum

When party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah announced his decision to challenge yet again the Umno presidency on March 19, not many took him seriously.
After all, this would be the third time in his 49-year political career that he would be reprise the role of the challenger.
Unlike his epic battle against Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 which saw him losing by a mere 43 votes, Tengku Razaleigh, warmly known as Ku Li , is today said to be no longer a credible threat any more.
Following his loss to Mahathir, he left the party to form Semangat 46 but returned into Umno’s fold in 1996.
By then, he had missed out on 10 years of Umno politics despite holding firmly on to his Gua Musang parliamentary seat. Still, he lacks strong allies within the younger set of Umno leaders and has no power bases outside of Kelantan. Being 71 years old, most view him as an irritant at best.
Even Mahathir sees him only as a hopeful dreamer at most when asked on his move to go for the party presidency once again.
"To challenge the presidency, he needs support from the delegates of 60 divisions. I don't see 60 divisions brave enough to back him," said Mahathir.
When Ku Li attempted to challenge prime minister and Umno President Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2006, he only obtained one nomination from - unsurprisingly - Gua Musang.
Yet, after following him for over 1,130 kilometres across three states in 48 hours, one senses a growing momentum building for Ku Li among Umno members.
This could be seen as his entourage visited Tanah Merah, Jeli, Gua Musang, Machang, Kota Baru, Pengkalan Chepa, Bachok, Kubang Kerian, Tumpat, Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas and Pasir Puteh.
Leaders pressured to stay away
Leaving aside grassroots members and division leaders for the moment, Ku Li's strategy to garner enough nominations involves turning to branch leaders who will vote during the party’s divisional annual general meetings in October.
One of his political aides, John Pang, made this careful observation: "There is a bottleneck at the divisional level. When we first set out, many division leaders were either pressured or advised not to attend his talks or support his ideas.
"Even those who said they would (call for emergency meetings to discuss Umno's predicament) later changed their minds and refused to act. As such, we've had to move further downwards to convince branch leaders of the need for change," he explained.
"Besides, it is much harder for any hanky-panky to take place when it involves so many branch leaders."
This, however, is no easy task as each division consists of many branches. The Marang division alone is said to have 100 branches while the slightly bigger Hulu Terengganu division carries 140. Umno has 191 divisions throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
While Ku Li's entourage does not go from house-to-house, its Tupperware party-like style has the numbers slowly but steadily increasing.
While only 50 people turned up in Kuala Krai, more than 700 attended his talk in Mentakab on Saturday. At Marang, Kuala Berang and Kuala Terengganu, batches of 50 to 500 branch leaders came out to listen to him.
Branch leader Rozi Mukhtar said that he will take Ku Li's message to those who did not come.
"I will form a committee to brief the other branch leaders and garner support for him," said Rozi.
Coincidentally, Abdullah visited Kelantan and Terengganu a day after Tengku Razaleigh left. In Kelantan on Friday, Umno state chief Anuar Musa announced in the media that they were fully behind the premier for the Umno presidency despite Ku Li being a Kelantanese.
Then three hours after Ku Li had addressed a crowd of 300 on the issue of Terengganu’s oil royalties payment being taken away by the federal government, Abdullah announced that the management of the monies would be given back to the state authorities.
In Terengganu, the question of this wang ehsan (oil royalties) and what had happened to it had dominated Ku Li’s meetings. Questions revolving the Islamic Civilisation Park and how little it benefitted Terengganu’s citizens were also raised.
Elsewhere, the incumbent party president's inept leadership, Barisan Nasional's awful performance in the last general elections and Abdullah's handling of the fuel price increases were the main flavour.
An economics guru
One mainstay, however, was Tengku Razaleigh's take on the nominations he needed in order to fulfill the quota to run for Umno president.
Calling the quota unfair, the Kelantan royal house prince’s explanation that it was the product of ‘cowardly’ leaders bereft of ideas struck a chord among the branch leaders.
One branch veteran in Kuala Terengganu reasoned with his peers: "Umno today is no longer what it used to be. Everything revolves around one man and democracy has died in this party.
"While they (leaders) tell us not to contest for the top two posts, they encourage us to fight to the death at the bottom (from the supreme council level to the branch level).
"During the elections, we work our hearts out to put them in the leadership but once they are there, they forget about us. One branch leader who wanted to meet an Umno minister had to wait seven years."
Till now, he has still not met the minister, revealed the branch leader.
"Their (the top leaders’) membership fee is RM1, so is ours. Why should our RM1 not be allowed to decide the party leadership?" he questioned.
Listening to Tengku Razaleigh during his tour, one wonders if he were indeed a politician with 49 years experience.
At times, he seemed more like an economics guru explaining the workings behind the government's petrol price hike and why it was necessary rather than a man working to unseat his political rival.
There was none of the hard-hitting opportunistic rhetoric used before to attack Abdullah. In place of that, he merely explained the rationale behind the government's intentions before telling the crowd how differently he would have handled the situation.
Wherever he went with his ‘band of merry men’ (mostly old friends and a few supporters) there were no pretences and most of the meetings were conducted in simple venues devoid of fanfare.
The only two times where there was some indication that a prince had arrived was at Kuala Berang where the organisers brought in a primary school kompang troupe and similarly at a petrol price hike talk at Kuala Terengganu which was also attended by former chief judge Salleh Abas.
Last thing we need
When questions were posed, Ku Li took his time to explain the reason for his actions without resorting to political rhetoric.
The only time he avoided a question was when he was asked on what kind of measures he would take to rid Umno of its dependency culture and patronism.
"The measures I intend to take to make Malays less dependent on patronism will be harsh and difficult. But I can't tell you now as you then would not support me," Ku Li told the branch leader who posed the question.
Listening to Ku Li talk on issues of transparency, wiping out of money politics, accountability, protection of Malay interests, economics, education etc, the question arises if he is the right man for the country’s top job.
Feedback from those who attended his ceramah in the three states also gives rise to the perception as to whether the branch leaders targeted have the courage to go against the party top leadership’s wish that there be a ‘no contest’ for the top post.
The issue, however, goes beyond Tengku Razaleigh. The heart of it lies in returning democracy to Umno and, in turn, to the nation. As the prince correctly points out, "There is nothing in Umno's constitution which says that the president must hand over his job to his deputy.
"The position of Umno president and prime minister of Malaysia is not the ownership of just these two men. It belongs to everyone."
And for that alone, the Umno rank and file should help him overcome the status quo and send him to the party’s December polls with enough nominations to become a legitimate candidate.
Once there, let the voice of the delegates (at least) decide on who should lead the party and country - not leave it to the wisdom of the current president alone.
For the last thing we need now is another former prime minister whining and regretting his decision to hand over his job to his deputy.

tunku : though Ku Li is not my favourite candidate for the president post but if there are no brave person to fight pak lah then i will throw my full support for Ku Li.it's for najib and muhyiddin to decide now whether they will challenge pak lah or not.they have to give indication to the branches and divisions by end of july.if there are non than the branches and divisions should throw their full support for Ku Li to challenge pak lah as pak lah has made it clear that he will defend his post in december.

Tony Fernandes's Travel Privilege On Malaysia Airlines Withdrawn

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines has withdrawn the massive discount given to Air Asia's Group Chief Executive Datuk Tony Fernandes over the last two years, citing pressure from its workers' union which was dissatisfied with the special privilege given, as a reason.
Its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala said the airline had received many letters of protest from employees about the travel privilege in the wake of Fernandes's negative statements about the national carrier.
"We have provided the travel privilege out of goodwill since 2006 in response to Tony's request for interline facility for his own travel on our international routes although Air Asia does not have an interline agreement with Malaysia Airlines," he said.
According to industry practice, only airlines with interlining agreement will consider granting such travel privileges for airline employees.
"Ever since then, we have received numerous staff complaints as to why the privilege was given. We tried our best to fend off all the criticisms.
"However, recently, we have again received a lot of letters of protest from many staff about his travel privilege, in the wake of his various negative statements about Malaysia Airlines.
"Many of our staff feel extremely hurt and frustrated with what they read in the news. The sense of unhappiness among our staff is growing and the pressure from the union is mounting by the day," he said.
Idris added that based on the collective views and requests from various parties within the company, the management had decided that the withdrawal of privilege, effective June 1, 2008 was the best course of action.

MAS withdraws AirAsia boss' travel privileges

Few know that budget carrier AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes had been enjoying discounts up to 75 percent when flying on Malaysia Airlines (MAS), its bitter business rival.
That’s not until a May 28 letter penned by MAS chief Idris Jala was leaked to Malaysiakini.
According to the letter, which was addressed to Fernandes, the AirAsia chief executive officer had been enjoying steep discounts when flying MAS over the past two years.
Idris nevertheless brought bad news for the AirAsia boss in the letter - his travel privileges had been withdrawn beginning this month.
The reason for the termination, said the MAS CEO, was the many salvos Fernandes has been firing at the national carrier which had angered its staff members.
Idris stated in the letter that his company had tried to fend off the complaints from its staff through their powerful unions on why Fernandes, who had criticised MAS on numerous occasions, was granted such a privilege.
“We have received a lot of letters of protest from many MAS staff regarding your traveling privilege in the wake of your negative statements about MAS.
“Many of our staff feel extremely hurt and frustrated with what they read in the news. The sense of unhappiness among our staff is growing and the pressure from the unions is mounting by the day,” wrote Idris.
“Left with no choice, the management team decided it would be best to withdraw your traveling privilege with immediate effect beginning June 1, 2008.”
Idris apologised for conveying the “unfortunate management decision” to Fernandes but said that it was “the best course of action for now in view of the general sentiment among MAS staff”.
It is learned that Fernandes had written to MAS in 2006 requesting for discounts on MAS’ international flights.
Subsequently, MAS responded in a letter date Jan 24, 2006 that Fernandes would be provided with the following privileges:
* First/Business class - 50 percent discount

* Economy class - 75 percent discount

It is unknown whether Fernandes had utilised the travel privileges.
Bitter feud between MAS, AirAsia
Fernandes and MAS have been at logger heads over several issues in the past, one of which is the demand from AirAsia for a more “level-playing field”.
The rivalry reached its peak when MAS on May 14 announced that it would give away a portion of its seats to 20 Asian destinations prompting criticism from Fernandes as the government subsidises some of the national carrier's international flights.
Both MAS and AirAsia had earlier made similar ‘basement fares’ offers for domestic flights even as soaring oil prices and a slowing global economy are squeezing the aviation industry.
AirAsia also seeks equal rights to fly the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route - one of the region's most lucrative - which has been monopolised by MAS and Singapore Airlines.
The bitter competition between MAS and AirAsia eventually prompted Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat to step in to help resolve the feud.
Fernandes: Letter 'kind of tacky'
Fernandes, who contacted Malaysiakini this evening, described the letter from Idris as “kind of tacky”.
“I don’t think the unions or MAS staff have anything personal against me. It’s just a corporate war,” said Fernandes, adding he was surprised to receive the letter.
The AirAsia CEO also said that when MAS ventured into the budget flight market last year with no-frills Firefly, he did not complain.
“It’s competition and I understand that. All I’m asking for is a level-playing field and nothing more,” stressed Fernandes.
Idris could not be contacted for comments but the MAS CEO’s private assistant confirmed that her boss did write the letter.
tunku : how can tony gets travel privilege with malaysia airline in the first place ? why tony travel with malaysia airline when he has airasia ? with that huge discount mas giving him, i believe it's cheaper than airasia with better service.

Anwar Gets Green Light To Challenge Validity Of His Sacking

PUTRAJAYA, June 16 (Bernama) -- The Federal Court here Monday gave the green light to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to challenge the constitutionality of his sacking from cabinet posts, almost 10 years ago, by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
A three-man panel led by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum unanimously granted leave to Anwar to appeal to the Federal Court against a High Court's ruling that his dismissal as deputy prime minister and finance minister was lawfully executed by Dr Mahathir.
Following this outcome, the Federal Court will determine two questions of law -- whether Anwar's sacking was unconstitutional or not, and whether Dr Mahathir could sack his deputy, without first advising the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The court will decide first, whether the provisions of Article 43(5) of the Federal Constitution specifically requires the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be the authority which revokes the appointment of Anwar as deputy prime minister and finance minister in the Malaysian Cabinet, having regard to the principle that it is only the authority which appoints has the right to revoke any appointment made by it;
And secondly, whether the deletion of the name of Anwar from the post of deputy prime minister and finance minister, and its substitution thereof, with the name of the first respondent (Dr Mahathir) as the minister of finance, could in any way cure the complete absence of the first respondent (Dr Mahathir) with the explicit of the said article.
The court has yet to fix the date to hear Anwar's final appeal. Anwar was ordered by the court to file the record of appeal within 14 days.
Presiding together with Malanjum were Federal Court judges Datuk Nik Hashim Nik Ab Rahman and Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohamad.
On Dec 23, 1998, the High Court dismissed Anwar's suit against Dr Mahathir and the government, to summarily strike out his application for an order to declare Dr Mahathir's decision to dismiss him from the cabinet posts on Sept 2, 1998 was unlawful and null and void.
Anwar contended that the revocation of his appointment must be effected by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, acting on the prime minister's advice and that it (revocation) cannot be effected by the prime minister, without prior assent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Anwar also failed to reverse the High Court's decision after the Court of Appeal, on April 25 2007, rejected his appeal and affirmed the High Court's decision.
The Court of Appeal had held that Anwar's sacking from the cabinet posts was lawfully executed by Dr Mahathir since the power to appoint and dismiss ministers lay with the prime minister.
Anwar was represented by lawyers Karpal Singh, Ram Karpal Singh, S. N. Nair and Nicholas Netto. Anwar was not present in court.
Earlier, Karpal submitted that Dr Mahathir was the person who decided to remove Anwar from the cabinet posts and relieved him with effect from 5.30pm on Sept 2, 1998, without any indication stating that Yang di-Pertuan Agong had been advised by him before he (Dr Mahathir) prepared and served the dismissal letter to Anwar.
Karpal argued that Anwar, who is the applicant in the appeal, agreed not to seek reinstatement of his position as deputy prime minister and finance minister as the matter was academic. Instead, Anwar wants the court to award him damages.
Senior Federal Counsel Azizah Nawawi, representing Dr Mahathir and the government, objected to the leave application saying that the matter had become academic.

tunku : i believe anwar will receive ex-gratia payment too like the ex-gratia payment to the ex judges recently just to make pak lah's government looks good. ex judges which has been receiving pension all these while and still been paid the ex gratia payment.April 2007 Appeal Court already rejected his(anwar the moron) appeal but hey with pak lah and zaid ibrahim around anything is possible.

Anwar eyeing Kuala Kangsar

IPOH: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is looking at the possibility of contesting a by-election in Perak, if the court were to rule against Barisan Nasional in the Kuala Kangsar election petition.
Responding to queries on his pending contest in a by-election, the PKR de facto leader said: “I think Perak would be a good idea. We’re waiting for a decision on Kuala Kangsar.”
Anwar said this after speaking at a closed-door convention held by Perak PKR Youth yesterday.
He also said a committee had been set up to look into him contesting in a by-election, adding that it would be done through Pakatan Rakyat.
Dissatisfied voter Ahmad Jamaluddin Abd Majid has filed an election petition to declare the results of the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary constituency null and void after Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz failed to sign two out of three sets of her nomination papers in the last general election.
Rafidah won the seat against Perak PAS deputy commissioner Dr Khairuddin Abd Malik. The case is still pending in court.
On talk that a Barisan Nasional component party was planning to pull out of the coalition, Anwar said: “I think we will monitor this closely. I’m sure you’ll know very soon.”
However, he was tight-lipped when asked if the component party was from Sabah.
Later in GEORGE TOWN, Anwar said those who wished to join the party must accept Pakatan Rakyat’s agenda for a multiracial Malaysia and a guaranteed Constitution.
“We would receive such a move well and we hope that it happens in the shortest time,” he said.
He also said there had been discussions between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan parties but such discussions did not mean the latter were joining them.
“They (Barisan parties) wanted to know how the Pakatan Rakyat parties work together and about the promises for change that we made.
“The discussions do not indicate they are crossing over,” he said.

tunku : if there is really enough MPs joining pakatan anwar would have some of his pkr mp resign and he will fight for the seat.he is even surprised by ku li's statement that by the end of this month a bn coalition's party will pull out from bn.he don't know which one, otherwise this news will come from his mouth or jefrrey kitingan's first as they have always been saying, today, tomorrow, end of the month etc.this 'sivaji the boss' is full of craps.

There’ll be no Islamic state, says DAP

ALOR STAR: PAS Youth's proposal to implement an Islamic administrative system in Pakatan Rakyat states is totally unacceptable, said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.
Lim said it was not in line with Pakatan Rakyat’s promise to uphold the secular concept.
“There should be no attempt to introduce Islamic state or hudud laws,” he said.
Lim, who is the Ipoh Timur MP, was responding to a proposal by PAS Youth vice-chief Azman Shapawi to implement Islamic administrative system in the Pakatan-governed states if PKR and DAP agreed to it.
Lim said the call raised questions as to whether the Islamist party would keep to its promises made when Pakatan was formed.
Asked about talk that signs of break up had emerged between component parties in the Opposition alliance, Lim said “talk will remain talk.”
“We are reaching 100 days where the Pakatan Rakyat state governments have shown the difference in tackling problems compared with the Barisan Nasional,” he said.
Kit Siang, who led a DAP delegation earlier to present a 12-point “mini” memorandum to Kedah Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, described the hour-long meeting with Azizan as cordial and fruitful.
“We brought up questions raised by the Chinese community during a recent dialogue with DAP leaders,” he said.
Lim added that the community was dissatisfied with reduction in the quit rent.
DAP deputy secretary-general Chong Eng said the number of Chinese local councillors had dropped from 38 during the Barisan administration in Kedah to 18 now.
“The Mentri Besar said he would look into increasing the number of Chinese councillors,” she said.
Other issues highlighted include the poor garbage collection system in Alor Star, bureaucracy in the civil service, unfriendly civil servants and fewer non-Malay civil servants in Kedah.
In Penang, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government had not received any request from PAS to discuss plans to implement Islamic laws in the state.
“Neither has Penang PAS discussed with us plans to enforce Islamic laws nor has the state government received any request from them to meet us on the matter,” he told reporters.

tunku : either one is trying to fool their supporters or both are fooling their supporters.worst case scenario both pas and dap are great liars.if they can't come to a conclusion on this issue how will they survive.both their supporters will not bow down and the leaders are fooling them.

Abdullah reiterates he will defend Umno post

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reiterated that he will defend his Umno presidency in the party elections in December.
Even though he has announced his plans for his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to take over, he has not decided precisely on the date of handover.
“Anytime doesn’t mean two or three months,” he said at a media briefing yesterday to media leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur.
Abdullah denied that political uncertainty had negatively impacted foreign investments and he had, in fact, received many enquiries from the Middle East.
On the economy, he said a growth of 5.5% was achievable and that some mega projects could be adjusted while those people-centric projects with immediate impact would be implemented under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
“This will be after the midterm review when we will also introduce new area soft development,” he said, referring to the corridor developments especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
On the criticism that some of the reform measures were still weak steps, he said:
"Reform has to be gradual. I will continue my work and it is not my attitude that just because you do not support me, I say forget it.”
His priorities would be to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Agency, judiciary and police force while ensuring quality opportunities in the development corridors to address the issue of an equitable income distribution.
On the proposal to repeal the Internal Security Act, he said there could be some aspects to be reviewed and amendments.
He would not be “completely doing away with preventive detention” although ensuring justice was equally important.

tunku : this old man is just trying to buy time. if he really wishes to handover to najib, let it be in december then. let najib be challenged at umno poll.we don't want anymore handpicked successor.the president,deputy and all the other post should be contested this december if umno wish to come back strong and united.as for pak lah he promised for a smooth transition but did not give the exact time, this can be next year, next two years or even after the next general election.if najib hesitate to challenge abdullah then others should do so and let najib sway away with his boss.

WILL BE BACK SOON

tunku will be back soon. Right now under house rest.

thanks.

Tun Mahathir's Interview

Kelantan wants its federal dept abolished too

KOTA BARU: Now that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced the abolition of the Federal Development Department (JPP) in Sabah, Kelantan is hoping for a similar consideration.
Local Government committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the state welcomed Abdullah’s decision on Sabah, and wants the government to abolish Kelantan's JPP as well.
The JPP was established in Kelantan after Barisan Nasional was defeated by PAS in the 1990 general election.
The Federal Government should allocate development funds directly to state governments even if they were governed by the Opposition, Takiyuddin said.
"With direct funding, development can be carried out faster and in a more orderly fashion, unlike now where the JPP needs to oversee or approve any development project first," he said at the PCB Resort here.
While acknowledging that the Kelantan JPP had played a role in developing the state, he said it had resulted in overlapping duties and more bureaucracy.

tunku : i don't think the federal government would want to abolish it when kelantan is under opposition. may be pak lah will put this in the manifesto for 13th next general election,who knows.

Rais tanding Naib Presiden

PUTRAJAYA 2 Jun - Menteri Luar, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim menjadi pemimpin UMNO ketujuh menawarkan diri bertanding jawatan Naib Presiden pada pemilihan parti Disember ini.
Bagaimanapun kesediaan beliau berbuat demikian dengan syarat sistem kuota kelayakan bertanding dihapuskan terlebih dahulu.
Menurutnya, sikap enggan mengumumkan pendirian bertanding jawatan itu sebelum ini berpunca kerana dirinya masih beranggapan bahagian-bahagian UMNO masih cenderung kepada perilaku 'mata duitan'.
''Saya sendiri pernah mengalami perkara ini beberapa tahun lalu sebab saya ini jenis yang tidak berduit.
''Kerana itu saya tidak melonjakkan apa-apa ramalan atau pendirian untuk bertanding. Namun jika tiada sistem kuota tetapi sekadar dua (bahagian) mencadang dan satu (bahagian menyokong), saya sedia bertanding Naib Presiden.
''Pemimpin-pemimpin besar dalam UMNO tidak harus gusar (jika sistem kuota dihapuskan), saya percaya rekod anda akan dinilai dengan sebaik-baiknya oleh ahli-ahli parti," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Enam pemimpin lain yang telah menawarkan diri bertanding jawatan Naib Presiden ialah penyandangnya, Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali Rustam; Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein; Ahli Majlis Tertinggi (MT) UMNO, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; Menteri Besar Pahang, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob; bekas Menteri Besar Perlis, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim dan bekas Ketua Menteri Melaka, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik.
Mengikut peraturan yang diluluskan pada Perhimpunan Agung Khas UMNO Oktober 1988, kelayakan untuk bertanding jawatan Naib Presiden memerlukan sokongan daripada 10 peratus atau 19 bahagian daripada keseluruhan 191 bahagian parti di seluruh negara.
Pemilihan UMNO akan bermula di peringkat cawangan dari 17 Julai hingga 24 Ogos ini, disusuli peringkat bahagian (9 Oktober hingga 9 November) sebelum pemilihan peringkat Pusat ditentukan oleh sekurang-kurangnya 1,700 perwakilan pada Perhimpunan Agung parti dari 16 hingga 12 Disember.
Dalam pada itu, Rais yang ditanya tentang kenyataan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad bahawa beliau adalah antara empat calon yang dianggap paling layak oleh bekas Presiden UMNO itu untuk mengambil alih tempat Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata: ''Saya hargai pandangan beliau tetapi saya telah 'ukur baju di badan sendiri' bahawa jawatan Naib Presiden sahaja kelayakan saya. Bagi jawatan Presiden dan Timbalan Presiden biarlah sesiapa nak bertanding, janganlah sekat."
Mengulas mengenai perjumpaan ahli-ahli MT pada Khamis dan Jumaat ini di Shah Alam, Rais berkata, ia akan membincangkan pandangan mengenai perjuangan tulen parti.
Kata beliau, antara yang dijangka dibincangkan ialah soal sistem kuota kelayakan bertanding selain untuk memberi penghormatan kepada UMNO bahagian terutama semasa membuat pencalonan dan cadangan pada perhimpunan agung nanti.
''MT UMNO akan mengadakan perbincangan dari hati ke hati dan semua pihak akan memberi pandangan secara ikhlas.
''Dan bagi saya, para pemimpin UMNO perlu menyisihkan soal antara setia pada parti dan menjadi pengikut kepada mana-mana pihak. Sikap untuk menjadi pak turut tidak wajar dibiarkan berterusan sehingga merencatkan perjuangan parti," katanya.

tunku : by credibility rais should fight for higher post than the vice president.anyway he should to be one of the vice president.this man is brilliant and should be made the de facto law minister not zaid ibrahim. if he had head the batu putih team from earlier the verdict will be different right now. there is none of the six people who announce that they will fight for the vice presidency post who are capable to bring umno into the next level. zahid,hisham,rahim tambychik,adnan yaakob,shahidan kassim adn ali rustam is considered outdated and not well received by the grass roots. one leader from sabah should be the vice president.to me people like rais, khir toyo and may be shafie afdal will be a good choice for the vice presidency post. rais can concentrate on seniors support ,khir toyo the youth group support and shafie can get sabah support.

Rais curiga alasan Ezam

PUTRAJAYA 2 Jun - Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim membangkitkan rasa hairannya dengan sikap terlalu mudah UMNO menerima kemasukan Mohamad Ezam Mohd. Noor berbanding penerimaan bekas ahli Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (S46) sebelum ini.
Beliau yang juga bekas Timbalan Presiden S46 berkata, kemasukan semula bekas Ketua Angkatan Muda Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu menimbulkan rasa curiga kerana ia berlaku secara tiba-tiba tanpa dirundingkan terlebih dahulu dengan Jawatankuasa Pengurusan parti.
''Saya dapat tahu Jawatankuasa Pengurusan parti yang diketuai oleh Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak serta dibantu oleh Naib Presiden, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin tidak dibawa berunding terlebih dahulu, malah tidak dirujuk pun kepada Majlis Tertinggi (MT).
''Secara tiba-tiba sahaja satu pihak lagi begitu kuat mahu bawa masuk Mohamad Ezam.
''Ia sungguh berbeza dengan ahli-ahli S46 dulu kerana proses kemasukan ahli (ke UMNO) sahaja memakan masa sembilan bulan dan macam-macam aspek diteliti tetapi sekarang orang yang tempelak UMNO boleh diterima 'pada minggu depan'," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Rais bagaimanapun yakin ahli-ahli MT yang akan bersidang selama dua hari di Shah Alam minggu ini akan membincangkan secara serius keputusan sama ada untuk menerima atau sebaliknya permohonan Mohamad Ezam dan beberapa bekas pemimpin muda PKR ke dalam UMNO.
Menurut Rais, beliau sebenarnya berasa curiga dengan sebab-sebab yang dikemukakan oleh Mohamad Ezam untuk menyertai semula UMNO.
''Dia pun sudah cakap 'lebih' (kononnya) hendak corakkan kepimpinan UMNO pada masa depan dan sebagainya.
"Justeru, MT perlu buat keputusan secara konsensus sebelum menerima dia dan rakan-rakannya," katanya.
Khamis lalu, Mohamad Ezam mengumumkan kembali kepada UMNO selepas mengisytiharkan keluar daripada PKR pada April tahun lalu.
Bekas Setiausaha Politik kepada penasihat PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu bertindak keluar parti setelah kecewa dengan corak kepimpinan PKR yang dikatakan dikuasai secara eksklusif oleh golongan tertentu yang berkepentingan peribadi.

tunku : as i said earlier, ezam is a special case with the help of big hands in umno.he was given 'red carpet' welcome.at the end of the day he will be the trojan horse as said by Tun Dr Mahathir.i agree with rais when he said ezam's application had not been approved yet but he's talking a lot nowadays of how to rejuvenate umno etc.not only rais wh is suspicious about ezam's motive but also majority of umno members.

There Are Leaders Who Block New Members:Umno

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 (Bernama) -- As Umno members discuss the applications of three former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders to join the party there are also those who allude to the difficulty of ordinary people becoming members.
They charge that Umno is an elite organisation that only allows a certain group to join it while other applications can take up to months if not years to be accepted.
Umno Youth executive council member, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, said this was due to the existence of "blocking" elements among lower echelon leaders who worry that their standing will be affected with the inclusion of new members.
"There were many such instances. Don't assume that by filling a form, paying a RM1 membership fee, you can be an Umno member. Applications that I myself sent through the Jitra (Kedah) division in 2000 took six months to be accepted," Mukhriz told Bernama here.
He said normally the problem arises when the applicant is a young person who is successful either in business or in education.
"Recently when I was in Melaka, some people told me they only got accepted before the general election although they had applied six years ago," said the Jerlun member of parliament.
Elaborating, Mukhriz said as a matter of policy, to join Umno a person had only to fill a form, pay RM1 membership fee and get endorsement from the branch leadership.
"There should not be elements of bureaucracy as Umno is an open party for all Malays and the issue of difficulty of obtaining membership should not arise," he said.
There are some, he said, who join the opposition parties after being frustrated at not gaining membership in Umno which they label as 'elitist'.
"As far as I know, joining opposition parties is very easy, some do it online. Not many whims. Umno should also be like that," he said.
Umno Cheras division chief, Senator Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee, admits hearing such complaints.
"I heard of application forms being stuck at certain branches. Don't know why?," he said.
He did not reject the possibility there were leaders who worried that their position would be adversely affected with new members and said the matter should be addressed as it blocked the entry of new members especially the young.
"What is there to fear? To me if a leader discharges his duties and reposnsibilities sincerely he has no reason to be worried if people want to join Umno," he said.
However, he said, if there were former opposition party members, especially former Umno members, who wanted to re-join Umno they have to go through a different process.
"They should be called for an interview by the party's management committee and be questioned about their intention to re-join Umno. We do not want them to become thorns in the flesh," he said.
He was referring to the applications by the former PKR Youth chief, Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, and former Permatang Pauh PKR division chief, Anuar Shaari, who had left Umno to join the opposition party.
Syed Ali said if both these leaders were accepted easily by the Umno leadership there would be disaffection among members who had been loyal to the party despite being disciplined.
It was strange that such a situation happened only in certain states whereas in Johor, Umno membership was almost automatic.
"In Johor, if parents are Umno members, the children will surely be members. No other way unless the whole family is not involved," said a Johor Umno member who did not want to be identified.
He said involvment in Umno is also done by parents who register membership as soon as one is qualified.
"In Johor, becoming an Umno member is almost a culture. It's strange if one is not a member," said the youth in his 30's.
Umno now has more than three million members making it the largest Malay political party in the country.

tunku : it's true that sometimes it's very difficult for a new member to join umno in some of the branches.this is due to the insecure feeling by its leaders especially when the applicant is a very well educated or successful businessman.it does not happen in all the branches but some.sometimes the hq is very slow in processing them.by right they should do it online.the process should be easy.i agree with syed ali suggestion that if the applicants are from the oppositions leaders and ex leaders then they should go thru a thorough process to make sure their objective and sincerity in joining umno.but i guess ezam and friends will get direct entry without hassle as will be look after by some big hands.

Fuel Price May Rise Beginning August, Says Shahrir

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 (Bernama) -- Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad on Monday hinted that petrol and diesel prices may go up beginning August.
"It will happen...petrol prices will increase, I think the idea is in August this year when the subsidy system is re-structured," he said.
The increase in fuel prices is in line with the structuring of the new mechanism for the fuel subsidy scheme enjoyed by the people now.
"There are already several proposals and the mechanism has been submitted to the Finance Ministry and it will be decided in the best manner," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here.
He said although the fuel price would go up, the petrol subsidy would continue to be enjoyed by the people based on requirement instead of usage.
"If we look at the subsidy that we receive today, it is based on the amount used, if we consume 200 litres per month, we will receive subsidy for each litre that we purchase. If we use only 100 litres, will will also be given the subsidy, so this means there is no restriction to the subsidy that we get based on our usage.
"The restructuring is also part of the government's efforts in tackling the rising subsidy burden following the significant rise in the world oil price which had exceeded US$130 per barrel currently," Shahrir said.
He said total subsidy borne by the government for petrol, diesel and LPG this year was expected to reach RM56 billion.
The minister said the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel for foreign cars by petrol kiosks within 50 kilometres from the border was only a temporary measure.
He said the ban had already been enforced at the Malaysia-Thailand border Monday while near the Singapore border, the ban would take effect on June 9.
"The ban does not involve sale to motorcyclists as the government is always concerned about those in the low income group and decided to exempt them from the ban," he said.

tunku : the petrol price will rise no doubt and it should as government will no longer be able to subsidize th eprice at the current price.we malaysian should understand this.the current price is USD130 per barrel more than double when the increase the 30 cents per litre. the only thing is we hope government will come up with best solution to help ease the burden of the people.as i had suggested before malaysian car should get subsidized petrol.it will help the local industry too.maybe we can see some good suggestion here.

Proposal For Rail Services To Link Subang Airport And KL Sentral

PETALING JAYA, June 2 (Bernama) -- The government is waiting for a proposal to implement railway services to link the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang and KL Sentral, Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said Monday.
He said a working paper on the project will be provided to the private sector. The project will be considered for the convenience of passengers using the services of Firefly and Berjaya Air which are operating from the Subang airport, he told reporters after a visit to the airport here.
Ong said he hoped the proposal to be presented to the government will be comprehensive and complete in planning.
"The proposal has to be finetuned and approved first but I feel it should take into consideration all factors, including Malaysia's aim to become an international aerospace centre," he said.
tunku : i don't think that there are many passengers with firefly and berjaya air.so is it a good proposal for the rail services? anyway we hope once it's done the government won't let airasia operates from subang as the lcct had cost hundred of millions.the most important thing to do is to build a road connecting KLIA and the LCCT. The current road to LCCT is too far or at least there is a train service between them.taxi is charging RM25 - RM35 from KLIA to LCCT which is ridiculous and if midnight the charges are double.

Ku Li slams ex-gratia payment to judges

BACHOK: Veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has slammed the recent cabinet decision to award former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas ex-gratia, saying the core issue remained unresolved as the Government “created one wrong in trying to correct another wrong.”
Describing the decision as an unprecedented bad move, Tengku Razaleigh said the Government should have convened a judiciary tribunal to re-hear Salleh’s case again instead of simply awarding an ex-gratia payment.
As such, he also said an apology can be forthcoming but it must wait until the proposed tribunal made its decision.
Under the Federal Constitution, judges are impeached by a special tribunal of judges, appointed by the Government. Such a tribunal found Salleh guilty of misconduct, and he was officially relieved of his position as Lord President in 1988.
According to Tengku Razaleigh, who is now offering to contest Umno's top post, the cabinet’s decision has sparked “another debate out there and is now seen as an attempt to embarrass people more than to right a wrong.”
Although, there is empathy for Salleh, there must be real justification to award the ex-gratia, he said after meeting a fraction of Bachok Umno division members here on Sunday.
He proposed that this would be best addressed by forming a new tribunal to re-hear the case.
In terms of the law, Salleh was removed by that tribunal’s decision and not by individuals or Government, Tengku Razaleigh said.
“Awarding the ex-gratia creates another problem as it would encourage others who may have been dismissed from the Government to also seek retribution in the form of ex-gratia payments,” he argued.

tunku : they (pak lah and gang) just want to get some supports and gain some popularity.the main reason was to tarnish Tun Dr Mahathir personality which has became a threat to the current regime. what ku li said was right, in terms of the law, Salleh was removed by that tribunal’s decision and not by individuals, government or Tun Dr Mahathir and that's a fact.

Big pow-wow for Umno next week

KUALA LUMPUR: The Umno supreme council is gathering at a two-day “no holds barred” retreat to discuss how best to rebuild and move the party forward following its general election setback.
The retreat, scheduled at a hotel in Shah Alam next Thursday and Friday, will be held under a unique format with members divided into various groups to address specific topics and issues.
The overnight “pow wow” is also aimed at formulating a strategy to improve support for the party.
Party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will hear views and also provide pointers.
“All supreme council members have been informed about it,” Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told The Star.
Retreats have been organised for Umno state liaison chiefs and MPs in the past but this is the first time that the party’s highest decision-making body, comprising 52 members, would be involved.
The party supreme council has met several times since the March 8 general election, in which Umno won only 79 of the 109 parliamentary seats it previously held.
The Barisan Nasional coalition, of which Umno is the largest component party, also lost control of the states of Selangor, Perak, Kedah and failed to wrest Kelantan from the Islamist party PAS.

tunku : you can do hundreds of retreat but if the leaders still accept blindly whatever the top leadership wish, then nothing will change.on the ground it's very clear that many wants pak lah to resign,so let us see whether we will hear it during this retreat or we will only hear the came out with "we support pak lah's leadership".

Azalina Calls For Mokhzani's Resignation As SIC Chairman

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- Tourism Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said Saturday joined Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob in calling for Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir's resignation as chairman of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
Azalina said in a statement she was surprised at and disappointed with Mokhzani's stand to continue as SIC chairman when Ismail Sabri had called for his resignation yesterday citing the post as a government appointment.
"Mokhzani should know that SIC is a government entity and he should resign in the interest of the sport," said Azalina, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member.
"His continued presence is going to hamper the sport because the government's support will have to be reviewed," she said.
Mokhzani, who quit Umno on May 21 following in his father and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's footsteps, had insisted he would hold on to the post as there was no directive from Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad or the Finance Ministry asking him to leave.
SIC is a subsidiary of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, which is controlled by the government through Khazanah Holdings.
Azalina said Mokhzani was disrespectful when he said that if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wanted him to resign, he (Abdullah) could do so by marking the date on his undated resignation letter which he had signed when he was appointed to the post in 2003.
"Mokhzani should be a gentleman with principles and resign.
His action now is certainly disrespectful. SIC does not belong to him. And since he is no longer with the government, which had appointed him, he should just leave with dignity," said Azalina.

tunku : why the government support should be reviewed , just because SIC chairman is not an umno member? this is another 'stupid cow' minister we have. yes SIC does not belong to him so do pak lah and his cronies. SIC belong to the nation and any malaysian citizen can be part of it or be its chairman. by acting like 'stupid cows' will make people hates umno more although it's not umno's fault but its (some) 'stupid cows' leaders.actually to compare them to the 'stupid cows' is an insult to the cows.

Tun Dr. Mahathir Speech At Petaling Jaya

Form independent group, Dr M tells Umno MPs

PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has suggested that Umno MPs form an independent group instead of crossing over to the Opposition if they are dissatisfied with the present leadership.
Dr Mahathir said crossing over to the Opposition was wrong, as they would be subjected to opposition policies and would not be able to determine anything.
“You will be an ordinary member, but by forming a separate group, say at least 35 of them, this will cause the Government to collapse and the current Prime Minister will have to resign.
“Then if PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tries to become the Prime Minister and if the votes go to him and then if Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak have the guts to step in, the 35 MPs can give their votes to him.
“When he (Najib) becomes the Prime Minister, Barisan Nasional remains in power, and it will be no lost to anyone except to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,” he told a press conference after delivering his speech during a forum “Suntikan Semangat Satria” at a hotel Saturday.
The event was organised by three non-governmental organisations known as Minda Melayu Kreatif, Kelab Cinta Amanah Melayu and Arena PJS14.
He was commenting on Anwar’s claims that certain MPs from Sabah were expected to “jump ship” by Sept 16.
Asked if he would relinquish his positions in several companies and government agencies including the positions as Proton and Petronas advisors upon his decision to quit as an Umno member, Dr Mahathir said he did not see why he should do so.
“It may be an option, if I feel that I have to do so. But I prefer if they kick me out."
“Actually this is not related to me being an Umno member, as all past retired Prime Ministers are given jobs, and in the past we never took away their jobs even though they ceased to become Umno members,” he added.
On whether former PKR youth chief Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor was a “Trojan horse” for the party (PKR), Dr Mahathir said in politics everything was possible.
“He may be that (Trojan horse) but what I do know is that Anwar is anxious to be supported by Umno and he may want to join Umno at some stage, if he can become the Prime Minister,” he added.
On the International Court of Justice’s decision of giving the ownership of Pedra Branca to Singapore, Dr Mahathir said Malaysia did not send a competent team unlike Singapore.

Dr M: Ezam a possible Trojan Horse
Former PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohd Noor may possibly act as a Trojan Horse for PKR with his recent re-entry into Umno, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Speaking during a public lecture in Petaling Jaya today, he warned Umno members to be cautious of Ezam's latest move as it may be linked to a bid by Anwar Ibrahim to shore support from Umno to become prime minister.
“In politics, anything is possible. It may be that (Ezam is a Trojan Horse). What I do know is that Anwar is quietly anxious to be supported by Umno. “He may want to join Umno at some stage, if he (believes that he) can become PM through that (channel),” Mahathir told a press conference after the event, when asked to clarify his comments on Ezam during his speech.
The issue was raised today when a member from the floor asked Mahathir to comment on the Umno leadership’s decision to accept Ezam back into the party.
Mahathir, without naming anyone, said that “Those who jumped from one party would jump again” and then had the crowd in stitches by using the “Frog Prince” folktale as an analogy for ‘party hoppers’. “Maybe the frog would eventually become a prince. We shall wait and see if this happens. Maybe Pak Lah would kiss the frog,” he quipped.
‘Desperate for support’
On Wednesday, embattled Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi accepted membership applications from Ezam and several of his followers.
The event received heavy media publicity and is viewed as a morale booster for Abdullah, who has been under attack by party members since Barisan Nasional’s poor showing during the March 8 general election.
Observers have predicted Umno would task Ezam with attacking his former party and its de facto leader Anwar. But his re-entry into Umno has raised doubts among certain party stalwarts such as Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussien.
In his usual sarcastic tone, Mahathir said the Umno leadership was “desperate” for signs of support and therefore accepted Ezam. “They are desperate to see support for themselves. Let them accept him. This is a sign of great support for Umno. In fact, they should accept Karpal Singh, the menteri besar of Perak, and also Param Cumaraswamy and Anwar. “All these people want Abdullah to be there. They are very supportive of Abdullah. Therefore, they should be accepted, if not a full member, at least an associate member. Karpal in particular. He scolded me for giving a lot of trouble to Abdullah,” he said.
‘Only 35 needed to topple Pak Lah’
During his 40-minute speech today, at the forum titled “Suntikan Semangat Satria (Injecting the Warrior’s Spirit)”, Mahathir continued his attacks against Abdullah and urged Umno members to leave the party.
Mahathir said that Abdullah should “be a gentleman” and follow the examples of former Umno president Onn Jaaffar and Tunku Abdul Rahman who both stepped down as party presidents after losing support from the grassroots.
During the question-and-answer session, Mahathir, now a former Umno member, reiterated his call for Umno MPs to leave the Barisan Nasional coalition and become independent MPs to force Abdullah’s government to collapse.
“If 35 MPs leave (Barisan), they become the kingmakers in Parliament - the government might collapse. Anwar is trying to become PM as well. (But) we should leave the choice (of premiership) to Umno.
“When this prime minister (Abdullah) is forced to step down, someone else would take over and the 35 would rejoin Barisan. This is one way to change the party leadership, but at the same time, we ensure that we are still in power,” he explained.

tunku : this trojan horse already brought in some of the army together with him to look for more support.once everything settle they will open the main gate for anwar to rejoin umno.


‘They are waiting’
Following his decision to quit as Umno member in protest of Abdullah’s leadership, Mahathir had urged Umno MPs to follow suit and force Abdullah to step down.
This has not be altogether successful and even his own son, Mukhriz, the Jerlun MP, did not quit Umno saying that he prefered to reform Umno from within.
Asked by reporters on the matter, a confident Mahathir said there were MPs who had taken in his idea, but had yet to formally quit the party. “They all say that they have quit the party, but they have not written to the party. They say they will observe for a short while before making a decision,” he said. He also agreed to a suggestion that the Umno MPs' reluctance to quit the party now was because of looming party election. “They seem to put their hopes in the party election. I don’t think the party election would result in any changes in leadership,” he added.
However, earlier in his speech, Mahathir had acknowledged that it was not easy to urge Umno MPs to leave the party as they would be worried about losing their perks.
“What if I get government positions? What if I get contracts? All this affects them. No one has is willing to leave (the party), including my own son,” he said.

'They can sack me, I don't care'
Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would prefer to be fired from his advisory positions in government bodies than to vacate the posts.
“If they say ‘get out’, I’d get out. No problem... vacating the post is an option I like to keep. But I prefer if they kick me out,” he told a press conference today.
Currently, Mahathir is an advisor to oil and gas giant Petronas, national carmaker Proton, the Langkawi Development Authority and the Tioman Island Development Authority.
“If they want to take away (all) this, they are welcomed... I’m not dependent on that; Not even if they give me RM15,000 a month and make a hue and cry about it. I didn’t ask for it in the first place,” he said.
Journalist had asked Mahathir about his positions held because he was no longer a member of Umno since May 21. His son Mokhzani had followed suit and was asked by Youth and Sports Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to step down as Sepang International Circuit chairperson.
Mahathir said that the advisory positions held by him had nothing to do with him being an Umno member, as the government had a policy of giving retired prime ministers jobs. He said that past Umno presidents such as Hussien Onn, who did not join Umno Baru in 1987, were never stripped of their jobs.
Mahathir was speaking to reporters after speaking at the “Suntikan Semangat Satria (Injecting the Warrior’s Spirit)” forum organised by Minda Melayu Kreatif, Kelab Cinta Amanah Melayu and Arena PJS 14 in Petaling Jaya.

tunku : this is pak lah's regime, if you are not an umno member or do not support him you can take any position in government agencies or related agencies.transparent and good governance by pak lah as screamed by zaid ibrahim.

Batu Puteh decision
During the forum, when responding to a question from the floor, Mahathir joined the chorus of mainly opposition voices in lambasting the government’s performance in the International Court of Justice hearing on the dispute over Pulau Batu Puteh with Singapore.
“We were hoping that the government would send a effective delegation. Singapore sent their chief justice and a lawyer who used to work with the United Nations. We only sent our Attorney-General, who is not very famous.
“(The court) made a decision that baffles me. If we scrutinise the verdict, it is strange that Pulau Batu Puteh was awarded to Singapore, because (Middle Rocks) that is further south from Batu Puteh, was awarded to us.
“Our people were not good at arguing (the case). They did not deny that the letter that was written by a Johor official, who admitted that Batu Puteh was not ours, they (the Malaysian legal team) did not question the official’s authority in issuing the letter,
“The letter was written by an official before independence to a British officer in Singapore. Our official was probably not independent and was advised by the British to verify that Batu Puteh was not ours,
“This is what happened when we sent people (to the International Court of Justice) who are not good in such matters,” he said.
The 12 - 4 decision by the world court was based on a letter written in 1953 by the state secretary of Johor to the Singapore government which states that Johor does not stake claim over Pedra Branca, which Pulau Batu Puteh is otherwise known.

tunku : even rais yatim said that if he had been there from first day, pulau batu putih verdict will be different.they really sent weak team under syed hamid.