Monday, March 31, 2014

MH370 : Australian PM backs Najib Razak, says 'overwhelming' evidence plane is lost

In the face of mounting criticism and skepticism over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's announcement on March 24 that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 crashed into the Indian Ocean with no hope of survivors, his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott has weighed in with support for Najib's stand on the matter.

He said, “The accumulation of evidence is that the aircraft has been lost and it has been lost somewhere in the south of the Indian Ocean,” he told reporters at the Perth military base coordinating the search.

“That's the absolutely overwhelming wave of evidence and I think that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was perfectly entitled to come to that conclusion, and I think once that conclusion had been arrived at, it was his duty to make that conclusion public.”

Flight MH370 disappeared from traffic control radars early March 8, while carrying 239 passengers and crew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The disappearance sparked off a search and rescue operation involving 26 countries in areas as diverse as the South China Sea, the Malacca Straits, Central Asia, and the Indian Ocean. To date, no wreckage has been found.

Australia is coordinating the international hunt for the missing Boeing 777, which involves about 100 personnel searching from onboard surveillance aircraft and 1,000 sailors in ships in or near the search zone.

“This is an extraordinarly difficult exercise. We are searching a vast area of ocean and we are working on quite limited information,” Abbott said.

“Nevertheless, the best brains in the world are applying themselves to this task, all of the technological mastery that we have is being applied and brought to bear here. If this mystery is solvable, we will solve it. But I don't want to underestimate just how difficult it is.”
The Australian leader refused to put a time limit on the search, saying: “We can keep searching for quite some time to come. The intensity of our search and the magnitude of our search is increasing, not decreasing.”

“We owe it to the families, we owe it to everyone that travels by air, we owe it to the governments of the countries who had citizens on that aircraft, we owe it to the wider world which has been transfixed by this mystery for three weeks now,” he said.

#MH370: Students From China Want Media To Stop Tarnish Malaysia’s Image

PicsArt_1396188225331Students from China, currently pursuing studies in Malaysia, and former students have urged the Chinese media as well as the public in China not to tarnish Malaysia’s image following the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 tragedy.

The Malaysian Association of China Students Alumni (MACSA) president, Adam Huang said the association had contacted the media in China through their embassy here, urging them not to condemn Malaysia.

“We have contacted the media in China to stop condemning Malaysia and tarnishing the country’s image. We also want them to help restore the faith about Malaysia to the people in China,” he told a press conference at Wisma MCA here, Sunday.

Besides that, he said the association also had started efforts to explain the real situation following the tragedy through the social media.

“Since the first week of the tragedy, we started to use social media as a platform to express our gratitude to the country (Malaysia) and the real situation here,” he said.

He said the social media users were also requested to stop provoking the Malaysian authorities, which was worsening the situation.

Meanwhile MACSA adviser Datuk Seri Michael Chong said he was trying to assist these students on the issue after they met him and said they must do something to rebuild the situation.

Founded on Jan 5, 2012, the association currently has more than 1,000 members, including current students and alumni living in Malaysia and China.

Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, left the KL International Airport at 12.41 am on March 8 and disappeared from radar screens about an hour later while over the South China Sea. It was to have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak then announced on March 24, 17 days after the disappearance of Flight MH370 that it “ended in the southern Indian Ocean” based on an unprecedented type of analysis of satellite data by the United Kingdom satellite telecommunications company, Inmarsat and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Friday, March 28, 2014

Why Distribute Christian Flyers in A Malay Housing Area?

Article 11 Federal Constitution of Malaysia:
11.(4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.

The statement above is an excerpt text from the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. The bold wordings shows that no propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among a person professing the religion of Islam.  As a Malaysian we all know for a fact that according to Article 3 of the Malaysian Constitution Islam is the religion of the federation but other religion can be practiced.

            You can spin it any way you want but the fact of the matter is, the law of this country does not allow any religion to be propagate against Muslims.  How hard is it to understand this matter? Seriously? Recently in, Taman Berjaya Indah Kajang Selangor after Wan Azizah Wan Ismail won the state seat, it was reported that Christian missionary was distributing flyers in a Malay/Muslim populated area.

            You don’t have to be a lawyer to understand the provision in Article 11 (4) of the Federal Constitution. It doesn’t even have legal jargons for anyone to be confused. And up till today we are baffled on why Christian missionaries are trying their best to ignore the provisions laid down by Article 11 (4) of the Federal Constitution. Why on earth do they want to destroy the harmony and peace that we have enjoyed for decades?
            We may believe in a higher power which is different from others, is it too hard for each and every one of us to respect each other. Furthermore, if the authority took action against these types of shenanigans, they will accuse the government of behaving like a tyrant. Just like when the authorities raid the Bible Society of Malaysia building. They keep on disregarding the fact that the government reaction is based on their action which clearly against the supreme law of the land i.e. the Malaysian Federal Constitution.

            Malaysia is a melting pot of culture, religion and race. Keep it real. If it’s clearly against the rule of law in the country, then why do it? The laws are made like that for a reason. Just go with the flow. Abide the law and be happy, is it that hard for everyone to understand?

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The usage of Inmarsat and the application of satellite monitoring in the search of MH370

The Inmarsat is the leading organization on satellite monitoring which was established in 1979 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Its main focus is to enable ships to stay in constant touch with any available ports and shores in order for them to get help if anything would happen to the vessel. The Inmarsat will connect ships and vessels no matter how far it went out to sea.

The Inmarsat has more than 60 location world-wide and provide around the clock support facilities for their patrons. Although it is a commercial based system, the Inmarsat are also involved in many search & rescue operations. They will provide and analyse data to be given to relevant authorities in such operation. After 35 years Inmarsat has emerged as the leading provider of Aerospace and Maritime information.

After 9th of March 2014, Inmarsat has been a household name in Malaysia. Before this, Inmarsat is known only to those who are involved in the maritime business, but now from the hawker stalls in Jakarta to the Malaysian Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, everyone are talking about Inmarsat and their contribution towards the search & rescue mission of flight MH370.

Some might think that satellite imagery that Inmarsat and militaries from the 26 nation is easily interpreted. This is the result of watching too much Hollywood movies. The raw data from satellites does not come with a clear full coloured image. Raw data are represented by a plotted image that must be processed by using complicated coding. Satellite imagery is not like when you take picture with your digital camera. It is more complicated than that.

A lot of criticism had come from the foreign and local media saying that the Malaysian government has not released the full information on the data collected by the search and rescue operators. Some has even criticized the blurry image of the satellite image saying that the government intentionally distorted the image so that the public cannot see the real condition on what is happening in the Indian oceans. Well, the truth is, this is the best that we can get out of the satellite photos. The Malaysian government has even released raw data to ensure that the public is up to date with the current scenario.

Malaysia has done its best to provide the facilities that is needed to find out what had happened to flight MH370. However, there are parties who think that that the government doesn’t doing enough just because they don’t understand the concept and method used by the search and rescue operator. On a lighter note, Malaysia was praised by all of the commanding officers of the 26 nations that were directly involved with the search operation. US Navy Commander William Marks stated that the Malaysian government has done an exceptional job in coordinating the water-space and airspace management in finding the plane.

Even though criticised harshly by the media, the government of Malaysia turn a deaf ear on the comments and focus all their efforts on investigating what had happened to the plane. This is a true meaning of responsibility. The Malaysian government should be praised for their everlasting conviction and determination in the search for flight MH370.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

ANWAR WANTS WAN AZIZAH AS MB, KHALID IN TROUBLE



Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed the Kajang Move has not ended until his wife Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail becomes the MenteriBesar of Selangor.

His statement made at parliament lobby today in response to questions from reporters puts the jitters on present MenteriBesar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and of course, puts the smile on Khalid’s ‘political enemy’ Azmin Ali.

Khalid had stated many times and openly that he would stay on until the end of his term which is until the next general election in 2018.

He had ‘strategically’ put Azmin out of action with his last move – removing Azmin from the board of director of Selangor Development Corporation (PKNS) – after being push to the corner since he became MenteriBesar in 2008.

And the Kajang Move, which had at first made him feel uneasy as Anwar himself will be contesting and unseat him instead of Azmin, had suddenly made him feel very, very comfortable as Anwar was sentenced to five years jail and replaced by party president herself, Wan Azizah.
Khalid is more comfortable with Wan Azizah and vice-versa as both shared similar minds – politicallly naïve and professional in their approaches.

However, Khalid forgot or probably took it easy in that he would have thought with Anwar’s conviction and sentenced, Wan Azizah would just remain as an exco member of the state assembly and let him run the state as he has been doing since 2008.

At the same time, since both – he and Wan Azizah – have similar approaches on matters of the state, he would feel very comfortable considering Wan Azizah would allow him a free hand and he only need to brief and inform her of his plans and intended policies.

But since Anwar stated this morning that Wan Azizah would be made MenteriBesar since she has won the kajang state serat and the Kajang Move was indeed to replace the MenteriBesar, Khalid is back to his volatile position and sleepless nights.

This means Anwar still call the shots, and he still will even when he is in prison, which means Khalid’s attempts to unseat Azmin seems to be a far fetched reality.

Wan Azizah may not like Azmin and may want Khalid to stay on as MenteriBesar and probably be her deputy in the party but Anwar calls the shot and Wan Azizah has no choice, just like when she was made to stand for him in the recently concluded Kajang state seat by-election.

Given such a scenario, Khalid will have to ‘kiss his MenteriBesar seat goodbye’ and if luck is with him, Wan Azizah may convince Anwar for Khalid to be deputy president as a trade-in.

MH370 : CNN and Fox News: Can you handle the truth?



Bias information and reports are not a rarity in the western media. For decades we have been fed by half-truth reports just so that they can ensure a certain criteria or agenda is met. Bias reporting of foreign media has also been used as a weapon to propagate certain “facts” to justify actions taken by any parties even though the facts are not true.   
          
                The fact of the matter is, the news reported by CNN is always favouring certain countries and this does not includes Malaysia. Frankly speaking, many Asian countries have suffered badly at the hands of CNN and their foreign correspondent. Who can ever forget how CNN tries to defame the Thai government during the reign of AbhisitVejjajiva the former Thai Prime Minister. CNN was adamant in showing that the whole of Thailand is in flames with riots and looting. The same video showing rioters protesting on the streets were repeatedly shown. The real situation was actually very different then what CNN portrays. The rioting incident only happens in Bangkok, while people in Hatyai, Krabi and other places in Thailand are chilling at the beach while sipping Pina Coladas with no worries.

                The same goes to incident in Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan and many more countries in Asia. The news they report are sometimes based on rumours and speculation made so that they can get more viewers to watch their channel and click into their portal. There don’t care about facts or the truth. Even China was a subject of CNN persecution, who can forget the Tiananmen Square incident where a Chinese protestor stood in front of a Chinese Army’s tank.  They did not even show the full video of the incident. What they did was, they show the first part of the video, then they cut it off right when the tank about to move. Thus indicating the tank crush the “Tank Man” making the world see that the Chinese government is heartless. What really happened was, the Chinese Army Tank moves aside avoiding the famous “Tank Man” and no one was injured or died in this particular incident.

                CNN has constructed a decades of lies, their reasons for these lies might varied but we the people of the world must understand that they are not the responsible source that we should rely on, especially in any incident involving Asian countries. While CNN based most of their stories on half-baked facts, Fox New on the other hand are more of a tabloid type of news agency. They are not interested at the real facts but more towards creating a story that will enhance the imagination particularly of the American people.

                Who could forget the accusation that they made to their own president Mr Barack Obama by calling him the Anti-Christ. Because of the American freedom of speech and their liberal press laws, no legal action can be taken by Fox News. However the president of the United States will always take a jab at Fox News during the White House Correspondent Dinner as a way to get even to the news agency. Fox News racist slurs and anti-Asian stand is not a new thing. They have been ridiculing Asian, Middle Easterners and some European countries for decades.  Sadly many of us here in Malaysia still believe their story and use it as a source of facts.

                We should not get all worked up with their actions as both of these networks are consider not credible even in their own country. The statements made by their correspondent in the event of crisis are also marred with personal opinion and negative sentiments towards a certain group of people. Their reports on the MH370 flights are a reminder that both of these news agencies are not reliable. Their main target is to provoke and to see what happens with their provocation. Lately they are trying to provoke the people of China to hate the Malaysian government by saying that the Malaysian government lies to the world. But what they forget is that the information given by the Malaysian authorities consists of collective resource that is contributed by more than 26 countries worldwide. If CNN and Fox News were truly sincere in their reports, they should have mentioned the fact Malaysia is not the only country that are involved in the search and rescue mission.
                In the time of crisis, we as human beings should stand and work together. Spreading lies and unfounded accusation is not the way to go. Maybe we should all boycott news and agencies like Fox News and CNN just to show them that we demand real stories and not some fairy tales that they conjured up out of nowhere. 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Kajang Move: The Epitome of PKR Internal Fighting

At the end of the Kajang by-election we are wondering what will happen next. Will Wan Azizah be the first female Menteri Besar of Selangor? Will Khalid Ibrahim patch things up with Anwar and Azmin? Will the water shortage in Selangor ever be taken care off?

                All that we have now are questions.   Even though they won the Kajang by-election, most Malaysians know that the real reason for the Kajang move is not for the benefit of the Pakatan Rakyat, but it is solely because of PKR internal problems.

                Suddenly Khalid Ibrahim position as the Menteri Besar of Selangor is threatened and now although they are all smiles and holding hands while celebrating Wan Azizah’s win in the by-election we can feel the tension that exist between them. It is crucial for all Malaysian to understand that PKR is the game maker in this particular scenario, and they have the power to change the course of the Selangor’s administration even if they only have certain amounts of seats to begin with.

                Anwar Ibrahim is in a conundrum when Wan Azizah (his wife) is pit against Azmin Ali (a long-time family friend) while Khalid Ibrahim is seen as favouring Wan Azizah more than Azmin.  Khalid Ibrahim are backed by the DAP while Azmin is seen as an ultra-Malay by some DAP leaders stand close to Anwar Ibrahim to ensure his survival in this battle of supremacy of the PKR party.

                PKR is doing a good job in silencing two of the biggest opposition party in Malaysia which is namely PAS and DAP. Many PAS leaders have voice out their concern on PKR political game. They are worried that PKR is trying to manipulate the Islamic party into being their political servant rather than partners in administrating states controlled by the Pakatan Rakyat.  DAP on the other hand are only concerned with the Chinese population, that is why all Chinese media controlled by the DAP supports Khalid Ibrahim’s administration of Selangor. This can be seen clearly during the Langat 2 MoU signing by Khalid Ibrahim and the Federal Government a move detest by Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali.

                The Kajang Move is necessary for PKR, not only to reduce the tension that are currently gripping the party, but it is also to ensure that PKR would always be relevant in their hope to take the helm of the nation. The party is currently trying to reinvent themselves so that the people of Malaysia would look up to Anwar Ibrahim as they did in 1998. That is also the reason why they are proclaiming the Reformasi 2.0 campaign during Wan Azizah’s candidacy in the by-election.

                What we can concur on these particular events happening especially in Selangor, PKR are afraid that they are losing touch with the people. There are no major issue that they could carry to smear the good name of Barisan Nasional and its leaders. The PKR is playing a dangerous game; it is up to us the rakyat to understand the real situation. The people must know the truth about PKR. Other Pakatan Rakyat leaders must also be cautious of PKR and their cronies; it has been proven from time to time that they only work for themselves and no other.

Malaysia Airline CEO's statement 25th March 2014

I stand before you today not only as the Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, but also as a parent, as a brother, as a son. My heart breaks to think of the unimaginable pain suffered by all the families. There are no words which can ease that pain. Everyone in the Malaysia Airlines family is praying for the 239 souls on MH370 and for their loved ones on this dark day. We extend our prayers and sincere condolences.

We all feel enormous sorrow and pain. Sorrow that all those who boarded Flight MH370 on Saturday 8th March, will not see their families again. And that those families will now have to live on without those they love. It must be remembered too that 13 of our own colleagues and fellow Malaysians were also on board.

And let me be very clear on the events of yesterday evening. Our sole and only motivation last night was to ensure that in the incredibly short amount of time available to us, the families heard the tragic news before the world did. Wherever humanly possible, we did so in person with the families or by telephone, using SMS only as an additional means of ensuring fully that the nearly 1,000 family members heard the news from us and not from the media.

Ever since the disappearance of Flight MH370 Malaysia Airlines focus has been to comfort and support the families of those involved and support the multi-national search effort. We will continue to do this, while we also continue to support the work of the investigating authorities in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Like everyone else, we are waiting for news from those authorities. We know that while there have been an increasing number of apparent leads, definitive identification of any piece of debris is still missing. It is impossible to predict how long this will take. But after 17 days, the announcement made last night and shared with the families is the reality which we must now accept. When Malaysia Airlines receives approval from the investigating authorities, arrangements will be made to bring the families to the recovery areas if they so wish. Until that time, we will continue to support the ongoing investigation. And may I express my thanks to the Government and all of those involved in this truly global search effort.

In the meantime, Malaysia Airlines overwhelming focus will be the same as it has been from the outset  to provide the families with a comprehensive support programme. Through a network of over 700 dedicated caregivers, the loved ones of those on board have been provided with two dedicated caregivers for each family, providing care, support and counsel. We are now supporting over 900 people under this programme and in the last 72 hours, we have trained an additional 40 caregivers to ensure the families have access to round-the-clock support.

In addition, hotel accommodation for up to five family members per passenger, transportation, meals and others expenses have been provided since 8th March and that will continue.

Malaysia Airlines has already provided initial financial assistance of USD 5,000 per passenger to the next of kin. We recognize that financial support is not the only consideration. But the prolonged search is naturally placing financial strain on the relatives. We are therefore preparing to offer additional payments as the search continues.

This unprecedented event in aviation history has made the past 18 days the greatest challenge to face our entire team at Malaysia Airlines. I have been humbled by the hard work, dedication, heartfelt messages of concern and offers of support from our remarkable team. We do not know why, and we do not know how this terrible tragedy happened. But as the Malaysia Airlines family, we are all praying for the passengers and crew of Flight MH370.
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya

Monday, March 24, 2014

Flight #MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.RIP.

INNALILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI ROOJIUUN.
AL FATIHAH
RIP

PM STATEMENT ON #MH370 24/03/14

This evening I was briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company that provided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data. Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370̢۪s flight path.

Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.

This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with further details. In the meantime, we wanted to inform you of this new development at the earliest opportunity. We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles which have guided this investigation.

Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development. For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking; I know this news must be harder still. I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.

WAN AZIZAH WINS, NOW SHE GOES FOR MB POST INLINE WITH KAJANG MOVE

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) retains Kajang state seat with a reduced majority of 5,379 votes when its candidate Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail polled 16,741 against Barisan Nasional (BN) Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun who polled 11,362.

The reduced majority is attributed to the party not being fully supported by its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners PAS as the Islamic party was against the forced by-election that was now to make way for Dr Wan Azizah to takle the Mentri Besar seat.

The Kajang Move as it is termed was for PKR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take the Mentri Besar seat which PAS disagreed as the Islamic party felt present Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was still doing a good job.

However, on March 7, Anwar was convicted to five years prison when the High Court found him guilty of a sodomy charge and following his ineligibility, Anwar had put up his wife as a stand in.
PAS was half hearted in supporting the campaign as the party is split in supporting the move and this had affected the Malay votes for PKR.

But the result showed Anwar’s move is fully supported by the electorate as the reduced vote is just about 1,000 which means that the electorate, despite some voices of resent as they felt they had been made use of or being abused for Anwar’s personal ambition, still went along with him.

As PKR members celebrated the victory and the political heat Kajang simmer down, the heat moves to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who is feeling ‘jittery’ and ‘cannot sleep well.’
He is now sitting on a hot seat as Dr Wan Azizah continues to move forward on the agenda of the Kajang Move.

After all, the agenda is to unseat Khalid and replace with Anwar, which now has Dr Wan Azizah to stand in.
According to sources, Select Commiiteee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) will find Khalid guilty of removing Azmin from Selangor Development Coroporation (PKNS) without any valid reason and Khalid will face the music.

Selangor State Assermbly Speaker Hannah Yeoh had said that the committee would meet on March 25 and 26 to hear both sides of the story on Azmin’s dismissal.

After all, the Kajang Move started with Azmin’s removal as board of director of PKNS and the Kajang Move, as stated by Anwar on the day of his announcement to contest was to end the feud between Khalid and Azmin.

In short, Khalid will have to resign and be replaced b y none other than Anwar’s proxy – Dr Wan Azizah – as Mentri Besar.

Once Dr Wan Azizah seats as Mentri Besar, the Kajang Move is completed while the theme from Kajang to Putrajaya will have to wait until the next general electioon in 2018.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Kajang by-election: PKR retains seat (Updated)

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail has unofficially won the Kajang by-election.


As of 7.30pm, Dr Wan Azizah garnered 15,055 votes while Barisan Nasional's Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun secured 9,628 votes for a majority of 5,427 votes.
Another 3,800 plus votes are still being counted at press time.

Barisan is believed to be able to reduce the  6,824 vote majority obtained by PKR assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh in the May general election last year in the final tally.


The voter turnout for the by-election was 72 percent (28,314 voters) against a turnout of 87.9 percent in the May 5 general election last year.

Kajang has a total 39,728 registered voters in the state seat, which fell vacant following the resignation of its PKR assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh.

In the 2013 general election PKR’s Lee garnered 19,571 votes followed by Lee Ban Seng (BN-MCA) with 12,747 votes and Mohamad Ismail (Berjasa) 1,014 votes.

The three independent candidates who contested the seat are Mohd Iwan Jefrey Abdul Majib (249 votes), Ong Yan Foo (85 votes) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83 votes).

Lee won the seat with a comfortable 6,824 vote majority

OFFICIAL RESULT.

PKR 16,741
BN   11,362

Missing MH370: Report On Bad Treatment By Police Not True - Chinese Mother

Liu Guiqui, the mother of a Chinese national who was on the missing MH370, has dismissed reports that she was badly treated by police at a press conference held on March 19 at Sama-Sama Hotel in Sepang.

"Thats not true, I was surrounded by reporters. There was a young policeman whom I initially thought was about to grab me. At first I didn't understand what was going on but then someone told me not to panic.

"They reassured me that they were there to protect me," Liu, the mother of Li Le, one of the MH370 passengers, told an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).

She decided to attend the press conference as she needed to ask Malaysian politicians what happened to Li who was missing for 12 days and did not understand why there was no news.

Liu said she came to Kuala Lumpur as she wanted to be the first person to greet her son Li when he returns.

She regarded Li, who has a daughter, as kind hearted, good, loyal and a respectful person.

Asked about talks that the Malaysian government did not disclose all information, Liu said she did not care about it as she only wanted Li and the other passengers on the aircraft to return.

She even thanked Malaysia and Malaysians for taking care of her daily and did not believe those who said that the government did not care about the families of the passengers.

"I don't believe that is the case. I am sure they are under a lot of pressure. I understand that they are busy searching for the aircraft.

"So, it makes some sense, that they (the government) can't pay as much attention to the families," Liu said.

When asked what she would tell Li if he could hear her, Liu broke down and said, "Mum is waiting for you. Please come back soon. I trust that you will return safely."

Liu also showed her appreciation and thanked all the countries who are trying to find all the passengers.

"I thank you so much for looking for our missing family members," she said emotionally while kneeling down.

PMS SMELTING PLANT IN BALINGIAN CLEAN

Press Metal Sarawak (PMS) has refuted an allegation by the opposition that its smelting plant in Balingian is polluting the environment.

Its group chief executive officer Datuk Paul PK Koon said yesterday its plant there was using the latest technology and adhered strictly to World Bank standard and Department of Environment (DOE) requirements.

“We have been very committed in following all necessary requirements and approved standard since our establishment in 2009.

“We have records to show our compliances.

“The DOE has very stringent requirements, which we have been able to observe all the time,” he told a press conference at PMS Balingian smelting plant here.

In fact, he said, emissions from the plant were monitored via online connection by DOE.

“We have external auditors coming once every three months to check on our compliances.

Koon said there were many perceptions regarding aluminium smelting industry, but over the last 20 to 30 years the technology used in the industry had evolved a great deal.

“Of course there are some plants still using 20 to 30 years old technologies, but they are in the remote areas in Siberia and China.

“So, maybe this is how this kind of perception came into being. But these old plants are almost gone because today’s environment will not allow old technologies.”

Koon said the aluminium industry was very important to Malaysia, especially to push its industrialisation drive.

“There are now more and more demands for products like billets and ingots from around the world.
 Sarawak is exporting US$1 billion annually. This is a great source of foreign exchange to the country.

“The industry is also about technology transfer. We are slowly getting more Sarawakians to be trained as engineers and workers.

“Out of the 850 workers in our Balingian plant, half are Sarawakians. We intend to increase the numbers soon.”

DAY OF RECOGNING IN KAJANG, WAN AZIZAH MAY GET REDUCED MAJORITY


 Sunday is a day of recogning in Kajang – whether the glory of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the same or fading or MCA, the representative of Chinese community in the rulingBarisan Nasional (BN) has regain its credential.

The past two months including the 12 days of official campaigning for the Kajang state seat constituency saw Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) slugging it out tooth and nail against underdog BN to retain the seat.

Both women candidates – Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, president of a PKR that aims to put its de facto chief Anwar who is her husband as Prime Minister while the other Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun is just to serve the electorate and bring back the credibility of MCA.

Dr Wan Azizah’s campaign theme is From Kajang To Putrajaya while Chew’s is serving the people – a contrast on the role of an assemblyman – for the seat that can only make the assemblyman a Mentri Besar, not Prime Minister.

The past two weeks saw vigorous movements from both sides as Dr Wan Azizah and Chew comb the ground and meet the 39,000-odd electorate that comprise 41 percent Chinese, 48 percent Malays and the remaining Indian voters.

Issues that were first truly political in nature – serving the people’s grouses and bridgingthe gap between the people and the PKR-led state givernment has, the past two days turned into personal attacks by campaigners of both sides of the political divide.

Created photos of Chew in bikini and Dr Wan Azizah in hagged cloths as a beggar were circulated with both sides pointing fingers at each other purportedly conducting unfaircampaining.
Both are actually desperate but taking a closer look, PKR seems more desperate in trying to retain the seat with higher majority while BN continues to ‘walk the street’ with the aim of chipping the incumbent’s majority.
In an attempt to boost its declining rating, Anwar called for a Reformasi 2 rally at Kajangstadium Friday night which was seen as a failure because the audience hardly numbered 5,000 compared to his first reformasi in 1998 where it numbered around 100,000.
The failed attempt to spur the spirit of reformasi has resulted in a more vigorous campaign on Saturday where PKR campaigners and candidate Dr Wan Azizah hitting the campaign trail as early as 4am with a special prayer (Qiamullail) at Surau SaujanaImpian.
Followed by the Suboh prayer after that, the campaigners hit the trail all over the constituency right up to 10pm where the grand finale is a ‘big-bang’ at Kajang stadium.
If the ‘big-bang’ at Kajang stadium tonight can attract more than 10,000 people, then DrWan Azizah is expected to retain the seat with the majority the party expects – more than  6,000 votes polled by former assemblyman Lee.
However, if the Kajang stadium attracts 5,000 audience and below, then observers expect Dr Wan Azizah to get a majority of less than 3,000 which will be a true feelings of the electorate on Anwar’s Kajang Move – the thought of Kajang Move is because of personal interest.
Chew, on the other hand, has been consistent in her campaign in wanting to raise the electorate grouses to the state assembly and her plea is ‘allow her to serve and be the bridge’.
Her words on Saturday night was “I have done my best and I leave it to the people to decide.
“I had taken all the banters and beatings in the campaign trail, even from those who hit me below the belt, but I take it as part and parcel of campaining in a democratic system,” she added.
But if Chew manages to reduce Dr Wan Azizah’s majority as many expects she will, Chew has already make MCA and BN proud.
After all, she is against a giant not just a politician.