Our Problem is Civil Obedience !‏

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Peniaga PKNS berjaya sekat kenaikan kadar sewa

SHAH ALAM: Persatuan Peniaga-peniaga Kompleks Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) berjaya mendapatkan permohonan injunksi bagi menghalang perbadanan itu menaikkan kadar sewa premis perniagaan di kompleks berkenaan berkuatkuasa 1 Januari tahun depan.

Perkara itu disampaikan oleh peguam, Kamarudin Ahmad dalam satu sidang media, bahawa injunksi itu juga menghalang PKNS daripada meminta para penyewa membayar tambahan cagaran untuk sewaan premis berkenaan.

Kira-kira 100 peniaga dan penyewa premis perniagaan turut hadir di Kompleks PKNS Shah Alam petang tadi.

Menurut Kamarudin, permohonan injunksi itu diluluskan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam tengah hari tadi dan tarikh perbicaraan akan ditetapkan pada Mei atau Jun tahun depan.

Kamarudin yang mewakili persatuan berkenaan selaku plaintif dalam kes itu berkata, PKNS telah melanggar amalan komersil dengan menaikkan kadar sewa yang tinggi sehingga 100 peratus.

"Perintah injunksi ini menghalang PKNS daripada menaik sewa premis berkenaan di Kompleks PKNS pada kadar 70 hingga 100 peratus mulai 1 Januari 2012. Ia telah diluluskan oleh hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam.

"PKNS ada kuasa untuk kaji semula kadar sewa yang munasabah dan berpatutan dan bukannya dengan sesuka hati menaikkan kadar sehingga 100 peratus. Ini telah melanggar amalan komersil," katanya.

Plaintif dalam pernyataan tuntutan pada 9 November lalu mendakwa, PKNS tanpa sebarang perbincangan telah memberi notis dalam tempoh dua hingga tujuh hari kepada penyewa untuk menaikkan kadar sewa sebanyak 70 hingga 100 peratus.

Plaintif mendakwa, PKNS tidak menjalankan sebarang kerja menambah baik kemudahan di kompleks itu sebagai prasyarat untuk mewajarkan kenaikan kadar sewa premis perniagaan.

Berikutan tindakan defendan (PKNS) itu, plaintif mendakwa telah mengemukakan rayuan kepada Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim untuk mempertimbangkan semula keputusan PKNS menaikkan sewa.

Sementara itu, beberapa penyewa turut menyatakan kebimbangan mereka ketika pertemuan bersama persatuan dan peguam dalam perbincangan secara terbuka bersama media petang tadi.

Penyewa, peniaga mahu penyelesaian

Ada para penyewa yang menerima notis untuk mengosongkan premis Disember ini sehingga menimbulkan kerisauan kepada mereka.

Namun jaminan diberi oleh pihak persatuan dan peguam bahawa notis itu akan dibekukan memandangkan kes tersebut sudah dibawa ke mahkamah.

Naib Dipertua Persatuan terbabit, Fahmi Baharin pula berkata pihaknya akan menghadap Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah sebagai alternatif lain bagi menyelesaikan masalah ini.

"Jika kaedah mahkamah tidak berkesan, kita akan menghadap Sultan bagi meminta pembelaan supaya kompleks ini digazetkan kepada

Bumiputera. Semalam kita turut bertemu dengan Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam Khalid Samad yang turut berjanji menyelesaikan hal ini," katanya.

Dalam pada itu turut menimbulkan keraguan apabila Ketua Pemuda PAS, Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi dan tiga anggota berpakaian rasmi pemuda turut kelihatan selepas sidang media tersebut dijalankan.

Namun ketika disapa oleh wartawan Nasrudin tidak memberi sebarang respon sebaliknya hanya memerhatikan sekumpulan para penyewa terbabit.

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Himpunan kebebasan akademik: 15 pelajar ditahan

KUALA LUMPUR: Kira-kira 15 pelajar universiti tempatan hari ini ditahan di Stesen KL Sentral di sini kerana terlibat dalam Himpunan Gerakan Menuntut Kebebasan Akademik (Bebas).

Ketua Polis Brickfields Asisten Komisioner Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid berkata pelajar terbabit ditahan dibawah Seksyen 27 Akta Polis kerana mengadakan perhimpunan haram.

Berumur lingkungan antara 20 hingaa 22 tahun, menurut Wan Abdul Bari antaranya merupakan pelajar Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel), dan Universiti Tun Abdul Razak.

Selain itu, Presiden Bebas Mohd Safwan Awang turut ditahan.

"Pihak polis telah memberikan tempoh dua minit bagi pelajar terbabit untuk menyuarakan hasrat tetapi mereka mula berarak sekitar KL Sentral.

"Ini tidak boleh diterima kerana mengganggu orang awam yang hendak menggunakan perkhidmatan awam," katanya kepada pemberita.

Mereka kini dibawa ke Balai Polis Travers untuk siasatan lanjut.

Sementara itu, ditanya tentang himpunan mahasiswa di Dataran Merdeka Sabtu ini, Wan Abdul Bari berkata mereka masih belum menerima permohonan permit daripada mana-mana pihak.

"Kita akan tengok dulu macam mana (Sabtu ini) baru kita bertindak," katanya.

Sebelum itu, kira-kira 30 pelajar universiti mula berhimpun di perkarangan KL Sentral kira-kira pukul 5 petang tadi bagi mengadakan protes terhadap kebebasan akademik yang semakin dikekang selain mempromosi Himpunan Menuntut Kebebasan Akademik.

Mereka mula mengadakan 'protes silent protest' sambil memegang sepanduk 'Bebas' 'Academic Freedom', 'Give Back University Autonomy', 'We United for Academic Freedom'.

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‘No action against Taib will worsen graft index’

Corruption allegations against Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his family as exposed by international NGOs yesterday must be addressed immediately.

Otherwise, this will further worsen Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) scores, Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian warned today.

The latest allegations of misappropriation of public funds, Baru  said, would be an embarrassment to the country if not tackled.

He said the government could not "continue to remain silent in this grandest cases of alleged corruption" (by Taib and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil), and these have now come to the world's attention.

"The cases have drawn wide interest internationally and not only will our country's image continue to deteriorate, but so will the faith of the rakyat," the Ba' Kelalan state assemblyperson said in a statement today.

'Respond to allegations immediately'

"These allegations will continue the downward trend of Malaysia'scorruption score, making a mockery of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's transformation agenda."

Baru urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the attorney-general (AG), and the inspector-general of police (IGP) to respond to the allegations immediately.

Malaysian's CPI rankings slid four places to 60th place this year – the worst in a decade. The organisation that annually conducts the survey attributed this to the government's failure to tackle "grand corruption".

The recent allegations against Taib emerged in a 10-page letter, sent to the authorities by NGOs ased in six countries, which contained 16 exhibits said to document the accusations.

Among others, the letter claims that Taib and his immediate family members own stakes in 332 Malaysian and 85 foreign companies, of which the 14 largest Malaysian companies alone would account for US$ 1.46 billion of the family wealth.

The letter was addressed to the IGP, AG and MACC, but copies were also sent to major foreign embassies in Malaysia, heads of government, cabinet ministers and prosecutors in seven countries, the top executives of 10 multinational corporations who conduct business in or with Sarawak and ditors of leading media outlets.

The NGOs include Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), Greenpeace and forest watch organisation Fern.

Taib and his family have faced corruption allegations before, whereas Shahrizat has come under fire since October, when PKR alleged that her husband Mohamad Salleh Ismail's National Feedlot Corporation had abused a RM250 million government loan.

Both Taib and Shahrizat, and their families, have denied the allegations against them.

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Najib risks Malaysia’s reputation in his treatment of Anwar Ibrahim

Simon Tisdall

The portents do not look good for Malaysia's opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, whose trial on highly dubious sodomy charges draws to a close this week. If Anwar is found guilty – and the trial judge seems to have made up his mind already – he will not be the only or even the most important victim of an egregious, politically suspect injustice. Malaysia's democratic reputation will have been critically wounded, and for that outrage, Malaysians will have their prime minister, Najib Razak, to thank.

The plodding Najib's overriding objective is winning the general election expected next year, possibly within a few months. The son of Malaysia's second prime minister, the nephew of its third, president of the dominant United Malays National Organisation (Umno), and a former defence minister, Najib was born to power and is accustomed to wielding it. As the charismatic leader of the opposition coalition, Anwar represents the biggest challenge to his continuing ascendancy.

It hardly seems coincidental that the sodomy charges were levelled at Anwar shortly after the opposition inflicted unprecedented defeats on Umno and its allies in the 2008 elections. Anwar's main campaign plank – combating the official, institutionalised discrimination that favours ethnic Malays over the country's large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities – threatened the post-colonial order that has kept Umno and its National Front coalition on top since 1957.

In a court appearance earlier this year, Anwar, 64, a married father of six, denied accusations he had had sexual relations with a former male aide. Homosexuality is punishable by law in Malaysia by caning and up to 20 years in jail. The allegations were "a vile and desperate attempt at character assassination" and a "blatant and vicious lie" spread by his political enemies, he said. "This entire process is nothing but a conspiracy by Najib Razak to send me into political oblivion by attempting once again to put me behind bars."

Najib flatly rejects the idea of a political vendetta. But the recycling of sodomy accusations – Anwar was jailed on a similar charge in 1998 and detained until the conviction was quashed in 2004 – suggests a lack of originality characteristic of the prime minister. The case turns on the testimony of the alleged victim and DNA evidence produced by the prosecution. Defence lawyers suggested this week that Anwar's accuser was a "compulsive and consummate liar" who may have been put up to it. Yet the trial judge has already declared the prosecution's evidence "reliable" and credible", leading Anwar to claim he is being denied a fair trial.

Najib gives every appearance of preparing for snap polls on the assumption that Anwar will be out of the way and the opposition decapitated. He told Umno's annual congress to prepare for battle because "the time is near" and urged delegates to work harder, for example by using social media, to attract a "new generation of Malaysians who are more critical and have rising expectations of the government". The party must adapt or face "tragedy", he warned.

To Najib's evident alarm, that tragedy almost occurred in July when tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur. The highly unusual public display of discontent was spurred by a range of factors: spending cuts, official corruption and cronyism, a defective electoral system, curbs on public assembly and debate, and state-imposed censorship considered draconian even by regional standards. The example of recent political upheavals in neighbouring Thailand and Singapore also played a part. In response, thousands were beaten and detained by police.

Now Najib is taking no chances as his lieutenants warn that Anwar is fomenting an Arab spring-style uprising – a so-called "hibiscus revolution". Having more or less reneged on shaky, post-July promises of civil rights reform, Najib is now pushing through remodelled restrictions in the form of the Peaceful Assembly act.

The act effectively makes peaceful assembly impossible by restricting it to undefined "designated places". No gatherings are permitted within 50 meters of prohibited places including hospitals, schools or places of worship. The police can dictate the date, time and place. Najib's idea of engaging the "new generation" of young Malaysians is to ban anyone under the age of 21 from organising a protest.

Opposition parties, lawyers and activist groups have condemned the new law, as has Amnesty International. But Najib Khairy Jamaluddin, Umno's youth-wing leader, articulated Najib's paranoia last month when he accused Anwar's coalition of "trying hard to manufacture panic and disorder" by promoting street rallies instead of elections. "The opposition often quotes social movements in the Middle East to instigate people to take part in street revolutions and in the process manufacture a Malaysian version of the Arab spring," Khairy said.

Najib's authoritarian tendencies, blatant political scaremongering, and the judicial travesty that is Anwar's trial all suggest Malaysia's western allies, including Britain and the US, should take a closer look at their friend. Malaysia is valued as a trading partner, counterproliferation collaborator, and noncombatant member of the Afghanistan coalition. But the government's human rights record and democratic practices merit closer scrutiny.

In a visit last year, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton extracted a promise that Anwar would receive a fair trial. "The US believes it is important for all aspects of the case to be conducted fairly and transparently and in a way that increases confidence in the rule of law in Malaysia," she said. In a recent speech, Clinton urged all states to end discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

As Anwar's ordeal approaches an ugly climax, it seems increasingly unlikely that these benchmarks will be met. The next question is: what will Malaysians and their friends do about it?

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Christians used as ‘pawns’ for votes, say church leaders

Clara Chooi

Many Christians feel victimised and are convinced they are being used as political pawns to win Muslim votes in the next general election, a number of church leaders have said.

The church leaders told the New York Times in a report published today that there was generally a feeling of Christian-bashing among the community which makes up less than 10 per cent of the population and consists of most major denominations.

File photo of people attending morning mass at St Francis Xavier Catholic church in Petaling Jaya. Many Christians feel they are being used as political pawns. — Picture by Choo Choy May

"I think Christians are generally feeling that there is kind of a Christian-bashing going on," Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) vice-president Rev Thomas Philips told the newspaper.

The report pointed out that recent events had worsened religious tension here, particularly after the controversial August 3 raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya.

During the incident, Islamic religious authorities had moved in on a dinner function held at the church premises after receiving complaints that Christians were proselytising to Muslims there.

While no concrete proof was found and no action taken, Muslim politicians here and Muslim group Himpun had continued to claim of a plot by opposition parties and Christian organisations to Christianise the country.

The NYT pointed to Himpun's series of planned nationwide rallies to "save and protect" Islam and cited Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan's recent statement as examples of the continuing accusations causing "unease" in the Christian community even as they prepare for Christmas.

During the just-concluded Umno annual general assembly, Ahmad had warned that Islam would be "lost" if Pakatan Rakyat  (PR) made significant gains in the polls and had called the DAP "agents of Christianisation".

Under fire for his words later and dubbed as "Hitler" by his opposition foes, Ahmad chose to stick to his guns, insisting that his statement was nothing but the truth.

"It's unfortunate that the authorities don't take the relevant action against those making such wild allegations. We are upset about that. There's a sense of justice is not done. We have not done anything wrong," the NYT quoted Bishop Jason Selvaraj of St Mary's Anglican Cathedral as saying.

The daily noted that although Malaysia's Constitution provides for freedom of religion and designates Islam as the religion of the federation, Muslims here are free to proselytise to others while those of other faiths are barred from doing so to Muslims.

But Christians here, it said, have denied attempting to proselytise.

"The present climate and mood is more political than anything else. They are thinking that it will unite the Muslims together, but I don't think that any Malaysians buy it. It's a political game," Catholic weekly The Herald's editor Rev Lawrence Andrew told the newspaper.

But according to political analysts interviewed by the daily, capitalising on religious sensitivities in this manner could prove detrimental to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the long run.

Quoting Nanyang Technological University political science professor Farish Ahmad Noor, the daily wrote that the move could alienate Umno's non-Muslim affiliates in BN as well as ward off Christian support.

"If this (conservative) fringe in Umno thinks this is the only way they can secure the Malay vote, they have to understand that the coalition as a whole has to secure the votes of as many Malaysians as they can, and that includes Christians," he said.

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Utusan Meloya guilty of defaming Lim Guan Eng...

The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has been found to have defamed Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in a report headlined 'Kebiadapan Guan Eng', published on Dec 20 last year.

The Penang High Court today ordered the publisher to pay Lim RM200,000 in damages, and RM25,000 as costs.

Lim had sued the Malay language daily for defamation, based on its report on his speech themed 'A People's Government for the Real Malaysians'. This was delivered at the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Kepala Batas on Dec 19 last year.

Reading out his judgment in court, Judicial Commissioner GV Varughese outlined seven paragraphs in which Utusan had "maliciously' defamed Lim, and made him and the DAP look as if they are anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Varughese also gave a brief lesson in "responsible journalism", saying that reporters must conduct themselves professionally by verifying their statements if they are not to face defamation charges.

At a press conference outside the courtroom, Lim said Utusan had truly intended to slander him and the DAP.

He said the newspaper had blamed him and the DAP-led state government for evicting villagers and demolishing their houses in Kampung Jalan Pokok Asam and Kampung Genting in Balik Pulau, when these disputes were between the developers and residents.

He also felt it was slanderous to report that he had ordered the demolition of Kampung Buah Pala and evicted the villagers.

"I feel that if Utusan is truly a responsible media, it must repent (bertaubat), but I am not confident that it will do so," Lim told reporters.

"I feel they will bear the burden of defamation suits and continue to slander me and the DAP."

Lim said if he was racist as Utusan had alleged, his colleagues in Pakatan Rakyat would have protested. However, they knew the accusations to be false, he noted.

He also said he would give the money from the court case to charitable causes, saying that the victory belonged "to the people who love democracy, and healthy and responsible journalism that is not based on lies, cheating and slander".

He thanked his lawyer Jagdeep Singh Deo, but noted that Utusan had the right of appeal.

'Selective vendetta'

Varughese said the writer of the article - Zulkiflee Bakar - had made "sweeping statements" implying that Lim was a racist.

However, Varughese said he had not found any basis in Lim's speech to support the "rash and irresponsible" claim.

Zulkiflee had also inferred that Lim had directed his Pakatan colleagues to stop fighting for the Malay cause, but Varughese held that this was meant to "excite" the readers to colour the chief minister in a negative light.

As for Lim attacking the Malays in his speech, Varughese said he was not shown any proof that this was so, and that the writer could n! ot assu me that there was a reaction to it from the Malay community.

"There is no evidence that the speech had offended the Malays," he said.

"If the speech was racist, the first to react would have been the participants of the convention, who were mostly Malays."

On Lim's purported involvement in the demolition and eviction of Malay villages and businesses, Varughese said the article was not supported by any fact and whatever was written was based on "distorted" information.

In the article, Lim was accused of trying to stop the Prophet's Birthday annual procession (Maulidur Rasul) but had finally allowed it.

To this, Varughese said there was no proof to indicate this, as the celebration had gone on.

"Half-truths are not truth at all... but deliberately done to mislead and disparage the plaintiff," he said.

Varughese found Zulkiflee's claim that he could not seek verification from Lim - since the DAP and state government have been boycotting Utusan - to be a "lame excuse and unacceptable".

He pointed out that Zulkiflee had admitted that he had not attempted to verify his claims.

"The writer must at least make an attempt to get verfication from a relevant person in the state government... the basic requirement to verify is an integral part of responsible journalism," he said.

Varughese concluded that the article was "wholly motivated by malice", and that the writer had practised "selective vendetta" ! against Lim and the DAP.

In awarding the quantum, he added that Lim was not required to show actual damages as the libellous consequences of the statement were "durable and permanent".

source:malaysiakini

Guan Eng menang saman fitnah ke atas Utusan

Utusan salah fitnah Guan Eng, diarah bayar RM200,000

Court rules Utusan guilty of defaming Guan Eng

cheers.

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Computing Professionals Bill — Lim Sue Goan

DEC 14 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad promised not to censor the Internet and restrict the employment of knowledge workers when promoting the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). The proposed Computing Professionals Bill 2011, however, has triggered fears among IT practitioners as they are worried that the government might violate its commitments.

Under the proposed Bill, the government will set up a Board of Computing Professionals Malaysia (BCPM) to oversee the registration of computing practitioners, computing professionals, sole proprietorships, partnerships and bodies corporate providing computing services.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) later clarified that the registration is not mandatory.

However, people are worried that the Bill, if passed, might be used to suppress the freedom of expression online and the scope of regulation might include blogs, websites, Facebook and Twitter.

If the proposed Bill is intended to enhance professionalism by requiring IT practitioners to achieve the minimum qualifications and experience before registering themselves to the Board, why don't they let a group formed by IT professionals perform the task? Empowering the BCPM formed by 15 appointed officers to oversee the registration has indeed contravened the principles of civil society.

Members of the IT industry should not be blamed as past events have proven that commitment and implementation are often two different things.

For example, the government promised a greater freedom of assembly but the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 is more restrictive with higher fines.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong earlier reminded temporary teachers not to sign the new service contract before an announcement was made by the Education Ministry, but education bureau officials urged them to sign it or they might not be re-appointed next year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak called on government-related companies in 2009 to reduce holdings of listed companies to increase stock liquidity in Malaysia and attract foreign investment. However, the policy has not been fully implemented.

When the Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) took over the SP Setia Bhd, Najib hoped that SP Setia Bhd president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin would not reject the takeover proposal.

The above given examples show the gap between policy and implementation. Another problem is the lack of adequate consultation and transparency in the legislative process has frequently caused a rebound when the bills are proposed.

For example, the amendments to Section 81 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 and the introduction of Section 107D are unfavourable to taxpayers. The amendments will allow the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) director-general (DG) to disregard any information or particulars produced by taxpayers upon the expiry period for them to produce their tax information. Furthermore, taxpayers cannot dispute the assessment made under the Act before special commissioners or a court of law.

Meanwhile, the amendments to Section 107D will allow the DG to direct a taxpayer to make payments via instalments before the issuance of an assessment should there be reason to believe that the taxpayer had made an incorrect return.

The amendments to the Employment Act, 1955 have also been protested by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

In a democratic country, adequate public consultation and continuous modification must first be done before a bill is amended or established. However, the situation in Malaysia is not the case. Flaws are always found abound in proposed bills due to insufficient consultation.

The government transformation should include public consultation and this is a lesson that must be learned by the government in the progress of democracy. — mysinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

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MCA: A gallery of rogues — Lucius Goon

DEC 14 — I read with amusement the account of Dr Ling Liong Sik's trial yesterday. His lawyer argued that the former MCA president did not mislead the Cabinet over the inflated cost of acquiring land for the PKFZ because at all relevant times he was briefed by his ministry officials and did not conceal any documents from the Cabinet.

Dr Ling's lawyer also said that at relevant time in question of the charge against his client, Ong Ka Ting was the minister of transport.

You know what? I think many Malaysians expect Dr Ling to walk because the prosecution's case against him has been a joke. They have not been able to make even major points of the charges of misleading and cheating stick.

We also have grown tired of so-called "big fish" being hauled to court for corruption and then only to see it end in acquittal. Witness the trials of Eric Chia, Kasitah Gaddam and others.

But let us not get distracted here because, till today, no one is talking about how the billions of taxpayers' money can be recovered.

It is also important for us to remember these names and join the dots. Dr Ling Liong Sik, Chan Kong Choy, Ting Chiew Peh, Chor Chee Heung, Ong Ka Ting, Wee Ka Siong...

All these are senior MCA politicians whose names have been linked to the PKFZ scandal, the mother of all scandals in Malaysia.

In short, the political party that says it has our interest at heart has been at the centre of the biggest rip-off in Malaysian history.

This same political party now is trying to scare us about PAS, DAP and hudud laws.

Just imagine the temerity of Dr Chua Soi Lek and friends. The MCA have been at the centre of the biggest scandal of all time and they want us to support them.

The party of rascals and scoundrels may not have to face justice in the Malaysian court system but we the voters must mete out our justice at the ballot box.

Would you allow thieves to go unpunished after they have emptied your house and you know their identities?

* Lucius Goon reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

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Rosmah is back with a vengeance!

Rosmah Mansor is back. After performing the hajj pilgrimage and keeping a very low profile prior to the recent UMNO general assembly, First Lady of Malaysia Rosmah Mansor or FLOM is ready to party again. And why shouldn't she?

If the political pundits are right in predicting the ouster of her husband, Prime Minister Najib Razak, she can expect to be dropped like a hot potato from society's A-list. In fact, the first couple can be expected to be avoided like the plague Najib he also loses the UMNO presidency at party polls in the latter part of 2012.

Not surprising then that Rosmah struck while the iron was hot.

Gargantuan cake!

On December 10, friends and hangers-on presented the 60-year-old birthday girl with the hugest cake that literally covered the whole table. Unlike the excreta-shaped confection presented to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng by the state UMNO leaders, Rosmah's was a tasteful white and pastels affair.

Of course, the cake was presented in conjunction with the opening of the "Ekspo PERMATA 2011"held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Looking at the photo now circling in cyberspace, one could not avoid noticing that even Rosmah was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the cake! But isn't that was so fitting for a person like her?

Many have wondered how much did the cake cost and did its presenters expect to get anything in return from FLOM.  Also, if this was meant to celebrate some achievement of charity group PERMATA's, why wasn't it even written on the cake "Happy Birthday Ibu PERMATA"

Shouldn't Rosmah be having her own private party and use her own money to organize it. After all, it was her birthday!

Whatever it is, starting from this 'small-scale' sponsored birthday bash, Rosmah is sounding the signal that with the UMNO AGM finally over and done with, she is now back in full throttle!

Win or lose, the Najibs will rock their way out of Putrajaya – no drab austerity drives for them. They will depart bedecked with jewels and riches, while the rakyat or populace pick up the tab.

Love affair and marriage

A former banker, Rosmah was smarter than many of her peers. That she managed to land the future prime minister of the country already underscores her capabilities. Born into a humble background, she made the grade into the Tunku Kursiah Girls College, university, married a TV personality, affair and eventual marriage to Najib.

Najib, the eldest son of second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussien, was already a married man and the Education minister when they met. Still, it appears their love was greater than convention, and both of them left their spouses to be together until now.

To prove that she was someone worth the sacrifice, Rosmah kept a very low profile as an obedient, caring and supporting wife. She certainly managed to hide her true character – which her critics say was ambition, ambition and more ambition – plus her lifestyle habits – which was spending, spending and more spending!

Couldn't wait to replace Jeanne Abdullah

Perhaps Rosmah felt she had been too patient and could not bear to wait any longer to be the wife of a prime minister that in one conversation with her private circle, she even chided Tun Jeanne Abdullah as being inappropriate to have that honour.

Thus when the moment came for Najib to take over the official residence, Rosmah ordered a total makeover of the interior furnishing in the complex to a tune of a whopping RM65 million.

But it was on the night of December 9, 2006 where the State Banquet which was held in honour of the investiture of 12th Agong that she first showed her claws. She ordered the function to be concluded by 10.00 pm.

In one crisp order, Rosmah had shortened the investiture by two hours, thus preventing the new King from having the time and opportunity to mingle around with the attendees which included dignitaries from both local and overseas.

Adores Bollywood

And that kingly fuss was because she wanted to attend another more glamorous event, which was the Global India Film Awards [GIFA BOLLYWOOD] which was being held at the Bukit Jalil Stadium.

There, Rosmah had the cheek to leave her entourage including her husband and several local dignitaries, who had also been rushed away from the State Banquet so as to watch her mingle unabashedly with the Bollywood stars.

From then on, her true traits unfolded one by one, bit by bit. Her various scandals know no bounds – from the purported involvement in the Scorpene submarines commission leading to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, her association with the internationally rich and famous, ruthless shopping sprees and purchasing of expensive personal items from the RM100,000 Birkin handbags to the RM73 million blue diamond ring.

Her wasteful ways have indeed led the poor rakyat (populace) chomping and gnashing their teeth at her shenanigans, regretful and cringing at her self-appointment to the post of First Lady of Malaysia.

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MyCC to probe MAS-AirAsia deal

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) will look into the share swap deal between Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and AirAsia Bhd when the Competition Act 2010 comes into effect Jan 1 next year.

Its chief executive officer, Shila Dorai Raj, said there were already complaints from consumers and they had urged MyCC to look into the deal and whether it would affect them.

"We have not seen the agreement yet but from our initial analysis, we think that there could be something.

"However, we're not sure because we really need to read the agreement to ensure there's an anti-competitive element.

"It's just from newspapers that we have done our own analysis.

"So far neither MAS nor AirAsia has submitted anything to MyCC," she told reporters after a CEO Business Luncheon with MyCC chairman, Siti Norma Yaakob, here today.

Shila said a lot of consumers were aware that MyCC would come into effect on Jan 1.

"Where consumers are concerned, they would become our priority. If there's a complaint, we will investigate and take action but it does not mean we will be pursuing every complaint.

"It has to be substantial for us to use our resources," she said.

On whether companies were ready for the Competition Act, Shila said that although the state of readiness could be relative, there's no reason for them not to be ready.

"We have given them ample time, about 18 months to get ready," she added.

-Bernama

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Political moves afoot in Sabah as polls nears

KOTA KINABALU: With the 13th general election inching closer, Sabah is abuzz with talks of "political movements" within the ruling Sabah Barisan Nasional coalition and the opposition.

Sources in Umno circles claim that Lajim Ukin, the party's influential chieftain in Beufort, south Sabah, is set to quit Umno for another party.

Lajim's "fame" dates back to 1994. He is said to have been the one who precipitated the downfall of his former party, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

Rumour has it that Lajim is on the point of leaving Umno to lead a small Bumiputera party that was at one time briefly helmed by Harris Salleh, a former chief minister in the Berjaya government that was brought down by PBS in 1985.

"He (Lajim) is already sending his men to Sabah People's Front (SPF). Some Bumiputera leaders in Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) are said to be leaving for SPF… a lot of people are talking about this," said a political observer.

According to the rumour-mill, Lajim and a group of Umno leaders have banded together to pressure Chief Minister Musa Aman to step down.

They are apparently upset with Musa's bid to displace existing leaders and place his children and relatives in safe seats in the next general election.

SPF, the so-called farmers' party, is reportedly closely linked to Harris who, oddly enough, has been noted to have been singing Musa's praises of late.

Lajim had also reportedly met Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in Singapore recently.

Is Upko packing up?

One Umno leader said that both Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin are aware of Lajim's move and that recently the latter was called by Muhyiddin for a heart-to-heart talk.

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Upko), the party led by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Bernard Dompok, is also on the political radar screen now.

Talk is that it is only a matter of time before Upko deputy president Wilfred Bumburing leaves for an opposition party, regardless of Upko's posturing.

Upko insiders claim that Dompok was confronted by party members recently and told that if Bumburing leaves, a substantial number of Upko leaders would follow him to a "reliable" opposition party.

Upko's former Youth chief, Kalakau Untol, left the party a year ago taking with him a few young leaders who were disillusioned with Umno's hegemony and control of the state.

A source said that Dompok is already packing his things in Kuala Lumpur and had allegedly sent a container home before Christmas.

New party for Jeffrey

Now thrown into this mix, a new party helmed by political gadfly Jeffrey Kitingan is said to be in the offing.

Sources here say Jeffrey is to head a party. The possibilities are that he will helm the yet-to-be registered Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) or a Sabah chapter of the dormant Sarawak Reform Party or Star.

They are pointing to UBF's first anniversary on Dec 16 where Jeffrey could reveal his next move to wrest control of the state from Umno and its partner PBS, which is led by his elder brother, Joseph Pairin.

In a statement issued yesterday, Jeffrey said UBF had invited leaders from Star and Sarawak Nasional Party (SNAP) to the anniversary function here.

Sources in Jeffery's inner circle indicated that they will finally have a political vehicle in time for the general election.

Two pacts likely

Meanwhile, a group said to be aligned to SPF, formerly known as Bersekutu, has made enquiries to book a cultural hall, the Hongkod Koisaan, owned by the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) in Penampang, for a "big" function on Jan 28.

When asked to comment, SPF's long-serving president, Berman Angkap, said: "Wait and see on Jan 12…" further fuelling talks that something is happening in SPF.

There is also talk that Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim and Umno's Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will be attending the Jan 28 function.

Sabah has 25 parliamentary seats plus one in Labuan, and 60 state assembly seats.

The talk is that SPF is working out a pact with Pakatan, while Jeffrey's group or Star will team up with SAPP and SNAP to form a Borneo Alliance or Pakatan Borneo.

Also read:

Jeffrey to reveal his political future

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Jeffrey to reveal his political future

KOTA KINABALU: Come this Friday, United Borneo Front (UBF) president Jeffrey Kitingan will make an announcement on his political future, amidst growing speculation he would form the Sabah chapter of a Sarawak-based party.

The former PKR vice-president, who is scheduled to hold a press conference, here on that day, is expected to announce the names of office-bearers of the Sabah chapter.

It was reliably learnt that the president of the Sarawak-based party is also expected to attend the press conference while the launch of the party in Sabah is expected to be held early January, next year.

Sources said the majority of UBF members were in favour of pursuing their political struggles through the Sarawak-based party as the party subscribed to the Borneo agenda advocated by Jeffrey.

UBF has also indicated its willingness to form an alliance for all Sabahans, regardless of race and religion, to stand united to protect and safeguard the interests and rights of the people.

The newly-revived Usno became the latest entity to support the UBF and the fight for the restoration of Sabah's rights.

In what is seen as a show of support for the UBF, a prominent leader of the revived Usno is slated to join the press conference, the sources said, adding that Jeffrey was hopeful of forging an alliance with the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election.

Apart from opposition Sarawak National Party (SNAP), the other opposition Sarawak-based party is State Reform Party (Star) led by Patau Rubis.

- Bernama

Also read:

Political moves afoot in Sabah as polls nears

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HOW MEN GET THEIR LOOKS (TAKE TWO)

These sketches are so hilariously inspired they deserve to be immortalized...















[I don't know who drew these brilliant cartoons or I'd have included a link to his site (it's almost 100% certain the artist is male). My darling daughter forwarded these to me many, many years ago. Guess I'm an archivist at heart!]

Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River You may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

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‘G-Team did not turn off the taps’

PETALING JAYA: G-Team Resources Sdn Bhd owner G Gnanalingam who was painted as a white knight-turned-villain following water cuts in Tumbuk Estate near Banting has denied that his company is responsible.

"The workers have been enjoying free water and electricity. G-Team categorically is not responsible for the water meter as explained by Syabas representative in the meeting last month.

"The water was cut off because the residents are not paying the bills. The total bill is RM16,000," Gnanalingam said in a press statement to FMT.

He said this in response to FMT's report on Monday on the plight of Tumbuk Estate residents who claimed that G-Team did not pay their water bill in a bid to evict the workers.

PSM secretary-general and Oppressed People's Network (Jerit) spokesman S Arutchelvan also told FMT that G-Team is duty-bound to supply water in accordance with the Estate Housing and Amenities Act 1990.

On the issue of the agreement in 2006, Gnanalingam acknowledged that only 22 workers were interested in the workers' housing scheme.

(The residents are former estate workers whose services were terminated in March 2006. Subsequently, Maika signed an agreement with the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) to allow the former workers to continue living in their quarters rent-free until houses were built for them. Under the agreement, Maika would commence construction of the housing scheme in April 2008, but this has not happened.)

Land offer turned down

"Only 22 workers showed interest in participating in the housing scheme and deposited their ex-gratia payments totalling RM201,000 with Maika Holdings Bhd (MHB) to facilitate the downpayment for the houses to be built," said Gnanalingam.

He also said that Maika had offered land to the people there but they had turned it down.

"In 2008, land was given next to the Tamil school but the workers rejected it because it is next to a pig farm. Another 3.88 acres of land were allotted to them but they also rejected it because of subdivision criteria."

He also claimed that the families were more interested in obtaining cash than in owning houses.

"A total of 16 out of 22 families already owned their own houses outside (the estate) and had shown no interest in the land.

"The rest stayed on because they could not pay for the house as some were unemployed," said Gnanalingam.

Gnanalingam, who is also Westports chairman in Port Klang, said that G-Team had offered RM25,000 with an ex-gratia payment of RM201,000 with an interest of four percent to the workers shortly after G-Team had taken over the estate, which was accepted by 14 of the 22 family members.

"All the workers signed the document which had their name and the value.

"Following this, 14 out of 22 workers accepted the cash ranging from RM35,000 to RM42,000 each. The money given was not in MHB's book," he said, adding that eight workers refused to accept the compensation.

Outstanding bill settled

Gnanalingam said that at a meeting of the Selangor executive council, councillor Xavier Jayakumar's office decided to accept the decision of the majority who took up the offer.

Gnanalingam also blamed Jerit for the failure in the negotiations that took place on Thursday.

"Last month, G-Team was called by Selangor Labour Office to discuss the current issue. The matter was explained in the meeting together with the NUPW officer.

"NUPW had asked five days to come back with a proposal to resolve the issue, but it did not return.

"The next meeting was called on Thursday but again, it failed to resolve anything because the workers were not represented by NUPW as they chose to follow the advice of some NGOs."

Meanwhile in a related development, Jerit coordinator E Nalini informed FMT that the outstanding bill was settled by representative from G-Team.

"The Tumbuk Estate residents were told that RM4,000 was paid to settle their water bills," said Nalini.

See Also:

White knight loses hero status

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Azmin, Zuraida apa kamu buat di Ampang?

PETALING JAYA: Ketua Umno Ampang, Datuk Ismail Kijo mencabar pemimpin menyenaraikan projek yang dibuat di kawasan itu sejak mengambil alih pemerintahan kerajaan negeri dalam pilihan raya umum 2008.

Bekas Adun Lembah Jaya tahun 1995 hingga 2004  berkata, tidak ada satu pun projek yang dibuat di Ampang.

"Saya tanya kepada Azmin Ali dan Zuraida Kamaruddin apa yang kamu buat sejak menjadi Adun dan ahli Parlimen?

"Jalan berlopak semakin parah, sampah sarap tidak diambil. Dulu Alam Flora yang angkat sampah tetapi kini kini Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (PBT) tetapi tidak terangkat.

"Mereka pandai bercakap tetapi tidak pandai buat. Macam-macam mala petaka telah berlaku di Selangor," katanya.

Azmin merupakan ahli parlimen Gombak dan juga timbalan presiden PKR manakala Zuraida adalah ahli parlimen Ampang dan ketua wanita PKR.

Tuntut janji

Menurut Ismail lagi, kerajaan Selangor pernah berjanji mahu menurunkan cukai pintu tetapi sebaliknya pula yang berlaku iaitu dinaikkan sebanyak 20 peratus.

Beliau berkata, banyak harta milik syarikat kerajaan negeri telah dijual untuk kepentingan mereka.

"Rakyat Ampang tuntut janji dari Azmin dan Zuraida, rakyat Selangor pula tagih janji Pakatan Rakyat" katanya.

Ismail berkata, dari tinjauan yang dibuat di kawasan Ampang, ramai penduduk yang mengatakan mereka menyesal kerana menyokong Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihan raya umum lalu.

"Mereka menangis apabila pemimpin Umno menemui merekadan menyatakan akan mengundi BN dalam pilihan umum akan datang," kata beliau.

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UMNO/APCO-BN TUNGGU SAAT KEJATUHAN

INILAH REALITI YANG DIHADAPI OLEH UMNO/APCO-BN:

Persatuan Pekerja dah mula bantah dasar UMNO/APCO-BN.

Persatuan mahasiswa pun dah bangkit bantah dasar UMNO/APCO-BN.

Persatuan peniaga pun turut bantah dasar UMNO/APCO-BN.

Peneroka FELDA pun dah berani saman kroni UMNO/APCO-BN.

Kakitangan awam pun banyak yang tak suka dasar UMNO/APCO-BN.

...
 

Dulu mereka tak pun punya semangat nak bantah dasar UMNO/APCO-BN....

Sekarang mereka bangkit melawan dasar penindasan, penganiayaan dan salah guna kuasa UMNO/APCO-BN....


Rakyat pastinya akan bertambah-tambah sokongannya untuk menjatuhkan kuasa UMNO/APCO-BN dalam PRU13 nanti.....


Pencacai-pencacai UMNO/APCO-BN, lembu-lembu UMNO/APCO-BN, dan pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO/APCO-BN.....
 

Tunggulah giliran untuk berbaris kat mahkamah selepas PRU13......
 

Rakyat Malaysia akan mengadili kehidupan kamu selepas UMNO/APCO hilang kuasa....
 

Zaman rakyat takut dengan ugutan UMNO/APCO-BN sudah berlalu.
 

Zaman rakyat diperbodohkan oleh akal UMNO/APCO-BN sudah semakin lupus.
 

Sekarang zaman kebangkitan rakyat menentang kezaliman dan salah guna kuasa pemimpin rakyat.....
 

KUASA UMNO/APCO-BN AKAN TUMBANG DI TANGAN RAKYAT....

LAWAN TETAP LAWAN.

MARI KITA "BAKAR" UMNO/APCO-BN HINGGA JADI ABUUUUUUUU!

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‘Rosmah, Dr M should stay out of politics’

SHAH ALAM: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad should meddle in politics, said Kita chief Zaid Ibrahim.

"Mahathir, now that he has retired, should stay out of politics. Once your time is over, it is over," said Zaid in reponse to a question at a forum entitled '13th General Election: Whose Vote Decides?' organised by Malay daily Sinar Harian yesterday.

A polling agent raised the question of Rosmah's influence on her husband and if it may contribute to BN faring badly in the upcoming general election.

The other speakers were Deputy Higher Education Minister and Umno supreme council member Saifuddin Abdullah, Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng, Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Universiti Malaya media studies senior lecturer Abu Hassan Hasbullah.

Saifuddin Abdullah came to the government's defence and dismissed the notion of Rosmah's influence on her husband and in the politics of the day.

He cited the amendments to University and University Colleges Act, the government's transformation programmes and the repeal of the ISA as examples of how Najib acted independently without anyone's influence.

Rosmah has been in the news for her alleged exhorbitant and extravagant spending since Najib came into power in April 2009.

UM lecturer Abu Hassan Hasbullah weighed in by calling voters to reject individuals who misuse public funds.

"Irrespective of whether they are wives or children of ministers, if they misuse public funds, they must be rejected," said Abu Hassan.

The panellists, however, had different opinions on which group would be an influential force to decide on the fate of the next government.

New reality voters

Zaid said that the Malays votes would be a crucial factor. "They will determine the outcome as they are the biggest group.

"The Malays would only be able to be strong voter bloc if they were willing to reject the corrupt culture perpertrated by Umno whom he referred to as the 'biggest Malay party'."

Abu Hassan named three groups who he said will play a crucial role in the outcome of the next general election.

"The 21 to 40 age group who make up 68% of the voters. Three percent have already made up their minds, the Chinese community who make up 45% of the voters in some places.

"And lastly, the women as a voter bloc as they had 48% to 57% influence in generally all the constituencies," said Abu Hassan.

Lim Guan Eng's witty reply was: "Phantom voters would decide. And if reform efforts fail, then we would have a phantom government."

On a serious note, Lim acknowledged that Sabah and Sarawak voters were a formidable bloc.

"They can determine the fate of at least 112 parliamentary seats," said Lim as he hoped that Pakatan Rakyat would form the next federal government with a simple majority.

Currently Pakatan Rakyat has 77 seats in Parliament after five MPs turned BN-friendly independents.

Saifuddin however picked the new reality voters as the group that would be deciding factor.

"It is definitely not BN or Pakatan supporters but the new reality voters," he said..

He described the new reality voter group as those who are connected on social networking sites via informal groupings and are for participatory democratic transformation.

Nurul said that Umno and BN would be the deciding factor based on the ruling coalition's willingness to implement electoral reforms.

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Call to include Tamil announcements at KLIA

KUALA LUMPUR: A former deputy minister has called on the government to reconsider its decision not to introduce announcements in Tamil at the KL International Airport in Sepang for the benefit of passengers from India.

T Murugiah, former deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said there is a need to include Tamil in the airport announcements for the benefit of the large number of Tamil-speaking tourists who visit the country.

Having announcements in Tamil will also be considered as a sign of respect for the visitors from India who are mostly business entrepreneurs and industrialists as well as tourists, he told Bernama today.

Murugiah was responding to the statement by the Transport Ministry yesterday that the government has no plans to make announcements in Tamil at the KLIA as passengers from India speak diverse dialects.

Currently, the announcements are made in Malay, English and Mandarin while announcements in Arabic and Japanese are made seasonally.

Murugiah said the Transport Ministry decision does not reflect the 1Malaysia spirit that is being promoted by the government.

"I also call for the inclusion of the Tamil language on the KLIA signboards in recognition of the 1.8 million Malaysian Indians, the third largest community, in the country," he added.

- Bernama

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Section 15 and Beyond

King Chai explores and shares his views on the upcoming Round Table Discussion on UUCA amendments.

The recent announcement by the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak on 24 November 2011 to amend Section 15 of the University & University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) to allow political freedom for university students is a bold move – something that civil society and students have been fighting for since it became law over 40 years ago.

However, let us not get carried away by the announcement and think that this is the end to the struggle for student liberty and university autonomy.

It has never been solely about Section 15 or students' right to express themselves politically. It has always been about the recognition of the 'inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace', university students included.

Freedom of speech, expression and association are just some of the fundamental liberties most commonly discussed (also most commonly and consistently violated) and the list of rights really doesn't stop there. In fact, it's non-exhaustive.

This coming 17 November 2011 marks the first of the "Round Table Discussions on Amendments to the UUCA", hosted by the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah. Of course, if you have been keeping up with developments of academic freedom in Malaysia, the UKM4 case and also the recent 31 October decision by the Court of Appeal declaring Section 15(5)(a) of UUCA invalid, you'll know that he is no stranger to the cause. I was informed that members of civil society, representatives from different interest groups and academicians will be attending the discussion to present their views and make recommendations to the Ministry on amendments to be made, in line with the Prime Minister's announcement to allow political freedom for university students.

UKM4 in the New York Times! (file pic)

However, many of us within civil society are still not looking at the bigger picture of student liberty and university autonomy. Let's talk about other problems within the current amendments of the Act, beyond Section 15 of the UUCA.

For instance, Section 3 of the UUCA gives power to the Minister of Higher Education to direct and instruct public institutions of higher learning (IPTA). This section is the main link between all IPTAs and the government, and removes true university autonomy because the Minister has the prerogative to direct and instruct universities as he sees fit.

Besides that, Section 4A & 4B gives the Minister power to appoint Vice Chancellors or any positions within IPTAs as he sees fit, and the choice to institute a select committee to 'advise' him with regards to the appointment. This particular section makes political appointees out of certain positions within the university, and such individuals are ultimately subservient to the Minister's expectations instead of fulfilling their responsibilities as members of the academic institution. In this respect, there is a risk that they will no longer place the IPTA's academic interest as their main priority.

Looking beyond Section 15 which prohibits political expression and freedom of association of students, Section 16 allows the Vice Chancellor the power to suspend or dissolve any clubs/associations or group of students for "disrupting" peace on campus and for jeopardizing the interests of the university. In my humble opinion, that can be interpreted as ANYTHING that the Vice Chancellor thinks can disrupt peace on campus or jeopardize the interests or image of the university. In short, almost anything under the sun can be misconstrued as such!

Following that, Section 16B describes the internal university proceeding that is used to try students who have been accused of committing an offense under the UUCA. Subsection (3B) says that the university student accused of committing offenses under the Act can only be represented by another student or staff of the university in the internal disciplinary proceeding. This is a clear violation to a student's right to have a fair trial and legal representation during proceedings which will be attended and participated by anyone the Vice Chancellor chooses, such as the university's legal advisor or law faculty members who are equipped with legal experience or knowledge. It sure doesn't seem fair when the scales are tipped and weighed against the student at the start of the proceedings itself.

Those are just some of the sections I hope will be brought up in the round table discussion on 17 December to safeguard the interests of university students and move towards truly recognizing the unalienable rights of the students.

The recent passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill at the Dewan Rakyat has courted a chorus of disappointments and public anger due to the lack of public consultation, the bill's 'mischievous' definition and the total prohibition of street protests. If the government is serious about extending political freedom to university students and committed in recognizing their fundamental liberties as human beings in line with international norms and standards of the same matter, then public consultations and open dialogue with the public and members of the civil society must be held. Now, let the first round table discussion on amendments to the UUCA be the trailblazer to a new era of student liberty and academic freedom.

If you have views or perspectives that you would like to bring up for the round table discussion, feel free to share them with us by commenting below or email me directly at kingchai@loyarburok.com.

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Tags: Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti, AUKU, Ministry of Higher Education, Peaceful Assembly Bill, public consultation, Saifuddin Abdullah, Section 15, Section(15)(5)(a), UKM4, University and University Colleges Act, UUCA, Woon King Chai

King Chai rather fancies himself as a fireman fighting fires but ended up fighting a different kind of fire at the Ministry. Having been 'touched' and well-documented on the goddamn blawg by His Supreme Eminenceness Lord Bobo throughout the infamous UKM4 disciplinary proceedings and challenge on the constitutionality of the University & University Colleges Act 1971, he aims to do the same for others. He tweets at @woonkingchai and can be seen stalking you at the next LoyarBurok event.

Posted on 14 December 2011. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.

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KLIA 2 on shaky ground

KUALA LUMPUR: The delays and soaring cost in building the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) is due to the decision to construct the airport at a new site instead of the one gazetted for KLIA's expansion purposes in the 1992 KL Masterplan, claimed DAP.

Taking the Transport Ministry and the Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to task, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua told a press conference here that the 1992 KL Masterplan document had set aside a piece of land on the north side of the existing airport for future expansion.

However, he said, MAHB decided to use the land on its west, which the 1992 document had indicated that the soil there was not suitable for airport construction unless significant engineering work was done to improve its bearing quality.

Therefore the site, he added, was set aside for car park purposes.

"So MAHB has to spend about RM1.2 billion for earthwork purposes to ensure the soil is fit for an airport. Plus, it will take time for the soil to settle, probably up to two years. Till then, the airport cannot be built," said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

The KLIA 2 project, then worth RM2 billion, was announced in 2009 by the Transport Ministry and was scheduled to be completed in September this year.

However, the project value had ballooned up to RM3.6 billion since then and MAHB had reportedly estimated that KLIA 2 would only be completed in 2013.

Pua said that as the existing control tower at KLIA was not overlooking the new site, MAHB had to spend an additional RM500 million to build a new tower.

"But if they build the airport at the land on the north, there is no need to build another tower as the existing tower caters for it as well.

"We are on our way to becoming the only modern airport in the world to have two control towers within two kilometre distance from one another," he added.

In addition, Pua pointed out, MAHB would have no choice but to immediately build a third runway at KLIA 2 as it would be inconvenient for airline companies to use the existing airport's runways due to distance.

"And that costs another RM270 million. If we use the northern land, there is no immediate need to build the third runway as we can maximise the usage of the existing runways," he said.

On why MAHB refused to use the northern land, Pua said he was clueless as well.

"MAHB and Transport Ministry must provide answers as it involves public funds," he said.

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Kekayaan Taib bukan rahsia lagi

PETALING JAYA: PKR menyarankan pembentukan serta merta Suruhanjaya Di Raja bagi menyiasat empayar perniagaan Ketua Menteri Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud serta menangkap dan mendakwa beliau dan 13 ahli keluarganya.

Naib Presiden N Surendran berkata, PKR juga mendesak Taib segera meletak jawatan sebagai ketua menteri dan anggota keluarganya yang memegang jawatan di dalam anak-anak syarikat atau badan-badan berkanun kerajaan.

"Kekayaan Taib dan keluarganya yang diperoleh secara haram bukan lagi rahsia bagi rakyat Malaysia," tegas beliau dalam satu kenyataan media semalam.

Beliau merujuk kepada surat bertarikh 13 Disember lalu daripada badan-badan bukan kerajaan enam negara, yang mendesak penangkapan dan pendakwaan ke atas Taib dan 13 ahli keluarganya di atas penipuan, rasuah, rampasan tanah secara haram dan penyalahgunaan kedudukannya.

Menurutnya, selama bertahun-tahun individu, pertubuhan dan parti-parti pembangkang telah mendesak Barisan Nasional (BN) untuk menghentikan rompakan kekayaan dan hasil mahsul Sarawak oleh Taib. Tetapi tiada tindakan diambil terhadap Taib dan kroni-kroninya.

Katanya, fakta-fakta yang didedahkan di dalam surat ini amatlah memeranjatkan. Kepentingan keluarga Taib di dalam 14 syarikat sahaja bernilai RM4.6 bilion. Keluarga Taib dikenalpasti mempunyai kepentingan di dalam 332 syarikat Malaysia dan 85 syarikat asing.

"Aktiviti haram empayar Taib sedang diteliti di Australia, Jerman, Switzerland, UK dan Kanada. Syarikat-syarikat keluarga Taib telah diberikan konsesi balak yang besar dan projek-projek pembinaan besar tanpa tender terbuka dan mempunyai monopoli terhadap eksport simen dan balak.

"Kekayaan dan aset Sarawak bernilai ratusan juta ringgit sedang diseludup keluar Malaysia menerusi pegangan hartanah mewah yang dimiliki anak-anak Taib di Kanada, England dan Amerika Syarikat," terangnya.

Menurut Surendran, imej negara ini di masyarakat antarabangsa telah pun rosak teruk berikutan keengganan kerajaan untuk menghentikan rompakan ini dan mendakwa Taib dan keluarganya.

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Najib urged to contest in mixed constituency

SHAH ALAM: PKR vice president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar yesterday urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to contest in a mixed constituency such as Lembah Pantai as it would reflect the 1Malaysia spirit that was introduced by Najib.

"I suggest the Prime Minister contest in a mixed constituency such as Lembah Pantai that would reflect the 1Malaysia spirit," said Nurul in a forum entitled '13th General Election: Who Vote Decides' by Malay daily, Sinar Harian.

Apart from Nurul, the other speakers were Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng, People's Welfare Party (Kita) president Zaid Ibrahim; Deputy Higher Education Minister and Umno supreme council member Saifuddin Abdullah and Universiti Malaya media studies senior lecturer Abu Hassan Hasbullah.

"The Pekan seat is made up of 93% Malay voters," said Nurul who urged Saifuddin to relay the message to Najib.

The first term MP said that she was willing to take on Najib in Lembah Pantai. She however explained that her call to Najib was not a dare.

Nurul trumped her way to victory after defeating three term incumbent MP, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil with a majority of 2,895 votes in the 2008 general election.

Nurul also criticised the transformation efforts under taken by the Najib administration.

"The transformation programs are not good as long as the government continues to practice selective legislating."

She added that selective legislating was a hindrance to bring about real changes to the people.

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PD’s man in the hot seat

PORT DICKSON: Many people would envy someone who heads the local government in a tourist town, but Port Dickson's Abdul Wahab Samsudin says he has no time to bask in it, what with his state assemblyman constantly breathing down his neck.

In a recent wide-ranging interview with FMT, he complained that PKR's M Ravi, sometimes aided by Ean Yong Tin Sin (DAP-Lukut), was always finding fault with his administration.

He rejected the allegation that he held a bias against Pakatan Rakyat politicians, although he admitted to withholding written permission for their programmes.

Abdul Wahab became president of the Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) in 2009. He said it had been a hot seat for him since Day One.

Apart from responding to various allegations by Ravi and Yong, he also explained some the efforts being done to improve Port Dickson's appeal to visitors.

Excerpts from the interview:

The Pakatan Rakyat representatives allege that you are denying them the right to put up festival banners carrying their party logos. What is your response?

Those allegations are not true. I gave them permission orally, but I told them I could not give them written permission. They asked why. It is within my authority to give either oral or written permission. What's wrong with giving it orally?

I told my officers not to dismantle the banners. I have no problem with them having their party logos on the banners. But previously we did remove the banners. At that point of time, they had not asked for permission.

What about your recent rejection of their application to use the town hall for a badminton tournament?

They wanted to use the hall on Dec 3. I rejected the application because the town hall was due for upgrading works at that point of time.

They insisted that we give them a rejection letter. I said it was not necessary because I didn't want them to use the letter for political purposes.

Recently, Pakatan representatives speaking at a public forum likened the Port Dickson beach to a rubbish dump. How true is that?

I'm aware of the allegations as they were reported in a newspaper. They are lies. In the pictures published in the newspaper, one of the Pakatan leaders was holding an empty plastic bag. If Port Dickson is a dumping ground, then where is the so-called rubbish?

We clean the beach regularly and consistently conduct cleaning campaigns with NGOs. How can they say that Port Dickson is a rubbish dump?

When I took over the MPPD in 2009, "Cleanliness is our priority" became our motto.

As an elected representative, Ravi should not tarnish the image of the Port Dickson with tags like that. It will give the town a negative image among tourists. It will have implications on the local traders and hotel operators as well.

Let me speak about another issue that Ravi raised. He questioned the rationale of installing convex mirrors at the end of every row of shophouses. He said those mirrors should instead be installed at road junctions, where they would be useful to motorists.

He did not check the facts with us. We installed the mirrors not for motorists, but for pedestrians. We fix them at the walls of banks and corner shops to alert the public against criminals hiding behind walls.

He said the mirrors were a waste of public funds. This project comes under the Local Government and Housing Ministry's budget. We installed the convex mirrors as part of the Town Safety project under the ministry and we were accorded the Safe Town status by the ministry.

What about the drainage system in Port Dickson? The town is flood prone, isn't it?

We are trying our best to maintain the drainage system. Some parts of the system are under our jurisdiction and the rest are under the Drainage Department.

Much of Port Dickson is below sea level. There will be floods no matter how big the monsoon drains are.

What about the status of the Lukut landfill? Wasn't is supposed to be closed and rubbish redirected to a new landfill in Bukit Nanas?

I can't comment too much on this as the matter as it is under the jurisdiction of the state and federal governments.

The landfill sits on state government land and MPPD just supervises it.

But I've learnt that the shift to Bukit Nanas is in progress.

Ravi told the State Assembly that the counters selling parking coupons are too far from the parking lots and motorists had complained that agents selling the tickets were late in opening those counters. He said that both these facts had resulted in many motorists being fined for parking without coupons.

Actually this is the result of the motorists' habit of buying the coupons at the last minute. As locals from Port Dickson, why can't you buy the coupons earlier?

Ravi said it's difficult for tourists to purchase the tickets on weekends. I don't understand what the actual issue is. There are no parking charges on weekends. But still, to say that the coupons are not sold on Saturday and Sunday is a lie.

Whatever we want to introduce is always seen as wrong. If they have the attitude of wanting to oppose everything, then it's very difficult for us.

We initially gazetted 14 areas where we would use the parking coupon system, but we only implemented it in two areas. These two are business areas. We don't have parking charges at beaches or other tourist areas.

The coupon system is superior to the coin machine system. Coin machines are very costly and prone to vandalism. We conducted a study on three parking systems—the coupon, coin and receipt systems. We found the coupon system to be the best.

We collected RM400,000 six months after implementing the coupon system. Just imagine that! The system also generates income for the agents who sell them.

Ravi spoke of cases in which motorists were compounded even as they were buying their coupons. This is not true. I told my enforcement officers to wait for the motorists to go back to their vehicles from booths or shops selling the coupons.

The cases in which they were compounded were when they disappeared after parking their cars, or reappeared only after 30 minutes.

FMT visited the Telok Kemang beach and found that the steel structures of a few food stalls were rusty and damaged. Is there any plan to replace these unsafe stalls?

We have tendered out projects for the rebuilding of stalls and shops at Pantai Cermin. We will build 36 units of shops there at the cost of RM4 million. These shops will sell food and souvenirs.

Actually the stall operators want us to build the new shops at the existing location, but we don't want to build there as we don't want to obstruct the public from the beach areas.

Those operating stalls with rusty structures are doing it at their own risk. They haven't paid rental to MPPD. In fact, we disconnected their electricity and water supplies to force them to vacate the stalls. But they're still there.

But I want to stress here that once the 36 shops are ready, the owners must operate them themselves. If any of them rents out his shop to someone else or does not open the shop for three consecutive days, I will take back the shop.

The rental is cheap—between RM50 and RM100 only. This makes some of the shop owners lazy.

We have also spent RM500,000 to upgrade toilets, walkways and other basic amenities at the beach spots.

Why doesn't MPPD want to continue organising Pesta Port Dickson, which was popular in the late 80s and early 90s?

It is not that we don't want to do so, but it will be very costly to organise the 14-day event.

The revenue from the tent rental is not sufficient to cover the cost of organising the event, which is not less than RM1 million. It will be very costly also to pay the performers. Those days, it was easier to find corporate sponsors but now, due to the economic environment being not so good, these companies are tightening their belts.

We also don't have enough land space to organise such a big carnival. The former site of the festival has been developed. It is where the Port Dickson District Office is currently located.

Actually Pesta Port Dickson did not generate any income. It was an event to promote Port Dickson to tourists.

Is there any truth to the talk that Port Dickson will soon have a water theme park?

A water theme park will be built by the private golf resort operator of Palm Springs near Tiara Beach Resort.

We approved the project. We were informed by the operator that the park will be for the exclusive use of clients at the resort.

What are other challenges you face as president of the MPPD?

My main challenge is to correct the perception of the public on MPPD. For example, people are blaming us for houses that are not properly maintained. This is supposed to be the responsibility of the house owners. Most of them work elsewhere. They pay the assessment rates, and technically we can't do much except advice them to maintain their houses and compounds.

I also face the problem of vandalism. For example, we spend thousands of ringgit to install equipment at children's playgrounds. But these see saws and other installations go missing after some time. Some vandals would come and steal the steel from these installations.

What about the collection of assessment rates?

Yes, I do have problems with assessment rate collection, especially with apartment owners. These apartment owners owe MPPD RM9 million to date. House owners owe us RM6 million. Most of these errant property owners are outsiders, like Singaporeans. Another RM4 million is owed by owners of business premises.

We will take action against them and we are now in the process of issuing Form F to seal the houses and take the owners to court.

What is MPPD's gross annual income?

About RM52 million per year.

Are there enough hotels rooms in Port Dickson to cater to tourists?

Definitely the room availability is sufficient and sometimes exceeds the actual demand.

Is there is any mega project coming up in Port Dickson very soon?

A commercial hub costing RM1.8 billion will be completed in 2014.It will have a hypermarket, office spaces, shop lots, a convention centre, a medical centre, hotels, a private college, an international school, a theme park, factory outlets and apartments facing the beach.

And there will be a landmark project called Hibiscus Chalet, in which Menteri Besar Incorporated will be involved. It will become an icon for Port Dickson. The complex will be built at Mile 15 of Jalan Teluk Kemang. The chalet units will be arranged to look like hibiscus flowers.

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