Archive for June 14th, 2011
RM1.8mil … for a Facebook page?
By Joseph Sipalan
June 14, 2011
MalaysiaKini
The Tourism Ministry came under fire again today, as MPs questioned why it had spent RM1.8 million to start and maintain its Facebook page – yet another on the list of controversial projects.
Anthony Loke (DAP-Rasah) slammed the decision to use so much money when the social networking site can be used free of charge.
“On my last check, there are 20,308 fans on the ministry’s Facebook page. Comparably, the ‘Visit Penang’ Facebook page, for which the Penang government did not spend a sen, got over 100,000 fans. Why spend RM1.8 million?” he asked during Question Time.
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Bashir not welcome
By Tarani Palani
June 14, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said the decision to invite the Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir was not discussed in the Cabinet.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may withdraw the invitation issued to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to attend an international conference in Langkawi.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, said today that he will urge the government to withdraw the invitation because Malaysia has decided to accede to the Rome Statute.
“I am taking this matter seriously and I want to discuss in the Cabinet because the Cabinet has decided that we should accede to the Rome Statute.” Read the rest of this entry »
Roubini Says ‘Perfect Storm’ May Threaten Global Economy
By Shamim Adam | June 13, 2011, 12:12 AM EDT
Bloomberg
June 13 (Bloomberg) — A “perfect storm” of fiscal woe in the U.S., a slowdown in China, European debt restructuring and stagnation in Japan may converge on the global economy, New York University professor Nouriel Roubini said.
There’s a one-in-three chance the factors will combine to stunt growth from 2013, Roubini said in a June 11 interview in Singapore. Other possible outcomes are “anemic but OK” global growth or an “optimistic” scenario in which the expansion improves.
“There are already elements of fragility,” he said. “Everybody’s kicking the can down the road of too much public and private debt. The can is becoming heavier and heavier, and bigger on debt, and all these problems may come to a head by 2013 at the latest.”
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Why Does Australia Want to Send Refugees to Malaysia?
Posted by Kit in Foreign, Human Rights on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Marina Kamenev/SYDNEY Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Time
Between 2003 and 2004, Marion Le, a Canberra-based lawyer, made regular trips to the remote island of Nauru in the South Pacific. But she wasn’t going for a beach holiday. At the time, Nauru was part of the so-called Pacific Solution, Australia’s policy of processing and detaining asylum seekers arriving by boat in offshore detention facilities.
From 2001 to 2007, thousands of asylum seekers were in offshore detention centers while Australian immigration officials decided their fate. Le, who helped many migrants file successful asylum claims to Australia, was among the Pacific Solution’s many critics in Australia and abroad, saying the system was both a human rights violation and a breach of international law. After former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd came into office in 2007 and closed the centers on Nauru, Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island and the Australian territory of Christmas Island, Le recalls feeling “relief” that the government was finally listening to the plight of those that had been confined. (Watch a video about asylum seekers in South Africa.)
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‘Tambatuon dam is unnecessary’
Posted by Kit in environment, Sabah on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Stephanie Sta Maria | June 14, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: An academic from the Faculty of Agriculture in Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) cast doubt on the necessity for the proposed Tambatuon dam in Kota Belud.
According to Christopher Teh, the dam is not the sole means to increasing Malaysia’s rice productivity as there was still plenty of room to increase the yields of existing paddy fields.
“Each field has a maximum potential yield of 10 tonnes per hectare but the current national average only stands at 4 tonnes per hectare per year,” he said.
“I’m not against increasing land acreage but between that and increasing the yields, the latter is a better choice. Let’s use what we already have instead of opening up new paddy fields and incurring higher costs.”
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“Yield Considerations” – Iskandar replies to Kota Belud MP Rahman on Tambatuon Dam controversy
Posted by Kit in environment, Sabah on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Yb Rahman,
I had opined that our existing acerage in Malaysia can be used to fully meet our rice security consideration (i.e to overcome the 35% shortage) provided our Yield (Mt/hectare) can be increased to 5.0. The 5.0 yield factor is backed by research materials that you had referenced in your report.
In your rebuttal to my June 4, 2011 feedback, you have clearly acknowledged this point albeit you put it as “I wish it was that simple. Here is the reason”.
You said the current yield average of 3.3mt per hectare is for the whole country and production yield differs based on location. In summary, you had alluded to point out that production locations in Peninsular Malaysia(PM) are already yielding at 5.0 or higher and has little room for additional yield. The national average, however, drops to 3.3 due to the low yeilds in East Malaysia(EM) and Kota Belud being one. I quote “However, our national paddy production yield average has been dragged down by low yield areas namely in Sabah and Sarawak!”
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Tourism Ministry: RM1.8 million spent on Facebook pages
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 14, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — A whopping RM1,758,432 was spent on developing six Facebook pages to promote Malaysian tourism, the Tourism Ministry said today.
Deputy Tourism Minister James Dawos Mamit said this today in reply to a question from Anthony Loke (Rasah-DAP).
Each Facebook page cost RM293,072 — Cuti-Cuti 1 Malaysia, Citrawarna 1Malaysia, Karnival Jualan Mega 1 Malaysia, Festival Pelancongan Seni Kontemporari 1 Malaysia, Kempen 1 Malaysia Bersih and Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia.
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Court says Hee attacked Yew with pepper spray
The Malaysian Insider
June 14, 2011
IPOH, June 14 – Aulong assemblyman Yew Tian Hoe won today a court ruling against his state lawmaker colleague Datuk Hee Yit Foong for attacking him with a pepper spray in the infamous May 7, 2009 Perak legislative assembly.
He also won a restraining order preventing her from future assaults against him.
Jelapang assemblyman Hee gained infamy after she quit the DAP and pledged loyalty to the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition leading to the fall of the then ruling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government.
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House rejects motion on Ahmad Sarbani
Posted by Kit in Parliament, Sarbaini on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Joseph Sipalan
June 14, 2011
MalaysiaKini
The Dewan Rakyat has thrown out an emergency motion to debate the death of Customs senior assistant director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee agreed that the motion is specific and of public interest, but decided that it is not an urgent issue.
“As the date for the inquest has been set (from July 4-15), there is no need to expedite a debate (on Ahmad Sarbani’s death). So the House rejects this motion,” he said after Question Time.
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DAP’s ‘Dayak Brain Trust’ gets support
By Joseph Tawie
June 14, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
Sarawak DAP chief Wong Ho Leng believes it is time Dayak themselves ‘take the lead to shape their political future’.
KUCHING: The Sarawak Dayak community has thrown its support behind Lim Kit Siang’s proposal to form a “Dayak Brain Trust”.
Lim, who is DAP adviser and Ipoh Timur MP, had suggested the formation of the “Dayak Brain Trust” (DBT) during a workshop with party assemblyman in Sibu on Saturday.
The Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia), a very influential Iban organisation that has members throughout the state, has described the move as a “good idea”.
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DAP says nude squat case ‘humiliating’, demands Home Ministry response
Posted by Kit in Human Rights on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 14, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — The DAP has demanded that the Home Ministry respond to reports that two Singaporean women were handcuffed and made to do squats naked by Malaysian immigration officials.
Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran said that the act was “humiliating” and “ridiculous,” while Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa said the incident would give other countries the perception that Malaysia was a “lawless” country.
“You cannot do this, why subject these women to this form of interrogation, it is humiliating,” Kulasegaran told The Malaysian Insider.
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Parliament rejects motion on Sarbaini
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 14, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Parliament has rejected an emergency motion to discuss the death of Ahmad Sarbaini, with Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee saying that the matter was “not urgent” as an inquest will be taking place.
“Parliament has decided that there is no urgency to debate this motion … as an inquest on the matter will be heard on July 4-15 … the motion is hereby rejected,” said Kiandee.
Veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said last week he wanted Parliament to discuss the death of the Customs officer, following allegations that the MACC was trying to tarnish the Customs man’s name.
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Cancel invites to Mugabe, Bashir, DAP tells Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Foreign, Human Rights on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — The federal government should cancel invitations to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for an international economic forum here, the DAP has said.
The two presidents are scheduled to attend a forum to be held in Putrajaya from June 19-21.
Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran said today that both leaders had an alleged track record in their respective countries of purported human rights violations, and charged that by inviting them, Malaysia would be seen as “indifferent” to the plight of the citizens of these countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno turning into the old PAS
By Hafiz Noor Shams
June 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 14 — If one had opined that PAS was more of a centrist than Umno 10 years ago, nobody would have believed it. It would have been an outrageous opinion. Yet today, it is no longer so foreign a prospect.
The recently concluded PAS internal election is the latest evidence of the party’s march to the centre. That election saw both the promotion of the so-called professional group to the leadership of the party and the adoption of a more realistic stance with regards to the Islamic state agenda.
The participation of PAS within Pakatan Rakyat has a lot to do with the reconfiguration of the party towards the political centre. While the criticism of ideological difference against the coalition as a whole remains valid, the alliance itself is the great engine that is pulling all of its members to a middle ground. That middle ground is proving to be the Malaysian centre. Read the rest of this entry »
Denied entry, Bersih chief sues Sarawak government
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Human Rights, Sarawak on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 14, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Election watchdog chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has filed a suit against the Sarawak government for barring her entry into the East Malaysian state two months ago, saying the move is against the Federal Constitution.
“Yes filed and leave application will be heard 13 July,” the Coalition for Fair and Free Elections (Bersih 2.0) chairman told The Malaysian Insider via a text message.
Sarawak and Sabah are allowed to deny entry even to Malaysians under the agreement to form Malaysia in 1963 with Malaya and Singapore, but must give a reason in doing so. Read the rest of this entry »
Subsidies masking IPP ‘inefficiencies’, says think tank
By Lee Wei Lian
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 13, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Independent Power Producers (IPPs) would have to charge much more than their Singapore counterparts if natural gas were sold to them at market rates, due to their bloated and inefficient cost structures, claimed Research for Social Advancement (Refsa) today.
The think tank estimated that local IPPs would need to raise their average prices from 25 sen/kWh to 74 sen/kWh if subsidies were removed and gas prices were allowed to rise from RM10.70/mmBTU to the present market price of RM47.42/mmBTU.
In comparison, Singapore power producers charge 41 sen/kWh.
“Put simply, if the gas subsidy in Malaysia is completely removed, the IPPs generation cost would be 80 per cent higher than that of power generators in Singapore,” said Refsa executive director Teh Chi Chang, noting that in Singapore fuel prices are market based. Read the rest of this entry »
Poem for World Environment Day 2011
Posted by Kit in environment on Tuesday, 14 June 2011
by Dr Zorina Khalid
12 June 2011
CONSIDERATION FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT,
WHY BOTHER, NOT MY CONCERN….
The ills of society
I’ve noticed it’s aplenty
People are selfish and not considerate
They just live life on a rampage
With not a bother or a thought
Did you not notice that?
Look at what’s happening to our country
Water use to glory
(Malaysia is tops in Asia for this)
Electricity wastage without feeling guilty
Because, I can afford to pay the utility. Read the rest of this entry »
Minister: Soi Lek approved diesel subsidy cuts
S Pathmawathy | Jun 13, 11
Malaysiakini
MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek did not object to diesel subsidy cuts during the National Economic Council meeting when the matter was decided, revealed Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Ismail Sabri.
Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby today, Ismail said that Chua should have raised his concerns during the meeting instead of letting his party leaders complain now through the media.
“How can he now turn back and say it’s not fair? The MCA statement is unfair to government,” he said.
He added that the MCA should be helping the government in tackling protests by C2-class fishing trawler operators because the party had a hand in making the decision in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »
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