Design problems, hazardous construction plague Lynas plant, reports NYT
Posted by Kit in environment, Lynas on Thursday, 30 June 2011, 12:16 pm
The Malaysian Insider | June 30, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — The controversial Lynas rare earths refinery in Kuantan is plagued by environmentally hazardous construction and design problems, the New York Times has reported, citing internal memos and current and former engineers on the project.
The report published today said the issues, including moisture in humid Malaysia, could potentially affect the RM700 million Lynas Corp plant being built to challenge China’s stranglehold in the key rare earths industry.
Malaysia is due to announce today the results of an independent international review of the plant that is scheduled to open this September. The listed Lynas Corp has asked for a halt in its share trading in Australia today pending the report.
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Private broadcasters told to ignore Bersih, warn people against protests
By Jahabar Sadiq, Editor | June 30, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — The Najib administration has warned private broadcasters against mentioning the planned Bersih rally or the protest date but wants them to warn people against taking to the streets to ask for free and fair elections, media executives say.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) called in media executives in the past week to inform them of the new regulations apart from Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein declaring Bersih T-shirts as illegal.
“We can’t mention Bersih, the July 9 date for the rally in our broadcasts but we must warn people against demonstrating. How to do that?” a senior media executive asked The Malaysian Insider.
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Attracting the Best To Teaching
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Education on Thursday, 30 June 2011, 12:09 pm
Early this year the US Department of Education, together with OECD and the Asia Society, convened a summit of education ministers, master teachers, and union leaders from 15 countries. The theme was on attracting, training and retaining the best teachers. Those were no ordinary countries participating; their students had consistently excelled in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
America has some of the finest private and public schools, while its colleges and universities regularly dominate anybody’s list of the best. Yet there was US Education Secretary Duncan sponsoring this symposium and its opening speaker. That reflects the seriousness with which American leaders and policymakers consider education. It also shows their humility and commitment to learn from the best. I long for such traits in our leaders and educators.
The core assumption of the summit is that you cannot have excellent schools without excellent teachers. “Great teachers are not just born that way,” Secretary Duncan noted in his opening remarks. “It takes a high-quality system for recruiting, training, retaining, and supporting teachers over the course of their careers to develop an effective teaching force,” he continued.
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Explain disparity between ‘actual’ and ‘approved’ FDIs, DAP tells Putrajaya
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 29, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — The Najib administration must explain the wide disparity between approved foreign direct investments (FDIs) and actual investment figures, the DAP said.
DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua told reporters that a written reply by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI) revealed that from 1996 to 2010 only RM179.8 billion out of the RM289.9 billion of approved investments had been realised.
“A shocking RM199.1 billion of declared FDI had disappeared without a trace,” he said in a statement today. Read the rest of this entry »
When will Hishammuddin or IGP announce that it is unlawful and a police arrestable offence for anyone to wear or sport yellow until July 9?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Court, Crime, Hishammuddin, Najib Razak, Police on Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 6:24 pm
Just four days ago in Ipoh on Saturday, I had called on the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to “stop the madness where a person can be detained by the police for wearing the Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, as if he/she is more dangerous than Osama bin Laden”.
Clearly, I had directed my call at the wrong person as Hishammuddin is now at the heart of the “madness” with his announcement this morning that Bersih 2.0 T-shirts are illegal and that it is a police arrestable offence to wear them.
The question Malaysians must pose is whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “Government Transformation Programme” has reached a stage where Ministers can unilaterally make laws like Hishammuddin declaring Bersih 2.0 T-shirts are illegal to justify police arrests and seizures?
Hishammuddin did not mention under what law the Bersih 2.0 T-shirts could be considered illegal and unlawful. The reason is simple – there is no such law, unless Malaysia’s democratic governance has degenerated to a stage where a Minister could unilaterally declare a law “on the run” as the Home Minister has done this morning.
The question is whether the Malaysian judiciary has degenerated to a new low where it would uphold the such Ministerial abuses of power in arbitrarily and unilaterally making a law “on the run” without parliamentary sanction. Read the rest of this entry »
IGP says cops to arrest those with pro-Bersih ‘shoes, cars, buses’
By Yow Hong Chieh | June 29, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — The police will not only arrest those sporting Bersih T-shirts but may also take action against anyone using any medium to promote the illegal rally, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has said.
“Not just T-shirts but shoes, cars, buses. If these are the tools used to encourage people to gather (illegally), this amounts to sedition,” Tan Sri Ismail Omar (picture) told reporters at Bukit Aman police headquarters here today.
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Police did not ask for permission, says Speaker
Posted by Kit in Parliament, Police on Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 4:20 pm
By S Pathmawathy
Jun 29, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia will look into claims by opposition MP Lim Kit Siang accusing the police of breaching parliamentary independence when they questioned several MPs yesterday.
“The police cannot enter Parliament grounds without the express consent of the speaker. The police can only provide policing function on the request of the Parliament officials, sergeant-at-arms and the speaker,” said Lim (DAP-Ipoh Timor) while interrupting the debate on the Money Services Business Bill. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih T-shirts seized, seven activists held in raid
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Human Rights, Police on Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 4:08 pm
By Shannon Teoh
June 29, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
PETALING JAYA, June 29 — About 20 policemen, at least one of whom was armed with an assault rifle, raided the Bersih secretariat here today, confiscating hundreds of the movement’s iconic yellow T-shirts and bringing seven in for questioning.
Seven staff members of women’s rights non-governmental organisation Empower, which hosts the secretariat for the group pushing for electoral reforms, were initially questioned at the premises that had been blocked by about 10 police vehicles, including a Black Maria.
Police then seized several items contained in seven plastic bags and five boxes as well as five banners before taking the workers to the Petaling Jaya police district headquarters. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih T-shirts illegal, declares Hisham
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Police on Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 2:50 pm
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 29, 2011
PUTRAJAYA, June 29 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today T-shirts with messages in support of Bersih have been outlawed because they were related to an illegal assembly.
“The Bersih T-shirt is related to an illegal assembly, then whatever they are wearing is illegal,” he told reporters.
Police officers have been arresting activists and opposition members wearing Bersih T-shirts ahead of next weekend’s rally and counter rallies organised by Umno Youth and Perkasa, all of which the government has said will not be given police permits. Read the rest of this entry »
Freedom, imagined
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Police on Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 11:49 am
By Adrian Chew
June 29, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 29 — Imagine this.
Tens of thousands of us came from all over to exercise our fundamental rights. In our midst were foreign elements; their presence threatening and encouraging at the same time.
The organisers of the event gave us clear instructions: Wear shirts of a certain colour. Be at the designated staging sites at the appointed time.
Alternative routes were suggested in case the authorities decided to block access to the sites. Many arrived hours ahead and camped inside their vehicles, counting down the hours to the event we’d all anticipated for so long. Read the rest of this entry »
Waging war? The charge simply doesn’t stick!
Aliran Executive Committee
28 June 2011
The way the PSM members were arrested and accused reminds us of the proverb, “Give a dog a bad name and hang him.”
That’s what the police have done. They resurrected the communist bogey and concocted the myth of waging war against the king and hoped that these ludicrous accusations will stick. Unfortunately, the accusations are far-fetched and come across as scandalous and out-right lies.
The PSM is a grass-roots party dedicated to socialism and to the peaceful attainment of goals that would bring benefits to the marginalized and helpless members of the Malaysian community. Their concern for the welfare of the Orang Asli, their struggle for the urban poor, their solidarity with the homeless, their unwavering support for the evicted, their demand for decent basic wages for the largely exploited labour class, all this speaks eloquently to justify their existence in the political area.
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Hishammuddin’s Excuses
Posted by Kit in Augustine Anthony, Hishammuddin, Zunar on Wednesday, 29 June 2011, 11:03 am
But wait, Bersih didn’t threaten to torch Umno HQ
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 29, 11
‘Bersih leaders were the first to receive death threats, yet there were no Bersih supporters outside PWTC threatening to burn down Umno’s HQ.’
Umno Youth ‘threatened’ to torch PKR HQ
Swipenter: We are all sick of the threats of violence verbalised by Perkasa and Umno supporters every time when things are disagreeable to them.
This is reminiscent of the threats issued by Umno Youth to burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH) over the issue of vernacular education.
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Coming soon: Bersih a front for extraterrestrials?
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 29, 11
‘First, Utusan claims Bersih is sponsored by foreign Christians organisations. Then, it’s by communist elements, together with a US pro-democracy NGOs.’
Utusan overdrives on Bersih ‘communist’ plot
Ignis Sacra: It is all the doing of the resentful ghost of that arch crusader, former chancellor Joseph Konrad Adenauer.
Unhappy with current chancellor Angela Merkel, the tortured ghost is now seeking his evil consolation from the idea that every last Malay must be condemned and crucified.
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Deciphering Najib
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 28 June 2011, 11:51 pm
byj Jacob Sinnathamby
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 28, 2011
JUNE 28 — Malaysia is in the mess it is because we don’t have leaders of spine, integrity and consistency in our midst.
I am astounded on a daily basis by statements made by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. I don’t care about Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein or even Datuk Ibrahim Ali — you expect the racism and rubbish spewing from these characters because this is what they are about.
But Najib didn’t sound like that in the beginning of his term as the prime minister. He promised changes, said he would be inclusive and heal the wounds that have been tearing this country apart. He promised 1 Malaysia and other stuff. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: Cops violated parliamentary privileges
Posted by Kit in Parliament, Police on Tuesday, 28 June 2011, 9:26 pm
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 28, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang today accused the police of violating parliamentary privileges when they appeared in the House this morning to record statements from two opposition MPs on the Bersih rally.
The senior parliamentarian said he had never before witnessed such an incident since he became an MP in 1969.
“I am shocked and outraged that the police have shown up in Parliament today to record statements from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parliamentarians – Azmin Ali (PKR – Gombak) and Mohd Firdaus Jaafar (PAS – Jerai).
“This is the first time within my memory as an MP since 1969 of any policeman invading the parliamentary precincts to take statements from any MP,” he wrote in a statement today.
Lim called on Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to tell Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar to stop his men from repeating the incident in the future. Read the rest of this entry »
A campaign of courage
By Stanley Koh | June 28, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
Why is the rally for electoral reforms such a political hot potato? Why this gush of threats and calls for the punishment of the Bersih rally organisers? Why is the Barisan Nasionl hegemony so fearful of electoral reforms? Why shouldn’t it support free, fair and clean elections?
Bertrand Russell once propounded the theory that bad leadership in a democracy is a logical impossibility. “The electorate always get the leaders they deserve. No matter how incompetent or venal the leaders are, the electorate must have been even worse to have elected them.”
But this cynical view cannot apply to Malaysia. The Malaysian experience has shown that it is possible for good citizens to get bad leaders.
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Spectacle of Police invading Parliamentary precincts to take police statements from MPs a most deplorable precedent of violation of parliamentary privileges and must be condemned in strongest terms
Posted by Kit in Parliament, Police on Tuesday, 28 June 2011, 6:09 pm
I am shocked and outraged that the police have shown up in Parliament today to record statements from Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians – Azmin Ali (PKR – Gombak) and Mohd Firdaus Jaafar (PAS – Jerai).
This is the first time within my memory as an MP since 1969 of any policeman invading the parliamentary precincts to take statements from any MP.
The spectacle of the police invading parliamentary precincts to take police statements from Members of Parliament is a most deplorable precedent, violating parliamentary privileges and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by MPs regardless of party.
The Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia must uphold the dignity and privileges of Parliament and tell the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar in no uncertain terms that the Police must not violate parliamentary privileges and precincts and insist that police carry out their duties such as taking statements from MPs outside parliamentary premises.
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Najib GTP in past two years a depressing failure
I posed a supplementary query in Parliament to Question No. 5 to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon who had boasted about the great success and achievements of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Government Transformation Programme to date.
Puncturing his balloon, I pointed out that the purpose of Najib’s GTP is to restore national and international confidence in the efficiency, independence, integrity and professionalism of key national institutions but the reality in the past two years had been the very opposite – with even greater plunge of public and international confidence in the efficiency, independence, integrity and professionalism of key national institutions like the police, judiciary, elections commission and the anti-corruption commission, the MACC.
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