BN strategy to muzzle PR reps and to punish Dayaks for NCR struggle in new Sarawak State Assembly?
Posted by Kit in Dayak, Sarawak, State Assembly on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 4:13 pm
The Barisan Nasional will be making a fatal political mistake if the new Sarawak State Assembly starts off next week on a wrong footing with a high-handed Barisan Nasional strategy to muzzle Pakatan Rakat representatives and to punish Dayaks for their Native Customary Rights (NCR) struggle.
Reports yesterday about the opening session of the 10th Sarawak State Assembly beginning on Monday are disturbing for if true, they point to an intransigent Sarawak state government which refuses to acknowledge the wind of change blowing hard and strong in the state and the aspirations of Sarawakians for accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance.
There is yesterday’s report in Free Malaysia Today entitled “Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned”, where strong language was used, for instance, quoting second Finance Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh as warning that the BN has 55 while the Opposition only 16 State Assembly members when uttering the threat: “We know how to deal with them”. Read the rest of this entry »
Iban language: Pick the right candidates
FMT Staff
June 18, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) has chastised the authorities for its nonchalant approach to the Iban language.
SADIA chairman Edward Manggah said the Iban language was not like any other subject.
“The teachers must have the basics. You cannot just pick people randomly and make them teach,” he said in response to the latest controversy involving the selection of candidates for Bahasa Iban courses. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Umno Youth, Perkasa want to foil Bersih rally’
By Athi Shankar
June 18, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
GEORGE TOWN: The planned Umno Youth and Perkasa rallies are meant to foil, frustrate and disrupt the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, said DAP national chairman Karpal Singh today.
He called on the police to strictly ensure that all rallies were held in a orderly way without any untoward incidents.
The veteran politician hoped that participants of the three proposed rallies would be separated and prevented from abusing each other. Read the rest of this entry »
Changing the world in our own little way
By Aidil Rusli
June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 18 — I’ve never been a voracious reader, though I think I do read quite a bit compared to the average Malaysian. What I do read though is mostly non-fiction stuff, especially articles or interviews where artists I admire talk about their creative process or motivations.
You see, even if I do think of myself as an artist, I’ve never been the cerebral type who can explain exactly why I do this or that with my art. So, it’s pretty fun and revealing to read about what other artists have to say about their creative process because sometimes what they say actually does explain or help me understand how my own creative process works. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih rally: People’s will or just politics?
By R. Shan
June 18, 2011 The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 18 — Much has been said of the Bersih rally by the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, to the horror of the ruling elites.
But the gist of its original objective has also been lost to the people and public. Both sides are using this event to maximise their purported need — from race, religion and anything that they can lay their hands on.
For a start, we love a battle when we are not a part of it, especially when there is someone else to fight it out for us. We are good only at scrapping in the cyber world. Read the rest of this entry »
Anak Malaysia 2
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Brain drain on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:13 pm
By M. Chua
June 18, 2011 | MalaysiaKini
JUNE 18 — Someone sent me an article by Kalimullah Hassan, which appeared in The Malaysian Insider last week.
The article was on his experiences in trying to be an “Anak Malaysia” and I found the subject to be interesting, especially for me, an Anak Malaysia currently living abroad.
I must confess I hardly read Malaysian newspapers these days and not even The Malaysia Insider or any other publication or news portal. Frankly, most news coming out of my homeland does not exactly fill me with joy. Read the rest of this entry »
Mosque polls: King’s name being used, says don
Posted by Kit in Islam, Penang Government on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:07 pm
By Hazlan Zakaria
Jun 18, 11 | MalaysiaKini
While the Agong has purview over Islamic matters in ruler-less states like Penang, renowned constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari fears that the Agong’s name is being used to criticise the Penang government’s policies.
“Only after Pakatan Rakyat took over Penang that suddenly the Agong became a significant figure. Read the rest of this entry »
For anti-Lynas residents, the time for talking is over
Posted by Kit in environment, Lynas on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:02 pm
By Shannon Teoh
June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUANTAN, June 18 — After being bullied from making their stand before an international panel of experts earlier this month, residents opposed to a RM700 million rare earth plant have closed the door to the government.
Accusing the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration of making “a pathetic” show of engaging stakeholders, the Save Malaysia group spearheading the local movement against the project told The Malaysian Insider that it will focus on building public sentiment against the plant.
“The only way to get the government to act is with votes. So we will increase public pressure to indirectly force the government to act. No more direct engagement,” said chairman Tan Bun Teet. Read the rest of this entry »
Johor oil terminal in rescue talks with investor, says contractor
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Johore, Oil on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 7:46 am
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 17, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — Asia Petroleum Hub (APH) is in talks with an investor to fully finance its troubled multibillion-dollar oil terminal in Johor, one of its main contractors said today.
Muhibbah Engineering Bhd said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia that APH “has identified an investor and was in negotiations with the investor to fully finance the completion of the APH hub project, including making due payments to contractors.”
Singapore Business Times (BT) had reported on Wednesday that financier CIMB Bank had placed APH under receivership over a RM1.4 billion three-year bridge loan granted in 2006.
APH drew down RM840 million for project costs but executives told BT that costs had escalated and APH was looking for investors for a further RM2 billion in new financing. Read the rest of this entry »
Mengangkat martabat Dayak
Komentar Roketkini
17 June 2011 | Roketkini
17 JUN – Hampir 100,000 warga Malaysia keturunan Dayak dari Sarawak terpaksa meninggalkan negeri untuk mencari kerja di Semenanjung. Keadaan menyedihkan itu berlaku kerana kerajaan negeri Barisan Nasional Sarawak gagal menyediakan peluang pekerjaan yang secukupnya.
Daripada jumlah 2.4 juta penduduk Sarawak, separuh daripadanya adalah dari kalangan masyarakat Dayak yang merangkumi Iban, Bidayuh, Kelabit, Kenyah, Penan, Kayan, Punan, Ngaju, Lun Bawang, Sihan dan suku-suku kaum lain.
Malah, kerajaan negeri pimpinan Tan Sri Adul Taib Mahmud mahu anak-anak negeri yang masih berada di kampung supaya bersaing dengan buruh asing di lading-ladang kelapa sawit yang hanya menawarkan gaji RM12 sehari. Read the rest of this entry »
MCA Youth turns down Umno Youth’s rally invite
By Kow Gah Chie
Jun 17, 11 | MalaysiaKini
MCA Youth has turned down its Umno counterpart’s invitation to join them in the July 9 street rally in the belief that such activities would be detrimental to the national economy.
MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong said at a press conference at the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today that though the movement disagrees with groups intention, it still respects their views. Read the rest of this entry »
Penang aims to emulate Hong Kong’s openness
Posted by Kit in Penang Government on Friday, 17 June 2011, 7:50 pm
By Shannon Teoh
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — Lim Guan Eng said today Penang will “learn more” from Hong Kong in embracing change and openly engaging regional neighbours.
The Penang chief minister told foreign correspondents in Hong Kong that the two “small states… have so much in common,” sharing a joint appreciation of open discussion and successfully putting “ourselves on the map internationally.”
“Here in Hong Kong, when the 1997 turnover happened, you embraced a new future. In 2008, in Penang and other Pakatan Rakyat-run (PR) governments, we also embraced the future and continue to do so,” he said, comparing the transfer of Hong Kong’s sovereignty from Britain to China with the March 2008 election in Malaysia when PR won five states. Read the rest of this entry »
Face the upshot if you rally, Hisham warns KJ
By Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Jun 17, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Home Minister and former Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein warned his successor Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar that the latter will have to face the consequences if he insists on calling for a march on July 9.
“It doesn’t matter that I’m a former youth chief or not, the (Umno) Youth will have to face whatever the consequences of the action as I had to when I was the Youth head,” he told the media in Putrajaya today, adding “Because it is against the law.” Read the rest of this entry »
Thumbing nose at Hisham, Khairy says march goes on
By Shannon Teoh
June 17, 201 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — Khairy Jamaluddin said today that Umno Youth will still march on July 9, in defiance of Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s warning that police will act against the illegal gathering.
The Umno Youth chief said that his predecessor “can warn us all he wants” but “Pemuda will continue come what may.”
“My Pemuda and I are ready to face whatever consequences. This is a new Malaysia. We have a right to assembly guaranteed by the constitution. Umno Youth will be marching on 9 July. And that’s that,” he told The Malaysian Insider. Read the rest of this entry »
On Facebook, protest grows against Yen Yen
Posted by Kit in Facebook, Good Governance, Tourism on Friday, 17 June 2011, 7:38 pm
By Clara Chooi
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — A spontaneous Facebook campaign started by critics of Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen has drawn the support of nearly 90,000 Malaysians, almost a triple of those who follow her ministry’s official page.
The campaign kicked off on Tuesday evening, shortly after it was revealed that the ministry had spent a whopping RM1.8 million to manage its Facebook accounts. Read the rest of this entry »
Facebook fiasco earns Yen Yen Cabinet colleagues’ ire
Posted by Kit in Facebook, Good Governance, Tourism on Friday, 17 June 2011, 7:36 pm
By Clara Chooi
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — Already facing growing public discontent, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen was confronted with a hostile Cabinet today when she tried to explain her ministry’s controversial RM1.8 million outlay on six Facebook pages and was even told by some colleagues not to waste their time.
The Malaysian Insider understands several ministers also insisted against announcing that Cabinet had officially accepted Ng’s explanation, preferring instead to say they had taken note of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia’s ‘stupidity’ sizzles Internet
Posted by Kit in Facebook, Good Governance, Tourism on Friday, 17 June 2011, 2:33 pm
By Casey Lee
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia, it seems, is fast becoming the purveyor of laughs on the worldwide web.
On the heels of the Obedient Wives Club which aimed to turn ‘good wives into first class whores’, there’s now the Malaysian government spending RM1.8 million (US$590,000) on six Facebook, which incidentally is free, applications.
The Internet application (app) developer world is abuzz with humour and bewildement at the ‘stupidity’ of the move. Read the rest of this entry »
Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned
Posted by Kit in Sarawak, State Assembly on Friday, 17 June 2011, 2:27 pm
By Joseph Tawie
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The 16 elected representives forming Sarawak’s opposition front will not have much room to manoeuvre themselves in the inaugural 10th State Legislative Assembly sitting begining Monday given the warnings issued by Barian Nasional leaders in recent days.
One can only assume that despite public declarations of ‘confidence’, the ruling coalition is somewhat rattled by the heavy presence of the artilery-filled opposition in the August house. Read the rest of this entry »
Ambiga: Our rally will be peaceful
By S Rutra
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan is looking at a win-win situation.
She will be writing to the Kuala Lumpur police chief on how they can work together in making the July 9 rally a peaceful one.
“We understand their job and at the same time we would like to explain to them why we are holding the rally,” Ambiga told FMT.
She said the organisers of the rally strongly believe that it can be conducted in very peaceful and responsible manner. Read the rest of this entry »
Himpunan Bersih 2.0 canggah nilai Islam, dakwa YDP Yadim
Oleh Syed Mu’az Syed Putra
June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Jun — Yang Dipertua Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim) Datuk Aziz Jamaludin Mhd Tahir mendakwa Himpunan Bersih 2.0 pada 9 Julai ini bertentangan dengan nilai dan etika Islam.
Selain itu menurut beliau, perhimpunan aman anjuran Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) merupakan satu helah untuk mengheret rakyat ke dalam kancah politik yang lebih besar.
Read the rest of this entry »
