Why are dinosaurs championing the arts?
By Erna Mahyuni
Jun 15, 2011
JUNE 15 — As anyone in the arts will tell you, the government has consistently failed both the arts and its practitioners.
Take the recent debacle involving Artistes Day 2011, where Bernama reported Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim bemoaning the lacklustre response of arts practitioners.
Bernama had initially reported the celebration cost RM100 million, when in actual fact it had only cost RM97,800. DAP was only too happy to use the issue for political traction when, frankly, the party couldn’t give a toss about the arts either. Posturing on both sides and who benefits? It definitely isn’t the arts.
Now, some of you would probably start the usual hue-and-cry about where the money could have been better spent on non-arts related expenditure. Schools, roads, healthcare and the like. I respectfully disagree. Read the rest of this entry »
While Najib claims welfare state, Utusan says DAP masterminds
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Islamic state, PAS on Wednesday, 15 June 2011, 11:06 am
By Shannon Teoh
June 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Umno’s Utusan Malaysia today accused DAP of masterminding PAS’s new welfare state agenda as a cover for its Malaysian Malaysia concept.
This comes despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s recent arguments that the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) has already implemented a welfare state in its five decades in power.
Assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan wrote in his column that Malaysian Malaysia, first used by Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) when it was still part of Malaysia, would ignore special Malay and Bumiputera rights and lead to social unrest. Read the rest of this entry »
When the Joneses get too far ahead
Posted by Kit in Zairil Khir Johari on Wednesday, 15 June 2011, 10:59 am
By Zairil Khir Johari
Jun 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 15 — “What do you think?” asked the elderly taxi driver as he slapped his steering wheel in frustration. “Look at this jam. Even though the government makes it so expensive, people have so many cars. Not small cars. Look around. All big cars. COE alone how much? So many rich people in Singapore, so many tall buildings. But people like us, what do we have? We are not rich. Life is difficult. Everything is so expensive now. Cari makan also susah.”
The scorn in his voice was unmistakable. All I did was casually ask, “Uncle, how are things in Singapore nowadays?”
“This is the government’s fault,” resumed the cabby voluntarily. “They control everything, but they don’t know anything. They think they know. You see that car park there?”
I turned to where he pointed and nodded politely. Read the rest of this entry »
The silliness of claiming ownership over wrongs
By Sakmongkol AK47
June 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 15 — The problem with Umno goons is that they want to claim ownership on some indefensible issue. This is silly, because people will start viewing Umno as an organisation that stands on the side of abuse, of corruption, of mis-governance and as a party that practises discretionary and arbitrary laws.
Umno is fast becoming a dirty four-letter word.
When someone criticises the scandalous payments to independent power producers (IPPs), their criticisms were taken as attacks on Umno? So what does Umno support?
Umno supports some dubious arrangements to pay the IPPS horrendous prices when the same can be produced cheaper by TNB? Umno stands for cavorting with the robber barons of today? Read the rest of this entry »
Let’s see who’s bigger, Perkasa dares Bersih
By Shannon Teoh
June 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Claiming the support of 36 NGOs, Perkasa threw down the gauntlet last night to organisers of the Bersih gathering to see who could rally more support when the two groups face off in the federal capital on July 9.
The Malay rights group said that it had no choice but to take to the streets to counter election watchdogs Bersih because “if we don’t, then the world will think that they have the support of all Malaysians.”
“Wait for July 9, then we will see who has more,” Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali told reporters after chairing a roundtable meeting with representatives from various NGOs.
The Pasir Mas MP insisted the 37 NGOs including Perkasa was not trying to “create chaos” as alleged by critics but simply wanting to show that “we are rakyat as well.” Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia bracing for Anonymous onslaught, says IGP
June 15, 2011 | Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Malaysia has beefed up security ahead of a threatened hacking attack of its official government website by internet vigilante group Anonymous for government acts of censorship and will track down the activists, the police chief said today.
In an attack codenamed “Operation Malaysia”, Anonymous said it would target the Malaysian government’s online portal malaysia.gov.my from 3.30pm local time to teach the country a lesson for censoring whistle-blower site WikiLeaks.
“We have received word of this threat. There are many agencies involved in this and we will get to the bottom of this,” Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar told Reuters.
“Investigation needs to be done and we need to protect our systems at the same time.” Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
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.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Why Does Australia Want to Send Refugees to Malaysia?
Posted by Kit in Foreign, Human Rights on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 5:44 pm
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.)
Read the rest of this entry »
‘Tambatuon dam is unnecessary’
Posted by Kit in environment, Sabah on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 5:31 pm
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.”
Read the rest of this entry »
“Yield Considerations” – Iskandar replies to Kota Belud MP Rahman on Tambatuon Dam controversy
Posted by Kit in environment, Sabah on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 5:27 pm
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!”
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
House rejects motion on Ahmad Sarbani
Posted by Kit in Parliament, Sarbaini on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 3:27 pm
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
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”.
Read the rest of this entry »
DAP says nude squat case ‘humiliating’, demands Home Ministry response
Posted by Kit in Human Rights on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 3:10 pm
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament rejects motion on Sarbaini
Posted by Kit in Parliament on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 2:52 pm
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
Cancel invites to Mugabe, Bashir, DAP tells Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Foreign, Human Rights on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 12:31 pm
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 »
