Purpose, meaning, choice
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Brain drain on Wednesday, 8 June 2011, 2:05 pm
By Jerome Martin
June 08, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 8 — Nobody should feel obliged to stay or leave, wherever one might be.
Be it your birthplace, country of residence or somewhere you’re just passing through, no one should be compelled to be someplace s/he’d rather not be.
Which is why this entire business of our government begging Malaysians around the world to return disturbs me. You can ask someone to loan you 50 bucks as a favour. You can’t ask them to uproot, change their life plans and come home just to render some kind of “national service.” Read the rest of this entry »
Knowledge not fear in religion
By Dina Zaman
June 08, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 8 — A reader asked me in an email what my thoughts were on the “… religious management in the country…” and what I would do about the disarray.
I was quite stumped by the question. While I read in dismay about what was happening to our country, I had to admit, I didn’t have the answers.
Malaysia is obsessed with titles and credentials, and I was a highly improbable person to answer such a question. Perhaps, I replied to the reader, this was something best left to politicians, activists and religious authorities.
He wrote back, “… but if you could, what would you do?”
It is obvious to most thinking Malaysians that there is a serious disconnect between the real lives of Malaysians and the perceived notions of our lives by (self) appointed leaders of our faiths and authority. And that there are gaps among ourselves, within our own communities, and when combined, these only aggravate the situation. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Someone had to say it’
Posted by Kit in Tunku Abdul Aziz on Wednesday, 8 June 2011, 1:33 pm
By Aneesa Alphonsus
June 8, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Twenty years ago, a book like Someone Had to Say It by Tunku Abdul Aziz would have been ‘launched’ very quietly or not all since his strong opinions about the ruling party were written without any apologies.
It would have been deemed seditious and defamatory. A book like this would be heard only in the grapevine . Purchasing such an elusive book would only be possible via various non-governmental organisations or from some other related gathering.
Today, you can walk into any good bookstore, and find it standing upright on the shelves. The times they have changed indeed, Tunku Abdul Aziz writes about what many other Malaysians are thinking but lack the avenue and perhaps writing skill in order to express it.
He describes Some Had To Say It as a book which, “… cover a wide range of topics; social, economic, political and ethical issues that I felt to be in need of ventilating in a responsible, open and direct manner. Read the rest of this entry »
Nazri’s claim that Hadi is gunning for PM’s job latest example of scent enveloping UMNO and BN leaderships on the last legs of power until 13GE
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, UMNO on Wednesday, 8 June 2011, 12:51 pm
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri’s claim that the PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is gunning for the Prime Minister’s job strikes discerning Malaysians as the latest example of the debilitating loss of confidence enveloping Umno and BN leaderships that they are on the last legs of power until the 13th General Election.
Until the 308 political tsunami of the 2008 General Election, the very thought that the Prime Minister would not come from Umno would be a completely unthinkable notion.
Now a senior Minister of the Najib Cabinet is seriously canvassing the scenario of UMNO and BN losing federal power in Putrajaya and, for the first time in the nation’s history since Merdeka in 1955, a Prime Minister not from Umno after the next 13th general election.
Nazri of course had his ulterior political motive and agenda in making his allegation that Hadi is gunning for the PM’s job, but the overwhelming public impression from Nazri’s claim is not about its veracity (and Hadi has already rebutted him) but the shocking fact that more and more Umno and BN leaders are coming to accept the possibility that the next Prime Minister after the next general elections will not be Najib or come from UMNO.
Read the rest of this entry »
Politics ruin religion and religion ruins politics
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Religion on Wednesday, 8 June 2011, 10:28 am
By Ahmad Mustapha Hassan
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 7 — The turmoil in the Middle East started off with the uprising in Tunisia to get rid of their corrupt leader, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The man, his family and cronies enriched themselves at the expense of the Tunisian people. They built palaces for themselves and cornered businesses to themselves. In the meantime the emerging youths found that with their professional degrees that they possessed, they were left unemployed.
They had to peddle wares, hawking them from makeshift sheds. Even this was forbidden and their trade was smashed by the authorities. One disappointed, dejected and helpless youth committed suicide by torching himself. The ember of revolt was thus lighted.
Tunisia has been a secular state since it achieved its independence and became a republic in 1957. The revolution that took place was not religious in character. It was secular and supported by all citizens irrespective of their religious denominations. Read the rest of this entry »
PAS’ welfare state goal is debatable
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Wednesday, 8 June 2011, 10:22 am
By Terence Netto
Jun 8, 11 | MalaysiaKini
COMMENT The comments that emanated from Umno on the outcome of the PAS elections last weekend yet again demonstrated that when it comes to a discussion of ideas, their commentary is bereft.
Its crappy tone hit a nadir when Dr Mahathir Mohamad speculated that the person most elated with the results of the PAS elections would be DAP chairperson Karpal Singh.
Trust Mahathir to squeeze the soft underbelly of DAP-PAS relations by dredging up a remark made by Karpal in the prelude to the 1999 general elections – that Malaysia could only become a Islamic state over his dead body – to remind voters of how far PAS had now come in abandoning its Islamic state goal to appease the secularists in DAP.
In a long career politicians are allowed a rash comment or two, provided the person apologises as Karpal did. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP decries concession for PSD rejects
Jun 7, 11 2 | MalaysiaKini
DAP has urged the federal government to ensure all top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) scorers are given scholarships to study overseas and grants to study locally in the interest of fair play and rewards based on meritocracy.
In a statement today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said his party was against the federal government’s decision to compensate top scholars who failed to obtain Public Services Department (PSD) grants to study overseas.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said yesterday that 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) would be financing the grants for 500 qualified students who did not get PSD scholarships to study locally. Read the rest of this entry »
Anwar stresses ‘twin pillars’ of religious concordat
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat, Religion on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 4:12 pm
By Terence Netto
Jun 7, 11 | MalaysiaKini
COMMENT Cynics may scoff but Anwar Ibrahim’s tack with regard to the rights of non-Muslims in Malaysia remains consistent, as the latest meeting between the PKR leadership and representatives of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) indicated.
Some attendees at last night’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur could not help but recall a similar encounter between PKR and MCCBCHST in Petaling Jaya in December 2007 that dealt with the same issues but was held in a less fraught atmosphere than presently prevailing.
Then, matters to do with forced conversions, temple demolitions and the incipient rise of the ‘Allah’ issue brought furrows to non-Muslim brows. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: Have full-blown RCI into Sarbani’s death
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Human Rights, Teoh Beng Hock on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 4:07 pm
Jun 7, 11 | MalaysiaKini
DAP stalwart and Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang has called on the prime minister and cabinet to override the police and attorney-general’s (AG) call for an inquest into senior customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed’s death, and replace it with a full-blown royal commission of inquiry (RCI).
Lim (left) said such a move will restore public confidence in national institutions and also in the prime minister and cabinet.
“I have no qualms in admitting that I have reservations about the Teoh Beng Hock RCI, particularly over the conduct and strategy adopted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and its counsel Muhammad Shafie Abdullah who could make the outrageous suggestion that Teoh had committed ‘honour suicide’, but Malaysians are currently being deprived of a more satisfactory option to get to the bottom of Ahmad Sarbani’s death,” he said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
Asia leads the world’s recovery, but high food and fuel prices threaten gains
Posted by Kit in Economics, globalisation, Prices on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 3:53 pm
By Noeleen Heyzer and Nagesh Kumar
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 7 — Asia and the Pacific, more than any other region in the world, will experience greater transformation and change in the coming years, as the region’s economic strength plays a greater role in the global economy and as its population centers struggle to overcome the burdens of poverty, hunger, natural disasters and social inequalities.
The region’s economic growth figures, recently released in the UN ESCAP Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2011, indicate just how powerful Asia’s economy is for the world already.
The Asia-Pacific region recovered strongly in 2010 from the global financial crisis and recession of 2008-09 with the region’s developing economies growing at 8.8 per cent. In 2011, growth in developing economies of the region is forecast to be 7.3 per cent — lower than 2010’s high growth which represented a recovery from the low base of the 2009 recession. Read the rest of this entry »
The bigger subsidy addicts
By Sakmongkol AK47
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 7 — The favourite excuse of CEOs and politicians is always to attribute external factors as the cause of our inconvenience. Consider for example, the increase in electricity tariffs. Its unavoidable says the government because cost elements are increasing. What cost elements — workers’ wages and cost of fuels? What about subsidies going to IPPs? These are the bigger subsidy addicts who deserve the mandatory death sentence.
Many years ago, our country suffered the worse outage in our nation’s history. We were without electricity for many days. Manufacturers lost a lot of money. Industrialists were screaming their heads off and their voices reached Sri Perdana, the abode of the 4th PM then. Read the rest of this entry »
PwC says KL needs revamp to be competitive city
Posted by Kit in Economics, Good Governance on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 2:52 pm
By Lee Wei Lian
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The city needs to improve its hard and soft infrastructure to compete with global commerce and culture capitals, says Andrew Chan Yik Hong, PwC Malaysia’ executive director in charge of capital projects and infrastructure.
This comes after PwC released a report (www.pwc.com/cities) this week predicting the trajectory of 26 select cities based on a wide range of criteria such as intellectual capital, transportation, health, economic clout, liveability and lifestyle assets.
Kuala Lumpur did not make the list.
New York topped the list, followed by Toronto, San Francisco, Stockholm and Sydney. Singapore was the top-ranked Asian city, finishing ninth on the list, ahead of Hong Kong (10) and Tokyo (14). Read the rest of this entry »
Sarbaini RCI will renew faith in institutions, says Kit Siang
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Human Rights, Teoh Beng Hock on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 2:50 pm
By Yow Hong Chieh
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — A royal commission of inquiry (RCI) looking into Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamad’s death would restore public confidence in the country’s institutions, Lim Kit Siang has said.
The DAP parliamentary leader said Cabinet should be prepared to override the Attorney-General (A-G) and the police tomorrow as an RCI, like the one established for Teoh Beng Hock, was the only way to determine the cause of Sarbaini’s death.
“The Cabinet’s immediate task is to act boldly and justly into the death of Sarbani. Let the Najib and his Cabinet Ministers not disappoint Malaysians once again tomorrow,” he said in a statement today. Read the rest of this entry »
Mimos – 25 years and going strong
Posted by Kit in IT, science/technology on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 12:51 pm
By KJ John
Jun 7, 11 | MalaysiaKini
This series of three columns I will call the 25th anniversary series. Three organisations I have been connected with have celebrated their 25th anniversary this year. First, let me congratulate Mimos Berhad for its 25th anniversary celebrations.
I hear it was a genuine occasion for celebration given the Mimos 2.0 version and their “outputs” in terms of the idea productisation vide patents and IPs registered were on public display. I was not there. I was with the National IT Council (NITC) and Mimos for only eight years between 1996 and 2004, whereas those who were publicly recognised were the original founders; all who go back from the very beginning of Mimos in 1985. Read the rest of this entry »
Subsidy flip-flops sign of deeper problems, say economists
Posted by Kit in Economics, Good Governance on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 12:48 pm
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Economists perceive the Najib administration as prone to backtracking on policies, with political concerns trumping the need for economic reform.
In a scathing commentary published today by the Singapore Straits Times, the government’s dithering over subsidy cuts for energy and basic consumer goods was criticised by regional economists who are stirring a wider debate over the country’s long-term economic prospects.
The Straits Times said the big question being asked now was whether resource-rich Malaysia had fallen out of step with the global environment. Read the rest of this entry »
Cabinet should override Police and Attorney-General to establish RCI into Sarbani’s death to restore public confidence not only in national institutions but also Prime Minister and Cabinet
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Human Rights, Teoh Beng Hock on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 12:34 pm
Cabinet tomorrow should override Police and Attorney-General to establish RCI into Sarbani’s death as in case of Teoh Beng Hock to restore public confidence not only in national institutions but also Prime Minister and Cabinet
The Cabinet tomorrow should override Police and Attorney-General to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into senior Customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed’s death as in the case of Teoh Beng Hock to restore public confidence not only in national institutions but also Prime Minister and Cabinet.
I have no qualms in admitting that I have reservations about the Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry, particularly over the conduct and strategy adopted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and its counsel Shafie who could make the outrageous suggestion of Teoh Beng Hock’s committing “honour suicide”, but Malaysians are currently deprived of a more satisfactory option to get to the bottom of Sarbani’s death. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP insists on overseas scholarships for all SPM aces
Posted by Kit in Brain drain, Education on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, 10:48 am
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7- All SPM top scorers should get overseas Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships instead of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) grants if Malaysia wants to retain the country’s human talent, DAP has said.
Putrajaya announced yesterday that 500 special education grants would be disbursed by 1MDB to rejected applicants to study locally. The categories (annual): Scholarships to public universities (RM7,500), scholarships for critical courses in private universities (RM15,000), and grants for non-critical courses (RM7,500). Read the rest of this entry »
Aku Melayu keliru
By Ezlan Mohsen
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
7 JUN — Aku belia Melayu, rakyat Malaysia. Ibubapa aku dua-dua Melayu, rakyat Malaysia.
Masa aku kecil, ayah aku selalu cakap, bila aku sudah besar nanti, mesti tolong bangsa aku. Tapi dia juga cakap, tolong dengan cara majukan bangsa sendiri, dan jangan jatuhkan orang lain. Tapi bila aku sudah besar, banyak aku tengok pemimpin negara aku cuba nak tolong bangsa aku, tapi mereka sekat peluang bangsa lain. Aku keliru.
Ibubapa aku cakap sekolah itu penting, dan perpaduan juga sangat penting. Bila sudah besar, aku dapat masuk sekolah asrama penuh, ada Melayu, India, dan Cina. Siam pun ada. Aku tiada masalah nak bergaul. Aku jarang dengar pasal masalah perkauman, cuma daripada buku teks sejarah. Tapi bila aku keluar, aku jumpa ramai kawan lain. Bila borak-borak, mereka kata sekolah mereka dipenuhi satu bangsa saja, sama ada Melayu, Cina atau India. Mereka jadi terlalu selesa bergaul dengan bangsa sendiri. Aku keliru lagi. Read the rest of this entry »
Utusan bohong lagi, DAP tak campur tangan masjid
In Roketkini
6 June 2011
GEORGETOWN, 6 JUN – Pembohongan terbaru Utusan Malaysia cuba mengaitkan DAP dengan cadangan mengadakan pemilihan bagi jawatankuasa masjid di Pulau Pinang.
Laporan berita Utusan mendakwa kononnya pemilihan itu “dilihat bakal menjerumuskan institusi masjid ke kancah politik kepartian”.
Berita Utusan itu menambah, “jika dilaksanakan sepenuhnya, ‘pilihan raya masjid’ itu yang dijangka bermula pertengahan bulan ini akan menjadikan Pulau Pinang sebagai satu-satunya negeri yang pernah melaksanakan kaedah pemilihan seumpama itu”.
Setiausaha Politik kepada Setiausaha Agung DAP Zairil Khir Johari berkata DAP tidak terlibat sama sekali dengan soal pengurusan masjid di Pulau Pinang yang berada di bawah pentadbiran Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang. Read the rest of this entry »
