Hari Raya 2011

It's 12.25am, Tuesday. It's Hari Raya.

How swiftly time flies. Somehow you could feel it this Ramadan. It's amazing.

Also Ramadan has been notably good. Could be the weather. Mostly cool days.

People I talked to agree that this time they could feel how time swiftly flew by.

Hari Raya 2011. Another Hari Raya? Always another Hari Raya.

I am now at Bapak's place. Our customary Raya eve at Bapak's.

There was a time, Raya eve was noisy and riotous. We'd be firing crackers and making a din. It was fabulous.

These days, we play "bunga api". Good enough. Still fabulous.

I usually visit Mak's (and then Kak Piah's, and much later, Bapak's) grave early Raya morning around 7. There'd be people but not too crowded. A little later and the cemetery would be brimming with visitors. And parking would be a nightmare.

This year, we decided to visit the graves a day before Raya. It seems sensible and practical,.

I thought, in all my wisdom, that we should have always done this.

So, at about 10 yesterday morning, we visited Mak, Bapak and Kak Piah. Our other sister, Kak Eda is buried in Subang Jaya.

We all feel the oldness of our lives. In Singapore, we've left with only one aunt and an "aunt-in-law" - Cik Ah and Cik Zai (Bapak's younger sister and sister-in-law).

Bapak's older sisters and younger brothers have all died.

Our older cousins have all passed on.

Mak is survived by her older sister, Wak Nah and youngest sister, Mak Busu.

Now, the kids have all grown up. How they have grown up.

The younger ones still remember Bapak. Soon, he'd be a fleeting memory. That comes with time.

Another Raya. Always another Raya. But never the same.

We miss you Bapak, Mak, Kak Piah and Kak Eda. Al Fatihah.

Anyway, here's wishing everyone a Selamat Hari Raya.

Have a blessed one.

Salam Aidilfitri!

Have a blessed Aidilfitri.

Safe journey and keep well!

JAIS Church "Raid" - No Answers To Questions Yet!

It's no trivial matter that JAIS - the Selangor Islamic Religious Department - gate-crashed a dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya on Aug 3- and alleging that not only were Muslims at the function, but that the church was converting Muslims.

JAIS has claimed that it did not raid the church, as widely reported but went there, and entered the premises within the ambit of the syariah law of the state.

Its director Marzuki Hussin had said the “check” to look for Muslims was conducted together with the police and that this was provided for under the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Selangor) 1995.

Predictably, the incident sparked outrage - largely from the Pakatan Rakyat leaders and supporters and the Christian community.

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, of course, immediately apologized for such an unacceptable action by JAIS.

He ordered JAIS to submit a report. A preliminary, according to sources, has already been submitted to Khalid, who also issued a gag order to his executive councillors. Tsk tsk tsk.

Khalid had also met with the Sultan of Selangor on the matter.

Then he announced that a "majlis syura" - as advised by the Sultan - would be formed to deliberate on the matter. A boo-boo because the Sultan immediately issued a denial, saying that he had advised nothing of the sort.

A swift fix by the Selangor government. It's not a "majlis syura". So sorry about that. We don't want to confuse the people. Actually, it's a "hearing committee".

Clearly, this is a serious issue. It must be very difficult to resolve because straight answers have not been offered to simple questions.
Was it a raid? Or did JAIS conduct the inspection lawfully? Were the 12 Muslims at the event breaking fast in conjunction with what the church claimed to be a "unity dinner"/attending the dinner in conjunction with breaking fast or part of their proselytising ceremony?
Was the church converting "needy' Muslims?

Frankly, I find it odd that it is taking this long for the state government to wrap up investigations. I know JAIS had difficulty in interviewing the Muslims who were at the function they were all represented by their lawyers.

So, I've come to the conclusion that all's not well....

PAS MP Speaks Out ..

...against Fuziah's scare tactics about the Lynas Corporation rare earth plant.

Fuziah Salleh is of course the Kuantan MP who has been vocal against the construction of the plant, especially as it is located in Pahang.

The PAS MP is Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (Hulu Langat) who is an expert in nuclear science.
He has come out in defence of the Lynas Corp rare earth plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.

He said that Fuziah has been “frightening the public” by misleading and misinforming them about the plant.

Che Rosli has had enough and feels that he has to speak up and speak out.

"As the issue was brought up by the PKR, I've kept quiet and even been given a warning by the PAS information department not to comment.
"I've been silent so far, but this is unfair. They've been making comments in every issue of Harakah in a tone we are uncomfortable with."

Here's the Star report:

“She is frightening the public by saying that Lynas is a nuclear plant when its function is only to process natural materials like rare earth from Mount Weld in Western Australia, which has less radiation compared to an ore mine.

Che Rosli said as a PAS member, he felt embarassed by the stance taken by PKR's Fuziah.

“So, I've made the decision as a nuclear scientist to come forward to comment today,” he said in an interview over TV3 news here yesterday.

He said residents in Kuantan need not worry about the safety of the Lynas plant.

“The accusations made are unscientific and not at all academic.

“The people need not be worried. Once Lynas is built, they can go into the plant and see for themselves the safety measures put into place for both the workers and the public,” he said.

Fuziah had earlier spoken out against the project, citing health concerns and radiation fears from the rare earth plant.

Asyraf Haziq Bears No Ill Feeling Towards His Attackers

Asyraf Haziq, the 20 year-old Malaysian student who was attacked and then mugged by rioters in East London is determined to continue his studies there.

Asyraf who is recuperating after undergoing surgery to his jaw, told a Press conference that he still thinks Britain is great.

He said he bears no ill-feeling towards his attackers and in fact feels sorry for them, especially the kids among them.

Meanwhile, police have arrested a 20 year-old man over the attack.

The footage of Asyraf after the attack and being"helped" by a group of youths (who actually robbed him) is on Youtube.

A website was set up to help him.

A message on the "Let's Do Something Nice For Asyraf Haziq" site said just less than £4,000 had been donated by Wednesday night.

Read more HERE.

Never Seen London Like This...

Zaharah Othman wrote in her Facebook status today:

"Never in 31 years here have we seen anything like this in London. We hear sirens, apparently on police and army on the way to the nearby town of Ealing. Its getting too close for comfort."

Indeed, if you read about what's going on, you cannot imagine that something like THIS is taking place in London.

Here's an excerpt from a news report:

"The riots started over the weekend in London's Tottenham area. The riots originally started as a protest against the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by armed police.

Monday's violence started in Hackney after a man was stopped and searched by police but nothing was found.

Groups of people began attacking the police in Hackney at about 16:20 BST, throwing rocks and a bin at officers.

Police cars were smashed by youths armed with wooden poles and metal bars. Looters also smashed their way into shops before being dispersed by police.

Nine police forces from other parts of the country have assisted in providing support to the capital city, as well as the City of London Police and British Transport Police.

However, eyewitnesses have reported that as trouble spread across the city, there were often few police officers around when violence flared."

(Photo is of a woman jumping for her life from a building. source: Daily Mirror)

Stop The Lies - stopthelies.my

I read everything and anything...including THIS BLOG

..and you can't always be reading about the US debt crisis, or the state of Europe's economy...so sometimes a little gossipy stuff is okay....

Never Before: S&P Downgrades US Credit Rating

Standard & Poors announced yesterday night that it has downgraded the U.S. credit rating for the first time, dealing a symbolic blow to the world’s economic superpower in what was a sharply worded critique of the American political system.

Lowering the nation’s rating to one notch below AAA, the credit rating company said “political brinkmanship” in the debate over the debt had made the U.S. government’s ability to manage its finances “less stable, less effective and less predictable.” It said the bipartisan agreement reached this week to find at least $2.1 trillion in budget savings “fell short” of what was necessary to tame the nation’s debt over time and predicted that leaders would not be likely to achieve more savings in the future.

“It’s always possible the rating will come back, but we don’t think it’s coming back anytime soon,” said David Beers, head of S&P’s government debt rating unit. -Washington Post.

Read more HERE

MB Khalid Issues Gag Order On JAIS Church Raid

Well, well, well....

You don't want your exco members to speak to the media, huh!

JAIS Raid on Church: Evidence of Proselytizing

"There is evidence of proselytizing of Muslims by non-Muslims" : Selangor state Muslim Affairs, Malay Customs, Infrastructure and Public Amenities Committee chairman Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali.

Hasan said this when explaining why JAIS (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) carried out Wednesday night"s raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

Read the NST report HERE.

I'd like to know what the evidence is? This is a serious allegation because we all know that it is unlawful for non-Muslims to try and convert Muslims.

Meanwhile, DAP's Lim Kit Siang has accused Hasan of "breaking ranks" with the Selangor government on this, given that Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had expressed regret over the incident.

"What is a matter of concern and must be viewed seriously is the public defence of the JAIS action by the state executive councillor Hassan Ali issued shortly after Khalid's statement expressing regret for the raid and asking JAIS to submit a full report on the incident – as it is an act of breaking ranks in the Selangor state government," he said Lim in a statement.

Berita Harian (today's, page 10) spoke to a single mother who has been actively participating in the church activities after going through serious financial trouble.
The woman, a Muslim, said the church offered financial assistance on condition that she joined all its activities.
She is now financially okay.

"In all honesty, the church had been a great help to me and my three children. To date, I have received RM20,000 from the church", she was quoted to say.

The single mother also said that there are about 100 Muslim single mothers in a similar situation.

My earlier posting:

JAIS Raids Unity Dinner At Church

In the first place, there is no law - Syariah or secular -forbidding Muslims from attending events, including dinners, in churches.

So why did JAIS -- Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor -- unleash its officers (accompanied by the police) to this gracious event?

Did JAIS go too far when its officers interrupted this event (a muhibbah dinner) at the Damansara Utama Methodist centre?

Big mistake...

Somalia Famine

In Somalia, 3.7 million people are in crisis, according to the United Nations.

Out of a population of 7.5 million, 3.2 million need immediate, lifesaving assistance.

Somalia, which has virtually no functioning government, is suffering its worst drought in 60 years.

The UN has declared three new regions in Somalia famine zones yesterday, expanding the area where the highest rates of malnutrition and mortality are taking place, including the refugee camps in the capital of Mogadishu.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said that famine is likely to spread across all regions of Somalia’s south in the next four to six weeks and may persist until December.

International humanitarian response to Somalia's plight has been inadequate, the UN said.

JAIS Raids Unity Dinner At Church

In the first place, there is no law - Syariah or secular -forbidding Muslims from attending events, including dinners, in churches.

So why did JAIS -- Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor -- unleash its officers (accompanied by the police) to this gracious event?

Did JAIS go too far when its officers interrupted this event (a muhibbah dinner) at the Damansara Utama Methodist centre?

Big mistake...

(From Rocky's Bru latest posting)

Who Is This Beer-Guzzling Opposition MP?

This particular one who's now in trouble with his bosses. He is most likely to be dropped as candidate in the next general election.

Can you guess who he is?

Salam Ramadhan!

Have a blessed Ramadhan.

Another year, another Ramadhan.

How swiftly time flies.

Peace.

(More) Women On Top Is a Very Good Thing..

I mean...at the top, or in boardrooms in decision-making positions.

Seriously. They bring good things to the companies they lead, or a part of.

According to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Jalil, research has shown that public-listed companies with more women directors had better returns on equity or stock prices versus their respective market indices.

She was speaking at the Women's Summit 2011 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The research was undertaken by Shireen Muhyideen, who led the roundtable discussion of the Women's Summit, last year.

Shahrizat pointed out that on June 27, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the Cabinet's approval for a policy that advocated for at least 30% women at the decision-making level in the private sector.

She noted that the world's Fortune 500 companies, particularly in Europe and the United States, had all improved their financial performance and enjoyed better returns on investments largely due to having women directors who insisted on accountability, innovation and a better work environment.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who attended the event, said women had become the majority of university graduates (60%) and the majority of consumer goods purchasing decision-makers (80%) in many countries.

"Putting a minimum of 30% of women in the boardrooms will help companies develop more gender sensitive products and services," he said.

He urged Shahrizat's ministry to take the lead in drawing up serious training intervention strategies to get women to the top.

"There must be serious mentoring programmes put in place to make women board'-ready," Muhyiddin said during his keynote address at the summit here.

Media Practitioners Reject Information Ministry's Proposed Media Consultative Council

It was unanimous. Newspaper editors and their representatives who attended a meeting to discuss the setting up of a media consultative council in Kuala Lumpur pretty much shot down the idea.
They were from the NST, Berita Harian, Nanyang, Oriental Daily, The Sun and Utusan. Also there were Syed Akbar Ali who was there not to represent all bloggers but as president of Bloghouse Malaysia and National Union of Journalists' secretary-general V Anbalagan.

Bernama editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong was present.

Notably missing were representatives from the Sun, the Malay Mail, Sin Chew and the Edge who were invited.
The online news portals were not invited to the meeting.

Chairing the meeting was the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry's secretary-general, Kamaruddin Siaraf.

After the outline of the proposal was read out, we were asked for our views.

The print media representatives spoke up. So did Syed Akbar and Anbalagan.
After about an hour of exchanging views during which Kamaruddin explained at great length and insisted that it would be a "consultative" council and not at all to control the press - it was clear that none of us were in favour of having the council.

Kamaruddin accepted the decision and concluded the meeting, saying that he would be reporting to the government the outcome of the meeting.

Tipu, Tipu....

Some take advantage and exploit situations. Some simply tipu....

Post Bersih 2, some truths have emerged...

Click HERE

and HERE

RCI : TBH Driven To Suicide

The Royal Commission of Inquiry's verdict: Teoh Beng Hock was driven to "commit suicide by “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” interrogation by three MACC officers."

This brings a closure to this very tragic case. Rather, it should.

But not for TBH's family. As expected, they have rejected the suicide verdict and may ask for a judicial review.

Family lawyer Karpal Singh is studying the RCI report. He told reporters that they may request a judicial review of the suicide verdict.

“The verdict of suicide is unacceptable to the family. The RCI is an inferior tribunal in law and any decision made by an inferior tribunal is reviewable by the High Court,” Karpal said today.

It looks like they are not going to let it go, nor let it rest. No closure yet.

As for Karpal: "inferior"?

Wasn't it Teoh's family that demanded for the RCI?

As for the MACC culprits - action will be taken against them.

Meanwhile, the MACC will be studying the RCI findings.

Here's the story:

KUALA LUMPUR :The Royal Commission of Inquiry, in an unanimous decision, found that Teoh Beng Hock had been driven to commit suicide by “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” interrogation by three MACC officers.

The three named were Selangor MACC Deputy Director Hishamuddin Hashim, and his officers Mohamad Anuar Ismail and Ashraf Mohd Yunus.

The commission said that unlawful intimidatory tactics used "would have had grave consequences upon Teoh's mind and would have been a culminating factor that drove him to suicide.”

In the 124-page report released Thursday the commission said that three MACC officers had probably tried to coerce him into making a statement that it was Selangor state executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah, Teoh's boss, who had “directed him to commit unlawful acts in handling” an allocation.

“This session must have been very taxing on Teoh both physically and mentally.

“He had been deprived of sleep throughout that night and into the morning and had had to endure persistent, aggressive and unscrupulous questioning.

“His physical condition as described by Ashraf when fetching him the glass of water was that Teoh had moved to sit in an upright position very slowly.

“This fourth interrogation session, to our minds, must have been the final straw that broke the camel's back.”

Teoh, 30, the political secretary to Ean, was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, Selangor, after giving a statement at the Selangor MACC office on the 14th floor of the same building.

The setting up of the commission was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last Jan 26 after the Coroner's Court delivered an open verdict: The Star

Dear Uncle Kit....

This photograph that appeared on the front page of the New Sunday Times was NOT doctored.

It was taken by an NST photographer. Authentic.

The NST did not say that he was carrying a knife, nor made any suggestions about the protester.
In fact, at the point of the photograph being taken, the identity of this protester was not known until of course, he revealed himself later.

So, it is just this picture. And by any newspaper standard -- a good picture.

It may not be worth a thousand words nor tell the whole story. But a good picture.

So, Uncle Kit, you may not like this picture but it was not doctored, nor tampered with.

And How Did This Taman Tun Dr Ismail Project Get Approved?

I have to ask.
You don't have to be a resident around Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi to be puzzled, and angry, over how this project got approved by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

Honestly, it is beyond anyone how it was approved.

You will be forgiven for being suspicious, for thinking the worst of city councillors.

How could anyone in their right mind approve this building project?

This site is sandwiched between TWO petrol stations along a narrow side e road that runs parallel to Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi which is a busy road.

For a long time, the site was a vacant parking lot. And then for a time, the popular neighbourhood food court, Rasta.

When the site was cleared, residents had expected some kind of project, but never in their wildest imagination that it would be thi -- a 13-storey building that include a hotel, office and retail lots.

Not a few metres behind this site are residential homes (link houses). Really, to close for comfort (read article below).

Across are a row of shoplots, including CIMB, a supermarket and clinics - a commercial part of the neighbourhood.

Residents are stumped at how the project got approved. It does not make sense that a huge project such as this is located near residential homes in a housing estate.

Who will it benefit?
Traffic will increase multi-fold, that's for sure.

You city councillors -- don't blame people for thinking the worst of you!!!

Nothing is lost yet for the residents affected by this horrible project. I am sure they - through their association - can take the matter to court to stop the project ....and more...

It is a meaningless project, I tell you...

Read the story below, from NST "Streets":

Residents in Lorong Burhanuddin Helmi 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), are worried about a construction site behind their houses. (See photo above of the roof of the link houses from the construction site)

Tan Fok Kheong, a 65-year-old resident, claimed that cracks started to appear in the back portion of his home when work on the project began a few months ago.

The project, on the main road of Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, consists of a 13-storey block, which will house a hotel, office and retail lots, as well as a four-storey car park building.

"The site is too close to our houses. The fenced-off area is less than two metres from our kitchen door. Our tiles and the back door are damaged. We believe it is because of the piling work. I can feel the vibration.

"We want City Hall to look into this as we don't want to suffer more damage to our houses.

"Also, we have to bear with the noise from the site every day," said Tan, who has been staying there for over 30 years.

"We met the developer over the cracks and broken tiles. They assured us they would repair the damage.

"But, we want to have everything in writing before we can allow them to carry out any work on our homes.

"We need to know whether the developer is going to guarantee to repair the structural damage," he said, adding that a complaint had been lodged with City Hall.

TTDI Residents' Association chairman Mohd Hatim Abdullah said they met the developer in May.

"We are disappointed over several issues, including the fact that we did not receive the traffic noise study report. Residents, especially those staying near the site, are upset as they were not consulted before the project was approved by City Hall, said Hatim.

"House owners learned about the project before it started, about two months ago. But, they could not raise any objections at the time, because it had already been approved by City Hall."

Hatim added that residents were also concerned about the traffic congestion and parking problems that will occur when the high-density project was completed.

When Thousands Thronged The City

...with the huge presence of the police's Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) cordoning off entry points to Stadium Merdeka. Now, the organizers can promise you a peaceful march but you and I know that there will always be trouble-makers.

Some say the police acted without any provocation from the protesters. But there were reports that the protesters deliberately defied police orders not to proceed further.

Macam-macam.

Anyway, Ambiga, Anwar, Khairy, Kit Siang and Hadi were all there at the Bersih rally.

And they all got (tear)gassed too. Anwar who was injured earlier as he and his group were evading the police, is (as I am writing this) receiving treatment at Pantai Hospital.

The crowd was huge. They gathered and marched from different points and merged in the city near the Dataran Maybank.

People began gathering in several spots around the city as early as 7am. Policemen and women were seen talking to teenagers, advising them to leave the areas.

As the crowd picked up in numbers and began walking towarsd the city, shouts of "bersih, bersih" could be heard.

There were also shouts of "reformasi" heard.

By afternoon, things got hot and heated....

I did not take part in the Bersih march this time. I did in 2007 - the 10-Eleven march.
Then, it was organized by social/civil rights activists although at the end when the crowd reached Istana Negara, a couple of political leaders emerged to make known their presence and their part in the march. And that was the high point where the memorandum was to be handed to the palace.

This time it is clearly a political rally with political leaders behind it.

The first time, it was held before the 2008 general election. And as you know, five states fell to the opposition.
What a tidal wave!

Anyway, Saturday, for some time now, has been a working day for me, so...

Back to Bersih 2.0 -- there were arrests made today. Some of those arrested were released.

By about 4.30pm, most of the hot spots were cleared of protesters who then headed towards KLCC in the city.

Someone at KLCC got really spooked when she got to know that the protesters were heading there...

Do get your updates online.....and check out twitter...

KL's Persona Non Grata on July 9

Police have named 91 people barred from entering KL city centre on that B-Day on July 9.

Are you among them?

The police have obtained a restriction order preventing the 91 including Bersih organisers, Patriot/Umno Youth and Perkasa from entering the Kuala Lumpur central business district on Saturday.

Of course, Bersih chief S. Ambiga, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali are among them.

Police say that they can be liable and charged under Section 188 of the Penal Code with Disobeying a Lawful Order of the Court which carries a maximum six months imprisonment or a fine or both upon conviction.

1. Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan
2. Mohamad Sabu
3. Hishamuddin Md Rais
4. Khairul Anwar Ahmad Zainuddin
5. Maria Chin Abdullah
6. Chua Tian Chang
7. Kamarulzaman Mohamad
8. Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli
9. Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud
10. Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh
11. Teresa Kok Suh Sim
12. Badrul Hisham Shaharin
13. Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin
14. Arutchelvam Subramaniam
15. Wong Chin Huat
16. Ong Boon Keong
17. Enalini Elumalai
18. Haris Fathillah Sathiasingam Mohd Ibrahim
19. Datuk Khalid Yunus
20. Datuk Zulkifli Noordin
21. Dr Zubir Harun*
22. Datuk Seri Mohd Hilmi Ismail
23. Datuk Seri Abd Hadi Awang
24. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
25. Lim Kit Siang
26. Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat
27. Nurul Izzah Anwar
28. Kohila Yanasekaran
29. Zaid Kamaruddin
30. Khoo Teng Swee
31. Fadiah Nadzwa Fikri
32. Yap Swee Seng
33. Salahuddin Ayub
34. Datuk Mahfuz Omar
35. Nasarudin Hassan
36. Mazlan Aliman
37. Dr Syed Azman Syed Nawawi
38. Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad
39. Dr Mujahid Yusof
40. Khalid Abd Samad
41. Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin
42. Azman Shapawi Abd Rani
43. Suhaizan Kaiat
44. Nor Azli Musa
45. Mohd Firdaus Jaafar
46. Loke Siew Fook
47. Lau Wen San
48. Mohd Azmin Ali
49. Mat Shuhaimi Shafie
50. Satipul Bahari Mamat
51. Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli
52. Mohamad Izzuddin Hilmi Mohd Zaini
53. Mohd Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin
54. Muhammad Hilman Idham
55. Mohd Shukri Che Ab Razab
56. Mohd Syukri Kamaruddin
57. Ahmad Syazwan Muhammad Hasan
58. Choo Vhon Kai
59. Sarasvathy Muthu
60. Soh Sook Hwa
61. Nurul Izham Nurul Anuar
62. Abd Rahim Osman
63. Mohd Sibri Ismail
64. Mohd Lukman Muda
65. Datuk Prof Kamaruddin Kachar
66. Datuk Mohd Noor Nordin Abdullah
67. Datuk Ibrahim Ali
68. Datuk Ab Rahman Ab Bakar
69. Syed Hassan Syed Ali\
70. Irwan Fahmi Ideris
71. Roslan Kassim
72. Sharifuddin Abd Hamid
73. Dr Zubir Harun.*
74. Ameir Hassan
75. Datuk Ahmad Saad
76. Ahmad Zaini Ismail
77. Muhammad Zahid Md Arip
78. Abdullah Mansor
79. Zaira Jaafar
80. Norkhaila Jamaludin
81. Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar
82. Datuk Megat Firdouz Megat Junid
83. Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican
84. Megat Zulkarnain Omardin
85. Rizalman Mokhtar
86. Tengku Azman Tengku Zainol Abidin
87. Lokman Noor Adam
88. Datuk Abdul Azeez Rahim
89. Ungku Saleh Ungku Jamal
90. Arman Azha Abu Hanifa
91. Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz

Well. Yippee... my name's not there.....

By the way: Khairy just found out and he tweeted:
"Just landed back in KL after trying to break Israeli blockade of Gaza only to find that I've been blockaded from KL. Excuse me if I say WTF?"

As for Nurul Izzah, here's what she has to say:
"Sorry to break this to u, officer. But I live in KL".

Dead For 8 Years Without Anyone Knowing....

An elderly woman's skeletal remains were found in her home. Police believed she died in 2003. No one, not even her closest neighbour realized that she had died in her upstairs room. Everyone thought she had left, and that the house was abandoned.

Her death and absence went unnoticed. She had no living relative other than a sister-in-law with whom relations were estranged.

Here's the report:

A FAMILY falling out is believed to have led to an elderly woman's body lying undiscovered for eight years at her home in inner Sydney.

Authorities are trying to determine how Natalie Wood died and how her remains lay undisturbed for so long in a busy inner-city suburb.

Officers visited the home after Ms Wood's sister-in-law had not been able to contact her. It is understood she had tried to get in contact to pass on some family news, but failing that, she called police.

It had been eight years since they had spoken, due to a family dispute.

Police found the skeletal remains on the floor in an upstairs bedroom of the Kippax St, Surry Hills home yesterday at noon. The death is not believed to have been suspicious.

Ms Wood would have turned 87 in August.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

Really sad.

@5Xmom: I think all Christians shud march for all the persecution they had done to us and our Lord.

So when do we take tweets seriously? When do we not? How do we know when someone is jesting and when she is not?

Certainly, sometimes people don't think before they tweet happily away in cyberspace.

I don't know 5Xmom (Chan Lilian) but I have come across her comments in some blogs that I follow. I don't follow her on twitter so I don't really know what she's been tweeting about..

Some people who follow me on twitter retweeted her tweet (above).

Some people took exception to her tweet. One of them is Tony Yew. He is not amused. He thinks her tweet is seditious.
So, this afternoon, he lodged a police report against Lilian. HERE

Lilian, according to this blogger is employed by the Penang DAP government.
She is the official video-journalist for Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng. HERE.
The blogger, Apanama, thinks that 5Xmom has crossed the line. Just like Tony, he thinks her tweet is seditious.

As for me, I think she should know that her tweet will elicit all sorts of reaction.

Was it meant in jest?
Because in the first place, she's making a false statement.

That is a lie.
I know one thing, our tweets reflect our thinking. Not everyone realizes this, of course.

And Is Malaysia Airlines Banning Babies In First Class?

When I read this article on news.com.au, I thought Malaysia Airlines is really taking care of its high-end passengers.

It said that the airline has introduced the baby ban after receiving a number of complaints about crying infants from first class passengers.

And I expect some quarters would take exception to the "ruling" because it does smack of "discrimination". Today, babies. Tomorrow?

Anyway, I thought we should not take the Australian Business Traveller's word for it, although it quoted Malaysia Airlines CEO Tengku Azmil as saying that first-class passengers complained about spending a lot of money and not being able to sleep “due to crying infants".

A colleague checked with Malaysia Airlines to confirm it there is such a ban.
A statement was swiftly issued.

MAS denied the story. No such ban.

The thing is bassinet facilities were originally available in the First, Business and Economy class zones of the 747’s.
"In 2003, Malaysia Airlines embarked on a revamp of First and Business class cabin of the B747s. The First class seat configuration was reduced from 18 to 12 for passengers to enjoy increased cabin space and extended legroom."

"Each new seat came with an electrically operated ottoman that doubles as a visitor seat and could convert to a lie-flat bed with the main seat. As a result of this seat revamp and the introduction of the ottoman, there was no facility for positioning bassinets in the First Class of the B747s."

"The business and economy cabins of its 747-400s, like the rest of its current fleet, are equipped with bassinet facilities to cater for infant travel."

So, what about Tengku Azmil's remark?

No comment on that from Malaysia Airlines.

Well...First class passengers don't want babies in their class, so they "pass them" to business and economy classes.

Babies don't fly for free. And when you travel in whatever classes, you share that space with other paying passengers. It is not your private space.
It's "public transport" -- not a hotel, as a close friend remarked.

There are ways to fly on public transport without having babies for company.....

Kids Not Welcomed On Flights?

Do you get irritated by bawling babies or cranky children on board airlines you're in?

I've never had to take my kids travelling on planes when they were babies so I cannot imagine how or what they'd be as passengers.

Just as well...

But I've travelled on flight where children were fellow passengers.

In all honesty, of course, you would be affected by babies or children crying. For me, it's not so much that I get irritated. I feel for the parent trying to soothe the child.

So far, I've never witnessed any passenger complaining about noisy or bawling kids.

Anyway, in a recent suvey, many people have owned up to being annoyed by children on planes.

According to the survey -- airlines are being urged to segregate children or ban them from certain flights altogether to keep business class passengers happy - according to a recent survey.

The articled:

The survey, posted on news.com.au, reported that 75 per cent of business class travellers said they were annoyed by the presence of children on planes, the The Daily Mail reports.

The survey, run in conjunction with the Business Travel and Meetings trade show, urges major airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates, to consider child-free flights.

Of the 1000 participants, three quarters of business class passengers found children on planes "irritating".

Campaigners have also suggested airlines use "flight zones" - where children and adults are segregated.

This idea draws inspiration from the "quiet cabins" which currently operate on railway services throughout the UK.

The Business Travel and Meetings trade show's director David Chapple said those paying more for their flight have a right to complain.

"It's understandably frustrating for business travellers, who have paid a premium in expectation that they can work and sleep in comfort, to have that peace disturbed by children," he told the Daily Mail.

But many people have opposed the campaign, and are worried where the ban might lead.

"It would be a bad decision by an airline to ban children," ex-Virgin Atlantic director, Paul Charles, said.

"Once you did, would you start banning other types of travellers? It would be a mistake," he said

The airlines are yet to respond to to the campaign efforts.

A "Home" That's Not a Home...

When a landslide killed 16 people including orphans of a home in Hulu Langat two weeks ago, the first thing on our minds was the precarious location of the orphanage -- which was at the foot of a slope.
Then of course, we started asking whether the home was registered, who owns and run it...and all the details that we all immediately wanted to know.
Other details emerged in the course of obtaining information, including the fact that there are so many unregistered homes and the long process of getting orphanages, old folks home and so on, registered with the Welfare Department.
Understandable that the department has got to make sure that people are not setting up homes to make money and exploit children and old people.
At the same time, the department does not hastily act against unregistered homes because of the fact that these homes do provide shelter and food for needy kids and the elderly etc...
However, it does not mean that these homes should escape supervision and monitoring.
In an ideal situation, we would like to see orphans, the elderly, the disabled and so on, well taken care of...
There is little sense in us going for all the benefits of a high-income nation when these groups are neglected..

And that is why we must prevent bad and evil people from setting up shelters and homes.
read this. If it's true, then it is a classic case of really bad people exploiting the misfortunes of others....

A WOMAN who was sent to a welfare home by her husband had gone missing when he came by for a visit, Malaysia Nanban reported.

M. Bhaskaran, from Kajang, said he had left his wife and their three children at the home in mid-May.

When he went there to meet her, the home's administrator told him that his wife had been transferred to another branch.

Not satisfied, Bhaskaran investigated and found that the home had sent his wife and two other inmates elsewhere to work as maids.

He lodged three police reports after the home's officials refused to disclose his wife's whereabouts.

It was learnt that two other inmates claimed that they were given stale food and treated harshly by the caretakers.

They also said that single mothers were sent out to work as maids and their salaries were credited into the home's accounts

The rest of the story HERE

Should Kids Under 13 Be on Facebook?.

An article on Time.com presented this question in view of remarks made recently by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that he'd like younger children to be permitted to patronize his site.

Zuckerberg said this at the NewSchools Venture Fund's Summit in Burlingame, California last week.

First of all, I'm not sure how you can stop kids from signing up on FB. I'm sure we all know that there are so many children already using FB, and are so savvy with it too. Some have uploaded their video performances and all sorts of stuff on FB.

You can't keep FB and social networking from the 21st century generation of kids. I'm not sure if you should.

Is there an issue of misuse?Or security and safety? The need for parental or adult control? I believe these are the over-arching concerns.

Indeed, it all boils down to how involved parents (or guardians) are in the lives of their kids and how best parents et al deal with it.

As always, there is no end to discussions and debate on the impact of social media or social networking on society...

(Also Read - FaceBook Is Not Your Friend)

What's your view?

Obesity In Schools -- It's Not Just About Food!

It's good that the government has drawn up guidelines for school canteens in view of reports that a lot of them are selling food that are not nutritious.
In fact, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Department of Nutrition and Dietetics carried out a study six years ago of 12 schools in the Klang Valley and found that most of the food served in canteens were fried and oily.

Not much has improved since as a recent survey it conducted showed that canteens were still selling snacks or, "junkfood".

Many schools were still selling nuggets, fried sausages and other fried food. But you know, these are what kids love.
And this is not peculiar to Malaysia. In Britain, most schools were found to be serving non-nutritious food to students. But, as with most kids, they love it.

In the 1985 School Canteen guidelines, nuggets, fried sausages, and nasi lemak were considered "appropriate".

The university's nutrition and dietetics department however, believed otherwise.
A revised set of guidelines came in force in 2008.

In August last year, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that most canteens were still selling unhealthy food and snacks that could influence the eating habits of children and contribute to rising childhood obesity in the country.

The NST report HERE.

From then, the issue of bad food in school canteens was linked to rising obesity among children,.
In April this year, the ministry announced proposed guidelines on food sold in school canteens following reports that they sell less than nutritious food.

These were to replace the existing ones. The new guidelines would take into account sugar, salt, fat and oil content.

What were okay in the 2008 guidelines would not be okay in the new list -- for instance, nuggets, burgers and sausages would be banned.
Nasi lemak, fried rice and laksa are okay but can only be served twice a week.
(In school canteens, the portions (of nasi lemak, fried rice etc) are really small. )

This sparked a debate on the food children eat -- is the food they eat in that 20-minute recess at school responsible for their state of health, or the food they eat at home?

School or home? School or parents?

I find all this debate very stimulating and amusing too. All this blame game.

On Monday (April 25), the ministry announced the new guidelines.

Here's the thing -- nobody seems to see the importance of EXERCISE for children.
Let's face it, we used to eat oodles of noodles every day in school, and had those tuck shop snacks, keropok udang, Schweppes, Coke -- God knows what else.
And there was no obesity in school. I can't remember any fat school mate.
You know why? Because physical education and participation in sports were encouraged and played a major role in school.

I'm not encouraging eating unhealthy (overloaded with salt and sugar) snacks and fatty foods. But I'm looking at it from an overall perspective.
Being fit is not just about the food you eat. It is about exercising right.

I believe that we should encourage sports today, especially when the only limbs our kids are exercising are their fingers.

It's no nuclear science to figure out the cause of rising obesity among children.
Have a good look at our school curriculum and attitude of teachers to sports and physical education.

I'm not wrong to say that in many schools today, sports is low priority. Really really low.
It's a vicious cycle. You don't encourage them (to do sports, play games), they don't develop any interest and it becomes unimportant to them.

I remember that PE (physical education) was a big thing for us in school back then (in the 70s).
From the first week of school, we'd be preparing for our school sports. If you wanted to do long jump, then you'd be preparing for that event. And if you were a sprinter, you'd be preparing for that.
Also, you had to play at least two games. I never quite liked netball, but I played it anyway.
But I loved hockey and softball. There was a stint with soccer (yep, the only girls' football team in Selangor - possibly Malaysia).
And these activities were held on weekends. Attendance was compulsory. But that was irrelevant because games and sports were part of school life.
It was a state of mind.

So, you can cut this and that in the kids' diet but if they don't play games and exercise, they won't grow up healthy.

That is what is lacking in our schools -- priority on fitness.

So, really it's not just about food. You tackle obesity in kids the same way you tackle obesity in adults.
A combination of healthy eating and fitness routine.

Update: First Malaysia-Asean Regional Bloggers Conference (MARBC)

What an eventful and stimulating weekend it was.
I was at the 1st MARBC, organised by Blog House Malaysia, held over the weekend (April 23-24) at The Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur.
Among the participants were some very prominent bloggers from Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines who arrived at KLIA on Friday, April 22.
They were among some 40 bloggers from the region who were at the conference, themed "Blogging Mindfully and Responsibly".

On Saturday, April 23, BHM exco members, led by its president Syed Akbar Ali, and the (guest) Asean bloggers sat together the whole morning at the Sime Darby Convention Centre for the drafting of the 5-point Kuala Lumpur Consensus that was later adopted at the conference.

The (draft) KL Consensus

1. The establishment of an Asean social media and blogging network to promote understanding, good relations, unity and cooperation for regional betterment and progress of the new media practitioners in the spirit of mutual respect;
2. To assist in achieving and promoting the common values and aspirations of goodwill and to promote greater understanding and familiarity of the social media;
3. To promote the freedom of expression, freedom of information and freedom from persecution;
4. To promote ethical practice of the social media; and
5. To meet regularly and promote the growth and progress of social media in Asean.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, and former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, accompanied by his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, attended the opening.
Both Najib and TDM delievered speeches.

Najib, in his speech, gave an assurance that his administration would never censor the Internet.
He said the government does not fear bloggers but wants to be part of them and know their views.
"I have said this before -- that the era of the government knows best and knows everything is over.
"The fact is, the government does not know everything."

He hoped bloggers would offer contsructive criticisms.
“I believe this relationship will be an important relationship based on mutual respect. We may not agree all the time but we cannot be disagreeable.

"But we should draw the line; if we use the cyberspace to tell lies and half truths, that is wrong. "
Najib said if bloggers worked within those parameters, he believed they could indeed play a vital part in shaping a better future for Malaysia and Asean.

Najib said Malaysians are among the most ardent Facebook fans – there are 10.1 million FB users.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that Malaysia has one of the liveliest blogospheres in the world and definitely one of the freest if not the most free.

“Malaysians have to thank Tun Dr Mahathir again for this. When he was prime minister and Malaysia was developing its Multimedia Super Corridor, Tun made the promise to the world that Malaysia would never censor the Internet. My government is fully committed".

Dr Mahathir, speaking to guests and participants earlier said that blogging should be encouraged as it helped the people to become more involved in the running of their own country.

An avid blogger, Dr Mahathir said he turn to blogging as an avenue to air his views after he stepped down as prime minister as he had found that the mainstream media were not publishing his statements.

On blogging, he said bloggers should treat the government and the people fairly though their blogs which should contribute to the betterment of society.

Bloggers should be treated fairly and justly too but if they cross the line, then they should be ready to face the consequences, he said.

Dr Mahathir also remarked that mainstream media in the country should, now and then, allow themselves to be critical of the government.

Dr Mahathir is patron of Blog House Malaysia.

which organised the event, said constructive criticism should be given when it was for the betterment of the country.

He said while bloggers should give fair treatment to the government and the people through their blogsites, they themselves should be treated fairly and justly.

Read Rocky's Bru

OutSyed The Box

Another Brick In The Wall

Barking Magpie

BigDog

Tony Yew

Jebat Must Die

Apanama

Asean Bloggers Conference In KL

The first Malaysian-Asean Regional Bloggers Conference will be held from Friday to Sunday at the Intercontinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

The conference, organised by the recently-registered Blog House Malaysia (BHM), is themed "Blogging Mindfully and Responsibly".

BHM president Syed Akbar Ali said there would be two workshops on Saturday for participants from 10.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm.

The topics to be covered include blogger networks and blogger etiquette.

"We are expecting 16 Asean bloggers at the conference. They will come from Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. On Sunday, our patron, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, will deliver the welcoming address. Prime Minster Datuk Seri Najib Razak will then deliver the keynote address at 12.20pm, followed by a 15-minute question and answer session," he said.

For details and registration, visit www.bloghousemalaysia.com. - The New Straits Times

Boot Camp For Boys Who Are Effeminate...

I'll get to the point -- their schools have identified them as boys who are effeminate. I suppose based on the way they behave, talk and walk.

Then these schools sent their names to the state education department which is holding a four-day camp for these kids.

The NST carried a blurb "Boot Camp For Sissies". And got blasted by some people for using the word "sissies" which showed the newspaper to be so bigoted, so prejudiced, so so bad. People were livid.

Of course, the NST, meant no disrespect. "Sissy" by (conventional) definition refers to an effeminate boy or man, but the term now has, apparently, taken on a derogatory meaning.
But it is not NST that is making a judgment of the boys. The newspaper was using this one word to mean "boys who are effeminate" as stated by Terengganu education department director Razali Daud.

Is there another term that is socially and politically acceptable? Still means the same.
Nevertheless, the S word offended people - for that NST apologizes. It was unintentional.

Would another word make a difference to what the state education department is doing? To the obvious prejudices some people have for these kids?
That is the ISSUE.

Ok. Back to the boot camp for "these boys who display effeminate behaviour" -- I gather these kids (66 of them) aged between 13 and 17 have got their parents' permission to attend this remedial camp.

Razali did not offer details on the programme but I'm guessing that it aims at making "men" out of these boys..
And if they're all Muslims, I'm guessing that the programme will have religious input to make them "insaf".

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Sisters In Islam, in strongly-worded statements issued separately yesterday, said the department's action was in violation of laws.

Shahrizat said: "The boot camps must be abolished on the basis that they are harmful and do not serve the best interest of the child, and are therefore in clear violation of the Child Act 2001, which stated that "every child is entitled to protection and assistance in all circumstances without regard to distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, social origin or physical, mental or emotional disabilities or any other status".

SIS said the department's policy to regulate the behaviour of students is against the basic tenants of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which Malaysia ratified in 1995.

"The act of identifying and singling out boys who behave effeminately is highly discriminatory bordering on predatory. Article 2 of the CRC dictates that ALL children should be accorded equal rights and treatment without exception, the Education Department of Besut is clearly in violation of this."

Obviously, to the Terengganu Education Department, these boys are a problem. The "fact" there are many of them makes it a serious problem. So if it takes a "remedial" camp to make these boys "stronger, physically and mentally", then off a-camping they go to make them so.

Simply put, these boys are being rehabilitated. In the eyes of the department, boys must be boys. Boys who don't behave like boys, are flawed in character and this is not natural.
So the department feels that it is their responsibility to right what is wrong.

And so the boot camp is part of the solution.

A New Dawn In Sarawak?

Or business as usual?

How about a bit of both with more weight on the new dawn?

The "much-hated" Abdul Taib Mahmud won a thumping victory in his Balingian constituency, beating his closest opponent by a 5,302 vote-majority.

Taib was later sworn in as chief minister.

Of course, not quite a new dawn, that his opponents had hoped for.

Amid the vitriol and venom against Taib and his adminsitration, the Barisan Nasional won its two-thirds majority.

The results : BN : 55, DAP: 12, PKR: 3 and independent: 1.

I bet you thought that the DAP was going to make a clean sweep of all 15 seats it contested. Going by their campaigning and confidence, yeah, it looked like they were going to..
And going by the opposition parties' campaign, you'd thought that they'd form the next state government. Yeah...
Still, it was the keenest and fiercest state election. And, yes, it was a good show by the DAP. They know where their support lies and who they can depend on to give them the votes -- the urban Chinese.
Thanks also to their aggressive "Ubah" (change) campaign. That said -- the DAP is what Sarawak needs -- a strong opposition.

PKR contested in 49 seats and won in 3. Better than the 2006 elections where it won 1 seat.

As for Taib Mahmud, his victory in Balingian was thumping. He obtained a 5,302 vote-majority.

At 8.55pm, the BN won a simple majority.
A little later, it was official, that it secured a two-thirds majority, with 48 seats.

Once again, Taib delivered. His party won all the 35 seats it contested, a repeat performance of the 2006 state elections. That's 100 per cent, man. And that's the BN fixed deposit.

SUPP had some heavy casualties, among whom was its president George Chan who lost his Piasau seat to a DAP newbie Ling Sie Kiong.
The 74 year-old seven-term MP lost by a 1,590-vote majority to the 28 year-old.
As predicted, SUPP won only 6 of the 19 seats it contested to DAP (won 12 and one independent).

Shortly after the final results were made official, Taib Mahmud, wasted no time and was sworn in as chief minister -- his seventh consecutive term..

So, Sarawak woke up today to the same CM but who has promised to bring more development to the state through SCORE, and to step down from his post at a date he will disclose in good time. Could be mid-term, could be after the 13th general election...

It is, nevertheless, a new beginning for Sarawak. It has to be. The same dawn, perhaps.
But certainly, a new beginning.
Some things must change in Sarawak - for better or for worse. Even Taib knows that.

*Also read Rocky's Bru "BN Retains Sarawak With Two-Thirds Majority" HERE!
Big Dog's HERE
Op Ed HERE
Marah Ku HERE
Syed Akbar's HERE
Kickdefella HERE
Jebat Must Die HERE

When The School (And Sometimes Society) Gets It All Wrong...

I thought instances of children without birth certificates not allowed enrolment in school are all in the past. Well, I was wrong.

Eight children in Seremban were not allowed into their school because they did not have birth certificates.

Children without birth certificates should be allowed to attend school. What kind of people are we if can't even have that right? All this outdated "irregularities" that existed before should have been fixed.
Come one...Malaysia maju or not?

And if we have kids without birth certs facing problems with school enrolment, then effort must be taken to resolve their predicament, because most times it is due to ignorant/illiterate parents or some extenuating circumstances. Nothing is beyond solution.

Having birth certificates should not be the pre-requisite for school registration and enrolment.

If we are a progressive country that we want to be, then we must accept that education is the right of every child in this country. No regulation should exist to deny a child this right.

As for children without birth certs, surely some kind of documentation can be made for them to be enrolled in school.

So, therefore, hence, ergo.... of course, we can resolve their problem.

The sad thing is that the problem usually surfaces when these kids begin school.

Take the case in Seremban of 8 kids -- siblings L. Nisha, 10, Pavitra, nine, and Teeban, eight, orphaned cousins S. Meganathan, 11, and Mahaletchumy, seven, another orphan C. Jayasutha 12, K. Tamilarasi, nine, and G. Arvind, eight.

Jayasutha will be sitting for her UPSR in 5 months' time.

The kids were barred from attending classes at their school - SJKT Ladang Linsum - in February for not having birth certificates.

Firstly, I am grateful to my former colleague, Sarban Singh of The Star for highlighting the story yesterday .

I think there are many kids like them whose parents are simply unaware, illiterate and so on about the need to have birth certificates.

In some cases, it is simply poverty. Applying for birth certificates just doesn't figure in their lives.

The school had barred these kids because it was told by the state Education Department that headmasters who allowed such pupils in their schools would be fined RM1,000 for each student.

NOW, WHAT IS WRONG IN ALL THIS? I'll tell you in a while.

According to the Star report today:

"After the report was published, Deputy Education Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong and Cabinet Committee on the Indian Community in the Prime Minister's Department consultant N. Siva Subramaniam stepped in to resolve the issue. Dr Wee said the ministry had issued a circular in March 2009 clarifying that as long as one parent was a citizen, children without birth certificates could attend school. Expressing regret over the episode, Siva Subramaniam said he met officials from the school and the state education department yesterday and it was decided that the pupils would be allowed to return to school.

He explained that under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, even if the parents were non-Malaysians, the child should be allowed to attend school after filling up the necessary documents.

He said there were many children without proper documentation in the country but all had the right to be in school."

Did I just ask you what was wrong in all this?

The attitude of the school. And that unacceptable State Education Department ruling.

In fact, going by what Dr Wee said, the headmaster got it wrong.

But, even though there exists such a stupid ruling that schools be made to pay a fine for allowing "such pupils", the school authorities - if they have it in them - should take the initiative to help these kids.

You don't have the heart? Then, at least have the brains to help those kids.

Oh...must we tell them all this?

Isn't there somewhere that tells you that you can't punish the kids because they are orphans or because their circumstances had forced them to be where they are standing right now?

Shouldn't that prompt you to help them instead of closing the door on them?

I hope, it was the headmaster who -- at his wits end -- had reached out to the Star to help him help the kids.

As for such a senseless ruling (if it at all exists) -- what a damn shame! You're not finding solutions...you're perpetuating the problem, and creating new ones! So, shame on the state education department!

I think we all should play our part in ensuring that all children - including those without birth certificates -- are allowed to go to school.

Damn! Isn't it against the law to deny children an education?

That said -- I'm happy that it is a happy ending.

However, I know that there are a lot of kids out there who are in a similar situation.

Luring Malaysians Abroad

Returning Malaysian professionals will be eligible for a flat rate of 15 per cent income tax for five years under its returning Experts Programme (REP), Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

He said this was to encourage more Malaysian working abroad, with their varied experience and expertise, to return and play an active part in Malaysia's economic transformation.

This transitional income tax incentive will be introduced with a host of other incentives such as new residence Passes which will enable highly-skilled foreign workers to stay in Malaysia for 10 years as well as limiting the tax free incentive for 2 cars under the REP to locally assembled vehicles.

Read more HERE.

Well, bully for you returning Malaysian professionals.

We'll just have to see if these are attractive enough for you!

Romancing Sarawak (2)

It's stormy in Sarawak these days. And also getting hotter by the day.

You certainly cannot expect anything less than that when political leaders are fighting hard to woo voters -- some , for their own do or die survival, some to set the tone for "aram perubahan".

The 10th state election in Bumi Kenyalang is so intense, you can feel the heat.
Not since 1987 (the Ming Court Affair) have Sarawakians witnessed fierce fighting.

The playing field is so crowded - a record 213 candidates.

Here's a quick lowdown:

The candidates are from the ruling coalition :Parti Pesaka Bumiputra (PBB), Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) while the opposition are Damocratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and PAS.

BN is contesting all 71 seats - PBB (35), SUPP (19), PRS (9) and SPDP (8) - while DAP (15), PKR (49), SNAP (26) and PAS (5).

For the first time in 24 years, no seats have been won uncontested. In 2006, BN won 2 seats uncontested, 4 in 2001 and 19 in 1996.

In the 2006 state elections, PBB won all the 35 seats it contested, SUPP won 11 out of the 19 it contested, PRS won eight of the nine and SPDP won all eight seats it contested.
DAP won six, PKR, one and Parti Cinta Malaysia, one.

To say that times have changed is an understatement. Interest in Sarawak's state elections had never been so keen either.
We've witnessed the state elections before. But always as spectators. Sarawak was, well, just there.
The results/outcome had been quite predictable. Even when during the 2001 elections, things began shifting, though quite unnoticed, we, in Semenanjung, simply watched, and let it all past. We all, know that Sarawak is BN territory. Let me rephrase that -- BN territory made up of Sarawak-based parties.
There had been attempts by Umno "to go to Sarawak" but after failing miserably even before they actually started, they stopped trying.
The message was clear. Sarawak did not need Umno (read: Semenanjung) , thank you very much.
See, although it is a fact that Sarawak BN representation in parliament had always been sizeable, that fact had been taken so much for granted - until 2008, of course.
BN looks to Sarawak as its "fixed deposit", naturally because Sarawak parties hold 30 of the 140 BN seats in parliament. When the chips were down, BN had counted on Sarawak to give it a boost.

Sarawak is at a crossroads, to put it mildly. After the elections, Sarawak will not quite be the same again.

Campaigning is fierce with, for the first time, religion - Al-Kitab issue - is being played, over and over again.

On one side is the BN led by chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud who is the focus of the opposition campaign. He is the opposition's single target. He is being attacked for his 30-year tenure, alleged crony corruption, nepotism and all the mismanagement and abuse arising from that.
The impounding of 35,000 bibles in Kuching Port sometime last year had dealt the BN a hard stinging blow. The dust has not quite settled yet even after the bibles were ordered released recently (after 18 months impounded) and a 10-point solution was offered.
This issue is being used and abused, even by Christian leaders to paint the BN as anti-Christian. Bungling government officers, yes, I agree. But, surely it is most unfair, and very wrong to accuse the BN of being anti-Christian.

On his "overstaying", Taib has responded by assuring that he would be stepping down after the elections. No date, though has been mentioned.
Taib, on his campaign rounds, has retaliated, questioning as well the leadership of Lim Kit Siang and Anwar Ibrahim and their dynasties as well as that of Pas' Nik Aziz and Hadi Awang.

"Menumbangkan Taib, Memerdekakan Sarawak" (Topple Taib, Free Sarawak) is among the powerful messages the opposition parties are sending out. Mostly, they're scaring the wits out of the people -- trying to convince them that Sarawak will be doomed if Taib stays.
The attacks are relentless even as he tells the people that Sarawak has seen sustainable development based on a 20-year plan, and in a lot of ways, is a model state.
Its hard core poverty and poverty levels have been drastically reduced, education has been improved and so on.

The opposition parties have even made connections and drawn parallels between him and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak (at first) and Libya's Muamar Gaddafi, goading the people to bring Taib down as the Egyptians and Libyans did with Mubarak and Gaddafi. I don't at all agree.
The premise is thoroughly flawed.

That said, I believe that Taib will make good his promise to step down. The sentiments seem to be too compelling to ignore.

On the other side are the opposition parties, mainly represented by the larger-than-life DAP. But all the same, they're gang-banging Taib and friends.

DAP is the real deal in the elections, in particular in Chinese-dominated seats. The party is no stranger in/to Sarawak, having made its entry in 1978 and capturing Bandar Kuching as its first parliamentary constituency in the state four years later (1982).

Sim Kwang Yang served as Bandar Kuching MP until1995. As it is, the DAP is confident of making a clean sweep of the 15 seats it is contesting although independent sources say 12 are already in their hands.

No surprises if they do well because they have been campaigning unremittingly in the Chinese areas.

PKR, on the other hand, has an uphill battle. Unlike DAP, PKR has always been viewed with suspicion in this land where Dayak and Iban nationalism is strong.

PKR is "parti Melayu Malaya" or "parti Melayu Semananjung" -- and it is contesting in mostly ethnically mixed seats.
PAS is just going for the ride.

Everyone's media tools are working overtime. It's how you're going to perceive the spin and propaganda -- between perception and reality.

But, as I write this, the DAP and friends are hitting the Chinese-dominated urban areas with heavy artillery.

So, on Saturday, Sarawakians will have to decide where they want to take their beloved state. Do they want change or Ubah under the DAP, PKR or/and PAS? Or give their trust in and the mandate to the BN for continued progress . Mansang!

Of course several factors come into play -- the young voters which make up a third of the 979,796 registered voters, with 300,000 of them below 40 years old. The largest concentration is in Kuching (numbering 85,000), followed by Sibu (54,000) and the Dayak votes (how seriously they view land and the Al-Kitab issues, whether Dayakism remain strong in some areas, while loyalty to BN in other areas) .

Whatever it is, Sarawak will never be the same again.

And that should be a good thing...

10-Point Solution To The Bible Issue

Press Statement By Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Datuk Seri Idris Jala

The Government confirmed that it has been in dialogue with the Christian groups to look into their specific requests on the Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia Bible and also other religious issues. Taking into account the polarity of views of the different religious groups, including the Muslims, the Government decided on a 10-point solution.

1. Bibles in all languages can be imported into the country, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia.

2.These Bibles can also be printed locally in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This is a new development which should be welcome by the Christian groups.

3. Bibles in indigenous languages of Sabah and Sarawak such as Iban, Kadazan-Dusun and Lun Bawang can also be printed locally and imported.

4. For Sabah and Sarawak, in recognition of the large Christian community in these states, there are no conditions attached to the importation and local printing of the Bibles in all languages, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia and indigenous languages. There is no requirement for any stamp or serial number.

5. Taking into account the interest of the larger Muslim community, for Peninsula Malaysia, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, imported or printed, must have the words "Christian Publication" and the cross sign printed on the front covers.

6. In the spirit of 1Malaysia and recognising that many people travel between Sabah and Sarawak and Peninsula Malaysia, there should be no prohibitions and restrictions for people who bring along their bibles and Christian materials on such travel.

7. A directive on the Bible has been issued by the Ketua Setiausaha (KSU) of the Home Ministry to ensure proper implementation of this cabinet decision. Failure to comply will subject the officers to disciplinary action under the General Orders. A comprehensive briefing by top officials, including the Attorney General (AG), will be given to all relevant civil servants to ensure good understanding and proper implementation of the directive.

8. For the impounded Bibles in Kuching, Gideon, the importer can collect all the 30,000 Bibles free of charge. We undertake to ensure the parties involved are reimbursed. The same offer remains available for the importer of the 5,100 Bibles in Port Klang, which have already been collected by the Bible Society Malaysia (BSM) last week.

9. Beyond the Bible issue, the Government wishes to reiterate its commitment to work with the Christian groups and all the different religious groups in order to address inter religious issues and work towards the fulfilment of all religious aspirations in accordance with the constitution, taking into account the other relevant laws of the country. In order to bring urgency to this work, the Prime Minister will meet the representatives of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) soon to discuss the way forward.

10. The Christian Ministers in the cabinet will meet on a regular basis with representatives of the various Christian groups in order to discuss their issues and work with the relevant Ministries and PM in order to resolve them.

Idris said:

"I hope this 10 point solution will be received positively by the Christian groups as being fair and reasonable. We have to look for a solution that deals with the Bible issues and also put a way forward to handle other issues raised by the Christian groups.

"I think the Bible issue is very unfortunate, and in the spirit of Lent, it is time for sacrifice, reconciliation and forgiveness.

"In our history as a young nation, we achieved a lot in a short period of time, but we have our shortcomings.

"The Government and our civil servants are not perfect as indeed all human beings are “beautifully imperfect” in the eyes of God.

"And for all our shortcomings in handling the Bible issue, I hope the Christians would find it in their hearts to forgive us.

"In my Church at SIBKL, we have been praying for a Christian revival to take place in our country. For all the hurt that exist as a result of our differences, I believe that we need healing, forgiveness and reconciliation in this country.

"The Bible says in Matthew 18: 21-22 “ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times”.