Formal Education For Five-year-olds Expected By End Of 10MP

HULU TERENGGANU, June 13 (Bernama) -- The plan to lower the entry age for formal schooling from six years to five is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).

Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the plan would be implemented in stages as the ministry must provide the necessary infrastructures and facilities.

"This is a massive plan and should not be implemented in a hurry. At the initial stage of the 10MP, we will see the construction of basic infrastructures like classrooms and also appointment of qualified teachers.

"This is part of the government's efforts to improve the quality of national education to be on par with developed countries. It is also aimed at preventing dropouts at the early stage," he said Sunday.

Mohd Puad was speaking at a press conference after opening a ceremony to present the National Higher Education Corporation (PTPTN) loan advance and Hulu Selangor member of parliament's donations to students who excelled in their public examinations here.

The plan to start formal education for children from the age of five is part of a plan underlined in the 10MP (2011-2015) which was tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Dewan Rakyat last Thursday.

Mohd Puad said the ministry was currently focused on efforts to develop basic infrastructures at schools nationwide, besides ensuring that all pre-school teachers comprised those with degrees.

"In rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak, where no pre-schools are available, children are being separated from their families to get early education.

"Some of the parents sent these children to live with their brothers and sisters at rural hostels.

"So, in the 10MP, the government will build pre-school facilities in longhouses in the two states," he said, adding that the government targeted 70 per cent of children to enter pre-school nationwide by 2012.

Alert: Wild swing in Botanic arches poll result

URGENT ALERT: The percentage of those saying No to the arches in Penang Botanic Garden has inexplicably plunged in a poll hosted on the Tourism Ministry’s website.


Caught in the act: See how the poll results appear to be manipulated
From 91 per cent who said ‘No’ to the arches a few days ago, it is now only 54 50 48 per saying ‘No’. That is an unbelievably sharp drop in the percentage opposing the arches in just a matter of days. When observed, in the space of an hour on a Sunday afternoon (today), over 200 more “Yes-es” were recorded in favour of the arches. And that’s just in an hour.

The poll may close anytime soon and then the government might use the final result to justify its decision on whether the arches should stay or go. So make sure you vote now before it’s too late.
Here’s your chance to tell the government whether those large arches at the Penang Botanic Garden – one of which is believed to be tilting – should be removed.


The Tourism Ministry is carrying out a poll on its website. But be careful, you are asked whether those arches should remain.
Vote ‘Ya’ if you like the arches or ‘Tidak’ if you want the arches to go. For the poll, go here (see right column).
Some background info:

The Penang Botanic Gardens, established in 1884, is Malaysia’s only Botanic Garden and is one of our most beloved treasures, enjoyed by thousands daily and by more than 2 million a year. Recent developments due to a RM7.75 million grant from the Federal Government are resulting in inappropriate and destructive projects that are ad hoc in nature and do not conform to any principles and good practices of botanic garden planning.
The arches are merely the most visible of these abuses to the Gardens. Others involve a non-existent RM1 million bambusetum, a RM1 million eco-stream walk that turned a natural flowing stream into a glorified drain with nothing ‘eco’ about it, a RM2.5 million visitor centre, which is being built below unstable hill slopes, and various developments within the gardens such as two suraus, the destruction of historic plant houses, and the destruction of the beloved formal gardens.
The arches are part of a RM2.5 million mall entrance with lots of concrete, a large open storm drain, decorative fountains and car parks. Large trees were removed and a pre-war art deco cafe was demolished. The NGOs have proposed an alternative salvage job where the arches are removed, the fountains removed, lots of trees planted
in the car parks and the pools turned into ponds for water plants and fish.
The removal of the arches would at least be symbolic and would allow us to work towards greater transparency and better management of the Penang Botanic Gardens.

And a report from The Star of 8 June:

Report: Pakistani ISI backs Taliban

The report is based on interviews with Taliban commanders in Afghanistan [Getty] A report by a leading British institution claims that Pakistan's intelligence service has a direct link with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Published by the London School of Economics, the report on Sunday said that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) has an "official policy" of support for the Taliban. It claims the ISI provides funding and training for the Taliban, and that the agency has representatives on the so-called Quetta Shura, the Taliban's leadership council, which is believed to meet in Pakistan. The report is based on interviews with Taliban commanders in Afghanistan, and was written by Matt Waldman, a fellow at Harvard University. US officials have long suspected a link between the ISI and the Taliban, but those suspicions are rarely confirmed. "Pakistan appears to be playing a double-game of astonishing magnitude," the report said. A Pakistani diplomatic source dismissed the report as "naive". 'Apparent duplicity' The report also links high-level members of the Pakistani government with the Taliban. It claims Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, met with senior Taliban prisoners earlier this year and promised to release them. Zardari reportedly told the detainees they were only arrested because of American pressure. "The Pakistan government's apparent duplicity - and awareness of it among the American public and political establishment - could have enormous geopolitical implications," Waldman said. "Without a change in Pakistani behaviour it will be difficult if not impossible for international forces and the Afghan government to make progress against the insurgency." Afghan officials have long been suspicious of the ISI's role. Amrullah Saleh, the former director of Afghanistan's intelligence service, told Reuters last week that the ISI was "part of a landscape of destruction in this country". Saleh resigned last week over a dispute with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.

UMNO’s continuing deception games in the season of University admissions

The following is a fact – bright Indian students are systematically denied their entitlements for Government Scholarships, for admission to Public Universities and for the Matriculation program and this is becoming a more serious problem as more Indian students begin to excel academically.

The following is another fact. MIC plays the intermediary, to contain the anger felt ( and rightfully so) by the parents of these students who have been denied their entitlements. MIC Ministers tell the parents to appeal the denials and that they will bring the matter up with ” the PM or at the Cabinet meeting” (standard MIC/UMNO approach to effectively skirt the problem).

The following is yet another fact. A few days later all those who appealed get their replies – most are still rejected, a few of them get accepted.

Now see the niat in this.

The number of Indian students who get these entitlements from the Government are miniscule to start with. The Government will not release any statistics on this as it will be explosive.This is official UMNO policy.

Even those few that get these entitlements, are not given it all in one go – for there will be nothing left to use to make it look like the Government is a responsive Government ( an illusion they so badly need to create) or that MIC makes any difference being in the Government( another illusion they badly need to maintain).

So after the first results are out, MIC comes out to play and asks the students and parents to appeal and promises they will intervene on their behalf. Then a few more Indian students get their appeals accepted. MIC announces triumphantly that because of their intervention they were able to get even these few more accepted. End of story for the season.

Now here are some questions for you all to ponder over:-
1) Why does the MOE/UMNO government reject the applications in the first place and then require the students to appeal the decision. What is the new information available in their appeals?
2) Why do we not see any corresponding number of appeals from the top performing Malays students?
3) Why does this same scenario (of rejection then appeal and then a few more accepted) – happen year after year?
4) Why does the Government not become transparent about the selection process?
5) What is really happening behind the scenes – JPA, UPU, MOE, PM, MIC?
Think about all these questions, talk about them with your friends and those around you. It will become clearer.

We all need to understand this game clearly – the real game. For this is a game that has been played thousands of times, over and over. “The Game” has been perfected. So perfected , that without our knowledge we have been relieved of our one remaining bargaining chip -our votes, all these years. The games that create illusions and replace reality.

To continue this game this year, unusually, PM Najib gave out RM15,000 each to 50 Indian students via the Sri Murugan Center(SMC) yesterday. Why do you think he is doing this now – One Malaysia??

This is our answer. Lately UMNO has come under serious negative light because of the open expressions of dissatisfaction by the Indian students and their parents. This damages the illusions they try so hard to create and maintain of a Government that indeed looks after the interests of the Indians in the country. What Najib is doing here is really damage control to that illusion. Bad news covered over with some handouts and the media flashes it out in big terms.

Add to that, the fact that now UMNO is attempting to find another way to the Indian hearts and minds. They tried with MMSP and failed, they tried with Mugilan and they are failing, now they are trying SMC and they seem to be teasing SMC into their niat – that may well happen if SMC is not mindful.

We would like to caution the SMC leaders that UMNO’s overtures are not so simple as an award ceremony for bright Indian students or a recognition of the work SMC has done with the Indian community. These overtures are nothing but attempts to find new partners in UMNO’s treacherous game to keep the Indians down, where they are. It is clear UMNO policy to block the intellectual development of the Indians in the country, all the way from kindergarten to upper tertiary education, so that the UMNO elite will be able to effectively remove any possible challenge to their continuing control over the levers of the resources of the nation.

If they do become the new partner that UMNO is looking for, then, they will be in clear violation of their original charter, which is to help develop the long term achievements of Indians in the country through improved academic performance.

UMNO is now trying to replace MIC with SMC as their way of getting the Indian votes. SMC please be aware of this, for you do not want to pit yourself against the long term interests of the Indian community by overtly joining UMNO in this game.Please keep this clear in mind.

Be aware-the ways of the devil are many.

Naragan

Disillusioned Khairy won't stay as FAM veep

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin will not seek re-election as the vice-president of the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) next month.
He announced the decision via his twitter today, a move seemingly reflective of his disillusionment with the state of the nation's footballing body.

"I wish I was. But I'm not. So I'm not seeking re-election next month. The unspoken is self-evident," said Khairy in his twitter.

Khairy was responding via his tweets to friendly suggestions that he used his post to inject some life back in the country's football.

The suggestions were made amid a live telecast of the World Cup game between South Korea and Greece.

South Korea, once a "nobody" in football and a country Malaysia had no problem beating in the past, had gone on to defeat the 2004 European Champion by two goals.

Impossible task to uplift Malaysian football
FAM had appointed Khairy, a self-professed football fanatic, as vice-president at the body's 44th congress in September 2007. His contract ends this year.

He had replaced the Pahang regent Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

His appointment was made during the tenure of then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Khairy's father-in-law.

With high idealism and a passion for football, Malaysian football fans had high hopes that Khairy would put Malaysia back as Southeast Asia's top footballing nation.

But it had proven to be an impossible task. Perhaps beyond his control, the FAM continued to be a disappointment.

Despite the constant injection of millions of ringgit into the body, fans are still forced to cope with poor football domestically and internationally.

MIC should call Samy’s bluff

By Joe Fernandez - Free Malaysia Today,

COMMENT MIC president S Samy Vellu, in a completely new spin, now wants to hand over “a stable and strong party” to his successor. So, he has worked out a complete imaginary overhaul of the party leadership and machinery from top to bottom, inside out. Not that anyone wants even a real shake-up at this stage from him of all people.
This is not the first time that Samy Vellu has announced such a grand plan. The last time it was all about re-branding MIC. This was in the wake of the political tsunami unleashed by the 2008 general election, in which MIC received a drubbing.

Talk is cheap. But that’s what kept Samy Vellu going all those years until the political tsunami swept him away from Sungai Siput.

If Samy Vellu had any sense of dignity and responsibility, he would have resigned on the spot as MIC president. Or, he could have taken former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s advice and committed harakiri.

Again, Samy Vellu is selling the same shake-up plan with a straight face, his eyes unblinking, lest he inadvertently betray any hidden agenda through body language.

All this talk from Samy Vellu implies that the party is not as strong or as stable as he has been claiming all these years. This makes us wonder what exactly he has been doing during the last 30-odd years at the helm of the party.

Why is all this sudden burst of uneconomic energy coming from a man who has already announced, again with a straight face that he will be quitting eight or nine months before his term ends in May 2012?

Did Samy Vellu consult G Palanivel, the president-in-waiting, and secure his co-operation for the proposed shake-up? This is highly unlikely considering that Samy Vellu is yet to even lay his announced retirement before the party’s Central Working Committee for its endorsement. His escape clause hinges on not informing the CWC. The proposed retirement may yet be an empty promise.

Samy Vellu must know that it’s only a matter of time before he’s bundled off, one way or another, into the sunset of political oblivion.

From political actor to kingmaker
Samy Vellu's fallback position may be to go from being the political actor to kingmaker in the style of China’s Deng Xiaoping. Hence his inspiration for a MIC shake-up, which could well be a euphemism for a purge.

On the brighter side, Samy Vellu may as usual simply continue to do nothing. Samy Vellu is not the only one noted for this. PBS President Joseph Pairin Kitingan is notorious for not making any decisions whatsoever. He listens, nods gravely, and then does nothing.

But Samy Vellu has gone one up on Pairin. The MIC leader is noted for staged theatrics in which those around him are roped in as well to play their respective roles according to a certain well-worn script that now fools no one. The result is that those who see him to get his assistance on anything go away empty-handed but with a feeling of immense Tamilian pride that they have seen the great man himself. It takes a while before they realise that they have been taken for a ride.

Unlike Pairin, Samy Vellu is hysterical with laughter after his visitors leave. He’s always amazed at how gullible people can be. This is what convinced him in the first place that he would have a great career in politics, at least for himself.

MIC members and leaders should not assume that Samy Vellu is crying wolf as usual. He may not be uttering the threat of a shake-up just to cow the party into submission in the wake of the GAS (Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu) attack on him.

They should play safe and launch a pre-emptive strike by revamping GAS into something more effective, like the Red Shirts Movement of Thailand, and give him the Marcos treatment. Just 3,500 GAS members at his Kuala Lumpur house will do the trick. They can don saffron-coloured shirts, for example, and not budge from around his house until he agrees to step down immediately.

Force is the language that Samy Vellu employs. MIC members should know where Samy Vellu is coming from. He did not hesitate to call in some rough help in those days when chair-throwing and helmet attacks were deemed necessary during MIC and Maika gatherings.

Palanivel must make a stand
It may not have to even come to brute force if Palanivel has what it takes. All he has to do is imitate Mahathir, who sent his predecessor packing by cleaning out his office when the latter was away in London for medical treatment.

Mahathir’s unique approach to the succession problem is something that former MIC deputy president S Subramaniam never learnt even after 20-odd years. He remained the ever-faithful number two who was always accused by Samy Vellu of being disloyal and plotting a coup d’ etat.

Palanivel is new and should learn this lesson quickly or risk getting thrown out like Subramaniam. By now, Palanivel should have realised that he doesn’t really need Samy Vellu to prop him up.

If Palanivel, MIC leaders and members continue to sit on their collective behinds over Samy Vellu, the opposition alliance can thank their lucky stars. Their road to Putrajaya is more certain than ever.

The AG, IGP and Musa Aman vs Najib, Shafie and the MACC

The dirt is out! It is the Attorney-General Gani Patail that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is trying to prod into prosecuting several people believed to be close associates of Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman for their alleged role in a giant money-laundering scheme.

“That is why there have been so many unconfirmed news reports about highly-placed individuals close to Musa Aman being arrested. The leaks are coming from the MACC. It doesn’t want to show its hand yet, but it wants to send a very strong message to Gani and to IGP Musa Hassan,” a source told Malaysia Chronicle.

According to the source, Prime Minister Najib Razak – who has direct control over the MACC – does not want to offend Musa Aman. He is afraid of stirring up a huge negative political reaction from Sabah Umno should he press too swiftly and too hard.

“Obviously Najib is not doing this because he is really out to fight corruption but these people have gotten out of hand,” the source said.

“They have been manipulating the timber concessions and deals from Yayasan Sabah for themselves rather than channeling the money back to Umno HQ. If he doesn’t put a stop to it, there won’t be anything left for him. It is as simple as that.

Lending credence to the talk of trouble brewing between Najib and Musa Aman is the recent call by Sabah Umno Youth to give Khairy Jamaluddin a cabinet post. Khairy – the national Youth chief – is also the son-in-law of former premier Abdullah Badawi, and Musa Aman is a Badawi loyalist.

The highly unusual call to the PM was seen as a signal from the Sabah leader that he would retaliate if the federal government kept pressuring him.

“The PM, the AG and the MACC must come clean on this matter because it involves Malaysia’s good name. The money laundering activities are just too high-profile to be suppressed and the ICAC is already hot on the trail,” PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin told Malaysia Chronicle.

“It is shameful to hear stories out of Sabah and even Hong Kong that being a fellow Sabahan, the AG wants to help Musa Aman. Gani must answer to Malaysians: is this true, did he or did he not meet with the Hong Kong ICAC and was he trying to persuade them not to probe further into the case?”

Indeed the rumors have spread like wild fire. Names like Michael Chia and his Gang of 14 including senior lawyer, Richard Barnes, have been splashed in various blogs and online portals. Chia – who is widely believed to be one of Musa Aman’s top aides -was detained at the Hong Kong airport two years ago for allegedly trying to smuggle through some RM16 million in cash.

Last year, Shamsul went to Hong Kong to give evidence that Chia was indeed a nominee for Musa Aman. Shamsul told the ICAC that public funds were being illegally obtained and siphoned out from Malaysia and deposited into various accounts in Hong Kong at UBS AG, Bank of East Asia Limited, HSBC, Credit Suisse and Citibank. He also named four other people believed to have embezzled and laundered money belonging to the Sabah state government and its subsidiaries.

“Just like the French submarines case where Suaram had to go to Paris, we had no choice but to go to Hong Kong and lodge a report with the ICAC so that investigations could be carried out because back home, the MACC was refusing to budge,” Shamsul said.

“I believe the Hong Kong probe is now quite advanced, so even if the MACC still refuses to act, the ICAC will. They have come over to Sabah several times and the whole case can really blow up in Malaysia’s face. Money laundering is a big-time crime and if our country is tainted, there goes the credibility of our banking and financial system, not just the political.”

At the Putrajaya end, IGP Musa Hassan is believed to have thrown in his lot with Gani in this matter. The police chief was recently involved in a public spat with Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is Najib’s cousin.

“It is time for the authorities to clear the air rather than use underground methods. Too many questions have popped up including is the IGP related to the AG and where is his stand in this matter?" the source said.

"It is also well known in Umno circles that Najib favours Shafie Apdal as the new Sabah Chief Minister. But even though Najib is PM, Musa Aman is very powerful in Sabah. He is also very wealthy. At the end of the day, these factors may matter more."
http://malaysia-chronicle.blogspot.com/2010/06/ag-igp-and-musa-aman-vs-najib-shafie.html

How can we become another Greece?

We have to admit that our tax structure still has a way to go before we can be forced to turn into a nation of tax evaders like Greece. But with the rolling out of the GST, and hopefully many more prohibitive taxes in the future, we can one day pat ourselves on the back for taking the hard decisions to become a truly bankrupt nation.

By Jeevindra Kumar

A few facts about Greece.

Lets start with the tax regime. The top income tax rate is 40%, and the 37% bracket kicks in at an annual income of 30,000 Euros, and 27% at 12,000 Euros! It also has a VAT(like GST) of 21%, which was recently increased from 19%. On top of that, employees pay a payroll tax of 16%, while employers pay an additional 28%!

This brings a marginal tax rate of 65% on an income of 12,000 Euros, without taking into account other taxes, such as property tax etc.

Capital gains in Greece are taxed as regular income, except for sales of shares traded in Athens.

Corporate tax rate is a nice 25%, and income and dividends from shipping are tax exempt, which is great for the shipping barons.

We have to admit that our tax structure still has a way to go before we can be forced to turn into a nation of tax evaders like Greece. But with the rolling out of the GST, and hopefully many more prohibitive taxes in the future, we can one day pat ourselves on the back for taking the hard decisions to become a truly bankrupt nation.

Greece is blessed with a bloated and inefficient civil service, oligarchs that get preferential pork barrel contracts, and the usual bunch of parasitic cronies, who suck the Greek government of its money very efficiently. We are actually ahead of Greece in this area, a tribute to decades of continuous political and socio-economic segregation by race. We can look forward to an even more bloated civil service in the future, as the ruling coalition and opposition front work hard to keep their majoritarian power base happy, and hopefully we will one day boast of a truly mono-ethnic bureaucracy that employs half a dozen to not do the work of one, an achievement that no other nation in the world will be able to beat. Malaysia Boleh!

We must be careful to make sure that the removal of subsidies, and other reforms, will not result in the preferential deals and subsidies given to IPPs and other important cronies being affected in any way, shape or form. These are some of the important conduits through which we can fast track our transformation into a truly bankrupt nation, as the nation's wealth is siphoned down and out of the country, away from the dirty, grubby people that created the wealth in the first place.

The Greek government has defaulted on their 300 billion Euro worth of debt. This means that it is the government that is bankrupt. The citizens still have their homes and businesses. But being the government they will make the necessary moves to increase taxes, reduce wages, and pass some of the pain to the citizens, while not making the necessary move to reduce spending by cutting down all the excesses in the civil service and oligarch friendly administration and policies. With a debt growth of 12% a year, we can do the same.

The Greek government excelled itself in being uncompetitive. Prior to joining the Eurozone and adopting the Euro, the Greek Drachma went from 50 to 400 to the US Dollar, a devaluation of 8x over twenty years. That gave the Greek economy an effective inflation rate of 11% p.a. Good news for Malaysians, we managed to hit an 11% inflation rate y-o-y from Jan 2008 to Jan 2009. If we can continue to achieve this rate, we can enjoy the same depletion of real savings to the tune of losing 40 days of income and savings for each year we have worked, every year.

Of course we cannot sit quietly and let the Government bear the entire burden of transformation into a bankrupt state. Athens in the year 333 BC had what is considered to be the first property bubble in known history. We must strive to do the same by creating, if we haven't already, and bursting a property bubble of decent proportions in this country as well. I am sure the herd instinct will drive Malaysians to do what is necessary to bring the economy to its knees.

In summary, if we can continue our policy of socio-economic segregation, preferential treatment of parasites; exhibit the lack of will as shown by "legally right but morally wrong" quotes, and allow the government to spend more than its revenue to support a next to useless civil service and make unnecessary purchases, as well as allow the non development of potential talent on the basis of race and religion to promote non-competitiveness, we can capture the headlines just as Greece has in the near future, and join the ranks of truly bankrupt nations in the world.

Zaid: Pakatan’s fate tied to economy, not race

Zaid said PAS admissions of a loss of Malay backing were “an unnecessary exaggeration”. — file pic

PETALING JAYA, June 13 — Datuk Zaid Ibrahim believes the economy and not race would determine Pakatan Rakyat’s fortunes in the next general elections, but warned that the opposition coalition has yet to wake-up to this reality.

The question of race has been a hallmark of Malaysian politics, plaguing most peninsula-based parties on both sides of the political divide, but the Kelantan-born lawyer said Pakatan Rakyat (PR) must transcend such thoughts.

“Malays and non-Malays are concerned with the economy, education and jobs,” the former Umno minister told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

Zaid, who is now PR’s secretariat co-ordinator, was responding to admissions by PAS leaders that they were losing the support of Malays in their drive to woo non-Malays, made during their annual general assembly in Kota Baru.

He described the statements as “unnecessary exaggeration”, similar to a worry expressed by his own PKR in its congress two weeks ago.

We don’t want to be in denial but such statements are exactly what Umno wants to hear,” said Zaid, who narrowly lost the Hulu Selangor Parliamentary by-election in late April.

Perkasa has swayed many Malays with its “simplistic and emotional claims”, said Zaid. — file pic

He said the big issue for Malays since Election 2008, when the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) lost five states and its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament, was the emergence of Perkasa led by fellow Kelantanese, Datuk Ibrahim Ali. 

 

Zaid said the Malay nationalist group has been making all sorts of “emotional and simplistic claims, which appeal to some Malays.”
For instance, they argue that since Bumiputeras comprise 65 per cent of the population they should get 65 per cent of the economic pie.

“Of course some Malays will be attracted,” he declared.
Zaid says PR has not done enough to counter the rhetoric and explain the realities to Malays who have been taken in.
“We need to respond in concrete and practical ways.”

He said PR must lay on the table the benefits of having the coalition in Putrajaya. This includes economic reforms to counter corruption and poor administration.

For instance, Zaid claimed that the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) had lost millions of ringgit under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.

He said PR needed to show how it would reform Felda and other agencies that directly impact Malays.
These include the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) and the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra) where many Bumiputeras have settled under land schemes that began since the 1960s.

He said millions of taxpayers’ money have been plundered but no one has explained to ordinary Malays the impact it has on them.

The former Kota Baru MP said whether PR wins or lose the next general election depends on how well they convince all Malaysians that they could manage the economy.

With an eye on the next election, Najib has tabled the 10th Malaysian Plan (10MP) which promises a high-income nation for all Malaysians. But the prime minister made a volte-face by sticking to a 30 per cent Bumiputera equity quota despite vowing earlier to free the economy under the New Economic Model (NEM).

Najib told youths at a 1 Malaysia rally yesterday to be competitive and not rely on government aid while his Umno Youth chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, said the ruling coalition cannot rely on “racial and narrow politics” in the future.

Case closed, but murdered IGP's family deserves closure

The New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: It has been 36 years since the country's top police officer was gunned down in broad daylight, but to date, no one has been tried for the crime.

Some feel the family of Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim, shot dead on June 7, 1974, deserves closure.

Ragunath Kesavan, president of the Malaysian Bar Council, said the family of the late inspector-general of police deserved to know so that they could have a sense of closure.

However, he was unsure how that could be achieved.

"How do you go about reopening such a case? If all the evidence, investigation papers and witnesses could be found, then there might be a possibility."

He also said the indication given by the authorities then was that the same people who assassinated the Perak chief police officer Tan Sri Khoo Chong Kong were involved in Rahman's murder.

"If they were indeed involved in the IGP's murder, they should have been tried for the crime."

Ex-Police Association of Malaysia secretary-general Mohd Hanafiah Abdul Manap said he sympathised with the families of Rahman and Khoo, adding that the association would hold a dinner to commemorate the contributions of great men to the country on July 3.

In an article penned by Rahman's son, Najib Rahman, for the New Sunday Times' "I Remember When" column last week, he said although the two men who were caught for Khoo's murder were implicated in his father's assassination, they were never tried in court for the crime.

To this day, Najib wonders why.

Two gunmen, purportedly communist hitmen, fired automatic pistols at Rahman and his driver, Sgt Omar, who were in a blue Mercedes in Lorong Raja Chulan.

Omar took a nick in the neck, but managed to flee. Rahman was gunned down.

Lawyer Karpal Singh called for fresh investigations into the murder so that it would not remain "an unsolved mystery for all time".

Karpal was the defending lawyer of one of the two men who were tried for the murder of Khoo and his driver, Sgt Yeong Peng Chong, in Ipoh on Nov 13, 1975.

He acted for Lim Woon Chong, a senior member of the Malayan Communist Party Liberation Front, who was found guilty and sentenced to death on March 22, 1978, by the Ipoh High Court.

According to Karpal, his former client's appeal to the Federal Court was summarily dismissed on June 25 the following year and he was hanged in early 1980 in Pudu Jail.

"Lim had also been charged with the assassination of the late IGP but before he was executed, he confided in me that he had nothing to do with it.

"He instructed me to take steps to defer his execution to clear his name in the assassination of the IGP for the simple reason that he did not carry it out. He did not want to die without clearing his name."

He applied to the Kuala Lumpur High Court to have Lim's case called up before his execution on a certificate of urgency. He said the late Tan Sri Harun Hashim, the then High Court judge, called up the case immediately and directed that the trial proceed.

"However, deputy public prosecutor (the late) T.S. Sambanthamurthi withdrew the charge, after which the judge ordered the acquittal of Lim on that charge.

"I have no doubt in my mind that Lim was innocent of the charge of the assassination of the IGP."

So who murdered Rahman in cold blood? Karpal, who is member of parliament for Bukit Gelugor, said he had raised this question several times in Parliament.

"At first, the blame was placed squarely on Lim's shoulders.

"When I pointed out what had happened before judge Harun Hashim, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Datuk Seri) Mohd Nazri Aziz said investigations were still on."

Asked about the case, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said: "This was well before my time. I won't know unless the police show me the file."

Gani's predecessor, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, also said he had no knowledge of the case as he was only head of the Civil Division in the Attorney-General's Chambers at the time.

"I was sent to prosecute the two who were on trial for the murder of the Perak CPO. However, I only remember that one of the accused threw a slipper at the judge. I don't know about the details involving the IGP's case in Kuala Lumpur."

As far as the police is concerned, the case is closed. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said this was because the two men involved were the same ones responsible for the murder of Khoo.

Attempts to get Nazri's comments were not successful.

USA get rub of the Green

A terrible mistake from England’s Robert Green gave USA a share of the spoils in Group C’s opening match played in front of a passionate crowd in Rustenburg. The goalkeeper, given the nod by Fabio Capello to start the match ahead of David James and Joe Hart, allowed Clint Dempsey’s 25-yard drive to slip through his grasp, giving last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup finalists a deserved share of the spoils.

The game had begun so well for England, who enjoyed an ideal start to their FIFA World Cup™ campaign, taking the lead with just four minutes on the clock. Frank Lampard found Emile Heskey who played a perfectly-weighted ball to Steven Gerrard and the skipper made no mistake with an intelligent finish past Man of the Match Tim Howard with the outside of his right foot.

From then on, however, USA gradually got more of the ball and a grip of the game. They fired their first real warning when Landon Donovan’s teasing cross from the right was headed wide by Jozy Altidore. Oguchi Onyewu also glanced wide a header, again from a Donovan set-piece, and the LA Galaxy man himself tested Green with a curling 25-yard effort which swerved just wide of the upright.

If USA seemed not to be enjoying any luck, they got their deserved equaliser in fortunate fashion five minutes before the break. Dempsey’s shot appeared to be straightforward enough to handle, but Green’s failed attempt to claim the ball drew them level. It was a horrible mistake by the England goalkeeper – one which he immediately acknowledged - but one which England ultimately failed to recover from.

The Three Lions upped the tempo in the second half and Emile Heskey spurned a good chance to put them ahead - firing straight at the keeper after being put clean through by Aaron Lennon. Lampard stung the palms of Howard with a long-range effort and Glen Johnson also snatched a shot when well placed.

Green went some way to atone for his earlier error when he pushed Altidore’s shot onto the post after the pacy striker had powered past substitute Jamie Carragher down the left.

As the half wore on, Wayne Rooney began to find more space and consequently his influence on the game increased. First he headed over from a Gerrard cross and then a quickly taken free-kick almost caught Howard out, but the ball flashed wide of the far post. The No10 also set up Shaun Wright-Phillips in a fantastic position, but his shot lacked conviction and Howard was able to make a comfortable save.

With the clock ticking down, both managers introduced striking substitutes in the hope of a late winner, but a winning goal failed to come. With such a fearsome rivalry between the sides, there was a feeling of anti-climax at the final whistle, but there is still plenty to play for at the FIFA World Cup.

Heinze header downs Nigeria

Argentina joined Saturday's earlier winners Korea Republic on three points in Group B with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria at Johannesburg's packed Ellis Park. Gabriel Heinze scored the game's only goal with a diving header from a corner in just the sixth minute, although the two-time FIFA World Cup™ winners would have added more if not for the heroics of Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and their own wasteful finishing.

As early as the fourth minute, FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi burst through the Super Eagles' defence and set up Gonzalo Higuain in front of goal, but the Real Madrid man blazed wide of the target. Two minutes later Messi tested Enyeama from 20 yards out, but the Israel-based goalkeeper saved well with a dive to his right. However, from the resulting corner, Heinze ran free of his marker and made no mistake with his header from the penalty spot. The early goal sent coach Diego Maradona into raptures on the sideline, and surely he must have thought there was more to come.

Messi was a constant thorn in the side of the Nigeria defence, and in the 18th minute he cut inside and curled a left-footed shot towards goal from 25 yards out. But Enyeama was up to the task with a fine save at his post. Three minutes later, the Albiceleste threatened again but Higuain blasted his point-blank shot right into the goalkeeper. Enyeama was the Nigerian hero another time shortly after, denying Messi with his fingertips when it seemed like his curling shot would sneak in.

The introduction of Obafemi Martins early in the second period sparked Nigeria into life. The Wolfsburg forward showed his pace on the hour to latch onto a through-ball and play in Sani Kaita but he blasted over from 25 yards out. As the match opened up, Argentina found more room in the attacking third. In the 65th minute, they counter-attacked quickly to find themselves four-on-two and bearing down on the Nigeria defence. Carlos Tevez slid the ball dangerously into the middle, Angel Di Maria let the ball carry on to Messi, but the Barcelona superstar hit his shot agonisingly wide. Messi then set up Higuain for another opening, but Enyeama was again the victor in that head-to-head duel.

In the 71st minute, Nigeria left-back Taye Taiwo blasted a shot just wide of the post from the edge of the area, injuring himself in the process. His replacement, Kalu Uche, had the best chance of the night for the Super Eagles in the 83rd minute, but he failed to keep down an effort from 12 yards out despite being left unmarked. Nigeria next face Greece on 17 June in Manguang/Bloemfontein, when Argentina and Korea Republic will battle it out for top spot in the group at Johannesburg’s Soccer City.

Koreans hold all the aces

Korea Republic claimed the first victory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ as a goal early in each half made it a disappointing start for Group B opponents Greece.

The South Koreans were the dominant force for virtually all of the first half in the Port Elizabeth Stadium although they had to withstand some initial pressure from Greece with Vasileios Torosidis seeing an effort fly off target. The same player should then have scored following Georgios Karagounis's corner but he put a decent chance wide from nine yards.

Huh Jung-Moo's side shrugged off that scare and proceeded to pin their opponents back, and with only seven minutes gone they forged ahead. A free-kick from near the left-hand corner flag found the blue shirts all at sea and at the far post Lee Jung-Soo pounced to sidefoot home and become his country's fastest-ever scorer at a FIFA World Cup.

Greece, European champions in 2004, never recovered from that setback and Korea smelled the chance of further goals with Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung always a danger and Yeom Ki-Hun also pulling the strings. In the 28th minute the South Koreans, fast-raiding and adroit with their ball control, fashioned an outstanding chance to double their advantage as Park Ji-Sung slid a lovely ball into the feet of Park Chu-Young.

Park Chu-Young was clear of the last man but just as he attempted to seal his strong run with a scoring finish, a combination of the back-pedalling Loukas Vyntra and Alexandros Tzorvas denied him, the goalkeeper making a vital intervention to deflect the ball over. Greece had to change their approach and Otto Rehhagel decided to take off captain Karagounis at the break with Christos Patsatzoglou coming in. However with another goal seven minutes into the second period, Korea put the game as good as out of reach.

It was a disaster for Greek defending as they gave possession away inside their own half through Vyntra and were left helpless as Park Ji-Sung took ruthless advantage. There was strength, control and determination in his run as he tore into the penalty area before burying a left-footed shot past Tzorvas to become only the second Asian player to score in three different FIFA World Cups, having also found the net in 2002 and 2006. It should have been three minutes later as Park Chu-Young dashed between defenders to meet a cross from the right but he could not keep his header down.

Greece, who had not managed a goal in any of their three previous FIFA World Cup games – all of which had been lost in 1994 – had no option but to give everything to try and claw back the deficit. They looked to Theofanis Gekas, who with ten goals was the leading scorer in European qualifying, to inspire an recovery, and he tried an ambitious overhead kick which went over. Soon after Pantelis Kapetanos scooped the ball over as it was drilled in from the left while Gekas forced Jung Sung-Ryong into a fine save at the end. But there was no dispute that Korea were good value for their three points.

Home Ministry panel remains mum on revealing IGSO

PAS supporters wing marks another notch

(Malaysiakini) After years of backing PAS, a non-Muslim from the newly formed Supporters Wing finally stood before the Islamic party's muktamar (general assembly), not as an observer, but a muktamar delegate.

The wing's secretary, K Deepakaran (right) took the stage to debate the motion of thanks for the president's policy speech in this morning's debate session. While this is not the first time a non-Muslim or PAS supporter spoke before the party's muktamar, this is the first that a non-Muslim is a delegate.

"I stand before you and give thanks to God almighty," he said, to loud clapping and shouts of "Takbir" from the 1,500-strong audience of delegates and observers.

"I am glad to be here today, to learn as well as to impart our message to fellow delegates. This represents a new chapter in PAS history. This proves that PAS is not only a party for Islam and Muslims but as a party that fights for all regardless of race," he added.

Deepakaran then went on to state that the wing stands ready to work together with PAS to galvanize non-Muslim support for the Islamic party.

However, he also alluded that in return, the party must fight for the rights of the non-Malays and non-Muslims and work more closely with them.

More punch to pushing the point

"We hope to secure the support of PAS members of parliament to highlight the issue of Indian and Chinese schools, including Islamic schools, which have not been given fair allocations by the Ministry of Education," Deepakaran said.

He added that the party should also consult the supporters wing before any appointments of headmen, local councilors or JKKK members are made. This, so the wing can work together more closely with the other wings and the appointed representatives, he said.

Deepakaran concluded his speech with a rousing shout of "Takbir" to shouts of "Allah Hu Akbar" (God is great) in return from the audience.

The supporters wing - officially announced and officiated in Klang, Selangor, late last month by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang - sent a 15-member delegation to the Islamic party's 56th muktamar at the Islamic Tarbiyah Centre in Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan.

The wing's representatives were granted the status of delegates and allowed participation in the muktamar's debates, but not in voting on the motions tabled for debate.

This landmark move by the Islamic party represents its recognition of the long standing support of non-Muslims for the party, previously known as the PAS Supporters Club (above), albeit without official status.

Video Kulim: Racist Umno denies Indian students JPA, Matriculation, University seats

Sign our Petition here: http://www.hrp-my.org/sign-our-petition/
SPM 7 A’s above denied JPA Scholarship, Matriculation & University seats.
Urgent Public Petition Campaign to PM Najib Razak (Download, circulate &
return to us by 14/6/10
HINDRAF & Human Rights Party (HRP) urges all concerned citizens to protest
the injustices of the UMNO/BN led Malay-sian government denying top and
high achieving Indian students UP TO 13A’s JPA scholarships, Matriculation
and Public University seats locally and overseas. We call upon all
concerned citizens to support our “HINDRAF & HRP 10,000 signature campaign
Petition to PM.Najib Razak on Indian students being denied JPA
scholarships, Matriculation & Public University places especially in
critical courses and also for a Royal Commission of Enquiry to stop such
UMNO’s racial discrimination”.
Please avoid waiting until the last moment to sign and we urge you all to
access our website www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com & www.hrp-my.org to
sign our online petition or download our petition get it sign and return
the same to us.
You could also come to our HRP HQ at No.6, Jalan Abdullah, off Jalan
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur (near to Klinik Pergigian Jalan Bangsar) and collect
the signature campaign petition and return it immediately or by 14/6/10 to
us by fax at 03 22825245 & Tel: 03 22825241 or email to
jayaathas@gmail.com.
Please help this campaign in putting to a stop these 40 years of
injustices against the top and high achieving Indian students.
Please join us on 15/6/10 at 11.00am at the Parliament House in submitting
our Memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully

S.JAYATHAS
HINDRAF & Human Rights Party (HRP)
Information Chief
012 6362287

Calls for 'strict policy' to curb defections

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

PAS MUKTAMAR KOTA BARU: Delegates at the 56th PAS muktamar (congress) today unanimously passed a motion calling for a “strict, relevant and reasonable” policy to vet potential candidates for the 13th general election to prevent defections.

The policy should also be capable of sussing out capable and genuine candidates for the party to field in its bid to wrest as many parliamentary seats as possible from Umno.

The motion also called for an effective working strategy in voter registration, finance and leadership training for the election machinery.

This was the sixth motion passed today.

In tabling the motion, Jerantut PAS head Dr Hamzah Jaafar said the people and “not only the Malays but Chinese and Indians too” are hoping that PAS will replace Umno.

The other motion that also saw unanimous support from delegates was the call to abolish sports betting, and a motion to condemn the Israeli attack on the Gaza aid flotilla.

Representing the PAS central committee, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari tabled the motion.

"We should rise and oppose this step taken by the government to legalise sports betting by awarding the licence to Ascot Sports.

“Allah has clearly said that gambling is illegal and no religion condones gambling.

“We do not know what religion Umno is... but PAS and its Pakatan Rakyat partners, including the people are against this. If this matter is ignored, then our children will fall into the trap of gambling,” he said.

Mass protest

The resolution also called for strengthening of enforcement laws against gambling and to educate the people on the ills of the activity.

It also called on PAS to mobilise the people of Malaysia to gather for a mass protest on July 3 in Kuala Lumpur.

A delegate, in echoing Ahmad’s view, said: "We must go against all kinds of gambling and not only sports betting, so that we are not seen as practising double standards."

In the motion condemning the Mavi Marmara attack, the delegates urged the government to recognise the Hamas government and boycott pro-Zionist products.

Agreeing with the motion, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad alleged that the government and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak were making changes to the country's foreign policies.

"They want a situation where they and the world are part of an alliance together with United States. They want to shed the image under Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) of supporting Palestine and criticising Israel and US," said Khalid.

Also unanimously passed was a motion to condemn the surrender of RM320 billion worth of oil Blocks L and M to the Brunei government. The motion was tabled by deputy president Salahuddin Ayub.

Six motions were passed by the delegates today, and among them, were calls for all major and important national issues to be discussed in Parliament and not decided arbitrarily and solely by the Prime Minister, and a censure of the government’s action in a land swap deal involving Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd’s plots in Singapore.

There was also a call for the government to immediately terminate its dealings with the global consultancy, Apco Worldwide.

Also passed today was a motion to amend the PAS constitution to ease party administration and "to ensure that the policies and principles of PAS will continue to be defended, besides strengthening Pakatan".

Moral versus profit

Horse racing is not illegal in Malaysia. Casinos are not illegal in Malaysia. Fruit machines (slot machines or one-arm bandits) are not illegal in Malaysia. Lotteries are not illegal in Malaysia. Toto is not illegal in Malaysia. Why suddenly everyone is so opposed to sports betting?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The debate between the supporters and detractors of sports betting raise the issue of moral versus profit. Those who support it argue that it would earn the country extra revenue. Those who do not support it argue that gambling is morally wrong and will result in families breaking up.

Actually, the argument is not really about that at all. It is about legal and illegal gambling. Legal gambling is licenced gambling while illegal gambling is ‘underground’ gambling. Those who oppose sports betting oppose it because it is being licenced by the government. They do not oppose gambling per se. They oppose the licencing of gambling.

Even without licencing it sports betting has been going on for a long time. They even have a system of ‘how many goals’ and not just which team is going to win. In fact, you can even bet on the result of a by-election -- not only on which party is going to win but also by how many votes.

Are you aware that a very high percentage of police officers ‘buy numbers’? I should know. I have been arrested and detained enough times to overhear police officers phoning their bookies to place bets. This means illegal betting. And we are not talking about just one or two police officers or about just rank and file police officers.

So, when the trustees of the law -- those who are supposed to enforce the law and eradicate illegal betting -- are themselves heavily placing bets through bookies, how can you expect this problem to be solved?

Okay, let us agree that the government is losing billions of Ringgit every year because of illegal betting. And say that by legalising or licencing it the government will now earn more revenue. But do you really think that this will result in the underground bookies going out of business?

The government has just created competition for the underground bookies. This means all they need to do is to just offer better odds and the gamblers will continue coming to them instead of to the licenced bookies.

And they can do that easily enough.

The licenced bookies need to pay tax. They also have overheads to service and dividends to shareholders to pay out every year. The underground bookies have no such costs. So they can afford to offer better rates and still make a profit. The licenced bookies can’t match them or else they will be going below their operating cost.

This is where the underground bookies have the edge. I mean, even with Sport Toto, Genting, and what have you, the market for illegal gambling and illegal betting is still there and extremely large and lucrative at that. No amount of licencing can totally wipe out illegal gambling and illegal betting.

The licencing of gambling and betting is not the solution. Enforcement of the law is. But when the enforces of the law are themselves not only clients of illegal betting but also ‘have a share in the business’ -- in that they collect protection money from the underworld -- what hope in hell do we have that by licencing gambling and betting the underground market would die off?

Anyway, if this is just about revenue and earning more money for the government, why stop at just gambling and betting? The prostitution market is also very large. In some countries prostitutes are registered and they have to declare their income and pay tax. Since prostitution is legal you can also pay for their services with your credit card.

In other countries, prostitutes are not only registered but they also need to go for weekly medical checkups and are issued a certificate which they can hang over their bed to give their clients the comfort of knowing that these girls are free of any disease. This is mandatory and any prostitute who does not go for these weekly medical checkups, and prove that they have done so with their latest medical certificate, would suffer the long arm of the law.

Even more money can be earned this way and if money is the issue then what’s the difference between gambling and prostitution? Many countries regard prostitution the way they regard gambling, in that it is legal as long as it is willing-buyer-willing-seller.

Horse racing is not illegal in Malaysia. Casinos are not illegal in Malaysia. Fruit machines (slot machines or one-arm bandits) are not illegal in Malaysia. Lotteries are not illegal in Malaysia. Toto is not illegal in Malaysia. Why suddenly everyone is so opposed to sports betting? It is just one more form of many forms of gambling and betting. But no one is up in arms about all the others. They are just upset about this latest thing.

Sometimes it is mind-boggling that Malaysians have this selective opposition syndrome, SOS for short. They are not opposed to gambling. They are only opposed to a certain form of gambling. All other forms are alright. And they are opposed to prostitution but not to gambling.

How do you figure out Malaysians?

Siamese community enjoys Bumi rights: Nazri

(Bernama) - Some 60,000 Siamese in the peninsular, who are categorised as Bumiputeras, enjoy Bumiputera rights like the Malays, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.


"As such, all quarters must accord them the Bumiputera rights like other Bumiputeras," he told reporters after opening the Women in the Globalisation Era at the Machimmaram Siamese Temple at Kampung Jubakar here Saturday.

Mohamed Nazri, who is also the patron of the Malaysian Siamese Association, said Siamese living along the border of Thailand with Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Perak had lived in the country for a long time.

He urged all quarters to understand the Siamese citizenship status and accord them the Bumiputera rights.

On the problem of about 100 Siamese without identity cards in Kelantan, Mohamed Nazri said he would investigate the matter.

About 400 Siamese women from Tumpat and Pasir Mas attended the seminar, which is meant to enlighten them on their citizen rights.

Malaysia To Rally Countries For UN Special Session To Condemn Israeli Atrocities -Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is to seek the agreement of like-minded countries to condemn the atrocities of the Zionist regime at a special session of the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Saturday.

"I will ask our UN permanent representative in New York to meet with the UN secretary-general to state that Malaysia is one of the countries which will bring a resolution on the matter.

"I will also contact member countries of the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference), NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) and other like-minded countries so that they will be in agreement to the holding of a UN special session in September," he said when launching the 1Malaysia Rally at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here.

Najib had tabled a motion in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday where the Malaysian government condemned the Israeli regime for having attacked a humanitarian aid ship bound for blockaded Gaza, resulting in the death of seven Turks who were among the peace activists, including 12 Malaysians, on board the vessel.

The 1Malaysia Rally, organised by Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth, had gathered youths of all religions and races to condemn the Zionist regime and express support for the people of Palestine.

The rally was also aimed at explaining government policies and obtaining feedback from the people on their implementation.

Simultaneously with the 1Malaysia Rally, the prime minister also launched the 1Malaysia Tour of going down to the ground to get closer to the people, including in Sabah and Sarawak.

In his speech, earlier, Najib said the government would assist youths who had the potential to succeed without regard to any quota.

"We will help youths with potential to succeed because they have the capacity to compete and are bold enough to move forward and bring about change - youths with the potential to become domestic, regional and global champions.

"We will not make special considerations or defend any quota. We will provide assistance to those who are prepared to go forward.

"I want to identify among youths, including girls, those who have the capacity to succeed and change and become global champions. The government will help them achieve success," he said.

Also present at the event was Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and youth leaders of the BN component parties, including from Sabah and Sarawak.

In conjunction with the launch, the Malaysian People's Peace Alliance (Aman Malaysia) held a "Save Palestine" exhibition at the Putra Stadium to portray the history of occupation of Palestine as well as pictures depicting the Zionist regime's atrocities.

Aman Malaysia chairman Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid said the exhibition would be moved to KL Sentral next week and later to other venues throughout the country.

He also said that the "SMS for Gaza" campaign launched by Aman Malaysia last week had received 40,000 messages whereby the collection from the SMS despatches would be channeled to Gaza through the Foreign Ministry.

Malaysians could express their support for the people of Palestine via SMS by typing GAZA and sending to 32928. The telcos would charge 50 sen for each SMS.

Proton: A subsidy by any other name...

By Anil Netto,

Lately, officials have been stretching the definition of ’subsidies’ and playing around with words – which is why Idris Jala’s figure for total ’subsidies’ last year (RM74 billion) is vastly different from the Treasury’s (RM18.8 billion).

We are now told that a lot of the regular government spending on essential services for the people (which is the responsibility of any decent government and funded by taxpayers’ money) are ’subsidies’ which distort the market, blah-blah-blah.

Okay, you want to talk about subsidies, let’s talk about subsidies…

What happens when the government provides assistance to corporations either in cash (public money) or in kind? Then the government and their media refer to these handouts as incentives, tax allowances, soft loans, grants, special funds … anything but ’subsidies’, which is actually what they are! Of course, where the situation is dire, there are the rescue packages, compensation for cost over-runs, and the infamous bailouts (all using public money of course without being referred to as ’subsidies’).

I was flipping through the pages of The Edge (7 June) and came across this: did you know that Proton would have been “firmly in the red in the last three of five years without a government R&D grant booked as operating income”?

For FY2008, Proton made a net profit of RM184.5 million, but according to The Edge, its Annual Report showed it received a grant amounting to RM193.7 million for the year. If not for this “grant”, the firm would have made a loss of RM9.2 million.

For FY2010, Proton posted a net profit of RM289 million. But the firm received grants totalling RM143 million in the last two quarters, which was about half of its net profit for the year.

These days, the focus by BN leaders and their media is all about the “subsidies” given to the rakyat. Why don’t they talk about the subsidies given to corporations?

In Proton’s case, such subsidies coming from government/public funds (that’s our money) are helping to keep the firm afloat.

If you want to talk about market distortions, then these R&D grants are distorting the real financial performance of this car manufacturer. These government grants would be better invested in public transport instead of a firm promoting private vehicle ownership.

More cars mean more tolled highways, which the rakyat not only subsidise (by forking out ever-increasing tolls) but in some cases pay tolls that add up to several times the highway investment cost, resulting in large profits for the concessionaires. So who is subsidising whom?

The other interesting news is that former Proton CEO Tengku Mahaleel has reportedly received a cool RM5 million out-of-court settlement from Proton. “It is understood that the decision to settle with Mahaleel this time was influenced by Proton adviser Mahathir, who has taken on a more active role in Proton since the resignation of (chairman) Azlan,” noted The Edge.

Another development not widely known is that two independent directors – both of them members of Proton’s audit committee – have reportedly resigned.

Proton is also reportedly considering selling a stake in Lotus to the Lotus CEO and his management team as a form of incentive. According to the Edge, the board had received a bid from a Chinese national offering three times the price – but turned it down because it says Lotus is not for sale to outside parties.

Anyway, this is just Proton. What about all those other companies receiving subsidies?

What I am going to do in the next few days is try and compile a little list of corporations receiving subsidies out of public funds whether in cash or in kind. Then maybe we might get a different picture of who the big subsidy recipients are.

Care to help me compile this list in the comments section below?

Pope begs forgiveness for abuse

Pope Benedict XVI has begged forgiveness from victims of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests and promised the Church would "do everything possible" to ensure it never happened again.

Benedict made the vow during a homily on Friday in St Peter's Square, the Vatican, to end the Roman Catholic Church's "Year of the Priest" celebrations.

His comments were the clearest so far about the abuse scandal that has swept the Church around the world.

In his homily, Benedict lamented that during what should have been a year of joy for the priesthood the "sins of priests came to light - particularly the abuse of the little ones".

"We ... insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again," he said.

'Enemy of the church'

The 83-year-old pope, who has met abuse victims in the United States, Australia and Malta, also promised that the Church would enact stronger controls on choosing men who enter the priesthood.

"In admitting men to priestly ministry and in their formation we will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey, so that the Lord will protect them," he said.

Robert Mickens, Vatican correspondent for the weekly Catholic paper The Tablet in Rome, told Al Jazeera that while the pope may consider the issue to be over, it would be a different story for the victims.

"The pope today actually laid this at the foot of what he called the 'enemy' of the church - it's a kind of euphemism for the devil or Satan, that brought these things to light," he said.

"I don't think that's exactly what the victims of this abuse were expecting him to say."

'Cover-up'

Hundreds of cases of sexual and physical abuse of youths in recent decades by priests have come to light in Europe and the United States as disclosures encouraged long-silent victims to finally go public with their complaints.

Late last year, Ireland was rocked by two successive reports revealing widespread abuse mainly of boys by priests going back decades, coupled with the Church hierarchy's complicity in covering it up.

Benedict, in his earlier roles as an archbishop in Germany and later in his tenure at the helm of the Vatican morals office, has been accused by victim support groups of being part of a systematic cover-up by the church hierarchy of suspected paedophile priests.

Earlier this year a story in the New York Times newspaper published internal church documents regarding a paedophile priest in the US, surrounding accusations that the Reverend Lawrence Murphy abused up to 200 deaf boys from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Among documents the New York Times posted on its website was a 1996 letter about Murphy to Benedict, then the Vatican's senior doctrinal official, showing he had been informed of the case.

Benedict's deputy first advised a secret disciplinary trial but dropped the plan in 1998 after Murphy appealed directly to him for clemency. Murphy died later that year.

The Vatican has reacted defiantly to the suggestion that Benedict had been involved in a cover-up of Murphy's paedophilia, dismissing the allegations as "petty gossip".

But some groups have demanded he take responsibility for the Vatican as an institution.

Five bishops in Europe have already resigned over the scandal.

One has admitted sexual abuse, another is under investigation and three have stepped down over their handling of abuse cases.

The cases have hit the Catholic Church hard, with a poll two months ago in Germany showing that a majority of people had lost confidence in the Church and about a quarter of the country's Catholics are considering quitting.

CHUA JUI MENG : PRESS STATEMENT BY THE COUNCIL OF ROYAL COURT

Johor sultan's decision 'nothing to do with politics'

(Malaysiakini) The Johor Royal Council has confirmed that it has stripped PKR supreme council member Chua Jui Meng of his two 'datuk' titles, but denied that it was due to political pressure.

Its secretary Abdul Rahim Ramli (left) said the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, has the power to confer awards or withdraw them as he is above politics.

"There is no such thing as political pressure either to confer or withdraw the awards. The Sultan of Johor is above politics. Politicians have no say in this matter," he told a press conference at Istana Besar in Johor Bahru today.

Abdul Rahim also confirmed that the Datuk titles of three others had been revoked. The affected are Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir, the first Asian woman to cross the Antarctic, Commander Shaftdean Lufty Rusland and Hassan Yunos.

Rahim said the Sultan of Johor has full power, as provided under Article 12 of the Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia Rules and Regulations and Article 7(f) Section 2 of the State Constitution 1895.

Asked why the awards conferred to Chua were withdrawn, he said the Sultan of Johor did not have to cite reasons as it was within his prerogative.

He said those who had awards withdrawn should ask themselves whether they had done 'something honourable' or not.

"Don't do things that are against that done by good people," he said adding three main consideration for awards were loyalty, diligence and meritorious service.

He added only 712 individuals had been conferred with awards by the Sultan of Johor since 1886. Of the 712 recipients, only 120 are still alive.

Former MCA vice-president

Chua - who now sits on the PKR supreme council - said yesterday Abdul Rahim Ramli had called him twice asking him to return all his medals.

"(Abdul Rahim) told me that my two datuk-ships have been revoked," Chua, who was health minister from 1995 to 2004, told Malaysiakini.

To this, Abdul Rahim said that his telephone call to Chua was to be taken as official notification that his titles had been withdrawn.

"Chua is required to return these Johor state awards as soon as possible," said Abdul Rahim. The two titles are the 'Dato Paduka Makhota Johor' and the 'Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor".

Chua (right) also said yesterday that Abdul Rahim had refused to tell him the reason for the revocation, stating that the palace was not obliged to reveal its reasons.

Chua was formerly an MCA vice-president. He left the party after an unsuccessful second attempt for the president's post in the 2008 party election. He joined PKR in 2009.

However, he still retains his 'datuk' honorific as he had also been conferred state awards in 2002 and 2003 - by Pahang and Selangor respectively - which carry a similar title.

According to constitutional expert Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, the sultan has complete discretion in the awarding and withdrawal of royal honorifics and this is clear in both the federal and state constitutions.

Explanation needed

However, the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa academician said Chua had a right to know why the two titles were withdrawn as his 'reputation was at stake'.

"Even though the law is silent, it is highly inappropriate in this age to withdraw the titles without explanation as the public would get the impression that the holder has committed something wrong. The holder has every right to protect his or her good name."

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said today he would seek an audience with Sultan Ibrahim over the stripping of Chua's 'datuk' titles.

Ex-Hindraf leader held for memo to PM

(The Malaysian Insider) KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Former ISA detainee & Hindraf leader K. Vasanthakumar was held by police today after trying to hand over a memorandum for more JPA scholarships for Indian students to Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The prime minister was visiting the Sri Murugan Centre at the Sekolah Vivekenanda in Brickfields when the incident happened.

It is understood that Vasanthakumar was sent to the nearby Brickfields district police headquarters for questioning.

Vasanthakumar was in a group of 10 men that included Port Dickson assemblyman M. Ravi, who claimed to represent the people in Negri Sembilan, when they approached Najib and hand him the memorandum.

The memorandum was signed by Vasanthakumar, who was among five people detained in December 2007 under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for leading 30,000 Indians to march in central Kuala Lumpur for their rights which they said was denied since Merdeka.

Hindraf was outlawed but Najib later freed the Hindraf leaders when he took office in April 2009.

The prime minister was launching the Sri Murugan Centre and handed over scholarships to 50 recipients.

Hindraf, which accused Vasanthakumar of being a turncoat, has demanded for more JPA or Public Service Department scholarships, matriculation and university seats for Indian students who have done well in public examinations.

Hindraf and the Human Rights Party Malaysia pro-tem committee have also asked for a Royal Commission of Inquiry over the matter, saying they will send a petition to Parliament next Tuesday.

PAS losing support among Malays, admits party leaders

(The Malaysian Insider) KOTA BARU, June 12 — PAS leaders have admitted that the Islamist party has not been able to garner enough Malay support compared to its political foe Umno.

PAS National Unity chairman Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said the party was losing support among the Malays, but blamed the mainstream media for portraying a misconceived image of the party which served the interests of Umno.

“PAS is losing support among the Malays...Maybe PAS has not done enough (to attract Malay support.)

“But the fact is we are being attacked by the mainstream media as not fighting for the Malays, which is not true,” Dr Mujahid told The Malaysian Insider last night.

The Parit Buntar MP said PAS needed to do more to explain to Malays that their rights would not be eroded if the Islamist party or Pakatan Rakyat (PR) were to take over Putrajaya.

“The party needs to do more to remind Malays that if PAS were to take over, their rights, Islam as an official religion and the sanctity of the Malay language would be preserved...it will still be intact, nothing will change,” he said.

Dr Mujahid’s remarks come amid warnings by PAS state delegates today to the party leadership to not abandon Malay voters in its drive to woo non-Muslims.

The issue of PAS’ recent move to form a new wing, the PAS Supporters’ Congress which was expected to be a hotly contested issue became the focal point of discussion today during the debate on president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s policy speech.

“I do not want us to make a mistake in our chase and pursuit of non-Malays that we forget Malay voters, who are our original support base,” said Kelantan delegate Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.

Mohd Amar said that although PAS had been making inroads among the non-Muslims, Umno has been using this as a means to instil hatred and confusion among Malays in rural areas.

“PAS’ relationship with non-Muslims is being used by Umno to sway Malays in rural areas and kampungs, and they do not know about these things, they don’t understand,” said Mohd Amar who is also Kelantan PAS deputy commissioner.

But Dr Mujahid insisted that party delegates’ grouses had nothing to do with the formation of the non-Muslim wing.

“Its not about the congress. Non-Malays lately are understanding PAS, coming closer to us.

“Non-Muslims in PAS is not an issue. Party delegates are merely concerned about Malay votes.”

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said that the situation needed to be put back to the correct context as the Islamist party never had the majority support among Malays to begin with.

“We have to put it back to the right context. We have never had majority Malay support to begin with,” said Khalid.

He told The Malaysian Insider that the party needed to make its members understand how they needed to win both the votes of Malay-Muslims as well as non-Muslims.

“Giving rights or appealing to other races does not mean you are giving away the rights of Malays,” said Khalid.

The PAS annual general assembly which began yesterday saw the 15-member representation from the PAS supporters’ congress present during the debate on the PAS president’s policy speech.

The Malaysian Insider understands that a representative from the congress will speak today at the AGM.

“K.Deepakaran, secretary for the congress will speak. One of the points he will raise is that the formation of the non-Muslim congress is not to contest with the other wings of PAS,” said the congress chairman Hu Pang Chaw.

Hu claimed that the discontent about PAS’ focus on non-Muslim votes did not reflect the sentiments of the entire party.

“I understand the feeling, but it is just a minority. If majority of the party felt like that, the congress won’t be be alive today,” he said.

Hu told The Malaysian Insider that PAS understood the need for a new “political thinking” and that its inclusion of non-Muslims showed an improvement for the Islamic party.

“If they solely concentrate on Malay votes, they have no where to go.

“Actually there is no clash. The goals for Malays and non-Malay support are different,” said Hu.

The PAS supporters’ congress chairman said that PAS’ acceptance of non-Muslims was a sign of “new hope” for the Islamist party.

“We provide a two-way link between PAS and the non-Muslim society,” quipped Hu.

'Barisan Nasional can regain Penang'

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

EXCLUSIVE BUTTERWORTH: The state Umno believes Barisan Nasional can win back the Penang government from Pakatan Rakyat in the next general election.

Its secretary Azhar Ibrahim is confident that Umno in particular could win more than the current 11 seats it won in the 2008 general election.

He cited Umno grassroots strength and the return of many rural Malay and Indian voters to the BN fold as the main reasons for his optimism.

“Umno is still going strong.

“Many Malays are abandoning PKR and PAS and returning to Umno because they realised they have been deceived by the Pakatan state government.

“They now understand the Pakatan political game,” Azhar told FMT in an exclusive interview at his office in Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) here today.

The state seats currently under Umno are Bertam, Pinang Tunggal, Penaga, Teluk Air Tawar, Sungai Dua, Permatang Berangan, Seberang Jaya, Teluk Bahang, Pulau Betong, Bayan Lepas and Sungai Acheh.

The state seats it lost in the last polls are Batu Maung, Penanti, Permatang Pasir, Penanti and Sungai Bakap.

Indians back in BN fold

Azhar, the Perda chairman, also claimed that Indians were now returning to BN after deserting the coalition the last time, especially in the wake of the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco and Mak Mandin “Rumah Hijau” problem.

He is also optimistic that Gerakan and MCA could fare better in Penang the next time because both parties have managed to resolve their internal problems, which marred their last campaign.

He said the internal problems in MCA and Gerakan were the main reason the parties lost all the seats they contested in 2008.

He also blamed Gerakan indecisiveness in naming Koh Tsu Koon's successor as Penang chief minister during the pre-election period as another major reason for the BN electoral setback two years ago.

Three names – Dr Teng Hock Nan, Teng Chang Yeow an Lee Kah Choon – cropped up as Koh’s likely successor during the period.

Azhar said Gerakan’s failure to name any one of them to succeed Koh confused the electorate and affected public confidence.

However, now he foresees that since both parties have put their houses in order, MCA and Gerakan should be able to carry out a stronger campaign to win back some seats in the next election.

“Both parties need not win all their seats.

“They only need to win half of their seats and BN will be back helming the state government.

“I am confident Umno can win more seats the next time around,” said Azhar, the state opposition leader, who also took a swipe at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, accusing him of behaving like a dictator.

“So many projects are being issued stop-work orders on his directives without any valid reasons,” he said.

'Unprofessional politician'

He also accused Lim of being an unprofessional politician who personalised issues and exacted political revenge on his critics.

For instance, he said, he was referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee merely because “Lim could not stomach my criticisms”.

Azhar is facing a trial before the committee for allegedly uttering seditious remarks in the recent assembly sitting, an allegation he denies.

The committee held its first meeting on the case early this week.

Azhar also chided Lim for failing to resolve the compensation issue for nine village households of the demolished Kampung Buah Pala.

The nine has since filed court action to claim compensation.

Azhar claimed that Lim was taking revenge on them for criticising him during the village fiasco.

“The nine were merely standing up for their rights.

“But the chief minister has made it so personal,” said Azhar.