PKR planned to announce by-election this week: Anwar

Source : M'Kini



PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, who took refuge at the Turkish embassy amid threats and sodomy accusations, said his party had planned to announce a by-election in which he would be contesting.

Anwar said the sodomy allegations were aimed at derailing his political comeback, and came just as he was about to re-enter parliament through a by-election.

"This is their intention. You know we will announce a by-election this week. I will contest in the by-election, the police knew that," he said.

To force a by-election, PKR will need to ask one of its 31 parliamentarian to resign.

Alternatively, the party could be hoping that the court would this Friday declared the victory of Wanita Umno chief Rafidah Aziz in Kuala Kangsar invalid.

Businessman Ahmad Jamaluddin Abd Majid has filed an election petition challenging the results in the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat as Rafidah had failed to sign two out of three sets of her nomination papers in the March 8 general election.

He told AFP earlier today that he would not leave his sanctuary in the Turkish embassy until the government guarantees his safety.

"I need categorical assurance on my safety. You know I have previously been assaulted to near death," Anwar said, referring to a beating he received after being sacked as deputy premier and hit with sex and corruption charges in 1998.

"Sure, if they give me an assurance for my safety today I will leave the embassy today," he said in a phone interview from the mission in Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar fled there on Sunday at the invitation of the ambassador, saying he had been threatened and feared a government assassination plot after facing "fabricated" accusations that he sodomised a male aide.

"There's two reasons why I decided to come to the embassy. It's not just for my personal safety, it's also for the stability of the nation," he said, referring to expectations of major protests if he is arrested.

"I urge my supporters to be calm but firm. Enough is enough, we will fight it out."

After his sacking, a watershed event in Malaysian politics, Anwar was convicted on sodomy and corruption charges which landed him in jail for six years.

He was released in 2004 when the sex charge was overturned but the corruption conviction still stands, and prevented him from holding public office until mid-April.

He is now eligible to run for parliament and one of the parliamentarians in his PKR is expected to stand aside for him.

Still on track to seize power

Anwar, who has said since the March elections that he has the numbers to form a new government with the help of defecting lawmakers from the ruling coalition, said he was still on track to seize power.

"The momentum is still on, I will continue to monitor the progress. It has never been so good, they know that," he said of the government which is led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Umno party.

"Umno members and MPs have promised to come out and campaign for me so they come out with these sexual allegations to stop me from securing power," he said.

Anwar said that after his experiences a decade ago, he had no faith in the "due process" of the law in Malaysia, and reiterated allegations that elements in the government had orchestrated the new charges.

"Certain people in the hierarchy are involved in these allegations. Evidence from photos shows this," he said, referring to images of his accuser posing with ministers and government aides which his party has aired.

"They have made fabrications in the court, do they want me to believe in due process?" he asked.

Anwar said that elements in the police who were involved in the original investigation against him were now acting to sideline him because they feared revenge if he becomes prime minister.

"If you want to fight a political battle, do it cleanly," he said.

Photos: Anwar with PKR leaders on hearing about the police report lodged by his aide, Saiful. (Source: Anwar's blog).

Leave Petronas goose alone, ask who ate golden eggs

By Syed Mohamed via M'kini

Petronas has been posting on the Internet since 2002 not only its profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow accounts, but also financial highlights and other details of how it performed in the oil and gas business. For the last couple of years, in view of rising oil prices and hence its profits, Petronas has also detailed out how its profits were distributed.

I have been in the oil and gas business since the early 80's, and I find its website a goldmine of information, beyond what is expected to be revealed even by public-listed companies. However, it may be difficult for those who have no prior working knowledge of the complexity and challenges of the oil and gas industry, to decipher from the information given as to how well Petronas is being run.

This in comparison to not only the other government-owned oil companies, but also the other oil majors of the world, and how much it has contributed (and will continue to do) to the national economy, provided its immense contributions are efficiently and prudently utilised by the government.

The revelations on the website show that so far, Petronas has given back to the nation more than any other GLC has ever done, leaving itself with just sufficient funds to continue to invest large sums every year to search for oil and gas globally (to add to the nation's oil and gas reserves), as well as to add value to its existing highly-integrated businesses in 33 countries.

So far, Petronas has managed to replenish more than it extracts in terms of its oil and gas reserves, both domestically and overseas, increasing its overseas reserves (in Africa, Central Asia, the Middle-east and South East Asia) to one-third of its total global reserves.

This means that it can continue to produce oil and gas for many years ahead, although it is expected that, by about 2014 or earlier, Malaysia itself, as a country, will be able to export less oil than it imports, due to increased domestic demands.

It is certainly not true that our oil wells will be dry by then, as some reports have erroneously suggested, as the current Malaysian oil reserves are equivalent to 22 years of the current extraction rate of 670,000 barrels per day.

For the 2007 financial year, Petronas declared dividends to the government totalling a staggering RM32 billion (half to be actually paid in the following financial year). For the two previous years, it paid RM13.1 billion and RM9.1 billion respectively.

I say its staggering because throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000's, its dividends to the government had reportedly been only about RM2 billion every year.

On top of that, for the same 2007 financial year, Petronas also paid to the government another total of RM32.3 billion in the form of taxes (RM21.8 b), royalties (RM8.5 b) and export duty (RM 2 b).

So what is the real issue? The real issue is, therefore, whether the BN government has been prudent and efficient in spending the many billions contributed by Petronas.

Please, people. Petronas cannot be faulted if its contribution is spent elsewhere instead of on petrol and diesel subsidies. Boycotting Petronas products would be like trying to kill Malaysia's one and only golden goose. Let's quarrel about the ‘golden eggs’ which are in the BN government hands, but leave the ‘goose’ to continue to lay more for years and years to come.

There may come a time - like during the 1997-1998 Southeast Asian financial meltdown - when Petronas financial muscle may once again be needed to come to our rescue.

The ball is in the BN government's court - to stop the alleged major leakages and wastage and then use the savings to subsidise fuel prices. This is what Anwar Ibrahim might be thinking of when he promised to reduce the petrol price if Pakatan Rakyat ever manages to take over the federal government.

Is Petronas efficiently run? You bet. Petronas is listed in Fortune 500 as amongst the world's 500 biggest companies. In terms of profitability, using the ‘profit before tax margin’ ratio, Petronas (at 41.4%) is at No1 position, by a long way, compared to all the oil majors and other government-owned oil companies of the world.

It is also in the No 1 position if the Return on Average Capital Employed (Roace) ratio is used. The figure achieved is an astounding 40.9%. Even when the Return on Total Assets ratio is used, at 25.9% it ranks at the top half amongst the government-owned oil companies and the oil majors of the world.

These three criteria show that Petronas is one of the most, if not the most (in certain aspects), efficiently managed of the large oil and gas companies of the world. Do we really want to know how many expensive banquets Petronas held in comparison with Esso, Shell, BP, Chevron, Caltex, Conoco, Gulf, Aramco, Statoil, Petrobras, Pertamina, etc?

Can Petronas reduce Malaysian petrol prices on its own? The answer is negative. Petronas' current total refining capacity is only 314,000 barrels of crude per day. From this amount, only about 150,000 barrels per day of petrol and diesel can be produced, the rest being LPG, petrochemical naphtha, kerosene/jet fuel and waxy residues.

The 150,000 barrels per day account for only 40% of the amount of petrol and diesel sold in Malaysia. The other 60% is supplied by foreign oil companies like Esso, Shell and Caltex. Esso and Shell have refineries in Port Dickson, whilst Caltex may be importing the products from its Singapore refinery and/or purchasing them from the Conoco share of the Melaka refinery outputs.

From the above, one can begin to understand why the petrol price control has to be through the subsidy route rather than through Petronas having to take an 'opportunity loss'. Unless Shell, Esso and Caltex are also willing to take 'opportunity losses', and by how much.

SAPP MPs to move no-confidence vote...

Source : M'Kini



Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) today announced that it would move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when Parliament resumes on Monday.

It is the first time in the history of the nation that a vote of no-confidence is to be moved against a prime minister.

"In the coming sitting of the Parliament session starting Monday, June 23, our MPs will support a vote of no confidence on the PM.

"Whether the motion will be tabled by our party MP or another MP will be decided in due course," said a press statement released today.Sapp has two parliamentarians - Dr Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) and Eric Enchin Majimbun (Sepanggar) - and four state assemblypersons.

Majimbun, who is currently overseas, has expressed his support for the party's decision by signing the press statement click here for full press statements from both MPs.

Four reasons

Chua, who was present at the party's 90-minute press conference in Kota Kinabalu, gave four reasons for backing the no-confidence vote.

They are:

No concrete actions have been taken on the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah. "Our sovereignty is threatened," said Chua.

Sabah, being the poorest state, is greatly burdened by the sharp hike in petrol prices. The government has failed to provide "holistic economic solutions".

Sapp MPs would fail in their role as elected representatives as issues raised such as poor delivery systems, corruption, wastage of resources, lack of transparency and no sense of accountability are ignored.

People have lost confidence in the leadership of Abdullah. Sapp is of the opinion that if the top leadership can't perform, then Abdullah should make way for other able leader to take over.

Party president Yong Teck Lee said Sapp would not immediately quit the coalition led by Abdullah, but that its status would be reviewed at the end of the week.

He attacked BN's record in the impoverished state, saying that it had been subjected to unfair laws and excessive taxes.

"That is why we need an immediate declaration of no confidence in the PM and the government, to tell the BN government that we can no longer tolerate their insensitive attitude towards the Sabah issues that are real and serious," he said at the press conference held at the party headquarters at 2pm.In an immediate reaction, Abdullah said: "I have not been able to satisfy his (Yong's) personal greed."

According to Bernama, the embattled prime minister did not elaborate on the matter.

Decision on Friday?

Today's annoncement appeared to be the opening move by the BN component member which may see the Sabah-based party eventually leaving the coalition.

“Today is just the first step. There might not be any defections for now,” said a source.

A poll placed in Sapp's blog also indicated the general feelings on the ground at the moment. The poll asked members of the public whether the party should stay on in BN, leave the coalition but remain independent, or join Pakatan.At press time, there were 2,052 votes tallied, with 85 percent (1,749 votes) asking Sapp to join Pakatan. Another 242 (11 percent) want the party to leave BN and remain independent. Only 2 percent (61 votes) urged it to stay on with BN.

To a question of whether the party would be pulling out of BN, Yong said that he could only answer that question after the party's Supreme Council meeting this Friday."We will have a press conference on Friday June 20 to announce this matter of Sapp's membership in BN after our supreme council meeting," he said. Anwar needs 30 MPs

In recent weeks Sapp has been identified as the most likely party to leave BN and join forces with Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Rakyat.

Sapp is led by outspoken former chief minister Yong, who in recent months has questioned Abdullah's policies towards Sabah and the federal government's inability to solve the illegal migrants' problem in the state.

The party has two members of parliament and four representatives in the state assembly.

Political commentators point out that even if the party pulled out of BN to join Pakatan, the defection of the two MPs would not be sufficient to threaten Abdullah's BN.

Anwar needs 30 MPs to derail Abdullah and BN from power.

However, Sabah sources claim that other BN coalition partners would follow Sapp out of BN if the party sparks the exodus.

WHAT IS NEVER MENTIONED IN Mainstream Media like NST, TheStar, Utusan, BH are these facts…

Via : Malaysian Voice blog...
Image : Via Makkal Sakti

YennaMike Says : I do agree with what the person have to say on his write up below an average British earns around GBP 2,000 a month = MYR 12,600, Hong Kong HKD 15,000 = MYR 6,300, Macau MOP 20,000 = MYR 8,200 and Malaysian MYR 1,500 = MYR 1,500 - now you do the maths...

Malaysian Per Capita Income USD 5000 VS Singaporean Per Capita Income USD 25000

Further The Star made a comparison of prices in Thailand , Singapore and Indonesia.

For Thailand it is quoted at RM3.90/liter, however are they aware that in Thailand new cars are cheaper than Malaysia by RM10,000? They pay only one life time for their driving license? No renewal fee after that? Also that goes for road tax as well? And do TheStar also aware that you can drive all the way from Hadtyai to
Bangkok on a six lane highway without paying any Tolls ??!!

Whereas here in Malaysia you have to pay yearly renewal for road tax , driving license and TOLLS, TOLLS, TOLLS!!!

For Singapore how can you quote RM 5.20 ? Please quote in Singapore Dollars because they are earning in Sing Dollars. You might as well say Europeans are paying RM10/liter. RM5.20/liter = Sing $ 2.20/liter, still cheaper than Malaysia in view of fact that Singapore is not a crude oil exporter. Are you saying that
you fill up petrol in Singapore by paying Ringgit?

In economy, dollar to dollar must be compared as apple to apple. Not comparing like durian in M'sia is much cheaper than durian in Japan!! Of course-lah, Japan is not durian producer!!! Comparing Malaysian durian with Thailand durian make more sense!!

For Indonesia we might say is cheaper there at RM2.07/liter but compare that to their level of income! Now, let us compare the price with OIL PRODUCING countries:

UAE – RM1.19/litre
Eygpt – RM1.03/litre
Bahrain – RM0.87/litre
Qatar – RM0.68/litre
Kuwait – RM0.67/litre
Saudi Arabia – RM0.38/litre
Iran – RM0.35/litre
Nigeria – RM0.32/litre
Turkmenistan – RM0.25/litre
Venezuela – RM0.16/litre
MALAYSIA – RM2.70/litre

RM 2.70!!! Individual perspective:

As of last month a Toyota Vios would 'cause a damage' of about RM 89,000. In the international market, a Toyota Vios is about USD 19,000 USD 19,000 = RM 62,700 (using the indicative rates of USD 1 = RM 3.30). That makes Malaysian Vios owners pay an extra RM 26,300.

This RM 26,300 should be cost of operations, profit and tax because the transportation costs have been factored in to the USD 19,000.

RM 26,300/ RM625 petrol rebate per year translates to a Vios being used for 42.08 years.

I do understand that the RM 625 is a rebate given by the government, but it also means that one has to use the Vios for 42.08 years just to make back the amount paid in taxes for the usage of a foreign car. Would anyone use any kind of car for that long?

Now with these numbers in front of us, does the subsidy sound like a subsidy or does it sound like a penalty? This just seems to be a heavy increment in our daily cost of living as we are not only charged with high car taxes but also with a drastic increase in fuel price.

With all the numbers listed out, I urge all Malaysians to join me in analyzing the situation further.

Car taxation is government profit, fuel sales is Petronas' (GLC) profit which also translates into government profit. The government may ridicule us Malaysians by saying look at the world market and fuel price world wide. Please, we are Malaysians, we fought of the British, had a international port in the early centuries (Malacca), home to a racially mixed nation and WE ARE NOT STUPID!!!

We know the international rates are above the USD 130/barrel. We understand the fact that the fuel prices are increasing worldwide and we also know that major scientist are still contradicting on why this phenomenon is happening. Some blame Bush and his plunders around the world and some blame climate change and there are others which say petroleum 'wells' are getting scarce.

Again we go back to numbers to be more straight fwd

1 barrel = 159 liters x RM2.70/liter = RM 429 or USD 134

On 1 hand, we are paying the full cost of 1 barrel of crude oil with RM2.70 per liter but on the other hand the crude oil only produces 46% of fuel.

Msia sells crude oil per barrel at USD130 buys back Fuel per barrel at USD134. And not forgetting, every barrel of fuel is produced with 2 barrels of crude oil.

1 barrel crude oil = produce 46% fuel (or half of crude oil), therefore 2 barrel crude oil = approximately 1 barrel fuel In other words, each time we sell 2 barrels of crude oil, equivalently we will buy back 1 barrel of fuel.

Financially;

Malaysia sell 2 barrel crude oil @ USD 130/barrel = USD 260 = RM 858 then, Malaysia will buy back fuel @ USD 134/barrel = RM 442/barrel. Thus, Malaysia earn net extra USD 126 = RM 416 for each 2 barrel of crude
sold/exported vs imported 1 barrel of fuel !!!

(USD 260-134 = USD 126 = RM416)

So where this extra USD 126/barrel income is channeled to by Malaysian Govt?

Another analysis:

1 barrel crude oil = 159 liters.

46-47% of a barrel of crude oil = fuel that we use in our vehicles.
46% of 159 = 73.14 liters.

@ RM 2.70/liter x 73.14 liter = RM197.48 of fuel per barrel of crude oil. This is only 46% of the barrel, mind you. Using RM 3.30 = USD 1, we get that a barrel of crude oil produces USD 59.84 worth of petrol fuel (46% of 1barrel). USD 59.84 of USD 130/barrel turns out to be 46% of a barrel as well.

Another 54% = bitumen, kerosene, and natural gases and so many more. And this makes a balance of USD 70.16 that has not been accounted for.

So this is where I got curious. Where is the subsidy if we are paying 46% of the price of a barrel of crude oil when the production of petrol/barrel of crude oil is still only 46%?

In actual fact, we still pay for this as they are charged in the forms of fuel surcharge by airlines and road taxes for the building of road (because they use the tar/bitumen) and many more excuse charging us but let us just leave all that out of our calculations.

As far as I know, only the politicians who live in Putrajaya and come for their Parliament meetings in Kuala Lumpur (approximately 60+ km) are the ones to gain as they claim their fuel and toll charges from the money of the RAKYAT's TAX.

It is so disappointing to see this happen time and time again to the Malaysian public, where they are deceived by the propaganda held by the politicians and the controls they have over the press.

Which stupid idiot economist equates rebates for rich or poor with the cc of the vehicles? An average office clerk may own a second hand 1300cc proton Iswara costing $7,000 (rebate = $625) while the Datuk's children can own a fleet of 10 new cars of BMW, Audi and Volvo all less than 2000cc costing $2 millions and get a total rebate of $625 x 10 = $6,250! Wow what kind of economists we are keeping in Malaysia…wonder which phD certificate that they bought from…

Misleading concept of Subsidy:

The word "subsidy" has been brandished by the BN government as if it has so generously helped the rakyat and in doing so incurred losses. This simple example will help to explain the fallacy:

Example:

Ahmad is a fisherman. He sells a fish to you at $10 which is below the market value of $15. Let's assume that he caught the fish from the abundance of the sea at little or no cost. Ahmad claims that since the market value of the fish is $15 and he sold you the fish for $10, he had subsidised you $5 and therefore made a loss of $5.

Question :

Did Ahmad actually make a profit of $10 or loss of $5 which he claimed is the subsidy?

Answer:

Ahmad makes a profit of $10 which is the difference of the selling price ($10) minus the cost price ($0 since the fish was caught from the abundance of the sea). There is no subsidy as claimed by Ahmad.

The BN government claims that it is a subsidy because the oil is kept and treated as somebody else's property (you know who). By right, the oil belongs to all citizens of the country and the government is a trustee for the citizens. So as in the above simple example, the BN government cannot claim that it has subsidised the citizen!

Oil Price

Source : www.chedet.com


The price of crude oil has increased by 400 percent in the last three years. It follows that the price of products must increase, sooner or later. In other countries petrol prices had already increased. In the United Kingdom one litre of petrol sells for more than one pound sterling or RM7. In the United States it is about RM5.

That the price in neighbouring countries has gone up is shown by the rush to fill up by Thai and to a lesser extent Singapore vehicles.

The Government has now announced an increase in petrol price by 78 sen to RM2.70 per litre, an increase of more than 40 per cent.

I may be mistaken but there seems to be less vehicles on the road today. But obviously that is not all that will happen. All other consumer goods, services and luxury goods would increase in price.

The cost of living must go up. Put another way there will be inflation and the standard of living will go down.

Obviously our increase in petrol price is far less than in the United Kingdom or the United States. But our per capita income is about one-third of theirs. In purchasing power terms our increase is more than in the UK or the US.

The increase hurts but the pain is greater not just because of the increase percentage-wise is higher than in developed countries but because of the manner the increase is made.

A few days ago the Government decided to ban sale of petrol to foreign cars. It flipped. Now foreign cars can buy again. Flopped.

Knowing that in a few days it was going to raise the price and foreigners would be allowed to buy, why cannot the Government just wait instead of banning and unbanning.

But be that as it may what could the Government have done to lessen the burden on the people that results from the increase in petrol price.

In the first place the Government should not have floated the Ringgit. A floating rate creates uncertainties and we cannot gain anything from the strengthened Ringgit. Certainly the people have not experienced any increase in their purchasing power because of the appreciation in the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Ringgit.

Actually the Ringgit has increased by about 80 sen (from RM3.80 to RM3.08 to 1 US Dollar) per US Dollar, i.e. by more than 20 per cent. Had the Government retained the fixed rate system and increased the value of the Ringgit, say 10 per cent at a time, the cost of imports, in Ringgit terms can be monitored and reduced by 10 per cent. At 20 per cent appreciation the cost of imports should decrease by 20 per cent. But we know the prices of imported goods or services have not decreased at all. This means we are paying 20 per cent higher for our imports including the raw material and components for our industries.

Since oil prices are fixed in US Dollar, the increase in US Dollar prices of oil should also be mitigated by 20 per cent in Malaysian Ringgit.

But the Government wants to please the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and decided to float the Ringgit. As a result the strengthening of the Ringgit merely increased our cost of exports without giving our people the benefit of lower cost of imports.

This is not wisdom after the event. I had actually told a Government Minister not to float the Ringgit three years ago. But of course I am not an expert, certainly I know little about the international financial regimes.

I believe the people expect the increase of petrol price. But what they are angry about is the quantum and the suddenness. The Prime Minister was hinting at August but suddenly it came two months earlier, just after the ban on sale of petrol to foreigners.

If the increase had been more gradual, the people would not feel it so much. But of course this means that the Government would have to subsidise, though to a decreasing extent.

Can the Government subsidise? I am the “adviser” to Petronas but I know very little about it beyond what is published in its accounts. What I do know may not be very accurate but should be sufficient for me to draw certain conclusions.

Roughly Malaysia produces 650,000 barrels of crude per day. We consume 400,000 barrels leaving 250,000 barrels to be exported.

Three years ago the selling price of crude was about USD30 per barrel. Today it is USD130 – an increase of USD100. There is hardly any increase in the production cost so that the extra USD100 can be considered as pure profit.

Our 250,000 barrels of export should earn us 250,000 x 100 x 365 x 3 = RM27,375,000,000 (twenty seven billion Ringgit).

But Petronas made a profit of well over RM70 billion, all of which belong to the Government.

By all accounts the Government is flushed with money.

But besides petrol the prices of palm oil, rubber and tin have also increased by about 400 per cent. Plantation companies and banks now earn as much as RM3 billion in profits each. Taxes paid by them must have also increased greatly.

I feel sure that maintaining the subsidy and gradually decreasing it would not hurt the Government finances.

In the medium term ways and means must be found to reduce wasteful consumption and increase income. We may not be able to fix the minimum wage at a high level but certainly we can improve the minimum wage.

Actually our wages are high compared to some of our neighbours. The investors who come here are attracted not by cheap labour but by other factors, among which is the attitude of the Government towards the business community and the investors in particular.

From what I hear business friendliness is wanting in the present Government – so much so that even Malaysians are investing in other countries. There are rumblings about political affiliations influencing decisions. Generally Government politicians are said to be arrogant.

Malaysia is short of manpower. The labour intensive industries are not benefiting Malaysians. Foreign workers are remitting huge sums of money home.

The industrial policy must change so that high tech is promoted in order to give Malaysians higher wages to cope with rising costs of living.

The world is facing economic turmoil due to the depreciation of the US Dollar, the sub-prime loan crisis, rising oil and raw material prices, food shortages and the continued activities of the greedy hedge funds. The possibility of a US recession is real. In a way the US is already in recession. The world economy will be dragged down by it.

Malaysia will be affected by all these problems. I wonder whether the Government is prepared for this.

We cannot avoid all the negative effects but there must be ways to mitigate against them and to lessen the burden that must be borne by all Malaysians. I am sure the Government will not just pass all these problems to the people as the review of oil prices every month seem to suggest.

Fuel hike: 78 sen more to RM2.70 per litre....!!!

Source : M'Kini

YennaMike Says : "Petrol sudah hike up, Electric sudah hike up, Nasi sudah hike up, Living cost sudah hike up....tapi BOSS bila Gaji nak hike up to match all these lah...!!!"

The government has announced that petrol price will go up by 78 sen at midnight - a 40.6 percent jump from RM1.92 per litre to RM2.70.

"Effective from tomorrow, June 5, 2008, the price of petrol will be raised by 78 sen and the price of diesel will be raised by RM1," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a 50-minute press conference at his office in Putrajaya.The price of diesel will increase by a whopping 63.3 percent - from RM1.58 per litre to RM2.58.

The price hikes are among government measures to drastically cut the spiralling bill for oil subsidies, which is expected to amount to RM56 billion this year.

With the new structure, Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop - who was also present at the press conference - said the government is expected to spend about RM18 billion a year on oil subsidies.

At a press conference held at 5.30pm, Abdullah also announced that the government plans to offer rebates to motorists to offset the fuel price increase.

Under the scheme, vehicles below 2000cc will receive an annual rebate of RM625 to compensate for 800 litres of fuel used under the new price.

"Owners of private motorcycles of engine capacity of up to 250cc will be paid a cash rebate of RM150 per year," he said.

According to the prime minister, the money will be paid by money order. Rebate will be paid when motorists renew the road tax for their vehicles.
The government is expected to save RM13.7 billion under this new subsidy restructure and other levies.

The figures are derived from the savings made by state-owned oil company Petronas in gas and oil (RM8 billion), petrol (RM4 billion) and the independent power producer and palm oil (RM1.7 billion).The surplus of RM13.7 billion will be used for food security policy (RM4 billion), subsidies in cooking oil (RM1.5 billion), rice import (RM400 million), flour and bread (RM300 million), petrol, diesel and gas (RM7.5 billion), Abdullah explained.

Since 2004, petrol has gone up by 97.1 percent, while diesel increased by a whopping 231 percent [see chart below].

Higher TNB tariffs Abdullah also announced that the road tax for vehicles above 2,000cc will be reduced by RM200.

For motorbikes above 250cc, their road tax will be slashed by RM50, but a minimum rate of RM2 road tax will be maintained.The diesel subsidy for fishermen and vessel owners have been fixed at RM1.43 per litre. Previously fishermen bought diesel at RM1 per litre while vessel owners paid RM1.20 per litre.The premier also announced a price hike in gas supply for electrical and industry sectors.The premier added that the electricity tariffs too will be increased, effective July 1.He said the power tariff rate would remain the same for households which use below 200 kilowatt of electricity, which amount to RM43.60.However, those using more than 200 kilowatt will have to pay around 20 percent more.

National power supplier Tenaga Nasional will announce its new price structure at 12 noon tomorrow.The prime minister, in anticipating public anger from price hikes, has urged Malaysians not to organise street protests.

"The cost of petrol and commodities has risen drastically and so subsidies have to be restructured," he lamented.

"God willing I hope Malaysians will not demonstrate over this," he said, referring to fury over earlier hikes in a country where public transport is poor and most people are reliant on their cars.

Expect more price hikesAbdullah said that under the new scheme, the government will maintain a 30-sen fuel subsidy, which is independent of the market rate of fuel prices.For example, if the market rate is RM3 per litre, the local pump price will be RM2.70 per litre with the 30-sen subsidy.He said that the government would review the market price on monthly base and announce the subsidised price accordingly.Abdullah also said that he was confident the economic growth could be maintained at five percent and inflation at four to five percent.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad, who was also at the press conference, conceded that the increase would impact on inflation, which came in at 3.0 percent in April.

"With this hike, the CPI (consumer price index) is expected to rise to 5.0 percent" this year, he said.He also said that the new price of RM2.70 did not reflect the full market value, which could be as high as RM3-4 when the price controls are completely removed in August.Also at the press conference were Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Amirsham Abdul Aziz, Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek and International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Cheras barricade goes down again

Source : M'Kini


YennaMike Says : "I was very shocked when i first came to know about the fracas in Cheras. I'm reall sad to see the way my fellow Malaysians being treated by our Police, FRU and Hired "Thug" as claimed. What Suhakam got to say about this...??, Suhakam are you really listening to peoples' plea...??"

Bandar Mahkota Cheras residents have torn down the controversial wall built by toll operator Grand Saga which blocked access to the Cheras-Kajang Highway late last night.

This was the third time that the five-foot wall, consisting of table-size boulders and erected across the two-lane toll-free slip road, was demolished.

In a significant about-turn, Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar was at the scene at about 7.30pm to give the jubilant residents the green light to remove the wall.

The residents, with the help of tractors, eventually cleared the access road for motor vehicles to pass by 9.30pm.

The police, who had earlier been accused of siding with toll operator, kept a close watch on the operation. Khalid had also warned Grand Saga not to rebuild the wall.

On Tuesday, about a dozen residents were seriously injured at a fracas after Grand Saga re-erected the barricade. Residents have accused the toll operator of hiring ‘gangsters’ armed with sticks to stop them from tearing down the wall.

According to Bernama, police have launched an investigation to identify the ‘thugs’ who had beaten the residents - one of whom were hospitalised with a broken hand, while another were given seven stitches after a blow on his head.

A group of BMC residents are presently in Parliament asking for a meeting with Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamed.

Lims calls for inquiry

Meanwhile DAP leader Lim Kit Siang condemned the violence which resulted in the injuries of several residents two nights ago.

He also lambasted the presence of thugs to stop the residents from pulling down the barricade.

He also criticised the police for not only their "hands-off" policy during the rampage by the thugs, but also in going on a rampage of their own in assaulting innocent bystander Chang Jiun Haur.

"An independent public inquiry into the spate of physical violence against the protesting public by thugs and police personnel is fully warranted," he added.

He said that DAP MP for Serdang Teo Nie Ching will be raising the issue in Parliament today.

Mahathir returns, fires another salvo

Source : M'Kini


Soon after he touched down at Subang Airport in Kuala Lumpur, Dr Mahathir Mohamad couldn’t resist firing yet another salvo at his handpicked successor-turn-nemesis Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He’s more afraid of Singapore than Umno members,” the former premier told a crowd of 300 supporters who had gathered to welcome him back from a week-long overseas trip.

Mahathir, who spoke to his supporters through a loud-hailer for about five minutes from the sunroof of a silver multi-purpose van (MPV), accused Abdullah as a traitor.

“Negara cet tu ja pun dia takut (He is afraid of even a tiny country). What kind of a leader is he?” he thundered as the crowd chanted, “Abdullah undur!” (Abdullah step down!)

While Mahathir did not mention Pulau Batu Puteh, he was clearly referring to last Friday’s International Court of Justice decision against Malaysia in its dispute with Singapore over the sovereignty of the strategic uninhabited island south of Johor.

The ex-PM has just returned from Japan after addressing the annual Nikkei conference which was also incidentally attended by Abdullah. The two protagonists however addressed the event on separate days.

“When I was Umno president, he was never loyal to me, but I never made it look like he was not loyal to the party. I let him contest for the vice-presidency, the deputy presidency and now he is the president,” he said, looking fresh in a pin-stripe light blue shirt and a smart grey jacket.

Mahathir also blasted Abdullah as a manipulator who “label those who oppose him as traitors to the party”.

“I am not acting on any pressure,” Mahathir continued, “I am doing this because Umno under Abdullah has forgotten its roots, its struggle for the party - for the Malays and for the nation.”

Dr M cites Malay proverb

He added that Abdullah was a person who had forgotten his roots and was not “grateful” as it was he who handpicked him to be his successor.

“There is a Malay proverb that goes: hutang emas boleh di bayar tapi hutang budi di bawa mati (debt of gold can be repaid but debt of courtesy, we carry to the death).

“But I am not even dead and he has shown...,” said Mahathir who could not finish his sentence as his voice was drown by shouts of “Hidup Mahathir! Hidup Mahathir!” (Long live Mahathir!).

Some of the supporters, who had come all the way from Mahathir’s home state of Kedah, also yelled in support of Mahathir’s youngest son, “Hidup Mukhriz!” (Long live Mukhriz!). Mukhriz, an ardent critic of Abdullah in Umno, is member of parliament for Jerlun, Kedah.

Mahathir, who appeared elated by the enthusiastic reception, thanked his supporters for their presence.

“When I was in Umno, I received the same reception as today so there is no difference of being an Umno member and not being a member,” he said.

Mahathir sent shockwaves last week when he announced his decision to leave the party which he had led for 22 years in what was believed to be an attempt to trigger a domino effect that would see a mass resignation of Umno members.

This however did not happen when Umno leaders after an emergency meeting with Abdullah accepted Mahathir’s resignation and pledged to back the embattled party leader.

Meanwhile Abdullah also returned from Japan today, with the aircraft carrying him landing at the same Royal Malaysian Air Force Base in Subang at 9.30pm.

About 1,000 people were at the airport to greet the prime minister.

MB: RM27m spent by BN reps in two months

Source : M'Kini


Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today revealed that Barisan Nasional assemblypersons had spent 90.6 percent of the total state allocations within the first two months of this year.

The grand total amounts to RM26,634,844.33 and a balance of RM2,907,155.76 remains, he said in reply to a question posed by Ng Suee Lim (DAP-Sekinchan).

Khalid then proceeded to provide a breakdown of total funds spent in each constituencies in order for members of the assembly to know if funds were still available.

He also noted that there was a number of trends in the amount of funds spent, such as a large number of Barisan representatives spending exactly RM492,800, and said that he would investigate the matter.

"Strangely, the previous speaker, who was not even a state assemblyperson, spent RM600,000," he told the House.

Khalid then suggested that a select committee on competency, accountability and transparency be established to probe the matter.

The two-month speeding spree has resulted in the 36 state seats that have now come under the control of the joint PKR-DAP-PAS government in the March 8 general elections having nothing much left to spend for the rest of the year.

In his royal address on Wednesday, Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ticked off previous state administration assemblypersons for spending almost all of the RM27 million allocations.

He said efforts to improve efficiency in the state would be meaningless if wastages or inappropriate spending are not curbed and urged the state government to be prudent.

Balkis controversy

On a question by Lau Weng San (DAP-Kampung Tunku) on the Balkis controversy, Khalid said he had tried in vain to seek answers from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

He said that he had written three letters to the ROS since April but no reply was forthcoming.

"In the letters, we have asked for details on Balkis dissolution. But we have yet to receive any reply. We are still waiting for an answer," he said.

However, he told the House that it was necessary for Balkis to explain certain activities they had organised as it involved the help and support from companies owned by the state government.

Khalid then gave a litany of examples involving tens of thousands of ringgit being spent on matters such as souvenirs for 'VVIPs', dinner functions and festivals.

In one example, Khalid drew loud groans from the Pakatan Rakyat backbenchers when he revealed that RM279,000 were spent on sports clothing for Balkis members.

"They used Galeri Hafiz Sdn Bhd. It involved two payments - RM158,000 and RM121,000 - to prepare sports clothes for men and women," he said.

Again, he mooted that Balkis expenditures be scrutinised by a select committee comprising of both Pakatan and Barisan reps.

To a supplementary question by Jenice Lee (DAP-Teratai), Khalid said the state government was of the view that Balkis had yet to be officially dissolved.

Balkis was a very rich charity group comprising of the wives of Selangor elected representatives.

There was an uproar when it was learnt that the group had passed a resolution to dissolve the association just after the March 8 general election and with it, its millions in funds.

Live bullet sent to Karpal

Source : M'Kini

DAP leader and member of Parliament Karpal Singh received a live bullet in an envelope at his law firm in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

The live bullet was accompanied with a note warning him against speaking out on the controversial issues of Malay rights and the constitutional powers of the sultans.

“Kalau tak berhenti, peluru ini akan melekat pada kepala dahi kau!” (If you don’t stop, this bullet will be lodged in your forehead).

The one-page note, printed in Bahasa Malaysia, added that this was the “first warning” [below].


The wheelchair-bound politician lodged a police report over the death threat at 5pm at Dang Wangi police station.

Met at the police station later this evening, Karpal told reporters that the envelope was hand-delivered to his receptionist at 12.30pm.

“The man was wearing a helmet and he had his visors drawn down. He left hurriedly,” he said, adding that the police have confirmed that bullet was a 9mm ‘live bullet’.

When quizzed by reporters, Karpal said he had no clue who the culprits were and would not rule out that the incident could be politically motivated.

“It is difficult for me to say, but based on the wordings of the note, it appears to have political motives,” he said.

Will seek police protection ‘if necessary’


The DAP chairperson and criminal lawyer found himself some unwanted attention recently when some of the remarks he had made concerning the royalty had come under the spotlight.

Over the past week, the renowned lawyer has had 20 police reports lodged against him after he had said the Sultan of Perak had acted unconstitutionally in the transfer of a religious department official and criticised Regent of Kelantan's message at a forum last month.

Karpal, who is member of Parliament for Bukit Gelugor in Penang, added that he would consider asking for police protection in the future “if necessary”.

Asked if the incident would change his stand on the Perak Sultan’s recent order for the Religious Department Director Jamry Sury to be reinstated, Karpal said he issue had been deemed settled.

He said that he and other quarters have all voiced their arguments and that there was no need to prolong the debate any further.

Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang described the incident as deplorable and urged the police to get to the bottom of the matter.

“This sort of things should not happen in a country like Malaysia,” said Lim, who were among four DAP MPs to accompanied Karpal to the police station, including his son Gobind who is Puchong MP.

SELAMAT HARI GURU....2008

DEDICATED TO TEACHERS / TUTORS WHOM THOUGHT, TRAINED AND PREPARED ME TO FACE THE WORLD AND IT'S STAGE.

TO ALL THE TEACHERS OUT THERE - YOUR DEDICATION LIGHTS UP OUR FUTURE...!!!

“I am bourgeois to the core and parochial beyond belief, and yet I am drawn to art and scholarship as my anti-type, my shadow, the voice of distinction I never possessed. I don't think of myself as a teacher so much as an impersonator of profundities, inhabiting the wisdom of texts with the naked confidence that the value of the genius I espouse transcends the particular fraud that I am the one espousing it. And it doesn't even matter to me that no one seems to be listening; those who listen that I don't know about are enough to keep me going--soaring on the wings of borrowed metaphors.” - Robert Inchausti

Passport cancellation: 'Gov't owes an explanation'

Source : M'Kini

MIC information chief M Saravanan said there was no need for the government to revoke the passport of Hindu Rights Action Force leader P Waythamoorthy though he is known to be severely critical towards the authorities.

The Federal Territories Deputy Minister when contacted said that the Hindraf leader should not be likened to a criminal by his passport being revoked simply for his criticism towards the government.

"The government owes an explanation to the public as to why they revoked his passport because it involves a Malaysian citizen. They have to justify their action.

"In my eyes, he's not a terrorist. He just condemned the government, but that does not mean the government can revoke his passport," argued Saravanan.

Waythamoorthy revealed today that he had been informed by the British immigration officials that his Malaysian passport has been revoked, rendering him in as a stateless person. He is presently in Britain after leaving Kuala Lumpur last November to escape a givernment dragnet on Hindraf leaders.

Amnesty International's Washington-based Asia-Pacific advocacy director T Kumar had earlier told AFP that Waythamoorthy has applied for asylum in the UK.

According to the British Home Office website, asylum is given under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

To be recognised as a refugee, one must have left one's country and be unable to go back because he or she have a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion,nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group.

The British authorities is reported to be contemplating to hold hearings to consider Waythamoorthy's application for political asylum.

More reactions

Apart from Saravanan, various quarters also expressed their shock towards the matter.

Below are the excerpts of what these people had to say:

N Surendran, human rights and Hindraf lawyer

This act amounts up to nothing but a clear indication of political prosecution. It is a vindictive step taken by the home ministry. Not only is he under Internal Security Act threat back home (but now) he is getting harassed abroad as well. He doesn't deserve to be treated this way, all he did was raise valid concerns of the Indian minority of this country. This act shows clearly that the government cannot take criticism.

John Liu, Suara Rakyat Malaysia's managing coordinator

It's a blatant attempt by the government to stop his movement. They have no right to revoke his passport. The government is just trying to get him so that he could be detained under ISA.

Simon Sipaun, Suhakam vice chairperson

As to what reason the government has revoked his passport. Did they (revoke) the passport under certain law, or any particular legislation, and what under condition of federal constitution?

If the government wants to revoke his passport, they have to state the actual reason (according to the law).

Anil Netto, Aliran activist

I think it's unfortunate for him because he has not been found guilty of any crime. So, he also should be allowed of any movement and the government should be accountable for the decision and should make public the reason why they revoked his passport.

Malaysian government revokes rights activist's passport: Amnesty

Source : Yahoo News
Image : M'Kini


WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Malaysian government has revoked the passport of a Malaysian human rights lawyer campaigning for minority rights and the abolition of a tough security law, Amnesty International said.

Ponnusamy Waytha Moorthy, the chairman of the Malaysian rights group Hindraf who has been living in London since he fled the country in December, has sought asylum in Britain, Amnesty's Washington-based Asia-Pacific advocacy director T. Kumar told AFP.

The activist had planned to visit Washington for talks with leaders of the US Congress and Amnesty and other rights groups, "but it has been put off because of his passport's cancelation," Kumar said.

Waytha Moorthy had sought the talks to highlight alleged discriminatory policies against minority ethnic Indian Malaysians as well as the arrest under the powerful Internal Security Act of five senior Hindraf members at home.

The five, who led a massive anti-discrimination rally in Kuala Lumpur in December, are being held without trial and for an indefinite period.

Kumar said Waytha Moorthy only became aware of his passport's revocation when he returned to London from Geneva after talks recently with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"He was shocked to be informed by British immigration officers that Kuala Lumpur has revoked his passport," Kumar said. "This makes him de facto stateless."

"This is the first time I have heard of a political activist's passport being revoked by his own country's government," he said.

Kumar called on Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give a "full explanation on the rationale for the cancellation."

The British authorities will hold hearings to consider Waytha Moorthy's application for political ayslum, he said.

Waytha Moorthy said in a statement to Amnesty that the Malaysian government revoked his passport in the belief that the British authorities would deport him to Kuala Lumpur where he could be arrested under the Internal Security Act.

"This unwarranted act has given me greater 'inner' strength to continue to struggle for the Malaysian Indians and for the unconditional release of my fellow brothers held unjustly under the Internal Security Act," he said.

Malaysia's highest court on Wednesday refused to release the five activists, including a newly sworn-in state lawmaker.

Ethnic Indians make up less than eight percent of the 27 million population of the mainly Muslim-Malay country.

Lawyers for the five said they would appeal on Monday for the Federal Court to review its decision.

Rights groups say 70 people, mainly alleged Islamic militants, are being held under the Internal Security Act.

Time for the daring questions

Source : M'Kini

With stakes reaching above the moon, Umno is now looking like an upside-down circus, with the weakest man on top and the strongest apparently cowed into submission - and seen as vulnerable as he is forced down the crest of popular accusations linked to an on-going murder trial.

In the run-up to the party supreme council election scheduled for December, some veterans are screaming over unfair and undemocratic practices of the party president and his clique.

Bent on scuttling challengers, Pak Lah has once again been abusing democratic rights in Umno as he did in 2004.

Former party president and premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is hoping for the Number Two to go for Number One in December, said his “cowardly” protégé and candidate for the top post in Umno had told him he had to have the president’s permission in order to meet with him (Mahathir).

Mahathir, who dubbed the deputy prime minister a coward during a recent talk to Malaysian students in Manchester, is now making the man look like a schoolboy of 10 who is afraid to play truant and meet his former boss to discuss why the party had lost as badly as it did in the March 8 general election.

The ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, lost five states and for the first time in history, was denied a two-third majority in Parliament. It has made the prime minister a lame duck and his authority has been defied by several Malay rulers who refused to accept his candidates for menteri besar.

Pak Lah, is refusing to step down and instead is said to be using his regime-support apparatus to deny his challengers constitutional rights and due democratic process.

It’s a repeat performance many find intolerable, the first being the siege of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that he had applied in 2004. It left the prince with a single nomination in his attempt to contest for Umno president.

Party divisions were ordered to deny him the 60 nominations he needed to qualify. He obtained only one nomination, from his own division of Gua Musang.

As Tengku Razaleigh riled about the plot mounted to ruin his bid in his second attempt to contest for president, Mahathir publicly rued the deputy president’s apparent disability, asking what kind of a political party Umno has become under Pak Lah.

In these circumstances, the name calling and the diminution of the Number Two left in its wake a remarkable turn of events that finally thundered with Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s article in his blog, Malaysia Today.

Abusive agencies

Even as Mahathir wonders out loud what kind of party Umno has become under his successor, observers are quick to ask why he had enhanced the set of regime-supportive apparatus that made it possible for the party president to preside as a dictator.

Mahathir may not have set up most of the quasi-political agencies that had made Umno a rather muscular giant. But he strengthened them, ostensibly in an attempt to “institutionalise Umno”.

The Biro Tatanegara in the Prime Minister’s Department is one of several agencies responsible directly to the prime minister and empowered to intercept, and has been intercepting, the democratic political processes.

It began employing ex-commandos during Mahathir’s premiership and has been alleged to have been using intimidation and coercion with impunity to keep party members subdued and the opposition endlessly harassed.

With power and substantial funds, these agencies promptly became abusive.

Seranta, another quasi-political agency set up during Mahathir’s regime, sent more than 3,000 members to stay for months within the small state constituency of Kuala Nerang in Terengganu, to appeal for votes and ensure victory in the PAS territory in the early 1990s.

Discipline could hardly be sustained among the participants and several of the young women became pregnant while villagers complained of the men troubling village girls. Maybe the idea was to quickly increase the number of voters.

Trouble in these agencies has brewed from the early days. In the 1980s when Sanusi Junid was secretary-general of Umno, he loudly proclaimed his disgust when he was given a set of ‘blue’ videos made by and which featured members of Kemas, yet another quasi-political agency.

The videos were made for sale, leaving Sanusi aghast and spoilt for a decision whether or not to lodge a police report against the instant film-stars and film-producers.

Many who had asked before about the kind of a political party Umno was, were left unheard.

elonging to the politically favoured agencies, however, must have made these vivaciously talented people highly influential in the party, for very conceivable reasons.

Pak Lah, it is alleged widely, has been excessively using these agencies along with the police. Even many senior journalists were debarred from the mainstream media ever since he became PM, a reason why they became effective bloggers.

Abuses like these had obviously been one of the major causes for the massive rejection of the ruling party by members of Umno, a factor that will surely be carried through to the next general election and will ensure the end of Umno’s unbroken rule since 1955.

These abuses were etched in blood when members of the police special squad attached to the defence minister and deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak have been charged with the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu, who worked as translator for his political strategist Abdul Razak Baginda.

[Najib has denied any involvement in the case.]

How we protect ourselves from such powers of the regime’s special apparatus, therefore, becomes the biggest question for the nation, daring each and everyone to ask the questions Raja Petra voiced on our behalf.

Is it then time to call an end to Umno and for the members to seek other and more realistic means for regime change rather than continue to wail like beaten banshees over ruined chances to democratically contest in the party?

It is also pertinent to ask if it is at all useful for Tengku Razaleigh to keep trying to breach the siege in Umno.

Or, would he serve the nation better should he call it a day and join Anwar Ibrahim in PKR as a faction, or revive his old vehicle, Semangat 46?

Hindraf 5's appeal dismissed

Source : M'Kini


The Federal Court today dismissed the appeal by five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders to be released from detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The five are P Uthayakumar, V Ganabatirau, R Kenghadharan, T Vasantha Kumar and M Manoharan.

The Hindraf leaders were arrested on Dec 13 after the government accused them of being a threat to national security.

On Nov 25, they had organised a mammoth rally which drew some 30,000 disgruntled Indian Malaysians to the streets.

Their supporters however argued that the five - four of whom are lawyers - were merely raising issues concerning the community.

Numerous quarters, including Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties such as MIC, MCA and Gerakan, have called for their release.

Girl with 10A1s shocked by PSD’s rejection

Source : The Star

YennaMike Says : "Well done K.Kamine Devi, it's good to see youngster like you are now standing up and question your right for what you are entitled too. To the Government and the Education Department...please wake up and do what you suppose to do and explain the reason for this rejection in Public if you dare...!!!

IPOH: K. Kamine Devi was shocked that the Public Services Department (PSD) had turned down her application to study medicine overseas despite her having scored 10A1s in last year's SPM.

This after the PSD had issued a statement recently guaranteeing scholarships for students who scored 9As in their SPM.


Let down: Kamine showing Sivanesan her SPM results. With them are her parents B. Karunakaran, 52, and R. Ragini, 49.

What was worse was that her application for a matriculation programme was also rejected.

Kamine, 17, said she had her heart set on becoming a doctor and even participated in an attachment programme in April that exposed her to a doctor’s job.

“I couldn't believe my eyes when I found out on Sunday through the PSD website that my application was unsuccessful,” she said yesterday, adding that she checked the result of her application several times.

“I felt that my world collapsed that day,” said the former student of SMK Ahmad Boestamam in Sitiawan, about 90km from here.

Speaking at a press conference called by the Perak Health, Environment and Human Resources Committee chairman A. Sivanesan, Kamine said her quality control father who earns RM3,600 a month could not afford to send her overseas to pursue Medicine.

“I just want to become a doctor so I can serve the country,” said Kamine, who was also active in her school co-curricular activities.

Sivanesan said the rejection of Kamine’s application made a mockery of the PSD’s earlier statement.

“The PSD should have taken the top-scorers result from the Malaysian Examination Syndicate and offer scholarships to the students. It is up to the students whether to accept or reject the scholarships,” he said.

He invited parents of bright children who faced a similar predicament to see him.

“I will assist them in writing to the PSD,” he said.

Time for Khalid Ibrahim to go...??

Source : Via M'Kini a write up by Richard Teo


I refer to the Malaysiakini report Barricade row: Pakatan state gov't 'weak'

Ever since the beginning when Pakatan Rakyat under Khalid Ibrahim took over the reins of the Selangor government, there was already signs of a weak government.

Events until now have not dispelled those lingering doubts. Immediately after taking control of the government, there was strong compelling evidence that the previous administration was shredding important state documents which could have incriminated their administration and yet Khalid chose to ignore them with a nonchalant attitude as if it was of little importance.

That single act of omission has virtually deprived the rakyat of the opportunity to punish those perpetrators of their crime for which they were so eager to conceal and destroy.

When Penang's chief minister announced their intention to abolish the NEP and replace it with one that is more equitable there was a deafening silence from the Selangor state government.

Either Khalid didn’t hear the announcement or he had totally forgotten about the Pakatan's manifesto.

Khalid's reluctance to prosecute those Umno leaders responsible for shredding those state documents is understandable. After all, he was once a blue-eyed boy of Umno who so happened to lose their favour sometime ago.

Fortune has been kind to him and now that he is in the driver's seat, he is slowly remembering his old Umno roots.

As long as Selangor continues to be under the helm of Khalid, there will be little change from its previous Umno predeccessor. After all both Khalid and Mohd Khir Toyo came from the same Umno origin.

In the case of the Bandar Makhota Cheras barricade, the whole matter could have been expeditiously resolved if there was strong leadership.

Land in the state comes under state jurisdiction and if the incumbent government cannot even settle what is within their purview then Pakatan Rakyat is heading for a very short term.

Five years in politics is a very short time. If the Pakatan cannot reform the state governments like it promised, then maybe the rakyat will have to look for an alternative government.

Correct, correct, correct, it's Fairuz

Source : M'Kini via AFP


A royal inquiry has identified a former Malaysian chief judge as the man involved in a video clip allegedly showing a senior lawyer brokering judicial appointments, reports said today.

In a front page headline, the influential Star newspaper said the inquiry panel identified former chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim as the man on the other end of the line with senior lawyer VK Lingam in the 2001 clip.

The five-man inquiry panel, which submitted a lengthy report to the Malaysian King on Friday after a long hearing, found the clip to be authentic and the conversation to be true, the paper reported, quoting commission sources.

Commission chairman Haidar Mohamed Noor has called for the full findings of the report to be made public but Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had yet to read the report so could not yet decide on its release, the paper reported.

Drunk or bragging

Commission officials could not be reached for comment.

Former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim unleashed a furore last year by releasing the clip, which apparently showed the lawyer telling a judge over the phone that he would put him forward for a top job.

The government then set up a royal commission to investigate the tape, with prominent witnesses like former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a cabinet minister and several former high-ranking judges taking the stand.

Lingam has refused to confirm he is the man in the video, and said that if it was him he must have been drunk or simply bragging.

The scandal has affected the image of Malaysia's judiciary and questions have been raised over the outcome of legal cases involving figures implicated in the scandal.

Why bother waking up at 3am to study...?

YennaMike Says : " I read this letter publish on M'Kini website an it's sad to see especially from a students that has scored straight A's in her exam. This is the real fact on what is going on over here in Malaysia. There are many more students out there whos' future and dreams has been destroyed by the quote system set by our "irresponsible" government. Like millions of other fellow Malaysian...i pray that soon all this will be over and equal educations are available for all Malaysians...!!!

I refer to the letters A daughter devastated, a mother with no answer and Education system quota abused.

To ‘Schoolteacher, I would like to share with my case which is very similar to your case. I am a SPM leaver with an SPM result of 11A1s and I have a mother, whose is also a teacher in a government primary school. I am also the eldest daughter and I have two more younger brothers. With my family middle-class income, it's impossible for me to further my studies at a private college/university or overseas unless with a scholarship. I am pretty confident with my achievements as I hold extra-curricular posts eg, ,vice president, secretary, school prefect and I even went for the National Service programme.

I understand your daughter's feeling pretty well because I also was rejected for matriculation also for most of the scholarships that I've applied for (Petronas,Yayasan TNB,Yayasan Telekom,Yayasan Khazanah). Until now, I've only been called for an JPA interview.

Honestly, I don't really feel surprised I got rejected for those GLC scholarships and matriculation. As we know, matriculation is only open 10% for us, the non-bumis. Just imagine, out of 100 students, there are only 10 seats for us, the non-bumis. Frankly, I would feel surprise if I got an offer for matriculation.

In my school, there are about 20+ straight As scorers and they also did not get any offer for matriculation or other scholarships. We have only gone for the JPA interview so far. Even for the Petronas interview (they called it Petronas Educamp), out of the 20+ top scorers, only two managed to get selected. (One of them scored 11 A1s and one A2, another scored 11As and one B3, both non-bumis)

However, some of my Malay got an offer to do matriculation even with an SPM result of only 5As. I felt so hurt. I am so sad because I seem to be discriminated against. Nobody appreciates my talent, nobody appreciates my ability. As if our country has more than enough talented scholars.

So, to our country’s leaders, don't blame those talented scholars who do not want to come back to serve Malaysia. Don't forget who ‘threw’ them away before treating them as if they were rubbish. Frankly, sometimes I do question myself, why bother to torture myself? Why bother to wake up at 4am, sometimes even 3am to study? Why bother to score a straight A1s?

My mother once told me she is so disappointed with the Malaysian education system. Although I strived hard to score well in the SPM, but in the end, I ended up with no scholarship offer. Well, I am left the one and only hope- JPA. But my mother advised me not to put to much hope on this government scholarship.

Come on, after 51 years of independence, racism still exists in our country. We, the non-bumis, are like the blacks in US. In the past, US white people detested and discriminated against the blacks. They even put notices like,’No dogs and Blacks allowed’ in public places. Now, our government is putting up notices like ‘Only 10% non-bumis are allowed’ for matriculation.

(And who knows if the figure of ‘10%’ is true? They might take 7% of non-bumis only, who knows?)

Our government also puts up notices like ‘These courses are only reserved for the bumiputera’ for IPTA course with SPM qualifications. For your information, courses like,’Asasi Sains’, ‘Prepatory courses for medicine’ at local unisare only for bumiputeras. Non-bumis, wait until your next life!

Most of my friends and me will choose to challenge of the tough STPM if we really don't get any scholarship offer.And I believe, STPM is the last choice but is it is also the choice of most non- bumis after a series of disappointments. I observed a few batches of my own Form 6 seniors and there were almost zero bumis in the Form 6 Science Stream. Of course, since they got into matriculation with 5As,or even with 2As from SPM, why bother to take the STPM?

My last word to ‘Schoolteacher’ is that all those moral values and history they teach in school is really rubbish. My friends and I knew this when we started on those subjects. To ‘Hamisu’, my mother has already advised me to be a Pakatan Rakyat supporter.

Good News : Makkal Osai's permit renewed

Source : M'Kini


The government has made an about-turn - a week after banning Tamil daily Makkal Osai. Its publishing permit has been renewed and the newspaper will hit the stands on Saturday.

On April 16, the daily received a letter from the Home Ministry stating that its permit would not be renewed. No reasons were given for this.

The daily, which is closely linked to former MIC deputy president S Subramaniam, subsequently filed an appeal.

Industry sources claimed that the ministry's decision was related to Makkal Osai's extensive coverage of opposition-related news and the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).