FREELITTLEBRAIN

MAJLIS PENUTUPAN PERSIDANGAN PERHUTANAN MALAYSIA KE-16

2011-12-11T04:04:00.001-08:00

UCAPAN PENUTUPAN YBHG. DATO’ ZOAL AZHA BIN YUSOF, KETUA SETIAUSAHA KEMENTERIAN SUMBER ASLI DAN ALAM SEKITAR MALAYSIA SEMPENA MAJLIS PENUTUPAN PERSIDANGAN PERHUTANAN MALAYSIA KE-16 PADA 9 DISEMBER 2011, MELAKA, DISAMPAIKAN OLEH DATO' DR. HJ ABD RAHMAN BIN HJ ABD RAHIM, KETUA PENGARAH JABATAN PERHUTANAN SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA.

Sukacita saya memaklumkan bahawa saya telah diamanahkan oleh Y.Bhg. Dato’ Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar (NRE) untuk mewakili dan membacakan teks ucapan beliau bagi Majlis Penutup Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-16 pada hari ini. Ini adalah memandangkan bahawa Y.Bhg. Dato’ KSU NRE pada masa dan hari yang sama perlu berada di Putrajaya bagi menghadiri satu mesyuarat penting yang melibatkan pengurusan tertinggi dalam perkhidmatan.

Terlebih dahulu saya mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan dan terima kasih kepada Jawatankuasa Penganjur Persidangan di atas penghormatan yang diberikan untuk saya hadir bagi merasmikan Majlis Penutupan Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-16 ini. Saya amat gembira kerana dapat hadir bersama-sama dengan Y.Bhg. Dato’-Dato’, tuan-tuan dan puan-puan bagi meraikan satu peristiwa yang amat signifikan dalam rangka negara menuju ke arah merealisasikan matlamat pengurusan hutan secara berkekalan khazanah hijau negara yang cukup bernilai lagi penting ini.

Saya juga mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan syabas dan tahniah kepada semua peserta dan pemerhati persidangan di atas komitmen tinggi kerana telah berjaya mengikuti sepenuhnya program Persidangan yang telah bermula pada 5 Disember 2011 hinggalah ke 9 Disember 2011. Saya telah dimaklumkan bahawa Persidangan kali ini telah berjaya menarik penyertaan sejumlah hampir 300 orang peserta dan pemerhati yang terdiri daripada pegawai kerajaan, wakil-wakil syarikat swasta, ahli-ahli penyelidik dan akademik dan juga wakil-wakil badan bukan kerajaan dari Sabah, Sarawak dan juga Semenanjung Malaysia. Syabas saya ucapkan.

Saya juga amat yakin bahawa semangat dan kesungguhan yang sebegini sememanglah merupakan landasan yang cukup kukuh dan mantap untuk membawa negara kita ke tahap pencapaian yang lebih cemerlang terutamanya dalam bidang pengurusan, pembangunan dan pemuliharaan warisan sumber hutan negara.

Y.Bhg. Dato’-Dato’, tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang saya hormati sekalian, saya difahamkan bahawa Persidangan kali ini telah dikendalikan dalam 6 Sesi Pleno termasuklah lawatan luar semasa persidangan pada 7 Disember 2011. Secara keseluruhannya sebanyak 36 kertas kerja dan 18 poster telahpun berjaya dibentangkan. Saya turut dimaklumkan bahawa perbincangan rancak dan hangat telah menyusuli setiap pembentangan kertas kerja.

Untuk maksud ini, saya mengucapkan tahniah kepada semua pembentang kertas kerja dan poster di atas inisiatif ikhlas dan kesudian untuk berkongsi pengalaman yang pada hemat saya tidak ternilai kepentingannya. Saya juga mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua pengerusi sesi pleno kerana telah berjaya memandu dan mengelola para hadirin agar setiap perbincangan diadakan secara berfokus dan berkesan.

Di samping itu, sesetengah peserta dan pemerhati telahpun menyertai lawatan luar semasa persidangan. Saya telah dimaklumkan bahawa 5 destinasi lawatan luar telah disediakan, iaitu lawatan ke Kilang Perabot Poh Huat Resources Holding Sdn Bhd dan Taman Nasuha Herba dan Rempah Karya Sdn Bhd di Negeri Johor; Hutan Bakau Sg Linggi dan Pusat Eco Edutourism Sg Menyala di Negeri Sembilan dan Taman Botani Negara Hutan Simpan Bukit Cherakah dan Kelip-Kelip Kampung Kuantan di Negeri Selangor.

Selain daripada itu, satu program khas penanaman bakau bersama masyarakat tempatan turut diaturkan di Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Lawatan luar ini amatlah berbeda dan luas bidangnya. Saya percaya bahawa lawatan ke destinasi yang telah diatur tersebut telah dapat menambah pengetahuan dan pengalaman semua.

Memandangkan hal sedemikian, saya amat yakin bahawa matlamat perkongsian maklumat dan pengalaman serta pertukaran fikiran telah tercapai. Ia juga telah membuahkan banyak pendekatan baru dan menjadi asas dan pemangkin untuk Jabatan Perhutanan Sabah, Jabatan Hutan Sarawak, Sarawak Forestry Corporation dan Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia untuk memantapkan lagi amalan pengurusan dan pemuliharaan hutan sedia ada, sejajar dengan prinsip continuous improvement yang amat penting bagi memastikan sektor perhutanan kekal relevan di masa-masa yang akan datang.

Persidangan kali ini mengutamakan aspek sosial dalam perhutanan di mana “Hutan Untuk Kesejahteraan Masyarakat (Forests For Community Livelihood)” telah dipilih sebagai tema persidangan ini. Berdasarkan perbincangan ringkas saya dengan ketua-ketua delegasi dan beberapa orang peserta persidangan, saya telah mendapati bahawa topik-topik yang dibincangkan di bawah setiap sesi pleno sememangnya menepati tema yang ditetapkan.

Saya amat tertarik dan menyokong penuh saranan Y.B. Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar Malaysia semasa ucapan beliau di Majlis Perasmian Persidangan pada 5 Disember 2011 bahawa hutan akan terus memainkan peranan untuk menjaga kesejahteraan hidup manusia sejagat melalui penghasilan pelbagai produk dan perkhidmatan hutan.

Di kesempatan ini, izinkan saya mengulangi sekali lagi bahawa Kerajaan Malaysia adalah komited dan akan terus komited untuk menguruskan sumber hutan negara berlandaskan prinsip Pengurusan Hutan Secara Berkekalan (Sustainable Forest Management) dan amalan good forest practices.

Saya juga tertarik hati dengan pembentangan maklumbalas kemajuan pelaksanaan Resolusi Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-15 oleh ketua-ketua delegasi dari Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung Malaysia semasa Sesi Tertutup pada 5 Disember 2011. Pembentangan oleh ketua-ketua delegasi ini amatlah bermakna kerana ia telah menunjukkan secara jelasnya sikap serius dan kesungguhan yang diberikan oleh setiap delegasi terhadap Resolusi Persidangan yang ditetapkan. Ia juga merupakan satu bentuk ‘report card’ pelaksanaan resolusi oleh setiap ketua delegasi berkaitan pelaksaan dan pencapaian yang direalisasikan semenjak resolusi diluluskan pada tahun 2008.

Pelaporan sebegini, pada hemat saya, amatlah penting kerana ia menunjukkan akauntabiliti dan meningkatkan ketelusan pengurusan dan pentadbiran setiap jabatan dan agensi hutan yang sekaligus akan meningkatkan imej jabatan dan agensi berkaitan di kaca mata masyarakat umum, selaras dengan Gagasan 1Malaysia: Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian diutamakan.

Dalam konteks ini, sepertimana yang dimaklumkan oleh Ketua Pengarah Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia, Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-16 telah meluluskan Resolusinya tersendiri. Di kesempatan ini, ingin saya menyarankan supaya semua warga jabatan dan agensi hutan di Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung Malaysia agar terus memberikan tumpuan yang serius terhadap pelaksanaan kesemua resolusi yang ditetapkan.

Ini adalah kerana resolusi yang sebaik macam manapun tidak bermakna sekiranya ia tidak dilaksanakan ataupun tidak digunakan sebagai rujukan dan panduan dalam pentadbiran, pengurusan dan pembangunan sumber hutan negara yang diamanahkan. Bagai kata pepatah “the taste of the pudding is in the eating”, saya berharap aspek pelaksanaannya akan diutamakan oleh kesemua jabatan dan agensi hutan yang berkaitan.

Hutan merupakan kurniaan dan anugerah tuhan untuk kesejahteraan manusia sejagat. Oleh yang demikian, saya pegang teguh bahawa sudah tiba masanya para ahli rimbawan memberi pertimbangan yang saksama kepada kepentingan ekonomi, sosial dan alam sekitar dalam membuat perancangan untuk pengurusan, pembangunan dan kegunaan sumber hutan yang amat bernilai ini.

Pendekatan ini sememangnya juga adalah sejajar dengan prinsip pembangunan mapan ataupun sustainable development. Saya sekali lagi menyeru para rimbawan agar mengambil pendekatan secara konsultatif dengan mengambil kira pandangan dan cadangan daripada masyarakat sivil dan komuniti setempat dalam mengurus dan membangunkan sumber hutan supaya nilai-nilai budaya dan hak kegunaan masyarakat yang berkenaan tidak terhakis atau terancam.

Dalam hubungan ini, kejayaan Malaysia dalam mengekalkan lebih 56% daripada keluasan tanah negara sebagai kawasan berhutan adalah amat membanggakan. Pencapaian ini merupakan hasil daripada kerjasama sedia terjalin dan erat di antara Kerajaan Pusat dan Kerajaan-kerajaan Negeri.

Dalam konteks ini, kerjasama erat di antara kesemua jabatan dan agensi hutan di Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung Malaysia amatlah penting dan kritikal bagi memastikan khazanah hutan negara dapat terus terpelihara dan berfungsi untuk manfaat kita semua secara berpanjangan. Ke arah ini, ingin saya menyarankan agar perjumpaan secara tahunan di antara jabatan dan agensi hutan ini diwujudkan supaya kemajuan pelaksanaan resolusi persidangan dapat dilapor dan dipertingkatkan.

Pada waktu yang sama, isu-isu hutan di peringkat nasional, serantau dan antarabangsa juga boleh dibincangkan agar pendirian bersama dapat dipupuk dan dipersetujui. Insyallah!

Akhir sekali saya ingin merakamkan ucapan tahniah kepada Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanung Malaysia selaku penganjur di atas kejayaan mengadakan Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-16 secara berjaya dan cemerlang. Ucapan terima kasih juga saya sampaikan kepada Kerajaan Negeri Melaka yang sudi menjadi tuan rumah persidangan kali ini serta bantuan yang telahpun diberikan bagi menjayakan persidangan kali ini. Semoga usaha tersebut mendapat keberkatan daripada Allah SWT.

Ucapan terima kasih juga saya rakamkan kepada pengucaptama, pengerusi sesi pleno, pembentang-pembentang kertas kerja dan poster, para peserta dari jabatan dan agensi hutan Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung Malaysia. Tanpa sokongan padu ini semestinya persidangan tidak dapat diadakan secara lancar serta menepati objektif yang ditetapkan.

RFID illegal logging detector on trial run

2011-12-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

MALACCA: The Forestry Department is currently testing a device that uses German technology to detect illegal logging activities.

Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahim said the device, which uses radio frequency identification (RFID), is being used on a trial basis.

“We are currently testing the technology in Negri Sembilan and if everything goes well, will use it to thwart illegal logging and encroachment into forest reserves,” he told The Star after opening the 16th Forestry Conference at a hotel here yesterday.

Dr Abdul Rahman said technologies like RFID were vital in forestry management because of European Union regulations for the production of logs and wood products.

The European Union, he said, wanted countries that export wood products to guarantee the trees used to make those products were harvested legally and in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The European Union also wants control and monitoring processes to be transparent.

“Once those controls and processes are in place, the Government will be able to issue export licences that meet EU standards and combat illegal logging,” he said.

The conference, themed “Forest for Community Livelihood”, was opened by Malacca’s Rural Development and Agriculture committee chairman Datuk R. Perumal.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/6/nation/10039454&sec=nation

Malaysia berupaya kekal 56.4 peratus tanah berhutan

2011-12-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

Malaysia berupaya kekal 56.4 peratus tanah berhutan

05/12/2011 8:59pm

MELAKA 5 Dis. – Malaysia sehingga kini berupaya mengekalkan sejumlah 56.4 peratus daripada keluasan tanah negara sebagai tanah berhutan, kata Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar, Datuk Seri Douglas Unggah Embas.

Beliau berkata, peratusan itu merupakan satu pencapaian yang patut dibanggakan kerana banyak negara tidak berupaya berbuat demikian kerana kebanyakan hutan mereka telah dibuka untuk pembangunan infrastruktur yang berlebihan.

Kejayaan tersebut amat besar maknanya kerana Malaysia masih merupakan sebuah negara yang membangun di mana pembangunan dan pertukaran kegunaan tanah hutan kepada kegunaan lain sentiasa berlaku, katanya semasa berucap pada majlis perasmian Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-16 di sini, hari ini.

Teks ucapan beliau dibacakan oleh timbalannya, Tan Sri Panglima Joseph Kurup.

Douglas berkata, tanah berhutan sentiasa dijadikan bank tanah (land bank) untuk pelbagai projek pembangunan bagi membolehkan Malaysia terus maju.

Beliau berkata, cabaran penting dalam pengurusan hutan hari ini adalah mengimbangi persaingan dan pelbagai gunaan tanah untuk aktiviti perhutanan. – Bernama

http://utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=1205&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_33.htm

Malaysia Berupaya Kekal 56.4 Peratus Tanah Berhutan

2011-12-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

05 Disember, 2011 19:45 PM

Malaysia Berupaya Kekal 56.4 Peratus Tanah Berhutan

MELAKA, 5 Dis (Bernama) -- Malaysia sehingga kini berupaya mengekalkan sejumlah 56.4 peratus daripada keluasan tanah negara sebagai tanah berhutan, kata Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar Datuk Seri Douglas Unggah Embas.

Beliau berkata peratusan itu merupakan satu pencapaian yang patut dibanggakan kerana banyak negara tidak berupaya berbuat demikian kerana kebanyakan hutan mereka telah dibuka untuk pembangunan infrastruktur yang berlebihan.

Kejayaan tersebut amat besar maknanya kerana Malaysia masih merupakan sebuah negara yang membangun di mana pembangunan dan pertukaran kegunaan tanah hutan kepada kegunaan lain sentiasa berlaku, katanya semasa berucap pada majlis perasmian Persidangan Perhutanan Malaysia Ke-16 di sini, hari Isnin.

Teks ucapan beliau dibacakan oleh timbalannya Tan Sri Panglima Joseph Kurup.

Douglas berkata tanah berhutan sentiasa dijadikan bank tanah (land bank) untuk pelbagai projek pembangunan bagi membolehkan Malaysia terus maju.

Beliau berkata cabaran penting dalam pengurusan hutan hari ini adalah mengimbangi persaingan dan pelbagai gunaan tanah untuk aktiviti perhutanan.

Katanya hutan bukan lagi hanya sebagai pengeluar satu produk, tetapi perkhidmatannya amat penting dalam menghasilkan udara dan air bersih serta sebagai penyerap karbon dioksida dan pembasmi kesan rumah hijau.

Douglas berkata kerajaan akan terus komited dalam Pengurusan Hutan Mampan dan amalan hutan yang baik untuk kesejahteraan hidup melalui pengeluaran pelbagai produk dan perkhidmatan hutan.

Sementara itu, Ketua Menteri Melaka Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam yang merasmikan persidangan tersebut berkata Melaka telah mewartakan kawasan berhutan seluas 5,327 hektar iaitu kira-kira 3.2 peratus dari keluasan tanah negeri ini sebagai hutan simpan kekal.

"Usaha ini diambil atas komitmen kerajaan negeri untuk memastikan pengekalan kawasan berhutan bagi menyediakan sumber alam sekitar yang bersih dan pemeliharaan kepelbagaian biodiversiti untuk kesejahteraan hidup rakyat," katanya dalam teks ucapannya yang dibacakan oleh Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Desa dan Pertanian Negeri Datuk R. Perumal.

Berkata Melaka akan terus mempertingkatkan usaha menanam pokok sehingga mencapai sasaran menyamai jumlah penduduk negeri ini.

"Melaka juga terlibat aktif dalam program penanaman pokok bakau dan spesies yang sesuai di persisiran pantai sejak 2005 dan sehingga kini sebanyak 17,250 pokok telah ditanam," katanya.

-- BERNAMA

M’sia maintains 56.4% of land area as forest

2011-12-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

MALACCA: Malaysia is still able to maintain 56.4 percent of its total land area as forested land, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said on Monday.

He described it as an encouraging achievement because many countries were not able to do so as their forest areas had been opened for development.

This success is very significant because Malaysia is still a developing country where development and forest land-use change for other purposes still happens, he said in his speech at the opening of the 16th Malaysian Forestry Conference here.

The text of the speech was read by Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.

Uggah said the most important challenge in today's forest management was to balance the competition and various land use for forestry activities.

He said that the forest was not just a producer of a product, but also to produce clean air and water, as well as to absorb carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect.

Meanwhile, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, in his speech when opening the conference, said Malacca had gazetted 5,327 hectares of forested land or 3.2 percent of the state's total land area as permanent forest reserves.

"This effort is made on the commitment by the state government to maintain a permanent forest area to provide a clean environment and for the preservation of the biodiversity for the people's well-being" he said.

The speech was read by the State Rural Development and Agriculture Committee Chairman Datuk R. Perumal.

He said the state government would continue with its tree planting effort, adding that a total of 17,250 trees had been planted since 2005. - Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/5/nation/20111205211036&sec=nation

2 new laws to replace Internal Security Act

2011-09-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

The Internal Security Act (ISA) – is to be repealed some 50 years after it was first drawn up, in its place will be two anti-terror laws, not unlike the ones drawn up in the USA and Britain to handle terrorists, violent criminals and subversive elements.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the new laws would be in line with Article 149 of the Federal Constitution and promised Malaysians that no one would be detained due to their political ideology.

“In my maiden speech when I took over as Prime Minister, I promised that the ISA would undergo a comprehensive review. As such, I would like to announce on this historic night that the Act will be abolished.

“Two new laws will be enacted to maintain peace, harmony and prosperity. The laws that will be formulated will take into account basic rights and freedom based on the Federal Constitution. Above all, the Government will ensure the rights of those involved will be protected,” he said.

Najib said the new laws would provide for a substantially shorter detention period. Any further extension to the detention could be made by a court order, except for those laws related to terrorism, which would remain under the relevant minister’s purview.

“The Government is also giving its commitment that no individual will be detained purely based on political ideology. In a modern day democracy, there must be a balance between national security and individual freedom; this is the responsibility of the Government, whose highest aim is to uphold people’s welfare and harmony."

He said although freedom of expression was guaranteed under the Federal Constitution, this did not mean that anyone could commit slander or stoke hatred.

Flying Squad to curb illegal logging

2011-09-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

Flying Squad in Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia is the forest law enforcement unit to in curb illegal logging. Assessment of the effectiveness of existing controls to estimate the level of illegal logging is based on data.

According to Datuk Razani Ujang, Director General of Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, from 2006 until 2009, a total of 144 people were arrested for involvement in illegal logging activities, while 226 units of machinery and heavy equipment were seized by the Enforcement Division of the Forestry Department.

Datuk Razani Ujang, Director General of Forestry Dept. Peninsular M'sia

Compound collections that have been imposed on offenders were RM11.2 million.

Under the law, all forest produce are the property of the State Authorities and only those with permission are allowed to enter and extract the forest produce.

Forests are under the responsibility of the states as enshrined in the Malaysian Federal Constitution. Under Article 74(12) of the Federal Constitution, land and forest ownership and management is the responsibility of the State governments.

The executive authority of the Federal Government only extends to the provision of advice and technical assistance to the States, training and the conduct of research, unless the State agrees to delegate some of their authority to the Federal Government.

However, the Federal Government is responsible for trade policies, import and export controls and international cooperation among others. The Enforcement Unit at the Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia coordinates and supports the enforcement actions undertaken by the Forest Operations Division at the State Forest Departments of Peninsular Malaysia only.

Zahari Ibrahim, head of Flying Squad

The challenge of sustainability management of production forests faces highly complex processes. It is interesting to note that Forestry Department has taken various measures in curbing illegal logging.

Let’s see what Datuk Razani Ujang, Director General of Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia and Zahari Ibrahim, head of Flying Squad said about the modus operandi on Corporate Illegal Logging and the issues to the Star, the biggest circulation newspaper in Malaysia.

Read the full article below:

http://mstar.com.my/kolumnis/cerita.asp?file=%2F2011%2F7%2F18%2Fmstar_kolum_khabarnya%2F20110718101827&sec=mstar_kolum_khabarnya

http://mstar.com.my/mingguan/cerita.asp?file=%2F2011%2F7%2F19%2Fmstar_mingguan%2F20110719112155&sec=mstar_mingguan

Illegal logging VS Law of Jungle

2011-09-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

The issue of illegal logging whiles primarily an issue in the law enforcement world but has emerged as a very hot topic.

The issue seems to be receiving more public attention lately due to the occurring of global warming which resulting the awareness of the environmental issues not only gains its momentum but become social agenda.

Datuk Razani Ujang, Director General of Forestry Dept. Peninsular M'sia

The logging protocol defines illegal logging as the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. It is a pervasive problem; it not only destroys the country’s unique rainforests, but also causes a series of environmental problems including flooding, local communities and to the economies of the country.

The activities contribute to deforestation and by extension global warming causes loss of biodiversity and undermines the rule of law. These illegal activities undermine responsible forest management, encourage corruption and tax evasion and reduce the income of the country, further limiting the resources that can be invested in sustainable development.

The seriousness and negative impact of the economic and social implications for the poor and disadvantaged shouldn’t be overlooked. Malaysia has been blessed with an abundance of tropical rainforests. Many forested areas in Malaysia have been designated as National Parks and forest reserves.

Many Malaysians might not be aware that the forests that they are so used to is actually complex ecosystems that are filled with an assortment of plant life and wildlife. Malaysia has always done its best in fighting against illegal logging.

It is interesting to note that Forestry Department has taken various measures to overcome the problems. Let’s see what Datuk Razani Ujang, Director General of Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia responding to the problem and says about the issues in the Star, the biggest circulation newspaper in Malaysia…

Read the full article below:

http://mstar.com.my/mingguan/cerita.asp?file=/2011/7/19/mstar_mingguan/20110719113620&sec=mstar_mingguan

mStar Online : Flying Squad Jabatan Hutan

2011-09-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

mStar Online : Flying Squad Jabatan Hutan

mStar Online : Pembalakan haram didalangi rangkaian sindiket

2011-09-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

mStar Online : Pembalakan haram didalangi rangkaian sindiket

mStar Online : Tonto di tepi, di pinggir dan di dalam hutan

2011-09-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

mStar Online : Tonto di tepi, di pinggir dan di dalam hutan

Home Minister said every paper has crossed the line in reporting sensitive issues one time or another

2011-05-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein plans to meet chief editors of newspapers on the reporting of sensitive issues.

He said he wanted to ensure that the chief editors exercised caution in the reporting of sensitive issues on race and religion and that they understood they would be held responsible for their action.

Commenting on a report published in Utusan Malaysia recently alleging that certain groups wanted to make Christianity the official religion,

Hishammuddin said: "There are times when the Malay community were unhappy with the reporting of the Chinese newspapers (on sensitive issues) and vice versa.

"It is the responsibility of the chief editors to ensure that their organisations do not go beyond the boundaries set in reporting such issues," he told reporters.

Despite the clarity of the country's publishing laws and guidelines, he said, "every paper has crossed the line (in reporting sensitive issues) one time or another. Now it's Utusan (which has crossed the line)."

Hishammuddin said that it was difficult to control the flow of information on sensitive issues, especially with the emergence of the new media.

"If it (the information) does not make it to the mainstream papers, it will somehow or rather get to the new media like online news portals, Facebook and the short messaging service," he said.

World Bank is useless: Dr Mahathir

2011-04-30T19:40:00.001-07:00

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad described the World Bank as “useless”, saying today that it was politically motivated for putting out a report that pro-Bumiputera policies are stunting the country’s economy.

The former prime minister said the World Bank report was politically motivated as it wanted a change of prime minister.

“We have been critical of the World Bank since my time. We said that they were useless. They dislike us and want to have their good friend become prime minister”, seemingly referring to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a former chairman of its development committee.

The World Bank said on Thursday that more than one million Malaysians live abroad as policies favoring the Malays are holding back the economy, causing a brain drain and limiting foreign investment.

World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens was quoted as saying that foreign investment could be five times the current levels if the country had Singapore’s talent base.

He said Malaysian migration was increasingly becoming a skill migration with one-third of the one million-strong Malaysian diaspora now consisting of the tertiary educated and expected the trend to continue.

World Bank is useless: Dr Mahathir

2011-04-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad described the World Bank as “useless”, saying today that it was politically motivated for putting out a report that pro-Bumiputera policies are stunting the country’s economy.

The former prime minister said the World Bank report was politically motivated as it wanted a change of prime minister.

“We have been critical of the World Bank since my time. We said that they were useless. They dislike us and want to have their good friend become prime minister”, seemingly referring to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a former chairman of its development committee.

The World Bank said on Thursday that more than one million Malaysians live abroad as policies favoring the Malays are holding back the economy, causing a brain drain and limiting foreign investment.

World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens was quoted as saying that foreign investment could be five times the current levels if the country had Singapore’s talent base.

He said Malaysian migration was increasingly becoming a skill migration with one-third of the one million-strong Malaysian diasporas now consisting of the tertiary educated and expected the trend to continue.

Japan economy contraction in Jan-June 2011

2011-04-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the country’s economy will likely shrink in the first half of 2011 due mainly to stalled output in the wake of Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

“We are now expecting production and GDP will decline in the first quarter and the second quarter,” Shirakawa said in the interview conducted yesterday, echoing the views of most private-sector economists who also see a first half contraction.

The focus is now on how quickly the Japanese economy will return to growth. This largely depends on when supply chain disruptions will ease and to what degree power shortages could affect factory output during the peak summer period.

Shirakawa was quoted as saying supply constraints would likely continue at least until August before recovering.

“Once supply capacity is recovered, then the Japanese economy is moving back to the original growth path,” Shirakawa said in the interview.

The BOJ is expected to hold off on any further easing of monetary policy next week but will likely reiterate its readiness to act if the quake’s damage threatens Japan’s return to a moderate economic recovery.

In a twice-yearly outlook report to be issued at next week’s rate review, the BOJ will cut its economic forecast for the current fiscal year, which began on April 1, from its January projection of 1.6 per cent growth to reflect the impact of the quake, sources familiar with the BOJ’s thinking have told Reuters.

But many in the bank agree with the dominant market view that Japan will avoid a contraction for the full fiscal year as growth is expected to pick up from around autumn. — Reuters

Brush aside the demands of the Chinese: Sarawak Perkasa

2011-04-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Sarawak chapter of right-wing Malay rights group Perkasa told BN to brush aside the demands of the Chinese and focus instead on “reinstating” the rights and privileges of the bumiputeras in the state.

Sarawak Perkasa chief Abang Abdul Nasser Abang Hadari said the Chinese have betrayed the ruling coalition by “membalas susu dengan tuba” (repaying milk with poison)," he said in a statement.

“Ever since Perkasa was launched in Sarawak, it has never questioned any claims by the Chinese, as a sign of respect for the 1Malaysia concept.

“The Chinese community should blame Pakatan Rakyat, and even more so DAP, if Sarawak's pribumi community deny all their demands.”

Abang Abdul implied support for Utusan's views, calling on the federal and Sarawak governments to realize the special rights for pribumis in Sabah and Sarawak by, among others, replacing the New Economic Policy with an affirmative action policy tailored for them.

His other demands include:
i. Realising non-Muslim bumiputeras' rights to practise their religion, while respecting Islam as the nation's official religion
ii. Ensuring all pribumis enjoy access to basic infrastructure such as electricity, water and clinics
iii. Automatic scholarships for bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak who achieve the minimum requirements to enter college and universities
iv. Special leeway for bumiputera students in public universities for all critical courses
v. Ensure that projects and contracts for bumiputera contractors and companies are issued transparently and effectively to allow ease of monitoring

“Perkasa congratulates Sarawak's pribumis and the BN government under the leadership of Abdul Taib Mahmud and his elected representatives for winning their respective constituencies,” he added.

“BN must retain its fixed deposit in Sarawak, and not allow anyone to disturb or challenge it.”

2-party system based on race strive by DAP will not contribute to stability, says Dr M

2011-04-18T01:34:00.000-07:00

The former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia faces a grave danger of being divided by two parties — one Malay dominated by default and the other Chinese by choice.

This will not be good for Malaysia. But this is what the DAP is striving for. A two-party system based on race will not contribute to stability much less national unity.

He accused DAP of destroying the power-sharing formula that Barisan Nasional had implemented for half a century.

He wrote in his blog that the Chinese community in Sarawak has rejected multiracialism after being infected by the virus of Chinese racism that he said is the guiding principle of the DAP.

He also suggested that any DAP administration would only be ostensibly Malaysian.

“I congratulate the DAP for bringing its racist politics to Sarawak. Before this all races co-operated well with each other for the good of Sarawak. Now we see clearly that the Chinese community in Sarawak has rejected multiracialism.”

“They have become infected by the virus of Chinese racism that is the guiding principle of the DAP. If the same pattern was seen in the next general election that is expected to be held in a year, it would split the country."

“Those Chinese who reject the DAP seem to be considered as non-Chinese by the DAP. The presence of a few Malays in the DAP is just window dressing,” he said.

He again accused the DAP of emulating Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in sidelining the Malays.

“It is the same as in Singapore where the PAP government sidelined their Malay supporters completely. The Malays make up 15 per cent of the island’s population but their share of political power and wealth of this very prosperous nation is about one per cent.

“Of course, Singapore is ruled by Singaporeans. The same would happen in Malaysia should the DAP rule this country. It would be ostensibly being Malaysian,” he added.

Utusan:BN can still win in the general election without the support of the Chinese community

2011-04-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Utusan Malaysia has told Barisan Nasional (BN) to ignore the Chinese community for not supporting the ruling coalition during yesterday’s Sarawak elections.

BN’s Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) lost more than two-thirds of the 19 seats it contested in a snub by the tiny but vociferous China commuity.

In its weekend edition Mingguan Malaysia, columnist Awang Selamat stressed that re-elected Sarawak chief minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud’s new cabinet will reflect the “reality of the ballot box.”

“The average Chinese voters have rejected BN and supported DAP. Therefore the BN state government can no longer be too generous to give place to representatives from the community. Sarawak cabinet must be reflective of the decisions and attitude of the voters.

“Clear message must be sent. Taib must show gratitude to those that supported him and BN government,” said Awang in his article “New Reality.” The columnist, whose pseudonym is used by Utusan editors, said that BN leaders must learn from the state election when preparing for the national polls.

“Once again, the attitude of the Chinese voters is clear in rejecting BN. Awang believes that sentiment of Chinese voters in the peninsular is also the same. The reality is that after dominating the economy for so long, the Chinese community wants to have greater influence and become a dominant political force.

“The campaign to change the state government seems to only be accepted by a majority of the Chinese voters. The Bumiputera community still remains strong with BN,” Awang added.

He said that BN must formulate a new strategy without depending on the support of the Chinese voters. Awang said the ruling coalition must not fall into a trap of granting every demands of the community if they continue to vote for DAP.

“Let the support come naturally. If the Chinese voters continue to reject BN then we should not worry as there will be a way out,” Awang said. The columnist also said that BN can still win in the general election without the support of the Chinese community.

“What is important is to empower the voters that are already loyal supporters. We should not pursue what we cannot get. The potential for BN to win is still huge with the growing support of the Bumiputeras, Malays, Indian and other ethnic communities.

“If there is additional support from a small percentage of Chinese voters then that is a bonus. All parties must be ready with the new reality,” said Awang.

Yuan to be used more in trade, says China central bank chief

2011-04-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

BOAO, China, April 16 — China’s yuan will be used more often for settling trade in future if the dollar proves “unstable”, Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), said today.

The yuan will be fully convertible one day but there is no timetable for that, Zhou also told a briefing on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia on the tropical Chinese island of Hainan. He added that China was still under-represented at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in terms of the size of the Chinese economy. — Reuters

Iran Opec Governor: Global oil market over supplied

2011-04-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN, April 9 — Iran sees the global oil market as over supplied, despite prices that have been pushed up by upheaval in the Middle East, its Opec governor was quoted as saying in a newspaper today.

“Not only is there not a shortage of supply in the oil market but there is 1 million barrels (per day) of excess supply,” Mohammad Ali Khatibi told the Sharq daily in an interview in which he also warned that prices would continue to increase if the Libyan crisis persisted and would “explode” if there were any security problems in Saudi Arabia.. — Reuters

Photographer captures glowing 'solar spike' on freezing winter morning

2010-12-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

Like a giant laser striking the Earth from space, this image looks like the first attack in an alien invasion. But this remarkable image is a rare and natural phenomenon called a solar spike - caused by wintery ice crystals in the Earth's upper atmosphere refracting light from the sun.

Father-of-two Randy Knauf, 51, an amateur photographer from Allegan, Michigan, spotted the amazing sight as he traveled to work last week and jumped out of his car to capture the moment on camera.

A solar spike seen on the morning of December 7th in Allegan, Michigan. The sight id caused by wintery ice crystals in the Earth's upper atmosphere refracting light from the sun.

Baffled by the strange vision that lasted for 10 minutes, he asked a friend - a local TV weatherman - to explain and learned it was a 'solar spike'. In the UK the phenomenon is also known as a sun pillar and is a vertical column of light above and sometimes below the sun.

It is caused by the reflection of sunlight from ice crystals and is most often observed at sunrise or sunset when the sun is low to the horizon.

Mr Knauf said: 'He told me they happen only when the upper atmosphere of the planet is very still and cold, at sunset or sunrise, and in areas where there is a lot of moisture up there but not enough to make clouds.'

'In Michigan we have the Great Lakes, which gives us the moisture, and it's extremely cold at the moment.'

Describing the moment, he added: 'I had just rounded a curve and was looking directly into the sunrise when I noticed the solar spike. 'The Great Lakes contain one fifth of all of the fresh water in the world, so we have a lot of moisture in the air here.

'It lasted for about 10 minutes after I shot this image and it was a beautiful and bizarre thing to see. I'm not certain how long the effect was taking place prior to my seeing it, bu

t I'm told they stay for around 15 minutes maximum.

Hisham dares Anwar to reveal APCO proof

2010-12-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

The Home Minister has challenged opposition de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to reveal proof he says that linked government strategist APCO Worldwide and Israel.

Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein said Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has yet to make good on its threat to expose the connection between the public relations consultancy firm and Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, despite constant promises to do so.

“Expose it. What is he afraid of?” Hishamuddin told reporters here today.

“They have been threatening for a long time to reveal boxes of confidential information but, to this day, nothing has been shown.”

Hishamuddin pointed out that the only “strange” information that has been exposed so far has instead been US diplomatic cables in which Singapore alleged that Anwar had knowingly “walked into” a “set-up job”.

“Even then he accused the police of conspiring with the intelligence agencies of sovereign countries like Singapore and Australia,” he said.

Two-thirds in question but BN could wrest one or two states, says Dr M

2010-11-17T23:40:00.001-08:00

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has predicted Barisan Nasional (BN) may win back one or two states from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the next general election because the “opposition is in shambles,” according to a Bloomberg report.

He said BN “may not get the two-thirds majority which would enable them to rule the country with a strong majority.”

He told Bloomberg in an interview here that BN “might be able to recover maybe one or two states.”

“At the moment his party is in a shambles,” Dr Mahathir was quoted by Bloomberg today as saying in reference to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s PKR.

Dr Mahathir’s remarks come amid intense speculation that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call snap polls by the first quarter of next year.

Prime minister promotes policies for every ethnic group

2010-10-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said, Titiwangsa Umno division chief Johari Abdul Ghani's speech that Umno did not need Indian or Chinese votes appeared on YouTube was unlikely to have an impact on Chinese voters come the Nov 4 Galas by-election.

He said that such leaders do not represent the mainstream view among Umno's top leadership.

“If we want a definite answer, ask the prime minister. The prime minister clearly promotes 1Malaysia with policies for every ethnic group. This is very clear,” he told reporters when met in Gua Musang town today.

MCA would not support these non-mainstream grassroots leaders and even recommend to the Umno leadership that they not be fielded as candidates in the general election. He said that such Umno leaders do not act in the spirit of BN which looks after the interests of all ethnic groups.

“This (video clip) tells us that there are some Umno grassroots leaders who are not politically savvy. They are not very smart. We will report back to the prime minister.

“They should not come out (in public). We will pursue this. They should not represent BN and should retire and go home,” said Chua.

Chua was commenting on a video clip depicting a speech by Titiwangsa Umno division Chief Johari Abdul Ghani at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Johari said that for Umno to retain the Titiwangsa Parliamentary seat, it merely has to ensure 70 percent of the Malay vote there.

“Gentlemen, if you secure 70 percent of the 32,000 Malay vote, then we won't need Chinese and Indian votes,” said Johari, triggering applause from his audience.

“If we want to win in Titiwangsa, we want Malays (to vote for us). We want Malays. Don't bow down to the Chinese and Indians just because we want to win. Don't do it,” he said.

The big Google is watching you

2010-10-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

German officials aren't buying Google's excuse that it harvested WiFi data by accident. Last week Google revealed that it had unintentionally collected WiFi data from open routers using its Google Street View cars.

The data was only discovered when the German Data Protection Authority asked to audit the WiFi data collected by the Google Street View team.

Google said that up until the time of the audit, it had been under the impression that it was only collecting MAC addresses and SSID information. However, the audit showed that Google had been collected fragments of payload data from open WiFi networks.

Data collected by Google included emails and web addresses users were viewing. Google said that it would be deleting all of this extra data and said a third party would be brought in to ensure this was done in the correct manner. However, it seems Peter Schaar, Germany's federal commissioner for data protection, and freedom of information, is not satisfied with Google's story.

"So everything was a mistake, a software bug! The data was collected and stored without the authorization of the project's managers or even the company's managers. If we go along with this story, this means the software was used without having been properly tested beforehand," he said, according to TGDaily.

Indeed, Germany is not the only country who has found issue with Google's behavior. The Irish Data Protection Authority Friday contacted Google and asked that all data accidentally harvested in Ireland be deleted.

Google today confirmed that this Irish data was deleted over the weekend in the presence of an independent third party.

No bonus for civil servants

2010-10-16T03:55:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered how big a Billion is? Can you imagine how big RM3.1 billion is and its effect on the National Debt.

Mathematically, 1 million seconds is about 11.5 days while 1 billion seconds is about 32 years.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government could not pay a month's bonus to the 1.2 million civil servants in Budget 2011 because it incurred an expenditure of RM3.1 billion.

As such, he said, the special financial assistance of RM500 for each civil servant was appropriate.

Najib said many quarters had lobbied to him to announce a month's bonus to the civil servants. But I would like to share with you ... that a month's bonus incurs an expenditure of RM3.1 million for the government. Personally, I would want to give a bonus but as a responsible finance minister, I cannot expend more than the national revenue.

"It is for this reason that I gave RM500 as a special financial assistance to civil servants," he said.

Najib announced a special financial assistance of RM500 for all civil servants from Grade 54 and below as well as contract officers and retirees. The payment will be made in December this year.

The prime minister said the aid could help civil servants cope with schooling expenses for their children at the end of the year.

He said that though no bonus was given, the government had proposed other incentives for civil servants, such as maternity leave of up to 90 days. These also benefitted women teachers, who made up almost 70 percent of the 400,000 teachers in the country, he said.

Malaysia economy is in good shape

2010-09-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

Malaysia debts are currently at 53.70% GDP. It appears to be in good shape.

A country normally can borrow up to 100% its GDP, a very strong industrial country or very financial stable nation can borrow up to perhaps 200% its GDP, debts over 250% GDP the country is bankrupted.

Although the USA has the biggest economy, but the government is not at all rich; in fact, it can't even take out $150bn if asked to now without resorting to borrowing. To date the US government has borrowed $14 trillion.

The UK, likewise, while the people are rich, the government isn’t. The UK government's debt stands at $9 trillion now.

There are only 5 countries with no debt (I.E. 0%): Brunei, Liechtenstein, Palau, Nieu and Macau of China.

Richest governments after 2008-2009 financial crisis:

1. China
National reserves: $2,454,300,000,000
2. Japan
National reserves: $1,019,000,000,000
3. Russia
National reserves: $458,020,000,000
4. Saudi Arabia
National reserves: $395,467,000,000
5. Taiwan
National reserves: $362,380,000,000
6. India
National reserves: $279,422,000,000
7. South Korea
National reserves: $274,220,000,000
8. Switzerland
National reserves: $262,000,000,000
9. Hong Kong , China
National reserves: $256,000,000,000
10. Brazil
National reserves: $255,000,000,000

20. Malaysia / 96,100

The rest are : ( in million US $)

11 Singapore / 203,436
12 Germany / 189,100
13 Thailand / 150,000
14 Algeria / 149,000
15 France / 140,848
16 Italy / 133,104
17 United States / 124,176
18 Mexico / 100,096
19 Iran / 96,560
20 Malaysia / 96,100
21 Poland / 85,232
22 Libya / 79,000
23 Denmark / 76,315
24 Turkey / 71,859
25 Indonesia / 69,730
26 United Kingdom / 69,091
27 Israel / 62,490
28 Canada / 57,392
29 Norway / 49,223
30 Iraq / 48,779
31 Argentina / 48,778
32 Philippines / 47,650
33 Sweden / 46,631
34 United Arab Emirates / 45,000
35 Hungary / 44,591
36 Romania / 44,056
37 Nigeria / 40,480
38 Czech Republic / 40,151
39 Australia / 39,454
40 Lebanon / 38,600
41 Netherlands / 38,372
42 South Africa / 38,283
43 Peru / 37,108
44 Egypt / 35,223
45 Venezuela / 31,925
46 Ukraine / 28,837
47 Spain / 28,195
48 Colombia / 25,141
49 Chile / 24,921
50 Belgium / 24,130
51 Brunei / 22,000
52 Morocco / 21,873
53 Vietnam / 17,500
54 Macau / 18,730
55 Kazakhstan / 27,549
56 Kuwait / 19,420
57 Angola / 19,400
58 Austria / 18,079
59 Serbia / 17,357
60 Pakistan / 16,770
61 New Zealand / 16,570
62 Bulgaria / 16,497
63 Ireland / 16,229
63 Portugal / 16,254
64 Croatia / 13,720
65 Jordan / 12,180
66 Finland / 11,085
67 Bangladesh / 10,550
68 Botswana / 10,000
69 Tunisia / 9,709
70 Azerbaijan / 9,316
71 Bolivia / 8,585
72 Trinidad and Tobago / 8,100
73 Yemen / 7,400
74 Uruguay / 8,104
75 Oman / 7,004
76 Latvia / 6,820
77 Lithuania / 6,438
78 Qatar / 6,368
79 Cyprus / 6,176
80 Belarus / 6,074
81 Syria / 6,039
82 Uzbekistan / 5,600
83 Luxembourg / 5,337
84 Guatemala / 5,496
85 Greece / 5,207
86 Bosnia and Herzegovina / 5,151
87 Cuba / 4,247
88 Costa Rica / 4,113
89 Equatorial Guinea / 3,928
90 Ecuador / 3,913
91 Iceland / 3,823
92 Paraguay / 3,731
93 Turkmenistan / 3,644
94 Estonia / 3,583
95 Malta / 3,522
96 Myanmar / 3,500
97 Bahrain / 3,474
98 Kenya / 3,260
99 Ghana / 2,837
100 El Salvador / 2,845
101 Sri Lanka / 2,600
102 Cambodia / 2,522
103 CÃ´te d'Ivoire / 2,500
104 Tanzania / 2,441
105 Cameroon / 2,341
106 Macedonia / 2,243
107 Dominican Republic / 2,223
108 Papua New Guinea / 2,193
109 Honduras / 2,083
110 Armenia / 1,848
111 Slovakia / 1,809
112 Mauritius / 1,772
113 Albania / 1,615
114 Kyrgyzstan / 1,559
115 Jamaica / 1,490
116 Mozambique / 1,470
117 Gabon / 1,459
118 Senegal / 1,350
119 Georgia / 1,300
120 Panama / 1,260
121 Sudan / 1,245
122 Zimbabwe / 1,222
123 Slovenia / 1,105
124 Moldova / 1,102
125 Zambia / 1,100
126 Nicaragua / 1,496
127 Mongolia / 1,000
128 Chad / 997
129 Burkina Faso / 897
130 Lesotho / 889
131 Ethiopia / 840
132 Benin / 825
133 Namibia / 750
134 Madagascar / 745
135 Barbados / 620
136 Laos / 514
137 Rwanda / 511
138 Swaziland / 395
139 Togo / 363
140 Cape Verde / 344
141 Tajikistan / 301
142 Guyana / 292
143 Haiti / 221
144 Belize / 150
145 Vanuatu / 149
146 Malawi / 140
147 Gambia / 120
148 Guinea / 119
149 Burundi / 118
150 Seychelles / 118
151 Samoa / 70
152 Tonga / 55
153 Liberia / 49
154 Congo / 36
155 São Tomé and Príncipe / 36
156 Eritrea / 22

Johns Hopkins University can attract more medical professionals to come back

2010-09-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

The world-renowned teaching and research medical institution Johns Hopkins University will be setting up a medical school and hospital in Malaysia.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said a site at Serdang in Selangor had been picked to set up the facilities, which would become a medical research hub for the region.

The medical school, he said, would offer a four-year programme, adding that it would be a private initiative between Malaysian and American investors.

It will be Malaysia’s first private teaching hospital with research facilities.
Speaking to Malaysian newsmen here on Friday evening, he said an agreement would be signed early next month.

The Prime Minister did not give details of the project but it is understood that a Malaysian public listed company would be involved in the medical city plan, estimated to cost RM1.8b.

The question arises: will the move serves as a strong incentive to attract more Malaysian specialists abroad to come back and serve the country?

PM: mainstream media should report news based on facts to remain relevant

2010-09-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak asked the mainstream media to continue reporting news based on facts to remain relevant with the people.

He said the mainstream media was now faced with intense competition from new media like blogs and websites that were more based on the perspective of the individual and did not provide news based on accurate facts.

As such, he said, the mainstream media needed to be more creative and innovative in presenting the news in order to continue to gain acceptance by the people.

"If we follow the mainstream media, we will know intuitively that the reporting cannot be disputed, in terms of fact or perspective, because the basis is facts.

"As such, I wish to encourage the mainstream media to hold fast to its role as providers of factual based reporting and well-thought out opinions, intellectual and based on the actual facts" he added.

Najib said the people must have the ability to evaluate the strengths of the mainstream media which has been able to keep up to date with changes in information communication technology.

PM : make Malaysia the best country

2010-08-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the National Day, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak called on Malaysians to renew their commitment and strengthen their resolve to make Malaysia the best country.

"Please remember that Malaysia is our homeland; this is the place where we were born, the place where we grow up, where we find our livelihood, a place where we find happiness and where we shall be laid to rest," he said.

Najib Abdul Razak said the society should not allow the Malaysian way of life, which is based upon diversity and moderation, to be undermined by extreme attitudes which manifest themselves through racial and religious issues.

"Everything which we have achieved, everything which we have built, and things which are dear to us, will be destroyed.

"We should, therefore, value the prevailing peace, harmony and stability in the country."

He also said that the time had come for the current generation to take the lead to propel the country to greater heights.

Saying that the real challenge for Malaysians today was to transform the country to become a developed and high-income nation by the year 2020, Najib said, the government had put in place strong foundations in the form of the Government Transformation Plan and Economic Transformation Plan to achieve the objective.

PM: “zero-tolerance” policy towards racism

2010-08-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak moved today to dispel any notion that the government was not acting impartially against those fanning racial tensions in the country, following a number of incidents and articles in the local media.

“No one should twist the issue into a racial angle as if the government practices selective prosecution,”

He said there were short-text messages circulating which were spreading half-truths with the purpose of fanning racial tension.

The Umno president said these messages claim that the government actions favored one race over another.

He stressed that action will be taken those making statement that reeks of racism, including those that leads to destruction on property regardless of whether it involves churches or suraus.

Najib said the ruling bloc will not stand for racist remarks from anyone. This was the prime minister’s first response to a heated debate surrounding two school heads for the past two weeks.

Earlier this month, two Malay school principals in Johor and Kedah sparked a public furore when it was reported that they had made racist remarks aimed at their ethnic Chinese and Indian students.

Najib said his administration must adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy towards racism and will take immediate action against those found to have made racial slurs.

You got Chua Soi Lek’s facts wrong completely

2010-08-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Ironically, article spinning would be the losing strategy. It end up with worthless and not the exact same meaning with the intension to confuse readers.

It reflect the unethical side of the media which resulted from lack of qualified personnel. The decision to commit an unprofessional act and to behave unprofessionally in order to accomplish their personal goals are highly condemned.

The so called spinning Doctor is trying to confuse you to sell some ideas that may seem smart, but can ultimately destroy the good reputation the politician has worked years to build.

Undeniably, the opposition manage to create a myopic illusion to misleading and fool the public that only religious opposition to cloning a little better government.

Chua Soi Lek's remarks is purely a political rebuttal to the opposition’s rebuttal. The ultimate aim of MCA President Chua Soi Lek is to highlight the political logic and reality about the opposition especially PAS.

“Do not be too optimistic that once PAS rules the government, the country will be free from corruption and other problems. Bear in mind, some of the most corrupted countries are Muslim-majority countries.”

“Although Malaysia is also a Muslim-majority country, we are luckier because of the moderate and pragmatic policies implemented by the Barisan Nasional government.”

Clearly, it can be seen the media behave unprofessionally and Chua Soi Lek's remarks had been wrongly reported in order to create a critical mass unfavorable to the ruling party under the banner of freedom of press and news value.

RM30 m for the 10th Sarawak election

2010-08-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

The 10th Sarawak state election is around the corner and it might be held anytime from now.

EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said, the Election Commission is ready to conduct the 10th Sarawak state election and has set aside RM30 million for purpose, although the current term of the state assembly would only expire in July next year, he said, the commission was ready for the poll anytime.

Sarawak has 71 state seats. The EC allocated RM31 million to carry out the state election in 2006 with the bulk of the expenditure was for helicopter charges due to accessibility problems in certain areas.

Abdul Aziz said the EC had so far registered a total of 940,924 voters in Sarawak. Last year, the EC registered 29,278 new voters compared to 18,830 in 2008.

'Opposition 'proven' incapable of fulfilling promises'

2010-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said it is now proven that the opposition pact, especially in Selangor, is incapable of running a government.

He said the opposition parties only knew how to make promises without thinking whether they had the ability to deliver them.

He said in Selangor, the state government was faced with various issues such as the sand mining issue, which he said, was in stark contrast to their claims of being an efficient government.

"They have no ability to manage the state economy although they claim to be an efficient government.

"In reality, they only talk... they talk like a parrot, they say things without knowing the meaning," Muhyiddin said the failure of the opposition to run their administration smoothly had affected confidence among investors towards the country, especially in Selangor.

"Should we trust them? I want the people to be aware of this and not destroy our future by believing in the lies and allegations being spread by the opposition parties when they themselves are not capable of delivering their own promises," he said.

Muhyiddin said that unlike the opposition pact, Barisan Nasional had proven its capabilities and that it had now overcome its past weaknesses, with the leaders now going to the ground to meet the people. "We are now a true government for the people," he said.

He also refuted allegations by the opposition that the BN was a racist government.

"How is it that they are accusing us of being racist when we are representing the interest of everyone... the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan and so on," he said.

Government would not burden the people

2010-07-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that when implementing the subsidy rationalization plan, the Government would seek not to burden the people.

He said the rationalization move was necessary to reduce Government expenditure and strengthen the financial position of the country.

From Friday, the subsidies for sugar, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas and diesel will be cut as part of the gradual subsidy rationalization programmed.

The price of sugar will go up 25sen to RM1.75 per kg; LPG will go up 10sen to RM1.85 per kg; petrol RON95 will be up 5 sen to RM1.85 per liter and diesel will be up 5sen to RM1.75 per liter.

RON 97 will no longer be subsidized. It will be subjected to a managed float, where the price will be determined by the automatic pricing mechanism, the statement said.

Suara Keadilan's permit suspended

2010-07-02T19:10:00.001-07:00

The Home Ministry yesterday suspended PKR organ Suara Keadilan's publishing permit for running afoul of the Printing Presses and Publication Act (PPPA).

The ministry said in a statement that it was not satisfied with the explanation provided by the weekly tabloid. Therefore, its annual publishing permit, which expired yesterday, would not be renewed.

The Suara Keadilan explanation was given for an article it reported in its June 21-29 edition that the Federal Land and Development Agency (Felda) is bankrupt.

"As of July 1, the publication is no longer valid and as such, it cannot be printed or published… according to Section 5(1) of the PPPA," said the ministry's publications and al-Quran text controls secretary Zaitun Ab Samad.

She said the decision was made by the ministry's Panel for Evaluating Printing and Publications Permit Applications (Panel 13), which is headed by its secretary-general Mahmood Adam. The publisher will be required to respond to the letter.

The application for the renewal of their permit - which expired on June 30 - will be considered after we have received a satisfactory explanation," she said. The ministry reportedly sent Suara Keadilan three show-cause letters prior to the one on its Felda article, which was sent on June 28.

PM: Gov't achieves all KPI

2010-06-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

All the six National Key Result Areas (NKRAs), introduced to gauge government performance, have achieved the Key Performance Index (KPI) set, Prime Minister Najib Razak said today.

The government had introduced the six NKRAs in July last year to reduce crime, fight corruption, improve student outcomes, raise living standards of low-income households, improve rural basic infrastructure and improve urban public transport.

Najib cited the example of how members of the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) and Department of Civil Defence had been deployed, along with the policemen, to conduct patrols to achieve the objectives of the NKRA on crime reduction.

He said, more than 7,000 police officers and men working in the office had "returned" to their core duty to be close with the people, while their task at the office was carried out by more than 4,000 civil servants.

In the first quarter of this year, the crime index had dropped 15.1 percent while street crimes were down by 39.6 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, he said.

Malaysia enters list of top 10 most competitive countries in the world

2010-06-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

For the first time, Malaysia has earned a position among the 10 most competitive countries in the world, according to the 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook(WCY), published by the Swiss-based Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Malaysia has steadily improved its rating since first included in IMD’s well-respected World Competitiveness Yearbook in 1999 and achieved especially impressive gains in the competitiveness ranking this year, moving up eight positions to break into the top ten.

With an index score of 87.228, Malaysia has joined the ranks of the most competitive countries in the world, sharing the top 10 ranking with Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Taiwan and Norway.

This unprecedented result is clearly rooted in the innovative and bold initiatives the government has undertaken this past year to drive development and economic growth and create a resilient private sector, despite the recent slowdown of the global economy. This is a result that demonstrates how public/private collaboration works and serves as a foundation for strong, stable and inclusive growth.

The remarkable advancement in Government Efficiency rating, where Malaysia moved up 10 positions from 2009, from 19th to 9th, demonstrates that the Government Transformation Program (GTP) is beginning to deliver results.

The GTP, launched last year, has focused government efforts in key areas, such as enhancing the business climate, fighting corruption, improving the infrastructure, streamlining government procedures and strengthening our education system.

While the government has implemented the right policies to improve competitiveness, Malaysian entrepreneurs have played a vital role in leveraging this business climate to create change and drive growth. This Yearbook is a testament to their efforts showing a Business Efficiency rating that increased by nine positions to a ranking of 4th from 13th.

In both the Government and Business Efficiency ratings, Malaysia’s performance is now ahead of developed countries such as Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada, Denmark and Sweden.

As the Prime Minister highlighted in the announcement of the New Economic Model, it is this ‘new way of doing things’ that is driving Malaysia to the ambitious goal of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020. Improving physical and soft infrastructure is the foundation of our strong performance.

Malaysia will continue to seek inputs from the private sector to create synergies and strong partnerships with all Malaysian businesses, ranging from GLCs to SMEs.

The marked improvement in rankings is a result of the implementation of the economic dimension of the 1Malaysia concept, where ‘People First, Performance Now’ means working together to demonstrate the growing confidence that the global markets are giving to Malaysia.

There are still areas where more work is needed: the Government has to continue to improve its service delivery system, to strengthen high quality investments, to groom SMEs for global competition and, very importantly, to keep nurturing the innovative and creative mindset of our people.