Is 5 right?

An action is an action, deliberate, clear, brilliant, selfish or hasty. There was a time when we were given some kind of refund as the price of petrol soared beyond imagination. We get it when we renew roadtax, maximum of 5 vehicles. Then we walk down the street, and check casually how many cars and motorcycles per household. Not many in Sabak Bernam , Kota Tinggi, Rembau or Padang Rengas. Too bad, most of us are not very familiar with Bukit Tunku... over there 5 is about right.

- INFORMATION ON CASH REBATES FOR FUEL SUBSIDY

	Dear Customers,

As announced by the Government, Pos Malaysia Berhad (PMB) has been appointed as the source for disbursement of the Cash Rebates to eligible private vehicle owners.

The implementation will be done in two phases :

• For Phase I of the implementation, eligible Malaysians whose road tax were purchased or renewed with effective date from 1 April 2008 until 31 May 2008 can start to claim the subsidy at 683 post offices countrywide from 14 June 2008 (Saturday) until 31 March 2009.
  
  
• For Phase II of the implementation, vehicle owners who have purchased or renewed their road tax from 1 June 2008 until 31 March 2009, can commence their Cash Rebate claims at post offices from 1 July 2008 (Tuesday) onwards.
  
  
• For Phase III of the implementation, vehicle owner who have purchased or renewed their road tax from 1 April 2008 until 31 March 2009 at any of the 683 Post Offices or JPJ counters or Myeg, can commence their Cash Rebate claims via PosOnline from 1 August 2008 (Friday) onwards.
  
  

For further information on the process and procedures, please click on the following :

Media Release
10 July 2008 - Disbursement Of Cash Rebates Reached A Total Of 2 Million Transactions Today

Rebates Claim Form
(For Rebate Claim Only)

Fact Sheet

Process & Procedures

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

List of Post Offices

Instruction To Fill Up Form

Political proxy: A guy faking his way up.

There is a story about a guy faking his way up and putting mask all over to hide the guilt feeling and vengeance. He is as good and as bad as he has proven before. Everything has to be right and exciting to his definitions. As a team they are limiting themselves to anything less than decency. For all we know, not many were involved in bombing Hiroshima... Just a few. That's all it takes to bring down humanity, sanity and decency to ashes. So is Barisan Nasional.

- Iran acknowledges it has been funding Afghanistan for years, says money is for reconstruction

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran acknowledged Tuesday it has been sending funds to neighbouring Afghanistan for years, but said the money was intended to aid reconstruction, not to buy influence in the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Karzai said Monday he receives millions of dollars in cash from Iran, adding that Washington gives him "bags of money" too because his office lacks funds. U.S. officials asserted the money flowing from Tehran was proof that Iran is playing a double game in Afghanistan — wooing the government while helping Taliban insurgents fighting U.S. and NATO forces. Iran denies that.

"Iran has provided the country with plenty of help," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday in his weekly news briefing in Tehran. "Iran has helped construction of Afghanistan and the preparation of its economic infrastructure and it will pursue it in the future, too."

Mehmanparast said Iran's help began years ago. He said peace and stability in Afghanistan is important for Iran.

The acknowledgment prompted a challenge from seven Iranian lawmakers who demanded that Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki appear before parliament to clarify the payments, according to the news website www.Khabaronline.ir.

The call indicated that lawmakers — who have the power to impeach ministers — were unaware of the payments. Under Iran's constitution, government funds sent abroad, including aid donations and loans, must get parliamentary approval.

In a letter, the lawmakers demanded to know the amount of money sent over the past five years, where it came from, the way it was transferred and the legal basis for the payments.

On Saturday, The New York Times reported that Iran was giving bags of cash to President Karzai's chief of staff, Umar Daudzai, to buy his loyalty and promote Iranian interests in Afghanistan. The Times quoted unidentified sources as saying the cash amounted to a slush fund that Karzai and Daudzai used to pay lawmakers, tribal elders — and even Taliban commanders — to secure their loyalty.

Karzai told reporters Monday that he had instructed Daudzai, a former ambassador to Iran, to accept the money from Tehran.

Before Karzai spoke, the Iranian Embassy in Afghanistan dismissed the allegations that the Iranian government was making cash payments to Daudzai, calling them "ridiculous and insulting."

Iran publicly opposed the U.S.-led offensive that toppled the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, though its relations with the Taliban regime had been frosty.

Iran is believed to not want the Taliban to return to power. But it remains wary of a long-term U.S. military presence on its doorstep in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

- Galas nomination: Where is Ku Li?

GALAS (Oct 26, 2010): As returning officer Wan Mustapa Abdul Hamid announced the face-off between Barisan Nasional's (BN) Ab Aziz Yusoff and PAS's Dr Zulkefli Mohamad, the question on everyone’s lips was "where’s Ku Li?"

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who was appointed BN’s director for the Galas by-election, was nowhere to be seen at the district office-turned-nomination centre.

Tengku Razaleigh being greeted by fellow BN leaders and supporters outside the District Office.

Instead, he was waiting 100 metres away at the bottom of the hill where the district office is located.

Even as Ab Aziz walked through the gates of the district office, he was not flanked by any Umno stalwart – only Wanita Chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil and MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. Trailing behind was Umno secretary-general Datuk Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

As 10am approached – when nominations closed – Tengku Razaleigh was yet to make his appearance at the nomination centre.

He refused to proceed to the district office premises, reportedly saying: "It’s okay. Let them handle it."

Ku Li was coy with reporters and didn’t say much more, although it was later learnt that he may have been slighted by a statement by Ab Aziz on Monday that he did not need Tengku Razaleigh to carry votes for him.

It took Kelantan liason chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and several other Umno leaders to talk him into coming up to the nomination centre, where other BN leaders were seated.

He finally made a five-minute appearance at 10.30am and disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, back to his home in Bukit Chekati here.

"He doesn’t like the attention, that’s all," Mustapa told theSun. "I told him all his friends are waiting to see him, so he came."

Khairy meanwhile dismissed talks of "Ku Li merajuk". "No such thing! As all the other leaders were here, he left it to them to do their part," he said.

Ab Aziz played down the issue by saying the Gua Musang MP was spending time with supporters below the hill.

"I will definitely comply with Ku Li’s instructions and guidance because he is the election director. I am thankful for the help that the federal government and agencies have extended to me," he said.

BN's Ab Aziz (left) shakes hand with PAS's Zulkefli.

Ab Aziz said the benchmark of support from the public so far is the rousing turnout at the launch of the people’s housing project recently.

Zulkefli meanwhile said he will continue the legacy of PAS’s Chek Hashim Sulaima, whose death forced the country’s 13th by-election since 2008.

"We will continue to articulate the wishes of the people and speak on their behalf," said the camera-shy medical practitioner, preferring to let PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang do most of the talking.

Accompanying them were other Pakatan Rakyat leaders including Lim Kit Siang, Azmin Ali and Husam Musa.

Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat also made a brief appearance.

Meanwhile, an objection from PAS against Ab Aziz was rejected. The party had questioned if he had resigned as Kelantan South Development (Kesedar) operations manager.

The Elections Commission (EC) later confirmed receiving Ab Aziz resignation letter.

On his nomination form, Ab Aziz states his employment status as unemployed.

The EC’s decision to implement a 180-metre buffer between supporters seemed to work, as skirmishes were kept to a minimum. The only altercation was between PAS supporters and the police when the pathway to the nomination centre for Zulkefli became too crowded.

Galas state seat by-election

Candidates: Abdul Aziz Yusoff, 49, (BN), former Kesedar operations manager;
Dr Zulkefli Mohamad, 44, (PAS) medical practitioner

Total voters: 11,553 (including 127 postal voters)
7,125 Malay ( 61.7%)
2,317 Chinese (20.06%)
185 Indian
1,889 Orang Asli
10 Siamese

2008 general election: Che Hashim Sulaima, 46, (PAS) won the seat with a 646-vote margin by garnering 4,399 votes against BN's Saufi Deraman's 3,753.

- 3 in Batu Sapi, 2 in Galas submit nomination papers

KUALA LUMPUR: The nominations for the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election in Sabah and Galas state by-election in Kelantan closed at 10am today with three candidates having submitted their papers in Batu Sapi and two in Galas.

In SANDAKAN, those who submitted their papers are Barisan Nasional's (BN) Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin, Sabah Progressive Party's Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Ansari Abdullah.

Ansari was the first to hand in his papers at the nomination centre at the Sandakan Community Centre at 9.02am, followed by Yong at 9.05am and a minute later by Tsen.

In GUA MUSANG, the candidates who submitted their papers were Abdul Aziz Yusoff of BN and Dr Zulkefli Mohamad of PAS.

There will be an hour of objection period after which the returning officers of both areas would announce the candidates at the close of the objection period at 11am.

- Malaysia can become third largest solar cells producer

MALAYSIA could become the third largest producer of solar cells after China and Germany once related projects were completed next year.

The country’s aspiration is to increase its market share to 17% of world production and reach number two position behind China by 2020.

Under the Economic Trans­for­mation Programme (ETP), Malaysia will use its its current capabilities in producing semiconductors advantage to go into the solar industry.

It indicated that similarities in the solar and semiconductor value chain can help the country latch onto the global solar growth.

Malaysia has a strong starting position in solar. The country already has companies across the entire value chain.

To reach this goal, Malaysia needs to increase its cell and solar wafer production capacity by 10 times and silicon production capacity by 23 times by 2020.

Despite astronomical costs compared to oil, coal and other renewable energy sources, the global solar market has grown by 50% between 2005 and 2010.

This year, the global solar market is expected to hit 10 gigawatts in yearly supply and rake in RM160bil in revenue.

While solar is currently expensive, average installed system prices have dropped to about RM16.40 per watt.

Prices are expected to fall further to RM6.70 per watt or lower in 2020.

The solar market is expected to grow at 30% per year until 2015 and drop to 25% until 2020.

If solar’s energy share among renewable energies reaches its forecast of 5% in 2020, this will translate into global cumulative installed capacity of 560 gigawatts.

By then, an annual demand of 113 gigawatts will bring RM918bil of revenue in 2020, where Asia will drive a significant portion of the demand and supply in 2020.

Tun Faizal kembali dengan ICT.

Siapa tidak ingat dengan polisi PENGAJARAN DAN PEMBELAJARAN SAINS DAN MATEMATIK DALAM BAHASA INGGERIS, menapak sejak 2003 dan pada 8 julai 2009 lalu ditetapkan dasar itu tamat sepenuhnya pada tahun 2012.

Polisi ini menarik kerana gagasannya sangat besar, ingin menjadikan rakyat Malaysia lebih global dan Malaysia pula sebagai hub pendidikan, teknologi dan business. Ada jeritan kuat menamatkan polisi , datang dari pejuang bahasa. Kesemua pejuang bahasa berkenaan teramat mahir berbahasa Inggeris. Itu tidaklah dikisahkan sangat.

Di sebalik semua ini, dimaklumkan ada broker penting bernama Tun Faizal. Beliau mampu terjemahkan PPSMI dalam projek mega, laptop dan perisiannya. Berbillion..... Kini dia mahu menjengah semula dengan munculnya beberapa dasar baru. Tunggu saja!

- Afghan president confirms large cash payments by Iranian officials

Hamid Karzai says, yes, he receives about $2 million annually from Iran, but the cash is a donation and covers governmental operating costs. The U.S. makes such payments, he says.

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan —

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Monday acknowledged that his office regularly received large cash sums from Iranian officials but insisted there was nothing untoward about the payments.

The New York Times, in an article in Monday's editions, described the periodic transfer of bulging sacks of currency to a senior Karzai aide and strongly suggested that the money was meant to curry favor on behalf of the Tehran government in policy matters.

At a news conference in the capital, the Afghan leader acknowledged receiving semiregular cash payments totaling around $2 million annually from Iran but said the sums were meant to defray governmental operating costs. Other countries, including the United States, make such donations as well, he told reporters.

"The government of Iran assists [the presidential] office," Karzai said. "Nothing is hidden. … Cash payments are done by various friendly countries to help the presidential office — to help expenses in various ways."

Hours before Karzai's disclosure, Iranian authorities in Kabul dismissed the allegations with gusto.

"Such baseless rumors by certain Western media are raised to create anxiety in the public opinion and impair the expanding relations between the two friendly and neighboring countries," the embassy said in the statement released early Monday, according to the pro-government Fars news agency.

But the revelations also could serve Iran's interests, underscoring its continued influence in the region even as Washington attempts to isolate Tehran over its continued pursuit of sensitive nuclear technology.

The episode illustrated the complex regional politics at play in Afghanistan. Karzai, who has spoken publicly of the possibility of the West abandoning Afghanistan, has openly courted neighbors such as China and Iran, as an apparent counterweight to the influence of the United States and other allies.

The incident also comes at a time when Karzai and his administration are under intense pressure to clean up graft and corruption in public life. Although Karzai's Western backers have been struggling to establish transparency in financial transactions involving his government, it is not unusual in Afghanistan for large sums of money to be disbursed in a much more informal manner.

American military officers in the field, for example, are sometimes given a considerable cash stockpile to be distributed to local tribal elders for projects at what is more or less their on-the-spot discretion. Such spending, intended as a bulwark against the insurgency, is sometimes referred to as using cash as a weapon.

The flap over Iranian money also comes as Karzai is locked in confrontation with the Western diplomatic community over his plans to suspend use of private contractors to safeguard humanitarian and development projects before the end of the year.

Western governments have expressed agreement that such security firms should be phased out eventually but argue that the Afghan security forces are not yet ready to step into the role such companies fill.

Karzai spent much of the weekend in negotiations with senior U.S. and Western officials over the issue and fielded a phone call from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Afghan administration has indicated willingness to sign off on individual aid projects requiring private protection, but the West has balked at the effective granting of veto power to Karzai for development and humanitarian assistance.

Also at issue is whether the money that would have been paid to private security firms -- a multibillion-dollar business -- would be funneled instead to the Afghan security forces, by way of Afghanistan's Interior Ministry. Western officials have informed the Karzai administration there is no such plan in place.

- Inflation at highest level

INFLATION in Singapore rose to its highest level in 20 months last month as housing, transport and food continued to become more expensive.

Last month's consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.7 per cent from the same month a year earlier. It follows a move earlier this month by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to tighten monetary conditions, owing to its concerns over rising costs.

The CPI came in slightly above a 3.6 per cent rise estimated by 13 economists in a survey by Bloomberg News. Inflation rose 0.2 per cent month-on-month from August, after adjusting for seasonal factors, according to the Department of Statistics on Monday.

DBS economist Irvin Seah said: 'With overall inflation grinding steadily northward, risks are certainly tilting towards inflation rather than growth.'

Transport and housing were the main factors as higher car prices contributed a 9.1 per cent rise in transportation costs from a year ago, while housing costs rose 4.7 per cent. There were signs that car prices are easing, as they fell 0.2 per cent from August.

Food is a growing concern with prices of vegetables, fresh seafood, rice and cereal and dairy products contributing to a 1.7 per cent rise from 12 months ago.

- ETP Different From Previous Development Plans, Says Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today stressed that the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)is different from development plans previously implemented.

"What we are doing now has previously not been attempted. There are six distinguishing factors between the ETP and whatever previous plans," he said at the launch of the ETP Roadmap here Monday.

The first factor, he said, is that the ETP is a programme and not a plan.

Najib said the significant difference in the ETP is that it is a programme containing specific projects and specific action with a timeline, project owner and a measure of performance.

The programme has 131 Entry Point Projects (EPP), 12 reporting labs and 60 business opportunities, all aimed at creating 3.3 million additional workers.

Secondly, the ETP he added, is based on Gross National Income (GNI) and provides a clear direction.

He also explained that the aim of the government is to achieve a GNI per capita of US$15,000 in 2020.

In the 10 years to come, 131 EPPs and 60 business opportunities will respectively spur the additional GNI of US$138 billion and US$112 billion.

When combined with the organic growth from the National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs)and non-NKEA, the total GNI in 2020 is estimated to reach US$523 billion.

Thirdly, Najib said, the ETP is jointly formed with the private sector with an open and transparent approach, where it is also market friendly based on merit and needs.

He said to strengthen transparency and take into account the views of the people, the ETP Programme had been exhibited and discussed together with 13,000 people through Open Days, including publishing where government contracts have been given on the government website.

Fourthly, the ETP will change the role of the government from being the financier to facilitator to reduce the public sector spending, where 92 per cent of investments for the ETP is from the private sector and 72 per cent will be contributed by domestic direct investment.

Fifthly, the ETP has the quality of being inclusive where all Malaysians will get to feel, no matter how small, the positive impact from the implementation of projects under it.

"Finally, as a whole, all 133 entry point projects will cover the entire country. A total of 68 entry point projects will benefit Sarawak and 71 for Sabah, as well as 106 for those in the rural areas.

"Generally, this is in line with the ratio of the urban and rural population in the country," Najib explained.

He also said that specifically, for those in the rural areas, the EPP is expected to create 323,596 new jobs in 2020 and this will benefit owners of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

The Prime Minister hoped the ETP will bring benefits to the women's work force.

At present, only 3.95 million women aged between 15 to 64 are working.

"It is clear that the ETP will embrace all layers of the community. The impact of eventual development will be experienced by all Malaysians, with no one being let out of the mainstream of economic success," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Manikavasagam asked " Dead or alive?"

I thought this issue is interesting enough for a little snippet. When Manikavasagam asked, I wonder how would we answer...

Manikavasagam also called on the police to issue an official statement on Muthuraja's status.

"They say he's dead but they have shown no evidence nor have they officially informed Usharani of this," he said. “The Inspector-General of Police (Ismail Omar) should at least release a statement on whether Muthuraja is dead or alive. Usharani can take it from there.”

A simple kopitiam talk will go like this, if alive, where is he?.. if dead, where is body or bones or skull or whatever. God knows..... Banting case is now in court's hand, and the most naive lawyer knows this.

MANIKAVASAGAM: Police should furnish some proof to Usharani on her husband's 'death' (Malay mail)

reference:
'Murdered' tycoon's wife wants probe speeded up‎
Free Malaysia Today

Suhaimi Jahanghir a broker.

How can people live up to propagate the common drive in spearheading government transformational agenda. The necessity to strengthen the base to withstand economic pressure is really felt in the wake of deficit. But people never learn when a phone call to top the perk up to 200K is the standard communication prior to approval. We never know if conversation is recorded. We never know whats the perk for. We never know the money could be in perfect serial for simple evidence and arrest.

Who cares for termly votes, when house is big, cars are many and coffer full of penny. The yardstick is what the little guy owns. The rest will not be happy just looking. In the end we are in fact building up the momentum pushing the whole weight of trust and integrity down the hill of doom, displaying a blatant disregard for decency all the way. The name is fictitious, so No sweat, No regret.

rujukan lain:
Bahana Bila Rasuah Menjadi Budaya
Kenapa Harus Di Perangi Pemberi Rasuah
Kesedaran Rasuah Rendah
Rasuah vs lobi
Pegawai Kerajaan mengikut KSN
Parti politik usah campur isu dalaman pentadbiran
Respon Pendedahan Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Campur tangan poltik jejas fungsi Hospital Setiu

- Soldiers, police, protesters battle for President's anniversary

Plainclothes police threaten to use their side arms against protesters in Jakarta yesterday. The demonstrations throughout Indonesia coincided with the first anniversary of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono administration’s five-year term



From News Reports
Jakarta, October 21: Soldiers and police – some of the about 19,000 deployed around the capital - fired into the air and used teargas and water canon against protesters – most of them students – outside the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, yesterday.
Similar rallies were held elsewhere in the city and in the wealthy Menteng neighbourhood, students barricaded road with timber and burning tyres and fought police who tried to remove the obstacles.
The city administration’s website BeritaJakarta says thousands of people joined the rallies at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, Central Jakarta; outside the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry; the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court as well as the Japanese and South Korean embassies.
Rallies were also held in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Bandung and Bogor, West Java, Denpasar, Bali, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Lampung, southern Sumatra, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Palu, Central Sulawesi, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Padang, West Sumatra, and Surabaya, Pamekasan and Gresik, East Java, reports the Antara news agency.
On Monday, students fought with police in Makassar, South Sulewasi, during a presidential visit to the city.
The protests coincided with the first anniversary of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono administration’s five-year term.
The administration’s continued application of neo-liberal economic policies was a major reason for the protests.
The president, a retired general, 61, is a technocrat.
He studied management at Webster University at St Louis, Missouri, and holds a PhD in agricultural economics from Bogor Agricultural University.
The popularity of both he and his deputy – former central bank deputy governor Boediono who was educated at the University of Western Australia, Monash University, Melbourne, and worked at the Australian National University as a research assistant as well as the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, - has waned since they were elected in the first-round ballot one year ago.
The Southeast Asian Times

Two Vietnamese fishing boats arrested off Natuna Islands
From News Reports:
Surabaya, October 21: Two Vietnamese-flagged fishing boats and their crews have been arrested for allegedly poaching off the Natuna Islands, northwest Borneo, reports the Antara news agency.
Both vessels were in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone of the South China Sea without permits from the Indonesian government, the news agency quotes navy spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Yayan Sugiana as saying.
The vessels - identified as the BV-99678 with 23 aboard and the KG-15381 – were at the Ranai naval base, the Riau Islands, he said.

Three Vietnamese vessels and their crew were arrested allegedly poaching off the Riau Islands earlier this month.
Three Thai fishermen were reported to have been killed when the Indonesian navy, police and fisheries officials arrested 13 boats from Viet Nam, Malaysia and Thailand allegedly poaching in the waters off the Natuna Islands in November last year.
Fisheries Ministry surveillance director general Aji Sularso said the arrests raised to 180 alleged poachers who had then been arrested in Indonesian waters for the year, mostly off the Natuna Islands.

Most of the poachers were from Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia and China.
In October last year, the House of Representatives passed a fishery law that allows the crews of Indonesia’s patrol boats to shoot and sink foreign poachers after surveillance director Aji Sularso said the harsh law was needed to deter the poachers.
The director, who chaired the government's working committee that helped write the new law, said: “We will immediately draw up standard operation procedures to enforce the measure.”
But Indonesian vessels would fire only at the vessels and not their crews.
“Implementation of the ruling should not breach human rights or international laws.”
The measure was necessary to the protection of Indonesian sovereignty and sinking the poachers was more feasible than towing the vessels ashore, he said.
Poaching, especially in the waters of North Sulawesi, Maluku and West Papua, are estimated to cost Indonesia rupiah 30 trillion, about US$3.26 billion, each year.
Indonesian marine patrols have seized more than 700 vessels, most of them from Viet Nam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and China during the past five years.
The fisheries ministry had long sought legal endorsement for the “shoot and sink’ policy, arguing that poachers disdain Indonesia's outnumbered and poorly equipped marine patrol boats.
The Southeast Asian Times

When a KSU prays for extension..

This is the most critical point in a career. A minister understands this too well. Those few months are most important for a minister to push through things. The poor guy will gulp everything to the last drip even his own saliva. It is not difficult to guess who and why. A KSU with a doctorate will swallow his own pills to ease the tense feeling. It is worth every minute and every penny. He will bring in a flight of friends (even the most dubious) to continue the legacy at every corner. Friendship is funny because the glue used is telco and ict, that will bind them for million of years and dollars. He just lost his right hand-man, and that must have left a lot of pain which requires deep soul searching. The recent story about Rais Yatim has nothing to do with this. A broken bracelet, a plate of greed, a bowl to be cleaned, a heartless heart. I know, he will seek no extension because he got it all......



rujukan lain:

1. Another Brick in the Wall: 'DYMM' Rais doing a Skodeng
2. PM "terkilan" with Rais' MCMC?
3. TERKINI! JUSTICE FOR ROCKY BRU! RAIS YATIM WAJIB RESIGN!

- Wylfa gets two year extension

WYLFA will keep generating power for another two years after getting the green light from nuclear regulators.

The Anglesey nuclear power station was due to start decommissioning this December but staff have been working to make the case that it was safe to keep generating.

Yesterday they received the go ahead from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to run until 2012.

Extension will secure 650 jobs for another two years.

Nick Gore, Wylfa Site Director, said: “I’m absolutely delighted with the news. This is all down to the quality of our staff on site and with our plant and equipment in excellent condition; we can look forward to the future in confidence.”

The site is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and operated by Magnox North. Fuel levels mean Reactor 2 could run to the end of 2012. Reactor 1 has the potential to run on to 2013 but the plant is also restricted by a requirement to have spent fuel sent to Sellafield by 2015.

Once generation does come to an end de-fuelling work would keep a significant number of the 650 staff at the site for a further three years, with jobs in decommissioning after that date.

This could keep trained staff on the island until work starts on the proposed Wylfa B, which could be operational as early as 2020.

Anglesey MP Albert Owen said it was good news for the island.

He added: “I have led on this campaign and the news is good for Anglesey and good for the whole country.”

Charles Hendry, Minister for Energy, said: “The additional income it generates will make a significant contribution to meeting the costs of decommissioning other legacy sites, reducing the bill for the taxpayer.”

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan added: "This is good news for Anglesey and North Wales. Wylfa plays a vital role in the local economy and today's announcement will be a great boost for its workforce.”

The additional revenue from the power station is expected to be in excess of £100m.

- After 13 die in Philippines, typhoon aims at China

CAUAYAN, Philippines — A super typhoon that killed 13 people and flattened forests and crops in the northern Philippines dumped heavy rains on the capital Tuesday as it headed across the sea toward southern China.

BULLIT MARQUEZ / AP

A family saves their belongings Tuesday Oct. 19, 2010 at Tumauini township, a day after Typhoon Megi (local name "Juan") leveled their home as it barreled through Isabela province in northeastern Philippines. The super typhoon dumped heavy rains over the Philippine capital Tuesday after killing at least 10 people, creating a wasteland of fallen trees in the north and sending thousands scrambling to safety in near-zero visibility. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Typhoon Megi struck the Philippines on Monday with ferocious winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour, but initial assessments showed relatively light damage and casualties, partly because the storm struck sparsely populated areas. Philippine officials also cited their massive emergency preparations days ahead of the storm.

Food vendor Nesie Callaotit, her husband and two children were hurriedly packing clothes to flee to safety when the wind yanked off half of their tin roof, exposing their house in northeastern Isabela province to pounding rain and the horrifying wind.

They held on to a wooden post for three hours, weeping and praying together, until the torrents eased.

"All of us were in tears," the 40-year-old Callaotit said. "We thought it was our last day together."

After it exited into the South China Sea on Tuesday, Megi was almost stationary packing winds of 108 mph (175 kph) but was forecast to regain strength before its expected landfall in southern China on Thursday. Chinese authorities evacuated 140,000 people from a coastal province.

Isabela province in the northeast Philippines, Megi's entry point, bore the brunt of the Typhoon Megi's destruction while more than 8,000 people rode out the typhoon in sturdy school buildings, town halls, churches and relatives' homes.

Roads in and out of the coastal province were deserted and blocked by collapsed trees, power lines and debris.

Iron-sheet roofs on many of the houses were blown away. In Tamauini town, Ariel Marzan said he escaped just minutes before his house tumbled amid winds so strong his roof was swept into a nearby rice field 30 yards (meters) away.

"I didn't expect it to be so strong," he said as he surveyed the damage and picked up the strewn pieces of his household.

Nearby coconut and banana groves were flattened.

At least 13 deaths in Cagayan, Isabela and Pangasinan provinces were blamed on the typhoon, including at least six drownings. In Pangasinan province, a mother, her daughter and son were pinned to death when a tree collapsed on their house, disaster official Eugene Cabrera said.

Even as the typhoon moved away, its massive outer bands still stretched over much of western Luzon and drenched the capital, Manila, and surrounding areas, snarling traffic and sending about 1,000 people out of their homes into temporary shelters.

President Benigno Aquino III said Tuesday that although the typhoon caused significant damage, the loss of life was minimal and "could have been much greater had we not prepared for the storm."

"The work of bringing life back to normal in the soonest possible time is already under way," he said.

Assistant Agriculture Secretary Salvador Salacup said an initial estimate of $36 million losses to rice and corn crops showed the damage was minimal. Cagayan Valley and Ilocos regions lost around 12 percent of their rice production for the season. Cagayan Valley alone accounts for 30 percent of the national rice output.

Typhoon Megi is likely to spare Vietnam, which was in early forecast paths and has been suffering severe flooding in the past week. At least 41 flood-related deaths have been reported, and 19 other people are presumed dead after a bus was swept off a road by raging currents.

Up to 31.5 inches (800 millimeters) of rain pounded areas of Vietnam in just a few days, forcing 126,000 people to flee their homes. Earlier flooding this month left more than 80 people dead or missing.

The death toll from recent flooding in Thailand rose to five on Tuesday. Downpours that started over the weekend have affected nearly 55,000 people in 17 central and northeastern provinces, according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

- Huge marijuana seizure in Mexico

The marijuana was found wrapped in 10,000 different coloured packages

Mexican soldiers have seized 105 tonnes of marijuana near the border with the United States, the largest such drugs haul for many years.

Eleven people were arrested during the operation in the city of Tijuana and at least one person was injured in exchanges of gunfire with the army.

The Mexican military says the drugs are worth about $340 million dollars, but could fetch up to three times that sum in the US.

Samuel Gonzalez is a former head of the Mexican organised crime unit and is now professor of Law at the National Autonomous University in Mexico City.

Kesediaan BN untuk kekal bersama Kudakepang

Isu intra dan inter-party dalam BN adalah sangat menarik. 1Malaysia sediakan platform untuk lembutkan permainan bangsa dan agama. Namun, gagasan sebesar itu bukanlah senang untuk diterjemahkan dan dijiwai. Samalah rumitnya untuk teruskan konsep Islam Hadhari tempuh hari.

Tidak banyak kejayaan kecil-kecil di sebalik gagasan tersebut untuk dicanang kepada rakyat. Oleh yang demikian, isu perjuangan dan kepentingan bangsa/suku kaum akan terus bermain. Tidak ada celanya permainan itu. Masalahnya adalah dari sudut taktikal, iaitu kesungguhan pemimpin untuk menunjuk nilai adil, toleransi, tanpa dilihat lemah.

Kemampuan membina BN yang sihat dan aman, mungkin terganggu dengan amalan demokrasi dalam parti itu sendiri. Keghairahan mencari pengaruh, membina rangkaian, dan melemahkan lawan dalam parti bukanlah ingredient untuk mempertahankan keunggulan parti. Demokrasi tidak terpimpin dalam parti akhirnya meninggalkan sebuah organisasi yang luka dan berparut dengan pemimpin-pemimpin yang terlalu waspada dan berdendam.

Kita sangat-sangat berharap ada sekelompok pemimpin yang mampu merentasi segala macam kepelbagaian supaya BN kekal aman selamat dan relevan.

rujukan lain
Kerajaan BN Dan Keselamatan Rejim: Kesimpulan

- Reactions to Budget 2011

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16, 2010): The Independent MPs Consensus yesterday welcomed the government's consideration towards the youths in this year's budget.

In a press statement, the consensus, made up of all the independent MPs, said budget announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak yesterday included many benefits for the rakyat at large.

Among the benefits are:
> For first time house buyers, the government will provide a guarantee of 10% down payment for houses below RM220,000 through Cagamas Sdn Bhd, allowing them to take a 100% housing loan.

> Youths will also benefit from the formation of Talent Corp, 1Malaysia Training Programme and The Academic Medical Centre.

> The consensus also welcomes the exemption of import duty and sales tax on broadband equipments and mobile phones until 2012, to increase broadband penetration.

The RM119 million allocation for Multimedia Development Corridor programmes to create an innovative digital economy is also lauded. The consensus hopes that the funds will be used wisely, supported by homegrown knowledge workers who are also local graduates.

Other positive elements include RM5 billion for development in Sabah and Sarawak and the freeze on toll hikes for PLUS expressways for the next five years. It is hoped that this move will also be extended to other expressway concessionaires.

However, the consensus urged the government to take necessary actions on the following matters:
>> Allocations to upgrade rural schools in terms of human capital development to support the ETP was not clarified extensively

>> There is no justification on the proposed building of a 100-storey skyscraper. The Klang Valley area currently have a surplus of office space and the problem is expected to continue, resulting in a property bubble bust by mid-2011.

>> The government or EPF should provide justification on why public funds are being used to develop land belonging to the Malaysian Rubber Board in Sungai Buloh, through RM10 billion investments by EPF in the next 15 years.

>> The EPF plans to increase its foreign investments from 7% to 20% and the consensus views it as a risk that involves public funds to develop foreign economies, when focus should be placed on the local economy.

On 'private-public partnership' projects, it said the government should take heed from its past mistakes when dealing with major transportation infrastructure projects such as the LRT, monorail and ERL which has not helped to reduce congestion in Kuala Lumpur, when giving out project approvals.

The consensus also calls for all major projects such as the MRT to be awarded through an open tender system, to companies that focused on the interests and safety of the people.

>> Kelly International praises initiatives in 2011 Budget
Efforts in the 2011 Budget to further fund the development of human capital have been praised by workforce solutions company Kelly Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

In a press release issued yesterday, Kelly Services (Malaysia) MD Melissa Norman said that Kelly Malaysia was "encouraged" by the government's plans; the Economic Transformation Plan, the Talent Corporation and National Talent Blueprint initiatives "to create a dynamic Malaysian workforce".

"Along with theoretical knowledge, today's working world requires its workforce to embrace practical skills and soft skills for it as well. We believe that the Malaysian workforce, locally and overseas possesses such skills," said Norman.

The statement added that Kelly Malaysia "hopes for greater collaboration and share of voice" with the government.

"More such creative and innovative venues for addressing and managing the country's most vital asset, its people, are needed," she said.

>> Not enough for green technology
WHILE the extensions of the tax exemption application periods will encourage companies to use renewable energy sources, Ensearch honourable secretary general Geetha P.Kumaran had higher expectations of the Budget 2011, which was tabled on Oct 15.

Ensearch is an environmental resource management NGO, which promotes better resource management in companies and organisations.

"We had hoped that the budget would be the impetus for growth in green technology, through financial incentives of corporate tax reductions for companies who have significantly reduced their water and energy usage," she said. "Every industry needs financial incentive for growth and green technology is no different."

What the Budget needed to address was the management of natural resources in addition to encouraging renewable energy, she added. It also needed to find ways to reduce all forms of wastage, said Geetha. - theSun

A minister doing his rounds.

There is this minister, so organised that schedules are punctuated in minutes and run through the wee hours of the morning. He does his rounds every weekends, being first to reach the most remote surau. He will talk to people giving them support and hope. He never steal a single cent we were told. He seldom throw political punches, but when he does, the mood is jovial and pure fun. But he feels so lonely with not many friends to share his principles and dreams. Maybe more friends will join after the next election. Til then, his brilliance will keep shining.

rujukan lain:

1. Tugas Tok Pa bukan lagi Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri mummy rokiah
2. Mangsa kebakaran terima bantuan segera dari Tok Pa umno jeli
3. Salam Tok Pa', 'lama tak jumpa MOHD SOBERI SHAFII
4. BN tak gentar siapapun calon lawan –Tok Pa agendadaily

- Thai 'red shirts' rally to demand leaders be freed

Thousands of anti-government "red shirts" demonstrated in the old Thai capital of Ayutthaya on Sunday to demand the release of their leaders and scores of comrades detained since bloody protests in April and May.

"We don't have leaders today. We are here on our own, the CRES can't arrest us," one speaker said from a makeshift stage, referring to the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation set up to coordinate the authorities' handling of the Bangkok protests. Hundreds of police were deployed near a football stadium where the main rally was taking place. (Reuters)

- Education officer in race for Galas BN candidacy

GUA MUSANG (Oct 17, 2010): A government servant is among those shortlisted as potential Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates for the Nov 4 Galas by-election.

Gua Musang district education officer Muhammad Zahari Othman is among three names expected to be handed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the decision on who will be fielded against a PAS candidate.

If he accepts the nomination, the 51-year-old would have to relinquish his post to contest the seat which became vacant following the death of PAS’s Chek Hashim Sulaima on Sept 27.

The other names being considered are Gua Musang Umno secretary Abdul Aziz Yusof, 49, and Gua Musang Umno Youth vice-chief Zamzani Harun, 39.

According to sources, these names were mentioned by Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah at a meeting with BN leaders here on Thursday.

Razaleigh, who is heading the BN campaign in Galas, had told BN leaders here that, ultimately, it is Najib as the Umno president and BN chairman, who will decide the candidate.

"But it is incumbent on local leaders to decide on the shortlist of the preferred choices," said a source.

Razaleigh, himself, was expected to be fielded as a candidate but it is learnt that the 73-year-old former finance minister did not put his name on the list.

"Ku Li told us that he is not keen to contest but he will be at the forefront of the campaign and we think that could be enough to win back Galas," said another party source.

In the 2008 general election, Chek Hashim beat Saufi Deraman of Umno by a 646-vote majority. There are 11,553 registered voters in Galas.

PAS is chosing its candidate through a vote by the state leadership. Both the BN and PAS candidates are expected to be announced by their parties on Sunday -- two days before nomination day. --

Professionals behind formulation of nation's economic growth figures

KUALA LUMPUR: The government's figures on the nation's economic growth are formulated by professionals including statisticians.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said ideas of profesional groups were also tapped before government policies were formulated.

He said the government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak needed views from interested parties as they were also advisers to the government.

"The wrong figures will result in wrong decisions. We received good support from statisticians but will have to educate the public on statistics," he said after launching World Statistics Day at Universiti Malaya here today.

Saifuddin said the advice from experts and professionals was proven with setting up of laboratories and formulation of the Economic Tranformation Plan (ETP).

He urged the people to nurture interest in statistics as it would help them command various fields including mathematics.

Saturday, October 9th, 2010 18:26:00

Anwar puts his foot down

ANALYSIS By JOCELINE TAN

The de facto PKR leader’s hand in the party polls has been evident in the last few days as he turned on his charm as well as used a heavy fist to fine-tune the list of candidates.

PKR politician Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has always had this polished and casual chic kind of look. But the past few days have found him looking harassed and rather out of sorts, as though the world is slowly crumbling around his ears.

He cannot be blamed because he was almost “played out” by three ladies in a private home in Taman Tun Dr Ismail on Thursday.

During the meeting, the three ladies managed to elicit three promises from him: one, he would not contest the PKR No. 1 post; two, he would pull out from the No. 2 post; three, he would instead go for a vice-president post.

The three ladies were none other than PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, her daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar and political secretary to the Selangor Mentri Besar, Faekah Husin, whose petite frame belies her political cables in the party.

Zaid agreed to the proposals because he was told that Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim would also quit the race and that Wan Azizah would persuade the other candidate Mustaffa Kamil Ayob to withdraw.

The idea was to pave the way for a face-off between Nurul Izzah and Azmin Ali. Both mother and daughter have very personal feelings about Azmin and they evidently felt that this would be the moment to take him on.

On Friday, Zaid and Nurul Izzah met again to discuss a joint press conference on Saturday where he would withdraw and she would confirm her candidacy. His only condition was that she should not quit midway.

But the press conference never took place, the three women went incommunicado, calls were not returned and SMSes went unanswered.

Zaid must have felt as if he was in one of those weird twilight zone movies – did the meeting actually take place or had he imagined all of it?

Well, it was definitely for real and when things went all silent on the other side, he dashed off e-mails to all those who had attended, confirming the discussion. Only Nurul Izzah acknowledged the e-mail.

Zaid was totally cheesed off and has since confirmed he is in the race against Azmin and Mustaffa. Khalid is staying out whereas Nurul is going for the vice-president post.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim apparently blew his top and put his foot down on the deal, despite the fact that his wife is his party president and his daughter is an MP in her own right.

Anwar, weighed down as he is by the sodomy trial, has been working behind the scenes to prevent the party elections from getting out of hand.

He is convinced an early general election is in store after Friday’s Budget and he cannot afford any big splits. The party adviser turned on his legendary charm for some, and used a heavy fist on others to avert all-out fights.

Khalid evidently bowed to Anwar’s determination that Azmin should be the next deputy president.

At a private meeting last week, Anwar asked Khalid to concentrate on his duties as Selangor Mentri Besar.

He told Khalid that going for No. 2 did not make sense given that he has to focus on defending Selangor in the next election. He reminded Khalid that it was why he was replaced by Azmin as Selangor PKR chief a few months ago.

The contest for the PKR No. 2 post has had more twists and turns than the East-West Highway. There has also been collateral damage and a PKR-aligned news portal had to publish a long editorial insisting that, “We are nobody’s poodle,” following accusations that its coverage of the PKR polls was one-sided.

The real power lies with Anwar. He let things take its course earlier on but began pressing the control buttons in the days leading to the confirmation of candidates.

He would probably step up his role again when the divisions convene to vote for the supreme council between Oct 29 and Nov 21.

Those who had pressured him to go for No. 1 must be slapping themselves. Why should he, when he has such unlimited and undefined power as the de facto leader?

At the same time, his word is not what it used to be with the new one-man-one-vote system of election.

For instance, Zaid, who defied Anwar so openly, still managed to secure some 40 nominations for the No. 2 post and more than qualified for the No. 1 post.

Rafizi Ramli, Anwar’s calon wahyu for the leadership of Angkatan Muda Keadilan or AMK, did poorly in the nominations race and has pulled out, reportedly on Anwar’s advice.

The AMK fight is now between two street-fighter style politicians – Badrul Hisham Shaharin and incumbent Shamsul Iskander Akin. Although Shamsul has been unremarkable as AMK chief, Anwar is said to prefer him over Badrul who has an independent spirit.

Anwar’s alignment to personalities in the party seems to suggest that this election has more to do with his sodomy trial than the future of the party.

His all-time favourite Azmin is primed to look after Anwar’s personal interest as keenly as he does that of the party. Even Anwar’s approval of Shamsul and Tian Chua is related to their ability to whip up demonstrations which will be useful in his trial.

As for Wan Azizah, who was returned unopposed as president, her loyalty to the party is second only to her loyalty to her husband.

Those contesting the party polls have to realise that they are there not only to take on the Barisan Nasional but also to rise to Anwar’s defence in the sodomy trial.

Israeli envoy says only peace can halt settlements

By Tim Witcher (AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — Israel will only stop its disputed settlement building when the Palestinians make a peace agreement, its UN ambassador said ahead of new Security Council talks Monday on the Middle East conflict.

But Israel would be concerned if Arab nations pressed ahead with a campaign to get United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state before any accord, the envoy, Meron Reuben, told AFP in an interview.

Reuben will face new international pressure when he appears before a UN Security Council meeting on Israeli-Palestinian hostilities. The United States and most world powers have backed Palestinian demands that Israel renew a freeze on settlement building in the occupied territories.

"People understand," Reuben declared. "I don't think they agree with the way we are going, but they definitely understand the fact that settlements are not a burden on the peace process and not something that will stop the peace process."

Palestinian negotiators withdrew from new US-brokered talks with Israel two weeks ago when Israel's 10-month moratorium on settlement construction ended. The Israeli government faced new protests on Friday when it approved 238 new homes in East Jerusalem.

"The other side is only looking for pretexts to put obstacles in the road, because they were never an obstacle in the road" in the past, Reuben said.

The ambassador said Israeli settlements in the Sinai desert did not prevent the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt -- "and they were dismantled" -- nor Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

"They were not an obstacle when we dealt with the Palestinians year-in and year-out since 1993" when the Oslo accords were made.

He highlighted that the moratorium launched at the end of 2009 was unilateral and that the Palestinians and Arab leaders did not accept it at the time.

"They thought it would not help one iota," said Reuben. "And here we are 10 months later and it is the only game in town. Wow! The settlements are the most important thing and they have become a pre-condition."

He added: "The only way may to stop settlements is to come to an agreement. That would be ... if the Palestinians set up a Palestinian state in a demarcated area, then I presume the settlements in that area would definitely stop."

According to Reuben, the settlements, like the borders of any new Palestinian state and refugees from the conflict, must be settled in talks. And the ambassador highlighted that it was barely six weeks into the one year that the United States has sought to relaunch peace efforts.

Some Arab nations have indicated they will ask the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state if these negotiations remain deadlocked.

In an intervew with Palestinian newspaper, Al-Ayyam, published last week, French Foreign Minister Bernard also did not rule out possible UN Security Council discussion of a Palestinian state, if the deadlock is prolonged.

"It is still talk at the moment," said Reuben. "One would hope that we would not get to that."

"These are heresays at the moment. I am not so sure that it is not something that is being used to pressure different places, but if you look at the Palestinian Authority, it is already recognised by so many tens of nations around the world.

"Officially there would be a very great difference. It will be interesting to see how the world body deals with that because that would be totally different to anything we have seen before on the world stage."

When asked how Israel would react, he said: "I will be frank with you. At this moment I don't know."

Israel "would prefer a Palestinian state to be set up under mutual agreement and not under unilateral declaration. But if it is set up as a unilateral declaration we will have to deal with it.

"We would prefer to see agreement reached between the two sides and not imposed," he said.

Typhoon Megi storms towards Philippines

Typhoon Megi gathered strength as it barrelled towards the northern Philippines on Sunday, with authorities warning of possible forced evacuations.

With maximum winds of 160km/h near the centre and gusts of up to 195km/h, Megi was approaching the northeastern side of the country's main island of Luzon.

It is expected to make landfall over the northern province of Cagayan by Monday, and as of Sunday morning it was 630 kilometres east of the province, the state weather bureau said.

Norma Talosig, regional chief of the Office of Civil Defence, said the weather was deceptively calm over Cagayan, although they expect it to change drastically within the day.

She said residents in low-lying areas in Cagayan as well as those in coastal communities were being advised to move to safer areas and if they refused they would be forcibly evacuated.

"If we have to conduct forced evacuation, we'll do it for their (residents') safety," Talosig said over national radio. "Our main objective is the safety of the community, the safety of the responders."

In Manila, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said food packs, medicine and rescue equipment, including rubber boats, are ready in areas expected to be lashed by the typhoon.

The Philippines is battered by an estimated 20 typhoons a year, some of them deadly.

Tropical Storm Ketsana and Typhoon Parma struck Luzon within a week of each other in late September and early October last year, triggering the worst flooding in recent history.

The twin storms killed more than a thousand people, affected nearly 10 million and caused damage worth $US4.3 billion ($A4.34 billion) according to the World Bank and international humanitarian agencies.

Rais Yatim being clowned

An interesting turn of event as the year is about to end. A billion worth of contract is the starting point. To whom the contract is awarded is the real issue. Of course, contract of this volume will send waves down the business world. Many will be more than ready to grab and snatch. So the story goes about someone sons getting sizable chunks.

Easy money, easy contract attracts many seasoned quicky businessmen. The easiest is to get someone close to decision makers to lobby. I don't think those who raise this issue care too much about integrity and transparency. I suspect Greed and "why not me" is the driving factor.

And over the years with Malaysian politics, there were instances where "pukul anak sindir menantu" is the approach taken. The bullet is not meant for Rais's heart, for someone else... But when Rais choose to bite the bait by making a police report, the trap is set to snatch hard!

Rujukan lain:

1. Bijaksana membatasi semangat ‘keberanian’ Bigdog
2. Police report made, MCMC calling in Rocky for investigations Bigdog
3. RAIS YATIM ANGKUH! Jelapang
4. Rais, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is still waiting for your report rocky
5. ~MUMMY ROKIAH: Apakah ada agenda tersembunyi disebalik isu Rais Yatim.
6. Rais Yatim, Adios You! « Kickdefella
7. 
   

U.S. Had Warnings on Plotter of Mumbai Attack

This article is by Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt and Ginger Thompson.

Less than a year before terrorists killed at least 163 people in Mumbai, India, a young Moroccan woman went to American authorities in Pakistan to warn them that she believed her husband, David Headley, was plotting just such an attack.

It was not the first time American law enforcement authorities were warned about Mr. Headley, a longtime informer in Pakistan for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration whose roots in Pakistan and the United States allowed him to move easily in both worlds.

Two years earlier, in 2005, an American woman who was also married to the 50-year-old Mr. Headley told federal investigators in New York that she believed that he was a member of the militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, created and sponsored by Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency.

Despite those warnings by two of his three wives Mr. Headley roamed far and wide on Lashkar’s behalf between 2002 and 2009, receiving small arms and countersurveillance training, scouting targets for attack, and building a network of connections that extended from Chicago to Pakistan’s lawless frontier.

Then in 2008, it was his handiwork as chief reconnaissance scout that set the stage for Lashkar’s strike against Mumbai, an assault intended to provoke a conflict between nuclear-armed adversaries, Pakistan and India.

It is unclear what United States officials did with the warnings they had gotten about Mr. Headley — who has pleaded guilty to the crimes and is cooperating with authorities — or whether they saw them as complaints from wives whose motives might be colored by their strained relations with their husband.

A senior administration official said Saturday, “We took the information, passed it around to the relevant agencies, and what came back was that the F.B.I. had a file on Headley, but it didn’t link him to terrorism.”

Mr. Headley’s ability to hide for years in plain sight has rekindled concerns that the Mumbai bombings are another instance of a communications breakdown among the agencies involved in combating terrorism, much like the enormous intelligence failures before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

It also raises the question of whether United States officials were reluctant to dig deeper into Mr. Headley’s movements because he had been an informant for the D.E.A. More significantly, it may provide another instance of American reluctance to pursue evidence that some officials in Pakistan, its major ally in the war against Al Qaeda, were involved in planning an attack that killed six Americans.

The Pakistani government has insisted that its spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, a close partner of the C.I.A., did not know of the attack. The United States says it has no evidence to counter this, though officials acknowledge that some current or retired ISI officers probably played some role.

State Department officials and the F.B.I. said that they investigated the warnings they received about Mr. Headley, but that they could not confirm any connections between him and Lashkar-e-Taiba. And D.E.A. officials said they ended their association with him at the end of 2001, at least two months before Mr. Headley reportedly attended his first terrorist training.

The investigative news organization ProPublica reported the 2005 warning from Mr. Headley’s American ex-wife on its Web site and in the Saturday issue of The Washington Post. By ProPublica’s account, she told authorities that Mr. Headley boasted about working as an American informant while he trained with Lashkar. According to that report, she gave authorities audio cassettes and ideological material, and described e-mails she believed he exchanged with extremists.

But she was not the only one to come forward. An examination of Mr. Headley’s movements shows that United States authorities also heard from his Moroccan wife that he was involved in a terrorist group that was actively plotting against targets in India. Beyond these warnings, interviews illustrate his longstanding connections to American law enforcement and the ISI.

Among the findings:

¶ An officer of the Pakistani spy agency handed Mr. Headley $25,000 in early 2006 to open an office and set up a house in Mumbai to be used as a front during his scouting trips, according to Mr. Headley’s testimony to Indian investigators in Chicago in June.

¶ The ISI officer who gave Mr. Headley the cash, known as Maj. Iqbal, served as the supervisor of Lashkar’s planning, helping to arrange a communications system for the attack, and overseeing a model of the Taj Mahal Hotel, so that gunmen could find their way around, according to Mr. Headley’s testimony to the Indians.

¶ While working for Lashkar, which has close ties to the ISI, Mr. Headley was also enlisted by the Pakistani spy agency to recruit Indian agents to monitor Indian troop levels and movements, an American official said.

Mr. Headley was well known both to Pakistani and American security officials long before his arrest as a terrorist. He went to an elite military high school in Pakistan, whose graduates went on to become high-ranking military officers and intelligence operatives. After arrests in 1988 and 1997 on drug-trafficking charges, Mr. Headley became such a valued D.E.A. informant that the drug agency sent him back and forth between Pakistan and the United States.

Besides Mr. Headley’s guilty plea in a United States court, seven Pakistani suspects have been charged there. American investigators say a critical player who has not been charged is Sajid Mir, a Lashkar operative who became close to Mr. Headley as the plans for the Mumbai operation unfolded. The investigators fear he is still working on other plots.

Mr. Headley was known both to Pakistani and American security officials long before his arrest as a terrorist. He went to an elite military high school in Pakistan, whose graduates went on to become high-ranking military officers and intelligence operatives. After arrests in 1988 and 1997 on drug-trafficking charges, Mr. Headley became such a valued D.E.A. informant that the drug agency sent him back and forth between Pakistan and the United States. In several interviews in her home, Mr. Headley’s Moroccan wife, Faiza Outalha, described the warnings she gave to American officials less than a year before gunmen attacked several popular tourist attractions in Mumbai. She claims she even showed the embassy officials a photo of Mr. Headley and herself in the Taj Mahal Hotel where they stayed twice in April and May 2007. Hotel records confirm their stay.

Ms. Outalha, 27, said that in two meetings with American officials at the United States Embassy in Islamabad, she told the authorities that her husband had many friends who were known members of Lashkar-e-Taiba. She said she told them that he was passionately anti-Indian, but that he traveled to India all the time for business deals that never seemed to amount to much.

And she said she told them Mr. Headley assumed different identities: as a devout Muslim who went by the name Daood when he was in Pakistan, and as an American playboy named David, when he was in India.

“I told them, he’s either a terrorist, or he’s working for you,” she recalled saying to American officials at the United States Embassy in Islamabad. “Indirectly, they told me, to get lost.”

Though there are lots of gaping holes left in Mr. Headley’s public profile, the one thing that is clear is he assumed multiple personas.

He was born in the United States, the son of a Pakistani diplomat and a socialite from Philadelphia’s Main Line. When he was about a year old, his parents took him to Pakistan, where he attended the Hasan Abdal Cadet College, the country’s oldest military boarding school, just outside of Islamabad.

Mr. Headley’s parents divorced. And before he finished high school, he moved to Philadelphia to help his American mother run a bar, called the Khyber Pass. Later he opened a couple of video rental stores.

But at the same time he was involved in a life of crime. Each time he was arrested on drug trafficking charges, he used his roots in the United States and Pakistan to make himself as valuable an asset to law enforcement as he was to the traffickers; one with the looks and passports to move easily across borders, and the charisma to penetrate secretive organizations.

He was married at least three times. For one period he was married to all three wives — Ms. Outalha, who is a medical student half his age, a New York makeup artist, and a conservative Pakistani Muslim — at the same time.

Those relationships, however, caused him trouble. In 2005, his American wife filed domestic abuse charges against Mr. Headley, according to federal investigators in New York, and reported his ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba. The investigators said the tip was passed on to the F.B.I.’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Then in December 2007, Ms. Outalha talked her way into the heavily guarded American Embassy in Islamabad. She went back a month later with more information. A senior administration official acknowledged that Ms. Outalha met twice with an assistant regional security officer and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer at the embassy. However, the administration official said Ms. Outalha offered almost no details to give credibility to her warnings.

“The texture of the meeting was that her husband involved with bad people, and they were planning jihad,” the official said. “But she gave no details about who was involved, or what they planned to target.”

Given that she had been jilted, Ms. Outalha acknowledged she may not have been composed. “I wanted him in Guantánamo,” she said.

More than that, however, Ms. Outalha says, she went to American authorities looking for answers to questions about Mr. Headley’s real identity. In public he criticized the United States for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But at night he loved watching “Seinfeld” and Jay Leno.

Sipping tea in a cafe overlooking a plaza in Moroccoo, Ms. Outalha said that in hindsight, she is convinced that he is both men. She claims to be puzzled that American officials did not heed her warning.

“I told them anything I could to get their attention,” she said of the American authorities at the embassy in Islamabad. “It was as if I was shouting, ‘This guy was a terrorist! You have to do something.’ ”

Oh, Mr Minister.

Whenever a minister came in the picture he will come in with boys. Some are so young that their courtesy is so much to be desired. Some go for killing spree, either in dealing with people or with projects. Now that money is so limited, they even meander their way towards little streams and start pushing and elbowing with common folks and little partisans. They are ruthless.

When their ruthlessness become unbearable, people are shying away. This phenomena is affecting the effective votes that go to BN the ruling party. If only they can scrounge in big rivers, leaving little streams to ordinary folks to fish, bath and wash.

gelagat menteri bersama kudakepang.

[Merujuk kepada kudakepang: Kerajaan BN Dan Keselamatan Rejim: Siri Lima ]

Salam semua dan bertemu kembali.

1. Kalaulah menteri turun dengan meletakkan kesediaan bekerja bersama rakyat, itulah sebaik-baiknya, tetapi menteri sering turun memaksa rakyat bekerja untuknya.

2. Ada menteri mengusung pegawai-pegawainya apabila berpindah kementerian. Itu juga dipandang serong, apatah lagi jika pegawai agak keterlaluan dan rakusnya tidak berselindung.

3. Ada menteri dilihat tidak jujur, andainya rakyat nampak tindak tanduk mereka berkait rapat dengan paksaan polisi dan agenda yang selesa diterjemah dalam projek dan kontrak untuk dikaut licin. Rakyat tidak semestinya buta dan bodoh.

4. Seorang pemandu teksi pernah berkata, zaman Nazri dulu permit teksi individu tak ada keluar, hanya permit consortium sahaja, tapi zaman Noh, sekurang-kurang ada juga borang boleh diisi, walau untuk dapat belum pasti. Disitu rakyat bina persepsi mudah. Seorang menteri yang baik dan seorang yang tidak baik.

5. Ada menteri yang membuat keputusan tanpa mengambilkira pandangan rakyatnya, tanpa ambil peduli apa akan jadi dihujung jalan, kerana fokus mereka adalah immediate, demi projek dan kontrak. Tapi rakyat tahu musibah 5 tahun kedepan bila menteri sudah berhenti atau bertukar ganti. Tetapi berapa ramai rakyat sedia bertelagah dengan menteri dan pegawai-pegawainya.

6. Ada menteri yang membiarkan adik dan abang mereka berkeliaran mengetuk bilik, membawa cadangan, proposal dan permintaan, hinggakan rakyat rasa dipaksa menggadai integriti

7. Malang sekali jika setpol menteri pernah terlibat dengan penipuan pemilihan UMNO bahagian. Tambah-tambah jika penipuan itu terserlah dalam media. Orang politik faham dan boleh terima, tetapi rakyat tidak selesa bermuka dua, lalu rakyat tidak lagi percaya sampai bila-bila. Sukar salahkan rakyat jika mereka percaya, jika begitulah setpol, begitu jugalah menterinya.

8. Malang jika pejabat menteri membahagikan rakyat dalam dua kategori, satu orang kita dan satu musuh kita. Tambah malang jika yang dimaksudkan orang kita adalah orang yang memudahkan orang menteri mengaut wang. Lebih malang lagi jika "musuh kita" itu adalah orang yang masih mahu berpijak dibumi nyata dan mengibar panji integriti. Yang dianggap musuh adalah penyokong setia Umno.

9. Yang suka dengan tindak tanduk menteri dan pegawai-pegawainya hanya segelintir peniaga yang beruntung. Peniaga yang malang lari mengerumuni menteri dan pegawai menteri yang lain. Rakyat umum hanya nampak kerakusan. Mereka benci dan lari dari BN, walaupun mereka tahu parti lain belum pasti nilai integriti dijunjung tinggi.

10. Walaupun saya merungkai pandangan yang agak negatif, itu hanyalah peringatan untuk menteri dan pegawai menteri memahami apa pandangan rakyat. Mereka boleh menidakkannya dan selamba berkata itu sekadar persepsi. Walhal persepsi yang terbina dalam minda rakyat, tanpa usaha menjernih kekeruhan dan masih rakus bermaharajalela, itulah yang dibawa rakyat ke peti undi pilihanraya.

11. Menteri dan pegawai menteri boleh berubah jika mahu, dan rakyat tiada masalah terus menerus mengundi BN sampai mati. Apa pun, dalam nada gembira masih ada menteri yang baik dan kental berwibawa, dikelilingi pegawai yang pandai dan teguh pendirian untuk bangsa, agama dan Negara.

Maaf dan Terima Kasih

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12 maut tragedi lebuh raya

SEREMBAN 10 Okt. – Seramai 12 orang maut, manakala lebih 40 lagi cedera termasuk parah apabila dua buah bas, dua buah kereta dan sebuah van terbabit dalam kemalangan di Kilometer 223, Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan, berdekatan Plaza Tol Simpang Ampat dekat Rembau, petang ini.

Nahas berlaku apabila sebuah bas ekspres Delima yang dipercayai dipandu laju dari arah selatan gagal dikawal lalu terbabas dan melanggar pembahagi lebuh raya sebelum melambung ke laluan bertentangan.

Bas ekspres itu yang dalam perjalanan dari Melaka ke Kuala Lumpur kemudian melanggar sebuah van dan kereta sebelum menghempap dua buah kereta lain dalam kejadian pada 6.50 petang itu.

Pada masa yang sama, sebuah bas Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) yang dinaiki ahli Persatuan Bekas Tentera Malaysia (PBTM) turut gagal mengelak dan melanggar bas ekspres itu.

Tragedi Oktober itu mengakibatkan puluhan ribu kenderaan terperangkap dalam kesesakan lalu lintas sehingga lewat malam ini apabila pihak berkuasa terpaksa menutup laluan di kedua-dua arah untuk kerja-kerja menyelamat.

Sehingga pukul 11 malam ini, pasukan penyelamat sedang berusaha mengeluarkan mayat mangsa termasuk penumpang bas dan kenderaan yang dihempap oleh bas itu.

Difahamkan, mangsa yang maut adalah pemandu bas dan penumpang serta penumpang dua buah kereta yang terhimpit dihempap bas tersebut.

Pengarah Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar (HTJ) di sini, Dr. Jaafar Che Mat pada sidang akhbar lewat malam ini memaklumkan, pihaknya menerima 24 orang mangsa yang cedera terdiri daripada lapan lelaki dan 16 wanita, kesemuanya dewasa.

Katanya, seorang daripada mangsa telah dihantar ke Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) setelah dilaporkan dalam keadaan kritikal.

Menurut beliau, kesemua mayat dihantar ke Hospital Melaka untuk bedah siasat, manakala mereka yang cedera menerima rawatan di HTJ.

Antara yang dilihat menerima rawatan termasuk seorang pelancong warga Jepun.

Berikutan kemalangan itu, pihak polis telah menutup laluan masuk ke lebuh raya arah selatan di Plaza Tol Pedas, Linggi di Rembau.

Kebanyakan kenderaan yang memasuki lebuh raya dinasihatkan oleh Plus Expressways Berhad (PLUS) untuk menggunakan laluan alternatif.

Sementara itu, Pegawai Turus Trafik negeri, Asisten Supritendan Abd. Halil Hamzah ketika dihubungi malam ini mengesahkan kejadian tersebut dan menurutnya, ketika ini, identiti mangsa yang cedera dan meninggal dunia masih belum diketahui.

Operasi menyelamat masih dijalankan oleh pasukan bomba dan penyelamat, polis, Jabatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (JPAM) serta bantuan pihak paramedik dari hospital yang berdekatan.

Dalam pada itu, salah seorang penumpang bas Ekspres Delima yang terselamat, Nur Najlaa Aqilah Mohd. Ghazali, 19, berkata, dia tiba-tiba terasa bas yang dinaikinya berpusing lalu menghempap sebuah kereta selepas melambung ke laluan bertentangan.

“Ketika kejadian, saya sedang tidur. Saya tersedar apabila bas itu berpusing dan menghempap kenderaan di laluan bertentangan. Tidak lama kemudian, bas yang kami naiki dirempuh beberapa kenderaan lain termasuk sebuah bas (membawa ahli PBTM),” kata pelajar Universiti Malaya itu yang kini dirawat di HTJ setelah mengalami kecederaan di tangan dan muka.

Difahamkan, bas JKM membawa peserta yang menghadiri Perhimpunan Raksasa PBTM, turut dinaiki Exco Kerajaan Melaka, Datuk Karim Sulaiman. Bagaimanapun, kesemua penumpang bas itu dilaporkan selamat.