Early polls unlikely as Najib tackles subsidy cuts

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Increase in power tariffs and the possibility of a similar move on fuel as global oil prices surge make any chance of an early general election extremely slim as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will have to first tackle a public backlash.
The government yesterday announced a rise in electricity prices by an average of 7.1 per cent as the country’s subsidy bill doubled to nearly US$6.9 billion (RM20.83 billion) this year, but, as yet, there is no move to tinker with fuel subsidies which are much more sensitive but have a bigger impact on the fiscal deficit.

Analysts, however, said a fuel price increase was on the cards.

“The electricity tariff hike is a political trial balloon for Najib to gauge public unhappiness before he decides on a fuel price hike,” said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia specialist at Singapore Management University.

Najib (picture above) in a recent speech likened Malaysia’s fuel subsidies to opium but he has been wary of upsetting voters with steep fuel price increases as he tries to rebuild support for his ruling coalition which was hit by record losses in the last general election in 2008.

The next general election is not due until mid-2013 but many observers were expecting Najib to call for one as early as late this year on the back of strong gross domestic product (GDP) growth which hit a decade-high of 7.2 per cent in 2010.

But HwangDBS and J.P.Morgan said in research notes that timetable is now unlikely.

“Monday’s announcement shows that the government is willing to make some politically unpopular but economically positive moves in the near term, which probably means elections will be postponed until 2012,” HwangDBS said.

A delay in the elections gives more space to the opposition to gather strength. The opposition is not likely to win the next election but it could chip away at the ruling party’s margin of victory, making reform more difficult.

Najib is seeking a strong election win to consolidate his own position within the ruling coalition, and a delay puts that off.

But delaying rationalising subsidies could imperil government finances and further disillusion investors already impatient with the slow pace of reform.

COALITION SETBACK

Since taking office in 2009, Najib has pledged to cut subsidies and widen the tax base to trim a fiscal deficit which hit a 20-year high of 7 per cent of GDP in 2009.

The deficit was at 5.6 per cent in 2010 and is officially targeted to be 5.4 per cent this year, which analysts say will be easily met target if prices for fuel and electricity are raised, even incrementally.

The government estimates that the electricity tariff increase will raise inflation by 0.27 percentage point. That signals average inflation through 2011 will be within the government’s 2.5-3.5 per cent target, with annual inflation in April coming in at 3.2 percent.

A US 6 cents increase in the price of the popularly used RON95 gasoline blend which is now priced at US 63 cents a litre, on the other hand, will increase inflation by an additional 0.5 percentage point, said Kit Wei Zheng, an economist with Citigroup.

“From a fiscal perspective, if the government chooses to do nothing other than raise electricity tariffs, then it would just be a hedge and a poor substitute to a fuel price hike,” said Kit.

Analysts say that while cutting subsidies further ahead of the general election is risky for the government, it could try to offset anger by increasing spending next year on social safety net programmes for the poor.

Analysts say it will be a choice that the government will have to make soon.

A deputy minister was quoted on Thursday last week saying Malaysia would review fuel prices if the price of oil hit US$110-US$120 per barrel. Crude oil was trading 0.5 per cent higher at US$101.05 per barrel as of 0414 GMT.

The opposition, led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has promised to lower fuel prices if it is voted into power.

The opposition scored historic wins in the last general election, in 2008, winning five of the country’s 13 states and denying the ruling coalition a two-thirds control of parliament.

But the opposition coalition has since been marred by infighting, with Anwar tied up in court on a charge of sodomising a male aide in a case which he says is a political conspiracy.

While Najib has seen support from the country’s majority ethnic Malays rise since he took power, his coalition suffered a setback in elections in April in the state of Sarawak, where it won a majority but got the fewest number of seats in 24 years.

That would make a decision to raise the fuel price more difficult.

“With elections at least six months away or longer, the effect of inflation could yet shift the political terrain away from him,” said Welsh. — Reuters  

Price hikes top list of concerns

An online poll by FMT reveals that respondents are most concerned about escalating prices of essential items and least concerned about swapping refugees.

PETALING JAYA: The bread-and-butter issue of price hikes ranked above all other concerns such as the education system and race politics, according to an online poll by FMT.


The 10-day poll, which saw 3,786 respondents voting, closed at midnight yesterday.

A total of 1,913 or 51% of the respondents chose price hikes as their biggest concern while 1,002 or 26% picked “petty or race politicking”. Only 779 or 21% were worried about the standard of education.

Prices of essential items had been increased over the past several weeks as part of the government’s move to lessen the subsidy load, which is expected to double from RM10.32 billion to RM20.58 billion this year.

On May 4, the government announced that the price of RON97 fuel would be raised to RM2.90 – up 20 sen since the last increase in April. Five days later, the price of sugar went up by 20 sen to RM2.30 per kg, a 10% hike from the previous RM2.10 per kg.



Quelling concerns that the price of the more widely used RON95 petrol would also go up, the government last week announced that the prices for RON95, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas would be maintained for the time being.

On Monday, the government announced a 7% hike in electricity tariff beginning June. However, this would not affect about 75% of the population who utilised less than 300 kWh per month.

The refugee swap between the Malaysian and Australian governments seemed to be of little concern to readers. Only 1% or 48 respondents clicked on this.

Similarly, only 44 respondents or 1% said that they were concerned about errant motorists breaking traffic rules.

By Tarani Palani

3 Reasons for Najib's Election Headache

Its been now over 3 years since the historic 12th General Election. In that time, we can safely conclude the following

1. PAS is a doing a fair job in administering Kedah 
2. DAP is doing a fair job in administering Penang. 
3. In all states where PAS,PKR and DAP form a coalition Government, the end result has been a disaster. In the case of Perak, the PM put at end to their misery by engineering a takeover of the state 
4. PKR is a doomed party lead by people who are pure talk and 0 substance. They can't even hold on to their own headquarters. PKR to me is worse than Perkasa and exemplifies a total lack of an enforced code of morality OR responsibility. The only leader worth her salt in PKR is Fuziah Salleh. 
5. PKR's incompetence only be matched by a crisis in leadership affecting BN

I want to focus on point 5. Pak Lah, for all his positive attributes of fair play and 'ot being evil', had his short comings. Najib as the incoming Prime Minister, should have in theory easily cleaned house and be confident of calling an election once he had about 2 years to run the ship.

However, its been 3 years already, and the Prime Minister's public signals does not inspire confidence. He is using talk of 'defending Putrajaya', his Deputy is talking about facing the toughest election ever, and the Government is treating the election like how a student treats a dreaded final exam.

So what has caused this? After all, this is certainly not the case of the Opposition over performing. In fact, far from it, the Opposition has been shambolic. However, eventhough given that backdrop, there have been several other own goals on the Government's side that ensures the Opposition is still in the game.

Let me list them down

1. Perkasa :. Perkasa killed 1Malaysia. Perkasa's incessant antics ensured that 1Malaysia - was going to be undermined, ridiculed and ultimately rejected.
The numerous run ins Perkasa had with BN component parties, the DAP and the latest of which, even religious bodies, showed that the1Malaysiah message was hollow. It also laid bare the lie that the BN formula provided the concept of 'power sharing.' Even worse, Perkasa and their bloggers are even free to stoke religious issues and exploit peoples sensitivities without any condemnation from the Government.

Government Ministers found it beneath themselves to talk to leaders of the component parties - instead, they just relegated the "enforcement" action to Ibrahim Ali & Co. I would say the Perkasa factor alone have cost the Government about 40-50 seats, with no positive impact as those who support Perkasa would have voted UMNO/BN in any case.

2. A slowing economy: The PM recognized the importance of tackling the economy. He retained the portfolio of Minister of Finance, created the NEAC staffed by a panel of so called 'experts' and created an outfit called Pemandu. So now, we have 3 cooks - the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), the NEAC and the Pemandu to "manage" our economy.

And what is there by way of result?

Zilch. Nada. Kosong.

Our Q1 growth numbers was bad in comparison to our neighbors. Worse when you consider the explosion of working age adults in the country due to our changing demographics. The question then is why? Why can't Pemandu, EPU or NEAC conjure up the magic growth numbers previous administrations used to conjure up with ease. Why did they screw up?

I think because they tried to do too many things at the same time. They were planning to build the MRT, at the same time they were asking for subsidies to be reduced. They were proposing a restructuring of Government ownership in the GLCs at the same time they were calling for the redevelopment of the Sg. Besi airfield. They suffered from the curse of many con-sultans, talking a mile a minute but not having a proper plan that can be executed.
I think right now we can question the wisdom of setting Pemandu in the first place. Pemandu will be making a lot of tough recommendations without doing the necessary political calculus. But should Pemandu be blamed for it?

No, blame the man who came out with the idea in the first place. Business cannot advise Government. In Malaysia, you require a strong willed Prime Minister to be the face of the latest crazy idea to do things like transform a palm oil estate into a administrative capital, create a market based economy, etc. The role of the advisor is that of a shadowy person, not so obvious like Pemandu. Because then the people who disagree with the Government's idea can attack the outfits like Pemandu rather than attack the PM himself. This is exactly what Perkasa did, and rendered impotent most of the recommendations made by Pemandu.

3. A Stale Cabinet. The cabinet today is stale. People do not respect the Government. We have open accusations of corruption leveled against a Minister by a well known company and the Government does nothing. We have the political secretary to a Minister having RM 2 million cash in his apartment. We have ministers talking down to the people as if the people owe their living and livelihood to the Ministers.

The Conclusion

UMNO right now is weak in Selangor, Perlis, Kedah and Terengganu. That's 4 states where the party's internal disarray makes it possible for the Opposition to capitalize. Add to the equation the Opposition's expected domination in the West coast towns, 10 additional seats in Sarawak, 10 seats belonging to the MCA and we are looking at about 90-95 seats going the Oppositions way.

That would leave Barisan still in power but with a reduced majority. I think thats what keeping the PM on edge.

40% of teachers to Sabah and Sarawak from WM, Ministry still give lame excuse about lack of teachers from the Borneo states

PENAMPANG: Sabah Education Exco Datuk Masidi Manjun and the Education Ministry yesterday denied there was any move to transfer about 80,000 teachers from Peninsular Malavsia to Sabah and Sarawak next year.

Masidi, who is also the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said he had sought clarification from the director general of education Datuk Abdul Ghafar Mahmud and was told that the allegation was not true.

"This is absolutely not true. I have checked with the director general of education and he assured me that there was no basis to the news,"
Masidi said when asked to comment on the issue which has caused unhappiness among Sabahans.

Masidi who was met at the launching of the state level Kaamatan celebration at KDCA here yesterday, said he personally found the allegation to be illogical because the total number of teachers for all the primary and secondary schools in Sabah is less than 40,000.

"So if indeed they are sending the teachers here, then I don't know which schools they are going to put them in ... so it's not true," he said.

He however pointed out that Sabah loses between 750 to 1,000 senior teachers from Peninsuiar Malaysia who go back to their home states after their contract expired.

"This is the real issue actually because we are losing very experienced teachers. They are replaced by junior teachers and this will impede our effort to improve the quality of our education.

"But steps are being taken to address the problem," he said adding that in March this year, the problem was brought to the attention of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin yassin.

The state's education leaders' concern about the issue was voiced out and Masidi said he proposed that the recruitment of teachers be done locally.

According to him, Muhyiddin said that the ministry would seriously consider the proposal.

"If have also spoken to the director general of education and he personally assured me that they are taking steps to rectify the problem. You see, if you recruit Sabahans, the possibility of them moving to other states doesn't arise. So they will stay on and the students will gain from their experience,,'he said and disclosed that up to June this year, more than 150 teachers from Peninsular Malaysia had been transferred to Sabah.

"Our stand is very clear, if they want to recruit new teachers, they must come from Sabah and I think we have graduates who are more than capable to be trained as teachers,", Masidi stressed.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi also denied the claim of sending 80,000 teachers to the two states, saying that of May 11, there are 80,382 teachers in Sabah and Sarawak, both in Primary and Secondary schools and only 15,641 of the total were from the mainland.

"If we want to send 80,000 teachers from the mainland to Sarawak, who is going to teach in West Malaysia?," said Mohd Puad when commenting on a report that Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) was deeply concerned because such a move would compromise the potential of teachers in Sarawak.

On May 25, PRS president Datuk Dr James Jemut Masing had said that he was concerned with an alleged move by the Education Ministry to send additional teachers termed as 'counselling teachers'.

Mohd Puad said in Petaling Jaya yesterday that PRS should get in touch with the Education Ministry for clarification first because such reports to avoid any negative perception.

He said the Education Ministry had always been receptive of efforts to increase the number of local teachers in Sabah and Sarawak to teach in their own respective states.

"Since last year we have been practicing a 30:30:40 ratio in the policy of intake for teachers training institute. The ratio means 30 percent will be from Sabah and another 30 percent from Sarawak while the remaining 40 percent will be from West Malaysia.

"However, when we are faced with situations whereby there is a lack of teachers from Sabah and Sarawak who met the criteria for j-QAF grade teachers, English and Mandarin teachers, we need to recruit them from the mainland," he said.

DAP's Arrogance Typical of Peninsular Parties - Jeffrey

KOTA KINABALU: The Democractic Action Party (DAP) is beginning to show its true color by bullying Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), a local Sabah party, the United Borneo Front (UBF) said, Its president, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, expressed his disappointmentth that DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang had started on a wrong footing with its arrogant attitude by pitting local parties to each other.

"Judging from this new development among the opposition parties, we can see clearly that there is not much difference between DAP and Umno," he said.

Definitely they are not thinking of the Borneo agenda, I expected DAP to be more understanding regarding our dream as Sabahans, but obviously DAP is too much engrossed with trying to get the Sabahans' votes to the point that it feels it can come to Sabah and push us around although we are all in the opposition," he said in a statement yesterday.

Jeffrey called on Sabahans to reject this attitude and remind themselves that only local parties can best serve their interests. "Let's do away with relying on Peninsular parties to defend our rights," he added.

"The people of Sabah and Sarawak have been tolerating this problem for 47 years now, and have been hoping that the federal leaders would change their attitude but they never seem to change.

"We can see that the Peninsular leaders and parties are in Sabah to serve their own Peninsular agendas, pushing their own political games at the expense of Sabahans," he stressed.

"And the worst thing is that the Pakatan Rakyat component parties are obviously trying to outdo each other in Sabah and Sarawak. Recently DAP had bullied SNAP in Sarawak and now it is bullying SAPP in Sabah."

He said the best thing for Sabahans and Sarawakians to do now under this circumstances is to take charge of our own future rather than relying on Peninsular parties.

"We need to form the Third Force, the coalition of local parties outside the BN and the PR," he said.

"This is the best approach because this will enable us to pursue our own agenda. We must also beware of the current trend in which BN is bent on moving towards extremism to perpetuate its hold on power, at all cost.

Even the PR is using extreme measures to fight the BN, and both are not too concerned about what all this will do to the country."

Jeffrey called upon the leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to be very careful with what they do.

"They may make the grave mistake of destroying the country instead of steering it to progress and prosperity.

"We need to formulate better policies and draw up more effective programmes. Our most important objective here is to save Sabah because we can clearly see that Sabah is going fast down the drain."

On the Home Ministry's move to investigate former ISA detainee Datuk Mohd Akjan Ali Muhammad's citizenship, Jeffrey applauded it but the Minister of Home Affairs must do a comprehensive solution by making a sweeping clean up of the illegal immigrants and heal the state from the effects of the Project IC.

Recently, SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee claimed that he was publicly ridiculed by Lim.

Yong said Lim ridiculed him during the DAP harvest festival celebration few days ago. SAPP was invited to the gathering by Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong.

Yong claimed that Lim had described SAPP as unrealistic and gave the party an ultimatum to join opposition coalition because it is the only alliance that can beat BN.

Hisham's muddy view of Akjan case laughable

By Datuk Yong Teck Lee

After reading Home Minister Datuk Hishamuddin Tun Hussein's statement that he has ordered a probe into Mohd Akjan Ali's citizenship, I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. I should laugh because the Home Minister is telling a joke about the Akjan case. Or I should cry because our Home Minister really thinks Sabahans are fools. Indeed, Hisham's public utterances have damaged the public confidence towards the government on this case. 

The police already have all the records and detailed information about Akjan. Not only was he an ISA detainee in 1995 to 1997 for manufacturing fake ICs, his company was later awarded multi-million ringgit project to build the police field force base in Kinarut about 10 years ago, directly under the Home Minister who, at the time, was the then Deputy Prime Minister, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Three months ago, after the fake coronation as "Sultan of Sulu", Akjan was again detained for investigations. Statements were taken from several persons who are close to Akjan. Until recently, Akjan was also a member of UMNO, the ruling party of which Hisham is Vice President Does Hisham expect us to believe that he is still in the dark about Akjan's citizenship, background, activities and history? 

In one of Akjan's earlier statement after the fake "coronation", he had alleged that he has documents for the Prime Minister, Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, concerning the dropping of the Sulu Sultanate claim to Sabah. I now call on Hishammudding to reveal to the public what the documents are. 

Do any of the documents have to do with letters from the ex-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Akjan relating to the Philippine claim to Sabah? If there are such documents, it is likely that copies of such documents are already in the hands of the police but the authorities are keeping quiet. 

Ex-Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee, May 1996 to 1998

‘PKR failed to pay rent for 30 months’

K Kabilan

Party leaders are accused of lying in saying that they had been prompt in paying RM20,000 per month to the landlord.

PETALING JAYA: New details have emerged that PKR may not have paid rental for its party headquarters in Merchant Square here for almost 30 months, owing arrears of about RM600,000 to the landlord.

The party had entered into a five-year lease with the landlord beginning July 2008 for RM20,000 per month. FMT learnt that the party paid rental only until November 2008.

“Since then, not a single payment has been made,” said a party insider today.

“And the party’s top leaders are lying in saying that they had been prompt in paying rents,” he said.

PKR leaders revealed last week that the party faced possible eviction from their party headquarters because the landlord failed to service the bank loan.

As a result, Affin Bank has initiated an auction to be held on June 9 to recover its money.

Playing the blame-game

Laying the blame squarely on the landlord, party leaders like treasurer William Leong, vice-president Tian Chua and secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said that the party had never failed to pay the rental to the landlord.

“It is the landlord, the banks are going after them. A lot of people have the wrong notion that we are the owners. We are just the tenant and not responsible for the loan. We have never failed to pay the monthly rental,” Leong had said.

Tian, meanwhile, said he did not know why the landlord failed to service the bank loan but speculated that the landlord could be facing financial difficulties.

Saifuddin denied that the party was in a financial quandary, adding that the party has been prompt in paying rent.

“We are not in any financial problem. It is the owner who has a problem with the bank as we have been paying rent without fail,” he told FMT.

Leong said that the party was now planning to buy the premises when the bank auctions it next month, failing which it would seek to rent it from the new owners. But if that does not work out, then PKR will find itself another office.

Lies, half-truths

The party insider said these leaders were “talking rubbish”.

“They didn’t even pay the rentals… perhaps they did not have the money to do that… and now they are talking about buying the premises at the auction,” he said.

He also chided them for making statements without proper checking, especially when they even got the name of their supposed landlord wrong.

When the PKR leaders spoke to the media on the auction, they mentioned that the landlord was a company named Ainb-Tech Sdn Bhd. However, FMT learnt that the lease agreement had named another company as the landlord.

“They don’t seem to have a clue on the lease details of the premises they are occupying. I don’t think they know who owns the building and even how much money they have to pay for rental.

“They are jumping now after seeing the auction notice as they have been caught with their pants down… and have resorted to lies and half truths,” added the insider.

Stop blaming others, sort out your house
 
The party leaders also came under fire for blaming everyone else for their (PKR’s) problems.

Several party leaders, including former deputy chief Syed Husin Ali, were quick to point the finger at Barisan Nasional for the bank auction.

“This is typical of them. They like to spin conspiracy theories and will blame BN for all their troubles,” said former PKR leader S Nallakarupan.

“They all take the lead from their leader Anwar Ibrahim. He never admits to anything and likes to accuse others, especially the BN. Now his party leaders are doing the same.

“He lied about the Sept 16 takeover. He then lied about having evidence of BN trying to buy over PKR reps.

And now this PKR HQ fiasco. Are they telling the truth or are they trying to gain sympathy?” asked the president of pro-BN Malaysian Indian United Party.

“I won’t be surpised if they are lying blatantly on the rental issue as well to play victims as usual,” he added.

Nallakarupan, who left PKR in 2007 following a major fallout with Anwar, said PKR should get its house in order first before talking about taking over Putrajaya.

FMT. Meanwhile, learnt that negotiations are ongoing between the owner and Affin Bank to sort out the matter amicably.

Politics and Prose, Washington, DC, May 28, 2011

Had a wonderful event at Politics and Prose on Saturday night. In my remarks I noted that, for authors, doing a reading there is the equivalent of playing Madison Square Garden. I have another big event coming up Thursday night in Brooklyn. It will be at WORD, a wonderful little bookstore. Click here for more information.

Power rates hike in June

Power rates up 7% from June 1


May 30, 2011 As part of its subsidy reduction exercise, the government has raised the rates for electricity and natural gas.



PUTRAJAYA: The government today has raised electricity tariff by 7.12% starting June 1 as part of its ongoing subsidy rationalisation exercise.

The average increase is 2.23 sen per kilowatt hour (kWh) or 7.12% to 33.54 sen kWh, from the current 31.31 sen kWh.

However, the move will not affect about 75% of the population who mainly consume less than 300 kWh per month.

This means consumers who utilise up to 300 kWh of electricity and are currently billed about RM77 monthly, will not incur additional cost.

The gas tariff for electricity and industrial sectors will rise by RM3/MMBtu every six months from June 1 to December 2015, after whiuch the price will be based on market rates.

The announcement was made at a joint press conference by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nor Mohamed Yakcop and Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui.

They said the 7.12 per cent hike was due to the increase in natural gas price to the power sector, from RM10.70 million British Thermal Unit (mmBTU) to RM13.70 mmBTU.

For the 900,000 low-income domestic users, they will enjoy free electricity until Dec 31, 2011, if their monthly consumption is below RM20 per month.

The government will also ensure that Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) provides a discount of 10% to partiallly-funded education institutions.

Market mechanisms

Chin also said Tenaga Nasional’s average tariff had to be reviewed upwards by 2% or 0.63 sen kWh.

“The review will enable the utility company to increase its investment in better electricity infrastruture including supply and distribution,” he said, adding that it would invest about RM4.5 billion, annually.

Chin also said that in line with the government’s effort to rationalise energy prices in accordance with global market mechanisms, the government has agreed to use the fuel-cost-pass formula to determine future tariff prices.

To encourage the use of electricity generated from renewable energy (RE), the government has also decided to impose an additional one per cent feed-in-tariff portion which will be chanelled to the RE Fund to promote the purchase.

However, Chin said the additional collection would not affect consumers whose consumption is less than 300 kWj per month.

“The government is aware this tariff adjustment will have a direct and indirect impact on all quarters.

“Against the backdrop of a challenging global economic environment like rising energy and food costs, the government needs to take responsible steps to protect the interest of the people and country in the long term,” he added.

- Bernama

"No ultimatum only harsh realities – “Time and tide waits for no man”

By Jeffrey


I respectfully disagree with PR’s position that defines national political change as being based on (1) a titanic struggle between BN vs PR (2) that those opposed to BN must “unite & join” under a single banner to give PR the additional 30+ seats in Sarawak & Sabah.
The strategy is not for PR win another 30 seats from East Malaysia but to deny BN that 30 seats. For that to happen Semenanjung PR’s leaders must recognize that foremost in Sarawkian & Sabah’s aspirations is regional political autonomy. This is their main grouse against UMNO/BN. PR therefore has nothing better to offer and bring to the table to advance this central East Malaysian aspiration if it requires East Malaysian political parties & parties (like Sabah’s SAPP & Sarawak’s SNAP) to unite under PR banner, follow its strict dictation on seat allocation that will be perceived there as serving more of PKR’s and DAP’s interest to expand their presence/control at expense of local parties. They don’t want to dislodge one neo colonialist semananjung mster (BN) for another (PR)!

The Opposition just can’t go there (East Malaysia), highlight local issues, stir regional sentiments there against Federal Control by BN and then when it comes to matters of next General election inconsistently dictate to locals there (Jeffrey kitingan or Yong Teck Ling) how to contest under PR’s banner and what to do. For that will be simply exciting aspirations that you you do not and cannot satisfy – that will only unleash a backlash!
I reiterate: the immediate step is not PR winning BN but BN losing in terms of seats to PR plus combination of local East Malaysian parties contesting under their own banners. You then all come together only after winning GE in this sense (otherwise its academic) but not before GE upon terms that East malaysians must contest under PR’s banner in an epic struggle defined narrowly as consisting only 2 players (ie BN & PR).

30 seats more for PR don’t help. Its a hung parliament! Neither can rule with a simple majority of a 2 or 3 parliamentarians more! If you have more, the other side will buy cross overs; if you have less, the other side couldn’t rule with such a small majority and will do even more drastic things to consolidate power than what was donme in 308! Either way the country will plunge to rough times. You’ve got to think big, bold, drastic and strategic, as what is needed is a paradigm shift in power equation – not a simple majority of 30! Its now or never to do so. Sorry thats the harsh reality.

Pesta Kaamatan untuk mengutip wang?

Oleh Stephen Gaimin

Pesta Menuai atau Pesta Kaamatan merupakan kemuncak bagi pemartabatan warisan budaya sukukaum Kadazandusun, yang mana diraikan pada setiap 30 dan 31 Mei setiap tahun.

Dalam perayaan ini, berbagai acara menarik dan juga budaya kaum Kadazandusun yang ditonjolkan dan dipamerkan. Antara lain acara yang biasanya menjadi tarikan dalam Perayaan Pesta Kaamatan ialah "Unduk Ngadau" Kaamatan yang mempamerkan pakaian tradisi mengikut etnik.

Stephen Gaimin

Dari segi sejarah Pesta Kaamatan yang kita rayakan ini telah diluluskan oleh Majlis Undangan Kerajaan Koloni sebagai Cuti Umum sejak tahun 1960 lagi pada setiap 30hb-31hb,Mei setiap tahun. Individu yang bertanggungjawab untuk mengusulkan agar Pesta Kaamatan ini diisytiharkan sebagai Cuti Umum ialah Allahyaraham YAB Tun Haji Mohamad Fuad Stephens mantan Ketua Menteri Sabah yang pertama. Oleh yang demikian, kita sebagai rakyat Kadazandusun seharusnya berasa bangga dengan perjuangan pemimpin kita yang terdahulu kerana bermati-matian mempertahankan Pesta Kamaatan sehingga ia diiktiraf sebagai cuti umum di negeri Sabah.

Saya merupakan antara hadirin yang hadir dalam Pesta Kamaatan anjuran Parti DAP di Putera Theater Ballromm Taman Tun Fuad, Bukit Padang. Namun demikian saya terkilan dimana, Sebagai seorang anak jati Kadazandusun saya berasa amat malu dan terhina apabila adat istiadat dan kebudayaan saya tidak dihormati. Saya tidak dapat merasai bahang Pesta Kamaatan tetapi apa yang saya lihat adalah Acara Makan Malam bersama Penasihat Parti DAP Encik Lim Kit Siang. Menambah jijiknya lagi kebanyakan ucapan dibuat dalam bahasa Inggeris dan Mandarin.

Melihat kepada keadaan ini saya berasa perayaan Pesta Kamaatan telah hilang nilainya, saya berikan satu contoh, tidak pernah Unduk Ngadau diadili dengan cara mengundi, dimana kupon dijual dengan harga RM5. Penganjuran ini tidak lebih seperti melepaskan batuk ditangga. Pemimpin DAP seperti Edwin Bosi sememangnya telah tahu tentang kesucian lagenda huminodun, melalui ucapan beliau. Tetapi mengapa beliau tidak melakukan sesuatu untuk memperbetulkan apa yang salah.

Politik adalah politik, perayaan adalah perayaan, oleh yang demikian saya mohon kepada Pemimpin daripada luar sabah, yang tidak tahu adat budaya orang sabah, tolong Jangan bawa budaya politik daripada luar. Kami orang sabah, biar berlainan fahaman politik, tetapi dalam masa perayaan kami tidak ada persengketaan.

Stephan Gaimin ialah seorang Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP)

Tolak politik ekstrimis Semenanjung

RAKYAT Sabah perlu menolak politik ekstrimis dari Semenanjung dan kekalkan budaya politik bersifat perpaduan yang sedia ada.

Presiden Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP) Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee berkata, parti politik dari Sabah terutamanya SAPP lebih mementingkan perpaduan kerana melaluinya kemajuan dan kesejahteraan dapat diberikan kepada rakyat.

“Tidak seperti parti-parti politik dari Semenanjung Malaysia, mereka bukan hanya memperkenalkan budaya politik ekstrimis tetapi sangat bongkak serta langsung tidak menghormati rakyat Sabah.

“Parti-parti politik dari Semenanjung ini apabila datang ke negeri ini dengan angkuh ingin merampas hak parti dari Sabah walaupun mereka sebenarnya berada dalam satu gabungan.

“Contohnya ialah apabila Naib Presiden UMNO Datuk Zahid Hamidi ketika merasmikan mesyuarat UMNO Pensiangan baru-baru ini secara terang-terang berkata UMNO akan merampas kerusi Parlimen Pensiangan daripada parti PBRS.

“Ini menunjukkan, pemimpin UMNO dari Semenanjung apabila datang ke Pensiangan langsung tidak menghormati Ahli Parlimen Pensiangan Tan Sri Joseph Kurup yang menjadi tuan rumah.

“Adakah sopan apabila tetamu secara terang-terang berkata mahu merampas hak milik tuan rumah?” katanya ketika berucap merasmikan Pesta Menuai SAPP peringkat negeri Sabah di sini.

Beliau berkata, rakyat serta para ahli politik Sabah sentiasa mengekalkan perpaduan dan tidak akan sama sekali merosakkannya walaupun ketika berpolitik.

Katanya, rakyat dan para ahli politik Sabah selepas berpolitik pasti akan kembali menjalinkan perpaduan dan ini dapat dilihat ketika meraikan sesuatu perayaan seperti Pesta Menuai atau Hari Raya Puasa atau Tahun Baru Cina.

Teck Lee berkata, rakyat Sabah walaupun berbeza fahaman politik tetapi akan tetap duduk bersama merayakan setiap perayaan yang diraikan di negeri ini.

“Begitu juga para ahli politik di Sabah, saya dijemput dan hadir pada majlis perkahwinan anak Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan walaupun kami berbeza fahaman politik,”katanya.

Beliau berkata, budaya politik ekstrimis dari Semenanjung perlu ditolak dan rakyat Sabah mesti kekalkan perpaduan yang dinikmati selama ini.

Katanya, rakyat Sabah tidak memerlukan konsep seperti 1Malaysia kerana perpaduan di kalangan rakyat di negeri ini sudah lama terjalin.

Terdahulu, bekas Menteri Kewangan Sabah Datuk Mohd Noor Mansur, berkata perubahan pucuk pimpinan Kerajaan Sabah dapat dilakukan melalui perpaduan rakyat.

“Rakyat Sabah hanya memerlukan pensil untuk menukar kerajaan negeri Sabah daripada Barisan Nasional kepada SAPP pada pilihan raya akan datang,” katanya.

Katanya, rakyat Sabah hanya perlu tingkatkan semangat inginkan perubahan sama seperti yang dilakukan oleh rakyat di negara-negara Timur Tengah.

Beliau berkata, rakyat Sabah tidak perlu senjata seperti yang digunakan rakyat Timur Tengah untuk menukar kerajaan kerana pensil sudah mencukupi untuk melakukannya di negeri ini.

Sementara itu, Timbalan Presiden SAPP Datuk Eric Majimbun berkata, perjuangan SAPP sejak dulu lagi ingin memastikan hasil bumi dari negeri ini dinikmati rakyat Sabah dan bukannya dirampas Kuala Lumpur seperti yang berlaku pada masa ini.

Katanya, keadaan itu boleh dibetulkan semula apabila rakyat Sabah berganding bahu dan melakukan perubahan pucuk pimpinan kerajaan negeri.

Eric selaku Ahli Parlimen Sepanggar berkata, ikatan persefahaman di kalangan rakyat Sabah yang sudah sedia terjalin juga perlu dikekalkan agar keharmonian dapat dikekalkan.

Pengerusi Penganjur Pesta Menuai SAPP peringkat negeri Sabah di sini, Japiril Suhaimin berkata, barisan kepimpinan SAPP yang terdiri daripada pelbagai kaum menunjukkan SAPP bukan sebuah parti perkauman.

Beliau berkata, majlis seperti perayaan Pesta Menuai ini telah diraikan sejak SAPP ditubuhkan pada 1994 samada ketika berada dalam atau di luar kerajaan.

Katanya, perpaduan dikalangan para pemimpin dan penyokong SAPP sekaligus menunjukkan parti SAPP sentiasa mengamalkan sikap toleransi sekaligus diterima rakyat.

Some food for thought for Christian leaders in BN

Since the last two years alone we have seen how the freedom of speech and religion have been severely curtailed in Malaysia. And of late the debate and altercations in religious matters have escalated to an extreme proportions, no thanks to extremist statements by several firerand leader, and to the inaction by the authorities.


Up to now the Christian leaders in the Barisan Nasional have been very tolerant, speaking out quite loudly when necessary but not sufficient to bring the whole matter to a critical level. But to recap, what we have gone through include (1) The silly instruction to remove crucifixes from churches when a Muslim dignitary comes to visit “because the Christian symbols are offensive to Muslims” (so why not remove the whole church building as well, and why come at all?), (2) Church burning, (3) Arguments about the acceptability of Malay Bibles which have been in use in Sabah and Sarawak long before the creation of Malaysia, (4) Unauthorised confiscations of Bibles and Christian book at airports, (5) the banning of movies, including innocent cartoon movies like The Prince of Egypt (which by the way is about Moses, the prophet for Judaism, Christianity and Islam), (6) The defacing of Malay Bibles with serial numbers and conditions of their use (“…for use by Christians only” – so what if some Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, and pagans are interested to read and study the Bible?), (7) The quarrel about the use of the name “Allah” in which the Christians won the court case, but was appealed and is now deliberately stalled in the court to deny justice to Christians), (8) The double standard on the use of the name “Allah” (permitted in Sabah and Sarawak but forbidden in the Peninsular, so a person carrying the Malay Bible on a flight to Kuala Lumpur will suddenly become a criminal the moment the aircraft enters the peninsular air space – should he or she be forced to throw the Alkitab out of the aircraft window before landing?), (9) Datuk Ibrahim Ali said there is no such thing as a Malay Christian, and he may be right if he is talking about Malaysia, but there are 300 million Malayo Polynesians in the Malay archipelago, in Polynesia and Micronesia and they belong to many religions, including Christianity (e.g. in Indonesia), and Hinduism (in Bali), (10) We have been subjects to incessant bullying and threats, the extreme case being Ibrahim Ali swearing to be willing to be bathed in blood in a jihad against Christians), (11) We have been trapped into a nonsensical accusation of trying to install a Christian Prime Minister, no thanks to the dishonest and conspiratorial actions of two bloggers and the Utusan Malaysia which sensationalized the rumor into a supposedly legitimate news), (12) We have been highly discriminated as Christians in the civil service, especially in the armed forces and in teaching profession, because Malaysia wants these two sectors to be overwhelmingly dominated by Malays, and now they want to send 80,000 teachers to Sabah and Sarawak, so say goodbye to Borneonisation!), (13) The Herald, a Christian newspaper has been under threats of having its publishing permit suspended for using “Allah” and publishing news which are deemed anti-Islam.

On the overall, what we have witnessed is a case of serious bullying, intimidation, insult and moral degradation as Christians. The word tolerance and mutual respect no longer exist in the minds of many politicians and NGO leaders. The pleadings of Christian leaders for understanding and offer of dialogues between the faiths for the sake of interracial and interreligious harmonies have been totally ignored. Because of this, the Christian leaders in BN have been pushed to the corners and they have been fighting back quite bravely. Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, for example has been championing Christian rights, by saying that the Bahasa Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians, including Christian Malaysians and they have the right to use it in worship. He had also said there is nothing wrong with having a Christian Prime Minister, because after all the religion of the Prime Minister has never been made a condition in the Malaysian Constitution. The fight for Christians by other leaders in the recent controversy with confiscation of Bibles and conditions for their release was admirable and deserve our accolades.

But still the problem continues. There has been some quiet for a while but it might be the discomforting quiet before another storm. The campaign to formant hatred and to stoke anger against Christians have tested our patience and no noticeable intervention has been forthcoming from the Prime Minister, which is very, very disappointing. We know this is because of the Umno’s dilemma; they worry that by seeming to support Christians, BN will lose a lot more Malay votes. We can bet this is not the end of it. There will be more attacks later, especially after the next general elections, if the BN comes back to power.

Because it is already a problem which has already become endemic, the BN Christian leaders must now think very hard about their positions in BN, and where they are headed for as leaders. Obviously, their role as members of the BN elite group, and their opportunities to speak at the highest level in the land have been insufficient. They have been ignored and  treated as negligible. As such they must reevaluate their stances in the BN, and to stand back some distance and to see the BN situation as an outsider, and understand as clearly as possible what is really going on, what is really rotten in Malaysia. That way, they will be able to see the truth to help them make the ultimate decision whether or not to continue in BN or not. Keep in mind that the Christian issue is not just religious but also cultural, historical and spiritual, by which all aspects of our lives are involved for our ultimate destinies. Ask, how long can BN go on the way things are going in Malaysia now? Why not join forces under a new umbrella to create change and to get us to go back to what the Constitution originally intended for us?

They need to remind themselves that as Christians we are guaranteed protection by several provisions in the national Constitution, as follows: Article 3 (1): Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation. Article 8 declares that “all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law,” but states that this article “does not prohibit . . . any provision or practice restricting office or employment connected with the affairs of any religion, or of an institution managed by a group professing any religion, to persons professing that religion.”
Article 10 states that, subject to proper requirements, (a) “every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression, (b) all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and (c) all citizens have the right to form associations.” Article ll (1): Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion, and subject to Clause (4), to propagate it. But too bad, these provisions seem to have become meaningless for Malaysian Christians!

DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN

Pakatan wants to kill SAPP?

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Vice President Dullie Marie felt very disappointed and in delusion on what was uttered by DAP’s advisor, Lim Kit Siang during the dinner in conjunction with Harvest festival hosted by DAP.

"I was appointed by the Supreme Council to head a committee on any negotiation with DAP. The main objective to negotiate in good faith to have an understanding with DAP on one to one basis to face Barisan National in this coming election. This is also the aspiration expressed by of most the Sabahans. 

Dullie, who is also SAPP Putatan CLC Chief said it was supposed to be an occasion to celebrate the real meaning of Harvest Festival as it originally intended; to celebrate on the spirit of cordial relationship among the people of Sabah but unfortunately it turned out to be political talks dominated by DAP leaders from Peninsular and of course some PR leaders in Sabah.

"Lim Kit Siang made a blatant speech by telling Sabahans that only through PR changes are possible. He blindly ignored without any regard on the existence of local party/parties. Not even a bit. Lim Kit Siang speech did not reflect at all on cooperation with local party like SAPP. 

"He put it in ultimatum SAPP must be in PR, which we can assume and conclude it will be another episode like SNAP in Sarawak. It seems he simply ignored and insensitive to the feeling of most Sabahan. He was so passionate with excitement that makes him to forget PR was unregistered coalition. 

"Besides, he totally disregarded the wishes of PR leaders in Sabah who know better the realities. The negotiation committee set up by SAPP was prompted due to the request made by DAP and PKR leaders in Sabah and Peninsular respectively. 

"His attitude is a mere reflection of divide and rule imposed on Sabahans. This also tell us they are always in the upper hand and for us to survive we have to be subservient to their terms. We can safely conclude that PR leaders especially those from Peninsular will make decisions for their leaders in Sabah. They have no choices but to toe along the line.

"Generally the main objective is to kill local party like SAPP even before negotiations. By displaying such attitudes to reach mutual understanding will be rough and tough.

"Lim Kit Siang is very arrogant and insensitive in his speech. He managed to camouflage the audience who are mainly of the Chinese community. By sensationalizing on issues Lim forget to ask himself on actual number of Chinese seats in Sabah; he felt so great he is not even bothered to know on seats held by Bumiputras, Muslims and non-Muslims. Sabah is a multi-racial and religious society. Its issues differ so much from the West which usually bases along race and religious lines.

"The promise of making Sabah into a prosperous State within 100 days is nothing new. The same slogan we have had heard when UMNO began to spread its wings into Sabah in 1990s. But what had happened since then. Hence, he forgot to address the experience learnt by Sabahans from being ‘colonized’ for the last 48 years. He also quoted the speech made by Tan Sri Simon Sipaun on 7th March 2011. This is another superficial trick display; that by putting him in the limelight he (Lim) hoped psychologically able to hoodwink and lure the support from KDM community. 

"I guess he displayed such arrogant attitude due to his party's success in Sarawak. Being a veteran politician he should have good answers on what happened on Chinese’s voting trends in Sarawak. Lim should also open his eyes on the voting trends on the natives of Sarawak. Why they are still rallied and gave their votes to BN despite on various exposures made by the opposition. The Sarawakians want to protect their own autonomy.

"Therefore, for PR to achieve its dreams to Putrajaya, he should stop this arrogance; stop the ego of being more superior than us here in Sabah. He has to remember this is the 21st century. We agreed on change and will cooperate but will not join any pact at this particular instance of time. 

"SAPP would like to make total change based on the Malaysian Agreement 1963 on the basis of 20 Points and that Sabah is a partner in the formation of Malaysian Nation. Lim should remember without Sabah and Sarawak there won’t be a Malaysia today. 

"I just like to remind Lim Kit Siang and other leaders from Peninsular that they should be more sensitive on what they say. 

"We are loyal Malaysians and that we have grown with time. We believed the change must be made by Sabahans itself. Sabahans should be given the wisdoms on the real meaning of Independence. PR leaders should refrain from imposing colonist mentality to the Sabahans.

SAPP's Yong miffed by Kit Siang's public ridicule

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee said he was surprised by the harsh way DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang attacked SAPP.

“As a matter of fact, Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong Sze Phin had called and SMSed to invite me to the DAP Kaamatan (harvest festival) celebration (yesterday). In reciprocating, I invited Wong as a guest to my house and we had a nice chat on politics.

"We agreed that it was important that we build mutual confidence between SAPP and DAP, to meet Lim Kit Siang at the DAP harvest festival and exhibit goodwill so that the future relationship between SAPP and DAP can be improved," he said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu today.

Yong, a former Sabah chief minister, said as a guest at the DAP function, he did not expect to be issued a public ultimatum by Kit Siang in a harsh manner that put him and his colleagues in an embarrassing situation and their party ridiculed in public.

"Lim caught all of us by surprise by his harsh tone, the abrasive way in pinpointing me by name and ridiculing SAPP.

"My immediate feeling was that, after their super victories in the April Sarawak state elections, Lim Kit Siang's DAP has already become super confident of taking over Putrajaya and the Sabah state government at the coming general elections,” said Yong in an immediate reaction to Lim's speech in which the DAP supremo had issued an ultimatum for SAPP to join Pakatan Rakyat on the grounds that "only Pakatan can beat BN".

Yong said he wondered if it was because Lim now felt that DAP did not need anybody else, as Pakatan alone could beat the BN, then why the need to demand SAPP to join Pakatan.

What happened to Pakatan-plus proposal?

The SAPP president recalled that at the DAP rally on September 16, 2008 at Kian Kok School in Kota Kinabalu, Lim had called for a Pakatan-plus coalition with SAPP.

"This means that SAPP need not be a member of the fledgling Pakatan," he said.

Yong had also spoken at that '916' DAP rally which took place a day before SAPP left the BN.

“Has Lim now unilaterally dropped his own Pakatan-plus formula?” asked Yong.

However, Yong said he still remained hopeful that SAPP's relationship with PKR, DAP and PAS could improve further before the general elections.

“I only hope that the super confidence of DAP leaders will subside in the coming months and realise that their promise of 416 (April 16) change of Sarawak government failed miserably because the '416 change' turned into a '416' Taib victory," he added.

- Bernama

Govt not Actively Checking the Spiralling House Prices

 I refer to recent reports on the National House Buyers Association (NHBA) expressing concern over the runaway prices of houses. Whilst  there is already a great deal of concern on the part of the average Malaysian on the significant increase in the food prices in recent months, there is even greater concern over the concern over the continuous rise in property prices in major cities and towns in the country.

The NHBA’s concern that the astronomical increase in house prices (both old and new) has virtually locked an entire generation of young adults out of the house buying market hits the bull’s eye. The reasons for the rapid increase are obvious: easy availability of bank loans with very low interest rates; easy payment schemes conceived by creative developers such as the 90:10 or 95:05 schemes where buyers need only pay up to 5pc or 10pc of the purchase price while banks take care of the rest with the developer until completion; and a low real property gains tax (RPGT) of only 5pc. In some cases, developers’ staff book properties in advance, and the property then changes hands to buyers for “fee”.

Many developers also raise the sale price of each phase of the properties they sell, with the excuse that the cost of labour and materials are rising rapidly. In a way, developers have contributed to the inflationary rise in the prices of properties and to their own bottom line. Whilst one cannot deny that labor and material costs will rise, the extent of the rise when translated into the value of the property cannot be justified. Developers may argue that they have holding and labor costs and other risks associated with the business, but look at the annual profit they reap from the sale of properties. More often than not, launches in cities are sold out within hours.

There is a definite need for relevant authorities to look into house prices vis a vis the cost of labor and materials. Soon with the anticipated introduction of the Goods and Service Tax, property prices will go even higher as developers have no choice but to transfer their cost to buyers.

Then there is the issue of speculation on property prices. Not too long ago, developers were clamouring for the government to reduce or exempt house buyers from the RPGT which used to range from 0-30pc depending on years of ownership as well as reduction in stamp duties. The developers’ argument is that due to the overhang of properties, they were unable to sell many of their properties and suffered losses.

The government of course listened and reduced the RPGT to 5pc for gains on properties sold within 5 years of purchase and 0pc for properties sold thereafter and in the process, gave away revenue which it ought to have collected. Well, today look at the effects of meeting the request of developers.

Whilst we don’t deny that there are pockets of unsold properties, many developers have made super profits from the sale of properties, as have buyers (or rather speculators). It is the genuine house buyers who are locked out in the process, firstly by developers charging a high sale price during the launch, and secondly, by speculators who book the property with little seed money and then sell it at a much higher price.

Banks have definitely contributed to the house price syndrome and there is no doubt a need for Bank Negara to quickly deal with this before it’s too late, although may developers and industry players would tell us there is no bubble in sight. Of course, when it happens, the blame game will start and it is the genuine house buyers who suffer.

I agree with the NKBA that the government should review the RPGT act and even the stamp act (like in Singapore and Hong Kong) to deal with speculators, and be well aware that it is losing a rich source of revenue annually. There are no doubt, many speculators in the market (what with easy financing available) who find it easy to make a profit especially those with connections with developers. Many of them have been buying and selling properties within a short period of time and the government should consider instituting legislation to curb this menace.

The previous 30pc RPGT rate should be brought back as soon as possible to tax all profits arising from the sale or transfer of ownership of property within a three-year time frame for purchased completion properties and new properties so as to discourage speculators, many of whom may not have the financial capacity to put in even a decent 20pc-30pc down payment for the purchase price; and Bank Negara should tighten the availability of credit especially to those buying a second or third house. Perhaps stamp duty should also be imposed on sellers who sell their properties within say two years of purchase.

The prices of properties must be monitored and checked by way of financial measures like level of loan versus buyer’s profile and number of properties purchased/sold, and fiscal measures to curb speculation and a quick profit.

So much for the government’s aim to increase the income of the general population and facilitate home ownership for first time buyers. Our children will find it hard to own a house in the future without forever being a debtor to banks.

Concerned Citizen.

Daily Express Sunday Forum

Back at the Farm

I left Georgia two months ago to relocate to Louisiana, but I still keep up with news there through the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website. So I read with interest Governor Nathan Deal's recent signing into law House Bill 87, described as an Arizona-styled immigration law. An article published in early May in the AJC states that:

Deal and other supporters of HB 87 have hailed it as a victory for taxpayers who have borne the cost of illegal immigration in Georgia. A recent estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center puts the number of illegal immigrants in Georgia at 425,000, the seventh-highest among the states. Those illegal immigrants, supporters of HB 87 say, are taking jobs from state residents and burdening Georgia’s public schools, hospitals and jails. [Jeremy Redmon, "Governor signs Arizona-style immigration bill into law," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 13 May 2011.]

Supporters of the bill re-affirm that Georgia is a "business-friendly" state, but that HB 87 "represents [the state's] responsibility to watch the taxpayers' bottom line just as the business community vigilantly guards their bottom line." As the farming season gears up, however, one of the consequences to the bill has not been so "business-friendly." Evidently, Hispanic workers "are bypassing Georgia to work in other states." [Jeremy Redman, "Governor asks state to probe farm labor shortages," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 27 May 2011]

That Hispanic labor shortage has caused farmers to lose money, to let some of their produce remain uncollected in the field. One blue berry farmer estimates that he has lost 10% of his crop due to the labor shortage. An owner of a 4,500 acre vegetable farm near Tifton, GA, says that "between 75 and 100 Hispanic workers he depends on didn't show up for work this year....causing him to lose some of his vegetable harvests" [Redman, 27 May 2011]. Some farmers are talking about cutting back on production in order to adjust to the loss in labor; others have tried enticements, such as extra monetary bonuses, to get Hispanic laborers to overcome their fear of the restrictive law. According to the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association "the labor shortages afflicting South Georgia counties could put as much as $300 million in crops at risk" [Redman, 27 May 2011].

Now I know what some folks are going to say: with Georgia's unemployment rate still near 10%, that maybe those unemployed should seek work on Georgian farms. Well, we all know the history of farm labor in the South, don't we? Also, it's back-breaking, hot, tough 8-hours-a-day work. The typical wage, evidently, is $12.50 an hour, on average. And "experienced workers can earn as much as $200 a day" [Bill Chappell, "Georgia Farmers Say Immigration Law Keeps Workers Away," GPB News, 27 May 2011]. However, the work is temporary and seasonal. And it takes practice to become "experienced" in picking vegetables quickly and efficiently. Hey, I know. I used to pick peas every summer when I stayed with my grandmother Ruby Benton in Gum Grove, Texas. I hoed long rows of vegetables in our own family garden, and I helped harvest many Irish potatoes. But that work was brief, not five 8-hour days a week for five months. Evidently, Mexican and Guatemalan laborers weren't "taking jobs from state residents," as proponents of the bill claimed. Some farmers have described their lack of success in trying to get local people to do the work of the immigrant laborers.

Working as a laborer on a vegetable or fruit farm might put groceries on the table for a while, but it isn't going to offer any health benefits for the ensuing back pain.

I am always amazed--not!--at how the unintended consequences of punitive laws can be as problematic, if not more so, than the original situation the laws were meant to ameliorate.

Later Comment: I've been told that the guys who work on those farms don't work eight hours a day but work "can to can't"--from can see to can't see.

10-year old girl abducted and molested

The family of a 10-year-old girl, who was allegedly molested after being abducted from her school, claims the school failed to keep security tight in Kuala Lumpur.

The girl's father, known only as Mohamad, said he wanted to lodge a complaint with the Education Ministry.

In the 8.15am incident on Monday, the 48-year-old technician claimed his daughter had gone out from the classroom to go to the toilet.

“A man wearing a cap suddenly entered the toilet and grabbed her.

“He took her with him and climbed over the school's back wall,” claimed Mohamad, a father of three.

He alleged the man, in his 20s, had tied the girl's mouth and used a sarong cloth to carry her over the wall.

“After that, he rode off with her on his motorcycle to some bushes nearby.

“He then molested my daughter there,” said Mohamad, adding that the man fled after hearing noises which sounded like police sirens.

Mohamad said the teachers at the school noticed the girl was missing at about 9am and asked the school's ustaz (religious teacher) “whether the girl had been taken away by spirits”.

“When the ustaz told them no, only then did they try to search for her outside of the school.

“Later, a teacher saw my daughter walking back to the school from the bushes,” he said.

Mohamad said the teachers should have called the police upon realising that the girl was missing.

“My daughter is traumatised by the incident.

“She feels embarrassed every time other children look at her,” said Mohamad, who lodged a report at a police station in Ampang Park.

City CID Chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ku Chin Wah confirmed receiving the report.

He added that the case was being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code for outraging of modesty.

He also urged those who have information on the case to contact the nearest police station.

By YUEN MEIKENG

Beware of Online Scams

Man loses savings in online scam

The state commercial crime unit has been getting more reports about people being conned through various scams with the latest victim being a retired teacher who was cheated of RM200,000.

Johore Bahru State commercial crime chief Supt Wong Chong Fooi said the teacher received a text message purportedly from a Bukit Aman number in which he was told to contact a certain “inspector”.

“The bogus inspector told him that his credit cards had been used overseas by a syndicate and instructed him to transfer his money into another bank account which was safe',” he said, adding that the teacher subsequently lost all his savings.

He said these conmen would also prey on women.

“They would pretend to be from overseas, befriending the women and getting romantically involved with them online. They would later claim that they are sending them expensive gifts such as laptops and diamond rings,” he said.

The women would then be told that their gifts were held up at the Customs Department at the KL International Airport and they needed some money to get the items released.

Supt Wong said cases in which conmen solicit personal details on “cloned websites” were also on the rise.

“They would duplicate online banking websites and ask for private information, including passwords which they would use to empty bank accounts,” he said.

By Desiree Star Online

'Mystery person travelled with Razak, Altantuya'

There was a third person accompanying political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and murdered Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shariibuu on their travels in connection with the purchase of three French submarines by the Malaysian government.

Human rights NGO Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel told Malaysiakini today that the identity of the third person involved in the travels is being verified by French investigators.

Although 'a name' had come up during the probe, she said, it was too early to reveal the identity of the individual.

"Our lawyers have informed us that a third person's name came up during the investigations... the probe is going on, but it is still too early to determine who the person is," Gabriel (right) said.

It had been earlier been revealed that a company named Gifen, established in Malta by Jean-Marie Boivin, had intervened in negotiations for the purchase of the submarines to facilitate monetary transfers to finance Abdul Razak and Altantuya's travels.

The negotiations involved the sale of an Agosta and two Scorpene submarines to the Malaysian government under a RM4.3 billion (1 billion euro) contract inked in 2002 between Malaysia and DCNS, formerly known as DCN, a shipyard builder allied with Spanish warship builder Thalès.

It is uncertain whether this 'mysterious' personality could be the missing link in the murder of Altantuya, which has dogged Prime Minister Najib Razak since 2006. Gabriel declined to discuss this matter further.

Blown up with C4 explosives

In 2006, Altantuya, a translator and intermediary for the French submarines deal who was believed to be romantically linked with Razak, a close friend and adviser to Najib, was killed with C4 explosives at a jungle clearing in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Najib was then deputy prime minister and defence minister, while the two special task force officers convicted of murdering Altantuya were Najib's bodyguards.

Gabriel had revealed last month that there was not just one commission paid out but two others as well: a RM129 million (30 million euro) payment by DCNS to the commercial networks of Thalès as "commercial fees linked to the negotiations and the enactment of the contract" and another payment of RM10.8 million (2.5 million euro).

She said the second commission had reportedly been paid by Thalès to an intermediary, still unidentified, in order to convince the Malaysian government that it was necessary to have some more works initiated.

Although Suaram was yet to find out who this 'unidentified' intermediary was, Gabriel said Gifen had reportedly intervened in the negotiations to facilitate monetary transfers to finance the travels of Razak and Altantuya (right, pictured with her son).

Gabriel also said today that Suaram was planning massive fund-raising dinners in Penang and in Kuala Lumpur to support its legal fund.

The events would be held in July and the dates are yet to be confirmed.

She said the dinners would also serve as a platform for Suaram to reveal and explain the findings behind the December suit it filed in a Paris court against against French submarine maker DCNS for "active and passive corruption, trading of favours and abuse of corporate assets".

"The French lawyers who took up the case in Paris will be here to explain in detail and update the public on the findings and information we have got so far," she said.

"We would like members of the public to be aware of what is happening in the case, and that we must continue discussions and question the authorities on suspected corruption surrounding the matter," she added.

Initially, it was suspected that a bribe of RM492 million (114 million euro) had been paid by Amaris, a subsidiary of DCNS and Thalès, to "unidentified Malaysian officials" through a company called Perimekar.

The majority shareholder of Perimekar, officially created to "coordinate" the sale of submarines, is alleged to be Razak's wife.

The agreement to purchase two Scorpene submarines worth billions of dollars was signed when Najib became defence minister in 2002.

By Susan Loone (Malaysiakini)

Anwar shouldn’t unilaterally decide on Sabah, S’wak CM

Comment

He doesn’t seem to realise that people in Sabah and Sarawak prefer their chief ministers to be elected by democratic means

De facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chief Anwar Ibrahim  attributes his poor showing at the April 16 Sarawak state elections  to, among others, the idea of a Dayak chief minister.

Anwar was  entertaining an online news portal’s TV network earlier this week on his monumental failures in Sarawak, as in Sabah earlier. Like his equally naïve interviewers, he didn’t seem to know whether he was coming or going on Sarawak.

Anwar’s take was that the Malays in Sarawak were put off by the idea of a Dayak chief minister and refused to award even one seat to the party.

He claimed that the minority Malays, only 20 per cent of Sarawak, accused him of promoting the idea of a Dayak chief minister at their expense. Anwar, it appears, tried to unsuccessfully reason with them that the Dayaks were in a majority in Sarawak and therefore the chief minister should come from that community.
For those unfamiliar, Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud is a Melanau and therefore a Dayak.

The difference is that unlike the great majority of Dayaks who are Christian if not pagan, Taib is a Muslim.
However, he has a Christian paternal grandfather and as many Christian relatives as Muslim ones. He also avoided talking about Islam like the plague since he knew that the Dayaks were watching him like a hawk.

Taib even blasted the recent seizure of bibles in Malay print in Kuching as “stupid”.

It was enough to secure the release of the bibles.

Interestingly, no Sarawak Malay has ever been chief minister of the state.

All four chief ministers so far have been Dayak, Taib and his predecessor and maternal uncle Abdul Rahman Yakub being Muslim, and the first two being Christians i.e. Stephen Kalong Ningkan and Penghulu Tawi Sli, both Iban Dayaks from the Sarawak National Party (SNAP).

The Ibans, the biggest community in Sarawak, failed as chief ministers, because of opposition from the other Dayak communities i.e. Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Melanau.

The Sarawak Malays are in no position to object to a chief minister on the grounds that he’s Dayak or a non-Muslim.

To digress a little, the Sarawak Malays are in fact Bidayuh living on the coasts of the Kuching division and Ibans along the coast of the other division who converted to Islam.

The Brooke dynasty referred to them as Malays after the fashion of the colonial British who used it as an umbrella term to describe various ethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia.

Also, it’s unlikely that the Dayaks will ever support the idea of a Sarawak Malay being chief minister of the state. If one is thrust on them, he won’t last in the tumultuous politics of Dayak country.

It’s more likely that a Sarawak chief minister would continue to come from among the non-Iban Dayaks – the creed is not in question – and this would ensure political stability in the state. If a Sarawak Malay wants to be chief minister he should not deny his Dayak heritage.

PKR’s emphasis on a Dayak CM, in any case, led to allegation among the Sarawak Malays that such a candidate would turn the state into a Christian one, according to Anwar.

The de facto PKR chief is like a “bull in a china shop” raising a preposterous non-issue. He naively treads, like all Peninsular Malaysians, where even devils and angels dare not.

Sarawak is Anwar’s second monumental blunder in Malaysian Borneo after Sabah.

In Sabah, Anwar thundered that there was no way he would have Jeffrey Kitingan as the Sabah PKR chief”. Jeffrey, who has many Musli relatives, was accused openly by Anwar of being a racist and harbouring a hidden Christian agenda, whatever that means.

Anwar was playing politics where he should not be doing so.

Jeffrey pushed for the idea that the Sabah PKR chief should be democratically elected by the division chiefs and not appointed by the party headquarters (read Anwar) in Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar would have none of it and wanted a Muslim to head Sabah PKR although the majority of the members were non-Muslim Dusun, including Kadazan (urban Dusun), and Murut.

Anwar’s excuse is that the Muslims, no doubt the illegal immigrants with MyKads included, were now in a slight majority in Sabah.

Baru Bian seen as stooge for Anwar

He decided unilaterally that the Sabah chief minister should be Muslim.
He does not seem to realise that the local Muslims in Sabah were not a homogenous community and were further divided into Dusun Muslim – Ranau, Bisaya and Orang Sungei, among others – Bajau, Suluk, Brunei Malay, Irranun, Banjar, and Cocos-Keeling, among others.

In “compensation”, Anwar decided also unilaterally that the chief minister of Sarawak would be Dayak and Christian.

He went on to appoint Baru Bian, an Orang Ulu Christian, as Sarawak PKR chief.

No one in Sarawak accepts Baru because he was not elected but thrust on the membership by the party headquarters (read Anwar).

That’s one reason why PKR failed to interest the people of Sarawak on April 16.

Baru was seen as a proxy and stooge for Anwar and Peninsular Malaysians.

Jeffrey’s stand in Sabah, meanwhile, was that if the division chiefs in Sabah elected a Muslim head, so be it.
Anwar did not want to risk elections and deal with the possibility of a non-Muslim head.
Eventually, Jeffrey left amidst accusations that he was the King of Frogs, a label he has explained, and interested only in party posts and positions and in being number one and chief minister.

Jeffrey’s explanations that his politics was all about the people, the issues, principles, policies and priorities, and not posts and positions, were pooh-poohed by Anwar and drowned out by the propaganda barrage from party headquarters.

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan thinks that Anwar made many promises to Jeffrey, all of which he had no intention of keeping, made use of him to build up the party in Sabah and eventually played him out.

If anyone is obsessed with the ethnicity and faith of the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak respectively, it’s politicians from Peninsular Malaysia. They don’t seem to realise that Peninsular Malaysia – Malay, Chinese, Indian – is no political model for Sabah and Sarawak.

The people in Sabah and Sarawak prefer the chief minister to be elected by democratic means and decided by the respective governors in accordance with the constitutional provisions. Any departure from this would be an exercise in illegality, and ultimately, futility.

The current unease in Sabah over the post of chief ministeris is wholly due to the fact that the candidate is appointed by Putrajaya and not elected by the people in accordance with the state constitution.

Also, Sabahans are no longer willing to tolerate a situation where a candidate stays too long in the post. The idea is that the rotation of the Sabah chief minister’s post should be continued but every five years and not two years as previously and by election. It’s not known whether the proponents want the chief minister’s post to be confined to Umno, an unacceptable idea, or rotated among the Barisan Nasional component parties as until 2003. The local parties want in as well.

Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance, and Anwar would do well to take heed of the thinking on the ground of the people in Sabah and Sarawak on the post of chief minister for their respective states. PKR should allow only elected candidates to head the party’s Sabah and Sarawak chapters.

In that case, Jeffrey would probably be back with PKR in a wink, the party is yet to accept his resignation, but not so much to wrest the post of Sabah chief. Many feel that he should play the role of elder statesman in Sabah and Sarawak for PKR and function as a de facto chief. Jeffrey’s return to PKR may help arrest the party’s declining fortunes in Sabah and Sarawak.

Joe Fernandez (Free Malaysia Today)

Sabah teachers neglected?

Sabahans shut out of teaching jobs - MP

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) felt that the Education Ministry's plan to transfer 80,000 Peninsular Malaysia teachers to Sabah and Sarawak is worrying.

Its deputy president Datuk Eric Majimbun said it saddened him that tenth of thousands young Sabahans holding degree, STPM and SPM certificates are jobless.

"Those young locals were not even given any consideration when they applied for places at teachers' training colleges either within or outside the state," said Eric, who is also Sepanggar member of Parliament in a statement here yesterday.

He was commenting on the ministry's plans which were made public recently and were totally rejected by one of the ruling coalition parties as well as the opposition parties.

On the State Education Department's statement that more than 20 percent of the teachers placed all over Sabah are outsiders (not from Sabah), Eric said the real figure could be higher.

He said most of the teachers currently placed either at primary or secondary schools statewide are outsiders so the percentage must be higher.

"I was informed that recently there were closed door interviews for intake of teachers, which was held at Telupid, but most of the applicants went home disappointed.

"Such intake must be held openly and not in secrecy as it could reflect that the government is trying to hide something," he said.

Eric further said it seemed that the locals were being marginalised while peninsula youngsters were given priority. He added that senior local teachers were also sidelined in terms of promotion. According to him, many senior positions either at primary or secondary schools such as principals, headmasters and senior assistants went to teachers from peninsula.

He said teachers from peninsula were also given better and more allowances like housing, hardship and others while local teachers were being neglected.

"I always raise these problems facing local teachers but the ministry seems to ignore them," he added.

The Borneo Post