True 1Malaysia exist in Sabah

The Star, Tuesday September 28, 2010

HOW many Malaysians have been to Sabah?

I have been to several cities like Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau and several other small towns several times and I always get the same feeling: people there are seriously united.They communicate with each other in Bahasa Malaysia, with a heavy accent ending with a “bah”.

Even though they are Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or others, they speak similarly.

To those who have never set foot there, I suggest you plan a holiday there instead of to other countries and I can assure you it will be worthwhile.Born in Penang, later educated in Kuala Lumpur and working in Johor Baru, I got used to the fact that if I wanted food, I will go to a “Mamak” restaurant, Malay restaurant or any fast food outlet.

Chinese or Indian restaurants won’t cross my mind as the food there is not “halal”.

I could remember the very first time I went to Sabah, it was time for breakfast and my friend, a Sabahan and also a Muslim, brought me to this typical Chinese looking restaurant which we normally see in the peninsula.Over here, it is obvious that I, as a Muslim, won’t be able to eat the food there because of the “halal” factor.

But to my surprise, the patrons there in that restaurant were mostly Muslims. The food served was normal “nasi lemak”.I was quite skeptical at first and when I tried to get an assurance from the owner himself, he proudly said: “We Sabahans understand each other well.”Thinking that the morning scene in the Chinese restaurant was a coincidence, I suggested to have lunch in another Chinese restaurant.

True enough, the scenario was the same: most of the patrons were Muslims.

At night, it was time for a “feel” of the night life in Tawau and we went to a popular “dangdut” outlet.Again, I was surprised to see many Chinese there.In Peninsular Malaysia, “dangdut” outlets are normally filled with Malays.When it comes to food, Sabahans have shown us the true meaning of unity in terms of a simple meal.

Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper, they are united as a people and they eat at a same table.We sometimes just forget the basics of being a truly united nation.It is so easy to slur another person, another religion or another race on various websites these days, but is this what we want to do as a responsible citizen?

I feel the way to understand 1Malaysia is by starting to look at how Sabahans live.

HALIM CHEW,
Kajang.

BN Youth: Let undergrads go into politics

The Star, August 3 2010,Tuesday

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional Youth wants the Government to allow undergraduates to be political.Its chairman Khairy Jamaluddin said the wing unanimously supported a recent Umno Youth resolution calling on the Government to allow undergraduates to join political parties.

“We agree that undergraduates should be free to venture into politics.

“They are able to do everything now apart from joining politics,” he said after chairing a Barisan Youth meeting yesterday.Khairy said the Government should not be close-minded in thinking that university students would be distracted from their studies if they got involved in politics.

“In other countries, they are not restricted. It’s just a question of time management,” he said.He also announced the formation of a 1Malaysia youth troupe which would travel around the country to help repair 1,000 homes.“We have identified 1,000 homes that need upgrading and repairs in all parliamentary constituencies, including in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

He added that the first phase of the programme would focus on the homes of the low-income group and low-cost flats in need of repairs.On another matter, Khairy, who is also Umno Youth chief, questioned why the Opposition was harping on the issue of ministers’ asset declaration when they failed to do the same for leaders in Selangor and Penang.

“If you remember, the Opposition leaders in Selangor and Penang also promised that they would publicly declare their assets.“But until today, they have failed to do so,” he said.He said the Opposition’s promise to declare assets based on competency, accountability and transparency to distinguish it from the Barisan government was an empty promise.

Stop fighting, and start working!

RECENTLY, the front page of the leading newspapers in our lovely country, Malaysia were focused on some dramas that had happened involving the person in the government itself. The press tried their best to deliver the story to their regular readers even though sometimes they don't even know the story is true or not. But, what they had written about the civil servants lately were real and true stories.

At first, I was attracted to a column in The Star written by the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan about the efforts taken by the government to boost up the productivity and the quality of the civil servants in Malaysia. He really want to abolish and brushed out any negative-picture made by the public about the government sector which is usually labeled as poor by the public.




I am strongly admit that the government sector still need an improvement and a revamp to build up the image of the government itself. For me, the government sector is isn't that bad.We were the 6th best government in the world in 2008(it was not easy to be achieved). But, a major overhaul still need to be taken to level up the credibility of the civil servants nationwide so that the government sector itself can play the main role in managing the country to achieve the Wawasan 2020 which was initially introduced by the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Muhammad.


While the Malaysian is busy talking about the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), they were interrupted about the story that the State Development Officer (appointed by the federal government) has lost his cool with his Chief, Lim Guan Eng which is well known is an opposition (since Penang has taken over by the opposition in 2008). As usual, the Bosses that appointed the SDO has backed him by saying that the Penang's Chief Minister was acted badly and not professional enough to handle the problem.



The most interesting point here is, a civil servant is in any way, still a civil servant. They are appointed not because of money, but to serve the country the best they can do. It was a very dissapointing moment for the SDO but not the Malaysian. Maybe, THEY should settle this problem on a round table and not by doing some press release and acting like a politician. They should more focus on the development of the state and the country generally and not let any of these kind of problems appear again in the future.


Do they actually notice that the huge decrease on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has something to do with them? or they just don get the picture of it.Can you imagine, somehow in the mass media, an international important person who is a prospect investor said that he/she wants to some money in some business in our country, which is on his view has a huge potential to develop his business.


Do any of related personnel come and know his house's door and say directly to him that we can give them a place for him/her to invest in this country. But, what had happened is oppositely and he started to think to invest in other country since some other personnel from interested country has approached the potential investor earlier than Malaysia. No one come to him/her, and a huge loss on the FDI has totally nothing to do with him/her. We should blame ourselves and not pointing with each others.


After all, every single person in this country, either who came from the multi-different backgrounds, should work together as a team to build up this country and let all the criticisms and blames to be the tonic to ourselves to be more patriotic and focus on our job as a Malaysian. The burden should not be carried alone by the civil servants, but all Malaysians. For me, as a Malaysian, I really proud to say that i am a Malaysian. Malaysia, You will always in my heart!

Freakonomics

THINK out of the box! Maybe, this is the perfect words you might say once you completed the epilogue of this book titled, FREAKONOMICS. The title attracted me most! It is a combination of two words which are freak and economics. What is so interesting with this title? Is it just annoying piece of written pages that has nothing to do with our daily life? or, its just a comical novel?

Written by the Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, the Freakonomics is a blend of a long hours of critical thinking and regressions of data from the point of interests of the writers and came out with a correlation from those data, which some economist might say, "a rubbish". Since both of the writers is an economic-base and important personnel in top university in the United States of America, the book has nothing to be exposed,but to explore the hidden side of everything, almost everything.


The chapter started with a story on what do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? In which, this part of the book explores about the beauty of incentives, as well as their dark side, which is cheating. Teachers and the sumo wrestlers are cheating in the same way; which is needed by them to survive in their own battle ring, to gain an incentives and not to be terminated( teachers) while the sumo wrestlers are wrestles to save them from becoming the victim of the Japanese gangster clan, Yakuza.


What can i say, this book is Brilliant! the style of the writing is so easy and the tone is so funny and humorous. At first, it is really hard to realize the arguments in Freakonomics. But, once you getting deeper and deeper, you will start saying.. "yes.. I'm really into it!" I strongly recommended this book to all of you, Malaysian.It is available at all bookstores nationwide. Happy reading people!

Are you counted people?

As we are aware, from the 6 of July until the 22nd of August all the census takers nationwide started to do their job to count and do ask the Malaysian to update the profile of each Malaysian. The census is very important to the nation since it is directly related to the indication on how Malaysian and Malaysia generally perform in the economy sector and other related sectors. People are urged to cooperate and not giving fake answers to the census takers for our own good. It is because under Article 17 (1) of the Census Act 1960, individuals who gave false information or refuse to cooperate with enumerators could be charged in court.

Historically, a census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The census in Malaysia is carried out every 10 years, like many nations, since 1960 (with the exception of the fourth census, which was carried out in 1991). The next census is carried out currentlly from July 6 to August 22, 2010, the most recent was in 2000. So, what are you waiting for people, do your job and fill the forms correctly; not for others benefit, but We, Malaysian.

Hello Malaysian! Actually today i want to share some letters from the true Malaysian who shouted out his opinion about the proposal to abolish the UPSR and PMR examinations which heated up the debate on the education policies; and make the Education Minister is holding his hand full with no space to make even a mistake. Below is the letter that he sent to The Star via E-mail :

The problem is not exams, it is with the education policies

THE recent proposal to abolish the UPSR and PMR examinations had created a heated public debate among Malaysians, who in general are against such a move. I too join in the chorus calling for the idea to be dropped. It would be irresponsible and unwise to abolish these exams which have been in place for many decades and served their purpose reasonably well.

Our education system may have become very exam-oriented but the cause is not the exams themselves. Many major changes to the education system are made abruptly without due debate and consideration. The folly of such decisions are then realised a little too late when the damage has already been done.

Tendency for education to become exam-oriented is a universal problem and is not just peculiar to us. Even advanced nations have gone through such problems, some even worse. They have not done away with exams but found alternate ways to overcome it to some extent.

Doing away with exams may be the easy way out, but it will only lead to greater repercussions which we will regret later.

Whether we like it or not, exams are necessary as there are no better means available to assess the capability of the student.

If we abolish exams, what are we going to use to gauge a student’s knowledge and capability for selection to enter universities and get scholarships? How are we going to set a national standard for all students to measure up?

Instead of abolishing existing exams, we should device ways to make the exams more “intelligent”, whereby they can be used to assess the overall ability, aptitude and capability in critical thinking, reasoning and maturity of thought.

Examinations should be tailored to evaluate these aspects instead of the usual “vomiting” out of memorized facts as it is being done now. There should be more stringent criteria for awarding As in examination.

It is deeply disturbing that the national education system has long been used as a political tool which is the main reason for the pathetic state it is in now. There seems to be no sense of purpose or direction with repeated changes to the education policies. It should be left to the officials in the Education Ministry, academia and teachers to run the system in a more professional manner without undue political interference.

Examinations are essential part of our education and they should be improved to prepare our students for the competitive global world and not be abolished for any reason. Sitting for an important exam like the SPM after going through school for 11 years without sitting for any major national examination would be like going for the World Cup finals withouttraining.

DR CHRIS ANTHONY,

Butterworth

Please, help the poor Govt

Bang! its a subsidies cut dude! why it is so fast dear Gov? People keep chatting and talking about the price hike even in the mamak and even a student who still has no income yet talking about it with a serious face. Started today, Malaysian will enjoying the 5 cents price hike on the Rons, and not forgettable the Sugarcane business, also experiencing a hike after government implemented their first move to cut the subsidies.

Do the Malaysian thinks the same as the government?

For the high-income group, these cut wont burden them too much. Instead of experiencing the 5 cents per litre increased in the Rons, the will generate more than hundreds thousands of times profit rather than complaining about the cuts.

But, the problem is how to find ways to ensure poor cope with higher cost of living after the subsidy cuts?


I am fully agree with the comment from the Fomca secretary general's comments on the cuts. He said ' Richer people will be able to afford it. The government must do something to take away the burden put on the people'. But,what he suggested was ridiculous. With only reduce the public transport fares 20-30 percents wont help the poor to cope with the subsidies cuts. How many people are using these public transport in rural areas? and if it is acceptable, the government must find the other ways to cope with their financial to back up the subsidy on the fares, then.

As a student, i am relieved that the amounts of cuts is not as much as expected. the most thing that in mind is, how long will it last Gov? when will be second round of the cuts?

As Seri Setia assemblyman, Nik Azmi said to the press, " I understand the Government's need to reduce subsidies, but it is unfortunate that the mechanism, expected to be implemented on May 1 has not taken place". What he was quoted is about the mechanism to ensuring that only targeted groups were allowed to buy subsidies fuel using the Mykad during their purchases.

Actually, as an amateur in dealing with these atmosphere, since i am studying Physics;i am totally not against the implementation, but how the way government manage the National Budget is more important. From the analysis, government expected to generate around Rm750 million from the cuts; still not enough to pay the cost for the newly built 'Istana Negara' which costs the government Rm880 million.

At the end of the day, there are some pros and cons from the cuts that government has implemented to us Malaysian. How we handle it, and how the adjustment that need to be done by us to cope with it; Its up to us. Me, as the Malaysian that from the middle-class income family is highly hope that the mechanism that will allow the subsidy to be given to the targeted group of people can be implemented before the second Tsunami of cuts are coming, soon. Enjoy your day Malaysian!

All must help cut subsidies

We cannot be in denial mode any longer if we want to remain economically viable.

DATUK Seri Idris Jala found himself facing a barrage of criticism, and even a demand for him to be sacked from the Cabinet, when he said the country risked going bust if our Budget continued to be in a deficit.

Many of our politicians prefer to put on the blinkers and pretend that all is rosy and fine in Malaysia, and assume that we are still ahead in the region.

Here’s the bad news. We may have gotten out of the recession and the Prime Minister has taken bold initiatives to make things work but we’ve got to get out of this mindset.

The first quarter result of the economy is good and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s momentum must be supported and continued, even if it seems radical.

If tough measures have to be taken, then we have to bite the bullet together.

Since 1998, Malaysia has been operating on a deficit budget with the national debt increasing at 12% annually.

Even when the prices of petroleum and palm oil rocketed in 2003, we still ran a deficit budget, lacking the political will to put things right.

To do this, the Government has to cut subsidies, which amount to RM74bil annually and include subsidies for sugar and petrol.

Seriously, why should Malaysian taxpayers pay for your love of sugar, which is bad for your health, or the petrol for your three cars?

But many middle-class Malaysians, many of whom find themselves with little left to save after the monthly income tax and EPF deductions, also want the burden to be shared.

It must be a shared responsibility. It’s frightening that only over one million people pay income tax and they have to shoulder the huge responsibility.

Despite the reservations and objections, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has to come into place for the net to be wider.

But if we wish to continue convincing Malaysians of the need to slash subsidies, they cannot be hearing about plans to spend RM800mil for the construction of a new Parliament building in Putrajaya or RM812mil for a new palace.

They cannot be blamed if they compare Malaysia with England where Westminster and Buckingham Palace, which are much older, are still being used.

It’s a relief to hear the Prime Minister saying that the proposed Parliament building is merely at a discussion level and it would depend on the availability of public funds.

No one, regardless of our positions, should be spared from keeping the country’s kitty tight.

If we are struggling to pay our bills, stop acting like a rich man, for God’s sake.

Buildings are supposed to be functional and not for cosmetic purposes.

Whether it’s the Parliament or state legislative buildings, the elected representatives only meet a few times a year, so it is unforgivable to spend huge sums for such buildings.

Our politicians can try to convince us that these are iconic structures but Malaysians are not in the mood to buy these stories.

There is also a need to look at purportedly private projects which are in reality subsidised by the public, especially independent power producers, toll concessionaires and water companies.

Jala has said that indirect subsidies amounting to RM56bil have been dished out.

Malaysians also need to be assured that the withdrawal of subsidies would be gradual.

In fact, it’s only a reported RM2.6bil to RM15.7bil by 2015.

Giving rebates for electricity bills, or even not charging those using below 100KW, is being considered, for example.

But while we consider reducing our subsidies, we also need to urgently step up our competitiveness in the region because foreign direct investments (FDIs) have been lacklustre while major local companies are investing abroad, where they believe that there are better growth opportunities.

Some have chosen to list their companies in Singapore and Hong Kong. Regionally, Vietnam and Indonesia have become attractive, especially the latter where investors now find the atmosphere less stifling.

We need to kickstart ourselves.

The New Economic Model should push through these programmes if we are serious.

The impression is that there are politicians who still want to keep the old ways even if they retard growth, and are seemingly prepared for short term gains at the expense of the country’s future.

We are slacking and underperforming. There is no point talking about ethnic equity distribution if the cake isn’t growing.

Yes, we have to endure the subsidy cuts because there’s no option anymore. The Government has to do it but it needs to also cut down on the excesses and waste as a result of incompetence or corruption.

ON THE BEAT
By WONG CHUN WAI

sorry guys!

Oh, what a long time without typos.kinda feeling like to delete this blog. but, nothing can be done instead of doing nothing. reading without sharing it, shows some meaningless results. i did abit of reading and googling for some new and fresh ideas to be talking about. Looks like it is so many, i think. First and foremost , i am so sorry for the absentees. im abit busy lately with my internship and of course the world cup (i think u must be same with me). i will continue writing ( even im not asked to write). enjoy reading guys. Hopes to see u guys mail me something or anything that can be wrote for my future posts! see ya!

Don’t Tear Down a Noble Idea

On The Beat by Wong Chun Wai

We are missing the forest for the trees. Let not ‘One Israel’ derail our plans to work towards 1Malaysia.

CONTROVERSY is brewing over whether the 1Malaysia slogan is original. The accusation is that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s unity slogan is a carbon copy of the “One Israel” concept devised for the Jewish state.Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has further accused Apco Worldwide, an international public relations company hired by the government, of being behind former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s similar sounding concept.The company has denied involvement in the Israeli slogan, saying it has a website where its list of clients can be seen.

Most Malaysians would not really get excited by Anwar’s accusation but there is a substantial number who regard any link with Israel, no matter how minor, as unacceptable.In short, it is a sensitive subject and there certainly are political points to be scored, if given a chance.It is not even a major controversy in the media but the subject is expected to crop up again in Parliament.The Barisan Nasional and the Opposition have already clashed over the issue, with Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin saying the 1Malaysia slogan was coined even before Apco was hired.

But let’s take a few steps back and look at the issue from a non-political angle. Seriously, with due respect to the Prime Minister, it is a catchy slogan and one that is easy to remember. But it’s hardly original.

Who’s copying who?

The One Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya has been around way before the 1Malaysia concept. In fact, One Utama was launched in 1995 – that’s four years before One Israel (conceived in 1999).Go on Google and you’ll see there’s a One America group which aims to celebrate African-American heritage and other minority groups that are pushing for recognition of diversity.There are countless “One America” or “America One” slogans used by groups, companies and non-governmental organisations. They range from marathons to television stations. Certainly, there is no point in accusing anyone of copying anyone there.

In Saudi Arabia, there’s a popular television station called “1 Saudia-Arabia” and certainly no one would make any allegation that the TV station took its name from the “One Israel” concept.We can be sure that the staff at the television station, which promotes Islamic programmes, would not take kindly to any suggestion of that sort.

Over in China, when one talks about the One China principle, it simply means that any diplomatic relations should be with mainland China and not with Taiwan, which it still regards as one of its provinces.Regular visitors to China will tell you that “One China” is regularly used in restaurants, and even non-governmental groups use it with some variations.At risk of being accused by the Indonesians of copying them again, there was a “One Indonesia” campaign launched by an NGO in 2006 after its independence day to celebrate love, unity and change among Indonesians.

Now, let’s get back to the point of One Israel. It was a political alliance formed by Barak, a Labour leader, in the run-up to the 1999 elections. The Labour Party wanted to make the party more centrist.Well, his idea wasn’t original either. The new term was coined after Tony Blair’s New Labour image. One Israel, as a party, collapsed in 2001 with the party being investigated for receiving foreign funds.

The sensitivity, if not animosity, in Malaysia towards Israel and Jews has long been instituted given our links with the Muslim world.But the presence of Americans with Jewish roots is something we have to accept and learn to live with. We shouldn’t be hypocritical about this whole issue.

Former World Bank president and US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz is a Jew with strong links to Jewish lobby groups. He is regarded as a neo-conservative and a hawkish advocate against Iraq. He is also a supporter and friend of Anwar and, whether rightly or wrongly, that has also been used against the Opposition Leader.

But the point is that in the US, among the elite and inner circle, the powerful Jews are always there. Even in the Obama Administra­tion, there are at least 17 influential Jews inside the White House, including the powerful Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Don’t go overboard

There are two issues here that we need to be rational about. As much as politicians want to create controversies, we should not get too carried away and not see the big picture. They shouldn’t throw stones too if they live in glass houses.

If we really want to use the Jewish card, then we should switch off our television every time talkshow host Larry King appears on CNN because he is a Jew. We should stop listening to Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow because they are Jews. Certainly, we must stop watching director Steven Spiel­berg’s wonderful movies.

No one can argue against the concept of 1Malaysia. It has been generally accepted by most Malaysians who want to see it work. There are Malay nationalist groups who question 1Malaysia and there are opposition groups who want answers about Najib’s commitment to 1Malaysia. But for most of us, a noble idea should not be torn down. Let’s make it work.

At day’s end, let’s go for a drink at One Bangsar before we watch the Formula One race this weekend.

Bakun Dam,The Forgotten Scandalous History

Was the Bakun Dam project is much more worse than the PKFZ in Klang?

The truth now is here people! Nobody wonders that the initial idea to build the most highest concrete structure dam in the world (outside China) was proposed in 1960s and a lot more studies has been done in the late 80s by the former predecessors of Malaysia Prime Minister and finally has been revived by Dato’ Sri Mahathir bin Mohamad (At That time was the current PM) in 1993.

Can you imagine, project that was halted in 1997 due to the global financial crisis at that time, still need to proceed because since we know that it was the ‘lubuk cepat kaya’ for the certain important persons in this project. As we can see, the project’s contract was totally gone to the local base company which is owned by the state government at that time – even the contract was initially given to the foreign company.

So, why we are so vital in this project? Since we are the tax-payer; it is totally confirmed that the cost of USD 2.4 Billion to certainly kept the project survive and displaced almost 10,000 natives to Sungai Asap resettlement camp in 1998 was ours; which those money suppose to help poor people and not to let the millionaire to be a super-millionaire. The home-grown people had been given RM 2500 for each family (a lot for the poor and uneducated indigenous people) and force them to sign a fake document when they arrive at the settlement.

But, it was not as sweet as the tidbits.

After the 3^rd attempt, the project finally will be completed this October (2010) and they will started flood an estimation of 500 sq km (187.5 sq miles) of rainforest, equivalent to the size of Singapore, and destroy one of the oldest wild-forest in the world to produce a 2400MW of power; which at last, will go to an unknown-rich-pocket. As the initial needs for Sarawak was just nearly 200MW at that time (1980).What is more important isthe project completely attached with the under-sea cables; which they estimate to be started in 2017.

Why 2017?

Okay, can it be considered that the project which is at the final phase of completion and will be flooded in just a few months from now; but the power generated between the years of 2010 to 2017(as if it started) will go to no-where.

Yes, they have signed the agreement with Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary’s GIIG Holdings has tied up with Aluminium Corp of China Ltd (Chalco) which is reported will need 600MW and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd’s joint venture with Rio Tinto Alcan will require between 900MW and 1,200MW of electricity. Collectively, that adds up to 1,800MW. Granted, these projects are expected to be phased out.

Even that the agreement has been signed and the project has said to be started soon .But it will only completed in 2013; still have 3 years of power-spill. And recently Sarawak plans 5 more hydro dams. What the heck?

So, what you think?

Remember, East Malaysia currently has the highest number of poor households in the country. It’s not enough with just build more hydro dams and aluminium smelters; and left behind the priority of the home-grown people, but they(government) also need to ensure the maximum benefit to the people of the state- and by extension the country.

Sorry, You Are Left Behind

People,we are left behind! We never noticed that Malaysians live cheaply but paid poorly too.This has been proven by the research done by banking group, UBS. It states that the world's cheapest places to live were Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur along with Manila in Philipines and India's Delhi and Mumbai.

Why this is happened? Is it an advantage to us or it will indirectly affected our economy growth? Can the expectation of our Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to achieve the 6% of annual economy growth this year can be achieved if something like this is happened to us, Malaysians?

Malaysians are too rely on the subsidy from the governments and too sensitive to the price issues. Are u agree with me? This is one of the factor why Malaysians are paid poorly. Since the NEP (New economic Plan) launched by the Malaysian Government in 1971, the NEP's success has been a subject of heated debate. The NEP targeted a 30% share of the economy for the Bumiputra, but according to official government statistics, the NEP did not succeed in reaching this target.

It’s a curious situation, indeed. Which subsidies should be continued? Fuel or NEP?Since fuel subsidies help keep prices down generally – because everything is ultimately produced, transported, lighted up or cooked by something using fuel – would that not help the poor generally too?

Well, some sections of Umno itself do not think so. After the general election, they staged demonstrations in Penang, Ipoh and Shah Alam criticising new Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and calling on NEP (New Economic Policy) subsidies to be maintained. Yet their Federal leadership thinks that the fuel subsidy (for petrol, diesel and gas) cannot continue.

Some may call it “political matters”, but the call to use RM10bil (from Petronas’ annual profits of RM80bil) to subsidise fuel, struck a chord in the electorate; and this is something the Barisan Government has to address to recapture hearts and minds in 2013.As we move forward, we have to appreciate our Nation's achievements and stop relying to the government so that Malaysians will be paid higher than what we have now. Majulah Malaysia Untuk semua!

SPM result; what your say?

It's still not too late to say congratulation to those who achieved a good result in SPM last year. For those who not success, don't be too sad. The path is still long. It's just the beginning. Why I'm saying this because no all top students in SPM can success in their next level of studies, or even in their life generally.


In the recent years, we always heard about the students who achieved straight As for their SPM will fly abroad and continue their study overseas.Otherwise, they can continue locally. They will get their scholarship (mostly) and the government (JPA) will pay all the fees of their studies and those students will be bonded to the government, unless they can afford to pay the money back.


But the phenomena that become the issue is there are a lot of the straight As nowadays. Are all the students become smarter than the past students? or, the level or the grading system has been changed that students can easily get good results for their examinations?


Maybe i shouldn't say it is all about politics. its not possible to say it since almost all of the systems in today's government has to be apart of it. Maybe I'm wrong. But you should think about it, and say it to your own self.Let the good things happen people. Tahniah semua!

Icy Kick-start

I am a Malaysian first, pure and simple. One who is beyond race, color, creed and social standing.As i am a Malaysian, you are Malaysian too (Malaysian citizens).What ever the color of your skin is,we are 1Malaysia prahhh! peace to you all.