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Sabah the reason for the hefty unconscionable oil price hikes?

When in Kota Kinabalu last Saturday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced “goodies” to tackle “long-standing issues” in Sabah which needed “urgent” solution, including:

• Abolition of Sabah Federal Development Department (JPSS);

• RM1 billion special allocation for rural development;

• Direct channeling of development allocations of 11 ministries;

• Federal government to allocate RM1 million each to MPs and RM400,000 each to assemblymen in Sabah;

• High-powered Cabinet Committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to tackle Sabah’s long-standing illegal immigrant and refugee problem;

• Appointment of Sabahan Prof Datuk Kamarulzaman Ampong as the vice chancellor of` Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) effective June 18 and another Sabahan Yusof Saringit as federal Chief Financial Officer for the state; and

• Petronas and Sabah Foundation to build a power plant with the capacity to generate 300mw in Kimanis.

The real motive for Abdullah playing the role of early Santa Claus is not because of any solicitation for the welfare and interests of the people of Sabah as they had long disappeared from the radar of the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government, but to consolidate Sabah Barisan Nasional support as a consequence of the March 8 political tsunami in Peninsular Malaysia and in particular to buy the loyalty of Sabah BN MPs to ensure that they will not collectively withdraw support from the Barisan Nasional federal government. Continue reading “Sabah the reason for the hefty unconscionable oil price hikes?”

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Lim Kit Siang’s blog written by a Malay?

by Azly Rahman
[email protected]
Brave new Malaysian identity emerging?

Dear readers,

On a website I read the following honest opinion, I thought in the spirit of dialogue, dialectic, and dialogic I’d share with you wonderful bloggers:

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Lim Kit Siang’s blog written by a Malay?

There is something that is quite funny about one opposition leader blog which seems to be written by someone else and not the owner of the blog.

That blog is blog.limkitsiang.com and there are many posts by someone who calls himself by the name of Dr. Azly Rahman.

Whether that person do exists or is a pseudonym of Lim Kit Siang, nobody can tell.

The latest posting by Dr. Azly Rahman titled “All Malaysians have special rights” gives the following excerpts: Continue reading “Lim Kit Siang’s blog written by a Malay?”

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Please help Malaysia!

Letters
by KKLow

I am one of your supporter and touched by Gobi/ Theresa Kok/ Lim Kit Siang talk prior to election recently on the party ‘s fight for Malaysian right to improve standrad of living for all Malaysian and first class citizenship…., i also watch all the youtube regarding DAP and was impressed.

We hope the promises to the rakyat can come true such as:

1) fight for lower toll rate (especially LDP) we pay to stuck in traffic jam everyday – status – not yet done.

2) and the hottest issue now – petrol price hike – status – worsen with Abdullah annoucement…even with the rebate or incentives still we need to pay an increase of appx 30% petrol hike…

3) food price increase without any control – with petrol price increase …well….food price will soar and squeeze our standard of living

4) with the poor standard of living – social ills especially ah long/ robbery cases will be frequent and tough to fight… Continue reading “Please help Malaysia!”

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Indonesia’s Battle for Religious Pluralism Continues

By Farish A. Noor

Over the past months Indonesia has witnessed, once again, mass demonstrations and mobilisation on its streets. Throughout the month of May, the campuses of the country spilled open and large demonstrations were organised in almost every major city across the Indonesian archipelago to raise awareness about the rising costs of living and in particular the rising cost of oil and gas; in a country that was once a major oil producer but which – over the past five years – has been reduced to being a net oil and gas importer.

While the students of Indonesia’s universities and colleges have taken to the streets to protest on matters that are related to the political economy of the country, other groups have also taken to the streets in protest over issues that have less to do with the material well being of the nation. Since April, Indonesia has also witnessed a string of demonstrations led and organised by right-wing communitarian religious parties and organisations such as the Fron Pembela Islam (Islamic Defenders’ Front, FPI) on matters that have little to do with the economic welfare and future of the country.

One such protest came in late April when the FPI, along with several other allied right-wing conservative Islamist groups, protested over the ruling that the Ahmadiya Muslim minority community was allowed to exist in the country as long as they did not openly declare themselves to be Muslims. For more than a century the Ahmadis have been living in Indonesia and historians will point to the fact that the founding fathers of Indonesia’s nationalist and anti-colonial movement were educated and drawn from the Ahmadi community as well. Continue reading “Indonesia’s Battle for Religious Pluralism Continues”

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PM should seek Parliament approval on June 23 for hefty oil price increases

Ipoh’s protest :
Lim Kit Siang leading Perak's MPs and State Assemblymen and Women at Ipoh's Protest Protestor
KL’s protest :
 

Some hundred people, including DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegaran, Perak State Assembly Speaker Sivakumar, Perak DAP State Excos Su Keong Siong, A. Sivanesan and Chen Fook Chye and DAP Perak Assembly members Leong Mee Meng (Jalong), Lim Pek Har (Menglembu), Ong Boon Piow (Tebing Tinggi) and Siva Subramanian (Buntong), together with representatives from trade unions and NGOs, gathered outside the Perak Federal Building this morning to fire the first salvo of protest on behalf of Malaysians at the hefty and unconscionable increase of oil prices yesterday.

The half-hour protest went off smoothly, with Kula, Su, Sivanesan, Chen and myself speaking briefly on the protest.

In Kuala Lumpur, a similar protest, attended by five DAP Federal Territory MPs (Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, Fong Kui Lun, Tan Kok Wai, Teresa Kok, Lim Lip Eng), Manogaran (MP – Teluk Intan) and Selangor DAP State Assemblywoman Jenice Lee Ying Ha (Teratai), was held at the Pudu Market, Jalan Pasar.

Excerpts of my remarks at the Ipoh Protest this morning:

The sudden hefty oil price increases – 40.6 per cent and 63.3 per cent increase in pump petrol price and diesel price respectively – creating a seven-hour nation-wide chaos is an outrage as it is most unconscionable, unjustifiable and deplorable reflecting poorly on good governance in Malaysia especially after ministerial undertaking that there would be no changes until August.

The introduction of annual cash rebate of RM625 to those who own cars of 2,000 cc and below, and pick-up trucks and jeeps of 2,500 cc and below, and cash rebate of RM150 a year for owners of motor-cycles of 250 cc and below, as well as road tax discounts, will not be able to fully cushion the low and middle-income Malaysians from the inflationary spiral which would be unleashed by the greatest hike in oil prices in the nation’s history.

Equally of concern will be the deterioration of the public safety index, with the expected worsening of the crime situation which has already become an endemic problem causing Malaysians, tourists and investors to fear for their personal safety, their loved ones and the safety of property as well! Continue reading “PM should seek Parliament approval on June 23 for hefty oil price increases”

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Should I cross over for those millions?

by Azly Rahman
[email protected]
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

That is a two million ringgit question.

How much does one get for ‘crossing over’ these days? I do not know. But if there are millions of ringgit involved, this nation will continue to rot as corrupt politicians continue switching allegiances, getting appointments to good positions, and making horror decisions for you and your children.

We must destroy this culture and heal anew.

We were convinced things will be better after the elections. We were sure that the revolution was going to benefit the masses and no party hopping would occur.

We are wrong. Things are getting more complex, in a complex time of rising prices.

This is my template letter to anyone on the verge of party hopping for money:

Dear sir/madam,

Don’t make this mistake.

Don’t do it if it’s for two million ringgit. Stay to be free, and speak up against internal party corruption.

You will die satisfied that you have not sold your soul to any other party in whose ideology you actually do not subscribe to. These ‘party jumpers’ have no clear intention, just clear benefits for themselves. Continue reading “Should I cross over for those millions?”

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Questions for Parliament (2nd meeting) late June

Among the questions I have submitted for the second meeting of the 12th Parliament beginning on 23rd June 2008 are:

1. To ask the Prime Minister why a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants of Sabah has not been established as all government efforts to deal with it has proved to be ineffective and unsatisfactory.

2. To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to promote the Bangsa Malaysia objective of Vision 2020 in the face of worsening racial polarisation with greater communal clamour for “ketuanan Melayu” and “kedaulatan Melayu”.

3. To ask the Prime Minister whether he proposes to introduce Prime Minister’s Question Time with regular personal appears in Parliament to answer questions, to set good example of parliamentary responsibility for all Cabinet Ministers?

4. To ask the Prime Minister to list and give particulars of five projects undertaken by Petronas which had caused the greatest losses in its history and what remedial action had been taken in each case.

5. To ask the Prime Minister to list the proposals for electoral reform which had been submitted by the Election Commission after the March 2008 general election and the outcome of each proposal. Continue reading “Questions for Parliament (2nd meeting) late June”

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Abdullah’s “goodies” on Sabah/Sarawak grouses – satisfied?

May 31, 2008 20:32 PM

Fed Devt Dept Scrapped, Cabinet Committee On Illegal Immigrants Formed – Abdullah

KOTA KINABALU, May 31 (Bernama) — The 17-year wait by state government leaders to scrap the Sabah Federal Development Department ended Saturday when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the good news.

Following the abolition with immediate effect, Sabah State Development Office would handle the Prime Minister’s special allocations and monitor implementation and progress of federal government projects.

Abdullah, who met state government leaders and senior state government officials, also announced the formation of a cabinet committee on illegal immigrants to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss and solve the perennial illegal immigrants’ problem in the state.

The committee, comprising several Sabah leaders, would seek solutions to the problem, particularly foreigners holding the “IMM13” a document in lieu of passport issued by the Immigration Department to Filipino refugees which permits them to remain in Sabah, he told a media conference.

The prime minister also announced a RM1 billion allocation from the prime minister’s special allocation to be distributed according to development requirements in Sabah and the appointment of Sabah-born Professor Datuk Kamaruzaman Ampong as the new vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah would take effect on June 18. Continue reading “Abdullah’s “goodies” on Sabah/Sarawak grouses – satisfied?”