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Mahathir right on Isa but wrong on PR

Umno’s choice for Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad as the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election appears quite set – and the latest indication is the “advice” by Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, asking former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad not to “interfere” and “embarrass” the Umno leadership with any more public statements on the question of by-election candidature. (Sin Chew)

Mahathir is right on Isa when he said that the issue is not just Bagan Pinang by-election but the next 13th general elections.

As Mahathir conceded, if Umno fields a candidate who is not clean, it might win in Bagan Pinang but would lose in other constituencies as the people throughout Malaysia want to know whether Umno is serious about eradicating money politics and corruption.

However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak seems so desperate for a by-election victory in Peninsular Malaysia after seven consecutive by-election defeats after the political tsunami of the March 8 general elections last year that he is prepared to face the hazards warned by Mahathir.
Continue reading “Mahathir right on Isa but wrong on PR”

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NSTP withdraws defamation suit

New Straits Press (Malaysia) Bhd today withdraws its 2001 defamation suit against DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning with a no costs consent order. Lim was represented by Karpal Singh and Sangeet Kaur Deo.

NST filed the defamation suit against Lim for defamatory words in response to a question from a Berita Harian reporter at a press conference in the Parliament lobby on May 17, 2001 on bumiputra quota and the annual controversy over local university intake.

NST alleged in its defamation suit filed in September 2001 that in their natural and ordinary meaning, or by way of innuendo, the offending words meant that the company was racist, unpatriotic and unfit to be Malaysian. Continue reading “NSTP withdraws defamation suit”

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5 global fundamentals for a country to become high-income developed nation

by Dr. Chen Man Hin

Prime Minister Najib expressed his intention to make Malaysia a high income country, like the developed countries in Asia. America and Europe.

To reach that status, the per capita income (pci) of a malaysian citizen must be at least US$11,700. presently per capita income is $7500.

Malaysia pci was US500 at independence in 1957. It took 52 years to achieve $7500. can malaysia reach a pci of US 11700 in the year 2020 and fulfill the Vision 2020 dream of Tun Mahathir?

There are five fundamental conditions that Malaysia must possess in order to reach high income status: Continue reading “5 global fundamentals for a country to become high-income developed nation”

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Ops Sikap Degenerating Into “Oops! Silap!

by M. Bakri Musa

It is now a practice that with every festive season the authorities would go into high gear aimed at reducing the horrifically high rates of traffic accidents and fatalities. Judging by the results however, these initiatives are more show than substance. These “Ops Sikap” (a contraction for Operasi Sikap – Operation Attitude, as in changing the attitude of road users) are now more “Oops! Silap!” (Oops! I goofed!)

There has been no change to the dreadful trend since the series was stated over eight years ago. That should not surprise anyone. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect to have different results. The surprise is that the authorities have not yet figured this out; this latest Ops Sikap essentially replicated what was done during previous twenty operations. There is minimal effort at learning from earlier experiences; the program lacks innovations.

This latest edition began on September 13 and just ended two weeks later today. It registered 238 fatalities. As with past years, the overwhelming victims were motorcyclists. Continue reading “Ops Sikap Degenerating Into “Oops! Silap!”