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Abu Dhabi poised to throw lifeline to Dubai

From Times Online
November 28, 2009
By Rhys Blakely in Dubai

Abu Dhabi is poised to come to the aid of Dubai’s debt stricken-businesses, but only on a “case by case” basis, senior bankers an officials said today.

The Dubai Government sent global markets into a tailspin this week after it asked creditors of Dubai World, the state-owned conglomerate behind the city state’s building boom, for a six-month standstill on $80 billion of debt repayments.

The move kindled fears that the world economy is yet to rid itself of toxic debt, and may even succumb to a fresh downturn in a “double dip” recession.

Oil rich Abu Dhabi, which has the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, thought to be worth as much as $700 billion, could easily bail out Dubai, but is thought to be unwilling to pour more money into its neighbour’s beleaguered property sector, which has buckled under the weight of a series of half-finished grand projects. Continue reading “Abu Dhabi poised to throw lifeline to Dubai”

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Call on Cabinet to set up an independent public inquiry into the BTN “brainwashing” to have public airing of its racist, anti-national and anti-1Malaysia courses over the years

Pretender Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir hit today’s New Straits Times front-page headline: “‘Disclose BTN course syllabus’ – Perak MB: This will allay doubts about its objective”.

Zambry said it is time for the government to make public the contents of the Biro Tatanegara syllabus to dispel suspicions by certain quarters about its objective.

Claiming that he had himself attended BTN or National Civics Bureau courses, Zambry said these courses were about educating public servants, students and other participating groups on their roles and responsibilities towards the country.

Zamry is creating a red herring. The issue is not so much the BTN syllabus, but the more than ample evidence that BTN courses pump communal poison and incite hatred in plural Malaysia.
Continue reading “Call on Cabinet to set up an independent public inquiry into the BTN “brainwashing” to have public airing of its racist, anti-national and anti-1Malaysia courses over the years”

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BTN — Between true education and indoctrination

By Azly Rahman

I agree we must give credit to those working hard to “improve the psychological well-being of the Malays” and for that matter for any race to improve its mental wellness. This is important. This is a noble act. The question is: in doing so, do we want to plant the seeds of cooperation and trust– or racial discrimination and deep hatred? Herein lies the difference between indoctrination and education. Herein lies what the work of Malaysia’s Biro Tata Negara is about.

These days, the idea of Ketuanan Melayu is going bankrupt, sinking with the bahtera merdeka. It works only for Malay robber barons who wish to plunder the nation by silencing the masses and using the ideological state apparatuses at their disposal. In the case of the BTN it is the work of controlling the minds of the youth. The work of BTN should be stopped and should not be allowed anymore in our educational institutions. It is time our universities especially are spared of counter-educational activities, especially when they yearned to be free from the shackles of domination. Look at what has happened and what is still happening to our institutions with the University and University Colleges Act and the Akujanji Pledge.
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