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FDIs into Malaysia from Singapore to drop?

Klick4Malaysia
Tuesday, 10 May 2011

The outcome of the recent general election in Singapore could spell the end of many Malaysians landing good-paying jobs there and worse, put a dent on foreign direct investments (FDIs) in top notch projects here such as Iskandar Malaysia, an industry observer said.

Provectus managing principal Sreedhara Naidu said the election, which saw the People’s Action Party (PAP) lose 40 per cent of the votes, meant that Malaysia’s dependence on Singapore’s FDIs could also see a slight fall within the next three to four years as the island republic looks more inward in terms of investments.

He suggested that the government create more skilled jobs as Singapore immigration rules may be tightened, making it difficult for Malaysians to land jobs there.

“FDIs into Iskandar Malaysia and job opportunities for Malaysians, particularly in Johor, could be affected by last week’s Singapore general election outcome as the Singapore cabinet addresses key election issues that lost them 40 per cent of popular votes.

“With only 60 per cent of voters happy with PAP, the leadership will pull out all stops to quickly remedy immigration, housing, urban poverty, health services and education issues.

“They may choose to tighten skilled and semi-skilled foreign worker intake, which will affect Malaysians’ skill pool with Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia to diploma education that have traditionally looked to Singapore as an attractive destination (for employment),” Naidu said. Continue reading “FDIs into Malaysia from Singapore to drop?”

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Psychiatrist: Teoh is in low risk of suicide group

S Pathmawathy
Malaysiakini
May 10, 11

Teoh Beng Hock had killed himself… things are likely to have occurred both to undermine his psychological stability and to frighten him literally to death, opined a forensic psychiatrist today.

According to a report by Dr Paul E Mullen, which was submitted to the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh’s death, the deceased was classified to be in the “low risk group”.

Mullen, a professor of forensic psychiatry at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, was engaged by the Bar Council to determine Teoh’s personality and state of mind in order to assist the RCI resolving the circumstances surrounding and contributed to his death.

“Enquires made from those interviewed suggested that Teoh was a well-organised, tidy man with a tendency to be perfectionistic.

“No evidence was found, however, for dysfunctional obsessional traits or unusual rigidity.

“In my opinion, what we learned of Teoh’s personality and behaviour do not suggest any increased risk of suicide.

“In brief, it is my opinion that Teoh Beng Hock was firmly in the lowest risk group for suicide when he was taken into MACC custody,” stated Mullen. Continue reading “Psychiatrist: Teoh is in low risk of suicide group”

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Western Australia said no to Lynas, Pahang Bar reveals

By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
May 10, 2011

KUANTAN, May 10 — The Pahang Bar revealed today a Western Australian local council had “vigorously” opposed Lynas Corp building a rare earth refinery in its home state as the main reason for the Australian miner to ship its ore some 3,000km to Malaysia to be processed.

State Bar chief Hon Kai Ping said his team of lawyers had unearthed the minutes of the meeting of the Council of the Shire of Northam dating back to November 23, 2005 which recorded the local government “vigorously opposes the siting of a hazardous waste disposal and treatment plant at the Avon Industrial Park (in Meenar) based on the negative perceptions that the location will cause to Grass Valley, the Town of Northam and the Avon region.”

The document, Hon added, stated among other things: “The Town of Northam, along with other Councils in the Avon Valley, has been promoting the Valley as a clean and green tourism and lifestyle experience. Having a hazardous waste site on the Town’s doorstep would undo a lot of the work that has been undertaken by Council…” Continue reading “Western Australia said no to Lynas, Pahang Bar reveals”

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Two Penang Umno reps don’t buy Utusan report

Susan Loone | May 10, 11
Malaysiakini

Two Penang Umno assemblypersons said today they do not believe last Saturday’s front page report in Utusan Malaysia that DAP and a group of Christian pastors were plotting to establish the country as a Christian state.

During the tabling of a motion to bar the Umno-owned news daily from covering the next state assembly sittings, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had asked Hilmi Yahya (BN-Teluk Bahang) if he believed the report.

Lim, who tabled the motion against Utusan over a report on Nov 11 last year on the renovation cost of his official residence, went on to condemn the Malay daily for frequently raising sensitive issues to cause divisions among the different races in the country.

Hilmi had earlier admitted that Umno may be Utusan’s biggest shareholder, but it may not necessarily condone everything the newspaper does.

He said Utusan, like any other newspaper, was a business entity and prone to sensationalising its articles to increase readership. Continue reading “Two Penang Umno reps don’t buy Utusan report”

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Beng Hock not suicidal, psychiatrist tells RCI

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Teoh Beng Hock was in the lowest risk group for suicide when he entered the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), a forensic psychiatrist said in his report to a royal panel investigating the DAP political aide’s death today.

Dr Paul Mullen also said in his report to the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh’s death that there was no reason for Teoh to conclude that he had shamed himself or betrayed his colleagues when he was questioned by the MACC.

“In brief, it is my opinion that Teoh Beng Hock was firmly in the lowest risk group for suicide when he was taken into MACC custody,” said Dr Mullen in his report, which was provided to the press today.

“His statement (to the MACC)… does not seem to clearly implicate him, or anyone else, in offences… this is not a context which, in my experience, leads to suicide in custody… there is nothing of which I have been made aware to explain panic and distress sufficient to drive him to conclude his honour had been irreparably tarnished,” added the Australian doctor. Continue reading “Beng Hock not suicidal, psychiatrist tells RCI”

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Blogger behind Christian Malaysia report deletes posts?

Syed Jaymal Zahiid | May 10, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

A check by FMT showed all posts on the issue have been removed or deleted from the pro-Umno blog.

KUALA LUMPUR: The blogger responsible for Utusan Malaysia’s Malaysian Christian conspiracy report, marahku.blogspot.com, appeared to have deleted all posts related to the allegation amid escalating racial tension between the country’s Christian and conservative Muslim communities.

A check by FMT showed all posts on the issue have been removed or deleted from the pro-Umno blog just as Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein revealed that nine police reports had been lodged against Utusan and those behind the allegation.

The removal of the postings has triggered questions over the veracity of its allegations as seen on the ongoing debate on the microblogging site Twitter.

Pro-Umno Twitter users were also seen questioning the reasons behind the removal: Continue reading “Blogger behind Christian Malaysia report deletes posts?”

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Umno’s Christian plot to bag Muslim votes’

RK Anand
Free Malaysia Today
May 10, 2011

In an interview with the Vatican Radio, the Herald’s editor Father Lawrence Andrew says the government is stirring up a controversy to revive Muslim support.

KUALA LUMPUR: The allegation of a Christian coup being planned is an attempt by the Umno-led government to stir up controversy to revive Muslim support, said the editor of Catholic weekly, Herald.

Speaking to the Vatican Radio, Father Lawrence Andrew claimed that the government felt that it was losing the popularity it once commanded.

“Because they are losing popularity, they will enjoy some uneasiness that will create confusion – that will create fear – in the people,” he said.

He said the allegation was absurd, pointing out that Christians made up less than 10% of the population. Continue reading “Umno’s Christian plot to bag Muslim votes’”

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Anwar’s driver claims murder attempt on boss

By Clara Chooi | May 10, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, May 10 — PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s driver today alleged a sinister murder attempt on his boss after discovering that the brakes of the Mercedes Benz he was driving had been tampered with last month.

Abdullah Sani Said, the 51-year-old driver who has worked with Anwar for 28 years since the latter was still the deputy prime minister, lodged a police report on the incident at the Tropicana police station outside the party’s national headquarters here this evening.

Abdullah Sani said he made the discovery on April 19 following an incident on his journey back to Kuala Lumpur from Perak in the Mercedes Benz S350 with the number plate KCD 77 which, he said, was on loan to Anwar from a close friend.
Continue reading “Anwar’s driver claims murder attempt on boss”

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Anwar’s driver claims sabotage plot with car

By Regina Lee | May 10, 11
Malaysiakini

Opposition leader and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s driver has claimed a plot to sabotage the former’s car.

Alleging that the car frequently used by Anwar has been tampered with, driver Abdullah Sani Said, 51, said that there could be a more sinister motive against Anwar.

Anwar’s driver of 28 years, Abdullah Sani said he was driving the former’s wife and party president Wan Azizah, together with the Selangor Menteri Besar’s political secretary Faekah Husin, from a party function in Chemor, Perak in the middle of the night on April 19 when something went awry with the car.

Traveling in a Mercedes Benz S350, they were on the North-South highway when a lorry overtaking them forced him to jam his brakes.
Continue reading “Anwar’s driver claims sabotage plot with car”

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Defeated PAP leader: Party must transform

Malaysiakini

Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo reiterated that the People’s Action Party (PAP) must transform to respond to the significant developments in Singapore’s political landscape, stressing it would determine the island-nation’s fate in the 21st century.

In a statement today following his remarkable defeat on home turf Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which he has held since 1988, Yeo (right) admitted that he had felt the need to voice the ruling party’s need to transform, well before the campaign for the 2011 Singapore general election began.

“It was not something I felt I could say when the campaign started.

“As we ended our campaign on May 5, I talked about the importance of transforming the PAP. This is a belief I’ve held for some time,” said the two-decade politician.
Continue reading “Defeated PAP leader: Party must transform”

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Existing systems better, cheaper than myemail service

By Koh Teng Gee | May 10, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

I refer to Idris Jala’s advertisement “Truth and Lies About myemail.”

I believe people at Pemandu are not aware that a practical and secured system is already in place which is also cost-effective. All that the government agencies need to do is to implement it.

Many GLC’s and Government Agencies already have their portals in place. Many had already made arrangement with banks for online payment. Currently, these agencies send billing statements by post to customers. Payment can be made online at their portals, via online banking bill payment, at one-stop payment centres or their office counter. To go paperless, what they need to do is to inform their customers when the eBilling statement is available at their portals.
Continue reading “Existing systems better, cheaper than myemail service”

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Penang increases funds for Islamic projects

By Yow Hong Chieh | May 10, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — The Penang government has increased allocations for Islamic projects in the state by 22 per cent to RM33.3 million this year from RM27.4 million last year, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

He said the state government would provide funds to the Islamic Affairs Department and the state secretary’s office to assist “religious projects” like religious schools, mosques and syariah courts in Penang.

He added the Penang government has also set aside RM2.3 million this year to acquire land for the purpose of building religious schools.

“This is far more … than what was allocated in the final year of my good friend’s administration,” Lim said, referring to former Penang chief minister and Gerakan president, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon.
Continue reading “Penang increases funds for Islamic projects”

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Will the Chinese Vote Swing Epidemic Spread Across the Nation?

By Dajmarizal Zolkipli
Malaysian Digest

After Malaysians were struck by the Bieber ‘fever’ in recent weeks, Malaysian politics are now rocked with an epidemic of a different sort: the Chinese vote swing fever. This latest vote trend was evident in the recent Sarawak state election result. However, the Chinese vote swing may well have started when Gerakan was rejected by the Penangites in 2008 general ‘tsunami’ election when DAP took over the state – an apparent validation that the majority-Chinese (43.6 percent) population there favored the Opposition. In Penang, Malays make up 40 percent of its population while 9.9 percent are Indians.

DAP’s commendable performance – snatching 12 out of 15 seats they contested – in the 10th Sarawak state election proves that they are the dominant opposition party in Sarawak. Analysts suggest a certain kind of resurrection of Chinese protest votes taking place in the April 16 state election.

Post-Sarawak Election
Continue reading “Will the Chinese Vote Swing Epidemic Spread Across the Nation?”

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Ignorance – the enemy of change

By Philip Ho
klik4malaysia

We are in the 21st century, and would be celebrating our 54th Merdeka in less than three months time but what is becoming of Malaysia?

Has Malaysia progressed politically, socially, economically and technologically after almost 54 years of independence?

Especially when extremist NGOs like Perkasa whom the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional government are even afraid of, continues to spew garbage from their progress-challenged minds?

The racial and religious rhetoric has come to a sickening point in the past 36 months, but Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has just refused to take decisive action against what would have been deemed seditious and an outright threat to the peace and harmony of Malaysians.
Continue reading “Ignorance – the enemy of change”

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Bishop decries fixation over Christian PM issue

By Terence Netto
May 10, 11
Malaysiakini

Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing said an obsession with the racial and religious leanings of a prime minister, or for that matter, of any other holder of high office in Malaysia is “fundamentally disorienting”.

In comments to Malaysiakini on the latest twist to the debate on an alleged Christian move to dethrone Islam as the official religion of the country, the bishop of the Melaka-Johor diocese, said:

“Allowing the debate over which race or religion wielded precedence in the matter of who is qualified to become a holder of high office in the country is fundamentally disorienting.

“We should not allow the debate to revolve obsessively around these parochial considerations.
Continue reading “Bishop decries fixation over Christian PM issue”

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Prove your mettle, MCLM tells Najib

By Tashny Sukumaran | May 10, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must prove his mettle as the “leader of 1Malaysia” by speaking out against Utusan Malaysia over its Christian plot report.

In making the call, Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) president Haris Ibrahim also wondered why the authorities were slow in acting against the Umno-owned newspaper.

“Why has there been no action against Utusan under the Sedition Act?

“Is the Umno-led BN government complicit in this attempt to sow racial and religious discord or else powerless to act against an emerging group of fascists?” he asked in a statement.
Continue reading “Prove your mettle, MCLM tells Najib”

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The one who refuses to fade

By RK Anand | May 10, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

“Scary isn’t it? One minute, you’ re revelling in all that pomp and pageantry and then suddenly, zilch.”

Although it was a remark made in jest, the prospect of facing such a situation had obviously sent a chill down his spine as the politician squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.

And as if to distract himself from such a ghastly premonition, he reached for his coffee, never mind that it was piping hot, and took a gulp. His eyes registered alarm as the simmering dark liquid made its way down his throat, and he stuck out his tongue to let the cool air salve the stung muscle.

This is why we need the rehabilitation centre, he continued when his tongue returned to its normal temperature, mustering a nervous smile in between his words.
Continue reading “The one who refuses to fade”

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‘Malays don’t need Umno’

By Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | sakmongkolak47
May 10, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

A former Umno state assemblyman cites two areas which received ‘least attention’ to explain why Chinese will not vote for Barisan Nasional

Why would the Chinese give up their freedom to pursue their self-interest for ‘interferences’? The great advances achieved by the Chinese as a whole happened when there was least ‘interference’ from the government and its little and not so Little Napoleons.

Let me give you some examples. Every town and city in Malaysia displays the same characteristics. I am most familiar with my hometown, Kuantan and Kuala Lumpur. In Kuantan you have a section of town dominated by Chinese (Ayer Puteh) and in Kuala Lumpur you have (Old Klang Road).

In my schooldays, these two areas were and are still dominated by the Chinese. Both these areas enjoyed least attention from the government in the past.
Continue reading “‘Malays don’t need Umno’”

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Christian state: PAS demands apology from Hisham

By Regina Lee
May 10, 11
Malaysiakini

PAS has taken Hishammuddin Hussein to task for his remarks on a media report that Christian groups are plotting to turn Malaysia into a Christian state.

Party vice-president Mahfuz Omar demanded that Hishammuddin apologises for his statement, which Mahfuz claimed had made the Christian-Muslim relations in the country even more tense.

“It was a completely inappropriate response,” said Mahfuz, who is also the Pokok Sena MP.

Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia last Saturday front-paged a report about a pro-Umno blog that said there was secret pact and agenda to make Christianity the official religion of the country.

The daily also reported that a meeting between Christian pastors and DAP in Penang plotted the appointment of a Christian prime minister.
Continue reading “Christian state: PAS demands apology from Hisham”