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Help, Umno has contracted panic disease!

By Shanker
May 10, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

They say that when the US sneezes, the world catches a cold. Well, I think in Malaysia, the equivalent comparison is when Umno goes into panic mode, the rest of the country suffers alongside their anxiety attacks.

Has Umno contracted panic syndrome? Well, the symptoms are there for us to observe; from racist and religious diatribes spewed by its mouthpiece Utusan and the various sub-contractors Umno employs, to demonising sections of society that dare vote against their wasteful rule of this country, to getting their crumb-seeking support-club members (especially the MCA) to play the fear factor card by “threatening” that Chinese representation in the government would diminish should their votes shift away from BN.

Yo MCA — dudes, I think these days your reasoning couldn’t even convince a housefly to come by and taste your pudding. Just how do you manage to put on a straight face and offer pitiful excuses to the many who pay their taxes faithfully year in, year out; but whose deserving children otherwise struggle to secure places in public universities?
Continue reading “Help, Umno has contracted panic disease!”

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Avoid lies, Umno

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 9 — It’s rich for Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to advise Malaysians not to be influenced by hearsay over Utusan Malaysia’s Christian Malaysia reports.

“Like what the prime minister has stressed, we should not be quick to react. We do not know what has been said. We didn’t hear… If someone begins by saying apple, then eventually the apple will turn into something else.

“I recommend that [Malaysians be] calm and hear what actually transpired,” Tengku Adnan said today.

Where was he on May 7 when Utusan Malaysia came out with its baseless report?

Where was he when pro-Umno bloggers spun the story last week? Where is he now when Utusan and the other Bahasa paper, Berita Harian, report the story like it is factual.
Continue reading “Avoid lies, Umno”

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PAS says mandatory Muslim PM unconstitutional

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
The Malaysian Insider

KUALAL LUMPUR, May 10 — PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar said today that the party would not oppose a non-Muslim prime minister as it is constitutional.

Mahfuz, however, said that it is unlikely that a non-Muslim will lead the government as the Muslim community still forms the majority in the country.

“The constitution does not bar a non-Muslim from becoming prime minister. This is not about PAS. PAS cannot stop the constitution but it will not happen because of the current majority we have,” he told reporters during a press conference here.

Mahfuz added that Malay-majority seats will continue to dominate parliament as DAP and MCA will only contest Chinese-majority seats.
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Malaysia: Transforming to Vision 2020

By Khalid Noorshah
Globalia Magazine

Malaysia is fortifying her resolve to achieve her ideal, Wawasan 2020 or Vision 2020 within the nine years left, to be a self sufficient industrialised nation encompassing all aspects of life from economic prosperity, social well being, world class education standards and facilities, political stability as well as psychological well being. Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak showed that, since taking office in April 2009, he was focused in making Vision 2020 a reality within the timeline. He was well aware that he needs to improve the government to be more effective and at the same time he needed the people to be united as one to face the challenges of a new Malaysia.

In his maiden speech, he announced the One Malaysia (1Malaysia) concept tagged with a slogan People First Performance Now by calling on the Cabinet, government agencies and civil servants to more strongly emphasize ethnic harmony, national unity and efficient governance and attached with it the values of perseverance, a culture of excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity and meritocracy. Immediately after assuming office, Najib introduced a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in order to measure and improve efficiency and quality of government services and its delivery as well as realising the 1Malaysia concept. The KPI provides a mechanism for evaluation of ministers and other government agencies including performance reviews carried out every six months. Najib identified six major policy areas in which the KPI will play an especially important role in improving the effectiveness of the Malaysian government. Continue reading “Malaysia: Transforming to Vision 2020”

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Mind the gap: Asian income gulf shows economic model’s flaws

By Alan Wheatley, Global Economics Correspondent
BEIJING | Mon May 9, 2011 12:55pm EDT
Reuters

(Reuters) – Asia should have a smile on its face. The region’s economy is displaying resilience in the teeth of a structural rise in oil and commodity prices. Overheating is a greater threat than a swoon in growth.

Yet the tone of some officials’ recent comments has been strikingly cautious, reflecting an awareness that Asia has failed to seize the chance during the past decade of strength to address long-standing vulnerabilities.

Asia is still hopelessly dependent on final demand from rich countries. Investment, the seed corn of future growth, remains far below levels scaled before the 1997/98 financial crisis — except for China and India.
Continue reading “Mind the gap: Asian income gulf shows economic model’s flaws”

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‘Christian Malaysia’ a distraction from BN policy failures, says Lim

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
May 10, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Utusan Malaysia’s conspiracy of Christian groups plotting a takeover bid of the country is a “desperate” attempt by Umno to distract attention away from Barisan Nasional’s (BN) policy failures and economic mismanagement, Lim Guan Eng has said.
The DAP secretary-general charged that the latest conspiracy theory perpetrated by Umno was a way to shield the effect of the BN government’s announcements on a rise in petrol and sugar prices.

“The BN government’s announcement today that the price of sugar will be increased by 20 sen to RM2.30 a kilo has exposed the real malicious motive for Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia’s dangerous lies of a so-called conspiracy by DAP and Christian pastors to set up a Christian state and a Christian Malaysian Prime Minister.

“Such lies could be printed on the front page of Utusan Malaysia even though no Malaysian Christian had ever sought to be Malaysian Prime Minister,” said Lim in a statement today.
Continue reading “‘Christian Malaysia’ a distraction from BN policy failures, says Lim”

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1 Malaysia Email Advertorial: Truth or Lies?

By Tony Pua
May 08, 2011

I had taken the opportunity to read every word in the advertorial placed by Pemandu to explain and justify the “1 Malaysia Email Project” controversy across all major newspapers and even news portals yesterday.

I also read with interest the repeated assertions with regards to “misrepresentations spewed by the vocal minority”. Datuk Idris Jala had clarified that “the reason why Pemandu is clarifying this situation is to make sure that the general public is not misinformed by people who distort the truth” and that “Pemandu believes in integrity and transparency.”

I am not sure if I’m included in this exclusive circle of “vocal minority” who is “bent on distorting the truth”, and I shall not be so bold as to think that the criticisms are directed at me. However, after reading the “comprehensive” reply, I’m felt compelled to compile my own list of “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) on “truths and lies about MyEmail”
Continue reading “1 Malaysia Email Advertorial: Truth or Lies?”

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Malaysia’s Brain Drain: Government in Perpetual Denial

by Koon Yew Yin | CPIAsia
Monday, 09 May 2011 14:07

For some years now, various analysts have written about the brain drain from Malaysia arising from the country’s racist policies. Now the World Bank has finally come out with a definitive report detailing that the number of skilled Malaysians living abroad has tripled in the last two decades with two out of every 10 Malaysians with tertiary education opting to leave for either OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries or Singapore.

The report also studied the factors that would entice Malaysian currently staying overseas to return. The top picks were a change in the country’s race-based policies and fundamental reforms in the public sector with “Paradigm shift away from race-based towards needs-based affirmative action” and “Evidence of fundamental and positive change in the government/public sector” receiving 87 and 82 per cent positive responses respectively.
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UMNO fiddles while Malaysia Burns!

by Damian Murphy Denis
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
www.realitybytesdmd.blogspot.com

Waking up two mornings ago to hear Utusan ranting about a group of Christian leaders were praying to change this country to a Christian state with a Christian PM was almost laughable.

Not that a Christian PM is impossible if you go by the provisions in the constitution but a Christian state? They’ve got to be joking. Or so it seems!

UMNO got to be worried sick that all it’s propaganda and maneuvering were not working but it’s backfiring them instead. From Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy 2 trial and the so-called sex video seems to be falling on deaf ears and the rakyat don’t seem to buying into that and rightly so!

Then, they train their guns on PAS and almost in a begging stance to join them under the pretext of Islamic struggle. UMNO went on to alleged that their partnership with DAP will not get them anywhere coz after all DAP was against the setting up of an Islamic state by PAS. Continue reading “UMNO fiddles while Malaysia Burns!”