Day: June 16, 2013

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared a “War against Crime” when he launched Pemandu’s United Against Crime Day at the KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur the previous Saturday on 8th June, but it has turned into a nightmarish week for Malaysians with criminals going on a rampage including the new-fangled mass armed robbery of owners and customers of restaurants and eateries.

The headlines given by the BN-owned/controlled media, like “Criminals beware: Its War” and “All-out fight against crime” (Sunday Star 9.6.2013) turned into ashes when it was the criminals who declared war last weekend starting with a group of about 10 parang-wielding men in crash helmets who held up the owner and several customers who were having early-morning supper at Simmei Seafood and Steamboat restaurant at Taman Taynton View in Cheras and got away with RM20,000 in cash and valuables.

This new criminal phenomenon has been repeated in the past week with similar crimes of mass armed gang robberies of customers and owners at open restaurants and eateries in Kepong, Cheras, Kajang and Petaling Jaya, transmitting a new fear of crime throughout the country that it is not safe in Malaysia to be eating out at restaurants and eateries!

The following comment last night on my blog in response to my statement “Police should not be super-efficient to arrest peaceful Malaysians, including women and child while utterly helpless at worsening crime situation with new fear among Malaysians – not safe eating out in restaurants and public eateries” reflected both the severity and gravity of this scourge: Continue reading “Call on Najib to put his War on Crime as top Cabinet agenda on Wednesday to ensure the police are not totally helpless in the latest rampage by criminals, including new-fangled mass armed robbery of owners/customers of restaurants and eateries”

By Marcus George
Reuters
DUBAI | Sat Jun 15, 2013 11:51pm IST

(Reuters) – Iranian voters weary of years of economic isolation and tightening political restrictions threw down a blunt demand for change on Saturday by handing a moderate cleric a landslide victory in a presidential election.

Having waited throughout Friday night and most of Saturday, millions of Iranians at home and abroad greeted Hassan Rohani’s victory with a mix of euphoria and relief that eight years under hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were finally over.

That Rohani, a former nuclear negotiator, trounced hardline “Principlist” rivals most loyal to the theocratic system and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Friday’s contest left many in the Islamic Republic in shock.

A second surprise was that the country’s first presidential poll since a disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad in 2009 appeared to be free and fair.

His victory goes some way to repairing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, badly damaged four years ago when the disputed poll led to mass unrest. And it may herald an increase in political space for the sort of reformist groups which bore the brunt of the security crackdown that ended the disturbances. Continue reading “Analysis: Iran moderate’s poll triumph is mandate for change”

By Aidila Razak | 3:32PM Jun 14, 2013
Malaysiakini

UiTM vice-chancellor Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar has denied calling Lim Kit Siang’s new political secretary Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud a “traitor to her race and to UiTM” on Twitter.

Contacted by Malaysiakini this afternoon, Sahol (left) said it was beneath him to respond to such things.

“I don’t engage in that way. I am a senior professor. I don’t go down to that level. Even if Malaysiakini asks me questions I don’t respond,” he said.

Sahol said he could not have posted the contentious tweet as he was in a lecture with the chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa when it was posted using the @datosahol Twitter handle about 1.40pm today.
Continue reading “UiTM VC denies calling Lim’s aide ‘pengkhianat’”

— BH Toh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 15, 2013

JUNE 15 — One of the earliest statement made by Datuk Mary Yap upon her appintment as Deputy Education Minister was “I believe that one of my roles at the ministry will be to ensure the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 is well-implemented”

Today, she was reported saying “the shelving of the policy to teach Mathematics and Science in English is only temporary.”

What a puzzling surprise! I do not recall reading or hearing any such statement from PM, DPM, Education Minister or Ministry ever they made the decision to abolish PPSMI. I am very certain because I have been following this issue closely as my son was almost a direct casualty of this decision made in 2009. Just to be extra sure, I even spent the afternoon googling but found zero articles that reported so – nothing from either the online or printed medias.

To top it all, this “temporary” was also not specified anywhere in the Malaysian Education Blueprint!

So, which is which, Datuk Mary? Continue reading “Which is which, Datuk Mary Yap?”