Thursday, March 26, 2009

Penang's Free Wi-Fi service

Penang CM Lim Guan Eng launched Penang's free Wi-Fi service with 26 active hotspots where the service could be accessed free by the public. The state was targeting to set up 750 spots so the whole state could be covered with free internet service by 2010. The free service is now available at Komtar, Bukit Jambul, Mayang Mall, Chulia Street, Penang Road and Permatang Pauh.

Pak Lah's last call

Abdullah Badawi gives his last opening speech as Umno president. He will be handing over the leadership to his deputy Najib Razak, after the Supreme council elections. He told the delegates that the party is now facing a life or death situation. It is up to the new leadership and members to bring positive changes to rebrand the party. He agreed with Najib's suggestion to give every member voting rights to choose their national leaders to overcome money politics. Some points he made : Limit the tenure of Umno office bearers. Discard the old ways such as restricting the freedom of our citizens and silencing their criticisms. Never adopt racial or religious positions that are extremist to the extent that non-Malays view it as a racist party. Don't destroy the unity among the races that we have built. We must rediscover the cooperation that formed the basis of our national unity.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Najib's wish

Umno deputy president Najib Razak launched the joint assembly of Umno's Women's, Youth & Puteri wings. In his speech, he outlined what he wanted to do, the changes he planned to make, when he becomes Umno president and PM. One of his proposals was to abolish the nominations quota for party elections. He would like every member to have a vote. With the present system, only delegates are allowed to vote for their leaders.

Penang govt appoints PAS leaders

PAS leaders have been appointed to Penang's state agencies. PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu was appointed as a director of state owned Penang Water Supply Corpn (PBAPP). CM Guan Eng is the chairman of PBAPP. Penang PAS state chief Salleh Man and deputy chief Hamdan Rahman (Ptg Pasir assemblyman) were appointed as directors in the state-operated Halal Hub Sdn Bhd.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Tok Guru says No Unity-Govt with BN

Tok Guru Nik Aziz ( PAS supreme leader & Kelantan CM) is very much against a unity gov't with BN. The idea was mooted by Tengku Razaleigh (Gua Musang MP). PAS president Hadi Awang had agreed with the proposal a few days ago. Nik Aziz said the PAS-BN coalition had been tried before, but PAS's contribution was not appreciated. Now, he does'nt trust any BN offer. If Hadi is still keen on this unity gov't, bring up this motion at the next muktamar ( general assembly) in June.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Mini-Budget 2009

DPM/Finance minister Najib Razak presented a RM60 billion mini-budget to save the Malaysian economy from recession. The package is targeted at workers, consumers, investors, small & medium businesses, exporters and unemployed graduates. The mini-budget will have four thrusts : 1) Reducing unemployment and increasing employment opportunities (RM 2bil.) 2) Easing the burden of the rakyat, in particular vulnerable groups (RM10 bil.) 3) Assisting the private sector in facing the crisis (RM 29bil.) 4) Building capacity for the future (RM 19bil.) Opposition MPs said the mini budget did not have enough measures for the small man, but was beneficial to the corporate sectors. Where the money is coming from : RM 15 bil. - Fiscal injection RM 25 bil. - Guaranteed funds RM 10 bil. - Equity investments RM 7 bil. - Private finance initiatives (PFI) and off-budget projects RM 3 bil. - Tax incentives See who gets what .

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Remember Altantuya ?

Malaysians have been so diverted by silly political games. So, have we forgotten about the Mongolian lady Altantuya's murder ? Take a look here. This is awesome stuff.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

"Chain reaction of illegality"

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh said : The BN takeover of Perak has set off a chain reaction of illegality which has left Perak quite possibly a state without a legitimate government.One of our most prosperous states has been reduced to a failed state. One lie leads to many lies.Each bad action leads to a cascade of follies. Particularly when the lie or the violation concerns something very basic. This is a principle we teach our children. It is a simple but universal truth now being demonstrated in Perak. Those who so blithely ignore the Constitution for political ends are quite literally wrecking the foundations of this country to further their own interests. This must stop. With each violation, the sense of decency and restraint, and the habits that bind us to the Constitution are loosened. The confidence in the rule of law that makes civilized life possible is diminished. The Constitution is not just any law. It is the set of laws that founds our nation, defines its basic principles, guarantees our individual rights and prescribes the structures, duties and powers which make a national community possible. It is the very foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Malaysia. Laws are invisible things. They exist only when they are understood and observed. When the gov't of the day ignores foundational principles such as the separation of powers, the Constitution becomes a dead piece of paper.

Sitting under a tree

Perak state assembly speaker S.Sivakumar presided over an extraordinary session of the state assembly. The meeting was called to conduct a vote of confidence for Nizar Jamaludin as the legitimate chief minister (menteri besar) of Perak. All members said yes. Then the speaker called for a vote to seek the Sultan's consent to dissolve the state assembly, paving the way for new state elections. All assemblymen agreed. Finally the speaker asked the assemblymen to vote on the speaker's suspension of BN's appointed chief minister Dr Zambry and his six executive council members. All agreed. All these proceedings were carried out, under a tree, in the compound of the state assembly building. When the speaker issued letters informing the assemblymen of a special sitting of the state assembly today, all the BN assemblymen and 3 independents were told by BN leaders not to attend. The state secretary and state assembly secretary took drastic measures to prevent the meeting.The entrance to the assembly building was locked and guarded by police and what looks like Umno bouncers. To prevent physical violence, the speaker moved the meeting outside the assembly building. And so, for the first time in Malaysian history, a state assembly meeting was held outdoors. Meanwhile BN's MB Zambry had been busy, and managed to get a restraining order to stop assembly speaker Sivakumar from convening any more assembly meetings. My view : Like other disgusted Malaysians, I hope every bloody politician will come to their senses soon. We've had enough of your silly games. Nobody wins. The rakyat are the big losers. I hope HRH Sultan Azlan Shah will wisely put a stop to all this nonsense.