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2011-12-25T08:34:00.001+08:00

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2011-12-25T06:32:00.001+08:00

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2011-12-25T00:55:00.001+08:00

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2011-12-21T00:14:00.001+08:00

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2011-12-16T04:32:00.001+08:00

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2011-12-12T15:14:00.001+08:00

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2011-11-24T20:26:00.001+08:00

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2011-11-15T23:51:00.001+08:00

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2011-11-14T19:33:00.001+08:00

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2011-11-11T01:56:00.001+08:00

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2011-11-08T03:28:00.001+08:00

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2011-11-02T09:13:00.001+08:00

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2011-10-30T13:07:00.001+08:00

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2011-10-30T09:29:00.002+08:00

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A happy and blessed Sunday to all visitors.

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2011-10-26T02:13:00.001+08:00

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2011-10-21T20:11:00.001+08:00

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2011-10-17T18:43:00.001+08:00

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2011-10-07T08:27:00.001+08:00

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2011-08-15T08:35:00.001+08:00

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Stephens and Malaysia

2011-03-13T11:02:00.006+08:00

By Joe Fernandez March 12, 2011
as posted HERE http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com.my
Dr Mahathir Mohamad would have done well to address the issues connected with the formation of Malaysia in his memoir and laid the ghosts of the past to rest once and for all.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad writes in his just-released memoir, "A Doctor in the House", that Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew wanted to be prime minister of Malaysia.

Mahathir may have been speaking the truth for a change although he's not quite right, considering his ethnic Indian origins, for implying that Lee was wrong to harbour such ambitions.
If Lee is to be faulted, it can be more on the grounds that he was "before his time" as he still remains today and for dragging Sabah into the Malaysian Federation.

He could also be faulted for being naïve enough to be taken in by then Malayan prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Euphoria, no doubt, made Lee momentarily lose his usual good judgment of situations and character.

It's an open secret in Sabah that Lee told Huguansiou (paramount chief) Donald Fuad Stephens that he (Lee) would be prime minister of Malaysia after Tunku and that Stephens would be made deputy prime minister.

Stephens was ecstati when he heard this and screamed from the aircraft door, upon his return to Kota Kinabalu, "Malaysia bagus" (Malaysia is good) in flashing the "very good" sign. Stephens' about-turn surprised the Dusun who, like the Chinese, were in the
majority and opposed to Malaysia.

His agreement, however, sealed their fate and they went along very much in the manner of the tribal society they were then and are still today. This is the reason that the Kitingan brothers, Pairin and Jeffrey, can still run circles around the Dusun and call the shots in and out of
government.

Patently, it was Tunku who prevailed upon Lee to persuade Stephens to drop his opposition to Malaysia. Stephens was then very much influenced by Orang Kaya Kaya (OKK) Sedomon Gunsanad of Keningau who was strongly opposed to Malaysia.

Stephens' capitulation broke Sedomon who died within three years of Malaysia. It's not known why the Tunku, who was no fan of Lee either, turned to the Singapore leader to work on Stephens.

One reason could be that the Tunku had an even more intense dislike for Stephens, confirmed by the late chief minister Mustapha Harun who told this writer during his last days that the Tunku advised him more than once "not to trust that Serani (Eurasian)." Stephens was partly Australian, besides being Kadazan (urban Dusun), and also had some Japanese blood.

DPM idea - We can only ask Lee how the conversation between him and the Tunku went before
the former accepted the mandate to persuade Stephens.

It would not be surprising, however, to discover that the Tunku himself planted the "Prime
Minister" idea in Lee's head. It would be unthinkable to consider that Lee was so dishonest as to go fishing for Stephens with the "DPM" bait. Singapore could have done well with or without Malaysia and there was no great need to drag Sabah into it.

When a group of Sabahans called on Lee last year at his office, he was asked by one of them about the "great mystery" behind Stephens' capitulation to Malaysia and whether he had "any regrets". Lee reportedly hung his head suddenly in apparent regret for several moments before looking up and giving a non-answer.

His facial expressions and body language told all. It is among many of Lee's regrets, apart from initially rejecting the idea of Formula 1 and casinos, that Sabah found itself locked in Malaysia along with Sarawak when Singapore was ushered out of the new federation by Parliament in
Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore clearly was booted out from the federation for two reasons: to thwart Lee's prime ministerial ambitions, and the MCA's fear of Lee's People's Action Party (PAP) in the battle for Chinese votes in Peninsular Malaysia.

Stephens, not surprisingly, wanted a review of Sabah's participation in Malaysia after Singapore's exit. His reasoning was that it was because of Singapore that Sabah joined Malaysia and now that the island was out of the federation, there was no longer any reason for the Borneo state to continue to be in the federation.

Stephens was referring to the DPM idea, but privately as the old timers tell it, but in public it was pointed out that Sabah and Sarawak opted for Malaysia to facilitate the merger of Chinese Singapore and multiracial Malaya.

The Chinese population across both sides of the causeway was greater than the Malay numbers
and this was to be compensated by the Malay and other native numbers in Sabah and Sarawak through Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur would have none of it and eventually bundled Stephens into exile in Australia as High Commissioner. The ruling elite, by this time, had cast its covetous eyes on the considerable oil and gas resources of Sabah and Sarawak.

It was from Australia that Stephens returned as the Sabah governor, having converted to Islam in the meantime, and went on to head the Berjaya Party which toppled the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) led by Mustapha in 1976.

It was Mustapha who refused to sign away 95% of the oil and gas revenue to the federal coffers.
Oil royalty Stephens, curiously, refused to sign as well like Mustapha, and held out in Labuan like his predecessor for a higher percentage of at least 20%.

Stephens' tragic death in an air crash, on the way back from Labuan, settled the oil royalty issue in favour of the federal government and Petronas. His successor, Harris Salleh, signed away the oil revenues witnessed by the new Huguansiou Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

The rest is history.

Stephens did not know what's known today, that is, the Malaysian Federation ceased to exist after Singapore's exit. Amendments to the Federal Constitution now refer to "Federation" as the entity that existed in 1957.

This means that Sabah and Sarawak, since 1965, ceased to be equal partners of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) in the federation. The federation that exists today, in short, is the Federation of Malaya masquerading as the Federation of Malaysia.

Sabah and Sarawak are just two of the 13 states and three federal territories in "Malaya" (now Malaysia).

This explains the reason for the federal government being in non-compliance of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and for the Borneo states losing their promised autonomy in the Federation of Malaysia.

Mahathir would have done well to address these issues in his memoir and laid the ghosts of the past to rest once and for all.

Lee has been a failure as well on this score since he never mentioned the idea of being prime minister of Malaysia. This has been one big disappointment for both Sabah and Sarawak.

Mahathir's disclosure on the idea of Lee being prime minister calls for an appropriate response from the latter.

2011-02-16T09:12:00.009+08:00

Self-proclaimed 'Sultan Akjan a fraud'

An ageing citizen of Filipino descent has dismissed Akjan's claim to royalty.

By Michael Kaung HERE htt[p://freemalaysiatoday.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: An 82-year-old man of Filipino descent has accused local businessman Mohd Akjan Ali Mohammad of fraud for claiming to be a direct descendent of the Sultan of Sulu.

Wan Mohammad Undas, whose daughter Wan Limbisah lodged a police report on the matter on Saturday, said Akjan is not a relative of any of the sultans of Sulu. He also accused Akjan, an Umno member, of having come to Sabah from the Philippines decades ago although he allegedly has a MyKad stating that he was born in Sabah.

"Akjan is only an ordinary Filipino man. He was employed as a car washer when he first come to Sabah decades ago.

"He mingled with the late (Sabah chief minister) Datu Mustapha (Harun) to gain popularity among the local politicians," said Wan Mohammad.

Wan Mohammad, who claimed that his great grandfather originated from the Philippines, said he came to know about Akjan's background from Sharif Osman Abu Bakar, Sultan Mohammad Yakub Sultan Alimudin and Sultan Jamalulul Kiram, when the trio went to the former's house during a recent tour of Sabah.

"They do not recognise Akjan as a relative of any of the sultans of Sulu," said Wan Mohammad.

Wan Mohammad said that he had come forward because he felt it was unfair to other Filipino refugees who migrated to Sabah during Ferdinand Marcos regime and who may be drawn into recognising Akjan as the sultan of Sulu.

"If Akjan can claim himself as a descendant of the sultan of Sulu, it is not impossible other Filipinos who are now Malaysian citizens to also claim
themselves as sultan of Sulu," added Wan Limbisah.

Wan Limbisah lodged the police report a week after Akjan and a self-styled "interim government" of Sulu claimed he is the sultan of Sulu.

"His action will mislead the Sulu community in Sabah including the local people," said Wan Limbisah.

She added that if Akjan wanted to claim the throne of the sultanate of Sulu, he should have returned to the Philippines and held his coronation there.

Wan Limbisah urged the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against Akjan, a former ISA detainee who is alleged to have been involved in distributing Malaysian identity cards to his countrymen and other foreign nationals.

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2011-02-04T10:14:00.001+08:00

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2010-11-20T04:49:00.002+08:00

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Musa to be next Sabah's Head of State?

2010-11-18T09:20:00.005+08:00

Crowded race for next head of state post
As published HERE http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/

By Michael Kaung
KOTA KINABALU: The race to become Sabah's next Yang Di-Pertua Negri (head of state) is on and jostling to be the next resident of the Istana on Signal Hill is an unprecedented number of senior politicians.
After enduring years of the cut and thrust of state politics each of these politicians are hoping to wind up their days in absolute comfort in the Istana which overlooks the city.
Chief Minister Musa Aman, 59, Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussein and Parliament Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia are among the top three contenders for the post with the impending retirement of Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah, whose term comes to an end on Jan 1, 2011.
The other contenders
Another in the running is Yahya, the minister of agriculture and food industry.
"Yahya has climbed as high as he can in government. He is unlikely to become the chief minister. He only managed to get picked (in the 2008 general election) at the last minute after some table thumping.
"He knows his chances of being nominated in the next election are slim. He's going on 60 now. He will be more than happy to settle for the head of state post which comes with prestige and wealth… he can look at being head of state for two terms… in effect 10 years.
"That will be a great way to retire… get the highest award in the country and rub shoulders with the royalty," said the observer.
Yahya's candidacy, however, is hampered by the fact that he is a state assemblyman and his resignation and elevation to the head of state post would force a by-election.
Those in the know are also speaking of him being the next Speaker of the state assembly.
"Who's next (for the head of state post)?… Pandikar. He is also about the same age (57) as Yahya. He has been lobbying very hard for the post. He's had a bypass and is feeling the pressures of continuing as Speaker.
"At one function he even said that because of his name (Pandikar means warrior), he deserves a Tunship. During the recent investiture ceremony at the Istana, word went around that he is among the frontrunners for the post," the source said.
Current State Assembly Speaker Juhar Mahiruddin is also a contender as he is among the least controversial of the frontrunners.
Payback time
Other contenders are former Finance Ministry permanent secretary Yusof Kassim.
Musa owes him for favours done. He gave Yusof two extensions when he retired and word has it that Musa nominated him for the post.
"Mayor Iliyas Ibrahim is also a contender. He's been mayor for two terms already and should be about to step down. Ilias, who's around 60, is a childhood friend of Musa," said the observer.
Also in the running is former deputy president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) AK Aliuddin, 66, the former member of Parliament for Kimanis.
His name was reportedly put forward by Musa's younger brother, Foreign Minister Anifah as a "thank you gesture" for his contribution to Anifah's victory in the last general election.
Apart from the seven, there could be another surprise candidate for the top post who has the blessings of Kuala Lumpur

By-election in Sabah

2010-10-10T06:54:00.003+08:00

　
KOTA KINABALU: Batu Sapi Member of Parliament Edmund Chong, 54, was killed in a
road accident Saturday (Oct 9, 2010). He was reportedly riding a high-powered
motorcycle along Jalan Coastal, Tanjung Aru, at 11.40am on a highway in the city
when he crashed into an oncoming car.
Chong, who is a consultant engineer by profession, leaves a wife, Linda Tsen
Thau Lin, 54, and four children -- three daughters and a son, aged between 13
and 23. Two of his children are studying abroad.

He was the treasurer-general of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and the party's
Elopura division head. He is a consultant engineer by profession.

Chong, who was born in Sandakan, became an MP after winning the parliamentary
seat of Batu Sapi uncontested in the 2004 general election.

Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu police chief ACP Ahmad Sofi Zakaria said Chong's body
was taken the to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, according to a Bernama report.

"We are investigating. Preliminary investigation revealed a dent on the right
side of the Mercedes (car) due to a collision," he said when contacted.

Ahmad Sofi said the driver of the car was slightly injured.'A committed leader'
Putatan MP Marcus Mojigoh said he and Chong were to have travelled together
tomorrow to Kuala Lumpur to attend the Dewan Rakyat session beginning Monday.

Chong was returning to his house in Taman Likas Jaya from the Kota Kinabalu
International Airport after buying his flight ticket when the accident happened,
he told reporters at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"I was told he went to the airport to get his ticket. We were supposed to leave
for KL tomorrow together. I believe he wanted to stay at the Legend Hotel where
I am also going to put up.

"I did not think this will happen. I had advised him to be careful (when riding
the motorcycle). We have all lost a friend and will miss him," said Marcus, who
was almost in tears.

Marcus, who is the treasurer-general of Upko (United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun
Murut Organisation), said Chong was a collector of motorcycles. "It was his
hobby. He has got a few motorbikes," he said.

Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Yee Moh Chai, who
is from the PBS, said Chong's death was felt not only by the family but also by
the people of Batu Sapi.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Sandakan MP Liew Vui
Keong said Chong was well respected by the people of Batu Sapi and Sandakan.

"He also carried out his work efficiently as chairman of the Commercial Vehicle
Licensing Board (LPKP) Sabah, which comes under my purview in the Prime
Minister's Department.

"It is a great loss to Sandakan, to Sabah and to the nation. At this moment, my
thoughts are with his wife and the family who, I pray, will find strength and
solace to carry on at this very difficult time of theirs," he said.

A tragic loss

PBS deputy president Maximus Ongkili described Chong as a principled, dignified
politician.

He said Chong was once tempted with "millions of ringgit" to cross over to
another party but declined the offer.

Ongkili said Chong was one of the key PBS assemblymen who provided unfailing
support and stability for the reinvention of the party during the post-1994 era.

"It's a tragic loss for the PBS, the Barisan Nasional and Sabah. In executing
his duties as an elected representative, he spoke with boldness and sincerity
regarding the rights and needs of his constituents.

"Sometimes, his words were not palatable to some friends and colleagues but he
always meant well. He was a great personal friend, although at times we had to
agree to disagree on certain issues in politics," he said.

Ongkili said Chong would be deeply missed by his loving family, comrades in the
PBS and colleagues in Parliament.

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman described Chong's death as a great loss for the
people and state of Sabah.

"He was a dedicated and committed leader in discharging his responsibilities as
the Member of Parliament for Batu Sapi," he told reporters when approached at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Musa, who is the State Barisan Nasional chairman, said he and his family
extended condolences to Chong's family and PBS.

PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who was also at the hospital, said: "It's
very sad for the state and the country, especially PBS. He was my close friend."

"It is something which I never thought would happen. I pray all the time that
nothing like this would happen.

"Chong, as an MP and the party's treasurer-general, had always been concerned
about the future of the country and the state," he said, adding that they last
met during the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) open day here on
Thursday.

Ex-CM: Politics a big business in Malaysia

2010-10-06T10:17:00.005+08:00

Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Harris Mohd Sallah (1976-1985) said Malaysians entering politics are not out to serve the people but use it as an avenue to enriching themselves with some of them making lots of money within a span of few years.

"Their business is not in the production of goods and adding economic value but act as a-go-betweens and enriching themselves as well as some people in power," he told Mary Chin, a journalist with Daily Express, Sabah's oldest and independent newspaper established in 1963.

Harris, who headed the Parti Berjaya Government until toppled by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan's Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in 1985, asserted that after enriching themselves the politicians migrate to other countries.

He said in tha case of Sabah, there were forces at wortk that `are not bothered and do not care whatever happenes to Sabah and Sabahans.

Harris was commenting on views by economist Tan Sri Sr Ramon Navaratnam telecasted over ASTRO last week.

If SAPP forms the next State Government

2010-10-05T06:28:00.000+08:00

It will implement land reforms. The party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said agricultrual land will only be given to locals and not leased out to private companies from Peninsula Malaysia.
A committee on this matter will be headed by Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Majimbun.
SAPP is contesting more than 40 of the 60 state seats in the next general eleCtions and is confident of winning to form the State Government to topple tne current BN Government.

Ex-Sipitang DO Daim dies

2010-09-15T19:02:00.006+08:00

Mathurin Daim, former District Officer of Sipitang, former member of the United National Kadazan Organization (UNKO), former secretary to Chief Minister Peter Lo and a former USNO man has today left us all to return to his Creator.

The North Borneo Herald offers its deepest condolences to all his family members. It is hoped that his vision to see the creation of the Borneo National Party (BNP) will one day be realized.

His remains will be buried at the Limbahau Catholic Cemetery in Papar on Friday
at 1pm.This story from HERE http://northborneoherald.blogspot.com/

M'sia in the Club of Doom says ex-Chief Minister Harris

2010-09-15T14:48:00.008+08:00

By Joe Fernandez as posted on Sept 15, 2010 at http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/

KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh sees Malaysia's existing political and administrative system as heading towards a "failed state status" within the next 20 to 30 years. He described these states as the "Club of Doom".

However, he rules out the system in Malaysia changing from within or on its own as "it's so entrenched that it's difficult, if not impossible (for it), to change".

"It's on public record that many leaders who have reportedly committed wrongdoings are being elected again and again," said Harris. "These wrongdoings have been widely reported in the media."

Harris' remarks were delivered in a prepared pre-Aidilfitri talk on leadership to students, in a run-up to Malaysia Day tomorrow, at Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here. His talk just became available to the media.

"The main contributing factor is that the voters are not politically and economically independent," said Harris. "The voters depend for their livelihood on political patronage."

Race and religion, he said, played the most important part in selecting a leader.

Reiterating the central theme in his talk that the present system was dated, he opined that the country had the largest number of restrictive laws and policies, quite a number exceedingly harsh, "and not conducive for the citizens to move forward".

Malaysia also had the largest number of "this and that", he pointed out.

As examples, he cited the number of civil servants and the number of agencies per population and the most number of public holidays – 48 – in the world.

"Surely, all these are not conducive for the citizens to move forward."

'Possible to change for the better'

Harris expressed confidence, without getting into any specifics, that it is still possible for the country to change for the better, but only once the voters are politically and economically independent.

"Once this is attained, a responsible leader will emerge and lead the country," he said.

"Then there will be good laws and policies."

Harris, who dropped out from school after Year Six, described a policy as an extension of the law and a guideline for the implementation (resolution) of a particular issue "and should be the best for any particular issue and for the people".

He used three examples from his Berjaya administration (1976-1985) to explain what good policies are in a government: giving all schoolchildren free uniforms, shoes, books pencils and a packet of milk a day; giving and alienating 15 acres of land each to every landless Sabahan; and increasing the payment of dividends from Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation) from RM100 to RM200 per annum.

"These policies helped almost everyone but they were abolished or revoked by
successive governments," said Harris.

"Thus the schoolchildren, the landless and Sabahans have been deprived."

(The school milk programme in Sabah has been reinstated but only three times a
week and confined to Years One to Three.)

Seething with quiet anger, Harris charged that 90% of the 906,330 acres reserved in 74 locations throughout Sabah for 60,000 people in 1983 were not handed over by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), which replaced Berjaya in 1985.

Instead, he alleged the lands earmarked by his administration were given away by PBS to
local companies which promptly sold them (for a quick profit) to companies based in Peninsular Malaysia.

Denying that he was making up stories, Harris said that Joseph Kurup -- who left PBS in 1994 to form Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah -- revealed all the land details in 2003 amidst allegations that Sabah was the poorest state in Malaysia.

Harris attributed the poverty in the state to, among others, the 60,000 landless growing to nearly 200,000 over the last 27 years.

"The revocation of Berjaya's land policies by the succeeding PBS administration has made Sabah the poorest state in Malaysia over the last 20 years," said

Harris. "Sabah is an agricultural state and an overwhelming number depend on the land for their survival."

'Good laws revoked by government'

Sabah's descent into poverty from being the second richest in Malaysia, said Harris, proves that there's no guarantee that laws and policies made by responsible leaders will be honoured by their successors or successor governments.

"Unfortunately, irresponsible successive leaders and governments have deemed it fit to abolish and revoke important policies for the people."

The former chief minister urged "the eminent professors and lecturers" of UiTM to research the poverty of Sabah and relate it to the successive state governments since independence and their various laws and policies.

Harris expressed no surprise that "even good laws and policies" are often revoked by government leaders.

"Politics has become big business in Malaysia," he explained. "People go into politics not to serve the country but to use it as an avenue to enrich themselves."

The rest of Harris' talk on Malaysia was devoted to Sabah, which he described as an example of what's going wrong elsewhere in the country.

He urged Sabahans and Malaysians to stand up for the truth and "call a spade a spade", citing a saying: "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

He observed that many people at all levels including students, just appear to be condoning – "by their inaction" -- whatever (wrong) is happening around them.

He warned that there will be nothing left for Sabahans within the next 20 to
years except the crumbs and leftovers "if nothing is done today to put things
right". "Leaders, after skimming the wealth of the state within a short time,
migrate to other countries," said Harris.

"With their political patronage and connections, some of the people have managed to make a lot of money within a few years."

There are forces at work who are not bothered what happens to Sabah and Sabahans, added Harris. "Their business is not in the production of goods and adding economic value but to act as go-betweens and enrich themselves and others in power."

This state of affairs, said Harris, "cannot and should not be allowed to go on".

The talks now is.....

2010-09-14T09:47:00.005+08:00

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Deputy President Datuk Eric Majimbun (right) will be contesting the State seat of Inanam, taking on incumbent Assemblyman Johnny Goh Chin Lok of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), in the next general election (PRU13).

Eric, a former District Chief and ex-Chief Judge of the Kota Kinabalu Native Court, is Sepanggar Member of Parliament. He won the seat in the last general election, at that time, SAPP was still a component member of the Barisan Nasional Government.

The sitting District Chief of Kota Kinabalu OKK William Majimbun (left), a young brother of Eric, is tipped to be proposed by PBS to contest for Barisan Nasional for the Sepanggar MP seat. William is a PBS supreme council member.

Umno is also eying to contest the seat and the likely candidate will be the Sepanggar BN chairman Jumat Idris.

And yet another Barisan Nasional component party member UPKO is also said to be proposing one of its supreme council member to contest for the seat. Whoever the Barisan candidate will be, he of she will have to face SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee. Yong, a former Chief Minister, was Gaya MP and one time the Assemblyman for Likas.

Latest talk....
A friend called me saying that Datuk Yong might contest the Likas seat while incumbent Assemblyman Datuk Liew Teck Chan will go for Sepanggar MP seat.

Sabah belongs to Sabahans

2010-09-01T10:33:00.005+08:00

As published in http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:21

It will be a fatal mistake if opposition politicians from the peninsula ride roughshod over the sensitivities of the people of Sabah.

It is well known that the land below the wind (now the land of illegals) has long been seething with anger at the federal masters.

Rich in natural resources, bigger than the peninsula, they should be enjoying the fruits of their natural wealth and holding the future in their hands. Instead, fate was unkind to them and today
they live under the yoke of "alien" rule.

For a brief spell, they had power but because of the machination of a devious dominant peninsular party, they lost their high seat. Though their politically emasculated Huguan Siou (paramount leader) now sits at the same table with the hated "conquerors", life there does
not seem to change for the better.

In PKR the people have found another promising platform to advance their cause. The party is open to all races and in Sabah it has made quite an impact. Its standard-bearer is a fighter for justice and fair play though his future is nebulous.

By forging a link with one of the favourite sons of Sabah, the way ahead looks clear and bright. The partnership seems solid and PKR appears to have hit off well with the crowd. But to their dismay, PKR is behaving more like its peninsular foe. It wanted to impose its own brand of leadership on its partners.

In short, it wanted peninsular politicians to run the show in Sabah. It met with stiff opposition.

Though the error was rectified with Sabah's favourite son in control of his State, the ceasefire did not last long. It was bound to happen: some disgruntled members got together to form a breakway party and fight their own battle.

They nearly got away with it if not for the peace deal reached with PKR. But dirty politics intervened. Imperiously, PKR came down hard on the rebels with the recommendation that they be suspended. It acted tough and rough.

The damage wasdone and another blunder committed. PKR had acted in a manner that reminds its Sabah brothers of the treacherous peninsular politics.

Even if the recommended suspension is not acted upon, the undercurrent of distrust will persist. The dissidents have made their point and Sabahans, inside and outside the political arena, have taken note of the haughty yet fragile opposition party from the peninsula.

If the rebels are shown the door in a display of extreme petulance, it would not sound the death knell for Sabahans.

It would instead strengthen their resolve. If the PKR supremo in a magnanimous gesture brings them back to the fold, it would do nothing to calm the troubled waters. Whichever way the story is played out, the stark reality is that Sabahans, irrespective of their political leanings, simply do not want peninsular leaders talking down to them.

PKR must know that it cannot dictate terms to its Sabah partners. Dissidents, present and future, will rise up to challenge the party of justice. They are not acting alone. Behind them are the people, now living in misery, who are keen to support any "parti that cinta Sabah".

They are raring to toss outsiders, current and impending, into the sea. PKR must not misread the political undercurrents in Sabah, or worse still, underestimate the intelligence of the people. Political awareness there is intense.

Hit a Sabahan politician and you take on an army behind him.

Sabah does not need to hold PKR hands to walk down the corridors of power when the current puppets are thrown out of office. The destiny of the state lies in its own hand. Peninsular style of politics is not its cup of tea. Sabah is not a wild cowboy country that must be tamed by the "western" gunslingers.

There are sensible, intelligent, upright local-born leaders who can lead the state to
fairer climes, calmer seas, clearer future.

Let Sabah be Sabah.

LDP invited to join opposition SAPP

2010-08-31T16:45:00.002+08:00

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has today invited Liberal Democratic Sabah (LDP) deputy president Chin Su Phin and those who have lost confidence in the Barisan Nasional leadership to join the opposition in the fight for change in Sabah.

Supreme council member David Chong Ket Sui said he sympathised with Chin and others who he said seem to be getting nowhere under the current Sabah BN leadership.

He said Chin should consider joining SAPP in its quest for state autonomy and more rights for Malaysians in the state.

"Since I am heading SAPP Api-Api constituency liaison committee (CLC) and Chin is also in Api-Api, I invite him to join us and work together to topple the BN..." he told FMT in Kota Kinabalu.

Chong said SAPP planned to contest in all the seats in the next general election, adding that "we hope anyone of the BN component parties will work withus to form the new government and ensure the return of our state autonomy".

"Today, we see that all BN parties can no longer work together and are disunited, so why don't they join SAPP to fight for state development and interest of the people," he said here today.

"I am sincere in making this call. The election is going to be held soon and more than half of the people feel that they have to change the governmentbecause they say the BN government cannot help them get development," he said.

Chong said SAPP under the leadership of former chief minister Yong Teck Lee would be the best choice because it is a non-racial party, which cares for all Malaysians irrespective of race, religion and background.

"I sympathise with Chin and other component leaders who cannot get what they want for the people as they are always being shut out by the BN leadership.

"Every day we can see them arguing and being scolded... is this helping the people?" he asked.

"If it was me, I would have left (the BN) in 24 hours. Those who still want to remain in BN are only fighting for their selves.

"In BN, some party presidents want to meet the prime minister and chief minister only because they want to protect their positions in the government," he said.

SAPP has two state and two parliamentary seats and was a BN component party until two years ago when it ditched the ruling coalition government to become the opposition.

SAPP has made it clear that while it would not be joining the Peninsula-based opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat, there is room for discussion because the party main aims is to take over the state government and reclaim the autonomous power it once had in the 1970s.

LDP link plot to oust Musa Aman

2010-08-31T16:17:00.004+08:00

Sabah Umno deputy chief Datuk Salleh Tun Said disclosed that certain leaders of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are in cohoots with certain quarters to topple Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman cum Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman.

He warned that Sabah BN would not be intimidated by any attempt to hold the coalition at ransom by mounting a veiled threat on its Chairman-cum-Chief Minister.

"We are prepared to face the worst challenge," he said in a statement in ota Kinabalu on Saturday.

Salleh, a former Chief Minister, also questioned the rationale behind LDP Deputy President Datuk Chin Su Phin's outrage on Tuesday, claiming that it was part of an ongoing plot to oust Musa.

He was also convinced that there were "hidden hands" behind it.
"We believe there are people behind it and we know what they are up to, but we in Sabah BN will not allow them to achieve their selfish agenda by mounting a personal attack on Musa.

"I have reliably learnt that certain LDP leaders are in cahoots with certain quarters to topple Musa, and that they even plan to request Prime Minister-cum-BN Chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to have Musa removed," he said.

However, Salleh believed not all LDP leaders concurred with Chin's statement that LDP could no longer work with Musa.

In a shocking announcement, Chin was quoted as saying that the party could no longer work with Musa but would continue to support and work together with Umno in the ruling coalition, and expressed full support for the Prime Minister and his 1Malaysia vision.

"We believe the majority of LDP leaders are rational and wise enough to differentiate what is right and what is not, especially when the issues raised by Chin concerned other people's personal interest.

"It would be a different case if the issues raised were of public interest," Salleh said.

As such, he advised LDP leaders not to be easily manipulated by others for their selfish agenda. Salleh is also confident that all other State BN component parties will continue to rally behind Musa, saying the latter had proven his leadership in steering the State since he became Chief Minister in 2003.

My Say:

Coming from a respected leader, what Salleh said could be true and he is fully aware of who are the `certain quarters' working hand-in-hand with the LDP leaders. Sooner of latter, this all will be made public knowlegde.

It will be no surprise if this `certain quarters' turned out to be `certain Sabah Umno leaders'.

Sarawak general elections around the corner

2010-07-12T03:45:00.004+08:00

New party to join Swak's political fray

By Roselind Jarrow of http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

KUCHING: A new political entity, Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB), has announced that it will be contesting in the coming Sarawak state election. In introducing the PERSB’s pro-tem committee to the media, Native Land Owners Association Sarawak (Tahabas) chairman Michael Jok said although the party is yet to be registered it already has big plans for the future of Sarawakians.

He said PERSB will contest in 71 seats in the coming state election and 31 parliamentary seats in the general election.

“Our candidates are ready to contest as PERSB members or as United Independents,” he added.

Jok said PERSB applied to register the party on Jan 21 this year but the Registrar of Societies Sarawak returned the forms after disapproving its name.

“We resubmited the application on April 20 and we called ourselves Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu. We urge the ROS to approve our application without further delay.

“Failure to do so will be a breach of the principles of democracy, respect and rights of the people of Sarawak to determine their own future leadership through the election process,” he said.

Economic might

PERSB is closely linked to the Project Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak or Pers.

According to Pers website (www.pers.com.my) a shared-plantation scheme involving the cultivation of the Jatropha Curcas plant has enabled hundreds of thousands of Sarawakians to develop a sustainable income.

Jok said some 200,000 planters and workers are involved in the planting of the jatropha, and the projects were planned based on five years short-term projections and 30 years long term.

He said that financial allocations for the implementation of all programmes under the Pers would be channelled through Koperasi Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Berhad.

Jok said two press mill plants have been set up in Sri Aman and Sibu and nine more plants would be built to process the produce.

KERSB would also market crops, livestock, handcrafts and commodities produced by the people such as rice, cassava, coffee, pepper, fish, chicken, goats, weaving products, beads and so forth.

Jok said money from the profits and dividends would be used to raise the earning power of the people, to finance the party, as well as the candidates.

He added that elected representatives of PERSB however would not be allowed to engage in personal businesses except to carry out the Pers programmes.

Unhappy PBB members

Meanwhile, a number of PERSB protem committee members, who were former grassroots leaders of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), said they left their previous party due to unhappiness.

Two of them, David Mathew and Salleh Mahadi, who is the pro-tem president of PERSB, have been with PBB for more than 30 years. Mathew had been with Lawas PBB whereas Salleh was with the Dalat division.

Salleh said: “I left PBB because I am not happy with the party especially when I notice that PBB leaders are neglecting the interests of the grassroots and ordinary members. They are more concerned with business of their own family members and cronies.”

Life like football

2010-06-29T12:42:00.002+08:00

Malaysian life's a lot like football

2010/06/29
By Syed Nadzri
syedn@nst.com.my

OH, how we love the jargon and football-speak during this Fifa World Cup, especially from the TV commentators.

They are quite a delight to listen to, like the one the other day: "What a scorcher! What a cracker! The blazing piledriver really rocked the crossbar!" To the uninitiated, and in isolation, the words could easily be taken to have either fire-fighting or construction-site relevance.

If we let our mischievous minds run wild a little, there's a long list of football cliches and parlance during this exciting season that could be gleefully applied to local situations and circumstances off the football pitch.

There is, for instance, "stoppage time" -- the additional minutes before the final whistle to make up for interruptions during normal play. Well, it looks like Malaysians are in stoppage time right now, as far as subsidies and current toll rates are concerned. Talk is that government subsidies will be gradually removed soon, and this could mean paying more for fuel and road tolls.

The soccer glossary has much more of such jargon:

- Dead Ball Situation: A penalty, free kick or corner. Some teams spend a lot of time planning and practising these situations, and the worst part for the opposing side is you don't know which way the ball is going. It is very much like the mood over licensed sports betting before the final decision (a rejection) was made on Friday -- to give or not to give?

Dead ball situation has, since last week, taken on an even more wicked variance in dead footballers situation and this would apply perfectly to World Cup players from Italy, the defending champions, and France, the runners-up, when they get home after the humiliation of an early exit. Oh yes, the North Koreans, too, after being ripped apart 7-0 by Portugal last week and 3-0 by Ivory Coast on Friday. We have dead footballers situation in Pyongyang, too.

- Set Piece: Similar to the above. Refers mainly to free kicks deep in the opponent's territory. In the Malaysian political context, was it a set piece when one Parti Keadilan Rakyat elected representative after another defected?

- Group of Death: It means to be drawn in a tough group in the World Cup. Closer to home, doomsayers predict the defectors mentioned above (now without a party) could find themselves thrown out in the next general election. Hence, the Independent Consensus they have set up in Parliament is a group of death of sorts.

- Jabulani: The official World Cup ball is getting blamed from all sides. Goalkeepers have been making blunders, strikers are ballooning their shots into orbit, and they all blame it on the ball. Jabulani is much like the mainstream media in Malaysia, everybody's favourite whipping boy, this newspaper included.

- Vuvuzela: The deafening and most irritating sounds coming incessantly from the fugal horns blown by spectators. For TV viewers, the buzzing sticks in your ears and lingers long after you retire to bed. You could get nightmares after that. This is very much like the motorcycle din and racket from the Mat Rempit gang in your area. We all hope there is an end to both the vuvuzela and the Mat Rempit soon.

- Man-to-Man: A type of defensive tactic where each defender is assigned to mark a specific player from the opposing team. This term has a familiar ring to it and could be used to refer to sexual preference.

- Soak up the Pressure: Switzerland did this splendidly in their opening match against Spain more than a week ago. They soaked up the pressure and launched counter-attacks. It paid off and they won 1-0. Correspondingly, Perak Barisan Nasional soaked up all the pressure in the shocking aftermath of the 2008 general election. Their counter-offensive bore fruit as they managed to take over the state government last year.

- Play the Advantage: A judgment made by the referee to allow play to continue rather than call a foul if he thinks the foul did not put the offended team at a disadvantage. The term alone, though not its meaning, somehow suits Perkasa perfectly.

- Messi: Fans chant "Messi, Messi, Messi" every time Argentina play because Lionel Messi, their Fifa world player of the year, is on song. But we can change it to "messy, messy, messy" here in reference to the PKFZ scandal. Or "mercy, mercy, mercy" (at least in my case), when Lady Gaga comes on the radio.

- Handball: A foul when a player touches the ball with his hand. Sometimes, the handball goes undetected and if it results in a goal it becomes Hand of God. The DAP described the recent defection of Keshvinder Singh, its Malim Nawar state assemblyman, as a "handball" and cried foul. Handball? More like an own goal.

- The Ball is Round: This is one of the most annoying cliches and it is often used as a pre-match consolation by underdogs. The same tune -- or its equivalent of "it can go either way" -- is becoming more common in elections or political contests. Most irritating. And so is the "form a royal commission" demand at the slightest hint of controversy.

- Portugal: A fancied team.

Showed their stuff in the 7-0 demolition of North Korea. Some people here have declared that they are members of "Kelab Portugal" -- not exactly a fan club of the Portuguese football team, but rather the Portugal that is the acronym for Persatuan Orang Tua Gatal (the Dirty Old Men's Club)

My Say: The writer Datuk Syed Nadzri Syed Harun is New Straits Times (NST) group editor. I had the opportunities to work under him qhile I was NST 's news editor for Sabah and Sarawak as well as at Balai Berita (NST HQ, Bangsar Kuala Lumpur).

Have Poewer to Putrajaya

2010-06-28T11:26:00.002+08:00

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional craving for Putrajaya,at whose expense?

By Ronnie Klassen at http://advocateviews.blogspot.com

On one hand UMNO/BN will do anything to stay in power, while Pakatan Rakyat is working towards replacing them in Putrajaya. This is neither a celebrity contest nor another American idol search. This is seizing the opportunity to be the next government at any cost, but at whose expense?

Has it occurred to these two political parties that they are gambling with the lives of the very people who voted them into office? Who cares two hoods how they win, as long as they get to Putrajaya? Well, the people do care, and if anyone feels otherwise, perhaps migration would be the best option.

Let us examine Sabah, which should be one of the richest "states" in Malaysia but now is the second poorest "state" in Malaysia. How did this happen to a "state" rich in natural resources? Sabah is still till this day rich in oil. Who in their sane mind would think this is possible? And UMNO/BN and Pakatan Rakyat are only keen in racing for their jewel prize... PUTRAJAYA.

If Putrajaya is ultimately the place to govern Malaysia for Malaysians, then UMNO/BN has miserably failed in governing the country, because Sabah is still the second poorest state in Malaysia.

Of late, UMNO/BN Sabah leaders have been at each others’ throats, to see who should be rightfully given a specific seat in a constituency with strong words such as "stop bullying fellow Barisan Nasional component parties”. In retaliation, UMNO says "this is a Muslim seat and was only given to you on loan".

In my last posting, I stated that Sabahans are Beggars in their own land; soon Sabahans will be fugitives in their own land. The root of the matter is, this is all about UMNO … UMNO and only UMNO? Barisan Nasional component members have now become pariah's in the eyes of UMNO.

Recently the UMNO Supreme Council convened a meeting to deliberate the Sports Betting issue on a license that was purportedly issued to Vincent Tan, and chaired by non other then the Prime Minister himself, Najib Razak.

At the press conference immediately after the meeting, Najib blatantly said "the government has decided not to issue the license to Vincent Tan”. In a nutshell it was UMNO that decided and not the Federal Government. This is arrogance of the highest order, there again tell me what else is new.

Pakatan Rakyat in Sabah on the other hand is another sob story. Parti Keadilan Rakyat(PKR) has not shown anything concrete either, to say the least. DAP on the other hand has been rather active of late with the numerous visit by the 'Father of Opposition" Lim Kit Siang. I had the opportunity to have had breakfast with him recently, and in his twitter he labeled me as "an interesting fella".

Some have called me worst like "shit stirrer".

Recently I accompanied 5 Sarawakians to the MACC office at Shah Alam, Selangor, where a report was lodged against Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak on his wealth beyond comprehension. The Deputy Director, Yip Pit Wong later however REFUSED to provide a copy of the report. What bullshit. The photo shows me wondering ….. Who’s next to be thrown out the window at MACC?

Another interesting event that took place recently as well was, a Police report that was lodged against me by the President of MAJAP, Datuk Clarence Bongkus Malakun over the Allah issue. This is the very man that asked the Christian community in Sabah to abandon the word Allah. The charge was framed under the Multi-Media Act section 223, under which if found guilty one is liable to a fine of RM50,000 or a year's jail or both.

Clarence B.Malakun must have gone "Bonkers" to have thought that intimidation would tickle me. I will fight to the very end to ensure that the people will not be hoodwinked by government stooges out to con the people, for their own personal agenda?

To my recollection the Holy Father is Pope Benedict and not POPE CLARENCE?

I call upon Sabahans and Sarawakians to rise and seize what rightfully belongs to them. The 13th General Elections is fast approaching and UMNO/BN must be shown the exit door.

We must now strengthen Pakatan Rakyat and if need be take control of change, for the current "leaders"don't appear to understand or seen as wanting to CHANGE or bring about CHANGE.

Posted by Ronnie Klassen

The Woes of being a journalist

2010-06-18T14:56:00.004+08:00

Columnists :: Citizen Nades (R. Nadeswaran ) of The Sun http://www.sun2surf.com/
The woes of being a journo

LABELLING of scribes is a common pastime in the Malaysian context, especially when it comes to creating affiliations with politicians and political parties. "Don't waste your time talking to him, he's a diehard so-and-so man," they would say. "He's a good friend of the boss. He won't buy your side of the story," is another often-used description. When a scribe writes something favourable about someone or some party, he or she is labelled as "returning the favour for putting him there".

When this scribe wrote about the wrongs of the previous Selangor administration, the labelling was that "he is anti-government". Even two no-holds barred meetings with the then mentri besar, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, did not change the perception. Accusations were that I had been pursuing an agenda. "What agenda?" was the question. There was silence. "I did not ask you for land; I did not ask you for licences, so what agenda are you talking about?"

"No, the way you write your stories, you give the impression that you have an agenda against us," came the reply. Doesn't anyone see the need for the media to be the eyes and ears of the people and highlight issues that affect the community? Doesn't anyone accept the fact that some issues are addressed only after the media publicise them? Doesn't anyone understand the role of the media in the democratic system?

For the past two weeks, I have been receiving email and calls from friends on the reports and commentaries on the abuses of the low-cost housing system. Yes, I make no bones about having taken a strong stand that these houses should only be sold to those who deserve them – not council staff, not cronies and hangers-on, not politically-connected people. This view has been the stand from Day One when theSun broke the story on how the director of planning in the Petaling Jaya City Council acquired a unit.

Since then, this story has been under our radar, and at every possible instance, we have pushed for full disclosure, including making public the list of recipients of low-cost housing. So, when questions like "Why are you going after the mentri besar (Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim)" are asked, I can only be amazed. Is it my fault that he shot himself in the foot by saying it "is legally not wrong but morally not right"?

"They have only ruled the state for slightly over two years. You must give them a chance," they would say. Isn't that implying that they have yet to learn how to administer and rule? Even if granted, why make such statements which only reflect the state's stand on issues affecting the rakyat without getting more information on the matter.

I take the view that a wrong is wrong and it does not matter whether it was perpetuated by the past administration or condoned by the present one. There's no place for sentiments when it comes to issues affecting the people, their money and their livelihood. There will be no compromise when it comes to wrongdoers and their fallacies like being able to deduct household expenses to reach the threshold of RM2,500 to qualify for low-cost houses.

Therefore, many (falsely) assume that I am anti-this or anti-that, which is merely a figment of imagination of those who choose to affix such labels. I admit there are shortcomings in some of the issues that are addressed because of the information in hand or the lack of it.

Last week I received a letter (by registered mail) from a reader who was not happy with his investment in shares. The letter was a litany of claims and accusations. He called the following day to ask if I am "working on his letter". The reply was woefully blunt. "I have no clue as to what you are talking and I don't write business," he was told.

"Why can't you write about it? You are supposed to know about it," he said. Patience wore out and I had to scream that I am not the answer to all ills.

I have to admit that I pick and choose my battles. I only take on issues in which I have knowledge or where possible, I am able to get additional information to write an authoritative report.

So, dear readers, please bear with me. I am not the answer to all the ills that afflict this country and its citizens. I am just another voice presenting my thoughts, views and sometimes suggestions on issues that can help create a better quality of life for all Malaysians.
The writer is willing to accept criticism based on facts, not assumptions. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

My Say: I had the golden opportunity to work under Mr Nades in the New Straits Times, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Whern he left NST to read law in London, I was also in London being NST correspondent for UK. He always visited me and my family at Chapelside, Bayswater, London.

Sacked for doing his job asa Ketua Kampung!

2010-06-10T15:33:00.006+08:00

Village Chief sacked over Dam project protest

SINGKUI TINGGI (pix showing the termination letter) thought he was only doing his job as a village head when he appealed to the State Government to reconsider the proposed Sungai Kadamaian dam project in the interest of more than 800 villagers in Kampung Tambatuon, Kota Belud Sabah.

But, his bravery to speak up instead saw him getting a one-month service termination notice for the post that he had been holding for the past 28 years from the Local Government and Housing Ministry last month.

Singkui, 78, said they were really hoping that proposed dam construction would be deferred in order to save their homes and properties in the village that had been in existence for the past three centuries from ending up being submerged in water.

In his statement in March, Singkui had said that as voters and staunch supporters of the government the people in Kampung Tambatuon had high confidence on the government's leadership to protect their welfare and future.

He said that even though they were paid compensation for the loss of their properties and land, it would not be able to guarantee the future of their generation.

The letter dated April 16, 2010 and signed by Datuk Haji Awang Sharin Alimin on behalf of the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, however, did not state the reason for Singkui's service termination.

On June 6, 2010, Singkui received a pleasant surprise when almost the entire top leadership of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) led by President Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee came to the village to personally view the affected village and listen to the villagers.

Together with SAPP advisor, Datuk Paul Wong and veteran politician, Datuk Mohd Noor Mansor as well as Deputy Presidents Datuk Eric Majimbun and Datuk Liew Teck Chan, Wanita Chief, Melanie Chia, Youth Chief, Edward Dagul and Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah, SAPP Kota Belud CLC Chief, Agnes Liew, Yong went to Singkui's house for a brief dialogue with the locals.

Earlier, Yong and the other SAPP leaders met with the people as they walked around the village and then to see the Tambatuon bombon at the nearby Sungai Kadamaian.

In responding to the villagers questions not only on the proposed dam project but also on the shrinking land for them to develop, Yong first said that he was proud to note that a man like Singkui who dare to speak up to tell the government that something was not right even if it may cost him his job.

"This is the weaknesses of Sabah people they will back out the moment they are threatened," he said.

Even the people elected representatives or ministers from Sabah are afraid to open up their mouth to voice out issues of the people as they scared losing their positions, he said.

Towards this end, Yong who is a former Chief Minister said the spirit shown by Singkui in fighting for their rights was commendable and should be emulated by the people of Sabah.

"To me you are still the Ketua Kampung (village head)," he told Singkui.

He also concurred with Singkui that SAPP never made a pack with him in calling for the government to defer the project to somewhere else.

"We are here because of the failure of the Kota Belud MP and Kadamaian Assemblyman. If they had listened to what the Ketua Kampung had to say it (the issue) would already have been resolved," said Yong.

He also questioned the reason that the government was willing to see the picturesque Kampung Tambatuon to be destroyed.

"To us from KK this place is like a paradise," he said.

The proposed project, Yong said involved constructing a 340m high dam, which is already considered as a mega project that cost billions of Ringgit.

Since it would be a mega project, he said it should require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and in order for the report to be approved, it must comply with many requirements among them listening to the views of the local people.

"And if the procedures have been complied the EIA would have failed because there are school, church and many people living in the area," he said.

"But what we are seeing here today is the style of the government which will simply take out those who disagree with them," he said.

Yong promised that this would not happen when SAPP forms the government.

"This is not an election promise but this is our stand because SAPP is a people's party," he said, adding that it was unnecessary for SAPP to come to Tambatuon, which is nearly 30km from the township along the Kota Belud-Ranau by-pass, if the present elected representatives here had done their work.

Singkui asserted that the relevant quarters were as though trying to keep the project a secret from the villagers who were never informed about it and even the people doing the soil test in the village came so discreetly.

"I urge YB Datuk Herbert Timbun Lagadan to stop trying to persuade the villagers by taking them in a fully-sponsored trip to Batang Ai (Sarawak) to purportedly show the way the people there lives after relocation.

"In fact, if he have the money to pay for the villagers to Batang Ai, it would be better if he donate it for the construction of the Pastor's house in the village," said SIngkui.

On the shrinking land for the villagers to develop as they were told that it is bordering the National Parks as well as within a water catchment area, Yong said the laws for National Parks are tighter than the laws on Forest Reserves.

He said villages are allowed within the forest reserves like in the Sabah Forest Industry concession area and in Tongod since these villages had been there before the area was gazetted as a Forest Reserve.

However, Yong said in the past five years there had been cases where houses of kampong people being burnt down and chased out (of the forest reserves).

Like Mt Pock, Semporna, where villagers were chased out of the 2,000 hectares area in the forest reserve then the government tabled a Bill in the State Legislative Assembly to alienate these areas and given to a company for plantation development, he said.

"What is this? If it is water catchment area then just let it be a water catchment area. This is the priority of the SAPP Land Reformation Committee that is to return the land to the kampong people," he said, adding the committee would also be looking at all pending land applications before 1990s.

"If the dam is built this will surely lead to the downfall of the BN not only in Tambatuon but in Kota Belud and whole of Sabah," he said.

On another note, Yong said SAPP is proposing small-hydro power plants as an alternative for generating renewable energy and it would be adopted as a party policy.

Instead of building one large hydro power plant, he said several small-hydro power plants with a generating capacity of up to 10MW could be installed along the rivers.

The advantage of these small-hydro power plants, he said it does not result to significant environmental impacts such as no submergence of forests, no siltation of reservoirs, no rehabilitation and relocation as well as no seismological threats.

At the same time, he said the small dam built would served as a flood-control mechanism as well as could be integrated into existing irrigation structures apart from being a fuel-free green source of power.

Such concept had already been implemented successfully throughout the world in countries like China, Guyana, India and South Africa, he said, adding that in Sabah context small-hydro plant is an ideal source of clean energy as many villages are located next to or nearby river.

A review timely

2010-06-06T00:46:00.002+08:00

Yong: A Review of State-Federal Relations is timely

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President, Datuk Yong Teck Lee says that the debate whether Sabah is one of three equal partners or one of thirteen states in Malaysia shows that a review of the State and Federal relationship is relevant and timely.

"SAPP will push for a review in line with SAPP's 8-Points struggle for autonomy and the return of Labuan .

"The review may propose that the High Court in Borneo be uplifted in authority and status. The granting of federal citizenship in Sabah must require State consent. Schedule 9 (Legislative Lists) of the Federal Constitution can be amended to give more jurisdiction to Sabah and Sarawak .

"Examples, foreign labour, labour laws, shipping, road transport, trade and industry and energy can be transferred to the State List. Schedule 10 Part V (Additional Sources of Revenues Assigned to Borneo States) can be expanded to include oil and gas, customs duties and revenues originating from Sabah and Sarawak .

"This review can include Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan's idea of a two-tier federation. A two-tier system will allow the Conference of Rulers to continue as it is but that the Chief Ministers and Menteri Besar Conference can be reviewed to enhance the participation of Sabah and Sarawak .

"Is Sabah one of three equal partners in Malaysia consisting of Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya?

"Malaysia was formed pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement of 9 July 1963 signed in London . The signatories were led by the then Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom , Malaya, Singapore and the leaders of North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak. ( Singapore left Malaysia on 9 August 1965.)

"The agreement was signed not with the other 11 existing states in the Federation of Malaya but with Malaya as an entity. (Indeed, Kelantan had objected to the inclusion of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in Malaysia and had disputed the Malayan federal government's power to admit new states. But Kelantan lost its legal challenge on 14 September 1963).

"Irrespective of the wordings of the Malaysia Agreement and the Malaysia Proclamation 1963, Sabahans' understanding and consciousness is that Sabah had formed Malaysia with three other partners - Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore .

"Hence, many Sabahans consider Sabah as 'one of three' and not 'one of thirteen' partners in Malaysia . This the collective memory of the Sabah people does not go away. People still talk about it. From 1963 to 1971, Sabah and Sarawak were known as East Malaysia .

"Malaya became known as West Malaysia .

"But after the break up of West and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971, the term West and East Malaysia was replaced with "Peninsula Malaysia" and 'Sabah and Sarawak' for obvious reasons.

"But the federal government will not concede that Sabah is an equal partner to Malaya because our national leaders cannot imagine Sabah as an equal to Malaya (now Peninsula Malaysia ).

"Although Malaysia Day on September 16 is a historical fact, it still took the BN federal government 47 years to declare September 16 as a national holiday.

"However, we will still be celebrating Hari Kebangsaan Malaysia 53 Years (from 1957) instead of Malaysia National Day 47 Years (from 1963).

"Thus, when Prof. Dr. Ranjit Singh, an academic, said that Malaysia is not an equal partnership of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak , his view reflects that of the national mainstream.

"To them, we are the late comers to Malaysia . We need their help because we are more backward. In the 1970s, our new friends in KL asked whether we live on tree tops and if we have television.

"To say they are equal to Sabah would be too much for them to bear.

"They say we need their civil servants because we have no qualified Sabahans. We win hardly any national sports tournaments. Economically, we are weak. Politically, we are "the wild East".

"Our tourism icon is the orang utan, our main national news are pirates. None of the national newspapers saw the need to report the Sabah debate on the loss of oil blocks L and M or the piping of natural gas to Bintulu and the controversy over the coal power plant. Sabah's losses are of little concern to them.

"After the March 2008 political tsunami in Peninsula Malaysia , our friends over there commented that "Sabah and Sarawak are behind time" and slow in following the national trend.

"We cannot blame them for thinking so because that is their perspective of Sabah and Sarawak . But, we could remind them that when Sabah took the lead to change the BN federal government in 1990, all the Peninsula states, except Kelantan, re-elected BN.

"Some leaders in KL have a mindset that Malaysia is the father and Sabah is the child.

"At times, this mindset is reflected in the civil service, private companies and associations. Their KL head offices make all the important decisions and treat their offices in Sabah like any other branch in the Peninsula .

"This 'superior mindset' partly is due to our Sabahans' docile approach. For instance, some local politicians are so lacking in self-confidence that they ask their federal leaders to come regularly to Sabah to help them. UMNO Sabah receives "Bapa Angkat" in all the constituencies.

"When some UMNO MPs were speculated to defect in 2008, their party HQ sent spies after them. MCA claims that their four federal ministers can do wonders for Sabah 's Chinese.

"UPKO has made itself a mirror image of peninsula racial parties like MIC, MCA and UMNO. At the same time, leaders of PBS, PBRS and LDP have all become subservient to KL in the hope of some favours, the most glaring example being LDP lobbying for a federal minister post. To be 'equal' is not in their minds.

"The internal bickering within Sabah UMNO and BN has also entrenched the 'divide and rule' tactic of KL. These BN leaders have not learned from history. As a result, the people in Sabah lose out.

Kinabatangan MP jailed one month for polygamy

2010-05-19T12:56:00.005+08:00

Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin has been slapped with a jail sentence for unlawfully entering into a polygamous marriage with actress Zizie Izette Abdul Samad.

The Gombak Timur Lower Syariah Court also sentenced him this morning to a fine of RM1,000 for abetting Zizie in the offence. If he does not pay the fine by 5pm, he is liable to another month's jail.

There was a gasp in the packed courtroom when Syarie Judge Wan Mahyuddin Wan Muhammad read out the sentence about 9.15am.

Zizie was fined RM1,000 or 1 month's jail in default for entering into the marriage.

She was also ordered to pay another RM1,000 or six months' jail in default for abetting Bung Moktar, 51.

Zizie, 31, is required to pay the full sum by the end of today.

The defence immediately applied for a stay of execution on Bung Moktar's jail sentence.

Lawyer Amli Embong reasoned that the intended appeal would be meaningless without this, as Bung Moktar would have served all or most of the sentence by the time the appeal is heard.

He also argued that serving the sentence would jeopardise Bung Moktar's livelihood and cause anxiety to him and his family.

After a short recess, the court accepted the application.

Bung Moktar will have to file his appeal in 14 days at the Syariah High Court in Shah Alam. Pending that, he has been placed under a bond of RM1,000 with one surety.

The MP's two friends - Sahari Ahmad, 54, and Titing Putang, 56 - were each fined RM1,000 each for abetment or six months' jail in default. They too have up to the end of today to pay the sum.

Zizie's three brothers - Ahmad Shahazmi Abdul Samad, 48, Samzy Fuzette Abdul Samad, 34, Shaheizy Sam Abdul Samad, 27 - were similarly penalised on the same charge.

In addition:

Ahmad Shahazmi, who married off Zizie without the registrar's permission was fined RM1,000 or one month's jail in default if he fails to pay by today.

Samzy Fuzette and Shaheizy Sam, who abetted in giving her away in marriage, were each fined RM1,000 or one month's jail in default if they fail to pay by today.

Among those present were family members and friends of the accused, who has to jostle for space in the small courtroom.

Members of the Joint Action Group for gender equality also attended the proceedings - they had protested outside the court yesterday.

'Heavier penalty required'

Syarie Judge Wan Mahyuddin Wan Muhammad said the case has received wide media coverage and can be a lesson to members of society who "take polygamy and rules governing marriage lightly".

He also concurred with the prosecutor in saying that, as a lawmaker, Bung Moktar should have had more respect for the law.

"Nowhere in the defence mitigation was it stated that the marriage was necessary and reasonable," he noted.

"The accused had bad intentions and had toyed with the marriage solemnisation process and the rules of polygamy according to Syariah law."

He added that a RM1,000 maximum fine for this offence is insufficient as most people can afford to pay it.

"The time has come for a heavier punishment to protect the credibility of Syariah law," he said.

On April 20, Bung Moktar and Zizie had pleaded guilty to entering into a polygamous marriage on Dec 16 last year without the court's permission.

They also pleaded guilty to abetting one another in the offence, which carries a maximum punishment of RM1,000 or six months' jail or both.

The sentence will not affect Bung Moktar's position as a MP as the law states that a parliamentarian will only lose his seat if convicted of an offence and sentenced to not less than one year's jail or fined not less than RM2,000, and has not received a free pardon.

This report is from http://www.malaysiakini.com

20 Points - Sabah's Safeguard

2010-05-15T09:53:00.001+08:00

The Twenty Points for the safeguard of Sabah
Sabah's conditions for joining the Federation of Malaysia

Religion:
While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo.
Language:
(a) Malay should be the national language of the Federation;
(b) English should continue to be used for a period of ten years after Malaysia Day;
(c) English should be the official language of North Borneo, for all purposes State or Federal, without limitation of time
Constitution:
Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the light of a free association of States and should not be a series of amendments to a Constitution drafted and agreed by different States in totally different circumstances. A new Constitution for North Borneo, was, of course, essential.
Head of the Federation:
The Head of the State in North Borneo should not be eligible for election as head of the Federation.
Name of Federation:
‘Malaysia’ but not ‘Melayu Raya’ (or ‘Greater Malaya’).
Immigration:
Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should rest with the Federal Government but entry into North Borneo should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into North Borneo for State Government purpose except on strictly security grounds. North Borneo should have unfettered control over the movement of persons, other than those in Federal Government employ, from other parts of Malaysia into North Borneo.
Right of Secession:
There should be no right of secession from the Federation.
Borneoisation:
Borneoisation of the public services should proceed as quickly as possible.
British Officers:
Every effort should be made to encourage British Officers to remain in the public services until their places can be taken by suitably qualified people from North Borneo.
Citizenship:
The recommendations in paragraph 148(k) of the Report of the Cobbold Commission should govern the citizenship rights in the Federation of North Borneo persons subject to the following amendments:
(a) Sub-paragraph (i) should not contain the proviso as to five years residence;
(b) In order to be consistent with the laws of North Borneo, sub-paragraph (ii) (a) should read ’seven out of ten years’ instead of ‘eight out of twelve years’;
(c) Sub-paragraph (iii) should not contain any restriction tied to the citizenship of parents – a person born in North Borneo after Malaysia (was formed) must be a Federal citizen.
Tariffs and Finance:
North Borneo should have control of its own finance, development funds and tariffs.
Special Position of Indigenous Races: In principle, the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy special rights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but the present Malaya formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo.
State Government:
(a) The Chief Minister should be elected by unofficial members of (the) Legislative Council;
(b) There should be a proper Ministerial system in North Borneo.
Transitional Period:
This should be seven years and during such period legislative power must be left with the State of North Borneo by the Constitution and not be merely delegated to the State Government by the Federal Government.
Education:
The existing educational system of North Borneo should be maintained and for this reason should be under State control.
Constitution Safeguards:
No amendment, modification or withdrawal of any special safeguards granted to North Borneo should be made by the Federal Government without the positive concurrence of the Government of the State of North Borneo. The power of amending the Constitution of the State of North Borneo should belong exclusively to the people in the State.
Representation in Federal Parliament:
This should take account not only of the population of North Borneo but also its size and potentialitis and in any case should not be less than that of Singapore.
Name of Head of State:
Yang di-Pertua Negara.
Name of State:
Sabah.
Land, Forests, Local Government, etc.:
The provisions in the Constitution of the Federation in respect of the powers of the National Land Council should not apply in North Borneo. Likewise the National Council for Local Government should not apply in North Borneo.

Historical Speeches by World's Great Leaders

2010-04-27T12:19:00.005+08:00

50 Incredible, Historical Speeches You Should Watch Online
April 25th, 2010
HERE http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/04/50-incredible-historical-speeches

You hope that your professors will be good speakers who can keep your interest for at least the length of a class period, but more often than not, you'll have a teacher or two each semester who drones on and on and doesn't make you feel passionate about the subject. They could take tips from these speakers who have inspired thousands or even millions of people around the world, some even long after they've died. Here are 50 incredible, historical speeches you should watch online.
Commencement Addresses
These commencement speakers include presidents, a professor, political strategist and industry leader.
1. John F. Kennedy at American University: On June 10, 1963, President JFK gave the commencement address at American University, first celebrating the institution of American universities, and then discussing the "new face of war" and its great cost. Kennedy implores the graduates to pursue peace, even though it is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war, and references the end to the Cold War.
2. Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon: Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" became an Internet sensation and inspiration for people around the world who felt moved by the professor's battle with cancer and his insistence on the power and significance of achieving your childhood dreams. Here, a visibly ill Pausch, delivers the commencement address at Carnegie Mellon.
3. James Carville at Tulane University: Louisiana native and colorful political strategist James Carville gave a rousing, sincere speech to the graduates of Tulane University of 2008, the first class to graduate since Hurricane Katrina interrupted their studies and nearly destroyed the city of New Orleans.
4. Barack Obama at Notre Dame: When students and faculty at Notre Dame expressed disappointment and even outrage that President Barack Obama would speak at the school's 2009 graduation ceremony, the national media covered the debate from start to finish. In the end, Obama did give the speech despite the controversy over his support of abortion, which the Catholic university disapproved of.
5. Steve Jobs at Stanford: Computer science pioneer Steve Jobs gave an emotional but inspirational speech to the 2005 graduates of Stanford University, ending with the line "Stay hungry, stay foolish," a message that Jobs has always wished for himself and which he wished for the graduates.
Presidential Speeches
Presidents are natural and practiced leaders and give some of the most impressive speeches. Here is a selection of some of the most important speeches of the 20th century.
1. Barack Obama Election Night Speech: Moments after being elected the first ever African American President of the United States, Obama addresses the nation live from Chicago.
2. Ronald Reagan's 40th Anniversary of D-Day Speech: Watch President Ronald Reagan give an illustrative 40th anniversary of D-Day speech on "a lonely, windswept point" on the beach at Normandy.
3. Lyndon Johnson Remarks on Signing the Civil Rights Bill: President LBJ explains to the American public the significance of his signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
4. George W. Bush Post 9/11 Speech: After terrorists hijacked airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, shocked and grief-stricken Americans turned to their TV sets that evening to listen to President George W. Bush tell them what to do next.
5. Ich Bin Ein Berliner: President John F. Kennedy visited the Berlin Wall to give this encouraging speech to the everyday citizens who suffered under Communism and cheered when Kennedy repeated "Let them come to Berlin."
6. President Nixon Announcing Resignation: Scandalized President Richard Nixon addresses the nation in this speech, announcing his resignation after Watergate.
7. "Tear Down This Wall": Listen to Ronald Reagan's famous "Tear Down This Wall" speech in Berlin in front of the famous Berlin Wall.
8. George W. Bush's Bullhorn Speech: What is now known as Bush's "Bullhorn Speech" started as a casual impromptu rally for the recovery workers at Ground Zero, just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bush stood on top of a hill of rubble and yelled to the crowd "I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you!"
9. Jimmy Carter Crisis of Confidence Speech: Carter talks about the "crisis in confidence" that Americans had in government.
10. JFK Inaugural Address: JFK's inaugural address is one of the most famous swearing-in speeches in history.
11. LBJ's First Speech as President: Listen to LBJ's first speech as President, just after JFK was shot.
12. The Challenger Explosion: Reagan shares news of the Challenger Explosion from the Oval Office.
13. John F. Kennedy's Moon Speech: Kennedy addresses Congress and asks them to support the space project.
14. President Bill Clinton Farewell Speech: Clinton recaps his presidency and defends his legacy in this speech.
15. President Harry S Truman First Speech to Congress: This is Truman's first speech to Congress, in which he mourns recently deceased FDR.
16. LBJ Gulf of Tonkin Incident: President LBJ reports on the violent Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
Society and Culture
Here you will find speeches that inspired social change and encouraged audiences to become better citizens of the world.
1. Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream": Watch one of the most iconic American speeches ever made here: Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
2. William Faulkner Nobel Prize speech: Look at a photograph of author William Faulkner accepting his Nobel Prize as you listen to his speech about the condition of the human spirit and the human heart.
3. LBJ We Shall Overcome: This video uses LBJ's famous We Shall Overcome speech as part of a video montage celebrating the civil rights movement.
4. Malcolm X By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X addresses friends and enemies and explains how he'll fight for civil rights "by any means necessary."
5. Death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Kennedy: Robert Kennedy announces the death of MLK and then eulogizes the civil rights leader in this 1968 speech.
6. Lou Gehrig's speech: Lou Gehrig gives his farewell to baseball speech on the 4th of July at Yankee Stadium.
7. The Perils of Indifference: Listen to Elie Wiesel's famous speech about the nature of indifference.
8. Mario Savio: Listen to this exciting, impassioned speech from a very worked up Mario Savio, a member of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement.
9. Give Them Hope Speech: Harvey Milk aims to give gay people around the country a feeling of hope that they belong in society and have rights and deserve respect.
10. Reagan's Evil Empire Speech: Ronald Reagan gives his famous Evil Empire speech to the National Association of Evangelicals.
11. Nelson Mandela Released 1990: When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, he gave this speech to supporters.
12. Jimmy Valvano's ESPY Speech: Dying basketball coach Jimmy Valvano delivered this famous, inspiring speech at the first ever ESPYs in 1993. He died of cancer two months later.
13. Bill Cosby Famous Pound Cake Speech: Comedian Bill Cosby gives a touching but humorous speech in honor of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.
14. Kofi Annan's Farewell Speech: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan bids farewell in this 2006 speech.
15. Mahatma Gandhi Speech: Gandhi gave this speech at Kingsley Hall in London in 1931. In it, he discusses the nature of rule and religion.
War and Peace
Listen to speeches from Hitler, Churchill, Eisenhower and other military leaders about war and peace.
1. FDR Pearl Harbor Address: Just after the United States is attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt addresses the country and Congress in his famous "date which will live in infamy" speech.
2. General Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day Speech: Listen to Eisenhower's speech ordering troops to D-Day here.
3. General Douglas MacArthur Farewell Speech to Congress: General MacArthur delivers this speech in 1951 "with deep humility and great pride."
4. Total War Speech: This video has English subtitles so that you can understand Joseph Goebbels' speech calling for total war in 1943.
5. Sir Winston Churchill – Finest Hour: This photo montage accompanies audio of Winston Churchill's "finest hour" speech, which he gave June 18, 1940, and in which he asked the British to help him fight so that they would not enter into "a new dark age."
6. Adolf Hitler, Expand Speech: Watch Hitler's speech about expansion and justification of war.
7. Eisenower's military industrial complex speech: Watch and listen to President Eisenhower warn against te "emergency improvisation of national defense."
8. We Shall Fight on the Beaches, Winston Churchill: Listen to Churchill's signature British mumble as he rallies his country to fight in World War II.
Politics
These miscellaneous political speeches are from figures like Jesse Jackson, Margaret Thatcher and Ted Kennedy.
1. The Dream Shall Never Die: Senator Edward Kennedy speaks at the 1980 Democratic National Convention shares one of his favorite Tennyson quotes and tells Americans that "the dream shall never die" even though he will not run for president.
2. Jesse Jackson David and Goliath speech: Then Presidential candidate Jesse Jackson delivers this famous speech at Tendley Baptist Church January 16, 1984.
3. Tony Blair resignation speech: Powerful but ultimately unpopular Primte Minister Tony Blair gives his resignation speech on June 27, 2007, here.
4. Senator Barack Obama's DNC speech: Presidential candidate Barack Obama gives this major speech at the 2008 DNC in Denver, officially accepting the nomination for president.
5. William Jennings Bryan Cross of Gold Speech: Listen to audio of William Jennings Bryan's 1923 speech in which he spoke about the gold standard and silver mining.
6. Margaret Thatcher's first speech as Prime Minister: Watch Thatcher's controversial first speech as British PM in 1979.
7. Mario Cuomo 1984 Convention Speech: This "tale of two cities" from Mario Cuomo at the DNC in 1984 attacks Reagan in a time of staunch conservatism.

Mud coming out from taps

2010-04-23T10:10:00.005+08:00

A businessman bought a land in Kampung Sinagang, along the Menggatal - Bambangan Baru -Poring Poring Road in Inanam. Since early this month he hired tractors to flatten the land, pushing tonnes of earth down a ravine, a water catchement area at Ulu Kiapad.

Now whenever its rain, villagers in Kg Kionsom are suffering, water coming out of their taps no longer safe for human or even dogs consumption. Coming out is mud plus water.

Villagers are now demanding for the businessman to stop work and provide new pipes and tanks for the 2,000 odd villagers.

Tun Fuad Stephens

2010-04-14T13:01:00.003+08:00

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"Truth Is The Remedy To All". Fuad Stephens and his Cabinet Members "POLITICALLY ASSASSINATED" ?

By Ronnie Klassen as published HERE http://advocateviews.blogspot.com/

As sure as an orphan would want to know his parents, Sabahans want to and must know the truth as to what really happened on the 6th.June.1976.Was the death of Tun Fuad Stephens and his Cabinet members an accident or 'accident'? Reliable sources claimed that the fatal Nomad Aircraft carrying Tun Fuad exploded in mid-air and dropped to the ground where a second explosion occurred. Why was the aircraft requested to circle and not given the green light to land?

Doesn't the Chief Minister of Sabah take precedence over everyone? Did the control tower inform the pilot to circle because an Air force Hercules C-130 was about to take off? Reliable sources also claim there was no Hercules C-130 on the tarmac that was ready to take off on that day.

In my earlier 2 articles in my blog on the oil royalty issue, we referred to information that was never made known to Sabahans. The revelation by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that he was already strapped to his seat alongside Datuk Rahman Yaakub(Chief Minister of Sarawak) and a member of the Pahang Royalty and together with Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers and later requested to disembark from the aircraft by Harris Salleh to visit a cattle farm in Kudat/Banggi is not only baffling but against any protocol- hence a huge can of worms has now open.

It is also tantamount to insubordination and an insult to the Chief Minister then, Tun Fuad. Harris Salleh in a recent press statement ( Daily Express dated 7th.April.2010 ) denounced this fact in what he claimed to be" grossly inaccurate and carried away with pleasantries ".

Was the visit to the cattle farm more important than the historical event that was going to take place - which was the signing of the petroleum agreement between the Sabah Government and the Federal Government/Petronas? Was visiting this cattle farm in the agenda of Razaleigh's visit? Who is now LYING ? The people of Sabah now demand to know the truth. Was this a " political assassination "?

Researching this event gave me the opportunity to come into contact with many Sabahans who are still till this very day angered by the events that took place on the 6th.June.1976.Was there a " BOMB " planted in the ill-fated Nomad Aircraft ? If a bomb did exist who planted it and under whose instruction?

And who is Lee Kang Yu ? It was reliably learnt that Lee Kang Yu was a trusted aid and trustee to Harris Salleh, who fled to Hong Kong where he later passed away. His thumb print had to be used for verification for withdrawal of assets before he could be laid to rest.

Did Lee Kang Yu plant a bomb in the Nomad Aircraft, and who gave the instruction? Among the first person to be at the crash site was senior information officer,TK Wong,who lived a few metres from the crash site.Ironically,the police arrived almost immediately and condoned off the entire area.No known report was submitted by the Information Department to the State Security Committee on the ill-fated crash,why?

In the purported conversation between Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Fuad Stephens, pursuant to the oil royalty, Ku Li had claimed that Tun Fuad had agreed to the 5% oil royalty as Sarawak had earlier also agreed to the 5% oil royalty.Sabah and Sarawak have over the years till this day have had a brotherly relationship.

Now Sarawakians should be asking,did Rahman Yaakub agree to the 5% oil royalty? On the morning of the 6th.June.1976,Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers flew to Labuan with an objective to re-negotiate. Tun Fuad was in total disagreement to the 5% oil royalty hence he brought his Cabinet Ministers to say their piece to Tengku Razaleigh. Did Tun Fuad and his Cabinet inform Tengku Razaleigh that if the Federal Government did not agree to his demand for an increased share percentage for Sabah, he would publicly announce that he was going to pull Sabah out of Malaysia?

In the afternoon of Good Friday (2nd.April.2010) at my lunch interview with Tengku Razaleigh, I sensed a man that was just waiting to tell the truth, but decided to provide bits and pieces and allowing others to complete the jig-saw puzzle. On the evening of the same day, Tengku Razaleigh was no longer the same person I met earlier.

Was he threatened by anyone, group or enforcement agency? Tengku Razaleigh was supposed to deliver a talk on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 as well as the problems plaguing the oil producing states in Malaysia.

Why did Tengku Razaleigh bring up the matter of the plane crash on the 6th.June.1976?

Was he deliberately trying to tell the truth but not the whole truth?In the presence of about 1,000 odd people who were in attendance at the dialogue, Tengku Razaleigh clearly stated that he was all strapped up in the ill-fated Nomad Aircraft and ready to fly with Tun Fuad to Kota Kinabalu, until Harris Salleh boarded the aircraft and"invited" him to visit the cattle farm in Kudat/Banggi, which apparently was more important and took precedence over the signing of the oil royalty agreement.

Another interesting episode of the crash, was the inconsistent manner in which the Inquiry was conducted. The Magistrate concerned requested for a full re- investigation in"an open verdict" as reported in the newspapers but did the authorities re-investigate the crash ? Why not?Whose was the hidden hand that instructed the authorities NOT to re-investigate the crash? Perhaps the time has come for this Magistrate to appear and tell the truth.

Since the exposure of these new developments in my blog, a few political leaders have "suddenly" come out demanding for the case to beRE-OPENED. I applaud the daring stand taken by Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Dr.Jeffery Kitingan in demanding a new investigation on what actually happened on the 6th.June.1976.

What is mind boggling and beyond comprehension is the reversal of the stand of the Sabah State Government. Chief Minister, Musa Aman in a press statement(Daily Express, dated 7th.April.2010 ) said "the amount of allocation from the Federal Government pouring into Sabah is more important than discussing an increase in the oil royalty for the state ", " KL has been very generous with funds for Sabah". He further added "to me ,what's important here is we don't talk about oil royalty".

My question to Musa Aman is, when did Sabah become so rich that our own resources are not important to discuss? Allow me to jerk the memory of our delusional Chief Minister. Sabah is currently the second poorest state in Malaysia and the oil in Sabah belongs to the people of Sabah. Are Chief Ministers required to take an oath of secrecy never to divulge the truth on what actually happened on the 6th.June.1976?

Oil is a gift from God to the people of Sabah, and 'His' name is not Musa Aman. Musa Aman's remarks, clearly proves that Tengku Razaleigh was probably not lying when he mentioned thatNO SABAH CHIEF MINISTER had ever made any attempt to re-negotiate, request or demand from the Federal Government for a larger oil royalty stake for Sabah. Musa Aman has therefore insulted the intelligence of Sabahans and should do the honourable thing by resigning or better yet dissolving the entire assembly and call for fresh state elections.

Could history have changed for the better had Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers not perished in that controversial crash? The truth must be told and the people of Sabah have every right to know the truth and no one has the right to say otherwise. I therefore urge the family members of Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers to join and assist me as well as all right thinking Sabahans who till this day are devastated by the death of our warriors to demand for the truth to be told. The tears of many are still flowing, let us not remain persecuted by "cover- up's ".

"Truth Is The Remedy To All" said Guru Nanak, Sikhism's revered founder and so - let the truth be told.

And, if made necessary through new facts and revelations, let's correct and rewrite Our Sacred History.
Posted by Ronnie Klassen at 2:31 AM

Ex-Malay Mail (NST) news editor K Bala dies

2010-04-07T12:38:00.002+08:00

The report in the STAR on Tuesday April 6, 2010

Ex-Malay Mail news editor K. Bala dies

GEORGE TOWN: Former Malay Mail news editor K. Bala passed away in Langkawi yesterday.
He was found dead in his bed in a hotel room by his friend R. Sunther at around 10pm last night.
Bala, 66, who was pursuing business prospects in Langkawi, leaves behind three children; a son and two daughters. His wife had died two years ago from cancer.
According to Sunther, Bala, a veteran journalist who was known to be a disciplinarian among his peers, was unwell on Friday.
"I brought him to the Langkawi Hospital for treatment and he was given medication. On Saturday, we called to check on him and he replied that he was feeling better. He was looking forward to watching the Manchester United versus Chelsea football match. I am shocked to discover that he passed away suddenly (yesterday)," said Sunther when contacted.
Bala who is the elder brother of The Star's former regional editor P.K. Katharason, was a lifelong fan of the Manchester United football club and would often take the trouble to catch all of their matches even those held in the wee hours of the morning.
Sunther said he decided to visit Bala when he did not answer the telephone calls yesterday and broke down the door when there was no reply despite the incessant knocking.

Good bye Mr K Bala

2010-04-07T12:07:00.006+08:00

I am sad to know the passing of Mr K Bala, my `teacher and boss' when I was working for New Straits Times 1987-2005. He died in his sleep in Pulau Langkawi Monday night, according to TV3 chief new editor Ashraf Abdullah.

Bala, as we all called him, was one of the editors in NSTP that moulded me into what(ever) I am today. Although I was based in Kota Kinabalu, I did received lots of assignments from him who is based at the news desk in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. I lost contact with Bala when he quit NST and lived in Langkawi.

I am also a close friend of Bala's brother Mr P Katharason (PK to us all), a news editor with the Star. PK now lives in Kota Kinabalu after retiring ftrom Star. I remember when PK was transferred to Kota Kinabalu. Bala called me from Kuala Lumpur, telling me to `look after" PK and I did by taking PK on a `pubs hopping visit.'

I also will never forget a time when Bala was in Kota Kinabalu to lead NST's coverage of Tun Ghaffar Baba, newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister. I was to play host to Bala and now I felt I was then a very poor host to a great man. Many knew, or might had been told by Bala, What had transpired during his stay in Sabah,

I am sure that journalists and those who knew Bala mourns his passing. Good-Bye Mr Bala.

Good bye Mr Bala

Tukar Baju says Kalakau

2010-04-05T15:44:00.002+08:00

'It's time to 'tukar baju' and kick out BN'
Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:08

This story and more in http://freemalaysiatoday.com/

KOTA KINABALU: Newly-minted opposition politician Kalakau Untol is bent on helping the Kadazan Dusun and Murut (KDM) communities of Sabah to 'tukar baju' (change shirt) in the next general election.
Kalakau, the United Sabah Dusun Association (Usda) president, said he was confident the indigenous community, comprising more than 30 ethnic groups, other natives and the Chinese communities could topple the BN government.

"They have booted out four Sabah state governments before," he said. "Tukar Baju was our battle cry. We ousted the Alliance-led Usno, Parti Berjaya, Barisan Nasional and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) state governments," he told FMT in an exclusive interview recently.

Kalakau, a former state deputy labour minister, ditched BN last month to join PKR and declared that he would be working hand-in-glove with Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and other KDM leaders.

He also said he would ensure that the community which formed the majority of the state's population would vote for Pakatan Rakyat in the next general election.

He said he expected several KDM leaders now holding important posts in the BN government, both at state and federal levels, to leave the coalition for Pakatan Rakyat.

Kalakau said he quit BN as he could no longer tolerate a life of being 'a great pretender.'

"What the BN was offering and had given out thus far was just window-dressing, but the people are politically matured now and know what is going on around them," he said.

Until he left BN, Kalakau was chairman of a state government-owned money making company and a director of several government subsidiaries companies.

"The last straw was when a university student approached me and asked if I believed in all the high praises I had heaped on the BN government during a speech I made.

"She asked me if I really meant what I said about the present government," said Kakakau.

"I was floored. It was awakening. Never in my life did it occur to me that I had been praising the government without justification.

"After a meeting with my supporters, a month later I decided to quit BN," he added.
"
These two states have been taken for granted by BN for too long. We in Sabah have changed the state government four times … it is not an impossible task.
"I travelled to far flung villages in Sabah and the response and support for PKR from the KDM was overwhelming. (It was the same when) I was in Kota Marudu, Kudat recently."

Sabah, Sarawak taken for granted by BN

The Dusun leader said the general election would the be best avenue for all Malaysians, not only for the people of Sabah 'to put on new clothes.'

"If we want to change the policy of the nation, it can only be done if you change and form a new federal government."

He said if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had tagged Sabah and Sarawak as BN's fixed deposit, Pakatan Rakyat could also rightfully lay similar claim to these two states.

Kalakau said the opposition could have won in the last general election if there had been a better understanding among the parties, particularly between PKR and DAP.

According to him, in all the constituencies where both PKR and DAP fielded candidates, BN emerged the victor by a slim majority of votes.

In the election, the state constituencies of Kepayan, Luyang, Inanam and Likas showed that the votes garnered by DAP and PKR were more than the votes polled by BN.

"The people of Sabah and Sarawak are aware of this and will ensure that their support will be for Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election.

"These two states have been taken for granted by BN for too long. We in Sabah have changed the state government four times … it is not an impossible task," said Kalakau.

On his working relationship with other Sabah PKR leaders, he said he is a friend to all. Whenever he travelled, PKR leaders whether KDM or Muslims are always with him.

He said he was overwhelmed by the support for him when he was invited as a guest speaker at a gathering organised by the PKR Selangor at Stadium Malawati Shah Alam recently.

"I was relatively new in PKR but I was accepted as one of them. This is something new to me."

Made entry into politics in the 70s

Kalakau stepped into politics by forming the United Sabah Action Party (Usap) in early 1970s during Tun Musthapha's Usno-led Alliance state government.

Usap acted as an opposition party and was dissolved when he joined Pekamas in 1974, heading the Tuaran Division.

Pekamas failed to match the might of Usno so Kalakau formed another party called United Sabah Assembly Party (Pusaka) in 1977. He was made its deputy secretatry general.

Pusaka also closed shop and Kalakau joined Parti Berjaya in 1978. He joined Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in 1985 and was a political secretary to then deputy Chief Minister (late) Mark Koding.

He did not last long in PBS and five years later in 1989 he resigned and formed Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat Sabagh (Akar) with Koding.

In 1994, after the PBS governmeng was toppled by BN, Kalakau joined forces with current federal minister Bernard Dompok to form Parti Demokratik Sabah (PDS), now renamed United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Party (Upko).

Kalakau was Tuaran MP as well as state deputy labour minister when PBS was ruling Sabah (1985-1994). In Upko, he was its youth chief for 12 years and was also a senator.

The plane crash on 6.6.1976 that killed Tun Fuad Stephens

2010-04-05T07:27:00.007+08:00

By Ronnie Klassen http://advocateviews.blogspot.com/

Ku Li Opens Up More Uncertainties?
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah may have been the last man on the face of the earth who spoke to the late Tun Fuad Stephens on the 6th of June 1976,pursuant to the controversial 5% oil royalty to Sabah.The death of Sabah's first Huguan Siou (Paramount Leader of the Kadazan / Dusuns)that perished in a "strange", fatal plane crash on the 6th.June.1976,will continue to haunt Sabahans and probably Malaysians in general for decades to come?Was the last conversation between Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Fuad Stephens on the oil royalty of 5% or was it 30%?, we will never know. Are there secrets that have yet to be unearthed?

I had the distinguished pleasure of interviewing Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah during his visit to Sabah on 2nd.April.2010 at Hyatt Kota Kinabalu,over lunch,that lasted for about 2 hours..Among those present were Dato' Dominic Puthucheary,Mazlan Harun,Thamrin Ghafar Baba and a few others.Ku Li was here as part of his nationwide roadshow,championing the oil royalty issue that has now become the focus of attention among the oil producing states in Malaysia.This was the transcript of my exclusive interview with Tengku Razaleigh.

Ronnie : Tengku,you were probably the last man on earth to have met the late Tun Fuad Stephens,prior to the fatal plane crash.Did Tun Fuad agree to the 5% oil royalty?

Tengku : I had a telephone conversation with Tun Fuad Stephens on the 5th.June.1976,and he agreed to the 5% oil royalty,since Sarawak had also agreed to a similar percentage.

Ronnie : We understand that there was an agreement between the Sabah Government and the Federal Government/ Petronas,which was to be signed on the 7th.June.1976.The signing ceremony however was deferred to the 14th.June1976,in view of the fatal plane crash.Were the contents,particularly the percentage of the oil royalty in the agreement dated 7th.June and 14th June similar?

Tengku : Yes.Both agreements were similar and no changes or amendments were made,only the signatories were different.Datuk Harris Salleh signed on behalf of the Sabah Government,in his capacity as Chief Minister and witnessed by Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

Ronnie : Tun Fuad Stephens boarded a Nomad Aircraft on the 6th.June.1976 bound for Labuan at 10am.In his entourage were State Cabinet Ministers of Sabah.What's mind-boggling is,why did Tun Fuad Stephens travel to Labuan with his Minister's to meet you,knowing very well that you would be in Kota Kinabalu on the 7th.June.1976 to formalized the signing of the oil royalty agreement? Was Fuad Stephens actual intentions to meet you in Labuan to re-negotiate the 5% as he finally realized that the percentage was insufficient?

Tengku : No.Tun Fuad Stephens agreed to the 5% oil royalty and he was not re-negotiating the terms.

Ronnie : Were you joining Tun Fuad Stephens on board the aircraft that was bound for Kota Kinabalu on the 6th.June.1976?

Tengku : Yes,actually I boarded the plane and strapped myself with the seat belt.I was together with Datuk Rahman Yaakub (Chief Minister of Sarawak). Datuk Harris Salleh then came on board and invited me to accompany him to Kudat/Banggi to visit his cattle farm.I subsequently unfastened my seat belt together with Datuk Rahman Yaakub and boarded another Nomad Aircraft.

When we arrived at our destination,we were immediately requested to disembarked and move away from the aircraft.I was rather puzzled and was later informed that the plane carrying Tun Fuad Stephens had crashed in Kota Kinabalu.I felt very sad,knowing I had just lost a dear friend.

Ronnie : So, Datuk Harris signed the agreement on 14th.June.1976 on behalf of the Sabah Government or more approximately on behalf of the people of Sabah.Tengku,Sabah being an oil producing state in Malaysia was once the richest state in the country.Today as you are very well aware,Sabah is now the second poorest state in Malaysia,although governed by Barisan National.Has any attempt been made over the last 34 years by any Chief Minister after the death of the late Tun Fuad Stephens to re-negotiate,request or demand a higher oil royalty percentage from the Federal Government?

Tengku : No Chief Minister has attempted to request for an increase of the 5% oil royalty from the Federal Government.

Ronnie : Sabahans have been crying foul over the manner that the Federal Government has been treating Sabah,do you honestly think that Sabah should be demanding for higher oil royalty?

Tengku : The people of Sabah have every right to request or demand for a higher oil royalty,the question is whether the Federal Government is prepared to oblige.

Ronnie : Tengku,allow me to sidetrack my next question away from the oil royalty issue.The upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election has now been fixed by the Election Commission.Nomination will be on the 17th.April while Polling has been fixed on the 25th.April,2010.In your opinion,how would you rate the chances of UMNO/BN and the Opposition?

Tengku : The Hulu Selangor by-election will not be easy for Barisan National.PKR will draw support if it's Malay candidate is good.Barisan National will not get the support from the Malays.

With that I concluded the interview.

Have the people of Sabah been betrayed by the greed and arrogance of the past Chief Ministers of Sabah? Will Sabahans finally decide what is important and what rightfully belongs to them or will Sabahans still continue to allow the crooks that walk the corridors of power to dictate and decide the fate of Sabahans at their own desecration?

I also attended the talk by Tengku Razaleigh themed "Minyak Sabah Untuk Siapa" which was organised by the Sabah Dusun Association and the Persatuan Bloggers Sabah at the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Hall in Penampang,Sabah.Ironically,the same Tengku Razaleigh that was so fiery and vocal in his speeches in Kelantan recently about how Kelantan was short changed,wasn't the same person.

The presence of "fully armed" police personnel at the venue was also mind boggling.Did the police special branch or UMNO play a role in toning down Tengku's "NO HOLDS BARRED" fiery readiness to expose the truth? Was Tengku Razaleigh going to disclose the truth of what actually transpired in his last conversation with Tun Fuad Stephens?Was there a hidden hand that prevented him from telling the truth?

What was hoped to be an eventful talk and dialogue about the oil royalty by Ku Li turned out to be mere rhetoric and a shamble due to poor turnout. It was not too well-organised - publicity materials were unseen,other then the banner located at the entrance of the Building,which was too small,that one needed a magnifying glass to read it's contents.To those that did attend,it was a wasted and frustrating night for many,as visibly seen by the disgruntled faces.

Nonetheless, it was a daring effort, and hopefully we can see some improvement in the near future

Dr Mahathir regrets bringing Umno to Sabah

2010-03-31T20:57:00.006+08:00

This story and more in http://freemalaysiatoday.com

KOTA KINABALU: Has Sabah Umno now become a liability and did former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad eventually regret taking the party to Sabah?
According to PKR chief of Sabah and Sarawak, Dr Jeffrey Kittingan, Mahathir had his regrets.
"After I was released from detention (under the Internal Security Act), I was brought to his ( Mahathir's) office.
"During our conversation, he told me he actually regretted bringing Umno to Sabah, because its leaders only cared about themselves and not the party," said Jeffrey.
Jeffrey said he had asked Mahathir why was it so difficult to disband the party in Sabah, and Mahathir told him he could not do so because of "maruah (pride)".
"Since Mahathir cannot take Umno back to the Peninsula, the people of Sabah should send Umno back to the Peninsula," said Jeffrey when officiating at the opening of PKR Kota Kinabalu division AGM at its office here. Also present were PKR Sabah chairman Ahmad Thamrin and deputy president-cum-Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew.
The opposition leader, whose brother Joseph Pairin Kittingan is Sabah deputy chief minister, called on Sabahans to give Pakatan Rakyat the next five-year mandate to help change the fate of Sabah.
"After so many years and until today, even after PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) rejoined the Barisan Nasional, nothing has changed," he said.
He recalled that Pairin had told him once that the purpose of joining the BN was so "it would be easier for us to solve all problems like the illegal immigrants, poverty and so on".
"He told me this then. But after so many years, have they solved the illegal immigrant problem … the poverty problem?
"Poverty has become even bigger. Sabah is now the second poorest state in the country with the largest poorest population.
"Recently there was a news report quoting a state deputy chief minister as saying the poverty rate in Sabah has dropped by 7%. Do you believe this?
"If all the prices of goods have increased but the salary remains the same, is this possible? There are actually more poor people in Sabah now than the last two years."
He said despite a whole series of operations against illegal immigrants, nothing has actually changed and the problem remained unsolved.
Even the increase in allocations from the federal government to Sabah from RM2.7 billion to RM20 billion has made little difference, he said.
"What do we see from this (RM20 billion)? Maybe we see a little bit (development) here and there but the question is, where did the money go… I believe you all know where," he said.
He said if the opposition parties did not keep a careful watch "I believe all the development allocation would go into the pockets of the Barisan Nasional leaders".
"So we need to take away the Barisan Nasional fixed deposit because we do not actually gain any 'interest' from it... transfer the fixed deposit to Pakatan Rakyat and you will get your rightful 'interest'," he said.

Musa locks horns with Shafie Apdal

2010-03-31T20:45:00.005+08:00

This story and more in http://freemalaysiatoday.com/

KOTA KINABALU: A recent heated exchange between two top Sabah leaders is being viewed as a proxy fight between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin.

In the table-thumping incident, Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman and Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal had reportedly locked horns right under Muhyiddin's nose.

Shafie, the MP from Sabah's east coast district of Semporna, is Sabah's first Umno vice-president and is seen as a blue-eyed boy of the prime minister.

Lately, local Umno circles have been spreading the word that Musa, who has been able to keep his influence as the state Umno liason chief, could be moved to the national capital in the next general election.

When Muhyiddin made an official three-day visit two weeks ago on the heels of Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam's trip to Sabah, he had officiated a meeting of Umno leaders.

Verbal tiff linked to allocations

According to Umno leaders present at the closed-door meeting, a discussion on federal government allocations for rural development sparked off the heated argument between Musa and Shafie.

Those present claimed that Musa had insisted that all federal allocations channelled through Shafie's ministry this year, should go through the state government.

They said Shafie however stood firm that federal allocations should be managed by his ministry as the state government had its own allocations for rural development.

The standoff, they said, led to Musa and Shafie banging the table to emphasise their points with Muhyiddin paying more attention to Musa's argument.

This set Umno tongues wagging that the deputy prime minister was supporting Musa against Shafie, who is said to be in line for the chief minister's post.

The feud between Musa and Shafie over Sabah Umno divisions is a well known story in local political circles.

During the last Umno division elections two years ago, Musa's supporters openly backed candidates who contested against leaders linked to Shafie.

The latest incident between the chief minister and the Umno vice-president has taken a different turn and is now being interpreted as a proxy fight between the premier and his deputy in preparation for next year's Umno elections.

The Musa-Shafie feud is seen by some observers as a tussle for the control of money flowing from Kuala Lumpur to strengthen their hold in Umno divisions in Sabah through the allocation of projects.

Musa is seen as the richest Umno leader in Sabah with his hold on the state coffers, timber concessions and state projects, while Shafie has been trying to gain ground with the latest allocations for rural development in Sabah.

Sabah, with the second largest number of delegates in the country to the Umno assembly, could well provide a turning point for the national leadership.

Axis being formed?

For quite some time now Musa, who has been chief minister for over five years, has been strengthening his grip on the party.

Some Umno members have been complaining that they are not receiving a fair share of state allocations through Musa as they are identified as supporters of his rival.

They described Musa as a shrewd businessman-politician and Shafie cannot not match him when it comes to using projects and money to keep power.

So when news of the table-thumping incident leaked, rumours begin to circulate that Musa was on his way out.

The talk in Sabah political circles is that Muhyiddin, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Higher Education Minister Khalid Nordin are forming an axis to test the political waters against the camp of Najib and his cousin Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

Since Umno's entry into Sabah in 1990, the party's delegates have played a role as to how proxy fights at the national level could turn.

When former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad backed the late Ghafar Baba for the Umno deputy presidency, 14 Umno divisions led by Shafie's uncle Sakaran Dandai turned the tables on him.

They sent a memorandum supporting Anwar Ibrahim forcing Mahathir to drop his support for Ghafar.

Majimbun: I am ready to vacate my MP seat...

2010-03-30T11:25:00.005+08:00

This story and more in http://freemalaysiatoday.com/

KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah opposition member of Parliament is ready to quit his seat provided the Barisan Nasional government amends the federal and state constitutions to allow elected representatives who resign to re-contest or defend their seat in by-election or elections.

The Sepanggar MP was responding to a challenge by a state BN official to vacate his seat and defend it in a by-election.

Eric Majimbun said it would be even better if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak called for the dissolution of Parliament to pave way for a general elections.

"Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman can also obtain the consent of the Yang Dipertua Negeri to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly to also pave the way for a State election," the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president told FMT.

He said the constitutions at the moment made it difficult for him to re-contest the seat as it disqualifies MPs or assemblymen for five years if they resign their seats.

Article 17(5) of the Sabah constitution provides that an elected member who resigns his membership of the legislative assembly shall be disqualified from contesting for five years from the date of resignation.

Sepanggar BN coordinating chief Jumat Idris over the weekend challenged the MP from the opposition party to vacate his parliamentary seat and defend it in a by-election.

Speaking at a Juara Rakyat gathering here Sunday, Jumat challenged Majimbun to quit yesterday and have a `replay of the March 8, 2008 election in Sepanggar.

Dissolve Parliament

The BN chief claimed that Sepanggar is the national coalition's stronghold.
"SAPP should stop dreaming of winning the seat again. They won before as their party was then still with BN. It will not be easy for SAPP through Datuk Eric Majimbun to win Sepanggar again," Jumat said.

Majimbun thanked Jumat for his timely proposal that elected representatives go back to the people for a fresh mandate.

"As the coordination chief for Sepanggar BN, it is for Jumat Idris to make his dream come true to be a Yang Berhormat. He should also call on BN leaders to amend the State and Federal Constitutions so as not to restrict any MPs from re-contesting in by-elections," Majimbun added.

He said Jumat should also call on Raymond Tan Shu Kiah (Tanjong Papat) and Au Kam Wah (Elopura) to resign from their respective state seats.The two assemblymen won their respective seats on SAPP-BN ticket in the 12th general election.

"Better still, If my good friend (Jumat) is a true statesman, he can always instruct his fellow BN leaders or himself to call on Prime Minister Najib to dissolve Parliament.

"Let there be a general elections for BN to go back to the people for a fresh mandate. Be my guest, Jumat can contest Sepanggar," he added.

Majimbun also said that BN leaders had, for too long, been trying to hoodwink the people with sweet talk and empty promises.

"BN should solve the major problems in Sabah … the explosive increase in population (due to the influx of illegal immigrants) and uplift the living standards of the people.
"Return the rights and power to the people of Sabah as promised by leaders during the formation of Malaysia. Sabahans are now only used as a tool by the federal government as fixed deposit in order to re-colonise Sabah." he said.

Ex-Minister dies

2010-03-23T11:31:00.004+08:00

Bernama today reported that Former Federal Agriculture Minister Tan Sri Sulaiman Daud passed away today at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital after a long illness.

He was 77.

KLH director Datuk Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain said Sulaiman died at 8.10am and his remains had been taken to his home at 61, Lorong Lai Tet Lok Satu, off Jalan Gurney, here.

Sulaiman, who turned 77 on March 4, leaves behind four children, sons Mahathir and Azman and daughters Norshida and Zelda Raha.

His wife, Puan Sri Naemah Hasbi died on March 26, 2005 of lung cancer.

Sulaiman, who was a former vice-president of Sarawak's Parti Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB) and a former Member of Parliament for Petra Jaya, had held various federal ministerial posts.

He was first appointed Federal Territory Minister on March 19, 1981. He also served as the Minister of Education (from 1981 to 1984 and from 1991 to 1995), Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (1984 to 1986), Minister of Land and Regional Development (1986 to 1989), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (1989 to 1990), Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (1990 to 1991) and, finally, as the Minister of Agriculture (1995 to 1999).

The Kuching-born Sulaiman held a PhD in dentistry from the University of Otago, New Zealand, and had served as a dentist with the Sarawak government and the Brunei Medical Department in the 1960's.

SHATTERED HOPES AND BROKEN DREAMS

2010-03-18T09:56:00.003+08:00

L-R, Dr, Nicholas Bawin of Sarawak, P. Waythayamoorty, Chairman Hindraf movement, Labour party MP, Virenda Sharma, and Daniel John Jambun of Sabah.

SHATTERED HOPES

AND

BROKEN DREAMS

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Memorandum on the Fate of Sabah

in the Malaysian Federation

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Presented by DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN, Esq.

At the House of Commons, London, the United Kingdom

March 9, 2010

Good afternoon all Honourable Members of the House, ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, I would like to record our most sincere gratitude having been given this honour of presenting this memorandum before this esteemed House. Today, marks a moment of honour for the people of Sabah, the former North Borneo, for having been accorded this rare opportunity to present a Memorandum a matter of grave significance, a matter which affect our fate as the people of the Federation of Malaysia. We see this as a historical event, a moment granted by God’s grace, in which we can communicate under this honourable roof, to reminisce a milestone of history half a century ago which was followed by sad events that in too many instances happened with numerous misgivings.

For decades now, we the people of Sabah, have been haunted by ghosts of history dating back to August 31, 1963, the day we gained independence from Great Britain. Malaysia was conceptualised and constituted with the best of promises, endearing in us hopes and dreams for a greater future. It is with sadness that I stand here to witness that what had transpired since September 16, 1963 had been a series of events that had led us to the present situation in which we can justly proclaim to be a situation of shattered hopes and broken dreams!

We therefore stand before this House, in good faith, to seek redress and to appeal for an inclusive dialogue, which we hope will lead to a clearer and brighter tomorrow to all parties concerned. I seek the indulgence of this House to hear our side of the story and adjudge the events of the past with a clear conscience and a sympathetic eye, and to lend us a hand in seeking a just and righteous solution to our problem.

I would like to present three pertinent issues, which may or may not have direct concern of the present British government. Firstly, we need to take a critical review of the rationales and instruments for the formation of Malaysia. There is the nagging question of justice in the drafting of the critical Malaysia Agreement, the efficiency and integrity off the Cobbold Commission, the reliability of the promises of the Twenty Points, the Inter governmental Committee Report and the Malaysian Act, historical documents which must be familiar to the knowledge of the Honourable Lawmakers in this House. Secondly, is the perennial issue of security which now affect the sovereignty of Sabah within Malaysia. And thirdly is the case of the spiraling deterioration in the economic wellbeing of the people of Sabah.

Sabah’s Expectations of Malaysia vs Reality and the Malaysian Agreement

The facts of history is that Sabah, a former British colony, achieved its independence on August 31st, 1963. On September 16, 1963, it merged with Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak to form the Federation of Malaysia on terms agreed by all parties. The concept of merger and equal partnership was introduced by Tunku Abdul Rahman to allay fears in Sabah and Sarawak of the possibility of Malaya recolonizing them upon the departure of the British masters.

The terms of this Federation are contained in various documents such as the Twenty Points, the IGC report and of course the Malaysia Agreement, which on paper protected the interests of Sabah and Sarawak within this new Federation so that they do not lose their autonomy in certain areas of governance which gave meanings and substances to their independence.

Without doubt, this was the expressed hope of the founding fathers, principally Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia; Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Donald Stephens and Mustapha Harun of Sabah, Stephen Kalong Ningkan of Sarawak, etc. Independent speeches were delivered by various leaders including Razak, Tun Mustapha, Donald Stephens and Sir William Goode to during the historic celebration of Sabah’s nationhood. I present several quotes from them below:

Today, is a historic day for Sabah. It marks the beginning of self-government and independence and the end of colonialism.

– Sir William Goode, outgoing Governor of North Borneo

(Sabah Times, Jesselton, August 1, 1963)

The Tunku naturally uttered several historic statements on the matter:

“The granting of self-government too would enable Sabah to stand on its own feet as equal with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore.”

(Sabah Times, Jesselton, August 30th, 1963)

“The important aspects of the Malaysia Ideal, as I see it, is that it will enable the Borneo territories to transform their present colonial status to ‘self government’ for themselves and absolute independence in Malaysia simultaneously...”

“The days of imperialism are gone and it is not the intention of Malaya to perpetuate or revive them. When the Borneo territories become part of Malaysia, they will cease to be a colony of Malaya, they will be partners of equal status, no more or less than the other States.”

(Strait Times, October 2nd 1962) The “other States” refer to the other States entities of Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak.”

Today, more than forty six years after independence, the people of Sabah are asking what happened to these rosy pronouncements and assurances. In fact the Sabahans have always been seriously clarification as to why Sabah is now functioning as if it is only a colony of Kuala Lumpur. Many still remember the warnings given by former Indonesian president Sukarno, who said that Malaysia will not change colonialism but will only shift its headquarters from London to Kuala lumpur. Has Sukarno’s prophecy come true today?

Tunku Abdul Rahman kept assuring us that Sabah was now independent; that it was no longer a colony and that Sabah will have its” absolute independence” in Malaysia. What Tunku Abdul Rahman said was exactly what we expected Sabah to gain and benefit from being part of the Federation, i.e. being a fully autonomous state within the Federation. But contrary to that promise, the reality today is that Sabah has become the 12th state of Malaya. Federal government leaders, dominated by Malayans, today can arbitrarily change, at their whims and fancies, whatever they wish to suit their needs and convenience. They even ignored the Twenty Points and the Malaysia Agreement and made it sensitive to even talk about them.

The Problem of the Illegal and Legalised Immigrants in Sabah

About half of Sabah’s population of 3.25 million today are foreigners. Out of this number, 750,000 are undocumented or without travel documents or work passes. Dr Chong Eng Leong paper, “Human Rights and Citizenship: Its impact on Economics, Social and Cultural Rights,” presented at the SUHAKAM Roundtable Discussion on July 31, 2006 refers.

Of these, 60,000 are categorized as refugees and about 153,000 to 418,000 are those supposedly given work passes. In addition there are those with false documents but over and above these numbers are the 600,000 who have been given genuine Malaysian identity cards or MyKads by higher authority under “Projek IC Mahathir” (Dr. Chong Eng Leong, Ibid.)

The most serious and obvious injustices inflicted upon Sabah is the deployment of non-citizen to become voters, thereby depriving citizens of the right to democracy and self-determination. The main category of foreign voters comprise the 600,000 who have been given Mykads, under “Projek IC Mahathir.” This project was widely debated in the local papers in 2006. A witness to a trial on an election dispute confessed in court to possessing a dubious identity card, telling the magistrate that he obtained his IC through “Projek President Mahathir.” This evidence was never contested, and nor has there been any denial form the former Prime Minister.

Security and Sovereignty

Most of these foreigners come from a neighbouring country (the Philippines) which, incidently, has yet to drop its territorial claim over Sabah. By the sheer number of the illegals from the Philippines alone, with their settlements surrounding all the major cities and towns, this claim could be easily legitimized. Sabah is now a haven for escaping terrorists, rebels and kidnappers. JI or Jemaah islamiyah, a terror network, has been identified as having its presence in Sabah. So is Darul Islam Sabah. Hence, with the presence of armed foreigners on our soil, Sabah is no longer a secure state.

This begs the question: Where is the security that the founding fathers of Malaysia had promised us? With the explicit support of Great Britain, we had been hard-pressed to join in the formation of Malaysia, in the name of security from Indonesia’s Confrontation and Phillippines’ claim. But as it turned out, today Brunei, which opted out following a rebellion, and Singapore which was later expelled, are doing so much better. There is therefore no denying that Brunei had been far-sighted, and Singapore had been ironically blessed by its expulsion.

Reverse Take Over

As the number of non-citizens are now rapidly outnumbering the local population in some areas (Dr Jeffery Kitingan, Justice for Sabah, Table 4.1), it is merely a matter of time for this foreign population to spread and overwhelm the whole of Sabah. SUHAKAM’s former Commissioner, Prof. Hamdan Adnan, once said that a foreigner reverse takeover is imminent if the trend continues unabated.

Poverty

Sabah is a rich state endowed with much natural resources such as oil and gas, timber, fertile agricultural land and tourism potentials. With a population of just about three million, Sabah offers abundant promises for vibrant economic development and enviable prosperity. Unfortunately, Sabah today is the poorest state in Malaysia (according to the government’s Malaysia Plan Report). Most of Sabah’s timber has already been harvested without any heed to sustainable supply management, and over eighty percent of the agricultural land develop for oil palm belong to corporate giants owned by west Malaysian companies. Ironically, Sabah is Malaysia’s largest oil palm producer with 60% of the nation’s palm oil being produced in Sabah. Sabah is also one of three Malaysia’s oil producing states, producing more than 73,000 barrels of crude petroleum per day. Why then is Sabah poor and financially dependent on the federal government? The answer is simple: It is either that Sabah is not getting its fair share of its own wealth or is the victim of mismanagement, or both. UNDP (United Nation Development Program) put the State poverty rate at 24.3% of the population.

Poorest State

Sabah, once the richest state in Malaysia, is now the poorest. Most of the poor are Natives in the rural areas, including paddy farmers, fishermen and smallholders. The state government of Sabah has one of the highest budget deficit in the country amounting RM252.89 million (2006). With a population of 3.25 million, its per capita income currently stands at RM9,536 compared to RM18,040 for Malaysia. This show a huge disparity with Sabah’s per capita income way, way below the national standard. Where do our riches go to? To be exact: to the Federal Government. Sabah can never be rich as long as our State cake” is continuously divided into thirteen.

Oil Revenue

Oil and gas belong to the state but in 1976 the federal government made the state surrender this state resource to a central government agency, PETRONAS. It is said that that the “Double Six” Tragedy (airplane crash at Sembulan which killed senior Sabah cabinet members, including the then Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens, the former Donald Stephens) was the result of the refusal by Stephens to sign away Sabah’s oil right in Labuan then. Soon after Tun Fuad’s funeral, Harris Salleh signed the agreement. In return the state gets only 5% of the oil revenue. Why? Why do we get only 5% of the revenue from oil, when in the first place, it is a state resource? Who gets the other 95%? How much revenue earnings have been generated from Sabah’s oil and gas, including their by-products?

Felda and Felcra

Land given out to Felda and Felcra by the State Government for the purpose of development assistance to the landless local was never implemented. According to the former Chief Minister, Harris Salleh, 300,000 hectares have been given to Felda/Felcra for this purpose. We know of no one Sabahan having benefited, although perhaps there may be a few. So who are the rest of the beneficiaries? Who is reaping the oil palm harvest from our land? Obviously, justice must be served. And these lands must revert back to the State Government and their utilisation reviewed as part of our economic revival and poverty eradication programmes.

Political

The enormous political implications of the non-citizens currently holding citizens’ identity cards are mind boggling. It is frightening to contemplate the ramifications of the fact that they can vote, as they have been recruited and mobilised by certain political leaders in the BN (the Barisan Nasional or National Front) ruling coalition. In fact most of these “voters for hire” have been recruited as members of UMNO (the United Malay National Organisation), the backbone of the BN.

Even a fellow BN member had openly admitted that illegals could be in BN parties. Chin Su Ling, Youth Chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, a component of the BN said there is a possibility that many illegal immigrants have become members of various BN component Sabah. (Borneo Post, Tuesday, September 19th, 2006). These foreigners may just be “voters for hire” at present but once they can organize themselves, they could be in a position to control Sabah UMNO and elect their own representatives into the State Assembly and Parliament. Once this is achieved they could take over the government and change the rules of the game in their favour. This is not impossible.

How did Sabah’s population grow so fast? Are we more fertile than Sarawak or the peninsular? NO! The high growth in Sabah’s population is explained by the high arrivals of foreigners, many of whom were later exploited to become voters through the “Project IC.” Worse, these foreigners who obtained MyKads through the backdoor also claim to be Bumiputeras (sons of the soil). They are in fact The New Bumiputeras! These new “natives” are now the same number as the natives!

Source of Socio-economic Problems

This large foreign population in Sabah also presents a heavy drain on the economy and social services fund. One estimate puts this cost to the State between RM271 million to RM811 million a year. They also take away from the local quota for education in schools and institutions of higher learning. They use a lot of medical facilities and health care services and encroach onto natives lands, producing squatter colonies. They also rely on low cost housing schemes provided by the government. They are also involved in drugs. According to the police, 90% of drugs are from the Philippines. They steal water and electricity through illegal connections and pollute the environment. Employment wise, many illegals are now running taxis, mini buses as drivers.

“The illegal immigrants are the mother of all problems in Sabah” – Dato Bakri Zinin . High ranking Police Officer, Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur

Conclusion

The root cause of Sabah's dilemma is the fact that the Inter-Governmental Committee Report had failed to ensure Malaysian Government compliance with the Malaysia Agreement on a continuous basis. Various ‘modification’ and ‘adjustments’ had been surreptitiously inserted into the national governance mechanism which had trapped us into subservience and compliance and in the process eroding much of our rights and privileges.

The IGC must be revived and the United Kingdom, along with Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya (the Federal Government), must play an active role as sympathetic and just former master to institute effective and enduring rectifications. This is the least that we can ask for. This is also the way forward. The United Kingdom is the first stop in our mission to revive the IGC. Efforts are also being made at this material time in Kuala Lumpur by Dr Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan, the chairman of the Common Interest Group Malaysia (Cigma) to seek the same redress and review of the terms of independence And formation of the Federation of Malaysia. Likewise we are mobilising a similar mission to Singapore prior to seeking a dialogue with the Sabah and Sarawak State Governments on the same issue.

With respect and reverence we lay our hopes and desires before this honourable House for a redirection of the negative trends that beset us in Borneo, in the full confidence that a vehicle to the future can be chartered for justice and truth, to pick up the pieces of the shattered hopes and broken dreams.

Thank you.

Change the shirt (Tukar baju)

2010-03-16T10:20:00.002+08:00

Change the shirt

Tue, 16 Mar 2010

By Phlip Rodrigues, Managing Editor of http://freemalaysiatoday.com

COMMENT

After nearly 50 years in Malaysia, Sabah is not a story that has a happy ring to it. It is still a backward state; in fact, it remains one of the poorest in the country. The gulf that separates the "land below the wind" from the peninsula is as wide and deep as the South China Sea.Let's take a walk down history lane. In the early years, politics over there had a laid-back quality. After the northern Bornean state joined Malaysia in 1963, Sabah was ruled by a succession of parties -- the United National Kadazan Organisation (1963-64); the Sabah Chinese Association (1965-67); United Sabah National Organisation (1967-75), which continued to hold power until 1976; and the shortlived reign of Berjaya (44 days). Then a new leader named Datuk Harris Salleh helmed Berjaya and went on to govern the state from 1976 to 1985.

It was during Harris' watch that politics took a turbulent turn and Sabah was never the same again. Harris grew increasingly autocratic and arrogant and thought the sky would not fall on him. But one man in his ruling party had had enough of his antics. The rebel: Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

Pairin quit Berjaya and formed Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to challenge Harris. But "dirty" Harris went ballastic – he immediately abolished Pairin's district of Tambunan. This audacious act got the people all riled up and they finally threw him out of office when he clashed with Pairin in the 1985 state election.

When Pairin was in the driver's seat, his nine years in power as Chief Minister were anything but peaceful. He was in an uneasy partnership with the BN coalition. Dark forces in the form of Umno overlords were already preparing to get rid of this upstart Huguan Siou (paramount chief of the Kadazandusun).

When Pairin took the bold step to pull out of the coalition to join forces with a prince named Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Umno declared open warfare on him. It marched into Sabah on a spurious invitation of self-interested allies and promised the people a Sabah Baru in its strategy to wrest control of the state.

In the 1994 state polls, PBS managed to ward off the bullies but fell on the sword when PBS assemblymen defected to the other side. Pairin spent his time in the political wilderness while Umno and the band of PBS traitors gripped the levels of power firmly.

There was bad blood between Pairin and the man who was mostly responsible for grounding the state to dust – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The doctor held the favourite son of Sabah and his Kadazandusuns in utter contempt, describing his state as Malaysia's "Wild West". He went all-out to diminish their influence by changing the electoral boundaries to give the Muslims a dominant hold on power. It was nothing short of the colonisation of Sabah.

The KL strongman even threatened to cut off funds to the state, prompting Pairin to retort: "You can criticise America for imposing sanctions on Iraq but you should not impose sanctions on one of your own states."

There was no stopping the devious machination of the federal leaders. They introduced the politics of development, pouring funds to develop this economic backwater. To soothe the ruffled feelings of the non-Muslims, it rotated the chief ministership post. This Sabah Baru gambit paid off handsomely – the haughty coalition won convincingly in the 1999 state election.

Even the Huguan Siou was shaken by the massive BN victory. For him, there was only one way out – and that was to join the BN boys. He was admitted to the graft-ridden club – and has ever since remained docile, quiet, obedient.

Meanwhile, the BN juggernaut went about with its destructive ways. Emboldened by the solid mandate, it scrapped the rotating chief ministership to ensure that only Umno is in control. It even allotted to itself half of the state assembly seats (32 out of 60), while relegating the others to the background.

The greedy, grasping centre implemented several policies designed to strip the state of its wealth and make it beholden to Kuala Lumpur. They "annexed" Labuan on the pretext it wanted to help ease the financial burden of administering the island. They made it a federal territory without paying the state a single sen. They packed most of the top posts in the federal departments with civil servants from the peninsula. And they made sure that big businesses went mostly to peninsula-based companies.

Even in education, there was a whiff of perfidy – Sabah found that it could not call Universiti of Malaysia Sabah its own when it was built on its soil. Its students made up less than half of the student population, with the majority of them from Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

The biggest blow was dealt when Sabah, a resource-rich state, found itself deprived of oil and gas wealth. The ravenous federal masters decided that oil did not belong to the state but to Malaysia. So, you must share your oil with the big peninsular brothers. In return for giving up its rights to the oil and gas, the state received a paltry royalty (five percent or RM351 million annually).

Once considered the second richest behind Selangor, Sabah has fallen on hard times: its poverty rate is now 16 percent. The RM19 billion allocated to the state under the Ninth Malaysia Plan was regarded as mere pittance – it formed only 8% of the national budget.

All these years, the big brothers have been riding roughshod over Sabah although they couched their cold treatment in the guise of national unity. Even after getting battered in 2008, and were luckily saved by the voters of Sabah, the previous flip-flop regime continued to give the state the cold shoulder.

Today, there are signs of restlessness in Sabah. We are not surprised. The rumblings of discontent and anger are getting louder and louder. We can feel it. In haste, federal leaders have been making quick trips to Sabah to show their phony concern. But the people over there know that the politics of development – exploiting natural resources, buying votes, under-representing the majority – has failed, and failed miserably.

New forces have reshaped the political life of the country and one slogan may triumph in Sabah, come the next battle – takaron bankad. It's "change the shirt". Change the shirt because the current government is not looking after the interest of the Sabahans.

The Federation of Malaysia

2010-03-11T19:51:00.003+08:00

A federation in name only
Reported on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 HERE http://freemalaysiatoday.com

By Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

Malaysia was formed in 1963, when the eleven states of the previous Malayan Federation came together with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore to create the Federation of Malaysia.

Federalism is a system of government in which legislative power is divided between a central or federal legislature and a number of state legislatures. Both levels of government derive their authority from a written constitution.

Unlike in a unitary state, sovereignty in a federal state is decentralized. Thus the rights of citizens are secured at two levels, federal and state. In Malaysia, federation was a way to accommodate the different histories and pre-existing sovereignty of the member states of the federation.

Federalism is a way of dividing and sharing power. In the system envisaged in our constitution, this division and sharing of power is part of a system of checks and balances meant to protect the rights and freedoms of our citizens.

The separation of powers between the judiciary, the legislature and the executive are part of that complex interlocking system.

People often remark at how complex this country is, made up as we are of a patchwork of ethnicities and religions. But we are also complex in our political history.

The nine sultanates of peninsular Malaysia, did not suddenly acquire their sovereignty upon the Federation Agreement of 1948. Instead it is by their voluntary coming together in that agreement that the federal authority was created.

Federal sovereignty and authority, although wider than that of the member states, is derived from the prior sovereignty of the states. In the nine sultanates of the peninsula, for example, we had sovereign states before we had a federation, and before the various forms of colonial rule.

The federation derives it powers by the voluntary and binding agreement of the
states, not the other way around. This conviction was well tested in the way the
Malayan Union proposal was rejected.

Thus we had an auspicious start as a country, because our political arrangement guaranteed our rights within a system that reflected and protected our cultural and historical diversity. Federalism provides for the right measure of local autonomy.

Decision-making, particularly about the allocation of resources, could be made in a way that more closely reflected the interests of people on the ground, that is to say, more efficiently.

This system did was not born overnight. The sovereignty of our member states is hundreds of years old. Our constitution was established on an 800 year old tradition of constitutional law. These are solid foundations for constitutional democracy.

If Malaya were not already a federation, Sabah and Sarawak would not have come together with us to form Malaysia in 1963. Federation is the only political basis on which Malaysia is a viable political venture.

Restating foundational truths In present company these facts must seem so well-established that I hope you will forgive me if I come across as stating the obvious. Today we find ourselves in the position of having to state and re-statefoundational truths about our country.

As a country we have come unmoored from our foundations in constitutionalism and federalism. We are now, for most intents and purposes, a federation in name only.

The central government hands out allocations that belong by right to the states as if these were gifts from on high. State governments are starved of resources, particularly if they are governed by the Opposition. How has this happened?

We have undergone two and a half decades in which, while hard infrastructure has sprung up everywhere, the deep infrastructure of the constitution has suffered great
damage. Our federal arrangements provide for a fine balance between state and federal powers which provide multiple levels of assurance for the rights of citizens.

That balance has been removed as power has been concentrated in the federal government. Within the federal government that power has come to be centralized in the executive. In the executive, that power is concentrated in the hands of the prime minister.

This forum addresses the question "should states be given more power?", but really what needs to be done is to restore the constitutional rights of the states first.

The constitutional rights of the states are clearly violated in the way petroleum profits are being distributed and managed.

The federal government says Kelantan and Terengganu have no right to the "cash payments" agreed between the states and Petronas. These denials have been published in the newspapers and are repeated by official representatives of the government.

The full implications of their denial are not trivial. The federal government's authority over these resources, as in all other things, is an authority derived from the original
sovereignty of the states.

By the Federation Agreement of 1948, the states of the Malayan peninsula came voluntarily into a federation and created a common federal government. As part of that agreement, the federal government had jurisdiction over waters beyond three nautical miles. The states had jurisdiction within three nautical miles.

Oil had not been discovered in Malaya at the time. Had it been found, however, anything within three nautical miles would have belonged in its entirety to the state, and anything beyond that to the federal government. In 1974, we formed Petronas as a common trust between the federal and state governments for all petroleum found anywhere in Malaysia, onshore or offshore.

We did this by persuading the states governments, one by one, to vest their entire rights and claims to petroleum, onshore or offshore, in perpetuity to Petronas. The federal government did the same.

By design, this obliterated any considerations of whether the oil was found within or beyond three or 12 nautical miles. So long as Malaysia had any share in the oil, the profits would be divided between the federal government and the relevant state government according to a simple formula: five percent to each.

That series of vestings was secured through deeds signed according to the Petroleum Development Act. As the founding chairman of Petronas I signed these deeds with each chief minister and with the federal government.

Selective denial of fund.

The federal government's refusal to pay Kelantan, and it's arbitrary treatment of Terengganu's oil money – on and off according to whether the state was in Opposition hands—is in violation of a solemn contract, sealed in an Act of Parliament, between the state governments and Petronas.

The federal government is reneging on a contract and in contempt of Parliament. Its attitude to these oil payments is transparently based on one criterion: those states whose legislatures are not controlled by Barisan Nasional are denied payment.

This practice punishes citizens for their choice of state government. This is an attack on the right of the people to choose their own government within our system of parliamentary democracy. Oil payments are just one form of selective denial of funds to the states.

Putrajaya behaves as if we are a unitary state and not a federation. Ironically we have become in practice the Malayan Union which an earlier generation resisted and defeated.

The autonomy of the states, their rights to development and to the husbandry of their own resources, and the proper role of the rulers and the way in which religion is governed in public life are displaced in favour of increasingly centralized and absolute power.

This is unconstitutional and must be resisted with just as much vigour as we resisted the Malayan Union. Malaysia is not viable in the long run as a unitary state.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is Umno's MP for Gua Musang.

These remarks were made at 'Conversations on the Constitution - Federal–State Relations: Should states be given more power?' which was organised
by the Constitutional Law Committee, Bar Council of Malaysia on March 11,
2010.

Pairin stays as PBS chief

2010-03-08T22:11:00.002+08:00

Pairin retirement delayed by PBS power-struggle?

This story from http://freemalaysiatoday.com

KOTA KINABALU: Former Chief Minister and Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan is doing his best to head off a looming vacuum and tussle for his post in the party.
The 70-year-old Huguan Siou (paramount leader of the Kadazandusun community) reaffirmed this week that he has no intention of stepping down from his political posts as yet.

He told reporters that he would embrace retirement "when the time comes".

"The (party) struggle will continue. I will do my part and contribute as much as I can. I don't want to go on forever.

"Sooner or later, I will have to say bye-bye lah, but as long as I'm able to contribute and work with others, I will do so… even after retirement... put it that way."

He was speaking to reporters at a special event honouring him called "Colloquium of Thinking and Struggle of Datu Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan" held in conjunction with PBS' 25th anniversary celebrations.

The colloquium was attended by the party's deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili who is seen as waiting in the wings to take over from the reportedly ailing leader.

Considered something of a hero in his stronghold of Tambunan where he has been assemblyman for more than three decades, Pairin, despite his ouster from power in 1994, commands the utmost respect among the community's elders.

It is a reverence which makes him untouchable within and outside the party though younger Kadazandusuns may have different political views.

Pairin was in fact rudely challenged by Maximus' older brother Victor in 2006 to quit his position and make way for younger leaders.

Maximus supporters fear a drifting away of the younger generation from the party to other community-based political parties.

Since returning to the BN fold in 2002, Pairin has largely been outshone on the community stage by his former party colleague Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, the president of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation.

"The younger generation find people like Dompok more vocal in articulating the frustrations of Sabahans to the federal government," said an insider who requested anonymity.

Grand old man of politics

Maximus' supporters see him as the person to correct this shift in support from the party.

However, there is an emotional link to the PBS succession chain. Pairin's advisers and supporters believe his younger brother Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, the current PKR chief for Sabah and Sarawak, should be the obvious choice to take over the reigns of the party when Pairin retires.

According to their thinking, Jeffrey as a Tambunan leader should be next in line. Their argument is that as the birth place of PBS is Tambunan, it logically follows that its next leader should also be from Tambunan.

Tambunan is the place where the revolt of Sabahans began in the early 1980s against years of domination by non-Sabah leaders and interference in state affairs.

It began through Pairin and PBS and therefore its next leader should also be from among the community there. Who better than the brother of the Huguan Siou, is the argument his supporters put forward.

Pairin, to the people of Sabah, is the grand old man of politics who had seen it all. He had been at both sides of the political divide.

A lawyer by training, he began his political journey through Parti Berjaya in 1975 contesting the Tambunan seat in the state election the following year, the seat formerly occupied by Anthony Gibon. He has held the seat ever since.

When the Tun Fuad Stephens-led Berjaya Party toppled the USNO government, Pairin was made Assistant Minister to Chief Minister Harris Salleh (1976-1985). He was made a full minister (Local Government and Housing) less than a month later when Stephens perished in an aircraft crash at Sembulan in Kota Kinabalu on June 6, 1976.

He formed PBS and went on to topple Harris' Berjaya government in 1985. He was chief minister from 1985 until March 1994 before he was toppled by BN-inspired defections despite PBS winning the election.

Pairin recently came under attack by the opposition for allegedly being unable to handle the multiple tasks he is charged with. He was urged to vacate his Keningau parliamentary seat and duties as he was already staggering under the weight of holding two ministerial posts as Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development.

Maximus, the man in his shadow in the party, is currently high up in the Barisan Nasional hierarchy of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's government and is in his cabinet as Minister of Science,Technology and Innovation.

Younger brother Jeffrey

Harvard-educated Jeffrey is Pakatan Rakyat leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's handpicked PKR pointman in Sabah and Sarawak and charged with gearing up the two east Malaysian states for broad political and social reforms. It is an election platform on which he is hoping to woo the Sabah and Sarawak electorate to the opposition fold

He was detained in 1992 under the infamous Internal Security Act on suspicion of plotting to secede Sabah from the federation of Malaysia, but critics say he was just a political prisoner arrested by federal authorities out to topple the opposition PBS government.

Jeffrey's entry into PKR has not been smooth. He quit the post of vice-president last year but accepted to remain in the party as PKR chief for Sabah.

At the time, speculation was rife that PBS leaders, including Pairin, were trying to convince him to return to the BN fold through PBS.

Another Public Holiday for Sabah

2010-03-08T22:04:00.002+08:00

KOTA KINABALU: The official birthday of the Yang Dipertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah will now be celebrated on the first Saturday of October every year, State Secretary Datuk Sukarti Wakiman said Monday (Marcvh 8, 2010).

In a statement, he said the new official birthday was decided as the previous date of Sept 16 had been declared as Malaysia Day.

"In line with this change, the Yang Dipertua Negeri's official birthday for this year will celebrated be on Oct 2," he said.

-- This story from BERNAMA

Kalakau - BN loss, PKR gains

2010-03-06T19:34:00.005+08:00

KOTA KINABALU: Popular Sabah Dusun leader Datuk Kalakau Untol will be unveiled in the
coming days as the latest Barisan Nasional heavyweight to join PKR, bringing with him vast experience and the Dusun support for the party.

Kalakau, a former deputy labour minister in the BN-held state government, had resigned
from the ruling coalition and from all his posts in government-related agencies on Feb 18.

Immediately after his resignation, he had said that he would be focusing on supporting the policies of PKR but did not reveal any immediate plans to join any of the Pakatan parties.

"However, he has decided that he wants to join PKR. He will be officially unveiled as a new PKR man next week in Kuala Lumpur," a party insider told FMT.

"Kalakau's decision to join PKR is also due to his belief in PKR vice-president Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan as someone who can help change the situation in Sabah," added the insider who requested anonymity as the news of the new arrival has not been officially released yet.

Kalakau had submitted his membership form to party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in gathjering in his village in Tuaran last Sunday.

PKR leaders believe that Kalakau, 55, is a good catch for the party, given the latter's strong standing among the Dusun people. He is currently the president of United Sabah Dusun Association.

"While PKR is hit by the resignations of three elected representatives in the peninsula, the timing of Kalakau's entry into the party in Sabah, which is long considered BN-safe deposit state, is perfect," added the party insider.

The Dusun swing

Until his resignation from BN, Kalakau was the chairman of Superpanel (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary company of the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority, and a member of the Sabah Economic Development Corporation board of directors.

He had served as deputy labour minister from 1986 to 1990 and was United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Youth chief for 12 years from 1985.

Upon his resignation, former senator Kalakau claimed that state and federal leaders had appeared uncommitted in defending the state's rights.

Kalakau is expected to work closely with Jeffrey in consolidating the Kadazandusun support, especially among the Dusun voters, in the state for PKR. The Dusun voters are in a position to swing the votes in many seats in the state.

"The Dusuns are an important group of people who have long been marginalised by the BN. With Kalakau in PKR, they will have a strong voice in the party to represent their interests," added the party insider.

Kalakau joins a long line of ex-BN leaders to have joined PKR, among whom include Jeffrey, former Umno leader and cabinet member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and former MCA deputy president Datuk Chua Jui Ming.

SABAH BN's new line-up

2010-03-05T11:59:00.002+08:00

Sabah Barisan Nasional has revamped its state coordinating committees whose tour of duty is until May 15, 2011.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who is also the State BN Coordinating Chairman, said Kota Belud Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan had been appointed as State BN secretary in place of Bongawan State Assemblyman Datuk Karim Bujang.

Musa also announced the appointment of Tawau Umno vice-head Niezam Abu Bakar Titingan as the State BN executive secretary in place of former Bugaya State Assemblyman Datuk Basalie Abdul Hamid.

"I wish to thank Datuk Karim and Datuk Basalie who had made significant contributions when they were holding office in the State BN," he told reporters after the presentation of letters of appointment to the members of the new committee, here Thursday. This story from HERE

Earlier, Musa chaired a special meeting of the State BN Coordinating Committee.

Musa also announced a revamp of the divisional BN coordinating chairman following the withdrawal of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) from the BN.

Ten new faces received the appointment letters, including State Minister of Resource and Information Technology Development Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai for the Kota Kinabalu division in place of SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Sepanggar Umno head Jumat Idris for the Sepanggar division in place of the Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Majimbun, who is also SAPP deputy president, and Kemabong Assemblyman Datuk Rubin Balang for the Tenom division in place of State Deputy Speaker Datuk Frankie Chong, who is also SAPP vice-president.

Meanwhile, the Kudat division is chaired by the State Assistant Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Bolkiah Ismail, replacing former Pitas Assemblyman Datuk Masrani Parman. Beluran Umno head James Ratib is chairman of the Beluran BN, replacing former Sugut Assemblyman Datuk Surady Kayong, and Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department Datuk Nasrun Datu Mansur replaces former Silam MP Datuk Samsu Baharun as the Silam BN chairman.

Also appointed are the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk VK Liew for Sandakan BN, replacing the division's Umno head Tan Sri Ampong Puyung, State Umno deputy chairman Datuk Mohd Salleh Tun Said for the Kota Belud division in place of State Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Musbah Jamli.

State Rural Development Minister Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin for the Ranau division in place of State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun, and Sekong Assemblyman Datuk Shamsuddin Yahya for the Sandakan division in place of Batu Sapi Assemblyman Datuk Edmund Chung.

Ex-CM Salleh makes a comback

2010-03-05T11:48:00.006+08:00

Line clear for Salleh back into the system

As published HERE today

KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Salleh Tun Said is slowly being eased back into the centre of state politics.
Salleh, who lost favour with Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and was dropped as a BN candidate in the last election, was today given the influential post of Kota Belud BN division chief.
Salleh was earlier this year appointed as Science and Technology Adviser to the Chief Minister, a post with Cabinet rank.
Announcing a new line-up of state BN chairmen after chairing a special state BN meeting, Musa said Kota Belud MP Rahman Dahlan would replace long-serving secretary Datuk Karim Bujang, the Bongowan assemblyman.
The coalition sees 10 new faces to be among the 25 division chairmen. Incidentally, it was Rahman who replaced Salleh as a candidate for the Kota Belud parliamentary seat.
The new line-up also sees replacement for three BN division chief posts formerly held by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), which left the coalition in September 2008.
Kota Kinabalu division was taken over by Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai, Umno's Datuk Rubin Balang took over Tenom while Jumat Idris, also of Umno, took over as head of the Sepanggar division.
Also among the new faces are United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok is now the Penampang division chairman while Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk V K Liew will chair the coalition's Sandakan division.
Musa, who presented the letters of appointment from Barisan chairman, Prime Minsietr Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, said that all component parties at division level have been asked to submit the number of members at their branch levels.
He said that all Barisan division chairmen were also directed to coordinate activities with component parties as well as conduct activities to help solve people's problems in their respective areas.
"They have to strengthen the Barisan and prepare for the next general election," he told reporters.
He said an earlier meeting with eight member Sabah Barisan leaders was to discuss matters regarding party representation at local councils and also issues related to land.
"We were looking at ways to see how best to get parties to have their representatives in local councils," he said.Najib's people
Political insiders say Salleh's sudden return to the centre of Sabah politics is an interesting development.
"It appears that most of those elevated or retained are Najib's people. If that is the case, then Musa is losing his grip," said a source.
The return of Salleh also points to attempts to heal wounds that opened in United Sabah Bajau Organisation (USBO) after stalwarts, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Datuk Datu Amir Kahar, the son of late Tun Mustapha Datu Harun, were not included in the list of BN candidates in the last election.
Salleh is the son of the late Tun Muhammad Said Keruak, a former chief minister himself and Sabah's seventh governor and founder member of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), the political party formed by his close friend, the late Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun.

And Mr Kalakau to join PKR

2010-02-27T12:38:00.005+08:00

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is the choice of ex-Federal Labour Deputy Minister and Barisan Barisan Nasional ex-member of Parliament for Tuaran Datuk Kalakau Untol.

The former BN-UPKO senator and ex-Youth leader will hands over his application form to PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a meet-the-people gathering at his (Kalakau's) house in Tuaran, about 50km from Kota Kinabalu on Sunday (Feb 28, 2010).

Following Kalakau joining the opposition party are 2,000 of his supporters, majority of them members of BN component parties. Kalakau is United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) president.

Kalakau finally quits BN Government

2010-02-22T05:31:00.003+08:00

Kalakau quits govt posts and BN

TAMPARULI: Former Deputy Labour Minister Datuk Kalakau Untol said Thursday he has quit Barisan Nasional (BN) and his posts in government-related agencies.

He said he was stepping down from his posts as Chairman of Superpanel (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary company of the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority, and as a member of the Sabah Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.

Kalakau, 55, served as Deputy Labour Minister from 1986 to 1990 and was United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Youth chief for 12 years from 1985.

He told a news conference that he would be focusing on supporting the policies of the opposition pact.

Kalakau claimed that although former and current Sabah leaders had done their best to defend the State's rights, the country's leadership and a number of Federal leaders appeared to be uncommitted and did not take the suggestions made by the Sabah Government seriously.

To a question, Kalakau said he had not joined any of Pakatan parties, saying "I will look into that, I will tell you when I cross the bridge."

When asked why he chose Pakatan and not local opposition party, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), he said the views of SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee was similar to those of Pakatan leaders.

Kalakau, who is also United Sabah Dusun Association President, had also served as a Senator until December 2005.- Bernama

2010-02-11T21:34:00.000+08:00

Kong Hee Fatt Choi to all visitors

The Wonder of Nature

2010-01-24T21:04:00.005+08:00

I was at the scenic Kionsom Waterfall, about 8km from Inanam Town, this afternoon when a friend pointed to me an `anai anai' (ant) nest on a beam (beruti) at one of the stall. View from the left the nest read `INJIL' and from right it's `Allah' in Jawi.

Now Pairin is talking...

2010-01-19T21:08:00.001+08:00

Consultation the best: PBS

Published on: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 HERE

Kota Kinabalu: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) is all for consultation or mediation as the best way to resolve the conflict over the use of the term "Allah" in Malaysia.

PBS President, Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, said he regretted the conflict has gone to the court in the first place, but added that he understood the circumstances behind it.

He said he also sympathised with the Prime Minister who has to make tough decisions in light of the sensitivity of the issue and the conflicting demands and expectations of various groups.

However, Pairin, who was speaking during the swearing-in of the elected and appointed PBS Supreme Council members in Donggongon, Penampang, said the issue on the use of the term "Allah" is complex and whatever position the Government takes is bound to please or diplease someone.

Due to the heightened sensitivities at the moment, he feels the best policy is to speak less so as not to aggravate situation.

For that reason, he said, in the last few days PBS decided not to make unnecessary statements.

Pairin, who is deeply concerned with the development in the case, advised all PBS members not to read too much into what they see on TV or the unfounded rumours they read from the short messaging service (SMS).

"No one can be truly sure who are the real perpetrators causing the unnecessary trouble which seems to create a climate of fear and uncertainty," he said.

Further, he said PBS leaders must refrain from making statements especially to the newspapers, which may be misconstrued and, thus, further aggravate the already tense situation.

He said after taking into consideration recent events and the various statements by individuals, some favourable and others not so favourable, PBS' stand is that the best way to resolve the conflict is through proper consultation.

He said the case is already in the court of appeal and the prospect of the plaintiffs in the court case withdrawing their case without any tangible offer to negotiate out of court is very slim, so PBS wants to see proper consultations among the parties to the dispute to reach an amicable solution.

Pairin said the prospect of success in resolving the conflict is good as the culture of the people of Sabah is to negotiate or consult one another in resolving conflict.

Pairin therefore welcomed the statement by Datuk Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, that non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak be allowed by the Federal Government to use the term "Allah" in their prayers and worship which he said is acceptable and should be seriously considered.

He said there have been suggestions that the "Allah" controversy is a uniquely Peninsular Malaysia problem, not Sabah and Sarawak.

"If viewed from this angle, then the statement by Nazri certainly offers a clue as to the possible solution to the problem," he said, urging the Federal leaders to take notice of the need for proper consultation with the relevant parties.

Pairin expressed concern that the issue now has been highly politicised since PAS and PKR have issued statements to say they accept the use of the term "Allah" by Christians in the footsteps of Muslim majority countries such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia where non-Muslim citizens can use the term" Allah" without any restriction.

Nonetheless, Pairin expressed confidence in the leadership of the Prime Minister who recognised and understood the issue from the perspectives of both sides.

He said he was grateful both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have given their firm assurances that the matter will be resolved amicably.

"PBS is confident the social maturity and the democratic values of the people of Malaysia will ensure the country will weather the storm of any racial or religious disputes arising out of misunderstanding," he said.

He said Malaysia must learn from the lessons of history that racial unity and religious harmony built over a period of 50 years cannot be taken for granted and should never be compromised.

2010-01-19T13:11:00.003+08:00

Sabah churches say ‘no’ to Nazri

Tue, Jan 19, 2010

National in freemalaysiatoday.com

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Council of Churches has rejected a proposal by Minister Nazri Aziz that the word “Allah” can only be used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak and not in the peninsula.

Council president Rev Jerry Dusing said it felt that Minister in Nazri’s suggestion was “illogical, inconsistent and untenable for Christian communities of both states, especially those residing in the peninsula”.

“The intended concession also goes against the spirit and intent of the Prime Minister’s 1Malaysia concept of forging unity and harmony among all races and religions by mutual respect and acceptance,” Rev Dusing said in a statement.

He said the proposal also impinged on the rights of the Christian community as it “dichotomises and segregates” the rights to profess and practise one’s faith on the basis of geographical location.

Allah OK for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak

2010-01-15T14:27:00.004+08:00

This story from the Borneo Post HERE (front page lead - Jan 15, 2010

‘Allah’ allowed in East M’sia

by Phyllis Wong and Francis Chan
January 15, 2010, Friday

Nazri says govt recognises two states’ traditional usage of word

KUALA LUMPUR: The word ‘Allah’ is allowed to be used by Christians in Sarawak and Sabah because the government accepts that the natives in these two states have traditionally been using it in their prayers and religious services and the Muslims there are accustomed to this practice.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Nazri (third left) poses with the special team of journalists from the See Hua Group of newspapers, (from left) thesundaypost senior editor Francis Chan; Phyllis Wong, general operations manager of The Borneo Post, thesundaypost and Utusan Borneo; news editor of Utusan Borneo Sabah Lichong Angkui; deputy editor-in-chief of Oriental Daily Ding Lee Leong; and deputy news editor of Oriental Daily Lum Chih Feng.

This was stated by Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, in an exclusive interview with the KTS stable of dailies The Borneo Post, Oriental Daily and Utusan Borneo at his office here yesterday.

“Christians in Sarawak and Sabah need not worry over this issue because it is a common tradition there. I have been to an Iban church service and I heard the word ‘Allah’ used there,” he said.

However, ‘Allah’ is not allowed to be used by churches in Semanunjung Malaysia and Christians from the two states have to respect this ruling when they are in Semenanjung, Nazri said.

Asked why there are two sets of rules on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ in the nation, he pointed out that this is not a unique practice as Malaysia also has two sets of laws on other matters, citing the Syariah Court and the Civil Court as an example.

He explained that the situation in Semenanjung Malaysia is different as ‘Allah’ is only introduced into Christian worships and publications a few years ago.

Nazri said: “Muslims here in Semenanjung cannot accept it as ‘Allah’ was never used in Christian preaching until recently and they questioned the motive behind the substitution of ‘Tuhan’ for ‘Allah’.

“It is clearly stated in our constitution that no other religions can be propagated to Malay Muslims and this article has been enacted in all the states in Malaysia where the Sultan is the Head of State … so this excludes Federal Territory, Penang, Malacca, Sarawak and Sabah.

“In these states, for the ban on the use of ‘Allah’ to be implemented the Home Affairs Minister can use the Printing Act to enforce it.”

Nazri added that Christians should recognise that using ‘Allah’ in their worships and publications is sensitive to Muslims and that this is not an issue that can be solved by going to court.

“The government has a duty to stop acts of disrespect and provocation that inflame religious and racial feelings in the nation even if there was no law that stated these acts were wrong.

“Take for example, there is no law in the country that states stepping on a severed cow head is wrong but when a group of Malays did that in their protests against the building of a Hindu temple we hauled them up and charged them because that act was disrespectful to the Hindus,” Nazri said.

He added that on the same score, if the usage of ‘Allah’ by Christians was (it certainly is, he said) sensitive to Muslims the government has to act even if courts deem it legal.

If that is the case, why does the government resort to going to the court to resolve the issue on the usage of ‘Allah’ by Christians?

To which, Nazri replied that it was Archbishop Murphy Pakiam who brought it to the court and the government had no choice but to defend in court and that once the process of law on the case has started it could not be stopped.

He said the government is continuing with the case in court by applying for a stay of execution which the other party has agreed to.

Judge Lau Mee Lan, in ruling against the ban on the usage of ‘Allah’ by Christians, had said that there was no evidence to show that the use of ‘Allah’ could incite violence.

To this, Nazri said such incidents had not happened when the hearing was on and the government could not produce such evidence.

But on the other hand, he said, the attacks on churches after the ruling proved the government right.

“Banning the use of ‘Allah’ by Christians was a pre-emptive move to stop outbreaks of religious violence in the nation,” he argued. Asked how the controversy could be solved, Nazri said there had to be a solution soon and in the meantime he appealed to the people to be calm and rational.

Anwar says.....

2010-01-12T14:45:00.000+08:00

Dear Supporters,

On Sunday January 10th I attended a gathering of Church leaders in Petaling Jaya to express our solidarity with the Christian community where I read the following statement:

We are outraged by the tragic attacks on our Christian brothers and sisters and reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of the bombing of churches in Malaysia. Today’s attack on the oldest standing church in Malaysia, the All Saints Church in Taiping, is an attack on our nation’s heritage.
As a nation we struggle to uphold the spirit of unity that our founding fathers envisioned at independence. We must hold fast to Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion and the right of religious groups to manage their own affairs. In such times the spirit of engagement and dialogue must transcend those voices that would seek to sow discord and enmity across our land.
The people of Malaysia must unite against those who exploit race and religion to incite hatred for political gain. We must renew our commitment to religious understanding and religious freedom.
This is a time that tests the resolve of all religions for peace and mutual respect. We must remember that the God who we worship is in fact the same God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.
With respect to the use of the word Allah, for example, it cannot be disputed that Arabic speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews have collectively prayed to God as Allah throughout the last fourteen centuries. While sensitivities over its usage have arisen in Malaysia, the way to resolve these conflicts is not by burning churches and staging incendiary protests but by reasoned engagement and interreligious dialogue.
Muslims must recall the memory of our own tradition’s remarkable commitment to understanding and coexistence with the People of the Book. Islam clearly grants respect to Christians and Jews. In the Quran’s second chapter, God says:
Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God (Aal-Imran, 3:64)
And in the 29th Chapter He says:
And dispute not with the People of the Book but say “We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and that which came down to you…our God [Allah] and your God [Allah] is One, and it is to Him we bow (al-Ankabut, 29:46)
Jesus is himself revered as one of the greatest prophets whose noble example should be followed. The Caliph Umar, who visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 638 AD, was careful to ensure that the Muslims respect the sanctity of Christian places of worship. What then of our own Police’s hesitation to offer an assurance of safety and security for Malaysian churches?
Much of the blame for the recent attacks can be placed at the doorstep of the UMNO-led BN ruling party. Its incessant racist propaganda over the Allah issue and the inflammatory rhetoric issued by government controlled mainstream media especially, Utusan Malaysia, are reprehensible. Such wanton acts of provocation are indeed criminal and demonstrate the duplicity of the 1Malaysia campaign.
I am encouraged by the swift condemnation of the attacks issued by Muslim organizations and leaders. I likewise applaud our Christian leaders for their strong statements calling for calm and forgiveness and resisting revenge and retaliation.
The need for interfaith dialogue in Malaysia is an idea whose time is long overdue. We must now advance the spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood which is inherent in our religions and enshrined in our Constitution. Pakatan Rakyat will collectively take steps to ensure that the necessary dialogue and discussion take place throughout the country. Our fellow Christians must feel safe and secure in this country knowing that their freedom to worship is protected.

ANWAR IBRAHIM
Opposition Leader

Long Live!!!

2010-01-07T03:49:00.003+08:00

It's seventh day into the new year and I am yet to post `NEWS' here. Well, it was a busy beginning of the year, a year that marked my 55th years, a year that I had been waiting for, the day in about eight more months will finally be mine with blessing from Him. Praise the Lord for guiding me being the head of my family thus far and pray that there will be many more to come.

Thank your very much indeed to all regular and new visitors to Aki Momogun.

Why Why Why?

2009-12-29T09:38:00.000+08:00

This posting is from HERE

Jeffery/Christina....The thorn in PKR?

The guns of Navarone have taken aim,but this time the pathetic targets are leaders within Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sabah(PKR).What was the ever charismatic de-facto leader, Dato'Seri Anwar Ibrahim thinking when he said during a press conference " I never saw the resignation letter of Jeffery Kitingan".As President Abraham Lincoln once said,"You can fool the people some of the time,but you can't fool the people all the time".

Does Anwar honestly believe Sabahans still live on trees...!! There is no denying that the reform agenda for change by Anwar has the thumb's-up by Sabahans, yes that includes the many who are still with UMNO/BN. Enough with all these David Copperfield illusions and get your act together.The people are thirsting for change and support your reform agenda,but will not bow down to the selfish demands of unscrupulous characters.

Were the voices of the majority heard,that propel Anwar to reinstate Jeffery Kitingan and Christina Liew?Why was PKR Sabah State Chief,Ahmad Thamrin silent in addressing the situation,when he perfectly knew the majority were not in favour on their returned?Was he merely safe guarding his position,surrendering to Jeffery's demands or was it poor leadership of the highest order?Ironically,what happen to the other state leaders?A precedent has now set in,the central leadership appear to have no qualms with any of it's leaders taking the party to hostage and ransom with their ultimatums.Like a sing-along in a Karaoke session,you sing the verses and we'll sing the chorus.

The one certainty we can all agree is,UMNO/BN and their bandwagon of con-artist are happily laughing all the way to the next general election.Should the present scenario persist,PKR is history and doomed to eternity,in Sabah at least.The younger generation must not fall prey to these hypocritical chameleons whose agenda has always been personal with total disregard to the aspirations of the people at large.We should now seriously examine these "sai- lang" leaders who have reached their prime,yet embarrass to admit. The people are watching and they don't like what their seeing.

The Sabah PKR Convention

2009-12-25T09:37:00.001+08:00

Thursday, December 24, 2009

SABAH PKR CONVENTION 2009 : The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Nobleman - adopted from HERE http://pkrcommsab.blogspot.com

“Ini adalah konvensyen terbaik yang pernah diadakan di Sabah”said Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his closing address on Sunday at Atlantis Restaurant to the cheering crowd of more than 1500 party leaders.

The State PKR Chairman Saudara Ahmad Thamrin Jaini and Datuk Kong Hong Ming the chairman of the Organizing Committee were beaming. Christina Liew wept uncontrollably but only God knows why, as she has a very poor command of the National Language. So it can’t be the speech delivered by Anwar. Newcomer Datuk John Ghani who was seated next to her looked confused. He must be wondering why...!!Keningau Divisional Chief, Gapari @ Jeffrey who was still on sabbatical leave sat impassively without betraying his emotion.

Among the crowd were John Jinus Sibin, Jeffrey Yap, Hj Awang Bakar, Peter Linuk, Adris Taripin, Amirbeck bin Laja and their fellow AJKs from Keningau, Kota Kinabalu, Tenom and Batu Sapi Divisions. The party owes them unspeakable gratitude for holding the forts when the going got tough-all the fanfare of ultimitums. These were the good guys.

“ Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan telah membuat keputusan untuk berbuat demikian,saya menghormati keputusan dia,tetapi bukan bererti saya bersetuju dengan tindakan dia. Hak dan kebebasan untuk membuat keputusan adalah di tangan kita sendiri dan perlu di hormati. Keputusan yang saya buat ini adalah atas dasar prinsip moral dan maruah. Sebab itu saya meneruskan perjuangan saya didalam PKR dibawah pimpinan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,John Jinus Sibin Setiausaha Bahagian”. That was his sms to Hj Ansari Abdullah on the 5th. November, 2009 at 1.59pm.

On the first day of Ramadhan, while Muslims elsewhere were celebrating Hari Raya to commemorate their victory over human weaknesses and desires, a memorandum was crafted to humiliate Pakatan Rakyat Whip and Party Vice President YB Azmin Ali, the Sabah State PKR Chief. PKR Sabah was tested to the brink as the oncoming drama unfurled. It had to wither it's most bitter and painful storm since it's inception in Sabah in late 1999.

On the day of the convention, PKR Sabah had survived the onslaught by its own so-called leaders because there were those in the Division level who had the guts to stand up and defend the struggles of the Party. To these Borneo warriors, the Party and its objectives are more important than individuals, whoever there are.

John Jinus Sibin and his colleagues in JKC Keningau had prevented the party from being dissolved. “Once Keningau is dissolved, Kota Kinabalu will also be dissolved” so say Christina Liew in Malaysiakini. Earlier she had resigned as a member of the Party’s Central Committee on the ground that her mother were ashamed that she was not reappointed as Deputy Chairman of Sabah PKR.

However, when she tabled the motion to the committee members of Kota Kinabalu Division for it to be dissolved, Jeffrey Yap and the other committee members opposed the motion. No other member of the Divisional Committee supported her. For all these transgressions against the Party, she was rewarded with the appointment of Deputy Chairman PKR Sabah. Her partner in crime, Gapari @Jeffrey Kitingan was reinstated as nominated Vice President. Christina’s Mother will be celebrating like Santa Claus this Christmas.

Gosibin the acting Chief of Tenom with his “Kadoh Agundung” hairstyle and Datuk Nahalan Damsal were nowhere to be seen. Sylvester was busy carrying his computer, chair and table from the Papar division office as he and Evelyn Gobili had just taken their “sabbatical leave.” Daniel John and Moses Iking must be occupied with Parti Cinta Sabah. They were “the bad” guys.

There are other good guys, like members of the Organising Committees for the dialogue, convention and dinner including Dr Roland Chia, Ronnie Klassen, Jonathan Yassin and Datuk Chau Chin Tang the moderators. The eloquent speeches of YB Zuraidah Kamaruddin the Wanita Chief, YB Tian Chua the Director of Strategy and Hj Ansari Abdullah at the Convention and YB Tian Chua and Dato Chua Jui Meng at the Dinner made the Convention a memorable curtain closer for a stormy 2009 for Sabah PKR. The highlight was of course from the ever charistmatic leader of Pakatan Rakyat, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

I leave it to you to decide who are “the ugly” but while doing so, please do not forget “the good” guys like John Jinus Sibin and the rest.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.

Ho Ho Ho...Celebrations all days/nights long

2009-12-24T10:57:00.002+08:00

A Blessed Christmas 2009 and Happy New Year 2010 to all Visitors to Aki Momogun!

Yes starlet Zizie is Bung Mokhtar's second wife

2009-12-20T14:52:00.001+08:00

'Yes we're married, now respect our privacy'

2009/12/20

By V. Vasudevan and Natasha Ilyas HERE

KUALA LUMPUR: The colourful and controversial Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin has admitted to marrying starlet Zizie Ezette.

The 50-year-old Kinabatangan member of parliament now wants his privacy respected.

Bung Mokhtar is currently abroad but denied he is on honeymoon with his new wife.

"I am with my children," he said when contacted by the New Sunday Times yesterday.

The garrulous MP had just a few days ago denied marrying the 31-year-old actress when rumours spread within and outside Parliament of his nuptials.

Asked when the marriage took place and pressed for other details, he said: "Everybody knows. No need for details. The newspapers have been writing a lot about it this whole week.

"It is best to just leave it alone. Pray for my happiness. No need for so many details."

On why he had been so coy initially when the rumours were circulating, he said: "I am a married man. I have to protect my other wife."

Will he hold a grand wedding reception for family and friends?

"When it is the right time, I will hold a reception.

"I will invite you. I will let you know."

The Sabah lawmaker, who has over the years earned a reputation for his outbursts at the Dewan Rakyat, sported a new look at the just-concluded 2010 Budget meeting.

He had dyed his grizzled hair black and looked slimmer.

He said he had worked off some of the excess pounds by exercising.

"I just stopped dying my hair and it went back to my natural colour."

The actress' mother, Khathy Fauziah, had earlier said she had no problems accepting the 50-year-old married politician as her son-in-law.

Zizie, when contacted, said she "respected" Bung Mokhtar's confirmation of their marriage. She declined to comment further.

Efforts to contact Bung Mokhtar's first wife, Datin Nor Asidah Alimuddin, were futile, with one aide saying that she had changed her number and another claiming her phone had been switched off the past few days.

The Herald finally got its publishing permit

2009-12-16T13:33:00.002+08:00

Malaysia’s only Catholic newspaper, Herald, finally got its publishing permit renewed for next year after several weeks of delay, its editor Father Lawrence Andrew confirmed in Kula Lumpur on Dec `5, 1009 .
Andrew disclosed that a newspaper representative collected the permit from the Home Affairs Ministry in Putrajaya yesterday as the editor was busy in court for the “Allah” hearing.
“We received a fax copy of the permit on Friday,” Andrew told The Malaysian Insider.
“It would take two weeks for them to mail it to us,” he added.
Close aides to minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had assured Andrew a month ago at a specially-arranged meeting in Putrajaya that the latter would likely receive the 2010 permit by end November.
The priest became worried when the permit was delayed.
While checking with ministry officials to find out the status of the permit, he was told it was being held back because the Treasury had yet to issue a receipt for the RM800 fee, which had already been paid in August.
Andrew appeared unhappy with the delay, but is relieved that he got the permit at all.
The home affairs ministry governs the issuance of the permits, which is a must under the country’s publishing laws.
The Herald is currently embroiled in a suit against the home minister who has banned it from using the word “Allah” for God outside the Muslim context.
The High Court will pronounce its judgment on Dec 30.

Lunar Eclipse on Jan 1, 2010

2009-12-15T19:37:00.002+08:00

This what the Kadazans believes that the moon is being swallowed by a Tarob/Tarob.

This story by Bernama today

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians will be able to observe a partial lunar eclipse on Jan 1, between 1.17am and 5.28am, according to the National Space Agency (Angkasa).
It said in a statement today that the eclipse would start at 1.17am when the moon starts to pass the penumbral shadow of the Earth. However, it added, the eclipse could only be observed when the moon starts passing the umbra (the darkest part of a shadow) at 2.53am until the maximum phase at 3.24am. "The moon will totally leave the Earth's umbra shadow at 4.53am," the statement said, adding that the eclipse would last until 5.28am. A lunar eclipse generally occurs when the moon passes the Earth's shadow during full moon. Angkasa, with the cooperation of the National Mosque, will organise an eclipse observation session at the main entrance of the mosque from 1am to 6am on Jan 1, the statement said.
A live web cast of the partial lunar eclipse will be available on the Angkasa website at www.angkasa.gov.my. - Bernama

Bloggers vs journalists

2009-12-15T19:32:00.001+08:00

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 15

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said some bloggers, unlike local journalists, do not adhere to the rules and ethics of journalism in their bid to garner popularity.The local journalists adhered to ethics but these bloggers did not, and this was what differentiated the journalists from these bloggers," he said at the presentation of the 2009 ExxonMobil Journalism Awards here last night.Hishammuddin said journalists in the country would have nothing to fear so long as their reports adhered to the ethics of journalism, adding that they would be accepted by the people.He said journalists who reported the truth would not be penalised and those who spread slander would not be successful.At the function, two Bernama journalists were among those honoured. Wan Affandi Wan Mahadi of Bernama TV was awarded the second prize (RM1,000 cash) in the audio visual category while Ibrahim Abu Bakar won the third prize (RM750) in the sports writing category.-- BERNAMA

A lettter to me....

2009-12-12T14:01:00.002+08:00

My Say:

The following letter was sent to several people, including me. It was sent to my email today - Dec 12, 2009.

Farouq Omaro to enquiries, editor, cchurch, jmositun, me, jeffreykitingan, sabahdap, sjdisimon
show details 1:21 PM (33 minutes ago)

Dear Sir,

I had on the 9th of December the opportunity to visit the MPH Bookstore at the Mid-Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur. While browsing at the books there, one particular book caught my attention.

The title of the book is "Gerakan Orientalisme dan Kristianisasi" and was authored by Haji Nik Azran Muhamed and Haji Mohd Mahadi Hj Isa. The book was published by Hijjaz Records Publishing in May 2009. After going through the book, I have come to the conclusion that it is downright offensive and seditious.

On pages 163-182 of the book is a chapter entitled "Pengakuan Bekas Paderi Besar Sabah, Thomas Laiden". I believe this chapter is entirely fictional and is meant to insult the Christian faith as well as to incite Muslim hatred towards the Christian church, particularly the Roman Catholic church.

In other chapters the authors had come up with wild theories about the intentions of Christian groups around the world in giving aid to the needy. The authors have also referred to certain Christian organizations in Malaysia as "pertubuhan Kristianisasi".

As a concerned citizen myself, I would like to urge Christian leaders to call for a ban on the book as the book might cause Muslims to be unnecessarily suspicious of Christians. I also believe the book is highly seditious in nature.

Non-native teaching Kadazandusun in schools

2009-12-10T19:14:00.004+08:00

Reports By Bernama

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Tanjong Malim, Perak, is offering Kadazandusun language as a minor programme beginning next year as part of its efforts to produce trained graduate teachers in the language.

Its Dean of the Faculty of Languages, Dr Abdul Ghani Abu, said that for a start, 20 students currently taking Malay language studies at the university would be selected for the course.

"These students will graduate with two majors, in Malay language and the Kadazandusun language," he said when closing a workshop on Kadazandusun language in Kota Kinabalu Thursday.

He said the Kadazandusun programme would be carried out simultaneously with the Iban language."UPSI is now recruiting lecturers for the purpose where we need at least seven people for each language," he added.

The teaching of Kadazandusun was introduced in 1997 in 15 primary schools in Sabah. The language was made one of the subjects in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination for the first time this year.

My Say:

This should be a reminder to Kadazandusun parents to speak in their own langauge with their children at home. When these 20 trainee teachers graduated, we will have non-Kadazandusun teaching Kadazandusun to Kadazandusun students.

Parti Cinta Malaysia spreads wing to Sarawak

2009-12-10T15:14:00.002+08:00

While the people of Sabah are waiting for ex-PKR vice president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan to register his Parti Cinta Sabah, Parti Cinta Malaysia now has set its foundation in Sarawak and with immediate effect had Ngemah assemblyman Gabriel Adit Demong in its cattle.

The following article from HERE tells the story in Sarawak.

Ngemah state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit Demong, 58, who has been partyless since withdrawing his support for PKR in October, today joined Parti Cinta Malaysia.

He was immediately named as the Sarawak head of the Penang-based party which was formed just four months ago.

The announcement was made this morning at a press conference by PCM's president Tang Weng Chew (left).

PCM claims to be neutral although it is believed to be backed by some BN leaders.

Adit, who was also present, said he will not disappoint Sarawakians by joining the new party.

"After watching PKR, I don't think they can take over Sarawak (in the next state elections. I hope we (PCM) can serve the people of Sarawak better," he said.

Adit is a four-term Ngemah state assemblyperson, three of which were on BN ticket when he was a vice-president of the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak(PBDS), a Dayak majority state BN component party which was de-registered due to internal leadership crisis.

He had joined PKR with much fanfare at the end of 2008 but left the party last October, claiming that he was neither pro-BN nor pro-opposition but merely "pro-issues".

"I look at issues as they come. If I agree with the issue I will support it and if I don't then I will not support it. That's why I brought up the issue of some people who suddenly find themselves not bumiputera. A lot of people are affected by that," he had told reporters last month.

There had been much speculation that he would be forming his own party in Sarawak

Sabah, the poorest state in Malaysia says SAPP

2009-12-08T10:30:00.004+08:00

UNFAIRpractices by Kuala Lumpur has made Sabah from the richest to the poorest state in the country, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

SAPP Youth Chief Edward Dagul said Sabah also has the most number of poor people with one out of every four individuals. Sabah has to pay more due to various created imbalances in the country's system by the BN government.

"Sabah's poverty rate stands at 23 per cent while the national rate is 5.7 per cent while Sarawak's poverty rate stands at 7.5 per cent, " he said in Kota Kinabalu.

Dagul said Sabah also had the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.7 percent. The national unemployment rate is 3.3 percent, Kelantan 2.4 percent, Penang 1.7 percent, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur 2.8 percent and Sarawak 4 percent.

He said poverty in Kelantan an opposition state for almost 20 years is only 10 percent. Another two opposition states, Penang and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, fared better with poverty at 0.3 per cent and 1.5 percent, respectively.

No budget for QEH

Kuala Lumpur is also treating Sabah unfairly ignoring the basic needs of the people such as health care services, electricity supply, clean water supply and many more.

Dagul said Kuala Lumpur leaders should visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), here, which has been declared unsafe for more than a year and no firm decision has been made to address it.

"It caused much suffering to the people. Even health workers like doctors and nurses are seriously affected in their work. There is no budget for QEH in 2010 in the National Budget 2010, but RM14.8 billion was allocated for health services including five hospitals in Peninsula Malaysia," he said in a statement, here, today.

BN's empty promises

He said the Barisan Nasional's (BN) promise to build Nabawan hospital was announced by the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in 1999 was never fulfilled.

Examples of unfair practices...subsidies...

He said the unfair double taxation of the Cooking Oil Subsidy in 2007-2008 took more than RM700 million from Sabah by using Sabah's oil palm industry to subsidize the cooking oil prices in the country.

"But, the Federal Government did not tax the rice producing states in the Peninsula to subsidize rice. Sabah and Sarawak also had to subsidise the Bernas monopoly to the tune of RM200 million per year each," he added.

Cabotage policy

He said the national Cabotage policy protect Peninsula-based shipping companies like the Malaysian International Shipping Company (MISC) and others.

He said as a result, Sabah's economy suffers higher freight costs.

"Why is it that the federal government can subsidise road users in Kuala Lumpur to the tune of hundred million of Ringgit for toll rates but cannot do the same for Sabah freight charges? Dagul asked.

Coal-fired power plant

He said Sabah also is not allowed to use its own cheaper and cleaner natural gas for electric power generation. Sabah were asked to compromise and use the harmful coal-fired power plant.

"Why should the poorest state be the one to compromise?" Dagul asked.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had recently asked Sabah to compromise on the coal-fired power plant.

No federal funds for drainage and irrigation

According to him, the Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Datuk Yahya Hussin had revealed recently that Sabah needs RM1 billion for drainage and irrigation.

Dagul said Yahya had lamented before that federal funds have not been forthcoming.

The National Budget 2010 provided RM70 million for drainage and irrigation for rice scheme in Terengganu called Skim Pengairan Padi Besut.

He added that the National Budget 2010 also did not mention Sabah's rice bowl in Kota Belud, Papar and Penampang.

Hiccup for Love Sabah Party

2009-12-07T19:54:00.000+08:00

Hiccup for Love Sabah Party

Sat, Dec 5, 2009

National

By Joseph Bingkasan as published in http://freemalaysiatoday.com

KOTA KINABALU: Rebellious Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah leaders aligned to ex-vice president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan are hoping for a new start in a new party.

But they may have to wait a bit longer.

They submitted an application to register a new political party–Parti Cinta Sabah (Love Sabah Party)–to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) two days ago, but have since withdrawn it for “technical reasons.”

“There are certain criteria which have to be ironed out,” Daniel John Jambun, a senior aide of Jeffrey told FMT here today. One of the reasons relates to the name of the party.

They named the new political organisation Parti Cinta Sabah (Love Sabah Party), or Paati Guminavo Sabah in Kadazan.

Jambun, the Sabah PKR liaison committee deputy chairman and the head of its Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM) Task Force, said lawyers were studying the matter and would make adjustments recommended by the ROS.

“A new application will be ready for submission to the ROS before Christmas,” he promised.

According to Jambun, the party would be multi-racial and its protem members respected leaders and professionals. A numbers of them will be from Sabah-based Barisan Nasional component parties, especially Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and UPKO, whose members were Jeffrey’s supporters when he was in government.

Explaining the reason for the new party, Jambun said PKR leaders in Sabah who supported Jeffrey needed a “house” because their voices were not heard by PKR national leaders.

“We were treated as if we are subservient,” he said. Jambun was PKR’s candidate for the Inanam state seat in the March 8, 2008 general elections. He lost in a three-cornered tussle, polling 4,293 votes against PBS incumbent Johnny Goh’s 5,979 and DAP’s Jeffrey Kumin’s 2, 864 votes.

Jambun said the party’s name could be changed if the ROS reject it. He said there were several options, but the name must reflect Jeffrey’s love for Sabah.

Jeffrey, who is PBS president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan’s younger brother, resigned last October as PKR national vice president, as a supreme council member and as a political bureau member.

He and his supporters said they were dissapointed with PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwars Ibrahim’s decision to appoint Ahmad Tamrin Jaini from Sandakan as the party’s new Sabah chief.

Jeffrey, a former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee, was a PBS founder member and was once the party’s supreme council member. He was also a senator and a Federal deputy minister.

Jeffrey was unavailable for comment. Jambun said he was overseas.

2009-12-06T14:46:00.001+08:00

Court battle looms over coal plant

As reported HERE on Sun, Dec 6, 2009

KOTA KINABALU: It’s supposed to be a clean coal power plant for oil-rich Sabah. However, even before it can get off the ground, more dirt is sticking to it than was envisaged.

A looming court battle threatens to spill even more dirt over federal-state administrative matters that transpired 30 years ago with Kuala Lumpur regarding the land where it will be sited.

The latest salvo fired against the project has come from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat supreme council member Haji Ansari Abdullah (picture) who hopes to regain the land grabbed by Federal Land Development Authority and give it back to poor Sabahans.

Ansari claims the land where the plant is to be sited was originally meant for the poor, but was turned into a commercial plantation by Felda.

“Some 200,000 hectres of state land in Lahad Datu was given to the Felda under an agreement signed on Dec 4, 1979,” said Ansari, brandishing the agreement. “It’s all here.”

According to the agreement the land in Tunku, Lahad was granted for Felda to develop a settlement scheme for some 13,000 poor Sabah families to help wrench them out of poverty.

“But after 30 years, Felda turned it into a commercial plantation. It is now known as Bandar Sahabat. To make matters worse, the government now want to build a coal-fired power plant (there),” Ansari said.

He warned that PKR was prepared to take the matter to the courts to stop the government from building the plant.

PKR Sabah legal bureau chaired by senior Datuk Chau Chin Tang will be holding a meeting here next week to discuss the matter, he added.

Ansari explained that under the agreement signed by the then Chief Minister Datuk Harris Salleh, the State Government indicated that the land was to be used to help the poor as a way to pull them out from abject of poverty.

“But what has happened now is against the letter and spirit of the agreement. As a result (of this) the people for whom it was intended for to be taken as settlers remain poor,” he said.

Ansari, who is also a senior practicing lawyer in Sabah, said legal action is being planned against the Sabah Electricity Board Sdn Bhd and Felda. PKR Sabah will be identifying individuals to file the court action.

PKR Sabah’s move comes as a boost to the non-governmental organisations’ effort to stop the building of the plant.

Several organisations have banned together to pressure the government to scrap the project due to its environmental impact and to keep in sync with global efforts to curb carbon emissions.

Among those opposing the building of the multi-million ringgit plant are the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) and Green Surf, who among others claimed that the terms of reference of the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the plant was filled with pre-determined and conclusive statements without scientific backing or facts and figures.

They also claimed that it is substandard and totally unacceptable as it ignores the long-term impact of the coal plant’s emission into the pristine Darval Bay.

The plan has also drawn controversy over the way it was presented. Critics say that it is based on climate conditions in the Tawau district, where it was initially sited. The new site for the proposed RM1.2 billion power plant is in Tungku, some 200 kilometres away.

Darval Bay falls within the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) which Malaysia recently pledged to conserve.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak attended the CTI summit in May and pledged US1million for its protection.

Ansari said that the court action would be PKR Sabah contribution to the effort to stop Sabah turning from `green to black’ because of the coal-fired power plant.

Bandar Sahabat, he claimed is now like a State within a state, guarded by its own policemen.

“Should the plant be built, it will destroy Sabah’s image as a green and beautiful state which is known worldwide,” he said. - http://freemalaysiatoday.com

Congratulations! Tuan Haji Karim Sulaiman

2009-12-02T15:40:00.005+08:00

Pix above is Aki Momogun babies sitting Sdr Karim' sons at Hyde Park, London. One of them must be Khair.

Congratulations to Tuan Haji Karim Sulaiman and wife Hajah Siti Hawa and their son Khir. The story from HERE tells their story.
Sdr Karim was Berita Harian correspondent in London at the same time I was with Times of Malaysia London Limited (1997-98). I was staying a floor below them at 31 & 32 Chapel Side, Moscow Road, Bayswater, London W2 4LL.

From Ahmad Kamil Tahir

MECCA, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- Karim Sulaiman's prayers were answered when he successfully completed the haj.

For the former Berita Harian editor, this was no ordinary feat.

He is suffering from scleromyxedema, a rare disease which causes skin to become thick and hard.

The chronic connective tissue disorder which makes moving affected areas difficult, did not break the man's spirit.

He managed to perform the rites of the haj, such as the wukuf in Arafah, tawaf, saei and tahalul, as well as stoning the Jamrah in Mina.

These were made possible with continuous help from his wife, Siti Hawa Mohd Arif, and their fifth child, Khair Naqib, 13, who came along on the pilgrimage.

When met by the Tabung Haji media team, Siti Hawa said the relaxed Islamic regulations for disabled persons performing the haj was of great assistance t the group, including her husband.

"For the tawaf ritual, we pushed Karim on a wheelchair on the second floor of the Masjidil Haram which has tracks for wheelchair-bound pilgrims and this was also done for the saei, whereby wheelchair tracks are provided between Safa and Marwah," she said.

Siti Hawa said she had been worried about her husband's health, especially during the wukuf in Arafah, with its sweltering temperatures, but she was grateful that everything went smoothly.

She added that Khair Naqib was of great help in attending to his father as regulations required male and female pilgrims to live separately, during the duration of their stay in the Holy Land.

Asked about his prayer in front of the Kaabah, Karim said he had asked that his skin disease be healed.

He also advised Muslims to complete the fifth fundamental Muslim practice (performing the haj) while they were healthy and able.

Karim and his family will return to Malaysia on Dec 27.

-- BERNAMA