Tuesday December 30, 2008

Sex party-goers in for anti-climax

JOHOR BARU: It is an offence to organise sex parties, says Johor Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Hoo Seong Chang.

He warned those behind such merry-makings to “think twice” as the relevant authorities would act sternly against them.

“It is an unhealthy activity,” he said when commenting on a planned mega sex party rumoured to be held here to usher in the New Year.

Hoo urged people not to bank in their money, as requested by the organisers, as they might most likely be cheated.

District officer Mohd Jaffar Awang said there was no application to organise the mega sex party, adding that action would be taken against the host if there was any.

The Star reported on Monday that invitations to the sex party were enclosed in New Year greeting cards and were being distributed in Kuala Terengganu with a note and a web address as contact to make bookings.

Apparently, the party organisers required all males to attend the function without their underwear while the females had to go in g-strings and be prepared to take it all off when the clock struck midnight.

Interested patrons are required to bank in RM250 into an account as booking fee and the men were advised to bring along condoms.

It was also learnt that participants from as far as Batam (in Indonesia) and college students from Kuala Lumpur and Malacca would be attending the party.

Way to go? Freedom for all so they say. Freedom for what? Freedom to destroy yourself if you so wish?

This is the act who do not believe in god and morality. Imagine if everyone does this, what would become of the human race. If it’s not good for all, then it is not good for one, if you know what I mean.

May Allah protect us all from these kind of degrading acts.

People just want development projects on hillslopes stopped

Stop it!: Medan Damansara residents protesting against the hillslope development next to their homes by carrying a banner bearing the words, ‘Is the hillslope Damansara 21 project safe?’ in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. They want the Damansara 21 project, comprising 21 luxury bungalows, to be halted completely in the wake of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide last Saturday. — SAM THAM / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: People are fed up with recurring landslide tragedies and the subsequent blame game by politicians.

Some residents in “risky areas” are now furious over new development on hillslopes near their home.

Medan Damansara Residents Association committee member Randhir Singh said residents want the Damansara 21 project in their neighbourhood halted completely.

In Bukit Antarabangsa, residents affected by Saturday’s landslide are planning to sue for compensation.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Government was considering compensation for victims of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide.

My house is also located on a hill but not hillside. Why need to build houses on hillsides. I would never understand those people who bought their houses on hill slopes and hill sides. I would never buy a house like that for dwelling. I would cringe whenever I see houses on hill slopes especially the steep ones. It does not take a Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy to make us realise how danger it is to live in such places.

All in all, don’t buy houses on hill sides or slopes. Don’t develop houses on hill side or slopes. Don’t sell houses like that. Don’t live in a place like that.

Wednesday December 3, 2008

Fifth price cut at the pumps this year

PETALING JAYA: Petrol and diesel prices at the pump are down 10 sen today, with RON97 petrol at RM1.90 a litre and RON92 petrol and diesel at RM1.80.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced this through a press statement released at about 5pm yesterday.

“As the world fuel price has had a sharp decrease lately, the Govern-ment has decided to once again reduce the retail price for the public’s benefit,” he said.

This is the fifth time petrol and diesel prices have been cut since retail prices hit a high of RM2.70 a litre in June.

THAT IS WHY WE MUST CHANGE CONCEPT OF POWER SHARING within BN. The slogan/phrase of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’, of Master and Servant relationship becomes unacceptable…the younger generation of various races will not accept it. We accept Malay Leadership, but not Malay Supremacy.

“We must change the concept of power sharing. We accept Malay Leadership, but not Malay Supremacy.”

When we say we reject ‘Ketuanan Melayu’, we are not challenging the Malay special rights. It is enshrined in our constitution and nobody can take that away at the present moment. In the same way that Bahasa Melayu is the national language. Its status is protected in the constitution, and nobody can change that. That status is acknowledged and respected. So when we learn other languages or put up signs in other languages, it’s not challenging the status of our national language.

To me ketuanan melayu simply means that this land is owned by the malay race and in article 160 of the constitution says:

“Malay” means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and -
(a) was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore; or
(b) is the issue of such a person;

Maybe some of us are confused by the word ‘Tuan’ which is literally translated into ‘Master’. Actually it also carries another meaning, which is ‘owner’. We are the owner of this land. This is what actually meant by the word ‘Tuan’ in ‘Ketuanan Melayu’.

Just look at the reality. Is there any Chinese or other non-Malays who have been treated as a ‘slave’? Ironically there are some ‘biadab’ chinese who refer to the Malays as ‘lembu’. This is from a personal experience of a cousin of mine. She was in a meeting with her colleagues with some chinese from Singapore. These Singaporeans did not realise that there were a Chinese looking Malay sitting amongst them.

To all you chinese out there, please be aware of the fact that you were the Bangla’s and Indon’s of the past. Can you imagine in the near future that the Bangla’s claiming that they have the same rights as the Malays? They have as much right to the country as much as the Malays?

Maybe also, it is time to focus on building up your life in the next life. Sooner or later, you are going to leave this world. Whatever wealth and riches you have, you will leave them all behind for your descendants to enjoy. You will be left with just ‘iman’ and ‘amal’ ie faith and deed. So, why not focus on that? Start covering your aurat and be a good example for all Muslim women out there who might have idolised you as a great women’s leader for the past 3 decades.
That’s it. Good luck to you Rafidah. I truely believe you are going to succumb to the grassroot’s support or rather lack of it.

————————-

Friday November 21, 2008

Shahrizat confirms she will take on Rafidah

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

KUALA LUMPUR: The battle for the Wanita Umno presidency is on.

Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the wing’s deputy chief, has finally confirmed that she is taking on her long-serving boss, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

Shahrizat, who received 72 nominations against Rafidah’s 118 for the movement’s top post, said she “accepted the nominations and support” given to her by the wing.

“Wanita Umno must be united and strengthen the party, and be bold enough to bring change and renewal,” she said in a two-paragraph statement released yesterday afternoon.

Her confirmation ends much speculation on whether there would be a contest for the Wanita Umno presidency after nominations closed on Nov 9.

Rafidah, 65, had been trying to keep Shahrizat, 55, at bay with a transition plan that would see her handing over power next June, three months after March party polls.

Before the start of the division meetings, Shahrizat, based on an agreement with Rafidah, had pledged not to contest against Rafidah even if she picked up enough nominations.

A day before last week’s Wanita executive council meeting, Shahrizat indicated her change of heart when she asked for the transition to be brought forward to March.

However, Rafidah announced after the meeting that her deputy would keep to the original transition plan and that there would be no contest for the top post.

Rafidah, who was first elected Wanita Umno chief in 1984 (she lost in 1996 before regaining the post in 2000), refused to comment on Shahrizat’s about-turn, saying that she would issue a statement today.

Observers said Shahrizat had no choice but to mount a challenge for the Wanita presidency with Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim refusing to back down from contesting for the wing’s deputy presidency.

With Shahrizat’s latest decision, this means that Kamilia, a Wanita Umno executive council member, will win the deputy chief’s post uncontested as only she and Shah rizat had qualified to contest the post.

Meanwhile, Johor Wanita deputy chief Senator Sharifah Azizah Zain has expressed her full backing for Shahrizat.

“Believe me, many women in Johor support Shahrizat. On the surface it may seem that there is support for Tan Sri (Rafidah) but 80% of us are for Shahrizat,” she said via SMS.

Recently, Perak Wanita Umno deputy chief Datuk Rusnah Kassim called on Rafidah to let go of the post “honourably.”

But Rafidah has the support of Pahang Wanita chief Datuk Maznah Mazlan and Sabah Wanita deputy chief Datuk Amisah Yassin.

Should I thank the government for it? Yes, for making the decision so. But it’s the market mechanism that brought down the price in the first place. They just act according to the market. It is only right to do so. Ultimately, praise god for everything.

The next agenda, bring the price of goods down again. I remember a 10kg pack of Birds of Paradise rice used to cost around RM20, but now it is RM40. Almost double. After the fuel price go down, let’s hope it’s going to follow suit.

Anyway, when I watched the news last nite, I did detect some mixed feelings on Sharizat’s facial expression. According to the Star, it was during the exco meeting after bombarded by attacks by Rafidah’s supporters, who somehow or other sort of forced sharizat not to contest for the top post, which made her changed her mind.

Again, I don’t know which is true. But to me. If you are sincere enough, then contest it in a friendly manner. It was the grassroots who decide their leader and not the exco. They should have the attitude that, it does not matter who heads the movement. They should be sincere enough to put the party before themselves. Let the grassroots decide.

This is from the star site that I copied and pasted:

Wednesday November 12, 2008

Shahrizat to challenge Rafidah

By JOCELINE TAN

PETALING JAYA: Barely a day after Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz announced that the wing’s power transition plan would remain as planned in June, her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has sprung a surprise.

She has decided to challenge Rafidah for the Wanita Umno leadership. Highly-placed sources said that Shahrizat had made up her mind to go for the wing’s top post which Rafidah has held for more than 20 years.

Shahrizat is expected to take Kuala Kangsar Wanita division chief and lawyer Datuk Kamiliah Ibrahim as her running mate.

Sources said Shahrizat wanted to exhaust all avenues before deciding on a challenge. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was the marathon Wanita exco meeting on Monday that saw Rafidah loyalists bringing out the knives.

Rafidah’s loyalists insisted that the transition plan go ahead at the five-and-a-half-hour meeting.

Shahrizat was chastised for issuing a press statement — a day before the exco meeting — in which she asked Rafidah to consider going in March instead of June.

One exco member said she was taken aback by the language that several of the critics used.

“They ran her down, insulted her and bullied her into agreeing,” said the exco member.

Her critics were also upset about the nominations she got and impli-ed she had conspired with Kamilia to get the endorsement.

She was even criticised for not inviting Rafidah to her Hari Raya open house. It is understood she received scores of SMSes after news broke out of the Wanita exco proceedings and it pushed her towards her decision.

Some scolded her for caving in to Rafidah, others expressed disappointment and said they felt betrayed, while others urged her to change her mind.

An aide said she spent half the night reading the SMSes, some of which were “hate mail” because some of the women were angry she had not resisted the transition plan.

Moreover, she has won 72 nominations against the 118 secured by Rafidah for the Wanita leadership.

Segambut Wanita chief and film producer Ruhani Abdul Rahman sa-id Shahrizat should go for it because “we are ready for a change.”

“A June transition would make Shahrizat an acting Wanita leader without a deputy for the next three years. What is the point of that?” said Ruhani.

One caller said some very good points:

1. They can cut down the price but at the same time they also cut the cost of making them hence causing the quality to go down – eg: can make the roti canai smaller.

2. In nasi beriani’s case, there’s no fixed price – normally in mamak’s restaturants they just calculate the price without any clear guideline.

3. Roti canai are mostly consumed by those with money to spend. What about those who make their own breakfast and don’t eat roti canai or nasi beriani outside? Some thing to think about.

I just want to add:

I think they are just doing this for publicity only. I heard that mamak’s stalls in Penang are deeply affected after that ‘racist’ statement made by one politician over there. The Chinese are boycotting mamak stalls.

Another thing, what can a reduction of 10 sen can do to our savings? More over, we don’t eat roti canai or nasi beriani every day. Even if we do, it’s not like we take it 5 times a day. Let’s day that we do take 5 roti canai per day, we’ll be able to save about 50 sen a day. For 30 days, we can save about RM15. Even for my standard, it’s not much. Not much you can get for RM15 per month. For a one-roti-canai per day, he/she can save RM3 per month. Well done.

Well, I remember one of my ex-bosses said to me, work must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. In this case, it just seemed to be done, but the real work has to be seriously done to lift the burden off the people’s shoulders a bit.

Najib also won the UMNO president without contest a few days ago. And there’s going to be a power transfer some time in March 2009. The guy whose father drew out New Economics Plan (Dasar Ekonomi Baru). To be honest, I worry about this country even more now. How are we going to eradicate those corruption problems that been plaguing the country since I don’t know when. Corruption is now considered as a norm these days, and the sadder thing is that, there isn’t much you can do about it.

Even UMNO members themselves agree that money politics are rampant in UMNO elections. You’ve got to have money to contest for the posts on offer. Otherwise, just accept the fact that you are not well equipped. Interested in Zaid Ibrahim’s statement that says that some UMNO leaders are just using Ketuanan Melayu for political purpose only. There’s no real sincerity in that. The only Melayu they are fighting for are themselves.