THE ONLINE RAHIM

mr vain ~ culture beat

2011-08-10T07:15:00.001-07:00

no limit ~ 2 unlimited

2011-08-10T07:13:00.001-07:00

coco jumbo ~ mr president

2011-08-10T07:11:00.001-07:00

be my lover ~ la bouche

2011-08-10T07:09:00.001-07:00

it's my life ~ dr alban

2011-08-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

'Polis bengis macam nak makan saya'

2011-07-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

Jimadie Shah Othman
Jul 16, 11
5:59pm

Tindakan polis menyuraikan perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 genap seminggu lalu terus dikritik hebat, sehingga Sasterawan Negara Datuk A Samad Said yang terkenal dengan kelembutannya pun kini merasa amat benci kepada kerajaan.

"Sebelum (gas) ditembak, ada himpitan dari belakang, (oleh) kelompok polis juga. Jadi kami agak tersepit, seperti di (Hospital) Tung Shin, (kami) tiada alternatif jadigo through saja.

"Tidak pernah saya rasakan begitu bencinya saya pada kerajaan. Iitulah waktunya saya lebih benci," kata A Samad yang mengimbau kembali pengalamannya di KL Sentral, tempat beliau mula-mula bertembung dengan polis.

Ketika diwawancara Malaysiakini di Bangsar kelmarin, penulis kreatif pelbagai genre itu bagimanapun, beliau sempat berseloroh bahawa ia masih belum sampai ke tahap "paling benci".

Menghabiskan hari yang panjang daripada pagi sehinggalah disekat polis kali terakhir kira-kira 200 meter daripada Istana Negara di sebelah petang, A Samad menyifatkan tindakan polis menangani "perhimpunan damai" itu secara "bengis".

"(Dikasari) secara langsung tidak. Tetapi dengan wajah dengan apa itu memanglah kalau boleh mereka hendak makan saya," kata lelaki 76 tahun yang bersosok kecil dan berjanggut lebat bewarna putih itu.

Berbeza dengan demonstrasi pertamanya pada Mac 2007 bagi membantah dasar pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI), A Samad kali ini menempuh pelbagai rintangan.

Selipar, bukan sepatu Nike
Beliau bukan sahaja hilang capal, tetapi hilang garam, tuala kecil dan air mineral yang dibawanya bagi menangi gas pemedih mata dan meriam air daripada pihak polis.

"Saya seharusnya diapit dua orang peguam, (tetapi) dua orang peguam pun hilang (setelah gas ditembak)," katanya yang mengakui sudah menjangkakan pendekatan keras itu akan diambil pihak berkuasa.

Pada Sabtu itu, dengan baju basah akibat air hujan dan meriam air, A Samad terus berjalan kira-kira 10 kilometer menuju ke Istana Negara untuk menyerahkan memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"Saya berkaki ayam separuh jalan, berbatu-batu. Ada anak muda hendak beri saya sepati Nike. Ini saya fikir sepatu yang cantik sangat, saya tak mahu.

"Kemudian orang beri saya sepatu yang besar, saya gunakan sebab hendak berjalan agak susah. Sampai di Hotel Midah, Kampung Attap, ada orang membelikan saya selipar. Jadi lepas itu dia pula berkaki ayam," kata A Samad.

Pengarang novel Salina itu juga menyuarakan rasa terharunya pada semangat perpaduan dan hormat menghormati semua bangsa pada hari itu demi mencapai matlamat bersama ke arah pilihan raya yang bebas dan adil.

"Ada anak India hendak bagi sepatu dia, anak Cina hendak beri sepatu dia. Saya merasa amat bangga.

"Tidak pernah saya melihat satu kelompok orang muda yang berbilang bangsa itu bersatu oleh satu cita-cita. Itu sangat membanggakan," kata A Samad Said lagi.

malaysiakini.com

Subsidi RM74 bilion: K'jaan perdaya rakyat, kata pakar

2011-06-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

Kerajaan Persekutuan pimpinan BN telah “memperdayakan” rakyat apabila Unit Pengurusan Prestasi dan Perlaksanaan (PEMANDU) menyatakan bahawa kerajaan menanggung bil subsidi berjumlah RM74 bilion pada 2010, kata seorang pakar ekonomi hari ini.

Bercakpa pada dialog belanjawan Selangor 2012 di Subang Jaya, profesor pelawat Universiti Nottingham, Subramaniam Pillay berkata 54 peratus daripada bil itu adalah untuk pendidikan dan kesihatan yang sebenarnya adalah tanggungjawab kerajaan.

"Semua kerajaan di dunia beri subsidi untuk barangan berlainan untuk golongan rakyat yang berbeza. Tetapi bagi pendidikan dan kesihatan, yang dinamakan oleh pakar ekonomi sebaragai 'public goods' dan ini adalah tanggungjawab kerajaan,” kata Subramaniam yang bersara daripada jawatan Ketua Sekolah Perniagaan Universiti Nottingham tahun lalu.

"Semua negara maju di seluruh dunia beri subsidi dalam jumlah yang besar untuk kesihatan, kecuali di Amerika Syarikat tetapi (Presiden Barack) Obama baru-baru ini membentangkan Rang Undang-undang Kesihatan.”

Jika dua barangan itu dikeluarkan, bil subsidi hanya berjumlah RM31.1 bilion dan daripada jumlah berkenaan, subsidi makanan yang secara langsung sampai kepada rakyat hanya bernilai RM3 bilion atau lebih kurang 2 peratus daripada bajet kerajaan persekutuan.

Katanya, sebahagian besar subsidi RM23.7 bilion untuk bahan api dan tenaga yang dibayar pada 2010 disalurkan kepada subsidi gas yang kemudiannya diberikan kepada pengeluar tenaga bebas.

"Bagi infrastruktur, semua subsidi disalurkan kepada (konsensi lebuhraya) bukan kerana mereka memerlukannya tetapi kerana mereka menandatangani perjanjian (dengan kerajaan) yang bodoh. Ini bukan subsidi untuk rakyat,” katanya.

Perangkaan RM74 bilion yang dikeluarkan oleh PEMANDU seringkali digunakan oleh BN sebagai alsan bahawa pengurangan subsisidi petrol, gas asli, diesel dan barangan makanan yang lain adalah berpatutan kerana kerajaan menanggung bebanan yang berat

‘Would Datuk seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein have arrested Datuk Onn Jaafar?’

2011-06-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

‘Would Hisham have arrested Onn Jaafar?’

By Yow Hong Chieh

June 23, 2011

Umno traces its roots back to the pre-Merdeka protests against the Malayan Union.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Lim Kit Siang has reminded Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that his grandfather, Datuk Onn Jaafar, pioneered peaceful protests in Malaysia, and called on the home minister to ensure the smooth running of Bersih 2.0.

The DAP parliamentary leader pointed out that Umno was born in 1946 out of non-violent anti-Malayan Union protests helmed by Onn, and asked if Hishammuddin thought his grandfather’s actions constituted illegal assembly.

“Would Hishammuddin have arrested his grandfather Datuk Onn Jaafar for organising peaceful mass rallies and meetings resulting in formation of Umno if the latter had been alive today?” he asked in a statement today.

Lim also slammed Hishammuddin for putting electoral watchdog Bersih on the same footing as Malay rights group Perkasa by announcing yesterday that the police would summon Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth for planning separate rallies on July 9.

He said while Bersih has declared its commitment to peace, the Perkasa counter-protest was “a different kettle of fish” that was “born to create strife and unrest”.

He urged the police to arrest and charge Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali for “invoking provocative and inflammatory images of chaos and bloodshed” by referencing the May 13, 1969 race riots during the counter-protest launch on Sunday.

“I call on the home minister to facilitate the successful holding of the peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally instead of enjoining and compelling the police to suppress the democratic rights of Malaysians,” he said.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) component parties and activists are gearing up to march on July 9 in the second such rally by election watchdog Bersih.

The first rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the capital’s street, before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannon.

The rally was credited for the PR’s record gains in Election 2008, which saw the opposition pact sweep to power in five states and win 82 parliamentary seats.

PAS has called on all its one million members to attend the rally while Perkasa and Umno Youth have said they will march separately on July 9 to counter the Bersih rally.

Perkasa kicked off its Gerak Aman counter-protest on Sunday by burning images of Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and warning the Chinese to stay indoors as “anything could happen”.

Bersih to go global with July 9 rally

2011-06-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

June 23, 2011

People shout slogans during the Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur, November 10, 2007. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Election watchdog Bersih today confirmed that overseas rallies will be held simultaneously with its upcoming July 9 event, and that these will be spearheaded by Malaysian citizens living abroad.

Rallies will be held in Seoul (South Korea); Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (Australia); Osaka (Japan); Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York (US).

“All the overseas solidarity rallies held were initiated by Malaysian citizens living abroad who supported the demands for Perhimpunan Bersih 2.0. They personally contacted Bersih 2.0 and expressed interest in organising [rallies] where they were.

“We regard this wide interest by the Malaysian diaspora as an indication that Malaysians from all walks of life believe in the need for electoral reform and the upholding of democracy,” said a statement from the group’s steering committee today.

The committee comprises of chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, Andrew Khoo, K. Arumugam , Dr Farouk Musa, Haris Ibrahim, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard YW Yeoh, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Datuk Yeo Yang Poh, Zaid Kamaruddin, Dr Subramaniam Pillay and Arul Prakkash.

“Malaysian citizens living abroad should rise to the occasion and demand for their right to vote via postal ballot in the upcoming 13th General Election,” added the statement.

Bersih will also be conducting several roadshows nationwide prior to July 9, starting tomorrow at Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor and Johor Baru on June 25, and in Sungai Siput, Perak the day after.

A death threat was sent to Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga earlier today, ostensibly for planning the July 9 rally calling for free and fair elections. She has stressed, however, that the rally will carry on as planned.

The first rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the capital’s street before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons.

Bersih 2.0: Why I will march

2011-06-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

June 23, 2011

JUNE 23 — We can only look back at our past to recognise the pivotal points that have brought us to where we are today.

Today, I am blessed to have a boss who supports and shares the same passions as I do: playing a role in strengthening civil society in Malaysia, along with wildlife conservation and rural community-based initiatives.

I particularly look forward to her mentorship as she has played a very significant leadership role in Green Surf, a home-grown Sabah coalition that successfully fought to stop a coal power plant being built in the state.

I count back the years that has brought me to this point.

It is easy to pinpoint my early interest in conservation and environment work: a childhood memory of watching a documentary of a solitary female researcher slogging her way through a Borneo rainforest searching for orangutans (like bells ringing in my head, telling me that this would be me one day — the bells later proved right) to being fascinated by the Greenpeace protests in Sarawak in the 1990s.

I did not understand why foreigners would care so much about rainforests so far away from their homeland. I did not understand why the local newspapers were so hostile towards the protestors, to the point of making negative personal commentaries about their weight and looks.

My initial confusion made me question what I had thought was truth. That everything I read and hear from other people is not necessarily the absolute truth, but rather a semblance of truth from their unique perspective and experiences.

Yet my political awareness only fully emerged at a later stage.

I connect those dots back to my participation in the 2007 Bersih march.

It was probably the first time I had felt very proud as a Malaysian, to be surrounded by so many of my compatriots seeking a change in our electoral system that we feel is unfair and not representative of a democracy that our country is built upon.

It was the beginnings of a personal stirring to learn more about the political issues beyond my home state of Sarawak. Indeed to march along other Malaysians who felt as strongly as I did was inspiring and gave me courage to continue exploring other sensitive issues.

There has been much furore over the past week about the upcoming Bersih 2.0 march. A lot of it has been emotional, and hurtful, no matter what race or religion we belong to.

No one with a decent heart and a sane mind likes to have an ethnic community singled out either to be blamed or condemned for their apparent participation in the march. Your brother is my brother, your sister my sister. When you try to hurt others, you only end up hurting yourself.

Like in 2007, I intend to participate for I support the eight demands as listed out by the organisers of the march for freer and fairer elections.

This year, it is particularly poignant for me, as a Sarawakian, for it was the alleged abuses in the last state election that had prompted the call to revive Bersih 2.0.

Even if you don’t believe in the money politics that took place in the last state election, or worse yet, think money politics is what elections is all about, you cannot deny the very basic fact that the non-Barisan Nasional component parties had no free and fair access to the mainstream media. One of the eight calls of Bersih 2.0 for the Election Commission to rectify.

And that is one out of many legitimate grouses made not just by political parties, but also civil society.

At the end of the day, to me, it does not matter what political party is in power, but rather those in power are reminded of and humbled by the immense responsibility placed on them. I fear that those who tricked and paid their way towards political power will not have these values in check. By coming into power with arrogance, they will continue to lead us with arrogance.

The eight calls of Bersih 2.0, if implemented, will help give us more representatives that we seek, no matter what political parties they hail from.

We want statesmen who will lead us with honour and honesty, not politicians who burn images and threaten our communities.

So what role will I play come July 9?

Could this be a pivotal point in not just our personal lives, but our country’s?

And 10 or 20 years from now, when we look back and ponder how Malaysia was brought to this fine point, where hopefully we have made leaps and bounds towards advancing national social consciousness for a government that truly represents us, could we then say to ourselves, I played a small role that one fine day?

This is why I intend to march.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Apa yang ditakuti sangat pada BERSIH 2.0?

2011-06-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Apa yang ditakuti sangat pada BERSIH 2.0?

Apakah dia tuntutan penganjur Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH2.0) yang dipandang oleh polis, Umno (termasuk Pemuda Umno) serta PERKASA sebagai keterlaluan dan memudaratkan keselamatan negara?

Apakah salahnya membenarkan orang ramai, aktivis masyarakat, pemimpin pelajar dan pemimpin politik berkumpul sebelum berarak di dua tiga batang jalan utama Kuala Lumpur dan menyampaikan memorandum secara aman kepada Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di- Pertuan Agong?

Jalan-jalan Kuala Lumpur pun kerap ditutup untuk acara marathon, lumba basikal, dan pelbagai perarakan lain. Tidak pula ada laporan polis atau aduan dibuat kononnya peniaga dan pemandu teksi hilang pendapatan. Kenapa Himpunan BERSIH 2.0 pada 9 Julai dianggap begitu berlainan sekali?

Jangan lupa, jalan-jalan Putrajaya ditutup baru-baru ini untuk menghimpunkan sejuta belia yang Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak mahu menggunakannya bagi “mempertahankan” singgahsana kuasa politik negara daripada ditawan oleh Pakatan Rakyat.

Kenapa Umno dan juak-juaknya begitu negatif terhadap BERSIH 2.0? Apakah perlunya polis memberikan amaran untuk “bertindak tegas' terhadap mereka yang menyertai perhimpunan ini?

Apakah bezanya perhimpunan ini dengan puluhan himpunan-himpunan yang dianjur oleh PAS, Umno, PERKASA dan pertubuhan lain di kedutaan Amerika Syarikat, Britain setiap kali isu Palestin diperjuangkan.

Gulingkan kerajaan

BERSIH 2.0 bukanlah tunjuk perasaan untuk menggulingkan kerajaan sebagaimana yang didakwa oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Dan ia jauh sekali untuk mengalih pandangan rakyat daripada perbicaraan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh Menteri Penerangan Datuk Seri Rais Yatim.

BERSIH 2.0 adalah insiatif pertubuhan bukan kerajaan yang dipimpin oleh peguam Datuk Ambiga Srinevasam, seorang aktivis yang mendokong keluhuran pelembagaan dan hak asasi manusia.

Benar, BERSIH disokong oleh parti-parti pembangkang. Namun adalah satu hakikat juga bahawa Ambiga telah beberapa kali menggesa parti-parti BN untuk turut serta menyokong perhimpunan ini kerana:

Perhimpunan adalah secara aman

Seluruh rakyat mahukan pilhanraya yang telus dan adil, dan parti politik harus memberi sokongan kepada tuntutan ini

Semua pihak mahu melihat SPR lebih professional dalam isu-isu seperti tempoh kempen minimum 21 hari, penggunaan dakwat kekal untuk mengatasi masalah pengundian bertindih dan pendaftaran automatik pengundi mencapai umur 18 tahun.

Tidak ada satu pun dalam tuntutan ini yang boleh dikatakan memihak kepada pembangkang mahu pun pemerintah.

Tidak ada satu pun dalam desakan pada perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 akan memberikan sebarang kelebihan kepada Umno mahupun PAS dalam mempengaruhi citarasa pengundi Melayu.

Malaysia jauh daripada ambang kebangkitan rakyat yang menumbangkan Presiden Hosni Mobarak di Mesir dan lebih jauh lagi daripada sebarang serangan NATO seperti yang berlaku di Libya.

Banyak rungutan

Namun secara jujur, apakah BN beranggapan rakyat tidak mempunyai sebarang rungutan tentang cara Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya mengendalikan pemilihan di negara ini?

Selepas 12 pilihan raya umum, rasanya tidaklah keterlaluan untuk berharap rakyat tidak lagi diselubungi dengan undi pos yang mencurigakan, atau pengundi hantu dalam daftar pemilih. Begitu juga dengan perpindahan pengundi dari satu kawasan ke kawasan lain.

Namun ini semua berlaku dan kadar amalan-amalan ini berleluasa menjelang pilihan raya umum ke-13 amat membimbangkan pihak-pihak di sebalik penganjuran BERSIH 2.0.

Selepas lima dekad kita mengurus negara sendiri, masih berlaku kes 'bekalan elektrik boleh terputus tiba-tiba apabila calon Pakatan Rakyat mendahului pengiraan dengan lebih 1,000 undi. Bekalan elektrik pulih sejam kemudian dan calon BN menang dengan 58 undi, dibantu oleh undi pos.

Lebih mengejutkan Pegawai Pilihanraya mengambil keputusan tidak perlu diadakan pengiraan semula walaupun undang-undang memperuntukkan keperluan itu. Ini berlaku di Senadin, Miri pada pilihanraya negeri Sarawak baru-baru ini.

Undi pos dikatakan membantu Umno-BN menang di sekurang-kurangnya 25 kerusi parlimen dalam PRU yang lalu dan menjadi kebimbangan paling besar gagasan pembangkang untuk PRU ke-13.

Amat mencurigakan

Penambahan mendadak jumlah undi pos amat mencurigakan – hampir enam ribu di Pulau Pangkor, 10 ribu di Setiawangsa.

Di Kok Lanas, Kelantan, hampir 500 isteri prajurit didaftarkan sebagai pengundi pos tanpa pengetahuan mereka.

Mereka tidak mengisi Borang A iaitu borang perpindahan daripada pengundi biasa kepada pengundi Pos, namun pendaftaran itu diterima oleh SPR.

Nama mereka hanya dikeluarkan daripada senarai pengundi pos setelah PAS membuat bantahan dan menuntut SPR menjalankan siasatan.

Hujah yang dilazim diberikan oleh Umno-BN adalah jika SPR tidak adil dan cenderong kepada pemerintah, mana mungkin pembangkang boleh menang besar pada PRU yang lalu.

Hujah balas ialah, jika SPR memang adil dan berkecuali dalam melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya, maka negara sudah pun ditadbir oleh Pakatan Rakyat.

Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata calon-calon Pakatan tidak mempunyai pilihan kecuali memastikan mereka mendapat sekurang-kurangnya 55 peratus daripada jumlah undi untuk memastikan pengiraan undi tidak dimanipulasi.

Ini satu tanggungjawab yang amat berat kerana lawan Pakatan Rakyat dalam PRU bukan parti Umno-BN semata-mata.

Pakatan Rakyat sebenarnya berdepan dengan parti Umno-BN yang disokong dengan segala wang rakyat, kemudahan awam, institusi kerajaan dan jentera media arus perdana.

Bagi Umno-BN, tidak ada batas untuk menggunakan segala kelebihan kerajaan pemerintah untuk agenda politiknya, termasuk Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya.

Apakah SPR mahu sekali lagi tergolong sebagai sebahagian daripada aparatus BN untuk memenangi PRU yang akan datang?

Biarlah Himpunan BERSIH 2.0 menzahirkan harapan rakyat yang mahu SPR melaksanakan amanahnya secara adil, telus, dan berkecuali dalam mengendalikan pilihanraya demi masa depan negara tercinta ini.

ULASAN ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mencerminkan pendirian sidang pengarang Malaysiakini.

Wira Arjuna adalah seorang wartawan dan editor kanan yang berpengalaman luas dan pernah menerajui beberapa media arus perdana sebelum bersara menjadi pemerhati politik.

Izzah syorkan skim ‘Kereta Pertamaku’

2011-05-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Naib presiden PKR itu turut menyarankan Cukai Eksais dan Cukai Jualan yang dikenakan keatas penjualan kereta yang dibuat dan dipasang di Malaysia dihapuskan

Dalam kenyataan eksklusif kepada FMT, Nurul Izzah berkata skim tersebut perlu dilaksanakan memandangkan terlalu ramai rakyat Malaysia yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana masih tidak mampu memiliki kereta sedangkan hakikatnya kereta bukanlah suatu kemewahan, sebaliknya sudah menjadi satu keperluan.
PETALING JAYA: Naib Presiden PKR, Nurul Izzah Anwar hari ini mengesyorkan kepada kerajaan agar melaksanakan segera skim “Kereta Pertamaku” untuk rakyat yang berpendapatan rendah agar mereka juga mampu memiliki kereta.

“Tidak seperti negara maju seperti Jepun, United Kingdom dan Eropah, sistem pengangkutan awam di Malaysia masih jauh ketinggalan.

“Sistem pengangkutan awam di Kuala Lumpur pun masih tidak efisyen apabila sistem sambungan (connectivity) itu tidak selaras. Malah banyak lagi kawasan di Kuala Lumpur dan Lembah Kelang masih tidak mempunyai rangkaian sistem pengangkutan awam seperti LRT.

“Bayangkan kalau di Lembah Kelang sendiri masih ramai yang menggunakan kenderaan sendiri ke tempat kerja apatah lagi keadaan rakyat di bandar dan daerah yang lebih kecil seperti Seremban, Melaka, Kuantan dan Ipoh contohnya”, kata Nurul Izzah.

Untuk merealisasikan skim tersebut, Nurul Izzah yang juga Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai mencadangkan lima mekanisma kepada kerajaan agar mereka yang benar-benar layak sahaja dapat menikmati keistimewaan dalam skim tersebut:

Pembeli belum pernah memiliki kereta yang berdaftar bawah nama sendiri
Pembeli mestilah berdaftar dengan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (EPF)
Kereta 1800cc ke bawah
Kereta yang dibuat dan dipasang di Malaysia
Kereta tidak boleh dijual untuk tiga tahun pertama

Hapuskan cukai

Nurul Izzah juga menyarankan Cukai Eksais (Excise Tax) dan Cukai Jualan (Sales Tax) yang dikenakan keatas penjualan kereta yang dibuat dan dipasang di Malaysia dihapuskan.

“Harga kereta di Malaysia amat membebankan rakyat dan antara yang termahal di dunia.

“Ketika ini kerajaan mengenakan 60% Cukai Eksais dan 10% Cukai Jualan untuk kereta tempatan. Bermakna untuk sebuah kereta Perodua paling kecil yang dijual dengan harga RM40,000 contohnya, sebanyak RM16,500 adalah cukai yang dibayar oleh pembeli kepada kerajaan.

“Ini bermakna harga asal kereta tersebut tanpa cukai hanyalah sebanyak RM23,500,” jelas Nurul Izzah.

Justeru itu Nurul Izzah berkata pemilikan kereta oleh setiap rakyat di negara ini satu keperluan mustahak untuk menikmati taraf kehidupanyang lebih selesa dan efisyen.

free malaysia today

PAS will stay with pakatan, says Nik Aziz

2011-04-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

Najib minta PAS keluar Pakatan

2011-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Apr 30, 11 4:18pm

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hari ini meminta PAS keluar daripada Pakatan Rakyat yang jelas tidak memperjuangkan agenda bangsa, agama dan negara.

Perdana Menteri berkata sudah tiba masanya PAS meninggalkan pembangkang khususnya DAP yang ternyata tidak pernah sekalipun memperjuangkan Islam.

"Hadi (Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang), cukup-cukuplah dengan DAP, tinggalkan DAP (pakatan pembangkang)," katanya ketika berucap di hadapan kira-kira 15,000 orang pada majlis Perjumpaan Mesra Perdana Menteri Bersama Rakyat Dewan Undangan Negeri kawasan Manir di Kampung Pulau Bahagia, dekat Kuala Terengganu.

Turut hadir Menteri Besar Terengganu Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Menteri Pembangunan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dan Menteri Belia dan Sukan Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Perdana Menteri berkata masa depan Malaysia sebenarnya lebih terjamin menerusi kepimpinan kerajaan BN dan Umno.

"Umno lahir di istana dan bukannya lahir di jalanan seperti PKR".

Najib berkata rakyat telah bijak untuk menilai kepimpinan yang benar-benar dapat memperjuangkan agenda bangsa, agama dan negara.

Beliau turut mengulas mengenai kemelut yang sedang berlaku membabitkan kepimpinan parti PKR.

"Semasa di Sarawak (pilihan raya negeri) baru-baru ini, penduduk rumah panjang pun bertanyakan jam Omega (milik Penasihat PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim).

"Dan semalam kenapa nak halang orang nak bersumpah?," kata Najib yang merujuk kepada suasana tegang apabila hasrat Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah melakukan sumpah laknat berkenaan pelaku dalam video seks yang didakwa membabitkan Anwar, cuba disabotaj oleh penyokong ketua pembangkang itu.

Eskay ialah seorang daripada tiga individu yang menggelarkan diri sebagai Datuk "T" atau trio, yang terlibat mendedahkan video aksi seks yang dikatakan mirip pemimpin pembangkang.

Najib berkata sudah tibanya rakyat menilai kepimpinan yang benar-benar layak untuk menerajui negara ini.

"Masa depan Malaysia ini adalah lebih terjamin dengan BN," katanya.

--Bernama

OpOcOt...!!! hantuuuuuuuuu

2011-04-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

S… U… M… sum! P… A… H… pah! SUMPAH!

2011-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2011

APRIL 29 — When I was about five years old, I loved going to the playground behind our house.

The neighbourhood kids would gather there every evening and play all kinds of games, from football, ice cream sticks to ram ram rep patung (remember this one?)!

My favourite game back then was ice cream sticks. Two people would go head to head and blow their ice cream sticks so it would overlap the other to win.

If you won, you would get to take the other person’s ice cream stick to add to your collection. The more you had, the higher your social status.

The pressure was so intense that my friends and I would even resort to stealing each other’s sticks. And of course we would deny it when confronted.

“Kau ambik batang ais krim aku!”

“Mana ada!”

“Ye! Kau tipu!”

“Aku tak tipu lah! Sumpah!”

“Tipu! Kau tak cakap sumpah betul-betul!”

“Aku tak ambik! S… U… M… sum! P… A… H… pah! SUMPAH!”

And with that, the argument has to be settled. There is nothing a person can say once the word SUMPAH has been uttered. And so began my obsession with that word.

At around the same time, my friends and I were obsessed with the cartoon M.A.S.K. and we would all have our little action figures and superhero vehicles.

The figurines had really small parts and would get lost easily. My Matt Tracker Thunderhawk lost both its tiny missiles within minutes of my parents buying it for me.

So, I went to my friend’s house with my Thunderhawk in hand. He had one too, and so began my secret mission.

(I shall not name him in case he decides to come search for me now that he’s all grown up!)

As soon as he wasn’t looking, I snatched his Thunderhawk’s missiles away and put them in the slots of my own Thunderhawk.

“Hey! Where are my missiles?”

“I don’t know.”

“You didn’t have missiles when you got here. Are those mine?”

“No!”

“Liar! Those are mine! You stole them!”

“No! These are mine! S… U… M… sum! P… A… H… pah! SUMPAH!”

And, as I had expected, that was the end of the argument. I loved the word! It was like a "get out of jail" card. You could not be accused of any wrong once you used that word.

A few days later, I was watching television with my parents at home. There was nothing much to watch back then – only RTM.

A Malay movie was on... something starring Jins Shamsuddin. It was titled Esok Untuk Siapa. I was really young then so I can’t really remember the whole story.

But I did remember that in the end, one guy by the name of Jiman (played by Jins) ended up paralysed and insane due to a horrific accident with a timber lorry.

I asked my mother what had happened to him, and she told me that this was what happened to people who lie and break promises and oaths (SUMPAH!).

That scared the wits out of me. I did not want to end up crazy and in a wheelchair living amongst chickens underneath a kampung house like Jiman.

And so I told myself that I would never use that magic word ever again, unless I was really telling the truth and meant what I said.

~zan azlee~

Sumpah laknat Datuk T tak ikut ajaran Islam - Ustaz Shamsul

2011-04-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Bekas Imam Masjid Saidina Omar Al Khattab, Bukit Damansara, Ustaz Shamsul Firdaus Alhafiz berkata, sumpah laknat yang dilakukan Trio Datuk T, tidak mengikut ajaran Islam yang sebenar.

Beliau merujuk tindakan salah seorang individu terbabit, Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah yang dikatakan mahu mengangkat sumpah laknat di Masjid Amru Al-As di Sentul selepas solat Jumaat esok.

“Sumpah untuk nak buktikan tuduhan zina cuma boleh dilakukan terhadap isteri sahaja. Itu dipanggil sebagai sumpah Li’an. Itu dinyatakan dalam Al Quran Surah An Nur ayat ke 6 hingga ke 10, ” ujarnya kepada Keadilandaily.

“Sumpah li’an ini pula adalah sumpah saling rela dilaknat, ia tak ‘laku’ kalau hanya sebelah pihak sahaja. Kedua, ia tidak ‘laku’ kalau tidak membabitkan suami dan isteri,

“Sumpah yang dilakukan Datuk T ini tidak terpakai dan tak boleh pakai,” tegas beliau.

Katanya, sumpah mubahalah seperti yang diperkatakan ramai orang pula, hanya melibatkan persoalan akidah dan tidak ada kaitan dengan hukum syarak.

“Sumpah Mubahalah cuma nak menyatakan dalam soal perdebatan akidah dan ia tidak menyangkut paut dengan hukum syarak. Ia berkenaan akidah sahaja. Misalnya perdebatan antara ahli kitab dan orang Islam, dalam tuduhan seks tidak ada sumpah muhabalah.

Justeru, katanya, tindakan Datuk T yang terdiri daripada Shazryl Eskay, Bekas Ketua Menteri Melaka, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik, dan bendahari Perkasa, Datuk Shuib Lazim itu tidak diterima dalam kaedah perundangan Islam.

Dalam kes fitnah membabitkan Ketua Umum KEADILAN, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu, Shamsul berkata, di dalam Islam, ia perlu mengikut saluran yang ditetapkan hukum syarak.

“Dia (Datuk T) kena ikut proses, sebab itu perlu membawa empat saksi. Kriteria saksi ini mesti lah memenuhi syarat seperti adil, tidak fasik dan tidak buat dosa-dosa besar,” jelas beliau.

Ketika ditanya mengenai hukum daripada tindakan individu berkenaan, Shamsul berkata sumpah yang dilakukan itu tidak memberi sebarang kesan kepada yang dituduh mahupun yang menuduh.

“Ia tidak boleh dijadikan asas sebagai penerimaan bukti samada betul atau tidak,” tambahnya.

Sementara itu, bekas pensyarah Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Ustaz Dr Badrul Amin Bahron pula mengingatkan umat Islam supaya jangan sewenangnya mempermainkan agama dengan merujuk tindakan individu berkenaan.

“Jangan sampai kita semua dilaknat Allah! Siapa ajar sumpah-sumpah ini? Agama apa? Kenapa di masjid? Sumpah bukan ajaran Islam, ikut Islam sebat je mereka ini,” katanya sambil menyeru umat Islam merujuk surah An-Nur ayat 4.

More free e-mails for Malaysians

2011-04-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

Teoh El Sen

| April 27, 2011

Tricubes can expect heavy competition from netizens intent on ridiculing the 1Malaysia Email project

PETALING JAYA: Netizens can now expect a boom in free e-mails tailor-made for Malaysians. As this report was being uploaded, there have emerged at least three of these, all spoofing the RM50 million 1Malaysia e-mail (MyEmail) project that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced last week.

The first to come online was Free 1Malaysia Email. Another, MyOh.My Email, was launched last night, billing itself as the “scandal-less citizen inbox”.

Speaking to FMT, one of the initiators of MyOh.My, said: “We’re just a group of concerned citizens, not involved in politics at all, and we were sort of tired of the whole MyEmail saga. It’s actually something that people of grassroots can put together quite easily.”

More than 300 people have registered for the MyOh.My email service, which will be powered by Google.

“We spent US$50,” said the spokesman, adding that his group consists of four individuals.

“Why should it cost government agencies 50 sen to send e-mails? It is clearly a rent-seeking business. Someone has gotten a monopoly of a particular type of transaction. And now they are setting up a toll booth. It is just ridiculous.

“This speaks of a bigger issue of government procurements. We want to say that the way it is done can be changed, especially for IT projects.”

He said he and his colleagues were hoping that the website would get Najib’s attention and that they could meet him face-to-face.

“We want to tell him how these kinds of procurements can be significantly improved. Open tender is clearly very important. But firstly, before sending out requests for proposals or doing anything else, they should be reaching out to the public for suggestions, and this can be easily done with the social networks we have these days.”

The spokesperson also spoke of concerns over privacy and security in the MyEmail project, noting that it is a large-scale project overseen by the government but owned by a single private company.

“Goodness knows what they have in their software. This type of centralisation is not a good thing”.

MyEmail is operated by Tricubes Bhd. Its CEO, Khairun Zainal Mokhtar, announced yesterday that users could choose to buy a USB biometric device from the company for a “more secure” e-mail.

Commenting on the announcement, the MyOh.My spokesman said: “USB keys have been hacked before. We should not pretend to the public that any system is failsafe by saying that it is secure. Tricubes is just inviting hackers to ask ‘Oh really?’”

Another parody, 50million Mail, calls itself the “Bolehland Citizen Inbox”. It is powered by Microsoft’s Windows Live.

“If you are a Bolehlander, then you are entitled for a 50M mail account,” it says on its home page. “Registration is simple and activation is immediate.”

It warns: “Do not use your 50M mail to directly communicate with regime leaders and receive replies directly from them, as it will be dangerous for you.”

FREE MALAYSIA TODAY

Also read:
Spoof site mocks 1Malaysia e-mail

'No proof that Selangor exco committed offence'

2011-04-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 26 @ 08:33:09 CDT

The MACC says there is no evidence that Ean Yong Hian Wah had breached the law.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) did not find any evidence of alleged irregularities in the disbursement of Selangor government funds by executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Putrajaya MACC's senior acting superintendent, Ahmad Shafik Abdul Rahman @ Alwee, said he had taken over the case on Aug 27, 2009 from the Selangor office after the death of Ean Yong's political aide, Teoh Beng Hock.

Teoh's body was found on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam on July 16, 2009. He had been questioned overnight as a witness at the Selangor MACC office on Level 14 of the building.

The RCI is looking into Teoh's death and the MACC's interrogation procedures. It was formed after an 18-month inquest delivered an open verdict, ruling out suicide or homicide as the cause of death.

Testifying this morning, Ahmad Shafik said that, from his investigations, there was “no evidence to prove that Ean Yong (right) had committed an offence under Section 18 of the MACC Act”.
The provision deals with an agent's intention to deceive his or her principal.
It reads in full: 'A person commits an offence if he gives to an agent, or
being an agent he uses with intent to deceive his principal, any
receipt, account or other document in respect of which the principal
is interested, and which he has reason to believe contains any
statement which is false or erroneous or defective in any material
particular, and is intended to mislead the principal.'
In an immediate response, Ean Yong said on his Facebook page, "After almost two years of waiting, justice finally arrived."
Up to the time of Teoh's death, the probe had been handled by Mohd Anuar Ismail of Selangor MACC.
MACC officers had previously told the RCI that four companies paid through Ean Yong's Seri Kembangan constituency funds had not executed any work on the projects awarded.

They had also said that one basis of the probe was the discovery of four copies "incomplete" invoices found in Teoh's (left) laptop, and which were deemed "suspicious".

The companies were named as MKMN Enterprise, Syarikat Aris, Fizami Construction and MA Bina Melor Enterprise.

However, Ahmad Shafik said today that all projects had been completed and that there were no grounds to prove otherwise.
"I ordered my officers to investigate the vouchers (found in Teoh's laptop and the claims vouchers from the Petaling District and Land office) and we found that all projects were completed," he said.

The payments to DAP Malaysia and the party's Seri Aman branch amounted to reimbursement of cash advances.
Ahmad Shafik noted that all Selangor assemblypersons receive an annual allocation of RM500,000.

Executive councillors get an additional sum of RM100,000. The District and Land Office acts as custodian of the allocations.
Process explained

Conducting officer Awang Amardajaya Awang Mahmud then asked: "How did you ascertain that the projects were finished according to specifications?"

"It is from the statement recorded from Lee Wye Wing and receipts of the transactions that were given to us," said Ahmad Shafik (right).

Lee was among the contractors who had often executed projects and programmes in the Seri Kembangan constituency, as well as in Kuala Kubu Bharu, where Ean Yong serves as 'Adun angkat'.

Since Kuala Kubu Bharu is under MCA - and therefore opposition - assemblyperson Wong Koon Mun, Ean Yong was entrusted with the constituency allocation of RM500,000.

Ahmad Shafik pointed out, however, that Lee had submitted more than 50 receipts and that the MACC was unable to ascertain which receipt was issued for which project.

"The bumiputera contractors involved had lent their business licences to Lee and he was the one who coordinated and managed all the projects and programmes in the Seri Kembangan and Kuala Kubu Bharu state constituencies,” said Ahmad Shafik.

"Lee only communicated with Teoh, never with Ean Yong directly, and each meeting was face to face or via email. If the project was approved by (the state), Teoh would give Lee the green light. Upon completion, Ean Yong would issue the claims documents which were sent to the Land Office."

RCI chairperson James Foong then asked why the Selangor MACC had investigated the case.

Ahmad Shafik: I don't know why.

Foong: What were they looking for? What was the crime then?

Ahmad Shafik: (Selangor MACC) investigated this based on a complaint that claims were made for incomplete projects.

Commissioner T Selventhiranathan suggested that "investigation should have been done to determine the truth of the complaint", to which Ahmad Shafik agreed.

Responding to questions by Bar Council lawyer S Sivanendiren, Ahmad Shafik said that he sent the completed investigation papers to Hishamuddin Hashim, the deputy director of private sector investigation, who was previously in charge of the probe as Selangor MACC deputy director.

Ahmad Shafik was then told to get DAP's bank details and transaction vouchers to authenticate Lee's statement.

Before proceeding with the directive, Ahmad Shafik said he consulted MACC's deputy chief commissioner (operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull, who was then the investigations director.

Foong: Was it done?

Ahmad Shafik: For your information Your Honour, the circumstances in which I took over case were unusual - a witness had died, the other witnesses weren't cooperative, officers were threatened, etc.

"The orders from (Mohd) Shukri were that we don't need to probe further into DAP's bank account because it had no relevance to the case, which was being investigated under Section 18 (of the MACC Act)," he said.

Once he completed the investigation, he added, the papers were sent to the deputy public prosecutor - and he was ordered to stop looking further into the matter.

free malaysiakini

Measuring Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK)

2011-04-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Sakmongkol AK47

APRIL 23 — Some time ago someone said 70 per cent of what RPK said are lies, not true. Seventy per cent of what RPK says cannot be believed. In other words, RPK is a phony and a charlatan with a beret. Now a beret and a pair of Harry Potter spectacles.

Now it seems even a morsel of truth depends on whether RPK says so. Why should Umno people believe what RPK says if we know that 70 per cent of whatever he says is “auta”?

So when RPK says that he did not say Najib was this and that, why should be believe him? He may be lying or that portion of his statement, gleaned from an interview he made when we don’t know, does not fall within the 70 per cent crap portion?

Umno people should be the first to dismiss RPK. The probability of what he says about Najib, despite Najib’s eagerness to feel relieved that finally the truth is out, to be NOT true is higher that it being true. In any case, the truth of anything shouldn’t be made dependent on what RPK says. The truth is still out there, Mulder.

Why should Umno lend credence to RPK?

It follows then that what RPK says about the plan about Tengku Razaleigh being complicit in some imaginary plot to block Najib becoming PM has a higher probability of NOT being true.

How did RPK arrive at that conclusion? He alluded to a meeting of some 30 bloggers at Tengku Razaleigh’s house some time ago. RPK WASN’T at the first meet. I use the term meet because the meet was proposed by a number of bloggers, Umno bloggers mostly.

Some people wanted to meet up with Tengku Razaleigh and the latter consented to the request. As to why Tengku Razaleigh agreed to play host can be attributed to a variety of reasons, none of which run afoul of the law. A politician would like to patronise a group of luminaries who could prove to be advantageous in future. There’s nothing sinister about that.

At the first meeting, the main and only agenda was to discuss about what to do with Pak Lah. It wasn’t at all about Najib. We know some of the prime movers behind the 30 bloggers who wanted to meet up. They actually wanted some legitimacy for their own agenda to kick out Pak Lah. Actually they wanted to borrow the credibility of Ku Li. They want to stab another with a borrowed knife!

If Umno people really want to get to the truth of who wanted to block Najib, then they should ask those people who went to Ku Li’s house trying him to persuade Ku Li to stand as Umno president and Muhyiddin as deputy president.

Those who supported the idea included a former much-adored PM and the faithful man-Friday of a former senior minister.

At that time, everyone was convinced that Najib was a spineless leader and made no mention of him being in the scheme of things. Actually, it was a ruse by these people, to goad Najib into coming out to dump Pak Lah. We all know that after that Najib came out to say he was willing to assume leadership. Of course, he said he was willing after much groundwork by a diverse set of operatives who had gone around making it impossible for Pak Lah to do anything but to say, “Uncle I quit”.

So why should we succumb to RPK’s invitation to us to believe this cooked-up story. Umno leaders do all kinds of political infanticide that makes this allegation by RPK a walk through the park. It’s a non-issue.

RPK may have his own personal reasons for dragging in Ku Li. And Umno people should not dismiss their own thinking that Ku Li is way past his prime to be of any serious threat to Najib. Look elsewhere for the source of threat, people.

As to the growing chasm between RPK and his one-time MCKK colleague, the colourful Anwar Ibrahim, he has his own personal reasons. Maybe because Anwar didn’t want to support his MCLM. Maybe Anwar didn’t lend a helping hand at all to a man on the run. Maybe its 1,001 reasons for RPK to say what he is now saying about Anwar. Or maybe he now believes Anwar is the culprit behind all those sex scandals.

But even these, we find hard to attach any credibility without dismissing our own beliefs that RPK is a charlatan. Seventy per cent of his being, that is. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).

malaysian insider

Panduan Solat Qasar Dan Jama'

2011-04-24T01:50:00.000-07:00

Penerangan solat qasar dan jama’ adalah seperti berikut:

1.0 Solat Qasar
1.1 Takrifan

Solat Qasar adalah mengqasarkan (memendekkan) solat yang empat rakaat iaitu Zuhur, Asar dan Isya’ kepada dua rakaat sementara solat Maghrib dan solat Subuh tidak boleh diqasarkan.

1.2 Hukum Qasar

      Harus berdasarkan kepada dalil berikut:
      i.Al-Quran surah al-Nisa’ ayat 101 yang bermaksud; “Dan apabila kamu musafir di muka bumi, maka kamu tidaklah berdosa mengqasarkan (memendekkan) solat jika kamu takut diserang oleh orang kafir…”
     ii. Al-Sunnah yang bermaksud;
      ‘Ya’la bin Umayyah pernah bertanya kepada Umar bin al-Khattab, “Kenapa kita perlu mengqasarkan solat sedangkan kita berada dalam keamanan?” Lalu beliau menjawab, “Aku telah bertanya kepada Nabi s.a.w., dan Baginda bersabda, solat qasar itu adalah sedekah yang Tuhan telah bersedekah kepadamu, maka terimalah sekalian kamu akan sedekahNya” (Riwayat al-Nasa’i dan Abu Daud)

1.3 Jarak Dibenarkan Qasar

Dua marhalah iaitu empat burudin di mana setiap burudin mempunyai empat farsakh dan setiap farsakh terdiri daripada 5514 meter mengikut kiraan moden. Dari itu, dua marhalah adalah bersamaan 89 kilometer.

1.4 Syarat Solat Qasar

      i. Hendaklah pelayaran atau perjalanan itu diharuskan oleh syara’.
      ii.Jauh pelayaran atau perjalanan itu tidak kurang daripada dua marhalah (89 kilometer / 56 batu).
      iii.Berniat qasar di dalam takbiratul ihram.
      iv.Tidak berimam dengan orang yang solat tamam (sempurna).
      v.Hendaklah solat yang diqasarkan itu terdiri dari solat empat rakaat.

1.5  Contoh Niat

أصلي فرض الظهر ركعتين قصرا لله تعالى
(Sahaja aku solat fardhu Zuhur dua rakaat Qasar kerana Allah Taala)

2.0 Solat Jama'
2.1   Takrifan
Solat Jama’ terbahagi kepada :
      i. Jama’ Taqdim iaitu mengerjakan solat Zuhur dan solat Asar dalam waktu Zuhur atau solat Maghrib dan solat Isya’ dalam waktu Maghrib.
     ii.Jama’ Ta’khir iaitu mengerjakan solat Zuhur dan solat Asar dalam waktu Asar atau solat Maghrib dan solat Isya’ dalam waktu Isya’.

2.2 Syarat Solat Jama’

2.2.1.Solat Jama’ Taqdim

      i.Hendaklah bersolat secara tertib iaitu mendahulukan solat Zuhur daripada solat Asar dan solat Maghrib daripada solat Isya'.
      ii.Hendaklah niat Jama’ Taqdim di dalam solat pertama sebelum salam tetapi yang afdhalnya di dalam takbiratul ihram.
      iii.Berturut-turut di antara solat yang dijama’kan itu.
      iv.Berkekalan pelayaran atau perjalanan itu hingga takbiratul ihram solat yang kedua.
      v.Berkeyakinan adanya waktu solat yang pertama (Zuhur atau Maghrib) berkekalan sehingga didirikan solat yang kedua (Asar atau Isya’).

2.2.2. Solat Jama’ Ta’khir
       i.Hendaklah berniat jama’ dalam waktu pertama iaitu Zuhur atau Maghrib.
      ii.Berkekalan pelayaran atau perjalanan hingga memberi salam solat yang kedua.

2.3 Contoh Niat

2.3.1 Jama’ Taqdim

i.Jama’ Taqdim Empat Rakaat

أصلي فرض الظهر اربع ركعات مجموعا إليه العصر اداء لله تعالى
(Sahaja aku solat fardhu Zuhur empat rakaat dihimpunkan kepadanya Asar tunai kerana Allah Taala)

ii.Niat Jama’ Taqdim Beserta Qasar

أصلي فرض الظهر ركعتين قصرا مجموعا إليه العصر اداء لله تعالى
(Sahaja aku solat fardhu Zuhur dua rakaat dihimpunkan kepadanya Asar tunai kerana Allah Taala)

2.3.2 Jama’ Ta’khir
i.Jama’ Ta’khir Empat Rakaat

أصلي فرض الظهر اربع ركعات مجموعا إلى العصر اداء لله تعالى
(Sahaja aku solat fardhu Zuhur empat rakaat dihimpunkan kepada Asar tunai kerana Allah Taala)

ii. Niat Jama’ Ta’khir Beserta Qasar

أصلي فرض الظهر ركعتين قصرا مجموعا إلى العصر اداء لله تعالى
(Sahaja aku solat fardhu Zuhur dua rakaat dihimpunkan kepada Asar tunai kerana Allah Taala)

1 Malaysia or SAPU Malaysia???

2011-04-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/SapuMalaysia/

Living in Malaysia is expensive

2011-04-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

By Sebastian Loh, 4/19/2011

If you don't know already, it's expensive to live in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur. A report shows that Malaysians have less purchasing power than many nationals elsewhere.

The Malaysian Insider, an online Malaysian news website, examined the purchasing power of Malaysians in comparison to nationals of other countries. The website cited a 2010 Prices and Wages report by UBS AG, a Swiss banking giant.

Here are the highlights:

The purchasing power of KL residents is 33.8% of New Yorkers; 42% compared to London, 33.7% to Sydney, 32.6% to Los Angeles, and 31.6% to Zurich.

KL workers need to labour 22 minutes for a bread loaf. In comparison, Los Angeles counterparts take 18 minutes. In Sydney, it's 16 minutes. In Tokyo, 15 minutes. In Zurich, 12 minutes.

The Malaysian Insider also compared broadband prices in Malaysia to those in countries. Even after currency conversion, Malaysia comes out on top... in expensiveness. Here's the summary:

Kuala Lumpur - 5Mbps broadband package - RM149
London - 10Mbps broadband package - GBP13.50
Melbourne - 5-8Mbps broadband package - AUD40
New York - 7Mbps broadband package - USD41.95

Here's another tidbit from The Malaysian Insider article:

In KL, a Honda Civic is priced at RM115,000 - 20 times an auditor's average monthly earnings.

In Melbourne & London, the price is respectively AUD25,000 and GBP19,000 - 3 times an auditor's average monthly earnings in those places.

The Fujitsu Lifebook X2 Concept

2011-04-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Folded Notebook

The LIFEBOOK X2 concept takes a different approach to portability. It’s not only thin, but also folds into quarters which leads to some interesting features. Open the LIFEBOOK X2 halfway and you have sort of an ultra widescreen palm top. Unfold it completely and you have one full size notebook. This denotes a seam running right across the LCD which is enough for me to dismiss it but the idea is intriguing. What’s say you?

Designer: Park Hyun Jin

MACC man watched porn in office, says RCI

2011-03-31T04:07:00.000-07:00

By Boo Su-Lyn

March 31, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — An anti-graft officer watched pornography in his office after interviewing Teoh Beng Hock, the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh’s death said today.
RCI chairman Tan Sri James Foong said Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) assistant superintendent Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus had viewed pornography on his computer in the wee hours of July 16, 2009.
“After he interviewed Teoh Beng Hock, he viewed pornography on a website,” said Foong at the inquiry today.
“An important operation is going on (and) an officer is viewing porn even though there’s a government directive forbidding this,” added the sitting Federal Court judge.
Ashraf testified recently that the police had suspected him of killing Teoh.
He has also admitted that nine MACC suspects had accused him of abusing them.
Ashraf has said he and another MACC officer, Arman Alies, had interviewed Teoh from 10.30pm on July 15, 2009 to 12.30am the following day.
Teoh’s body was found hours later on the fifth-floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after the interview at the then-Selangor MACC headquarters on the 14th floor.
The anti-graft officers were investigating a claim that Teoh’s boss, Ean Yong Hian Wah, was abusing state funds.
Ean Yong is a Selangor state executive councillor and Seri Kembangan assemblyman from the DAP.

malaysian insider

'Pegawai SPRM tonton pornografi selepas soal Teoh'

2011-03-31T04:05:00.000-07:00

Seorang pegawai Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) dikatakan memuat turun dan menonton pornografi pada komputer milik pejabat selepas sejam menyoal-siasat Teoh Beng Hock.

Perkara ini didedahkan oleh pengerusi Suruhanjaya Diraja yang menyiasat kematian Teoh, tan Sri James Foong hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika peguam Majlis Peguam, Cheow Wee menyoal bekas timbalan pengarah SPRM Selangor, Hishamuddin Hashim berhubung memorandum dalaman yang mengingatkan kakitanganya supaya sentiasa memerhatikan pelawat, saksi ataupun suspek ketika mereka di kawasan suruhanjaya itu.

Pada satu ketika, Fong berkata penolong penguasa Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus sedang menonton pornografi di komputernya pada jam 1.20 pagi, 16 Julai 2009.

Foong: Pada pendapat saya, adalah agak longar cara saksi diperhatikan. Kenapa? Saya ingin tahu mengapa tiada kawalan keselamatan?

Hishamuddin: Arahan diberikan (melalui memorandum dalaman) dan mesti ada pegawai (yang mengiringi saksi).

Foong: Kenapa tidak tanya pegawai awak apa yang mereka lakukan (apabila awak berada di pejabat pada waktu itu)?

Hishamuddin: (Mereka tidak beritahu saya) kecuali saya tanya.

Foong: Tahukah awak bahawa Ashraf telah memuat turun bahan pornografi sekitar jam 1.20 pagi (16 Julai 2009). Apabila operasi dijalankan, dia menonton pornografi di internet.

Hishamuddin yang terkejut dengan berita itu mengambil masa sebelum menjawap “ia di luar kawalannya”.

“Ini tiada kaitan dengan kerja... mungkin inisiatif sendiri,” katanya.

Kejadian itu berlaku kira-kira sejam selepas beliau membantu seorang lagi rakannya menyoal Teoh.

malaysiakini

the evolution of the mouse

2011-03-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Celluon evoMouse

Japan weighs need to bury nuclear plant; tries to restore power

2011-03-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

UPDATED @ 02:55:34 PM 18-03-2011

March 18, 2011

Fire trucks spray water on nuclear reactor No. 3 at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in this still image taken from video footage today March 18, 2011. — Reuters pic

TOKYO, March 18 — Japanese engineers conceded today that burying a crippled nuclear reactor in sand and concrete may be the only way to prevent a catastrophic radiation leak, the method used to seal huge leakages from Chernobyl in 1986.

Officials said they still hoped to fix a power cable to at least two reactors to restart water pumps needed to cool overheating nuclear fuel rods. Workers also sprayed water on the No. 3 reactor, one of the most critical of the plant’s six.

It was the first time the facility operator had acknowledged that burying the sprawling complex was an option, a sign that piecemeal actions such as dumping water from military helicopters were having little success.

“It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete. But our priority right now is to try and cool them down first,” an official from the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, told a news conference.

As Japan entered its second week after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and 10-metre tsunami flattened coastal cities and killed thousands of people, the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl looked far from over.

Millions in Tokyo remained indoors today, fearing a blast of radioactive material from the complex, 240km to the north, although prevailing winds would likely carry contaminated smoke or steam away from the densely populated city to dissipate over the Pacific Ocean.

Radiation did not pose an immediate risk to human health outside the vicinity of the plant, said Michael O’Leary, the World Health Organisation’s representative in China.

“At this point, there is still no evidence that there’s been significant radiation spread beyond the immediate zone of the reactors themselves,” O’Leary told reporters in Beijing.

Japan’s nuclear disaster has triggered global alarm and reviews of safety at atomic power plants around the world.

President Barack Obama, who stressed the United States did not expect harmful radiation to reach its shores, said he had ordered a comprehensive review of domestic nuclear plants and pledged Washington’s support for Japan.

The Group of Seven rich nations, stepping in together to calm global financial markets after a tumultuous week, agreed to join in rare concerted intervention to restrain a soaring yen.

The top US nuclear regulator said it could take weeks to reverse the overheating of fuel rods at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

“This is something that will take some time to work through, possibly weeks, as you eventually remove the majority of the heat from the reactors and then the spent-fuel pools,” Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman Gregory Jaczko told a news conference at the White House.

Yukiya Amano, head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arrived in his homeland today with an international team of experts after earlier complaining about a lack of information from Japan.

Graham Andrew, his senior aide, called the situation at the plant “reasonably stable “ but the government said white smoke or steam was still rising from three reactors and helicopters used to dump water on the plant had shown exposure to small amounts of radiation.

“The situation remains very serious, but there has been no significant worsening since yesterday,” Andrew said.

The nuclear agency said the radiation level at the plant was as high as 20 millisieverts per hour. The limit for the workers was 100 per hour.

Even if engineers restore power at the plant, it was not clear the pumps would work as they may have been damaged in the earthquake or subsequent explosions, and there are fears of the electricity shorting and causing another blast.

Japan’s nuclear agency spokesman, Hidehiko Nishiyama, said it was also unclear how effective spraying water on the reactors from helicopters had been yesterday. The priority was to get water into the spent-fuel pools, he said.

“We have to reduce the heat somehow and may use sea water,” he told a news conference. “We need to get the reactors back online as soon as possible and that’s why we’re trying to restore power to them.”

Asked about burying the reactors in sand and concrete, he said: “That solution is in the back of our minds, but we are focused on cooling the reactors down.”

Jaczko said the cooling pool for spent-fuel rods at the complex’s reactor No. 4 might have run dry and another was leaking.

Plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel rods are placed in a storage pool at the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in this picture taken August 21, 2010. — Reuters pic

An official at the plant operator said he expected power to be restored at its most troubled and damaged reactors — No. 3 and No. 4 — by Sunday. Engineers are trying to reconnect power to the least damaged reactors first.

Dollar gains as financial leaders intervene

The US dollar surged more than two yen to 81.80 after the G7’s pledge to intervene, leaving behind a record low of 76.25 hit yesterday.

Japan’s Nikkei share index ended up 2.7 per cent, recouping some of the week’s stinging losses. It has lost 10.2 per cent this week.

US markets, which had tanked earlier in the week on the back of the crisis, rebounded yesterday but investors were not convinced the advance would last.

The yen has seen steady buying since the earthquake, as Japanese and international investors closed long positions in higher-yielding, riskier assets such as the Australian dollar, funded by cheap borrowing in the Japanese currency.

Expectations that Japanese insurers and companies would repatriate billions of dollars in overseas funds to pay for a reconstruction bill that is expected to be much costlier than the one that followed the Kobe earthquake in 1995 also have helped boost the yen.

Radiation levels in Tokyo barely above average

The government had warned Tokyo’s 13 million residents yesterday to prepare for a possible large-scale blackout but later said there was no need for one. Still, many companies voluntarily reduced power, plunging parts of the usually neon-lit city in darkness.

The US embassy in Tokyo has urged citizens living within 80km of the Daiichi plant to evacuate or remain indoors “as a precaution”, while Britain’s foreign office urged citizens “to consider leaving the area”. Other nations have urged nationals in Japan to leave the country or head south.

Japan’s government has told everyone living within 20 km of the plant to evacuate, and advised people within 30km to stay indoors.

At its worst, radiation in Tokyo has reached 0.809 microsieverts per hour this week, 10 times below what a person would receive if exposed to a dental x-ray. Yesterday and today, radiation levels were within average levels.

The plight of hundreds of thousands left homeless by the earthquake and tsunami worsened following a cold snap that brought heavy snow to worst-affected areas.

Supplies of water, heating oil and fuel are low at evacuation centres, where many survivors wait bundled in blankets.

About 30,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co said, and the government said at least 1.6 million households lacked running water.

The National Police Agency said today that it had confirmed 5,692 deaths from the quake and tsunami disaster, while 9,522 people were unaccounted for in six prefectures. — Reuters

Gaddafi: 'Libya funded Sarkozy's French poll campaign'

2011-03-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

16 March 2011 Last updated at 12:42 GMT

The son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has alleged that his country helped finance Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election campaign.

"We funded it and we have all the details and are ready to reveal everything," Saif al-Islam said.
His remarks to the Euronews TV channel came days after Libyan state TV reported a "grave secret" that would bring about Mr Sarkozy's downfall.

The Elysee Palace has denied Mr Sarkozy benefited from any funding from Libya.
"We deny it, quite evidently," a spokesman told Le Monde's website.

No-fly zone

Libya had threatened to reveal more about the "grave secret" if France went ahead with its decision to recognise the rebel Transitional National Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

France has been at the forefront of efforts to secure a no-fly zone to halt the advance of Col Gaddafi's forces against Libyan rebels.

In the interview, Saif al-Islam referred to Mr Sarkozy as "this clown" and said he was given assistance so that he could help the Libyan people.

"But he's disappointed us," he said. "Give us back our money. We have all the bank details and documents for the transfer operations and we will make everything public soon."

Col Gaddafi was greeted by Mr Sarkozy when he visited Paris in December 2007, months after the French leader's ex-wife Cecilia had flown to Tripoli to help secure the release of six Bulgarian doctors.

In the Euronews interview, Col Gaddafi's son said military operations against the rebels were "finished" and everything would be over within 48 hours.

China suspends nuclear building plans

2011-03-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

17 March 2011 Last updated at 08:11 GMT

By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing

China has suspended approval for new nuclear power stations following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.

It will also carry out checks at existing reactors and those under construction.
China is currently building 27 new reactors - about 40% of the total number being built around the world.
The news comes as China grows increasingly worried about the nuclear accident in Japan.
'Top priority' The decision to temporarily halt approval for nuclear plants came at a meeting of China's State Council, or Cabinet, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We will temporarily suspend approval for nuclear power projects, including those that have already begun preliminary work, before nuclear safety regulations are approved," read a statement from the State Council.
"Safety is our top priority in developing nuclear power plants."
It went on to say that China's medium and long-term nuclear plans would be "adjusted and improved".

“If there is an accident it will be worse than in Japan because many of the new plants are near high-population areas so we need to be careful”

China currently gets only about 2% of its electricity from nuclear power from 13 reactors, but it has launched an ambitious project to drastically increase those figures.

It is currently building more reactors than any other country in the world.
According to the World Nuclear Association, China wants to build a total of 110 nuclear reactors over the next few years.
This is part of a plan to develop other energy sources - such as wind and solar power - to reduce the country's dependence on coal, which currently supplies about three-quarters of its energy needs.
China also recently announced that it had developed its own technology to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, which could be used to run these new power plants.
Yang Fuqiang, an energy and climate change expert, said the government's latest move showed it was being responsible.
"There are many nuclear power stations under construction at the moment - that's risky. We have to go back and check each one," he said.
"If there is an accident it will be worse than in Japan because many of the new plants are near high-population areas so we need to be careful."
China's State Council has assured people that the country will not be affected by the radioactive leaks.
But shoppers have been buying up vast quantities of salt in many parts of the country, partly in the belief that it could protect them against radiation.
Potassium iodide, a salt, protects the thyroid gland against radioactive iodine.
Some people also seem to believe future supplies of salt could be contaminated by radiation leaking from the Daiichi nuclear plant, so they are buying up stocks now.
"We need to dispel rumours. Don't let Japan's nuclear crisis become China's salt crisis," said on online commentator.
Pharmacies are also reporting massive demand for medicine that protects against radiation.

VIDEO EDITING CLASS

2011-03-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

VEGAS PRO WORKSHOP 19-20 MAR’2011 (KL)

Bengkel Vegas Pro : Mencipta montage/video clip profesional
Tarikh: 19-20 Mac 2011
Masa : 9 am – 5.30pm
Tempat : Institute Penyelidikan Perhutanan Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong
Perisian: Sony Vegas Pro Versi 10
Tahap : Asas – Pertengahan

Yuran:
Normal:RM 450.00/pax
Early Bird: RM350/pax
Daftar min 2 pax: RM390.00/pax
Pelajar : RM300/pax

Untuk melihat video yang telah dihasilkan menggunakan Vegas Pro sila kehttp://tinyurl.com/vpVideo

Pada akhir sesi peserta akan :
Ø Dapat menghasilkan video clip yang menarik
Ø Dapat kemahiran mencipta montage,corporate footage, dan sound effect.
Ø Dapat menambah kemahiran pembentangan multimedia
Ø Dapat kemahiran mencari bahan media dari internet

Apa yang akan anda dapat?
3D Stereoscopic Anaglyph glasses
4G HD footage/sound
Re attend (refresh) workshop at RM25/day
Regular update on video tutorial & creativity tips tru Vegas Pro Group

Kandungan Bengkel

Hari Pertama
Getting Started With SV Pro
Project Setting
Import & Genarate Media
Media Transitions
Picture & Text Motion
Sound Editing
Video Editing
2D & 3D Motions

Hari Kedua
Video Effect
Green Screen
Rendering
3D stereoscopic
Tip-tip menghasilkan video kreatif
Small Group Project

Peralatan yang diperlukan
Perlu bawa Laptop atau PC (MIN 1G RAM), software akan disediakan

Makanan: Sarapan, Makan tengahari dan minum petang disediakan

Tempahan tempat & Pembayaran:
Pembayaran adalah dalam bentuk TUNAI sahaja.

Pembayaran boleh dibuat melalui akaun:
Maybank ( 564043701088 :Aras Design & Multimedia Centre )

dan emailkan bukti pembayaran kepada vpworkshop@arasdesigns.com

untuk keterangan lanjut sila hubungi: 014-3690446

Tips: Where to Go During an Earthquake

2011-03-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Where to Go During an Earthquake
Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway? Well, forget it! This is a real eye opener. It could save your life someday.

EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON 'THE TRIANGLE OF LIFE'

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI ), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.

I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years, and have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.

The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene -- unnecessary.

Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them - NOT under them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when building collapse are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a bed, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get near the outer walls of buildings or outside of them if possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
Spread the word and save someone's life...

The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!

'We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly'
In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions , relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover.

There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.

Subject: Save your life with "The Triangle of Life"

"Triangle of Life":

Without listening or reading, simply by looking at the following self-explanatory photos, you can learn more than in a thousand words about how to protect yourself during a major earthquake...

If you are inside a vehicle, come out and sit or lie down next to it. If something falls on the vehicle, it will leave an empty space along the sides. See below:

Source：國際救援小組（ARTI），網址：http://www.amerrescue.org/

American Rescue Team International（ARTI）is said to be the World's most experienced rescue team and disaster management-mitigation organization.

Japanese emperor 'deeply worried'

2011-03-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

By Richard Warry BBC News

Click to play

Prof Malcolm Sperrin, a medical physicist, on the Japan quake health risks

The Japanese authorities say radiation levels from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant climbed to potentially harmful levels for a brief interval on Tuesday.

Residents living within 30km (18 miles) of the plant have been advised to leave the area, or to stay indoors, and try to make their homes airtight.
Experts have stressed that swift action should be able to minimise any impact on human health.

What are the immediate health effects of exposure to radiation?

Exposure to moderate levels of radiation - above one gray - can result in radiation sickness, which produces a range of symptoms.
Nausea and vomiting often begin within hours of exposure, followed by diarrhoea, headaches and fever.
After the first round of symptoms, there may be a brief period with no apparent illness, but this may be followed within weeks by new, more serious symptoms.
At higher levels of radiation, all of these symptoms may be immediately apparent, along with widespread - and potentially fatal - damage to internal organs.
Exposure to a radiation dose of four gray will typically kill about half of all healthy adults.
For comparison, radiation therapy for cancer typically involves several doses of between one and seven gray at a time - but these doses are highly controlled, and usually specifically targeted at small areas of the body.

How is radiation sickness treated?

The first thing to do is to try to minimise further contamination by removing clothes and shoes, and gently washing the skin with soap and water.
Drugs are available that increase white blood-cell production to counter any damage that may have occurred to the bone marrow, and to reduce the risk of further infections due to immune-system damage.
There are also specific drugs that can help to reduce the damage to internal organs caused by radioactive particles.

How does radiation have an impact on health?

Radioactive materials that decay spontaneously produce ionising radiation, which has the capacity to cause significant damage to the body's internal chemistry, breaking the chemical bonds between the atoms and molecules that make up our tissues. The body responds by trying to repair this damage, but sometimes it is too severe or widespread to make repair possible. There is also a danger of mistakes in the natural repair process.
Regions of the body that are most vulnerable to radiation damage include the cells lining the intestine and stomach, and the blood-cell producing cells in the bone marrow.
The extent of the damage caused is dependent on how long people are exposed to radiation, and at what level.

What are the most likely long-term health effects?

Cancer is the biggest long-term risk. Usually when the body's cells reach their "sell-by date" they commit suicide. Cancer results when cells lose this ability, and effectively become immortal, continuing to divide and divide in an uncontrolled fashion.
The body has various processes for ensuring that cells do not become cancerous, and for replacing damaged tissue.
But the damage caused by exposure to radiation can completely disrupt these control processes, making it much more likely that cancer will result.
Failure to properly repair the damage caused by radiation can also result in changes - or mutations - to the body's genetic material, which are not only associated with cancer, but may also be potentially passed down to offspring, leading to deformities in future generations. These can include smaller head or brain size, poorly formed eyes, slow growth and severe learning difficulties.

Are children at greater risk?

Potentially yes. Because they are growing more rapidly, more cells are dividing, and so the potential for things to go wrong is greater. Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in the Ukraine in 1986, the World Health Organization recorded a dramatic increase in thyroid cancer among children in the vicinity.
This was because the radioactive materials released during the accident contained high levels of radioactive iodine, a material that accumulates in the thyroid.

What risk does Fukushima pose currently?

The Japanese authorities have recorded a radiation level of up 400 millisieverts per hour at the nuclear plant itself. A sievert is essentially equivalent to a gray, but tends to be used to measure lower levels of radiation, and for assessing long-term risk, rather than the short-term acute impact of exposure.
Professor Richard Wakeford, an expert in radiation exposure at the University of Manchester, said exposure to a dose of 400 millisieverts was unlikely to cause radiation sickness - that would require a dose of around twice that level (one sievert/one gray). However, it could start to depress the production of blood cells in the bone marrow, and was likely to raise the lifetime risk of fatal cancer by 2-4%. Typically, a Japanese person has a lifetime risk of fatal cancer of 20-25%.

Prof Wakeford stressed only emergency workers at the plant were at risk of exposure to such a dose - but it was likely that they would only be exposed for short periods of time to minimise their risk.
The level of exposure for the general population, even those living close to the plant, was unlikely to be anywhere near as high.

How can the Japanese authorities minimise the cost to human health?

Prof Wakeford said that provided the Japanese authorities acted quickly, most of the general population should be spared significant health problems.
He said in those circumstances the only people likely to be at risk of serious health effects were nuclear workers at the plant or emergency workers exposed to high levels of radiation.
He said the top priority would be to evacuate people from the area and to make sure they did not eat contaminated food. The biggest risk was that radioactive iodine could get into their system, raising the risk of thyroid cancer.

To counter that risk, people - in particular children - could be given tablets containing stable iodine which would prevent the body absorbing the radioactive version.
The Japanese already have a lot of iodine in their natural diet, so that should help too.

How does Fukushima compare to Chernobyl?

Professor Gerry Thomas, who has studied the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, said: "It is very unlikely that this will turn into anything that resembles Chernobyl.
"In Chernobyl you had a steam explosion which exposed the reactor core, which meant you had a lot of radiation shooting up into the atmosphere."
Prof Thomas said although the Chernobyl disaster had led to a rise in thyroid cancer cases, the only people affected were those living in the immediate area of the explosion and who were young at the time.

Radiation & Cancer

2011-03-16T02:24:00.000-07:00

Nuclear power plants shut down in Germany

2011-03-16T02:09:00.000-07:00

15 March 2011 Last updated at 16:21 GMT

Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear power plants while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that all reactors operational before 1980 would be taken offline, and safety checks carried out on the remaining plants.

The move comes after concerns about radiation leaks at a Japanese plant after last Friday's earthquake.
The EU has also reached agreement on "stress tests" of all European nuclear facilities.
"We want to look at the risk and safety issues in the light of events in Japan," the European energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.

'Out of service' Chancellor Merkel also pointed to the safety concerns behind the German move.
"In light of the situation, we will carry out a safety check of all nuclear plants," she said.
"Those nuclear power plants which began operation before 1980 will be provisionally shut down for the duration of the moratorium. They will be out of service.

"Safety is the priority. Those are the criteria by which we acted today."
All safety questions would be answered by 15 June, she said. Last year, Germany decided to extend the life of its 17 nuclear power plants by 12 years, but that decision was suspended for three months on Monday.

The government had faced growing pressure for the extension to be scrapped. More than a quarter of all German electricity comes from nuclear power. The Swiss government has also suspended decisions on its nuclear programme.

Concerns are growing about radiation leaks at a nuclear plant in Japan that has been hit by a third explosion in four days following last week's earthquake and resulting tsunami.

The blast occurred at reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - 250km (155 miles) north-east of Tokyo - which engineers had been trying to stabilise after two other reactors exploded.

bbc uk

Bahrain forces in drive against protesters

2011-03-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tear gas fired as security forces attempt to disperse protesters from capital's Pearl Roundabout.

Last Modified: 16 Mar 2011 05:29

Saudi-led military forces have arrived in Bahrain to support the beleaguered government [Reuters]

Security forces in Bahrain have launched an assault on pro-democracy demonstrators camped out at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the capital.
Troops backed by tanks gathered in the area early on Wednesday in order to push out the protesters demanding political reforms, an Al Jazeera correspondent said.
There are reports of explosions in the Bahraini capital and smoke was seen billowing over the main square.
At least 500 protesters have been camping there as part of their demonstration.
The move by the security forces came a day after a state of emergency was declared on the island and at least two people were killed in clashes in the Shia suburb of Sitra outside Manama.
An order by the king "authorised the commander of Bahrain's defence forces to take all necessary measures to protect the safety of the country and its citizens," a statement read out on television on Tuesday said.
Hundreds of Saudi-led troops entered Bahrain on Monday to help protect government facilities there amid an escalation in the protests against the government.
The small kingdom with a dominant Shia majority has been swept by protests over the last several weeks. The protesters, alleging discrimination and lack of rights, are seeking political reforms.
The arrival of foreign troops followed a request to members of the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC) from Bahrain.

The United Arab Emirates also sent about 500 police to Bahrain, according to Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Emirati foreign minister. Qatar, meanwhile, did not rule out the possibility of its troops joining the force.

Visit our spotlight page for all the latest on Bahrain

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, told Al Jazeera: "There are common responsibilities and obligations within the GCC countries.
International concern

The US, which counts both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia among its allies, has called for restraint, but has refrained from saying whether it supports the move to deploy troops.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, who was speaking in Egypt, said Bahrainis must "take steps now" towards a political resolution of the crisis.

Iran, meanwhile, has warned against "foreign interferences".

"The peaceful demonstrations in Bahrain are among the domestic issues of this country, and creating an atmosphere of fear and using other countries' military forces to oppress these demands is not the solution," Hossein Amir Abdollahian, an official from the Iranian foreign ministry, was reported by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency as saying.

aljazeera

Japan's nuclear explosions 'are a catastrophe'

2011-03-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

nuclear posting di FB wall

2011-03-14T03:43:00.001-07:00

Rahim Shukor
kalau kerajaan malaysia (BN) nak buat loji nuklear wajib kita sokong supaya nanti kita boleh mati katak macam kat jepun

Japan on high nuclear alert

english.aljazeera.net

Authorities say another reactor at the quake-hit nuclear plant was in trouble after its cooling system also failed.

22 hours ago · · · Share

Aidil Fitri Afiqin likes this.
- Rahim Shukor http://rahimshukor.blogspot.com/2011/03/workers-scramble-to-cool-reactors.html
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Harap harap yg mati org pas je
  22 hours ago ·
- Azlyda Azman Huhuhu.. Org ada kte pn nk. Pas 2 kikis duit rakyat. Rakwat kopak. Pape kedana.
  
  '' Bio pape asal begayea yop! ''
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor aku harap biar semua mati...baru puas hati BN
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor baru masyuuukkkkkkk!!!!!!
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Termasuk n ajis sekali
  22 hours ago ·
- Azlyda Azman Mahmuuuuud karim..: mati org pas mati syahid.. Memperjuangkan islam..
  Allahuakbar.. Allahuakbar.. Allahuakbar..
  Hayyabil JIHAD..
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Pas sesat mati pun ada kemungkinan sesat
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor takper mati macam mana pun takper yang penting bila dah buat reaktor nuklear tu BN masyuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!
  22 hours ago ·
- Azlyda Azman Apa yg ko kate sesat wahai encik mahmud karim..
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Berapa ramai penyokong pas yg masih bekerja kjaan dan makan pencen kjaan
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor kalau PR luluskan (PR yang masyuuuukkkkk!!!), kalau BN luluskan (BN yang masyuuuukkkkk!!!
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor MK: ini cerita nuklear bukan cerita pencen bro
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor bro salah forum
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim N ajis kata undi pas masuk syurga,bob lman kata masuk nak elak anak dia masuk neraka
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Nuklear teknologi tinggi jika fikir negatif jadi lah negatif pembangkang selalu fikir secara songsang
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor macam jepun saya rasa tak fikir negatif pun sebab tu ada banyak reaktor nuklear disana...tapi.....
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor bro MK: saya berkecuali tak sokong mana2...heehehe
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Apa situasi pun perlu positif baru boleh bjaya
  22 hours ago ·
- Azlyda Azman Nama dah sedap dah.. Nama islam. Mahmud karim.. TAPI BODOH!
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Aa nama kau pun sedap perkataan yg keluar tidak melambagkan seorg islam
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor biasanya penyokong yang fanatik bila pemimpin dia nak buat sesuatu perkara walaupun boleh memudaratkan dia akan tetap sokong tanpa berfikir secara rasional (sentiasa YES BOS)
  22 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus Saya sokong komen KP kita."Cooling system failed", apa maknanya secara teknikal? Setiap pepasangan nuklear mempunyai tatacara tindakbalas kecemasannya masing2 dan salah satu ialah tindakan yang perlu diambil bila terjadi insiden "loss of cooling".
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor sekarang ni diberitakan dari sumber dari jepun radiasi sudah merebak sejauh 25-30 kilometer
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor tuan YY: radiasi tu apa maksud sebenarnya?
  22 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus Radiasi itu sinaran dan ia hnaya merbahaya apabila melebihi sesuatu nilai. Untuk makluman RS, kita senantiasa terdedah kepada sinaran kosmik setiap saat dan masa tanpa kemudaratan.
  22 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Yaziz Yunus Diparas mana radiasi tu? Apakah diparas yang akan membahayakan kesihatan?
  22 hours ago ·
- Wan Rahayu Zainudin En. Rahim...saya nak tanya, kjaan BN tak ada kata apa pun nak buat NUKLEAR yg en rahim dok sibuk suruh buat apa...pakai kopiah tp budi perkerti n bahasa tak melambangkaan cara en rahim perpakaian....
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor tuan YY: jika radiasi itu meningkat lebih 1000 kali ganda adakah ia merbahaya atau tidak?
  22 hours ago ·
- Mahmud Karim Agaknya dah ramai org pas atau pkr dah pakar dlm bidang nuklear
  Salah seorg rs
  22 hours ago ·
- Wan Rahayu Zainudin En.Rahim Klu pakatan pembangkang(Kalau memerintah) pulak nak buat loji NUKLEAR wajib ke kita sokong
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor rahayu: nanti saya dapatkan berita berkenaan
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor saya tak sokong tak kira samada BN atau PR
  22 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor rahayu: baca ni http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/kerajaan-serius-bina-loji-nuklear-peter-chin/
  22 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus RS: 1,000 kali ganda dari nilai apa? Berapa nilai dos dedahannya? microsievert, sievert? Dos tersebut juga mungkin dalam awan beradioaktif yang jauh tinggi di udara dan radiasi yang sampai pada manusia di bumi masih di bawah paras minima. Memang cerita begini amat sensasi tapi jangan kita terikut-ikut sangat....tenaga nuklear mungkin jadi penyelamat manusia di masa hadapan, walahualam.
  21 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor tuan YY: adakah nuklear tidak merbahaya sama sekali ataupun tiada risiko?
  21 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus Mana ada teknologi yang tiada risiko? Pakai handphone pun orang kata boleh dapat kanser. Yang penting kita buat cost-benefit analysis dulu. Yang lebih banyak kebaikan dari keburukan mestilah kita pilih. 20-30 tahun kehadapan, nuklear power pada pandangan saya mempunyai lebih banyak kebaikan dari keburukan jika dilihat dari sumber tenaga seperti minyak, gas dan arang batu yang nampaknya semakin menurun simpananya.
  21 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus
  RS: saudara kata "kalau kerajaan malaysia (BN) nak buat loji nuklear wajib kita sokong supaya nanti kita boleh mati katak macam kat jepun"
  Jawapan: yang mati kat jepun tu kena tsunami bukan pasal radiasi. Sejak bertahun lamanya tenaga nuklea...r ujud, saya belum lagi melihat penduduk negara berikut yang mati macam katak sebab mereka punyai banyak logi nuklear - US, Peranchis, China, Jepun, Korea Selatan, pakistan, India, Argentina, Brazil, Canada.....See More
  
  21 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rahim Shukor ada betul fakta tuan? Tidak pernah ada kematian disebabkan nuklear?
  21 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor jika radiasi itu terkena pada manusia adakah ia bahaya atau tidak? adakah ia boleh menyebabkan kematian @ kecacatan?
  21 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus
  Saya nak tanya balik. Tak ade ke kematain disebabkan oleh kebakaran? Saya rasa beribu kali ganda orang mati terbakar dari disebabkan oleh logi nuklear. Jawapan saya untuk soalan asal sauadara, memang ada tapi balik semula seperti yang saya ...katakan di atas - buat perbandingan "cost benefit analysis" dulu.
  
  Ramai oarang mati kerana kemalangan jalanraya, jadi teknologi memudahkan perjalanan menggunakan kereta tak baik lah juga kan? Tapi kenapa ramai orang beli kereta mungkin termasuk saudara sendiri? Jawapnya adalah kerana kereta membawa lebih banyak kebaikan dari keburukan. Jadi orang boleh terima.See More
  
  21 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus Radiasi merbahaya tapi HANYA pada kadar dos yang tinggi. Bak saya katakan di atas, setiap hari kita didedahkan pada sinaran kosmik tapi tanpa sebarang kemudaratan pada tubuh badan kita. Api juga merbahaya jika tidak mampu dikawal dan haba panas yang dihasilkan menjadi terlalu tinggi hingga menyebabkan merebaknya menjadi kebakaran besar.
  21 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor apakah tujuan kerajaan jepun memberi iodine kepada penduduk disekitar kawasan reaktor nuklear?
  20 hours ago ·
- Yaziz Yunus Antara bahan radioaaktif yang terbebas dari kemalangan nuklear ialah bahan radioaktif iodine-137 yang mempunyai jangkahayat separuh sebanyak 8.5 hari. Selalunya iodine ini akan terkumpul di kelenjar thyroid jika dapat masuk kedalam badan. Bagi menghalang I-131 ini dari berkumpul, maka penduduk yang tinggal berhampiran diberikan iodine sehingga memenuhi keperluan maxima iodine pada kelenjar thyroid tersebut. Ini merupakan tindakan "preventine" terbaik.
  10 hours ago ·
- Rahim Shukor adakah iodine diberi utk mengelakkan kematian?
  5 hours ago ·
- Paksheikh Omar
  Oleh kerana ada yang suka berhujah, tenaga nuklear lebih banyak kebaikan dari keburukan, maka saya cadangkan semua negara di dunia dibenar membangunkan loji mereka sendiri jika mampu. Tak payah ada nuclear proliferation treaty. Ada berani? ...After all, rakyat mereka juga nak menikmati tenaga lebih murah bukan?
  
  Kita melihat IMPAK kemusnahan jika berlaku radiasi atomik, bukan melihat statistiks sembrono. Biar adil, guna statistiks utk banding dengan peer group dan common timeline sahaja, jangan kemalangan jraya pulak nak banding dgn kemalangan radiasi, itu childish sikapnya!See More
  
  5 hours ago · · 1 personYou like this.
- Paksheikh Omar iodine mungkin juga utk detect presence of radiation in the body
  5 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rahim Shukor saya bertanya pada yang anggap dirinya pakar dalam nuklear ini, tapi penerangan yang diberi tidak semestinya boleh diterima, kena ada pro n kontra (memang kebanyakan pakar2 yg pro kerajaan BN suka membandingkan sesuatu perkara dengan perkara yang tiada kena mengena dengan topik yang diutarakan) itu membuatkan fakta yg diberi pada pendapat saya tidak dapat diterima oleh logik akal
  4 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rahim Shukor tuan YAZIZ YUNUS: apa pendapat tuan mengenai berita ini http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/susulan-krisis-jepun-taiwan-kaji-tak-lagi-guna-tenaga-nuclear/
  3 hours ago ·

Taiwan studies plan to cut nuclear power output

2011-03-14T00:30:00.001-07:00

March 14, 2011

TAIPEI, March 14 — Taiwan’s state-run Taipower is studying plans to cut nuclear power output and raise output in alternative energy amid Japan’s nuclear crisis, an executive said today, though no changes will be made for current operations.
“We discussed this issue this morning,” Roger Lee, chief engineer of Taipower, told Reuters. Taipower is the operator of the island’s nuclear power plants.
“If the society has increasing concerns about nuclear power after the situation in Japan, we would look for alternatives,” he said. — Reuters

Susulan krisis Jepun, Taiwan kaji tak lagi guna tenaga nuklear

2011-03-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

TERKINI @ 02:53:44 PM 14-03-2011

March 14, 2011

Sedutan rakaman video menunjukkan asap ekoran letupan kedua di loji tenaga nuklear Fukushima Daiichi, Jepun hari ini. — Foto Reuters

TAIPEI, 14 Mac — Syarikat tenaga Taiwan, Taipower sedang mengkaji untuk memotong pengeluaran tenaga dihasilkan loji nuklear, sebaliknya mahu bersandarkan kuasa alternatif ekoran krisis dialami Jepun sekarang. “Kami membincangkan isu ini pagi ini,” kata ketua jurutera Taipower Roger Lee kepada Reuters.
Taipower mengendalikan loji tenaga nuklear kepada negara pulau itu.
“Jika orang ramai terus bimbang mengenai kuasa tenaga nuklear selepas situasi di Jepun, maka kami akan menlihat pada (sumber) alternatif,” kata beliau lagi.
Taiwan memutuskan perkara itu ketika Jepun berhadapan dengan masalah reaktor di loji-loji tenaga nuklearnya sejak Sabtu lalu.
Loji Fukumshma Daiichi milik Tokyo Electric Power Co mengalami letupan dua kali dalam tiga hari termasuk pagi ini.
Hari ini, reaktor yang ketiga iaitu Unit 2 berhadapan dengan masalah.
Laporan Reuters menyebut sistem pendinginan reaktor Unit 2 loji Fukumshma Daiichi telah henti fungsi.
Unit 1 dan Unit 3 mengalami masalah yang sama hujung minggu lalu.

malaysian insider

Fresh blast at Japan nuclear plant

2011-03-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

At least 11 injured as new explosion rocks quake-hit Fukushima plant, sparking radioactive fears amid nuclear crisis.

Last Modified: 14 Mar 2011 04:48 GMT

Tokyo Electric Power company said 11 workers are injured and seven are missing after the blast [GALLO/GETTY]

A new explosion rocked Japan's stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex, sending a plume of smoke into the air and touching off fresh concerns of radioactive leak in the quake and tsunami-hit country.
After Monday's blast, Japan's nuclear safety agency said it could not confirm whether or not the hydrogen explosion at the plant's No.3 reactor had led to an uncontrolled leak of radioactivity. The blast was similar to an earlier one at a different unit at the facility.
However, Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, said radiation levels were within the legal limits at 10.65 microsieverts, significantly under the 500 microsieverts at which a nuclear operator is legally bound to file a report to the government, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Three reactors had already been in danger of overheating in the Japanese town of Fukushima which has caused huge amount of concern. But Yukio Edano, Japan's chief cabinet secretary said that a large-scale radiation leak was unlikely.

LIVE BLOG

Edano said the reactor's inner containment vessel holding the nuclear fuel rods was intact, allaying some fears of the risk to the environment. The containment vessel of the first reactor is also safe, according to officials.
Humanitarian crisis
The humanitarian crisis is deepening too, with thousands of people still missing as a result of Friday's 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.
Foreign aid has began to arrive. Some 70 countries have offered assistance, with help coming not only from allies like the United States but also countries with more strained relations like China, and even from the Afghan city of Kandahar.
A US naval ship is being used to help send out supplies and an aircraft carrier is also on its way to help.
Rescue teams from more than a dozen countries searched ravaged northeastern coastal cities for survivors, as an international effort to help Japan cope with its multiple disasters gathered pace.
According to media reports, rescue workers on Monday found two thousand bodies in Miyagi province, one of the hardest hit regions.

Millions of people spent a third night without water, food or heating in near-freezing temperatures along the devastated northeastern coast.
In many areas there is no running water, no power and four- to five-hour waits for gasoline. People are suppressing hunger with instant noodles or rice balls while dealing with the loss of loved ones and homes.
“People are surviving on little food and water. Things are simply not coming,'' Hajime Sato, a government official in Iwate prefecture, said.
Meanwhile, a tsunami alert, which had sparked alarm and local evacuation orders, has been lifted, according to an official in the Fukushima prefecture.
"There is no more fear of a tsunami at this moment, but we will continue to ask our residents to remain vigilant to future advisories," the official said.
Stock market plunges
And the Japanese markets, which opened for the first time since the disaster occurred, reacted badly.
Share prices dropped sharply by more than five per cent within the first hour of trading on Monday. Moving quickly to try to keep financial markets stable, the Bank of Japan said it will inject approximately $183bn into the money market to try to bring some stability.
All this leaves Japan facing its worst crisis since the second world war, according to the country's prime minister, Naoto Kan.

Workers scramble to cool reactors; official says 2nd blast possible

2011-03-13T03:25:00.000-07:00

Workers continued efforts to cool down fuel rods inside two nuclear reactors Sunday as a government official warned that a second explosion could occur at the plant.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said an explosion could take place in the building housing the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

"There is a possibility that the third reactor may have hydrogen gas that is accumulating in the reactor (that) may potentially cause an explosion," he said.

An explosion caused by hydrogen buildup Saturday blew the roof off a concrete building housing the plant's No. 1 reactor, but the reactor and its containment system were not damaged in the explosion.

Edano said the No. 3 reactor would also likely withstand a similar blast, noting that workers had already released gas from the building to try to prevent an explosion.

Workers have been scrambling to cool off fuel rods at both reactors after a massive earthquake and tsunami disabled their cooling systems. Japanese authorities have said there is a "possibility" that a meltdown has occurred in the reactors.

A meltdown is a catastrophic failure of the reactor core, with a potential for widespread radiation release.

But Japanese officials stressed that there were no indications of dangerously high radiation levels in the atmosphere around the two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan. They said they were unable to confirm whether a meltdown had occurred because they cannot get close enough to the reactors' cores.

http://www.youtube.com/v/RFgwD6cqraU?fs

http://www.youtube.com/v/4vJG72jbwv4?fs

http://www.youtube.com/v/clhTo6MT9kU?fs

http://www.youtube.com/v/kjx-JlwYtyE?fs

In pictures: Japan disaster

2011-03-12T04:08:00.000-08:00

Water submerged highways in the city of Sendai as the tsunami struck [AFP]

Given the scale of the disaster, it will be days before the extent of damage is finally known. [AFP]

Train services in capital Tokyo were suspended following the quake. [GALLO/GETTY]

Fires broke out and Japan's nuclear industry was on alert as reactors shut down automatically as a safety precaution. [Reuters]

Thousands ran out of buildings in panic and then were left in a state of shock. [Reuters]

Countries around the Pacific basin are on tsunami alert. [Reuters]

Friday's twin disaster was one of the biggest to hit Japan in recent decades . [Reuters]

The tidal waves swept away cars, boats, homes and people as the tsunami overwhelmed coastal barriers. [AFP]

A massive earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami in northeastern Japan killing hundreds. [Reuters]

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday afternoon, creating gigantic waves. [Reuters]

The quake shook Japan and roads in many cities caved in. [AFP]

Mahathir ‘paranoid’ dengan Anwar

2011-03-12T01:51:00.000-08:00

Aspan Alias
12 MAC

Anwar Ibrahim, nama yang tidak dapat dilupakan oleh Dr Mahathir dan nama Anwar adalah nama wajib untuk disebut di dalam memoirnya yang baru dilancarkan beberapa hari yang lalu. Setelah buku itu dilancarkan polimik Anwar-Mahathir kembali bergema. Dua hari yang lepas Anwar telah merembat kembali Dr Mahathir di hadapan ribuan manusia yang hadzir di dalam rapat umum PKR.
Tulisan Dr Mahathir ini telah mengingatkan kembali segala-gala yang berlaku di antara kedua-dua pemimpin yang pernah bersekutu dan mentadbir negara kita bersama. Seorang jadi Perdana Menteri dan seorang lagi Timbalan Perdana Menteri. Perpecahan Dr Mahahir dengan Anwar telah menukar lanskap politik tanahair dengan begitu ketara.
Jika Dr Mahathir menyebut isu Anwar, tentulah isu sodomy merupakan isu yang paling gemar disentuh oleh Dr Mahathir. Malahan isu sodomy inilah yang menjadi alasan atau sebab kenapa Mahathir untuk memecat Anwar dan sekali gus dapat mempastikan tempatnya sebagai PM kekal sehingga melewati 22 tahun lamanya.
Dr Mahathir memang seorang yang sentiasa berjaya di dalam krisis. Di dalam situasi yang aman Dr Mahathir tidak akan berjaya menempa kejayaan. Dari kaca mata psikolojinya orang-orang yang lemah selalunya akan berjaya di dalam keadaan krisis yang besar. Lagi besar krisis itu lagi besar kejayaan yang ditempanya. Itulah sebabnya di dalam memoirnya Dr Mahathir terpaksa menulis dengan mengatakan dan mencerca teman-teman seperjuangan beliau kerana beliau dalam sejarah politiknya sentiasa berkrisis dengan semua pihak.
Isu sodomy Anwar ini merupakan santapan batin Dr Mahathir yang paling enak di makanya dan isu yang paling lunak di dengarnya bersama-sama penyokong-penyokongnya. Dr Mahathir sebenarnya tidak berapa kisah tentang sodomy Anwar. Tetapi Mahathir hanya menggunakan isu itu secara ‘expedient’ setelah beliau merasakan kedudukan beliau tercabar jika Anwar masih berada di sisinya di dalam pentadbiran negara.
Mahathir hanya kisah siapa yang akan menjadi pencabar kepadanya. Dia tidak suka dicabar dan di tentang walaupun beliau sudah selayaknya ditentang. Dr Mahathir sendiri mengakui yang Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Hanif Omar telah memberikan lapuran kepada beliau tentang kegiatan sodomy Anwar pada tahun 1992 dan Hanif sendiri mengajui lapuran itu.
Tetapi jika Mahathir benar-benar mempunyai moral dan etika kepimpinan yang baik beliau sepatutnya bertindak terhadap Anwar pada 1992 dulu lagi. Tetapi Mahathir tidak berbuat apa-apa malahan pada tahun 1993 Anwar dijadikan Menteri Kewangan, menggantikaqn Daim yang begitu ‘tersohor’ dengan manipulasinya bagi memperkayakan diri sendiri. Daim menjadi Menteri Kewangan sejak tahun 1984 menggantikan Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah yang telah dipindahkan ke Kementerian Perdagangan dan Perindustrian.
Tetapi pada pertengahan sembilam puluhan cakap-cakap di bawah terlalu ‘rampant’ yang Anwar akan menandingi Mahathir pada pemilihan parti. Mahathir mengambil berita ini dengan penuh ketakutan dan di dalam salah satu perhimpunan agong Umno Mahathir telah menyebut isu ini secara terbuka dan memberikan gambaran betapa buruknya nasib Anwar jika pertandingan itu berlaku.
Mahathir berkata jika beliau di kalahkan beliau sudah duduk di kerusi PM begitu lama tetapi jika Anwar kalah maka itulah saat yang terakhir bagi Anwar untuk berangan menjadi PM negara ini. Hasutan demi hasutan di dengar oleh Dr Mahathir tentang Anwar terutamanya dari mereka yang telah berkerat rotan dengan Anwar seperti Rahim Thamby Chik. Rahim terlalu marah dengan Anwar kerana beliau di turunkan dari jawatan Ketua Menteri di sebabkan isu skandal Rahim dengn perempuan bawah umur semasa itu.
Akhirnya Mahathir menggunakan isu sodomy Anwar sebagai alasan yang sangat sesuai untuk menjatuhkan Anwar. Isu itu telah dipengapkan oleh Mahathir sejak bebarapa lama dan waktu untuk menggunakan isu itu pun sampai dan kita telah lihat apa yang telah pun berlaku. Anwar sebenarnya seorang yang begitu bodoh kerana terlibat dengan perkara tidak senonoh yang tidak sepatutnya dilakukan oleh pemimpin yang menjadi harapan rakyat dan negara.
Pendeknya tindakan Dr Mahathir terhadap Anwar semata-mata kerana keresahan beliau jika Anwar menandingi beliau sebagai Presiden Umno dan menggantikan beliau sebagai PM negara ini. Tindakannya terhadap Anwar bukan kerana isu sodomy sebagai mana yang difahami orang ramai.
Inilah akibatnya jika seseorang pucuk pimpinan memilih barisan kepimpinan mengikut kehendak politik peribadi semata-mata.
Nampaknya isu ini tidak pula ditulis di dalam memoir beliau yang begitu popular itu. Jika ada percetakan tambahan elok di masukkan isu ini di dalam memoir tersebut kerana inilah isu yang telah membuat beliau tidak nyenyak tidur sehingga hari ini. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

malaysian insider

Japan fears nuclear plant meltdown

2011-03-12T01:48:00.000-08:00

Blast reported at nuclear plant as safety panel worries that reactor can no longer cool radioactive substances.

Last Modified: 12 Mar 2011 09:16 GMT

Japanese nuclear authorities say there is a possibility that nuclear fuel rods at a reactor in Fukushima prefecture may be melting.
The cooling system of the plant was damaged in the massive earthquake that struck northeastern Japan and triggered a tsunami, killing at least 703 people.
Masato Abe, a Fukushima Prefecture official, said there was shaking and a trail of white smoke at the quake-hit plant on Saturday. He said the cause was under investigation, and it was unclear whether there was an explosion.
Jiji news agency quoted reported that several workers were injured and that radioactivity had risen 20-fold outside.
Television channels warned nearby residents to stay indoors, turn off air-conditioners and not to drink tap water. People going outside were also told to avoid exposing their skin and to cover their faces with masks and wet towels.
Kyodo News agency said radioactive caesium had been detected near the plant, citing the Japanese nuclear safety commission.

LIVE BLOG

Parts of the No. 1 reactor's nuclear fuel rods were briefly exposed to the air on Saturday after cooling water levels dropped and a fire engine was pumping water into the reactor, Jiji Press reported.
Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the plant, said water levels were recovering, according to Jiji.
Peter Hayes, the executive director of the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable development in Melbourne, described the situation as "dire".
"It's still possible that the reactor workers can stabilise the situation is power is brought back, if coolant is brought into the reactor," he told Al Jazeera, but warned that "we're really right at the precipice of a massive nuclear crisis".
State of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared for five nuclear reactors at two different sites in Fukushima, located about 250 kilometres northeast of greater Tokyo.

Nuclear expert Peter Hayes discusses possible scenarios for the quake-hit nuclear plants

Steam containing low-level radiation were released to relieve pressure and tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated from surrounding areas.
Radiation 1,000 times above normal was detected in the control room of one plant, although authorities said levels outside the facility's gates were only eight times above normal, spelling "no immediate health hazard".
The 8.9 quake and the tsunami cut the supply of off-site power to the plant and diesel generators intended to provide back-up electricity to the cooling system.
"The events that occurred at these plants, which is the loss of both offsite power and onsite power, is one of the rarest events to happen in a nuclear power plant, and all indications are that the Japanese do not have the situation under control," "Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based nonprofit organisation, said.
'No Chernobyl possible'
However, Naoto Sekimura, a professor at the University of Tokyo, said a major radioactive disaster was unlikely.
"No Chernobyl is possible at a light water reactor. Loss of coolant means a temperature rise, but it also will stop the
reaction," he said.
"Even in the worst-case scenario, that would mean some radioactive leakage and equipment damage, but not an explosion. If venting is done carefully, there will be little leakage. Certainly not beyond the 3 km radius."
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said securing the nuclear plants was Japan's top priority. Early on Saturday morning, he left on a helicopter ride to Fukushima to assess the situation at the plants operated by Tokyo Electric Power, and in other areas in the disaster zone.
When Friday's quake hit, the plants immediately shut down, along with others in quake-hit parts of Japan, as they are designed to do - but cooling systems at some reactors failed, the government said.
When reactors shut down, cooling systems must kick in to bring down the very high temperatures. This is key to prevent a "nuclear meltdown" and radioactive release. Japan's network of advanced nuclear power plants are designed to shut down as soon as the earth shakes.
The quake was one of the strongest ever recorded and triggered a devastating tsunami, up to 10-metre-high along parts of the country's northeastern coastline.

Media reports estimate at least 1,300 people may have been killed, most of whom appeared to have drowned by churning waters.
"The damage is so enormous that it will take us much time to gather data," an official at the national police agency said.
Massive destruction
The Japanese army has deployed about 50,000 troops for search and rescue operations.
A towering wall of water, generated by the quake, pulverised the northeastern city of Sendai, where 200-300 bodies have reportedly been found on the coast.
The wave of black water sent shipping containers, cars and debris crashing through the streets of Sendai and across open farmland, while a tidal wave of debris-littered mud destroyed everything in its path.
The northeastern Japanese city of Kesennuma, with a population of 74,000, was hit by widespread fires and one-third of the city was under water, Jiji news agency said.

Al Jazeera's meteorologist explains Japan's quake

More than eight million homes lost power, mobile and landline phone systems broke down for many and gas was cut to more than 300,000 homes, meaning many people could not heat their dark homes during the cold night.
The unfolding natural disaster prompted offers of search and rescue help from 50 countries.
Australia pledged to throw "anything and everything" to help Japan.
China said rescuers were ready to help with quake relief, while President Barack Obama mobilised US military might to provide emergency aid after the disaster which he described as "simply heartbreaking."
The United States, which has nearly 40,000 military personnel in Japan, has ordered a flotilla including two aircraft carriers and support ships to the region to provide aid following the tsunami.
The towering wave set off alerts across the Pacific, sparking evacuations in Hawaii and the US West Coast, and devastating at least one California port.
Chile said it was evacuating coastal areas and Ecuador's state oil company announced it had suspended crude oil exports due to risks posed by the tsunami.
Unfolding disaster
More than 300 houses were destroyed in the remote city of Ofunato and a dam broke in the northeast prefecture of Fukushima, with homes washed away.
In Tokyo, office workers who were stranded in the city after the quake forced the subway system to close early slept alongside the homeless at one station.
Scores of men in suits lay on newspapers, using their briefcases as pillows. Kyodo said at least 116,000 people in Tokyo had been unable to return home on Friday evening due to transport disruption.

There was major disruption to air travel and bullet train services. A passenger train with an unknown number of people aboard was unaccounted for on a line outside Sendai, Kyodo News reported.
The quake, which hit at 05:46 GMT and lasted about two minutes, rattled buildings in greater Tokyo, the world's largest urban area and home to about 30 million people. It was felt in Beijing, some 2,500 km away.
The first quake struck just under 400km northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by more than 70 powerful aftershocks, one as strong as 7.1.
Japan sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" and Tokyo is in one of its most dangerous areas, where three continental plates are slowly grinding against each other, building up enormous seismic pressure.
The government has warned of a 70 per cent chance that a magnitude-eight quake will strike within the next 30 years in the Kanto plains, home to Tokyo's vast urban sprawl.

Pengguna tol diperbodohkan?

2011-03-12T01:10:00.000-08:00

Nisa Abdullah
Mac 12, 11
11:16am

Sejak kebelakangan ini, kita sering melihat iklan yang berikut: “Bagi Perjalanan yang Lancar, Belilah ...”.

Iklan ini biasanya dipaparkan di lebuhraya sekitar negara. Persoalannya adakah pengguna tol sedang cuba diperbodohkan? Bagi menjawab soalan ini, kita perlu mengenalpasti terlebih dahulu matlamat lebuhraya dibina.

Matlamat lebuhraya dibina adalah bagi melancarkan perjalanan pengguna jalan raya. Dalam kes ini, 'kelancaran perjalanan' adalah perkhidmatan yang diberikan oleh pengendali lebuhraya.

Kita sebagai pengguna pula membayar tol sebagai 'bayaran' bagi mendapatkan 'kelancaran perjalanan'. Bagi mereka yang tidak mahu membayar tol, mereka boleh menggunakan jalan alternatif.

Saya tidak mahu bangkitkan persoalan mengenai kos lebuhraya yang tinggi, tanggungjawab kerajaan, kenaikan kadar tol yang tidak adil dan sebagainya. Mungkin itu akan dibicarakan di lain kesempatan. Namun fokus saya bagi coretan ini hanyalah mengenai iklan tersebut yang seolah cuba memperbodohkan pengguna.

Hakikatnya adalah pengguna sudah pun membayar tol. Sebagai balasan, pengendali lebuhraya perlu memberikan kelancaran perjalanan kepada pengguna.

Maka mengapakah kini pengguna seperti dipaksa pula untuk membeli kad tertentu bagi mendapatkan kelancaran perjalanan? Bayaran tol sepatutnya sudah memadai bagi pengguna mendapatkan hak mereka, iaitu kelancaran perjalanan.

Janganlah pengguna dipaksa membeli kad berkenaan pula atau bermacam lagi peralatan lain, sedangkan pengendali lebuhraya perlu menunaikan tanggungjawab mereka memberikan kelancaran perjalanan, yakni sebagai balasan bagi bayaran tol oleh pengguna.

Jika perkara ini dibiarkan berterusan, maka tidak lama lagi, akan ada pula iklan yang berbunyi: “Bagi Perjalanan yang Lancar, Belilah pula...”.

Penggunalah yang akhirnya terpaksa membayar lebih, dan lebih, dan lebih.

malaysiakini

Nik Aziz warns BN of a 'time bomb' ala Egypt

2011-03-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

KOTA BHARU, Mar 8: PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has warned Barisan Nasional of a 'time bomb' if it continued practising what he called "lopsided democracy" for the sake of winning elections.
“It will soon become a bomb which backfires on them, so please be warned not to act as you please,” said the Kelantan Menteri Besar, in his response to PAS's by-election defeats in Merlimau and Kerdau over the weekend.
After a campaign which saw some of the most intense personal attacks on opposition leaders and millions of ringgit worth of development promises, BN retained its strongholds with increased majorities.
Nik Aziz however reminded that a victory gained in such a manner was not something to be proud of as it was not fought democratically.
“PAS was not only facing UMNO candidates, but also the entire machinery of the government from the state and federal levels,” he said.
'Death of election'
Nik Aziz said the concept of 'election' seemed to no longer exist in the country due to BN-UMNO's campaign method.
“This is not only unfair, but is sinful and will be held accountable in the Hereafter. The youths now see democracy has ceased to exist in the country to the extent they become vindictive due to the backdoor democracy they learnt (from UMNO-BN),” he added.
Saying he still accepted the outcome, Nik Aziz however said the real results would be different, and cited the case of an UMNO supporter, who having crossed over to PAS, suddenly declared he was going back to UMNO.
Muzammil Alif, a former branch chairman of UMNO Jengka-25, announced he was joing UMNO again three days after declaring himself a PAS member.
"The reason this happens is due to continuous pressure... this is not democracy,” said Nik Aziz, adding that similar tactics had been used on P Balasubramaniam, the private investigator who was the witness in the murder trial of Mongolian negotiator Altantuya Shariibu, who issued a damning statutory declaration linking the murder to prime minister Najib Razak, only to amend it the next day.
Nik Aziz also warned that the fate of former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak would also befall UMNO leaders if the current practice persists.

Istilah 'wang pembayar cukai'

2011-02-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
Feb 27, 11
10:50pm

Istilah memainkan peranan penting dalam menyedarkan penggunanya dan pendengar.

Seringkali kali media melaporkan bantuan atau belanja yang dikeluarkan oleh kerajaan digambarkan seakan itu adalah harta kerajaan atau orang politik yang terbabit. Maka bantuan yang disalurkan seakan dari sifat pemurah kerajaan seperti disebut 'kerajaan bermurah hati membantu'.

Rakyat seakan bagaikan peminta sedekah. Begitu juga apabila ada penyelewengan ataupun pembaziran, maka rakyat yang tidak faham merasakan yang rugi hanyalah kerajaan atau duit orang politik, sedangkan mereka lupa wang tersebut adalah wang mereka.

Maka di sini disebutkan beberapa perkara;

Samada kita sedar atau tidak, setiap rakyat negara ini membayar cukar kepada kerajaan. Ini merangkumi cukai pendapatan, cukai langsung dan tidak langsung.

Harga barangan yang kita beli dalam negara ini sebenarnya kita bayar bersama harga cukai. Di Malaysia kita membeli kereta dengan harga yang tinggi disebabkan faktor cukai.

Begitu juga segala barangan, makanan dan stesyen TV yang dibeli merangkumi harga cukai. Maka, setiap rakyat kena tahu bahawa mereka sebenarnya setiap hari membayar cukai kepada kerajaan. Justeru wang kerajaan adalah wang rakyat.

Maka, wang yang dibelanja oleh mana-mana kerajaan; samada BN atau Pakatan rakyat atau istana-istana dalam negara adalah wang rakyat yang membayar cukai secara langsung atau tidak langsung, sedar ataupun tidak sedar.

Bazir wang rakyat

Istilah 'wang pembayar cukai' atau taxpayers money, atau harta awam sepatutnya sentiasa dipakai dalam media dan ungkapan rakyat. Justeru, apabila kerajaan membelanja untuk sesuatu projek atau menyalurkan harta kepada mana-mana pihak, hendaklah dilapor atau disebut “kerajaan menggunakan wang pembayar cukai atau harta rakyat untuk projek itu dan ini”.

Jika berlaku pembaziran, hendaklah dilapor dan disebutkan “kerajaan telah membazirkan wang pembayar cukai, atau merosakkan harta awam, merugikan wang rakyat”.

Ungkapan ini penting supaya orang-orang politik sedar bahawa bantuan dan peruntukan yang mereka salurkan kepada rakyat bukan wang poket mereka, atau harta peribadi mereka sehingga mereka boleh mendabik dada bangga. Sebaliknya, ia sememang harta rakyat.

Begitulah rakyat, mereka tidak boleh tertipu dengan merasakan seorang-olah bantuan yang diumumkan oleh orang-orang politik itu dari 'harta persendirian' tokoh politik tersebut, sebaliknya ia memang harta rakyat yang diuruskan oleh orang-orang politik.

Peminta sedekah

Ini boleh mengelakkan perasaan rakyat yang merasakan mereka bagaikan peminta sedekah kepada kerajaan dan mengelakkan orang-orang politik lupa diri terhadap wang awam yang mereka belanja atau istiharkan dalam kempen politik mereka.

Sesebuah kerajaan bukan dipuji kerana mereka berbelanja dengan wang rakyat atau wang pembayar cukai itu, tetapi mereka dipuji kerana pengurusan yang cemerlang dan amanah dalam mengendalikan harta awam atau harta rakyat.

Ertinya, jika kerajaan berjaya mengendalikan harta rakyat dengan cemerlang dan amanah, maka kerajaan itu dipuji dan disokong, begitu juga sebaliknya.

Istilah 'taxpayer money', atau 'taxpayer funds' atau 'taxpayers dollars' sering digunakan dalam media negara maju apabia memperkatakan tentang pembelanjaan ataupun pembaziran oleh pihak kerajaan.

Istilah seperti ini sebenarnya boleh membantu mengelakkan kecuaian kerajaan dan dalam masa yang sama boleh menyedarkan rakyat tentang hakikat wang yang digunakan oleh pihak kerajaan. Istilah ini juga patut dihidupkan dalam negara kita.

Malaysian PM: Muslim Brotherhood Must Renounce Violence or Be Left Out

2011-02-27T01:36:00.000-08:00

By Seth Mandel

February 23, 2011 1:01 P.M

Since the beginning of the uprising in Egypt and the expected power shift in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic world has rallied around the Brotherhood and demanded that the West engage with them. But a crack in that unity appeared today when Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said that the Muslim Brotherhood “shouldn’t be part of the process as long as they don’t reject violence and extremism.”

“Anyone who wants to be part of the political process should adopt values that are compatible with democracy,” Najib said in an interview in Istanbul, where he is speaking at a conference on moderation. “It’s not just about having a vote and choosing your leaders; it’s also part of imparting the right values for democracy to work, because there are failed democracies as well.”
Najib said he has “some concerns, deep concerns” about Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader. Those concerns center on Qaradawi’s support and justification for terrorism, which carries a great deal of weight given Qaradawi’s credibility as an Islamic scholar. It is exactly that type of Muslim leader that has led the Middle East astray, according to Najib. “We have lost a lot of ground to the extremists in the Middle East.”
He offered his own country as a model to emerging Islamic governments in the Middle East, saying that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described Malaysia as “modern, progressive, and moderate.”
“We shouldn’t want to impose on people, but people are welcome to study our experience and how we’ve done things in Malaysia. Perhaps it could be useful in their country,” he said.
Too many leaders, Najib said, misunderstand moderation. “I think they’re not paying enough attention to the values associated with being a moderate,” he said. “Moderate doesn’t mean that you’re a wimp — far from it. It means that you’ve chosen a path because you believe that’s the only way for global harmony and peace.”

national review online

TOPENGNYA SUDAH DIBUKA! TAIB SI KETUA samseng

2011-02-26T22:11:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 10th, 2011 GMT

Kini Sarawak report telah memperolehi dokumen-dokumen yang boleh digunakan untuk membuktikan Abdul Taib Mahmud, Ketua Menetri Sarawak, merupakan pemilik sebenar harta bernilai sehingga berjuta-juta dollar di seberang laut di bawah nama ahli-ahli keluarganya.
Penemuan ini mendedahkan sebuah sistem perjanjian tertutup, yang membolehkan Ketua Menteri itu menjadi pemilik mutlak ke atas harta-hartanya itu. Cara ini dianggap berkesan untuk menyembunyikan kemewahannya, yang bakal menagih beliau untuk memberikan penjelasan yang terperinci.
Dengan sistem ini, ahli-ahli keluarga Taib didaftar sebagai pemegang-pemegang saham yang rasmi dan juga menjawat jawatan pengarah-pengarah dalam syarikat-syarikat yang memiliki harta itu, sebalik, sebuah perjanjian tertutup akan mempastikan bahawa saham-saham itu sebenarnya dipegang mewakili beliau.
Di antara dokumen-dokumen dalam simpanan Sarawak Report terdapat sesalinan perjanjian tertutup yang berkaitan dengan pegangan saham-saham dalam syarikat Sakti International, iaitu sebuah syarikat yang memiliki rangkaian bangunan di San Francisco. Sakti International merupakan sebahagian dari jaringan syarikat-syarikat yang ditubuhkan di Amerika Utara oleh keluarga Taib, termasuk Sakto, syarikat hartanah yang utama di Ottawa, dan Wallyson’s, syarikat yang memiliki bangunan Abraham Lincoln di Seattle, yang disewa oleh pihak Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) bagi mengendalikan segala kelengkapan anti-pengganas yang berahsia tinggi.
Kelima-lima orang pemegang saham dalam Sakti International, yang didaftarkan di California itu adalah, adik-adiknya, Onn Mahmud dan Arip Mahmud, bersama anak-anaknya, Sulaiman Taib, Mahmud Taib dan Jamilah Taib. Walaupun demikian, sementara dokumen yang kami perolehi itu menjelaskan, satu resolusi telah dirangka sebaik sahaja syarikat itu ditubuhkan, telah memerintahkan secara tertutup bahawa separuh dari saham dalam syarikat dipegang bagi pihak Ketua Menteri. Nilai kesemua saham tersebut mencecah US$40 juta untuk Sakti sahaja, seperti yang termaktub dalam dokumen-dokumen rasmi syarikat itu.

Risau?
Walau bagaimana pun, Sakti International, yang dipercayai bernilai US$80 juta, merupakan sebahagian kecil sahaja dari harta kekayaan keluarga Taib. Pada pendedahan-pendedahan awal kami terdapat lebih banyak harta kekayaan keluarga tersebut yang diuruskan oleh ahli-ahli keluarganya sendiri. Sebagai contoh, anak-anak Taib merupakan pemegang-pemegang saham dan juga pengarah-pengarah dalam pelbagai syarikat milik mereka yang mengendalikan perniagaan hartanah di Kanada, Australia, Britain dan United States, kesemuanya dianggarkan bernilai beratus juta dollar US. Tetapi pihak kami hairan, kebanyakan harta ini ditubuhkan atau dimiliki ketika kebanyak mereka berusia dalam lingkungan 20-an dan sebagai pelajar-pelajar kolej, tanpa sebarang asset pelaburan secara sah pada usia semuda itu. Kami ingin mengajukan soalan kepada Taib Mahmud, adakah saham-saham dalam Sakti International yang mereka pegang itu bagi pihak beliau? Jika tidak, apakah penjelasan yang akan beliau berikan berkaitan dengan pelaburan-pelaburan ini?
Beberapa laporan telah dibuat di pejabat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) berkaitan dengan pendedahan kekayaan keluarga Taib. Pendedahan-pendedahan terbaru yang membuktikan penglibatan Ketua menteri itu, akan menambahkan tekanan dan bebanan kepada pihak SPRM untuk mengambil tindakan dengan membuat siasatan yang menyeluruh dan terperinci.

Lebih banyak lagi bukti ditemui
Dokumen-dokumen dari Sakti International yang ada pada kami, dikeluarkan sebagai sebahagian dari pendedahan dalam kes mahkamah, memberikan bukti-bukti yang banyak mengenai penglibatan Taib Mahmud di dalam syarikat, walaupun beliau sentiasa menafikan beliau terlibat dengan sebarang rangkaian perniagaan. Salah sebuah dari dokumen-dokumen terawal, yang ditandatangani pada 1987, juga menyenaraikan nama beliau sebagai salah seorang dari pengarah dalam Sakti International.
Dokumen yang dipersoalkan itu adalah Penyata Stok Dalaman syarikat Sakti International, yang dikehendaki oleh pihak State of California. Pada 1987, tahun penubuhan syarikat itu, di mana Taib Mahmud didaftarkan bersama-sama adiknya Onn dan Arip Mahmud, sebagai pengarah-pengarah syarikat. Mahmud Taib, iaitu anak sulung Ketua Menteri,hanyalah merupakan seorang pegawai di syarikat tersebut.
Adalah merupakan kebiasaan bagi keluarga Taib untuk menutup segala identiti beliau terpapar dalam sebarang dokumentasi. Kesilapan awal ini pastinya akan melemahkan tentangannya, yang menyatakan beliau selaku Ketua menteri tidak ada kaitan dengan sebarang bentuk perniagaan. Tetapi, adalah jelas beliau telah mendaftarkan Sakti International menggunakan alamat rumahnya sendiri di San Francisco.

Ditutup
Rekod-rekod yang menunjukkan bentuk struktur organisasi syarikat tersebut telah dipinda untuk menunjukkan bahawa Onn, Arip dan Mahmud Taib merupakan pengarah-pengarah syarikat, sementara itu hanya Rahman sahaja ditugaskan sebagai pegawai syarikat. Tetapi kami boleh melaporkan Taib Mahmud masih mengekalkan kawalannya ke atas syarikatnya itu berdasarkan keputusan-keputusan dan resolusi syarikat yang dibuat oleh para pengarahnya yang bertarikh 8^hb April 1988. Resolusi ini menetapkan 500 dari 1,000 saham dikeluarkan oleh syarikat dan diagihkan untuk beliau.

Ketua samseng
Dokumen-dokumen Sakti International menunjukkan cara-cara yang digunakan oleh Taib Mahmud mengawal ahli-ahli keluarganya, yang merupakan pencari wang atau ahli perniagaan kepada syarikatnya itu. Kelima-lima orang ahli keluarganya dipilih untuk memegang saham-saham dengan jumlah saham yang tidak sama antara satu sama lain. Setiap orang dari mereka telah menyerahkan bahagian yang berbeza-beza untuk dipegang bagi pihak Ketua Menteri itu.
Saudaranya Onn Mahmud mendapat 400 saham, tetapi memegang 200 saham bagi pihak Ketua Menteri itu, manakala saudaranya Arip Mahmud hanya mendapat 200 saham, yang mana 100 saham dipegang bagi pihak Taib. Mahmud Taib memiliki jumlah saham yang serupa dengan Arip. Tetapi si adik, Sulaiman Rahman Taib, yang kemudiannya dilantik sebagai pengarah tunggal Sakti, hanya mendapat 100 saham di bawah perjanjian dan kesemua mereka memegang saham bagi pihak ayahnya. Si anak perempuan, Jamilah pula, hanya mendapat 100 saham, tetapi dia memiliki kesemua saham yang dipegangnya, di mana tidak seorangpun dari mereka memegang lebih dari 200 saham. Dengan cara ini, jelaslah beliau berkuasa sepenuhnya ke atas syarikat yang mana beliau berpura-pura bukan miliknya.
Taib yang bekuasa
Bekas pekerja Sakti telah memberikan keterangan mengenai cara kawalan Ketua Menteri ke atas ahli-ahli keluarganya. Rahman, pada waktu itu masih menuntut di kolej sewaktu dia menjawat jawatan pengarah Sakti.
“Kami sentiasa menganggap Taib sebagai bos besar dan juga pembuat segala keputusan” kata salah seorang bekas eksekutif kepada Sarawak Report, “adalah ketara beliaulah sumber pendapatan syarikat, dan Rahman sangatlah menghormatinya”.

Dari manakah datangnya wang itu?
Sehingga kini Ketua Menteri belum lagi memberikan sebarang komen bagi menangkis rentetan pendedahan-pendedahan berhubung harta kekayaannya. Walau bagaimana pun, bukti yang terkini akan meningkatkan lagi tuntutan meminta beliau menjelaskan bagai mana beliau dan juga keluarganya memperoleh berjuta-juta nilai pelaburan. Gaji yang beliau terima dari jawatan-jawatan yang beliau pegang hanya di bawah RM50,000 sebulan (bersamaan dengan US$16,000).
Pada minggu-minggu lepas, kewujudan Ridgeford Properties di London dan Sakto Corporation di Ontario, Canada telah didedahkan. Syarikat-syarikat ini memiliki dan menguruskan banyak bangunan pejabat yang bernilai beratus-juta dollar. Pemilik-pemilik kedua-kedua syarikat tersebut adalah Jamilah Taib dan suaminya, Sean (Hisham) Murray, berbangsa Kanada. Walau pun demikian, seperti juga Sakti, Sakto juga diasaskan oleh keluarga Taib, bukan oleh Encik Murray.
Walau pun terdapat ramai saudara-mara Seam Murray kini berkerja untuk Sakto, semua bukti ini menunjukkan ianya perniagaan keluarga Taib, dikawal secara mutlaknya oleh Ketua Menteri Sarawak. Dengan bertambahnya bukti-bukti begini, maka Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) tidak seharusnya mengabaikannya tetapi menuntut dengan kadar yang segera siasatan yang menyeluruh dilakukan ke atas Rajah Berkepala Putih Sarawak?

sarawakreport.org

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