ASEAN Should Take Cognizance of Sabahans' Plight

Kota Kinabalu: “In the modern era of democratic nations, good governance and human rights, the ASEAN grouping should move with the times.   It should not just be confined to trade, economy and common market as it appears to be moving towards but to do more similar to the European Union” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief cum State Assemblyman for Bingkor, commenting on the sidelines of the forthcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat to be held in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday and Wednesday.

PSM Statement 23 January 2015 - Now is not the best time to implement GST

By S. Arutchelvan

Mr Prime Minister, you said yesterday that now is the best time to implement the GST because you claim that with the decrease of fuel prices, Malaysians will have more money in hand and have a higher purchasing power.

This is totally untrue. The decrease in fuel prices has not made prices of other goods go down. This has never happened before and you know very well that our enforcement agencies can never bring down prices of goods. You have also cut subsidies which mean you have left prices in the hands of the market. On ground 0, the rakyat is facing a massive increase in daily expenses and people and businesses just talk about further price increase after the GST. No amount of creative advertisement by the Government seems to dispel this fear.  

Malaysia has no legitimacy in Sabah, Sarawak?

Comment by Joe Fernandez

Former Petagas Assemblyman James Ligunjang  -- defeated in 1994, according to him, by illegal voters on the electoral rolls -- is misleading everybody with his Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia 63 Campaign.

He does not touch on the following:

Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 is like flogging a dead horse. It's too little, too late.

100% support Pairin call to replace "lain-lain" in govt forms

By Ezra Haganez

PENAMPANG: Almost everybody in the community of Kadazandusun and Murut supported the call made by Huguan Siou Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to do away with the "lain-lain" or "others" column in the race section of government forms.

Senior vice president of KDCA (Kadazandusun Cultural Association), George Mijin, said such conclusion could be deduced from feedbacks and an already agitated community as a result of the thoughtless introduction of "bangsa lain-lain" in government forms a couple of years ago, leaving out the ethnic groups in Borneo, retaining only three races - Malay, Chinese and Indian.

What is Plan B for Sabah Budget 2015?

Kota Kinabalu:     “As dust is settling down on the collapse of oil prices globally, the picture becomes clearer for Malaysia and Sabah’s 2015 Budget projected revenues.   The question on everyone’s mind is what is Plan B for the National and Sabah Budget 2015?” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, reflecting on the 60% plunge in oil prices from USD110 to USD47 - USD49 per barrel and creating a huge dent in projected revenues from oil.

When PM Najib unveiled the national Budget on 10 October 2014, the world oil price was about USD90 per barrel and when CM Musa announced the Sabah Budget on 07 November 2014, it was about USD80.   However, the budget projections were based on assumption of oil prices at USD100 per barrel.   They now seem half a world away from the current USD48 per barrel, up from a low of USD45.

Do Away With “Lain-lain” and “Bumiputra” in Sabah

Kota Kinabalu:     “The move by the Chief Minister of Sarawak to do away with the categorization of Sarawakians as “Others” or “Lain-lain” in government administration and replacing them with Sarawak ethnic races is most welcome and long overdue.   Sabah leaders should take the cue and follow suit to replace “Sabahan” for “Lain-lain” in Sabah” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the move by the CM of Sarawak.

In fact, the Sabah government should not stop at the re-categorization and should implement policies for the upliftment of the indigenous people of Sabah as provided in Article 41 of the Constitution of Sabah.   Article 41 provides:-

No more ‘lain-lain’ in forms

Federal government cancels controversial column that classifies Sarawak Bumiputera as ‘others’ in race section of official forms

KAPIT: There will be no more ‘lain-lain’ column in the race section of government forms to indicate the race of Bumiputera in Sarawak.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem said yesterday the federal government had acceded to a request by the state government to eliminate the words ‘lain-lain’ in the race column in official forms.

“In government forms, there will be Bumiputera Iban, Bumiputera Bidayuh and Bumiputera Orang Ulu.

Sarawak’s Taib tries to stop BBC broadcast on timber corruption

© Provided by The Malaysian Insider Sarawak governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud has on multiple occasions been asked to explain his allegedly vast wealth. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 16, 2015.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Sarawak governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud are attempting to stop a BBC interview from being broadcast, said a Swiss-based rainforest advocacy group.

The Bruno Manser Fund said a London law firm had been commissioned by the controversial Taib to stop a BBC interview on Lukas Straumann's book, “Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia”, which exposes the former chief minister's vast wealth allegedly derived from illegal logging.

The Meaning of Mutual Respect

By Baru Bian , Ba Kelalan assemblyman

The lecture by Shaykh Afeefuddin Al-Jailani that is being organised by the Islamic Information Centre and supported by UNIMAS’ Pusat Islam has created much unhappiness among Sarawakian Christians who, over the past few years, have had to put up with various forms of illogical and unreasonable interference by the authorities in the practice of their faith. They have unfailingly exercised tremendous restraint and shown remarkable forbearance in the face of unwarranted disrespect and curtailment of their rights. This latest episode is truly a blow to the Christians, who had hoped that they would be left alone to carry on the practice of their religion in peace in the spirit of mutual respect that seemed to still exist in Sarawak. I have received many calls from Christians and Christian leaders on this proposed lecture.

Proposed new seven Sabah seats ill-conceived, says politician

By Ezra Haganez

KOTA KINABALU: The recently-announced proposal to create seven more new state constituencies in Sabah to make it 67, will further reduce the Christian-majority seats in the already muslim-dominated State Assembly, claims a leader of a local political party.

Parti Kerjasama Rakyat Sabah (PAKAR) deputy president, Paulus Gani, said as such the exercise is not a noble and clean exercise let alone reflect the true spirit of partnership in the country.

The balance between the major communities is lost, he said, explaining that the last time an exercise by the Federal-controlled SPR to increase the seats from 48 to current 60, the 20-20-8 sharing formula between non-muslim bumiputeras, muslim bumiputras and chinese, was changed to 34-18-8.

Anwar Lawat Mangsa Banjir di Kota Belud 13 Jan 2015

GST should be postponed, says Sabah activist

By Ezra Haganez

KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government should consider calls to postpone the implemention of Goods and Service Tax (GST) this April, as more than half of  eligible businesses in Sabah appeared not yet ready for it.

A consumer activist who is also a trader, Donny Yapp, in a statement today said many businesses especially in Sabah have yet to register with the Royal Custom Department and that many more have not acquired or installed GST-compliance accounting software.

Brunei bans public Christmas celebrations to ‘protect’ Islamic faith

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Oil-rich Brunei has banned public celebrations of Christmas for fear of Muslims being led astray, its religious affairs ministry said today, in a country that last year controversially instituted tough Islamic sharia penalties.

The ban, instituted after Christmas last month when local children and adults were seen wearing clothes “that resemble Santa Claus”, raises fresh concerns of religious restrictions after last April’s announcement of the introduction of a penal code that will eventually include penalties such as the severing of limbs and death by stoning.

Practise True Federation – Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu:     “The federal government need to decentralize to empower the States and reduce power concentration at its centre and practice true federation not only to reflect the basis of the formation of Malaysia but to ensure the Federation continue to exist with stable federal-state relations” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the spat between Penang MP Zairil and Utusan on federalism.

The federal government should stop its agenda of turning the Malaysian federation into a unitary state with concentration of power and money at Putrajaya.

Of internet royalties, e-commerce and your pay TV

The Best for 2015

By Briton Ryle | Monday, January 5th, 2015

Well, here we are in 2015. For Christmas this year, I got a touching handmade card from my 12-year-old son, and my dad sent me eight soft-shell crabs that I ate on New Year's Day. 

I rolled 'em in a little flour, flash-fried them crispy, and made sandwiches. They were delicious.

It amazes me that you can get truly fresh soft-shell crabs delivered overnight. These came packed in styrofoam, with ice packs to keep them cold, but not frozen.

Sabah seats proposal submitted – EC

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Election Commission (EC) has submitted the proposed delineation for Sabah to its headquarters, director Datuk Md Idrus Ismail said.

He however did not disclose the number of additional seats requested for Sabah in the proposal.

“We have submitted our proposal to the headquarters. The recommendations will be put on display at a later date for the public to scrutinize and give their feedback,” Md Idrus said this when asked if the state Election Commission would also be conducting a delineation review as is being done in Sarawak.

2015: Rise Above Partisan Politics to Solve Problems

Kota Kinabalu:     “Leaders should rise above individual and party political interests when tackling problems faced by the State in the common interest of Sabah or the general population” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, in his 2015 New Year message released today.

“Problems faced by Sabah such as security and the so-called Project IC can never be resolved if partisan political interest become the primary guiding principle of such solution” he said.

10 kampung di Kota Belud dinaiki air

KOTA BELUD: Sepuluh kampung di daerah ini dilanda banjir akibat limpahan air Sungai Tempasuk berikutan hujan lebat malam tadi.

Kampung terbabit ialah Linau, Menunggui, Gunding, Kota Belud, Bobot, Siasai, Taun Gusi, Lebak Engad, Kota Kerancangan dan Rangalau.

Ketua Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat Kota Belud, Faizal Wahid, berkata air dikesan naik sejak subuh tadi dengan enam penduduk membabitkan sebuah keluarga dari Kampung Rangalau dipindahkan di Dewan Tun Said, Kota Belud jam 7.30 pagi tadi.

YB Jimmy Wong and DAP Welcome to Join Independent Monitoring and Action Committee

Kota Kinabalu:     "Sabah DAP Chairman, YB. Jimmy Wong Sze Phin, should "think local" instead of criticising the efforts of the 3 Sabah political parties and 21 NGOs for setting up an Independent Committee to push the federal government into taking actions to solve the illegals problems in Sabah" said the Secretary of the Independent Committee, James Stephens.

Umno made profits by selling Malay kampungs

BAYAN BARU: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told a Malay crowd in Bayan Baru yesterday that it is Umno Penang leaders who bought and sold their land.

Lim said Umno had slandered the DAP and Penang government, by saying the party had purchased land in Balik Pulau, whatever the cost, to "chase out the Malays".

THE UNHAPPINESS IN SABAH AND SARAWAK

There are not really that many issues to resolve — immigration, crime, oil royalty, autonomy, federalisation, and the 18-/20-Point Agreements. On the side, of course, are the Bible and Allah issues, which is not a Sabah/Sarawak problem but being exploited by the opposition as if they are.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The last Umno General Assembly can be said to have sent out mixed signals. Instead of replying to the many questions that people may have about what to expect in the run-up to the next general election expected in 2-3 years from now, it raised more questions than it answered. If people had followed the Umno general assembly with the hope of becoming enlightened, then they were disappointed because, instead, the reverse happened: they became more confused.