Nasir Sakaran, the soft-spoken leader who does not seek publicity speaks to Borneo Herald...

By Fauzan Mydin

KOTA KINABALU: Political stability is the winning formula in Sabah's quest for greater achievement and continued progress, that is what Datuk Haji Nasir Tun Sakaran, always believes, ardently...

The Minister in the Chief Minister's Department said the people of Sabah have to appreciate and strengthen political stability at all costs as this is the formula that had allowed them to live in peace and harmony since times immemorial.

Datuk Haji Nasir Tun Sakaran, Minister in the Chief Minister Department of Sabah.

He stressed that respecting each others' belief, religion and race is as paramount and prerequisite to preserving stability in a diverse culture like Sabah. 

The soft-spoken Nasir stressed these points in an exclusive interview with Borneo Herald at his office here recently. In the interview, he was asked for his views on a broad issues touching on Sabah general achievements, his own experience as a leader and a glimpse of how he managed to tackle various challenges he had faced... 

Taib Mahmud's sister Raziah gets RM880,000,000.000 bank loan !

Cause to celebrate? Raziah Geneid - sister of Taib Mahmud

By Correspondent of Sarawak Report
KUCHING: We can reveal that Malaysia’s RHB Bank has just lent Raziah Mahmud, the Chief Minister’s sister and her third husband, Robert Geneid, a whopping RM 880 million ringgit!

This breath-taking hand-out (the equivalent of US$ 285 million) was discovered by Sarawak Report in the public records of  Malaysia’s Companies Commission.  It was registered last June as a charge against one of the couple’s privately owned companies, Kumpulan Construction.

Kumpulan Construction is registered as having RM1 million share capital, 5% owned by Zaleha Binti Mahmud Hajjah (her elder sister) and the rest by Mastim Sdn Bhd, which in turn is jointly owned by Raziah and Robert, an Australian national.

The vast size of the loan, particularly in relation to the relatively modest assets recently posted by Kumpulan Construction, raises a number of questions for the couple and the bank, as well as the Chief Minister of Sarawak, who has repeatedly abused his position by granting his sister’s companies lucrative state-funded projects which they are not equiped to carry out.

Sabah and Sarawak, the East Malaysia, Zaid Ibrahim wishes them to be...

By Datuk Zaid Ibrahim
KUCHING: It has been 53 years since Malaya became independent; and 47 years since Sabah and Sarawak and Malaya combined to form the Federation of Malaysia. The imperative word here is “formed”. Sabah and Sarawak distanced not join Malaysia.

But for too long, people in Sabah and Sarawak have been made to feel like they are the children of a lesser God. And for too long, even in Semenanjung, many of us have been made to feel like the children of a lesser God – just because we do not agree with the Barisan Nasional’s policies.

Since the political tsunami of March 2008, when Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority and also five states in the Semenanjung, suddenly East Malaysia has become a very important battlefield for politicians. Suddenly, every Datuk, Datin, Tan Sri and Puan Sri from Barisan Nasional is making frequent trips to Sabah and Sarawak. 

Suddenly, in a by-election in Sibu, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister come and go as if Kuala Lumpur and Sibu were the same distance as Kuching and Petra Jaya. And only now they know how to say: “Lu tolong gua; gua tolong lu.”

Dr Jeffrey refuses to run for elected offices in PKR, will give others chances instead

By Jurly Dong
KOTA KINABALU: PKR Vice President, Dr Jeffrey Kitingan announced in a press conference in Kota Kinabalu today, he is pulling out from the race to be in the Party national line-up, citing giving others chance to serve as VP as reason.

Jeffrey, told a press luncheon at Magellan Sutera Harbor here, he duly acknowledged the about 40 nominations for him to vie for the post of vice president but said he would not be in it this time.

This has fueled speculation the maverick politician has something up his sleeves.

Talks of him leaving PKR resurfaced in recent days with some claiming he is eyeing a dormant Parti Setia, teaming with Datuk Lajim Ukin, currently an UMNO deputy minister in Najib Razak cabinet.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey's trusted aide Evelyn Gobile who was among those present at the press conference, also announced her decision to pull out from contesting a slot as PKR  Woman Exco.

The dilution of Christians in Sabah

By Raja Petra Kamarudin
LONDON: Many probably did not take too much interest in the story about seven Immigration Department officers being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

You can read The Star and Bernama news items below.

Many also probably did not realise that this is the second time that Immigration Department officers, plus National Registration Department officers (the state director included), are being detained under the ISA.

The first round of detentions was some years ago, soon after PBS was ousted from Sabah and Barisan Nasional took over the state. Now we are seeing a second round of detentions.

Invitation to participate in Borneo Safari II

Borneo Safari II, a KPSU - Sosek Malindo event, will be held on 5-11 December, 2010, covering Lubok Antu, Badau, Putussibau, Danau Sentarum, Sintang, Sanggau, Ngabang, and Pontianak, is being held by the Dayaks community of Borneo. Those Dayaks (that includes the KDMs) who wish to participate are advised to log on http://paklimonavie.blogspot.com or contact Mr Alim Mideh of SDNU at 013-8374178.

Halal? Haram? Heck if I know…

OCT 12 — It’s really surprising that people want to talk about halal and haram, but not just in Penang. It’s truly impressive, in Penang, how a bunch of geriatrics say that they don’t want money from any source that is considered haram.

It seems as if we are back to the same holier-than-thou mentality in politics that was visible in the 70s, where even graveyards and grieving for a dead relative were politically segregated. This was the age when Umno and PAS supporters were so passionate to the point that the arguments clearly extended after death.

Dawn of a post-Lee Kuan Yew era in Singapore

Goh Meng Seng

I have spoken about Post-LKY era in several occasions over the last few years and I have just done that on the day Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew died, 9 September 2010. When I heard that news, it immediately struck upon me that we are walking right into Post-LKY without any adequate preparation at all.

The loss of his beloved wife at this ripe old age of 87 would have great impact on his health and well being, especially so when he has just been admitted into hospital for chest infections.

When I watch him speak at his wife’s funeral, reading his eulogy painfully with a barely audible voice and head facing down most of the time, I suddenly felt very sorry for him. The once one of the best political orators in this region, has suddenly lost his flare and magical touch. The severely wounded old lion may not roar again. I still hope that he would have a speedy recovery from both his illness and grief.

Obama afraid to offend

In
1952
President  Truman
Established  one  day  a  year  as  a
"National Day of Prayer."
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In
1988
President Reagan
Designated the
First Thursday in May of each year as
The National Day of Prayer.  
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MCA now stands for Make Chinese Angry

Why MCA, after 51 years of independence your own race, is treated like second class citizen?

Why MCA, after more than 50 years of supporting the Alliance/BN, your own race appears to have to beg to get a scholarship?

Why MCA, after more than half a century being part of the ruling government, many of your own race do not see they have a future in Malaysia?

Why MCA, despite being a partner in the BN, when a man said, 'bath the keris in Chinese blood' MCA still wants to support that man?
Why MCA, after so many years of being treated like irrelevant, MCA still cannot make the move to prove to your own race that MCA is 'alive and kicking' and still relevant?