Survey a ploy to discredit Musa, claims Salleh

Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker, Salleh Said Keruak

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak today hit out at a survey on Sabah which he claimed was the work of certain people who want to discredit Chief Minister Musa Aman and see him toppled.

He said that the poll was commissioned by those with an agenda and was aimed at demoralising Musa and the Barisan Nasional machinery.

Salleh was commenting on an online news report which claimed that voter satisfaction of Musa in the state has dropped significantly.

The report quoted the survey carried out by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research. According to the poll, voter satisfaction towards the chief minister had nose-dived from 60% in November 2009 to 45% in September 2012.

Does Nazri want to turn Sabah into a Filindo state?

By Daniel John Jambun

Daniel John Jambun

Daniel John JambunThe comment by Datuk Nazri Aziz that the immigrants in Sabah are under control and are not a threat to the state is another proof that the Federal Government is not interested to solve this mother of all problem. What is painful about this comment is that we can smell a dirty rat, a mala fide (bad intention) and the underlying reality that the Federal Government is actually supporting the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah as part of some sinister plan to continue changing the demography of the state.

What he said was outrageous and unacceptable and should have been condemned by everyone and every party, including the leaders and parties of the Barisan Nasional. Unfortunately only PBS, through its Secretary General, Datuk Henrynus Amin was daring enough to protest, saying Nazri “was politically insensitive to grassroots sentiment in Sabah, especially their fears and concern for the future wellbeing posed by the huge presence of illegal immigrants” and that the statement fuelled “speculations in the streets as the genuine commitment of the Barisan Nasional Government to resolve the perennial problem of illegal immigrants in the state.” He demanded that the minister clarify and correct his statement. The response is still total silence.

How has Venezuela changed since Hugo Chavez took power?

Indicator 1999 2010 2011 Source Population growth (annual%) 1.9 1.5 World Bank Population, total 23,867,000 29,278,000 World Bank GDP per capita (current US$) 4,105 10,810 World Bank Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)        14.5 World Bank Colombian refugees (and people in refugee-like situations) in Venezuela 50 201,941 UNHCR Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births)        20 13 World Bank Households (% of total declared) Extreme poverty - second half 19.3 7 Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE Population (% of total declared) Extreme poverty-second half 23.4 8.5 Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE OPEC Net Oil Export Revenues, Nominal (billion $) 14.4 60 OPEC, EIA Inflation, average consumer prices (Percent change) 23.57 28.187 26.09 IMF Intentional homicide, number per 100,000 5,968 13,080 UNODC Intentional homicide, rate per 100,000 25 45.1 UNODC

It has been 14 years since Venezuela's president won his first election. How has the country changed since Hugo Chavez took power? • Explore the interactive • More data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian Key indicators that show how Venezuela has changed since Hugo Chavez first assumed office. Click on the image for the full size graphic Venezuela is getting ready for Sunday's elections when current President Hugo Chavez will face his main challenger, Henrique Capriles. If Chavez wins the vote he will gain another six years in office. The election also brings a variety of issues to light that have caused unease for Venezuela. Jonathan Watts in Caracas writes:     On a global level, Sunday's election is about who controls and distributes one of the world's biggest recoverable oil reserves. For ideologues, it is a frontline battle between Bolivarian socialism and neoliberalism. But for most Venezuelan voters, it is about safety, fairness and a character who arguably inspires more love and hate than almost any other politician in the world. But how have things changed since Hugo Chavez won his first election 14 years ago? By looking at key indicators we can see that poverty levels and illiteracy have fallen but violent crime and inflation has increased.

The rigid taining of Chinese athletes

By MATT BLAKE

PUBLISHED: 14:44 GMT, 1 August 2012 | UPDATED: 16:41 GMT, 1 August 2012

Her face etched with pain, a child trains for Olympic glory while her gymnastics trainer stands on her legs.

Hard training: Her face etched with pain, a child trains for Olympic glory while her gymnastics trainer stands on her legs.

The cartoon space rockets and animal astronauts on her tiny red leotard are a stark and powerful reminder of this little girl's tender age as she trains as hard as any adult athlete in the Western world.

Unhappy Muslims.....interesting observation

Now we know why they go around killing, bombing, burning and destroying indiscriminately ! "forgive them father for they know not what they do !"

Why are Muslims so backward and powerless?

Dr Farrukh Saleem

The writer is the Pakistani Executive Director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies, a think tank established in 2007 and an Islamabad-based freelance columnist.

We Muslims must wonder why is that only Muslim States like Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya are being attacked by the Christian West.

Why do we get pushed around by them with the former President of the US George Bush calling it a crusade?

Kurup feeling the heat in Pensiangan

PBRS president Joseph Kurup is desperately trying to
counter claims that the BN government had ignored
his constituency.

KENINGAU: Pensiangan MP Joseph Kurup, worried that his time in power is nearing an end, is doing his best to argue that he has brought development to his rural constituency.

With dissatisfaction growing over the slow pace of development in a state listed as among the poorest in the nation, Sabah Barisan Nasional government leaders are watching their backs as the general election approaches.

Kurup, who is also president of BN component Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), is no exception.

Do you want the devil you know?

Source

BN happens to have been in federal government for so long that people tend to automatically assume they have the required leadership. 

Kee Thuan Chye

I’m finding this frequent comment by people rather irksome: “But does Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have leadership? Can it take over the federal government?”

I’m prompted to ask: What do they mean by “leadership”? Is the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership the kind we want?

I’d take it further: Does BN have leaders? I mean, real leaders?

Pakatan's Nov 3 rally is 'tip of iceberg', say analysts

(Malaysian Digest) - The planned mass gathering to be staged by Pakatan Rakyat on Nov 3 in is just one of many public assemblies in store in the run up to the 13th General Election, analysts believe.

Pakatan on Wednesday announced that it will be holding the gathering to push for electoral reforms and are expecting a 500,000 turnout at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu had told reporters that the government has yet to meet the eight core demands made by coalition for clean and fair elections Bersih, "especially on the need to clean up the electoral roll and media fairness".

Speaking to Malaysian Digest, political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan said such gatherings by political parties are expected as election nears.

A Jew and an anti-Semite walk into a bar

A well known Anti-Semite, walks into a bar and is about to order a drink when he sees a guy close by wearing a kippa, tzitzis, and payos.

He doesn’t have to be an Einstein to know that this guy is Jewish.

So he shouts over to the bartender so loudly, that everyone can hear, “Drinks for everyone in here, bartender, but not for that Jew over there.”

Soon after the drinks have been handed out, he notices that the Jewish guy is smiling and waving to him and says ‘Thank You’ in an equally loud voice, so that everyone can hear.

Sabah BN struggling to regain initiative

KOTA KINABALU: If there was one thing that MP Wilfred Bumburing did for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition when he defected to the opposition in July, it was to force the disparate  BN branch in Tuaran to unite.

With the opposition in the state, seen by the BN as their ‘fixed deposit’, gaining ground,  the parliamentary constituency of Tuaran has always been shaky as could be seen by the surge in support for the opposition in the last election.

There has always been a fear within the ruling coalition that the defection of top Sabah BN leaders to the opposition would have a domino effect around the state.