Jeffrey’s STAR blows hot and cold

By Calvin Kabaron

Leaders of local opposition, STAR, who recently
returned from the party's recent SWOT analysis
meeting are pessimistic about the party's direction.

KOTA KINABALU: Has the State Reform Party (STAR) peaked too soon in Sabah?

The party is seeing a slowdown in membership applications, it has failed to attract high profile former Barisan Nasional leaders who have quit the ruling coalition and its campaign is disjointed.

Tongues are wagging and party leader, maverick local politician Jeffrey Kitingan, is taking most of the flak. He is being blamed for being indecisive in the face manifold problems confronting the local opposition party that was formed 10 months ago.

Hints of despair in the party are surfacing and Kitingan who is no stranger to controversy may fall into a political abyss yet again by “refusing to listen to good and alert colleagues”, according to people with knowledge of the situation in the party.

Sabah opposition ‘magic’ number is 10

According to PAS, although 60% of the electorate
'favour us', only a one-to-one fight with BN
could ensure a win for the opposition.

By Luke Rintod of FMT

LONDON: Voters in Sabah will have to deliver at least 10 parliamentary seats to the opposition to end the over 50-year reign of the Umno-led federal coalition government.

PAS deputy president, Mohamad Sabu, more popularly known as Mat Sabu, reckons that voters in the east Malaysian state will have to make a complete turnaround compared to the last election to allow the opposition to march into Putrajaya.

While confident that Pakatan Rakyat would do even better in Peninsular Malaysia compared to the 2008 general election, the popular and down-to-earth PAS leader said Sabah voters would either swing it the opposition’s way or help maintain the status quo.

Virgin Mary image draws Catholics to hospital

A stain on a window that some Catholics believe to be an apparition
of the Virgin Mary is seen at the Sime Darby Medical Centre in
Subang November 11, 2012. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Catholic Malaysians have been flocking to the Sime Darby Medical Centre in Subang Jaya to catch a glimpse of an image that has appeared on one of its windows said to resemble the image of the Virgin Mary, The Sunday Star reported today.

The mysterious image of the figure revered by Catholics who believe Mary to be the mother of Jesus Christ was reported to have been spotted a few days ago on a window pane at the hospital.

Sabah’s oil curse strikes again

Poverty-riddled Sabah is the sixth biggest contributor to
the national economy, contributing more than a quarter of
the total oil and gas produced in the country.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah lost control of its oil wealth more than 30 years ago but the fallout of the widely acknowledged cock-eyed contract is continuing to roil business dealings in the state.

The state Barisan Nasional government is now facing more questions over how it is managing the Petronas-sponsored Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) project that began more than a year ago.

The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has accused Chief Minister Musa Aman’s Umno-led BN government of failing to safeguard the interest of the local companies in the ongoing multi-billion-ringgit project.

Melanie Chia, the party’s outspoken women’s wing chief, said there appeared to be no attempt by the state government to ensure locals get a bigger share of the spin-offs from the SOGT project.

Mengapa perlu ubah kerajaan?

Penulis berkongsi pandangan bersama rakan-rakan di
Facebook mengenai isu penting menjelang PRU-13

Menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU-13), usaha-usaha yang diambil oleh Barisan Nasional (BN) untuk “mempertahankan” Putrajaya semakin rancak. Begitu juga usaha Pakatan Rakyat (PR) “merampas” Putrajaya.

Dalam keasyikan kedua-dua pihak merebut kuasa, kita jangan sesekali lupa bahawa “kuasa” sebenar terletak pada tangan Rakyat (huruf besar disengajakan). Dalam sistem pemerintah demokrasi, Rakyat yang berkuasa dan berhak memilih wakil yang akan membentuk kerajaan.

Di tengah-tengah keghairahan BN dan PR berebut bola di tengah padang, usah kita lupa walau sesaat bahawa keputusan mutlak sebenarnya terletak di tangan kita sebagai Rakyat; khususnya individu yang sudah mendaftar sebagai pengundi.

S'pore - thanks to Malaysia's Dr M, our water industry is now worth $9 BILLION!

Written by mevotex

Fresh water has always been a precious resource to Singapore. Being a tiny island with high urban population constrained by its land size, modern Singapore never have enough water of its own to support its population, but this is about to change....



In 1927, Singapore signed a water agreement with Johor to construct a pipeline transporting raw water from Johor to Singapore. During the Battle of Singapore in 1942, the pipeline was destroyed, which left Singapore with water reserves that could last at most two weeks. According to Lee Kuan Yew, this was one of his motives to envision water self-sufficiency for Singapore later when he became the city-state's Prime Minister.

Immediately after the British awarded self-governance in 1959, the Singaporean government under Lee signed 2 water agreements with Malaya in 1961 and 1962. Under these agreements, Singapore will build two water treatment plants in Singapore and a new, expanded pipeline from Johor at its expenses. Singapore will also supply treated water to Johor at far below the cost of treating the water, and in return, Malaya would also supply raw water to Singapore below market prices. The agreements would last till 2011 and 2061 respectively.

Work in plantation sectors, Sabah youths told

Plantation sector today is not the same as in the
past as planters are offering better wages, perks
and living conditions as well as other social
amenities, says Salleh Said Keruak.

KOTA BELUD: Local youths must give plantation and other agricultural jobs a chance as they are the mainstay of the Sabah economy and one that has about the most promising future at the moment.

Yayasan Kota Belud chairman Salleh Said Keruak indicated that local youths were not even considering these two sectors because they feared the hard work and perceived bad living conditions, thus forcing owners to opt for foreign labour.

But the plantation sector today is not the same as in the past as planters are offering better wages, perks and living conditions as well as other social amenities, said Salleh when met after the launching of the Kota Belud Education, Skills and Career exposition here.

“Plantation owners enjoying good receipts from high commodity prices and in turn they are offering better salaries to attract good local workers, while farming food crops can be turned into a lucrative venture with today’s modern technology,” he pointed out.

Standoff over world heritage sites

The Sabah state government is at odds with the federal
government, which want the places concerned federalised.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has found itself in a fix over its bid to gain World Heritage Site status for several extraordinary rainforest areas in the state harbouring unique flora and fauna.

The federal government has thrown a spanner in the works by claiming full jurisdiction over the sites but the state government has dug in its heels and refused to hand over the keys to its riches mindful that land is a “sensitive” state matter.

The Federal Ministry of Culture, Arts and Information which must endorse World Heritage Site applications has said that it will not do so if the places concerned are not “federalised”.

Tiba masa Orang Asli tuntut hak

Walaupun Orang Asli merupakan golongan minoriti
kerajaan tidak sewajarnya meminggirkan nasib
180,000 anggota masyarakat yang masih ada.

KUALA LUMPUR: Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli se-Malaysia (JKOASM) menuntut ahli Parlimen bangkit dalam Dewan Rakyat mempertahankan hak keistimewaan mereka termasuk pemilikan tanah adat.

Penyelaras JKOASM Tijah Yop Chopil berkata, walaupun Orang Asli merupakan golongan minoriti kerajaan tidak sewajarnya meminggirkan nasib 180,000 anggota masyarakat yang masih ada.

Katanya, walaupun RM3 bilion diperuntukkan kerajaan sejak Rancangan Malaysia Kelapan (RMK8) sehingga RMK10, namun mereka masih menjalani hidup yang sukar tanpa kemudahan asas yang mencukupi.

Malaysia Bankrupt By 2019

Confirmation By Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) That Malaysia Will Go Bankrupt By 2019 With Debt To GDP Ratio Of 100% Demonstrates The Importance Of Change Of Government At The Next General Elections For PR To Save Malaysia From Bankruptcy.

Malaysia will become a fully indebted nation before the end of the decade at the current rate of massive borrowing and irresponsible spending by the BN Government.

The Federal government debt to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio has increased yearly from 53.1% in 2010, 53.8% in 2011 and 54.8% in 2012. This is extremely alarming and nearly touching the national debt ceiling of 55%.