Jeffrey paints bleak scenario on Sabah

The STAR chairman doesn't buy the BN propaganda that
the state is not in the grip of grinding poverty.

By Joe Fernandez

Sabah strongman Jeffrey Kitingan isn’t buying the increasingly shrill propaganda barrage emanating from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition… that the influx of foreign labour into Sabah provides the clearest proof that there’s continuing development in the state and that it isn’t the poorest in the country as depicted by recent figures.

It’s an issue being flogged to death by both sides of the political divide in Sabah and Sarawak.

Jeffrey surprisingly waxed more eloquently than usual late this week in the local media on a nightmare scenario in the state. He hesitated in the temptation, for once, to go as usual all over the place. The opposition, he hastened to add, wasn’t being blind to the reality and accused the state government of being in a state of denial on Sabah’s “grinding poverty”.

PBS preparing for Pairin’s last stand

By Calvin Kabaron

If Pairin gives up public service, the Kadazandusuns could
pick someone with a family connection to take over.

PENAMPANG: There’s a certain nervousness in the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) ranks in the run-up to next week’s three-day party congress. It could well be the final one for its founder, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, at least as president.

With others in the party hierarchy expected to either shore up their positions or jockey for them, the congress is also expected to be closely monitored by many in the state hoping for a hint of what course the party will take.

Drafts of Pairin’s policy speech are being vetted by the top leadership, said sources who revealed that it focuses on pressing issues facing Sabah, such as the illegal immigrants, preparations for the general election and eventual change of leadership.

STAR: CM Must Take Responsibility for Sabah’s Poverty

Musa must take responsibility for 

Sabah’s poverty

It was very disturbing to read in the local papers on Thurs 15 Nov, 2012 that Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman continues to remain in a state of denial on the grinding poverty situation in Sabah.

This is really unbecoming on the part of the Chief Minister. His high-handed attitude should be deplored and roundly condemned by all Sabahans especially the vast majority who has been suffering for so long under the BN Government since 1994.

We are by no means entirely blaming Musa for the plight of Sabah but he must share a large part of the blame. He has been the Chief Executive for a good many years and shows no signs, if any, of going away anytime soon and giving others an opportunity to do a better job. 

Money Jihad: How Islamists Finance Their Operations

The author of the Money Jihad blog wishes to remain anonymous. The daily blog documents how Islamists finance their operations. The author previously served in military-intelligence and has been blogging about terrorism financing for three years.

The following is RadicalIslam.or’s Security Analyst Ryan Mauro’s interview with the author of the Money Jihad blog about how the Islamist terrorism continues to be lavishly funded 11 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Israel Will Continue to Take Whatever Action is Necessary, Says Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Thursday, 15 November 2012), issued the following statement to the foreign press:

"In recent days and weeks, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza have made normal life impossible for over one million Israelis. No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire, and Israel will not tolerate this situation. This is why my government has instructed the Israeli Defense Forces to conduct surgical strikes against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. And this is why Israel will continue to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people.

Burak S.Sem says...

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Whenever I watch American politics and debates between Obama & Romney I can’t help but compare it to our local politics here in Malaysia. 

So as it became clear that Obama had won re-election and the pundits turned their attention to why the republican party lost, I again drew a parallel to local political parties in Malaysia particularly the coming 13^th general election.

Joe Fernandez notices...

In 15/11/2012 Borneo Post, the CM denies that Sabah is the poorest in M'sia.

The figures on poverty in Sabah & S'wak were in fact revealed by the World Bank at STAR (Shangrila Tanjung Aru Resort) in KK in Dec 2010.

The WB used figures from EPU and SPUs in KK & Kuching.

Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan didenda RM3,000 kerana khalwat

Hassan merupakan anak Dusun dari Ranau,
kacukan ibunya Dusun dan bapanya India
Muslim. Beliau merupakan adik kepada
penulis Sabah, allahyarham M. A. Rahman,
yang juga pemimpin politik PEKEMAS di
Sabah dan dikatakan pernah bertanding
atas tiket parti itu di Tuaran

PUTRAJAYA - Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan Datuk Seri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman hari ini didenda RM3,000 oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah setelah mengaku bersalah atas tuduhan khalwat.
  
Jika Dr Hasan, 56, gagal membayar denda itu, beliau boleh dipenjara selama tiga bulan.
  
Beliau didakwa berkhalwat dengan seorang pegawai kementerian sama, Wan Syarifah Nooraazmanita Wan Hassan, 36, di sebuah bilik Hotel Pullman Putrajaya, di sini kira-kira 2.18 pagi hari ini.
  
Wan Syarifah Nooraazmanita turut mengaku bersalah terhadap tuduhan tersebut dan dikenakan denda RM2,900 atau penjara 30 hari jika gagal membayar denda itu.
  

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.