Sabah consumer body treads fine line

State Reform Party member James Bagah says
he felt forced to give up his political
belief for the sake of his NGO.

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: The Consumers Affairs and Protection Society of Sabah (Caps) has come under pressure from the state Barisan Nasional government to remain independent on the political front.

Its president James Bagah felt the government’s displeasure after he threw in his lot with the opposition but soldiered on until this weekend.

The State Reform Party (Star) member said he felt forced to give up his political belief for the sake of the NGO.

Bagah announced his resignation from Star that is led by Jeffrey Kitingan and showed a letter to the party at the end of Caps’ coordinators meeting at Hongkod Koisaan building on Friday.

Govt silence on palm oil price drop causing jitters

The government is accused of just waiting
for things to happen rather than plotting
new strategies to benefit smallholders.

By Luke Rintod of FMT

RANAU: The plummeting price of Sabah’s main commodity – palm oil – has made government leaders vulnerable to criticism from the opposition for failing to address the issue

Jalibin Paidi, a state committee member of State Reform Party (Star) is the latest to take to task both the federal and state governments for not taking any concrete step to alleviate the situation that threatened to push thousands of smallholders back into the poverty bracket.

Days ago, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, Yong Teck Lee, highlighted the issue during a visit to the east coast of the state.

Close to 45,000 children don’t go to school

KUALA LUMPUR: Close to 45,000 children in Malaysia are denied access to education due to poverty, with most coming from the Orang Asli community, said a report by an NGO, the Child Rights Coalition Malaysia.

The report, published after a two-year research on the status of children in the country, also stated that birth registration remains among the major problems, especially for the “marginalised” groups like the urban and rural poor.

The research found that these children were denied access to education because of non-recognition of their citizenship.

Sabah, Sarawak: Overdrawn at the vote bank

"The country was in peril; he was jeopardising his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to exercise them." - Joseph Heller (Catch-22)

The reality is that Umno failed Sarawak and Sabah a long time ago. Even in those early days, there was an undercurrent of resentment towards West Malaysians; as if the indigenous peoples understood the future in that precious 18 (or should that be 20) point agreement was nothing but a pipe dream.

Fantastic Article by IPOH Gal..... Must read

Letter to MM:

We know you want us to stay stupid, but it's time to let others clean up your mess.

Sorry to disappoint you guys, MM is not Marilyn Monroe, America’s legendary sex symbol, the beautiful blonde that drove all men wild and crazy.  Here, MM is the country’s fourth Prime Minister, the man we all loathed and wished he just fade away.

MM said Malaysians are not mature enough for debates. He said debates would only make the situation worse as Malaysians were too sentimental and emotional to appreciate arguments that were presented rationally.

The human rights run 2012 still a success despite all odds

The inaugural Human Rights Run 2012 jointly organized by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) together with the Kinabalu Running Club, PACOS Trust, The Yellow Dots and Pusat Kebajikan Good Sheperd was successfully held despite having to move the event to a new venue. The Human Rights Run and Concert were held on Saturday, 8 December 2012, at the Likas Lake Jogging Track of the Likas Sports Complex, Kota Kinabalu.

The initial venue for the Human Rights Run 2012 was the UMS Stadium. However, on the eve of the event, UMS unilaterally retracted the permission to use the stadium. On Friday evening, UMS had put up a banner stating ‘Larian Hak Asasi SUHAKAM dibatalkan’ but after informing UMS that it is the prerogative of the organisers to decide on the event, it was taken off on Saturday morning and replaced with a sign informing that the venue has been changed.

Initially, the organisers were told that the UMS decision was based on instruction that the event was politically motivated, but officials later justified their action to be a matter of UMS policy on the use of the stadium and to safeguard its students. Appeals to UMS officials were made until 8:30am on Saturday morning but their decision remained the same, except for its readiness to compensate and transport necessary equipment.

When contacted, the police explained that no order was issued by them to stop the event. If indeed there was a last minute instruction to UMS in prohibiting the event, then it is most regrettable and strongly denounced. SUHAKAM as one of the main organisers of the event is a statutory body created under an Act of Parliament to promote and protect human rights as provided in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, and should have been accorded the opportunity to explain before UMS reached its decision.

Due to the last minute change of venue, the organizers decided to cancel the Exhibition which was supposed to be held together with the Human Rights Run and Concert 2012, except those prepared by the organisers themselves. However, due to the heavy rain, the human rights exhibition prepared by the organisers had to be taken down. The participants who signed up for the exhibition included government departments and NGOs. PACOS Trust was still able to continue with the food bazaar and organised four tents for the events. Local bands from all over Sabah and gong beaters performing for the Human Rights Concert who have already arrived in Kota Kinabalu were able to perform but the organisers were unable to put them in an ideal location.

In the short time available, the Kinabalu Running Club was able to replicate the original plan for the Relay Run at the Likas Lake Jogging Track covering about 1.8km per loop. The bad weather did not dampen the spirits of the runners who enthusiastically joined the race. The organizers were amazed by the enthusiasm and passion of the people despite the heavy downpour, which truly reflect the sportsmanship of the runners to carry on with the Human Rights Relay Run.

The organizers would like to express their utmost appreciation to all volunteers, sponsors and the cooperation of relevant authorities for making this event a successful one, and offer its sincere apologies to members of the public and those who have agreed to participate in the exhibition for all the inconvenience caused. To this end, UMS owes SUHAKAM and the other organisers as well as the public a proper explanation for the cancellation.

SUHAKAM and the other organisers also urge the Government of Malaysia to be mindful of its commitment to human rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the recent ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

UMS Directed To Cancel Human Rights Celebration

In conjunction with the International Human Rights Day, the Malaysian Commission of Human Rights (SUHAKAM), Kinabalu Running Club, PACOS Trust, Pusat Kebajikan Good Shepherd and The Yellow Dots are organising a Human Rights Relay Run, Exhibition and Concert on Saturday, 8 December 2012 at University Malaysia Sabah.

The purpose of this Human Rights Relay Run, Exhibition and Concert is to celebrate and raise the awareness of human rights in Malaysia. More than 1,500 members of the public have already signed up for the Relay Run. Various government departments, non-governmental organizations and companies have agreed to take part in the Human Rights Exhibition. The exhibition would focus on the various efforts in promoting and protecting human rights. The concert will provide a healthy and constructive avenue for the youths to learn and to spread the awareness of human rights.

The organisers have put in months of hard work and preparation. The booking fees for the UMS stadium have been paid in full and approvals from the relevant authorities including UMS has been obtained. In fact, the police have been supportive and would provide monitoring personnel.

Today, on the eve of the event, the organisers received a shocking telephone call from the officials of UMS. UMS had unilaterally retracted the permission to use their stadium and threatened to tighten security to prevent any human rights supporter and participant from entering its premises. UMS had later put up a banner stating ‘Larian Hak Asasi SUHAKAM dibatalkan’. UMS ‘justified’ by citing the event is politically motivated and that they have received a directive from the Chief Minister’s Department.

All efforts to contact the authorities, the Vice-Chancellor of UMS and other UMS officials to convince them that the event is purely for the promotion of the International Human Rights Day and to foster good relations between participants from government, NGOs and private sectors were futile. We have faced brickwalls from all sides of the UMS and government authorities.

This last minute instruction to UMS to prohibit the event is most regrettable and is strongly denounced.

SUHAKAM reminds the government and UMS that SUHAKAM is a statutory body created under an Act of Parliament to monitor and protect human rights as provided in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. It is ironic and appalling that SUHAKAM and more importantly, Malaysian citizens are prohibited from enjoying one of the main tenets of human rights guaranteed under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution: Freedom of Assembly.

Faced with such unfortunate circumstances, the organisers have arranged for the Human Rights Relay Run, Exhibition and Concert to be held at an alternative venue at Likas Lake, Kota Kinabalu starting from 2pm.

SUHAKAM urges the Government of Malaysia to be mindful of its commitment to human rights under Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the recent ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.  

STAR Fully Committed to United Opposition Against BN

“STAR Sabah is fully committed to the United Borneo Alliance (UBA) and a united opposition including SAPP, USNO and Pakatan Rakyat to oust the current Umno/BN federal and state governments” reiterated Edward Linggu, STAR Sabah Information Chief, in response to the recent press reportsof Richard Jimmy.

STAR Sabah wish to clarify that while we respect Richard’s personal views, the press reports do not represent the official stand of STAR Sabah.  Perhaps, his reports sadly may have caused some confusion and concerns but we are confident that the people are matured enough to understand the real situation.   For the record, he is not a member of our Supreme Council.

Star will work with ‘any’ coalition that wins

By Luke Rintod of FMT

Jeffrey Kitingan has threatened legal action against those
spreading rumours that his party Star is being financed
by Umno to split the opposition vote.

KOTA KINABALU: If politicians and supporters are holding out for a pre-election pact between the State Reform Party (Star) and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), they best forget it.

Both parties’ words and actions point to it being a lost cause. But leaders on either side are nonetheless keeping alive the ‘line’ that they are working on a deal which opposition supporters in the state and are hopeful of hammering it out in time.

They have been maneuvering for this since the beginning of the year and if nothing else, their periodic shout outs for a deal has proved they are no closer to it since they first indicated they wanted one.

Bankrupts are not allowed to vote?

It appears that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has finally woken up to some of the economic ills facing the man on the street by announcing significant changes in bankruptcy laws. But it maybe too little too late. An entire generation may actually have lost out due again to the Barisan Nasional not having their eyes and ears on the ground.

1997 appears to have been yet another watershed year where Malaysia’s cyclical economic downturn affected its economy adversely. That year then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad placed the blame exclusively on currency speculators.