Increasing RM500,000 Limit Does Not Improve EducationStandards –Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu:    “The DPM cum Education Minister’s move to increase the authorization limit of State Education Directors is welcomed and a right move in the right direction but it does not help to improve declining education standards and too little in the case of Sabah and Sarawak” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the limit increase from RM500,000.00 to RM5.0 million annually.

PM jetting around in new luxury aircraft?

KUALA LUMPUR: Amid austerity measures, pro-Umno bloggers are questioning whether Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is now jetting across the country in a new luxury aircraft.

In blog postings by, among others, Big Dog and RockyBru, they pointed to an Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK using the call number, "Perdana 2" or "NR2" - which incidentally are similar to Najib's initials.

The aircraft is registered in Malta and leased from aviation group Comlux.

How Will Najib Tackle Runaway Inflation in 2014? -Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu:     “While everyone is focused on the recent policies of the government resulting in total price hikes in almost every item, the ringgit has been depreciating alarmingly almost unnoticed by most ordinary man in the street” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, noting that the Ringgit has fallen by one of the biggest margin in 2013 since the 1997 economic meltdown.

Based on statistics from Bank Negara Malaysia of the rates from the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market in Kuala Lumpur, in December 2013 alone the Ringgit lost almost 2% against the US Dollar from 3.2230 to 3.2815.  From 02 January 2013 when the exchange rate was RM3.0375, the resultant depreciation of the Ringgit is 8.03% for the whole of 2013.

Sabah BN/Umnoleaders Should Stand Up and Be Counted on Bible Raid-Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu:     “Malaysia is burning while the PM is still twiddling his thumb to decide what to say and what to do.   Before the country spirals out of control, the fire and heat has reached the face of Umno and BN leaders in Sabah.   They need to act before it is too late”said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the Allah controversy and raid by the Islamic authority on a Christian body in Selangor.

The Sarawak BN leaders have spoken and have taken a stand with the Chief Minister earlier stating in no uncertain terms in the presence of Najib that the religious bigotry disease infecting Malaya has no place in harmonious Sarawak.  Another senior Minister has now stated there cannot be two sets of legal interpretation on the Allah issue when the Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

Walk the talk and act the leader, Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Two former Barisan Nasional federal cabinet ministers have called for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to “act like a leader” and “walk the talk”  in the face of religious provocations against the Christian community.

Former Law minister Zaid Ibrahim and ex-Plantations and Commodities minister Bernard Dompok were both of the view that Najib must make clear his stand.

Najib, Why No Tweet of Federal Flood Aid for Sarawak? – Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu: “If the treatment of flood victims in Sabah and Sarawak is any test, then it is confirmed that Sabahans and Sarawakians are treated as step-children by the Prime Minister and the Malayan/Malaysian federal government.  It also shows that Najib is only a prime minister for Malays in the Peninsula and not for the whole of Malaysia and his 1-Malaysia means only 1-Malaysia for Malays only” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, noting that the PM only tweet his hope that Sarawak flood victims would persevere and pray that God will ease and relieve the flood victims there.

The treatment of Sabah and Sarawak flood victims is a sharp contrast to the treatment of the flood victims in the Peninsula.

Government Clueless and Can No Longer be Trusted? - Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu: “While Malaysians rejoiced temporarily in welcoming the new year, the country continued with its downward spiral with the federal government showing that it is clueless and having lost touch with the common people” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, noting the various statements by the Ministers and the police big-wigs and the ad-hoc announcement of the 11 austerity measures by PM Najib culminating in the people’s protests amid celebrations to welcome 2014.

The government has failed the people and its recent policies on reduction of subsidies and price hikes are nothing more than stop-gap measures aimed at window-dressing the deep rooted economic problems caused by corruption, mis-governance, wastages and excessive spending.  

Jais has no right to raid Bible Society of Malaysia premises, says council of churches

The Selangor Islamic authorities do not have the authority to raid the premises of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), said the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM).

Saying they were alarmed by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's (Jais) raid today on BSM where they confiscated over 300 Bibles in Malay and Iban, CCM general-secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri said that the Federal Constitution guaranteed the right of religious communities in the country to freely profess and administer their affairs.

Umat Islam bangkit kecam Mufti Perak yang dituduh "mengampu" kerajaan BN

KUALA LUMPUR : Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam Universiti Malaya (PMIUM) mendesak Mufti Perak Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria (gambar) menarik balik label "bughah" dan memohon maaf kepada rakyat kerana menisbahkan mereka sebagai bughah (pemberontak) yang mana gelaran yang begitu menghina rakyat.

Mereka juga mendesak mufti itu supaya berlaku adil dalam mengeluarkan kenyataan sehingga mendesak peserta demonstrasi turunkan harga barang sebagai penderhaka dan halal darah mereka.

Selangor Islamic authorities raid Bible Society of Malaysia, 300 copies of Alkitab seized

The Selangor Islamic Religious department (Jais) has raided the Bible Society of Malaysia and carted away 300 copies of the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban this afternoon.

A council member for the society said its chairman, Lee Min Choon, and general-secretary, Simon Wong, were ordered to follow Jais officers to the Damansara Utama police station.

The member said, as BSM was conducting a stock take today, they were not open when some 20 Jais officers accompanied by two policemen arrived at their office about 2pm.