Kreatif!!! Pasukan koir islamic

2014: Tahun BN(Barang Naik)

dollah yankee -

Bila tengok benda-benda macam ni hati mereka panas, hati mereka bengkak, darah mereka menggelegak. Tapi bila datang 'time' nak mengundi, mereka pasti memangkah BN. Mana punya bomoh BN ni dok pakai?

The Corruption Of Sarawak's Rainforests By Taib Mahmud & His Cronies

Spears versus bulldozers in Borneo

By Jonathan Gorvett in Sarawak State, Borneo

The Penan in Long Deloh say the land around their homes has belonged to them for generations

In the jungles of central Borneo, loggers and native tribes, environmentalists and plantation companies, rights lawyers and government developers are now locked in an increasingly desperate battle.

IN VIDEO





Plight of Borneo's Penan
The future of one of the world's last great rainforests is at stake.

The outcome of this fight could determine much beyond Borneo's borders too, as environmental scientists become increasingly alarmed at the effect deforestation taking place here is having on the world's weather.

The current front line in this confrontation lies about 160km inland from the town of Miri, in the Eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

In recent days a string of barricades have gone up in this region, the Upper Baram river, as native tribespeople try to prevent logging and plantation companies entering what the tribesmen see as the last remnants of their land.

Spears and machetes

One such barricade is outside Long Deloh where, across a narrow logging track in the heart of the Borneo rainforest, a thin line of Penan tribesmen defend a makeshift blockade with spears and local machetes, known as parangs.

"This has been our land for generations and now they are trying to cut down what little we have left," says Jackson Luhat Paren, the headman of the village of Long Deloh, whose inhabitants built the barricade.

"We are here because we want to preserve our land for the next generation. Without our land we are nothing and we will defend it with our lives if necessary"

The Penan claim that the land around their long houses is their Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.

This is land that native people can claim under Sarawak law as their own, if they can prove that they have cultivated it prior to 1958.

Yet the once-nomadic Penan have few documents to prove anything - some even lack identity cards or birth certificates.

"This is where the whole problem lies," says Baru Bian, a lawyer based in the Sarawak capital of Kuching, who has worked on the NCR issue for many years.

"It is quite a challenge to prove a claim to NCR [land] in court, while in the meantime, the government has gone ahead and issued licenses to logging and plantation companies to work this disputed land."

Oil palm plantations

While logging has continued in Sarawak for decades, it is the recent growth of the oil palm industry which has become an overshadowing threat for the Penan.

The government plans to have allocate one million hectares to oil palm plantations by 2010. Oil palm trees provide a source of food and a potential source of bio-diesel.

Yet many environmental scientists are alarmed by the effect of replacing natural forest growth with a single species of tree.

"This is really the big story in climate change," says Lois Verchot, the principal scientist for Climate Change at the Jakarta-based Centre for International Forestry Research.

"One of the key problems in carbon emissions comes from cutting down the rainforest. Perhaps 40-50 tonnes of carbon per hectare is stored in an oil palm plantation, while 150-400 tonnes of carbon is stored in a hectare of natural rainforest.

"You cut down the rainforest to plant oil palm, you release a huge amount of carbon. Plus many animals can't live in oil palm plantations. Orangutans, for example, need a completely different forest habitat to survive."

Yet the state government of Sarawak argues that developing this land - by logging, clearing and then planting for oil palm - is the best chance the people of the state have for future prosperity.

Fighting poverty?

"The economics of it are simple," says Abdullah Chek Sahmat, the general manager of Sarawak's Land Custody and Development Authority.

"The traditional way to use forest land maybe provides about 500kg of rice a year, using slash and burn farming techniques that are also environmentally damaging," he says.

"This 500kg of rice is worth about $142 per hectare per year. If you put the same land under oil palm, you'll make $3550 per hectare per year at current prices."

"If you want people to get out of poverty, which way makes the most sense?" he asks.

Meanwhile, the Penan, who are among some of Sarawak's poorest inhabitants, are facing their own bleak battle for survival.

Cutting down natural rainforest releases "huge amounts of carbon", says Verchot

The 100 or so inhabitants of Long Deloh were nomadic until a few generations ago, when they settled in two long houses at a remote bend in the River Patah.

"The hills around here were deeply forested and full of animals," recalls Along Hot, a Long Deloh inhabitant and hunter.

"You could find leopards, wild boar and orangutans. The water in the river was clear and you could drink it, you could use a net to catch fish there were so many."

All that changed, these Penan say, when the logging companies arrived.

Water 'polluted'

"There were a lot of illnesses from drinking the water after the logging company came," says Jackson.

"The animals started disappearing too, scared away by the chainsaws. We also lost a lot of our fruit trees and fish ponds that became filled with rubbish from the logging."

Some of the Penan are now facing severe shortages of food and drinking water.

On August 23, the Catholic Church in Sarawak appealed for aid for a number of Penan communities in the region.

A bad drought has exacerbated existing shortages.

Modernisation as a solution

The government, meanwhile, says that such crises can only be averted if the Penan move out of the forest and into modern settlements.

"The Penans need education and medical care as part of the development process," says local state assemblyman Nelson Balang, a member of Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional group.

"Some Westerners want the Penan to stay as they are, in poverty," adds Chek Sahmat of the Land Custody and Development Authority.

"But we must do what is in the interests of our own people, or we will not be a free country."

The Penan, however, stand defiant.

"We have no choice but to defend this barricade," says Jackson.

"We are trying to defend our culture, our whole way of life. If we lose this, what will be left for our children and our children's children?"

Source: Al Jazeera

Kertas soalan SPM bocor: Speaker digesa segera terima usul

KUALA LUMPUR: Ahli Parlimen DAP Sandakan, Stephen Wong Tien Fatt menggesa Speaker Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Datuk Panglima Pandikar Amin Mulia segera menerima usul mengenai kebocoran soalan matematik peperiksaan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) baru-baru ini dan membahaskannya secepat mungkin.

Beliau berkata, usul itu harus dibincangkan secepat mungkin kerana ia merupakan masalah serius dan boleh menjejaskan pengiktirafan seluruh dunia terhadap kewibawaan SPM.

Menurutnya, kelewatan membuat keputusan muktamad dan adil akan menjejaskan rancangan pelajar sama ada melanjutkan pelajaran atau memulakan kerjaya.

“Kelewatan ini akan menjejaskan pembahagian biasiswa kerana ia dinilai berdasarkan pencapaian mereka dalam SPM. Saya mohon Speaker menerima usul dan membahaskannya dalam sidang, Isnin ini.

“Usul ini membabitkan kepentingan orang ramai, ia membabitkan 470,000 calon SPM. Kegagalan membuat satu keputusan yang adil boleh menjejaskan keyakinan awam terhadap sistem pendidikan dan peperiksaan awam Malaysia.

“Saya tidak berniat mengambil peluang berucap tapi kerana ia adalah isu serius dan langsung tidak melanggar sebarang syarat dalam peraturan mesyuarat,” katanya pada sidang media di Lobi Parlimen, semalam.

Tambahnya, walaupun Pengarah Kementerian Pelajaran mendakwa akan menubuhkan pasukan tugas (task force) untuk menyiasat kebocoran itu, namun kementerian masih belum membuat keputusan terhadap status dan pengiktirafan SPM 2013.

“Saya ingin mengingatkan kementerian, sebarang keputusan tidak boleh dibuat secara bersendirian tanpa mendengar pandangan Ahli Dewan.

“Malahan, isu ini tidak pernah dibincangkan dan kerajaan tidak pernah memberi penerangan mengenainya,”tegasnya.

Stephen Wong semalam telah menyerahkan surat rasmi kepada Pandikar Amin untuk memohon penangguhan mesyuarat mengikut Peraturan Mesyuarat 18.

Usul dicadangkan Stephen berkenaan permohonan penangguhan itu adalah agar Dewan merundingkan status keputusan peperiksaan SPM 2013 akibat kebocoran kertas matematik yang mana merupakan mata pelajaran wajib untuk semua calon. -Roketkini.com

‘Petition to Agong, EC must resign’

Electoral reforms watchdog Bersih urged the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to consider ordering the Election Commission leadership to step down since they have lost public confidence.

PETALING JAYA: In a bid to intensify its call for the Election Commission’s (EC) leadership to step down, Bersih 2.0 launched a petition today seeking the Yang di-Pertuan Agong intervene in rectifying the issue.

The petition wants the head of state to consider ordering the seven EC commissioners, who Bersih claim do not enjoy public confidence, as required under the Federal Constitution, to resign.

At a media conference after the Bersih’s internal polls today, newly-minted Bersih chairwoman Maria Chin Abdullah said the EC leadership should go following the indelible ink fiasco in the May’s general election and for its failure to clean up the electoral roll.

“Their term is coming to an end in December, since all of them have to be appointed by the Agong, we think the Agong should seriously consider our demands,” she said.

Bersih past co-chair Ambiga Sreevanesan said she is deeply concerned with the recent statement made by former EC chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman saying that the constituency re-delineation exercise during his watch was conducted in a way to retain the power of the Malays.

“While he says it is to entrench the power of a particular race, we believe it is to help the ruling coalition. Worse, the present deputy EC chief, when asked, did not deny such a practice was being exercised,” she said.

Maria said the petition also seeks for the re-delineation exercise to be put on hold immediately until a new EC leadership is appointed, and that the electoral roll must be vetted thoroughly.

She said Bersih would not rule out the possibility of holding a Bersih 4.0 rally should the demand fall onto deaf ears, another process to go through would be to wait for the People Tribunal’s report to be released.

“An EC commissioner should ideally be selected from amongst civil society members or retired judges, instead of civil servants,” she said.

New leadership

The Bersih elections today saw Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa elected as the new vice-chair in a slim win against NGO Ikram chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.

Center of Independent Journalism executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah is the new treasurer while lawyer Farhana Halim and New Sin Yew were elected as steering committee members.

Maria has been declared as the new co-chair unopposed on nomination day.

This is the first Bersih internal election since its inception, and Maria said they would also embrace regional leaders from around Malaysia to form an 11-member steering committee.

Ambiga, meanwhile, said she and former co-chair A Samad Said would continue to contribute to Bersih efforts through talks and organising civic education.

“Bersih is in our heart and soul, for sure we would continue the works,” she said.

Kerajaan jamin utamakan kontraktor kecil Bumiputera

Kementerian Kerja Raya bersetuju untuk memberi projek kecil yang dipecahkan daripada projek besar kepada kontraktor Kelas F.

Bahagian 3

PETALING JAYA: Kerajaan memberikan jaminan mengutamakan 25,000 kontraktor kecil bumiputera dalam melaksanakan projek kerajaan, kata Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.

Mereka mempunyai peluang dan ruang sama rata dengan para kontraktor lain, sekali gus mampu meningkatkan prestasi lebih baik.

“Kementerian bersetuju untuk memberi projek kecil yang dipecahkan daripada projek besar kepada kontraktor Kelas F supaya mereka turut mendapat peluang.

“Langkah itu sebagai bukti bahawa kerajaan sentiasa mendengar suara kontraktor bumiputera dan tidak akan berhenti membawa suara mereka di peringkat atasan,” katanya selepas merasmikan Mesyuarat Agung Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia (PKMM) peringkat Wilayah Persekutuan Ke-31, baru-baru ini.

Kontraktor Melayu juga mendapat projek Transit Pantas Massa (MRT)bernilai kira-kira RM20 juta dan ia telah diagihkan pada 29 Januari lepas.

Cabutan undi akan dibuat kepada 500 kontraktor kelas D,E dan F. Projek yang telah diagihkan itu melibatkan kerja-kerja landskap, pagar, parit, membaik pulih bangunan MRT sedia ada dan sebagainya.

Badan utama kontraktor Melayu ialah Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia (PKMM) yang ditubuhkan bagi memperjuangkan nasib para kontraktor Melayu / Bumiputera secara kolektif di Malaysia.

Persatuan menjadi orang tengah bagi menyuarakan permasalahan kontraktor kepada kerajaan. Presidennya ialah Datuk Mokhtar Samad. Ahlinya seramai 15,000 orang di seluruh Malaysia.

Kontraktor yang gagal menyiapkan projek kerajaan akan disenarai hitam. Kontraktor seharusnya meletakkan harga tidak terlalu rendah .Kenaikan kos simen , batu bata dan bahan asas lain merupakan punca utama pembinaan lewat. Kontraktor akan dikenakan denda harian sehingga berjaya menyiapkan projek tersebut. Jika tidak nama mereka akan disenarai hitamkan.

Antaranya , gagal menyiapkan bangunan sekolah di bawah Kementerian Pelajaran. Pada 9 April 2010, Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi ketika itu menyatakan enam kontraktor utama telah disenarai hitam setelah tempoh tertentu diberikan.

Nilainya RM180 juta dan memberi imej buruk kepada kerajaan dan rakyat. Terdapat 45 projek ‘sakit’ dan 35 projek ‘lewat’ pada 1 Januari 2010.

Projek sakit membabitkan 70 % siap, sementara 49 % bagi projek lewat, menurut laporan wikipedia.org.

Allegation of phantom vote at MIC AGM

A delegate at the MIC AGM today cried foul saying that someone had used his name to cast his ballot.

MALACCA: A delegate to the MIC annual general assembly has claimed that someone had used his name to cast his ballot in the party elections, held here today.

P Panner Selvam, a delegate from the Rembau MIC division, was apparently shocked after he was told by party election officials that he had already voted, when in actual fact he never did.

Party sources reveal that Panner Selvam, the division’s Youth chief, had lodged a complaint to MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh and the former has brought the matter up to the party leadership.

Declining to elaborate on the incident, Sivarraajh confirmed the matter.

On another note, there was a small stir when vice president candidate T Mohan told party president G Palanivel, who was pacing the area where delegates were marking their ballots, to clear the place.

Mohan told the party chief that it was not right for Palanivel to be there as delegates might feel intimidated by his presence.

Palanivel then moved away from the area.

The party is holding its internal polls to pick three vice presidents and 23 central working committee members. Eight candidates are vying for the veep positions while 88 aspirants are fighting it out for the CWC seats.

So far, all the 1,452 delegates have completed casting their ballots.

The voting process kicked off at 11.20pm and ended at 2.15pm.

The party internal election committee headed by Palanivel will be handling the voting and counting process in front of agents of candidates.

Counting of ballots are just begining with results expected after 6pm.