MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- CALL TO ADVERTISE VACANCIES IN SABAH PAPERS

Call to advertise vacancies in Sabah papers

KOTA KINABALU:

Sabah Keadilan Information Chief Dr Edwin Bosi has urged Chief Secretary Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan to advertise job vacancies in the Sabah Federal Departments in the Sabah newspapers Mohd Sidek should also advertise all vacancies in the civil service not only in the West Malaysian papers but also the East Malaysian papers to allow every Malaysian the opportunity to apply, he said when commenting on the subject of Borneonisation, “I would however like to caution the Chief Secretary to properly scrutinise applications from Sabah so that only genuine Sabahans are appointed to the posts. The applicants’ identity card and background should be verified by the National Registration Department and Police respectively before the offer letter is issued,” be said in a statement yesterday.

MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- MAJIMBUN TO URGE KL TO REVIEW CHICKEN WING DUTIES

Majimbun to urge KL to review chicken wing duties

KOTA KINABALU:

The Member of Parliament for Sepanggar, Datuk Eric Majimbun, has promised to do his best to urge the Federal Government to review the new import duties dubbed as Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) imposed on import of chicken wings into Sabah, which has come into effect since April 1 this year. He said he would do his level best to urge the Federal Government to revoke the said import duties, which he regarded as unreasonable and a great burden to the consumers in Sabah. He made the promise after listening to the explanation by Koh Tze Guan, President of the Frozen Meat and Food Importers Association Sabah (FMAFIAS), during a courtesy call by the Association on Saturday, to highlight their plight over the imposition of the TRQ. Also present were FMAFIAS Secretary General Louis Fong and Majimbun’s two party colleagues, Melanie Chia and Datuk Liew Teck Chan who are also the Luyang State Assemblywoman and Likas Assemblyman respectively. Koh highlighted that following the implementation of the TRQ, the retail price for grilled chicken wings has been increased from RM1.20/RM1.50 to RM1.80/RM2 each, while the retail price for the deep-fried chicken wings has been increased from RM1.50 to RM2. He especially argued that the Government to take into consideration of the unique situation of Sabah, that is the distance between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia which is ocean apart, besides the fact that the local supply of chicken wings is still not enough to meet the market demand, thus making it necessary to import the chicken wings from Peninsular Malaysia. A calculation made by the Association based on the statistics of import of frozen chicken wings by Sabah last year, as compared to the production of chicken in the State revealed that the State will have to increase its chicken production by eight folds in order to meet the current market demand. “Last year, Sabah imported 15,875 MT of frozen chicken wings while the entire State’s production of dressed whole chicken was approximately 66,000 MT and only 10 per cent of that figure is made up of chicken wings which is only 1,980 MT,” he elaborated. Meanwhile, Melanie who is also the Assistant Finance Minister, revealed that she had recently brought up the issue to the attention of her colleague cum Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun. “She (Azizah) will be meeting up with the Association (FMAFIAS) soon to discuss about the issue,” she said. She too concurred with the Association’s view that the implementation of the TRQ would eventually force the traders to transfer the additional cost incurred on hein to the consumers.

MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- SABAHANS STILL HAVE CONFIDENCE IN BN'S CREDIBILITY: MP

Sabahans still have confidence in BN’s credibility: MP

KOTA KINABALU:

Confidence in the Barisan Nasional’s credibility and its ability to fulfill its election manifesto was the reason why people in Sabah rejected the Opposition during the 12th General Election, Putatan Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh said. “In this respect, it is imperative that the BN Government implements all developments planned in Sabah and Sarawak without delay,” he said in his debate to support the motion of thanks to the King’s royal address in the Parliament. No longer overlooking their needs, he pointed out, is the Federal Government’s way to repay the confidence of the people for giving it the mandate to govern the country. Mojigoh in his speech raised several issues which he said needed to be addressed by the Government, including the task of BN leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to explain to the people that only a credible BN Government could administer the country. “Credible here means BN is fair to all, provides equal education, development and other opportunities regardless of race and religion to all the rakyat,” he said. Mojigoh spoke briefly about the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah, a perennial problem in the State which has yet to be resolved. “The problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah has yet to see a concrete solution. In fact, the Government plans to issue IMM13 documents to the illegal immigrants from Pulau Karuman in Labuan. This will never be accepted by Malaysians in Sabah and Sarawak,” he stressed. The other urgent issues are road, water and electricity supplies in many villages in Sabah and Mojigoh said it was important for the Government to focus on development in rural areas, especially in the aspect of roads as well as developing of land to assist the needy rural folk to uplift their socioeconomic status. At this juncture, Tititwangsa PAS Member of Parliament Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali stood up and said that the only way to get immediate development in Sabah is when an elected representative in the State passed away, paving way for a by election.“When an elected representative passes away, a by-election will be held and it is the expressway for developmnt. Allocations of RM30 million to RM70 million will be approved within three to four days,” he said. Mojigoh in reply said that the Titiwangsa MP’s statement belittled the feelings of Sabahans and that it was the Opposition’s tactic to twist their words. His statements led to several other MPs both from the BN and Opposition interrupting him but he declined to give way and continued with his speech. Mojigoh pointed out that the big mandate given to BN in Sabah was the result of Sabahans feeling that they no longer wanted to be overlooked by the central leadership and this, he has reminded as well as appealed many times to the House. When Rantau Panjang PAS MP Hajah Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff interjected and asked for his opinion why Sabah and Sarawak continued to be overlooked and treated like the states governed by the Opposition, Mojigoh replied, “I understand what you are trying to say but it is irrelevant whether I agree or not.” To a question from BN-Umno MP Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique (Tenggara) whether he was confident that the Opposition could, by inviting BN elected representatives to “move into a terrace house”, guarantee a better future for the people, he said: “The question of moving does not arise. The people in Sabah and Sarawak are used to living anywhere as long as there is credibility. The credibility of the Barisan Nasional has been proven but not the Opposition. What we are seeing in Selangor is shameful. So why move?” His statement again prompted several opposition MPs to stand up but Mojigoh did not relent since he said he still had a to raise to the Governmet particularly pertaining to people’s aspiration. “The Opposition MPs a preventing the BN backbench from raising issues and aspirations the rakyat,” he said when met he during the Parliament weekend break. “As you can see from the Hansar there is not enough time for us speak for our constituents as we a disturbed by the Opposition on t pretext of asking for point clarifications,” he said. However, Mojigoh said he would not be perturbed in carrying out his responsibility entrusted to him b the people who returned him as MP for another term. The Hansard of his debate speech can be viewed at his Putatan BNBB website.

MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- SABAHANS APPEALING TO KL FOR HELP:MOJIGOH

Sabahans appealing to KL for help: Mojigoh

KOTA KINABALU:

The cost of living in Sabah is much higher that other states in the country and people here are appealing to the Federal Government to help address the problem. “Necessary steps must taken, including the possibility of subsidising the goods in Sabah to address the high cost of living here,” Putatan Member of Parliament Datuk Marcus Moigoh said. Mojigoh stressed that the matter needs to be viewed seriously as the glaring difference in the prices of goods in Sabah compared to other states, including Sarawak, has caused confusion among the people here. He said this when asked to elaborate on his debate speech on the King’s royal address in the Parliament last week. “If necessary have more subsidies for goods in Sabah to check the escalating cost of living and balance the prices of goods in the State with other states,” he said. In Parliament last week, Mojigoh when debating the motion of thanks, brought up the matter of the high cost of living in Sabah. “The Government must look into this problem which has caused the feeling of oppression among the rakyat in Sabah to the point that they are confused with the situation. “The rakyat in Sabah feel that it is as though they are penalised for supporting the Barisan Nasional (BN),” he said, adding, “It is very clear that there is discrimination here. Instead of being rewarded for supporting BN, we end up being penalised. Mojigoh warned that if the Federal Government failed to address the problem, “then the people of Sabah know how to punish them”. He however added that the matter had been brought to the attention of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad who has promised to look into ways to balance the prices of goods in Sabah and Sarawak with those in Peninsular Malaysia. He also told the House that the cabotage policy which was introduced in 1980 has contributed to the price increase in Sabah.. Mojigoh also brought up the issue of the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) which, according to him, will boost the State’s overall economic growth and development as well as generate employment opportunities in the State. “We are aware that many graduates in Sabah are unemployed so it is hoped that they will be given priority to fill up the vacancies generated by the implementation of SDC,” he said. Mojigoh said he was told in Parliament recently of the overwhelming response to the 38,000 job vacancies in the civil service, including the police force and army in the country where 760,840 applications were received but only 141 called up for interviews. “If 30 percent Malays, 40 percent Chinese and 35 percent Indians were accepted from the number of those called up for interview, there is only a 15 percent job opportunity for the Kadazans,” he stressed. Mojigoh also said that recently, he had highlighted the dissatisfaction of Sabahans about them being left out in job appointments in the civil service. “Take for example the 30 new appointments in the Information Department, none of them were Sabahans. Although the work involved may be menial such as holding cameras or attaching cables, it riles us as elected representatives as it reflects the opinion that Sabahans are not qualified for the job,” he said.

MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- MOST DISAGREE WITH NEW RETIREMENT AGE

Most disagree with new retirement age

KOTA KINABALU:

Most of the people disagreed with extending the retirement age of civil servants from 56 to 58 years old which was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Saturday. They said that the new retirement age would affect the productivity and delivery system in the State as well as in the Country. Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan (Cash) President Datuk Patrick Sindu said increasing the retirement age would not help to improve the delivery system in the public sector. “Even though the Government gives them many incentives such as increasing their salary, it will not help improve our delivery system. This is because most of them are just sitting down, doing nothing and just waiting for their retirement, ”he said. Patrick pointed out that those who just sit and wait for their retirement are like ‘dead wood’. “These ‘dead wood’ will become a liability to the Government due to redundancy arid inefficiency,” he said. Patrick further said there were cases where some people in the Government sector just punched in their cards but were not around in the office. “This attitude will affect our delivery system in the State and in the country and even become worse when those in the age of retirement did the same thing,” he said. He said by increasing the retirement age, it would also stop the younger generation from getting a good job or promoted to a better rank in their work places as the seniors are still around. “There are many graduates outside there who are still unemployed. Isn’t it better for them to work in the Government sector then to have the ‘dead wood’ working in the sector?” said Patrick, adding unless they could prove their efficiency, it should not be a problem. On Saturday, Abdullah announced that the mandatory retirement age of public sector employees has been raised from 56 to 58 effective July 1 this year as part of several incentives. The other incentives include the calculation of the pension based on a maximum 30 years of service, up from the current 25 years, for all public employees effective January 1, 2009. The derivative pension would be maintained at 100 per cent, also effective January 1. Meanwhile, Jenson Jemudah, a 48-year-old credit officer attached to the Sabah Credit Corporation also disagreed with the new retirement age. He said that most people who have reached the age of 50 would slow down on their work. “One of the reasons is health. We know that those at this age can easily get sick or suffer from many illnesses. When they are sick, most of their works are left undone. This will affect the productivity,” he said. Jenson also said the new retirement age is also not suitable for those involved in practical works such as technicians. “We know that a technician has to do the work by himself and also need a lot of energy. A tehnician at the age of 58 will find it hard to handle his job more efficiently and maybe the speed of his work will slow down,” said Jenson who chose to retire at the age of 55. “I have already decided it earlier before the announcement was made. One of the reasons is that I have been working so long,” Jenson said when asked why he wanted to retire at 55. The 48-year-old father of four children also said that the number of unemployed, especially the youths, in the country is so big. “There is a possibility for them (younger generation) not getting a job because they only get a small opportunity to work in the Government sector due to the increase of retirement age and competition from other job- seekers,” he said. A husband and wife from Kota Marudu said they would agree if the new retirement age is not made mandatory. Majawat @ Dominic Gorotom, 58, said that some people wished to retire at the age of 56 due to many factors and one of them is health. “It depends on individuals. If they think they still can work until the age of 58, then they can work until that age. But some people want to retire at 56 due to health reason and some also want to spend more time with their family members and grandchildren after working hard all this while,” said the former civil servant. He said the new retirement age should not be made mandatory as some people have no interest in working anymore when they reach 56. “Some of them want to do business and many other things,” Dominic said. His wife Mainah bt Umboh, 57, a retired nurse, said that there is no point forcing a person to work until the age of 58 if he or she has lost interest in working after reaching 56. “This will affect the quality of work as they have, to work unwillingly. It will also put stress on them,” she said. “The Government should not make the new retirement mandatory but give the civil servants a choice,” Mainah added.

MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- NO FORMAL APPROVAL YET FOR COAL PLANT RELOCATION: MASIDI

No formal approval yet for coal plant relocation: Masidi

KOTA KINABALU:

The State Government has not given any formal approval for the relocation of the 300MW Silam coal power plant in the east coast of Sabah. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that the State Cabinet had yet to discuss the possibility of the coal plant being placed at a different location within the east coast. “At this point, we have not received any formal application. We will look at it and decide when the time comes,” he aid when contacted yesterday amid alarms bells being sounded by environmentalists over announcements that the State had agreed to the coal plant project. Masidi said this following a statement by Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shahizan Abu Mansor that the State had agreed in principle to give the go-ahead for the project to be relocated. The State Cabinet last month rejected the proposed RM 1.3 billion coal powered plant being undertaken by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, on environmental concerns and asked the power utility company to seek alternatives to coal power. However, Shahizan said on Saturday that the State was agreeable to relocating the plant to a suitable area as the SESB needed a power generation facility in the east coast. Masidi said that the State Cabinet rejection was on the location of the Silam coal plant, but said that there was no policy rejecting coal power generation for the State. Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA) Chairman Wong Tack said SESB and TNB should abandon their plans for a coal powered plant and instead look for the cleaner option of natural gas that is readily available in Sabah. “There is no way that people in Sabah would agree to accept a potential environmental scourge. SEPA will continue to rally against the project if SESB and TNB are adamant about it wherever it is located in Sabah,” he said, urging the State to reject any fresh proposal.

MONDAY-12 MAY 2008- SCHOOLS TO GET TABLES,CHAIRS

Schools to get tables, chairs

KOTA KINABALU:

The Education Ministry has approved a special RM15 million allocation to resolve the perennial problem of the lack of tables and chairs in many schools in Sabah. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun in announcing this yesterday, said the funds may not solve the longstanding problem immediately but at least it is a sign that something better is being done to really address the issue of poor facilities in many schools in the State. “Datuk (Seri) Hishammuddin (Hussein)’s office called me yesterday (Saturday), authorising me to announce the special allocation for Sabah on his behalf. This is a great news and we thank Datuk Hishammuddin for his quick response in approving this much needed allocation,” he said during the Kimaragang Harvest Festival celebration in Kota Marudu yesterday. He urged the State Education Department to take appropriate follow-up action immediately to secure the allocation so that it can be put into use to help improve the dire situation in many schools in Sabah. The problem was raised at the State Assembly last week by Tanjung Batu Assemblywoman Datuk Hamisah Samad who informed the House that students and teachers at SK Kalabakan had to squat on the floor for their classes. In responding to the issue during his winding-up speech, Masidi who is also the Minister in charge of the State education portfolio in Sabah, did not mince his words in criticising the Ministry of Education for the apparent lack of urgency to solve the problem that is haunting many schools in Sabah, especially in rural areas. He told the Assembly that as the Minister tasked to look after the State’s education affairs; he felt embarrassed and helpless by the lack of funding made available to effectively resolve the problem. Masidi in announcing the allocation yesterday, said Sabah still need a bigger allocation, taking into consideration that it is a huge State that makes up nearly a quarter of the whole country.

SANDAKAN

Sandakan is the second-largest town in the state of Sabah, East Malaysia, on the north-eastern coast of Borneo Island by a beautiful, natural deepwater bay facing the Sulu sea. The town had a population of 347,334 as of the 2000 census. It is the administrative centre of Sandakan Division and was the former capital of British North Borneo. At one time, timber was the major export but this is now supplanted by the oil palm industry.
"Sandakan" is derived from the Suluk word "sanda" meaning, to pawn and "kan" being the suffix. So "Sandakan" means the place that was pawned. Sandakan is known as the gateway for ecotourism destinations in Sabah. To the west of Sandakan (about 20 min drive) lies the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, which is the world oldest and largest Orang Utan Rehabilitation centre. Turtle Islands Park is about 1 hour away from the town, Sukau in the upper reaches of the Kinabatangan River where primates, especially the proboscis monkeys (endemic only to Borneo) are easily sighted and Gomantong Caves is south of this town.
Sandakan is also infamous as the site of a World War II Japanese airfield, built by the forced labour of 6,000 Javanese civilians and Allied prisoners of war. In 1945 the surviving prisoners were sent on the Sandakan Death Marches; only about 10 of them survived the war.

History William Clarke Cowie, in the early 1870s, a Scottish from Glasgow ( some say he's an adventurer , engineer or gun smuggler), delivered guns and ammunitions to the Sultan of Sulu. He did this for protecting territory of the Sultan against the Spanish conquerors. In return, Cowie was granted permission by the Sultan to set up base, the first European settlement in the area, on Pulau Timbang, in Sandakan Bay, where a small Suluk village existed. Cowie called his trading post "Sandakan", which in Tausug (Sulu) means "the place that was pawned", but it soon came to be known as "Kampung German" after the large number of Germans who also set up posts there. The settlement was part of the lease Austro-Hungarian consul Baron von Overbeck acquired from the Sultan of Sulu in 1878. After the lease was purchased by von Overbeck's British partner Alfred Dent, Kampong German was accidentally razed to the ground on 15th June 1879. The new British Resident, William B. Pryer, decided not to rebuild the village but to move to Buli Sim Sim on 21st June 1879. He named his new settlement Elopura, which means Beautiful City. A few years later, the name was changed back to Sandakan. The name Elopura still refers to a region of Sandakan. In 1883, the capital of the British North Borneo Company was moved from Kudat to Sandakan.
In the mid-1930s, Sandakan's timber export reached the record figure of 180,000 cubic meters, making it the largest timber-exporting port of tropical wood in the world. At the height of the timber boom, Sandakan boasted that it had the highest concentration of millionaires anywhere on Earth.
The Japanese occupation of Sandakan during World War II began on 19th January 1942 and lasted until a brigade of the Australian 9th Division liberated it on 19th October 1945. The Japanese administration restored the name Elopura for the town. One of the many atrocities of World War II was the Sandakan Death Marches, when Japanese soldiers decided to move about 6,000 prisoners of war in Sandakan 260 km (160 miles) inland to the town of Ranau. The prisoners who did not die en route to Ranau were crammed into unsanitary huts; most of those survivors either died from dysentery or were killed by prison guards. When the war ended, Sandakan was totally destroyed, partly from the Allied bombings and partly by the Japanese. As a result, when North Borneo became a British Crown Colony in 1946, the capital was shifted to Jesselton, now known as Kota Kinabalu, (often just called 'KK' locally).
Sandakan remains Sabah's second most important port, after Kota Kinabalu. The port is important for tobacco, cocoa, coffee, manila hemp and sago exports. In recent years, more businesses have shifted their operations away from the town centre to the suburbs due to the presence of illegal immigrants in the town centre. In January 2003, the Sandakan Harbour Square, an urban renewal project, was launched in an attempt to revive the town centre as the commercial hub in Sandakan. It will feature a new central market and fish market, a 4-storey shopping mall, and an 800-room, 5-star hotel. It is to be built in three separate phases and is due for completion in 2008. However, Sandakan residents encounter a serious electrical power and water shortage since decades ago. These two major problem has never been solved even though it has been promised all the time by either the politicians or the state government during elections. The electrical power often fails whenever thunderstorm or heavy rain occur.



Present day Sandakan and Place of Interest
There are daily flights from KLIA (KUL) or Kota Kinabalu (BKI) to Sandakan airport (SDK) by both Malaysia Airlines (MH) and Air Asia (AK). At Sandakan airport, there are two main options to get around this town, the easiest is by taxi or a number of public buses.


As Sandakan was almost totally destroyed in World War II, there are few surviving buildings of any age. Some of the main sights today include:
Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple - completed in 1987, this fiery red and gold temple overlooks the town centre. Don't miss the panoramic views across the town and huge bay from the great Puu Jih Shih Buddhist temple.
Sam Sing Kung Temple - completed in 1887, it is the oldest building in Sandakan.
St Michael's and All Angels Church - this beautiful granite church was built in 1897 (Probably the oldest stone building in Sabah) and is one of Sandakan's few surviving pre-war buildings.
Sandakan Mosque - completed in 1988, it lies next to the bay and Kampung Buli Sim Sim.
Kampung Buli Sim Sim - stilt fishing village on the original site of Sandakan town.
Sandakan Memorial Park - built on site of the Taman Rimba prisoner-of-war camp.
Japanese Cemetery - housing a memorial to the Japanese war dead on Borneo.
Sandakan Market - one of the largest and busiest in Sabah.
Agnes Keith House - two-storey home of local author and her husband Harry, the Curator of the North Borneo Museum, from 1930 to 1952. Mrs. Keith wrote several books about Sabah and its people, including Land Below the Wind, Three Came Home, and White Man Returns. The house has recently been restored after a number of years of neglect.
The English Tea House - fine restaurant on the hillside above Sandakan.
Crocodile Farm - located 12 km (7.5 miles) out of town, it houses more than 2,000 of the reptiles in concrete pools.
Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary - a perfect Proboscis monkeys observation spot for any tourist who wants to have a closer look at these very rare monkeys.

NEW HOTELS IN TAWAU

Walaitokou Boutique Hotel
Walaitokou is a new boutique hotel concept in Tawau. This hotel is situated along Jalan Masjid just opposite few block away from De Choice Hotel. The building used to be a shop lot and motel but bought by Borneo Discovery Adventure and renovated to this new hotel. There are plenty parking space at the side of the hotel and next to it is the Basel Church. There are 2 types of room, Superior (King, Twin and Family) and Deluxe (Twin, King, Triple and Family). Extra single bed will be charge at RM40 per bed. Buffet breakfast also available daily. There are also a conference room available for rent. Room price range from RM 88 during promotional period to RM 218 nett. Normal rate for superior from RM98-208 nett. Deluxe from RM128-228 nett.

De Choice Hotel
De Choice Hotel is a newly renovated hotel from previously Monaco 2000 Hotel. It was an old building given a new look. The lobby have a nice restaurant. It is situated just beside the MB Hotel. The rate of the room range from RM90 to RM400 per night. Rooms are ok since it just renovated. It is situated near the Fajar area as well.

Kingston Hotel
Kingston Hotel is located in Fajar area and just at the back of Kingston Executive Hotel. The hotel is simple using renovated shop lot. Rooms are nice awith good pricing from RM 66 - 120 depend on types of room. Looking for food is not a problem if your staying here because there is a Sabah Chicken Rice Shop beside it. If you like Malay food, there is a Malay restaurant on the other side at the same block. Beside the hotel is Perdana Club where you can have a drink or western food at the cafe or try the Chinese food at the 2nd Floor of the Perdana Club. On Saturday, u can try the dim sum at the Chinese Restaurant at the Perdana Club.


MB Hotel
MB Hotel or known as May Blossom hotel is the new hotel in town. This 3 star hotel is situated at Jalan Haji Karim in the center of the town. It has 123 rooms and the room price range from RM80-RM150.

Kingston Executive Hotel
Kingston Executive Hotel is a newly opened hotel in Tawau. The Hotel is situated just next to King Park Hotel. The Hotel is situated right in front of a small roundabout. You probably find it difficult to stop right in front of the main door entrance because you cannot stop in the middle of the roundabout. Anywhere there is a door at the back for easier drop off and pick up of guest. Again it is situated in the middle of town at Fajar area. There are few shops besides the hotel (actually just beside the main entrance of the hotel). There are KKDC (KK Diamond Center) selling jeweleries, a boutique selling clothes, a barber shop (Ken's Hair Salon) and also a sundry shop.

MOTHER'S DAY MESSAGE

Four silver haired ladies are chatting in a what look like an old folks' home. Lady One boasts of a businessman son who makes RM450,000 per annum, Lady Two has a Accountant son who bought a posh house in Damansara, Lady Three has a London based surgeon son who charges 20,000 sterling pound for an operation, and does two operations per day! Then they turn to Lady Four, "What about your son?" they ask. "My son is alright" she replies "he's coming to pick me up" and sure enough (like all movie) a Proton Iswara (there's a message here, please note, not a Merc or BMW, not even a Proton Waja) appears in the driveway. Lady Four's face lit up "That's my son! He's come to pick me now." She hoddles off as her son got out of the car to recieve her. As she is whisked off, the three ladies can only wave and look longingly at Lady Four who waves back with a benign smile on her face.
Two very important messages is carried in this story:-
1. Do not be boastful and engage in one-upmanship, for you will be rebuked in the end.
2. Do be kind and filial to your parents and be sincere in doing so. Not just take them for a spin in your car, dine in swanky hotel, then dump them back at the Old Folk Home. Old people need the care, companionship and love of their children and grandchildren, if they can have these, they are the richest people on earth.

SATURDAY-10TH MAY, 2008-MY SUPERIOR'S STATEMENTS DEFAMED ME, SAYS EX-MAJOR

My superior’s statements defamed me, says ex-Major
KOTA KINABALU

The defamation suit of former Major Mohd Yazid b Abdullah against his superior, retiring Brigadier General Datuk Muhamad Yasin b Yahya, came up for full trial at the High Court here yesterday.
Mohd Yazid who is represented by Counsel Marcel Jude Joseph, took the witness’ stand before High Court Judge Datuk Clement Skinner.
Muhamad Yassin who was named the sole defendant in the suit, is “represented by Counsel Sugumar Balakrisnan.
Mohd Yazid filed the suit on April 21, 2004 claiming that two articles entitled “Yassin admits probe on some personnel” and “Anggota tentera lempar dakwaan rasuah sebagai ‘kurang siuman” which were published in a local newspaper on Feb 15 and 16, 2004 respectively by the defendant, were referring to him.
He contended that the statements of the defendant were untrue and made without reason and had defamed him.

The defendant as the Brigadier Commander ofthe 5th Infantry Brigade, made the alleged defamatory statement prior to his retirement during a ceremony on Feb 13, 2004 to hand over duties to his successor at the Lok Kawi Army Camp.
In his supporting affidavit, Mohd Yazid said that in 2003, he investigated and discovered information about alleged corrupt practices in the 5th Infantry Brigade.
Mohd Yazid contended that on Dec 4, 2003, he contacted the Provost Marshal of the Royal Military Police regarding the alleged information of corrupt practices.
The following day, Mohd Yazid said he transmitted by way of facsimile machine the full detaIls of the alleged corrupt practices and the Provost Marshal of the Royal Military Police had confirmed to have received the report and the Royal Military Police were undertaking investigation of the report.
He added on Dec 24, 2003 and thereafter he lodged a series of 28 reports with the Kota Kinabalu Anti- Corruption Agency (ACA).
Mohd Yazid who was stationed in Kota Kinabalu, further contended that he was relieved as Second in Command of the Second Battalion of 507, Territorial Army Regiment on Jan 2, 2004 and was later slapped with eight charges on Feb 18, 2004.
He said the charges were read to him by the Chief of Staff of the Fifth Infantry Brigade.

In his evidence in chief, Mohd Yazid affirmed the contents of the statements of claim in his oral evidence during examination by his counsel.

To another question by Marcel, Mohd Yazid said that the articles in the newspaper referred to a serviceman who was accused by the defendant of being unstable when making the reports of corruption.

Mohd Yazid added his understanding when he read the phrase of “referred to psychiatric treatment’ in the articles was referred to insanity or mental illness.

Earlier when Marcel asked him whether the latter was aware of any law that prevents army personnel from making any reports to the ACA or to the police in relation to corruption, Mohd Yazid said:

“There is no law in this country, including the Armed Forces Act as well as that of the ACA that prohibits me or any military personnel from lodging reports to the ACA or police being citizen of this country and also taxpayer.

“It is my duty to report any malpractices while operating in the organization to the ACA as stipulated in Section 17 of the Anti-Corruption Act,” Mohd Yazid said.

Asked further why he was vigilant as a one-man crusaider against corruption which is picture painted of him by the defence counsel, Mohd Yazid said, “I view corruption as an enemy within the organization, be it petty or big corruption or in whatever forms they are. A corrupted army affects the sovereignty of the country,”. “I spent 13 to 16 hours a day to do my work, including Saturdays and Sundays. It is untrue that I spent most of my working hours to do investigations. I need to investigate certain issues before making any complaints,”he said in replying to Marcel’s question that during the cross-examination, it was implied that the former spent most of his time investigating corruption instead of undertaking his serviceman duties.

He said in reporting corruption cases to the Army Provost Marshall or police or ACA, he had never disobeyed or broken any laws.

Mohd Yazid told the court that he filed 60 reports of corruption and he got most of the information from the officers and rank and file in the unit.

When he was asked during cross examination by Sugumar, he did not ask for mitigation of the sentence handed down to him as the whole process of the trial was unfair to him as he was put under the duress.

“Throughout the trial, I was asked to stand still for two hours and was not allowed to defend myself,” Mohd Yazid said, adding during the trial, he was found guilty of three charges under Section 58 of the Armed Forces Act for not attending official functions.

FRIDAY-23 MAY 2008- KING WANTS UITM TO OFFER MORE POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

King wants UiTM to offer more post-graduate programmes

SHAH ALAM:

The Yang di Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has suggested that Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) introduces more postgraduate academic programmes, locally and abroad, to attract more students. He believed that this, indirectly, would help enhance research activities in various fields. He said UiTM’s success in receiving the most gold medals in the country for its research proved that it was on par with other universities. Tuanku Mizan, who is also UiTM Chancellor, attributed UiTM’s success to the commitment, comradeship and unity of the staff and students. “Therefore, an effective channel for corporate communication and information should be established so that all objectives, implementation approach and the university’s success can be shared. “It is based on this strength that the University can move to achieve greater heights and meet the country’s needs,” he said when speaking at the UiTM’s 68th convocation here yesterday. “With this, UiTM will not only be listed in the ranking of the Times Higher Education Supplement, but its name will also be on the lips of renowned academicians in the world, as being among the best universities,” he added. At the function, Tuanku Mizan presented scrolls to the first batch of 19 graduates from the university’s Medical Faculty and an Honorary Doctorate in Sports Science to Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kader, who is the first Asian woman to reach the North and South poles.-Bernama