Hanya 28% rakyat Malaysia sokong GST...

62% rakyat Malaysia tidak menyokong GST...

Badan penyelidik bebas, Merdeka Center mendedahkan sebanyak 62% rakyat Malaysia tidak menyokong pelaksanaan cukai kontroversi Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST).

Kaji selidik melibatkan seramai 1,009 orang itu dibuat pada bulan lepas, malahan 33% daripada responden tidak memahami mengenai GST.

Semalam, kira-kira hampir 20 ribu orang berhimpun secara aman di Dataran Merdeka untuk membantah pelaksanaan cukai tersebut oleh Putrajaya yang akan berkuatkuasa 1 April, 2015.‎

"62% responden tidak bersetuju dengan pelaksanaan GST, jelas menunjukkan walaupun hasil yang akan diperoleh daripada cukai pengguna tersebut, kebanyakan orang awam tidak menyokong pelaksanaannya," kata penyelidik bebas itu.

Selari dengan kaji selidik tersebut, sebanyak 64% responden berkata mereka tidak faham bagaimana ekonomi negara akan bergerak.

"Pandangan tersebut lazimnya datang daripada isi rumah yang berpendapatan rendah, sekitar kawasan pedalaman dan di kalangan wanita," kata Merdeka Center.

Kaji selidik tersebut dijalankan oleh Merdeka Center sekitar 12 hingga 21 April.

62% rakyat Malaysia tolak sistem cukai GST...

Daripada kaji selidik itu, 1,009 responden yang juga pengundi  adalah 60% Melayu, 31% Cina dan 9% India serta dijalankan menerusi panggilan telefon.

Responden dipilih berdasarkan persampelan rawak berlapis bersama-sama etnik, jantina dan negeri didiami.

Responden juga ditanya sama ada GST adalah sistem cukai yang adil dan 40% memberi jawapan negatif.

Kaji selidik itu juga melibatkan jumlah responden yang sama rata antara lelaki dan wanita dari kawasan pedalaman dan bandar mendapati 45% mengatakan GST tidak adil.

Lebih memburukkan, seramai responden 46% tidak yakin Barisan Nasional (BN) mampu menangani ekonomi sehingga 2020, sekaligus menjejaskan imej Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Bagaimanapun, kaji selidik mendedahkan responden kaum Cina juga tidak yakin dengan kemampuan Putrajaya untuk memacu ekonomi negara.

Sebanyak 73% daripada responden kaum Cina dan 45% responden Melayu mempersoalkan cara Putrajaya mengendalikan ekonomi Malaysia.

Walaupun dengan pengenalan GST tahun depan, 51% daripada responden berkata mereka tidak yakin Putrajaya akan dapat mengendalikan ekonomi negara dan memulihkan defisit fiskal.

Hanya 38% daripada 1,009 responden menyatakan mereka mempunyai keyakinan ke atas pentadbiran Najib dapat menangani ekonomi Malaysia dan defisit fiskal.

Di samping itu, 52% daripada responden berasa Malaysia tidak akan dapat mencapai status negara maju dalam masa enam tahun, seperti yang disasarkan oleh Putrajaya.

Bagaimanapun, 41% responden berpendapat negara akan mencapai status negara maju menjelang 2020. 

Yang mengejutkan adalah kebanyakan yang tidak bersetuju dengan kadar percukaian baru itu bukannya pelajar atau pengganggur sebaliknya peniaga.

Kajian itu menunjukkan peratusan paling tinggi yang tidak bersetuju dengan GST - 68 peratus - bekerja sendiri.

Ini berlaku walaupun kerajaan membelanjakan jutaan ringgit untuk perisian membantu memudahkan proses pengutipan GST.

Kajian itu turut mendedahkan 53 peratus dari penjawat awam dan pekerja di syarikat berkaitan kerajaan menolak GST.– tmi/mk

62% of Malaysians not in favour of GST...

Merdeka Centre said today that 62 percent of Malaysians surveyed have rejected the Goods and Services Tax (GST) despite the government's decades-long planning and recent publicity campaign on its benefits.

The survey of 1,009 registered voters adhering to the country's ethnic composition, also revealed that one in two did not understand what GST was all about.

An even larger proportion - 64 percent of those surveyed from Apr 12 to Apr 21 - had no clue how the economy works.

"This view was more prevalent among respondents coming from lower income households, rural areas and among women," the survey released by Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research said.

The independent pollster noted that as much as 39 percent said they "strongly disagreed" with GST. Some of them were probably at the May 1 rally in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, where over 50,000 people thronged Dataran Merdeka and staged a peaceful, albeit short sit-in protest.

Surprisingly, it was not students and the unemployed who dreaded the new tax the most but businesses.

The survey noted that the highest proportion of those who disagreed with GST, 68 percent were self-employed.
This is despite the government spending millions on software to help ease the process of collecting GST.

The survey also revealed that even among civil servants and employees of government-linked corporations, 53 percent also rejected GST. The government today threatened to sack civil servants who took part in yesterday's anti-GST rally as it went against the government's aspirations.

The survey interviewed Malays, Chinese and Indian Malaysians over the phone.

It found that Malays had the lowest understanding of GST, with 62 percent - more than the overall 53 percent mark -  saying that they didn't really understand the GST.

The reverse was true for Indians surveyed, with 65 percent agreeing that they understood the tax, which would start at six percent from April 2015.

A new GST bill was passed in Parliament last month.

Prior to that, the government had first introduced a GST bill in 2009 but subsequently withdrew it a year later due to protests and then spent more years educating the people about the tax.

Poorest have least understanding

Even though the GST was expected to hit the poor hardest and the government has promised to handout cash through Bantuan Rakyat1Malaysia (BR1M) to help, the survey found that the poorest still understood the least about the consumption tax.

Merdeka Centre said that nearly three-quarters of households earning less than RM1,500 a month did not understand GST and the same proportion said they didn't have follow the national economy at all.

Promoters of the GST have said that it is bitter medicine but it was for the long term health of the Malaysian economy.

It would help cure a huge national debt accumulated by the BN government, which has also spent more than it has collected over the last 15 years. The government expected to earn over RM3 billion more a year from GST.

But the Merdeka Centre survey also showed that most people didn't know this too.

The survey said that 59 percent of Malaysians did not know what was the "government fiscal deficit issue" being talked about. Only four percent could say they knew a great deal about such issues.

Unsurprisingly, almost all the Chinese respondents indicated their lack of faith in Putrajaya's skills in steering the country's economy.

Some 73% of Chinese respondents and 45% of Malay respondents questioned Putrajaya's handling of Malaysia's economy.

Even with the introduction of the GST next year, 51% of respondents said they were not confident that Putrajaya would be able to handle the country's economy and fiscal deficit.

Only 38% of the 1,009 respondents indicated that they had confidence that Najib's administration would be able to tackle Malaysia's economy and fiscal deficit issues.

In addition, 52% of the respondents felt Malaysia would not be able to attain developed nation status in six years’ time, as projected by Putrajaya.

However, 41% of the respondents felt that the nation would reach developed nation status by 2020. – mk/tmi

The results of a poll on people's confidence in Najib's handling of the economy.(Keputusan pengundian tentang keyakinan rakyat terhadap pengendalian ekonomi oleh Najib)...

Malaysia gets a 'D’,South Korea gets a 'A-’in handling of tragedies...

Putrajaya was once again slammed by a Bloomberg columnist who compared Malaysia's handling of the MH370 saga with South Korea's response to the recent Sewol ferry tragedy. In a scathing attack, columnist William Pesek said he would give top marks to South Korea for their handling of the ferry tragedy but found Malaysia sorely lacking in...

He said the incidents could be described as tests for the two governments, if not of Malaysian and South Korean societies.

"The grades so far? I’d give Korea an A-, Malaysia a D," he said in his Bloomberg column titled "One missing jet, one sunken ferry, two responses".

Pesek said in the two weeks since the ferry sank, killing about 300 people on board, the South Korean government had reacted with self-questioning, shame and official penitence.

"President Park Geun Hye issued a dramatic and heartfelt apology. Her No. 2, Prime Minister Chung Hong Won, resigned outright. Prosecutors hauled in the ship’s entire crew and raided the offices of its owners and shipping regulators. Citizens and the media are demanding speedy convictions and long-term reforms," he said.

On the flip side, there was no such reaction on the part of Malaysian authorities 56 days after MH370 vanished, said Pesek.

"No officials have quit. Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak seems more defiant than contrite. The docile local news media has focused more on international criticism of Malaysia's leaders rather than on any missteps by those leaders themselves," he said.

Pesek said although both countries are democracies, the key difference is the relative openness of their political systems.

"One party has dominated Malaysia since independence, while Korea, for all its growing pains and occasional tumultuousness, has seen several peaceful transfers of power over the past quarter-century.

"Unused to having to answer critics, Malaysia’s government has responded defensively.

"Korean officials, on the other hand, are reflecting, addressing the anger of citizens, and delving into what went wrong with the shipping industry’s regulatory checks and balances," he pointed out.

Pesek said South Korea was most likely to emerge from the crisis stronger than ever, unlike Malaysia.

He said this could be seen from the way both countries handled the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Pesek said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was the prime minister then, had blamed the ringgit's plunge on some shadowy Jewish cabal headed by George Soros instead of internalising what had gone wrong.

"It didn't admit it had been using capital inflows unproductively and that coddling state champions; including Malaysia Airlines; was killing competitiveness. Never did the ruling United Malays National Organisation consider it might be part of the problem."

Pesek said South Korea, on the other hand, forced weak companies and banks to fail, accepting tens of thousands of job losses.

South Korean authorities, he said, clamped down on reckless investing and lending and addressed moral hazards head-on.

"Koreans felt such shame that millions lined up to donate gold, jewellery, art and other heirlooms to the national treasury."

Pesek said while South Korea's response wasn't perfect, the country’s economic performance since then speaks for itself.

"Now as then, Korea’s open and accountable system is forcing its leaders to look beyond an immediate crisis. Ordinary Koreans are calling for a national catharsis that will reshape their society and its attitude toward safety. Park’s government has no choice but to respond.

"Malaysia’s government, on the other hand, appears to be lost in its own propaganda.

"To the outside world, acting Transport Minister (Datuk Seri) Hishammuddin Hussein performed dismally as a government spokesman: He was combative, defensive and so opaque that even China complained.

"Yet Hishammuddin is now seen as prime-minister material for standing up to pesky foreign journalists and their rude questions. The government seems intent on ensuring that nothing changes as a result of this tragedy.

"As hard as it seems now, South Korea will move past this tragedy, rejuvenated. Malaysia? I'm not so sure." - tmi

Read full article

MH370 preliminary report raises more questions than answers about Malaysia’s response

MH370 aid offices did nothing for families and released report were the same old information, just to show the public that they’re being transparent ...

The relatives of Malaysians on board Flight MH370 are indifferent to Malaysia Airlines’ decision to close all its family assistance centres by May 7, according to one of them.

“It makes no difference to us because the committee tasked to help us did nothing to alleviate our suffering anyway,” said Nur Syafinaz Mohamed Asnan, a younger sister of Mohamed Hazrin, a steward on the flight.

“We had moved back home since the Prime Minister announced that the flight crashed into the Indian Ocean.”

Syafinaz claims that her sentiment is representative of the feelings of other affected Malaysians. If so, then it is in sharp contrast to how the relatives of Chinese nationals took MAS’s announcement. They reacted with tears and screams of frustration.

Syafinaz told FMT most of the relatives relied on information from the media rather than from the family assistance centres.

“These centres did nothing to help us,” she said. “Most, if not all of the information we get are from outside sources. Shutting down these centres will not affect me or my family.

“I am more frustrated over the airline’s inability to provide us with updated information.”

MAS said in a statement yesterday that its officials would continue to provide the relatives with information on the progress of the search for MH370 and update them on investigations into what went wrong with the flight. It advised the relatives to go home.

The government-linked airline company also said it would soon make advance compensation payments to the next of kin of the 239 people on board, part of a final package to be agreed upon later. It did not specify amounts in the advance payments.

Syafinaz also commented on yesterday’s public release of a preliminary report on MH370 that Malaysia had earlier submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

“It’s pointless,” she said. “It’s the same old information. Nothing has changed.

“The reason they released the information is to show the public that they’re being transparent.”

Syafinaz also alleged that the report and other data released yesterday were “full of holes” because MAS had “scrapped out all the important information.”

MH370, carrying 227 passengers and a crew of 12, went missing on March 8 while en route to Beijing from KLIA.-fmt

Kata seorang penjawat awam "Saya penjawat awam dan saya memang bantah GST...lebih2 lagi khabar tahun hadapan sebahagian besar barang dan perkhidmatan dah kena GST,gaji tak cukup..saya kerja untuk orang awam tapi saya pun kena sara keluarga dan mahu makan ma ..."

Wrong to label govt staff at anti-GST rally traitors, says legal expert

Pakai baju merah, masuk.dalam kumpulan demo, dengan harapan nak menyamar.Tuuiii! Macam kita tak kenal...Kalau ye pun nak menyamar sebagai peserta anti GST, tak usah lah tayang pistol kau tu...

cheers.

MH370 - Laporan awal dan senarai cargo...

Kerajaan Malaysia mengeluarkan salinan laporan awal mengenai kehilangan pesawat Malaysia Airlines Penerbangan MH370, yang ia dikemukakan kepada Pertubuhan Penerbangan Awam Antarabangsa (ICAO) awal bulan lepas.

Dalam satu kenyataan, Menteri Pertahanan yang yang pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein berkata keputusan untuk mengeluarkan laporan itu, yang bertarikh 9 April, telah dibuat selepas pasukan pakar dalaman selesai menyemak dokumen tersebut.

Bersama laporan itu, kerajaan juga mengeluarkan rakaman audio komunikasi antara kokpit dan kawalan trafik udara pada 8 Mac sebelum pesawat terputus hubungan, peta beberapa kemungkinan laluan penerbangan tersebut dan juga pelan tempat duduk pesawat dan senarai kargo.

Katanya, mereka juga mengeluarkan maklumat tambahan yang memperincikan tindakan-tindakan yang telah diambil antara jam 1.38 pagi dan 6.14 pagi 8 Mac.

Menurut Hishammudin, minggu lepas, Perdana Menteri (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ) melantik pasukan pakar dalaman untuk menyemak semua maklumat yang kerajaan Malaysia ada mengenai MH370, dengan tujuan untuk mendedahkan sebanyak mungkin maklumat kepada orang ramai .

Katanya, laporan awal itu dikeluarkan berdasarkan kepada panduan perdana menteri - bahawa selagi maklumat tertentu yang dikeluarkan itu tidak menghalang penyiasatan atau operasi pencarian - atas nama keterbukaan dan ketelusan, maklumat itu seharusnya diumumkan.

Syor - pengesanan masa nyata

Laporan Pejabat Ketua Inspektor Kemalangan Udara Kementerian Pengangkutan telah membuat satu syor mengenai kemungkinan melaksanakan pengesanan masa nyata bagi penerbangan komersial.

Menurutnya, terdapat dua kejadian dalam tempoh lima tahun lepas apabila pesawat pengangkutan udara komersial bersaiz besar telah hilang dan kedudukan terakhirnya tidak diketahui secara tepat.
  
"Ketidakpastian itu telah menimbulkan kesukaran untuk mengesan pesawat itu secara tepat pada masanya," katanya.

Oleh itu, tambahnya, Biro Penyiasatan Kemalangan Udara Malaysia membuat cadangan kepada ICAO supaya meneliti faedah-faedah keselamatan dengan memperkenalkan pengesanan pesawat pengangkutan udara komersial mengikut masa nyata yang standard.

ICAO itu dijangka membincangkan mengenai perkara itu dalam mesyuarat pada 12 dan 13 Mei.

Bagaimanapun, laporan awal itu, gagal memperincikan tindakan segera tentera Malaysia pada waktu selepas kehilangan pesawat itu, selain daripasa sebutan ringkas bahawa carian telah "diperluaskan ke Selat Melaka ".

Kerajaan Malaysia berdepan dengan penelitian hebat media asing dan keluarga penumpang MH370 dalam penerbangan Beijing, kebanyakan mereka adalah warga China, kerana kegagalannya untuk mendedahkan senarai kargo dan laporan awal kepada ICAO.

Sebelum itu, kerajaan hanya mendedahkan transkrip komunikasi akhir dengan pusat kawalan trafik udara.

Bahagian 1: Tindakan yang diambil antara 1:38am dan 6:14am
Bahagian 2: Tindakan yang diambil antara 1.38am dan 6.14am
Susunan tempat duduk penumpang

Audio: Komunikasi antara MH370 dan kawalan trafik udara 

Sementara itu Bernama melaporkan Hishammuddin berkata pasukan dalaman itu telahpun memuktamadkan semakan semula, dan berikutan itu maklumat berkaitan MH370
dikeluarkan yang turut mengandungi rakaman audio dan laluan penerbangan.
  
Beliau berkata radar tentera Malaysia ada mengesan sebuah pesawat yang berpatah balik, dari arah barat, merentasi Semenanjung Malaysia pada pagi 8 Mac.
  
"Pesawat itu dikategorikan oleh operator radar sebagai tidak membahayakan, oleh itu tiada tindakan lanjut diambil pada masa itu," katanya.
  
Beliau berkata data radar disemak semula secara 'playback' kira-kira 8.30 pagi hari sama dan maklumat itu dihantar ke bilik operasi Tentera Udara kira-kira 9 pagi.
  
Hasil perbincangan lanjut dengan pegawai peringkat tertinggi, Hishammuddin menerima maklumat daripada pihak tentera kira-kira 10.30 pagi tentang kemungkinan pesawat itu berpatah balik.
  
Beliau kemudian memaklumkan perkara itu kepada perdana menteri yang segera mengarahkan operasi mencari dan menyelamat dilaksanakan di Selat Melaka, bersekali dengan operasi di Laut China Selatan.

Hishammuddin berkata KD Mahameru, kapal pemusnah periuk api dan KD Laksamana Muhamad Amin, Kapal Corvette Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, telahpun bersedia di Selat Melaka untuk melakukan tugas rondaan.
  
"Mereka segera dipertanggungjawab untuk menjalankan operasi mencari dan menyelamat. Sebuah pesawat tentera kemudian dihantar untuk menyertai kedua-dua kapal itu di Selat Melaka pada 10.54 pagi dalam misi pencarian MH370," katanya.
  
Penerbangan MH370, yang membawa 239 penumpang, berlepas dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa KL pada 12.41 tengah malam 8 Mac dan hilang daripada paparan radar kira-kira sejam kemudian ketika terbang di ruang udara Laut China Selatan. Pesawat itu sepatutnya mendarat di Beijing pada 6.30 pagi hari sama..- mk

Gov't releases preliminary report, cargo manifest...

The Malaysian government has released copy of the preliminary report into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which it submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation early last month.

In a statement, acting Transport and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the decision to release the report, dated April 9, was made after an internal team of experts have concluded its review of the document.

Alongside the report, the government also released audio recordings of the communication between the cockpit and air traffic control on March 8 just before the aircraft lost contact, a map of a number of possible flight paths, as well as plane’s seating plan and cargo manifest.

They also released additional information detailing the actions taken between 1:38am and 06:14am on March 8.

“Last week, the Prime Minister (Najib Abdul Razak) appointed an internal team of experts to review all the information the government of Malaysia possesses regarding MH370, with a view to releasing as much as possible to the general public.

“The prime minister set, as a guiding principle, the rule that as long as the release of a particular piece of information does not hamper the investigation or the search operation, in the interests of openness and transparency, the information should be made public,” Hishammuddin said in the statement.

Recommendation - real-time tracking 

The confidential report of Transport Ministry’s Office of the Chief Inspector of Air Accident made one recommendation - for the possible implementation of real-time tracking of commercial flights.

“There have now been two occasions during the last five years when large commercial air transport aircraft have gone missing and their last position was not accurately known.

"This uncertainty resulted in significant difficulty in locating the aircraft in a timely manner,” said the report.

“Therefore, the Malaysian Air Accident Investigation Bureau makes the following safety recommendation to ICAO:

“It is recommended that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) examine the safety benefits of introducing a standard for real time tracking of commercial air transport aircraft.”

The ICAO is expected to deliberate on the matter at a meeting on May 12-13.

However, the preliminary report, failed to detail the Malaysian military's immediate action in the hours proceeding the plane's disappearance aside a brief mention that search was "extended to the Straits of Malacca".

The Malaysian government had come under intense scrutiny from foreign media and the families of passengers on board Beijing-bound MH370, most of whom are Chinese nationals, for its failure to release the cargo manifest and preliminary report to the ICAO.

Prior to this, the government had only released the transcript of the final communication with air traffic control.

This came after the Department of Civil Aviation corrected its ealier claim that the last words from the cockpit were, "All right, good night" but was instead "Good night, Malaysian three-seven-zero."

Part 1: Actions taken between 1:38am and 6:14am
Part 2: Actions taken between 1:38am and 6:14am

Seating arrangement of passengers
Audio: Communication between MH370 and KL Air Traffic Control -mk

Read Preliminary report on missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

British marine archaeologist claims to have found flight MH370  after spotting debris painted in the colours of Malaysia Airlines

cheers.

Hari Pekerja, bantah GST dan MP Teluk Intan meninggal dunia...

LIVE - SINI dan SINI

LIVE VIDEO STREAM

Live Himpunan Bantah GST 

DAP's Teluk Intan MP dies...

DAP's Teluk Intan MP Seah Leong Peng died this morning due to cancer. The 48-year-old's politician’s death was announced by the party on its official Twitter account.

This paves the way for a sixth by-election since the May 5, 2013 general election.

In the 2013 general election, Seah defeated Gerakan's Mah Siew Keong and independent K Moralingam with 7,313 majority in the last general election. Mah is currently Gerakan president.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Seah passed away at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre at about 7.30 am

Ipoh Timur Member of Parliament Thomas Su said Seah was found to be suffering from cancer in February.

"Since then, his condition worsened and he received treatement in Kuala Lumpur," he said.

He said Seah's remains was expected to arrive at his residence in Teluk Intan this afternoon.

The late Seah was also Pasir Bedamar state assemblyman for three terms since 1999. 

Seah also served as the Pasir Bedamar assemblyman in Perak for three terms and was an executive councillor in the short-lived Pakatan Rakyat state government in 2008.

His death is the latest blow to DAP, which lost its Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh in a road accident at KM306.1 of the North South highway near Gua Tempurung on April 17.

The by-election to fill Karpal’s seat has been fixed for May 25 while nomination is set for May 12.- mk

Ahli Parlimen DAP Teluk Intan meninggal dunia

Penganjur demonstrasi 1 Mei tidak rancang ‘rempuh’ Dataran Merdeka...

Penganjur Demonstrasi Bantah Kenaikan Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST) 1 Mei esok memutuskan untuk tidak menjadikan padang Dataran Merdeka sebagai lokasi terakhir himpunan.

Sebaliknya, mereka merancang untuk berkumpul di depan Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad di Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur.

Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu, berkata berdasarkan pertemuan dengan Ketua Polis Daerah Dang Wangi, Zainuddin Ahmad semalam, polis akan memberikan kerjasama dengan menutup Jalan Raja sepanjang perhimpunan itu berlangsung berlangsung.

“Perhimpunan akan bermula pada jam 2 petang esok dan kita tidak akan masuk padang,” katanya pada sidang media di Kuala Lumpur, hari ini.

Mohamad berkata, tiada perarakan akan diadakan sebaliknya peserta perhimpunan akan berjalan secara aman dari empat lokasi utama iaitu tempat berkumpul di Masjid Negara, kompleks beli-belah Sogo, Dataran Maybank dan KLCC menuju ke Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad.

Bertemakan warna merah, beberapa pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat dijangka hadir termasuk Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Beberapa ucapan akan diadakan dengan membawa beberapa sepanduk berkaitan dengan GST, soal ketirisan dan lain-lain,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Naib Presiden PKR, Tian Chua berkata pihaknya memberi jaminan perhimpunan esok akan berlangsung mengikut lunas undang-undang.

“Kita harap seramai mungkin akan keluar dan menyatakan pendirian tentang GST dan dasar ekonomi yang membebankan rakyat.

“Kita juga ingin menyampaikan penghargaan kepada polis yang mengikut arus sedar tugas utama polis ialah menyediakan kemudahan dan sentiasa bersedia membantu orang awam melaksanakan aktiviti mengikut undang-undang dan hak perlembagaan,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Setiausaha Agung Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), S Arutchelvan, berkata pihaknya dimaklumkan wakil Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia (Suhakam) akan memantau perjalanan perhimpunan itu esok.

Katanya, sempena Hari Pekerja, PSM juga akan mewakili 95 NGO berkumpul di KLCC esok untuk menuntut agar GST dibatalkan.

“Ini mesej kepada kerajaan rakyat sudah muak dengan janji menangani isu kos sara hidup tetapi setelah genap setahun kerajaan cuma melaksanakan dasar yang menindas rakyat,” katanya. – mk

"Golongan India pula profesional, peguam dan doktor,” katanya kepada pemberita.

“Sesiapa yang tidak datang ke Malaysia sungguhlah tidak bernasib baik,” tambahnya.

Mahathir juga berkata beliau bersetuju penuh dengan pandangan ahli ekonomi AS Joseph Stiglitz bahawa terhadap jurang ketidaksamarataan di negara kuasa dunia itu.

Obama dalam lawatannya ke Malaysia baru-baru ini berkata, Malaysia tidak akan berjaya jika golongan bukan Islam tidak diberikan peluang sama rata.

Disagreeing with US President Barack Obama, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Chinese and Indians are wealthy and successful in Malaysia.

"In Malaysia, despite our policies, Do you see the Chinese poor? The Indians are professionals, they are lawyers and doctors," he told reporters.

"Those who didn't come to Malaysia are not so fortunate," Mahathir added.

The former prime minister also said that he agreed with American economist Joseph Stiglitz that there is huge inequality in the US.

Obama had ruffled the feathers of certain quarters, when he said that Malaysia would not succeed if non-Muslims are not given equal opportunities.

"I would like you to read Joseph Stiglitz’s book ('The Price to Pay for Inequality').

"He points out that there is no equality in the US at all. One percent owns all the wealth and the rest are poor. That is why there is a group calling themselves the '99' who wants to occupy Wall Street," Mahathir said.

Stiglitz spoke more truth than Obama' 

He reiterated that Stiglitz spoke more truth than Obama, who was the first American president to visit Malaysia in nearly 50 years.

Obama was welcomed with much fanfare when he came to Malaysia last weekend and met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the prime minister and cabinet ministers.

He also had a town hall dialogue to rally Southeast Asian youth leaders and the civil society movement.

Despite rebuking Obama's recommendations on how to treat minorities, Mahathir did say it was good that a US president had, at least, touched down in Malaysia.

"Obama's visit can only help expose him to Malaysia. I am confident that he has heard much before this but had no clue about what Malaysia is," he said.

To a question on Obama's visit to the National Mosque and royal tombs, he said that he applauded the "very diplomatic" move.

"He's good at winning hearts, that's why he won (the US elections)," Mahathir said. - mk

Police agree to allow May Day rally, with conditions

After several discussions with authorities, the organisers of the anti-goods and services tax (GST) rally scheduled for tomorrow claimed they have been given permission to gather at Jalan Raja, the main road facing Dataran Merdeka.

Organising committee member PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said the participants will don red colour, as a symbol of the struggles of the labour force, while the Jalan Raja road will be closed for the rally scheduled to start at 2pm.

Mohamad Sabu, who is widely known as Mat Sabu, said this was agreed to in his discussions with the Dang Wangi district police chief Zainuddin Ahmad yesterday.

The organisers have also agreed to the police request not to enter Dataran Merdeka and they expect the huge number of participants to flood into to the adjacent Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Raja Laut.

However, Mat Sabu said, the police will not allow the participants to march. They must instead "walk" to Jalan Raja from the four determined gathering locations - Masjid Negara, Sogo departmental store, Dataran Maybank and KLCC.

Meanwhile police will ensure cooperation on their part for a smooth anti-GST rally tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur chief police officer Mohmad Salleh said today.

"Personally, I feel this rally will start and end well," Mohmad said, after four engagement sessions with the rally organisers over the past couple of weeks.

"We have told them that Dataran Merdeka is out of bounds because it is under renovation," he added.

He said that while people are allowed to walk in huge groups from the four gathering points for the rally, they are not allowed to use loudspeakers or chant while proceeding to the rally point.

He estimated there will be 10,000 to 15,000 people participating in the rally tomorrow.

However, Mohmad refused to elaborate if the police still consider the rally illegal.

“Our duty is to enforce the law. We have reached an agreement with the organisers to facilitate the rally,” he said during a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

“But whether it is illegal, you can look at the (Peaceful Assembly) Act and make your own interpretations. We are not going to interpret the law,” he said.

He advised the public to “try to avoid” rally converging locations such as KLCC, Sogo, Puduraya, Central Market, and KL Sentral tomorrow so that they do not get caught in crawling traffic.

“The roads will still be open, there is no closure, but then the traffic movement will be slow,” he said.

He urged rally participants not to provoke the police.

“We both (police and participants) have our responsibilities,” he said.

Mohmad said that he has “enough manpower” to deal with the rally tomorrow, without giving away numbers.-mk

cheers.