Kos menyekolah anak dan ragam murid di hari pertama sekolah...

Seorang penjaga mengisahkan beliau mempunyai 2 orang anak yang masih bersekolah rendah terpaksa membayar yuran sebanyak RM750 seorang menjadikan RM1,500 ( Satu Ribu Lima Ratus Ringgit).

Itu baru yuran .. belum masuk nak beli alat-alat tulis .. paling sengkek pun tak lari RM200 seorang .

Pakaian, beg, kasut dan stokin? .

Tambang bas yang naik 40%?.

Buka saja lembaran baru alam persekolahan tahun 2014 setiap ibu bapa terpaksa membelanjakan paling koman untuk seorang anaknya peringkat sekolah rendah ialah RM1,000 ..

Bayangkan jika yang mempunyai 3 anak yang masih bersekolah ...

Persoalannya .. dulu Menteri yang jaga sekolah pernah berkata bahawa rakyat Malaysia akan mendapat pendidikan percuma .. Tetapi dimana percumanya kalau terpaksa bayar yuran sampai RM750 ( Tujuh Ratus dan Lima Puluh Ringgit) seorang?????

Ini resit yang sah dikeluarkan oleh Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia tercatit tahun 2014!!!!!

Apakah ada nanti suara guris hati rakyat .. kata-kata hina kebijaksanaan rakyat akan terhambur dari para pemteri dan pemimpin UMNO seperti kalau rasa mahal jangan hantar anak bersekolah???? .. Mungkinkah .. Kalau benar maka ianya tidak mengejutkan sama sekali.- omakkau.blogspot

Macam2 ada...ibubapa tersepit dengan kos sara hidup yang tinggi...anak murid pula ada yang tersepit di kerusi... Guru besar terpaksa gergajikan kerusi untuk selamatkan anak murid yang tersepit...

Macam-macam... pada hari pertama persekolahan...

Yang ni tersepit pasai janji telah dicapati...

Under-the-trees learning for these Tamil children...

Some 20 students of the Seaport Tamil primary school (SJK Tamil Seaport) are spending their school days this year studying, on their own, under trees on the open ground as their parents demand the re-opening of the Kelana Jaya school that was abruptly shut down late last month.

The parents are refusing to accept the Education Ministry’s relocation order on the 80-year-old Tamil school to a new block in Kampung Lindungan in Subang that has been given the same name, which they say is too far away and inconvenient for them.

"If this school goes, there will be no vernacular Tamil school in Kelana Jaya and Lembah Subang at all," school’s Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) chairperson V Kumar said today.

Rising living costs, Kumar said, would mean that many of the parents, who are low income earners, would not be able to afford the daily 9km journey to send and pick up their children from the new school building.

The parents also pointed to difficulties securing school bus transportation to send their children to the new school.

The ministry had told the parents that the Kelana Jaya land, which belongs to state government body Selangor State Development Authority (PKNS), was been sold to a private developer, but land searches done by the parents reveal that the land is in the name of PKNS.

The disgruntled parents, who have been opposing possible relocation of the school for several years now, want the state government to intervene in order to keep the school at its present site.

The school building has been locked up by the headmistress, leaving parents to leave their children on plastic chairs at an adjacent open ground compound, with no teachers available to teach them.

No black-and-white confirmation

Kumar said that as the PTA chair, he was only notified of the relocation plan on Nov 9, after a meeting with the state education department officials, during which he registered his opposition to the proposed move.

"Back then they told me that those who wish to stay in that school, this can be arranged for. They said they would write a letter to me," Kumar said.

"But until now, there was no letter. Even the relocation, the headmistress called me abruptly on Dec 19 and just said that they are shifting schools," he added.

The parents have not received any black-and-white confirmation from the ministry about the reasons behind the school relocation either.

PKR's Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen (right) said that he would assist the residents in getting answers from the Selangor state government after he visited the school today.

"It is not appropriate for the state not to have given any answer to these residents. I think this is a case of miscommunication. It is important to keep the issue alive," Wong said, referring to several signed petitions already sent by the parents to the Selangor Menteri Besar's office back in 2012.

Wong, however, said that he had just been made aware of the issue and would need to establish the full picture before taking further action.- malaysiakini

 

In Penang, the Good, Bad and Ugly...

This past year was one that saw Penang hitting the headlines in more ways than one. From politics to social issues, from the environment to development, 2013 had plenty of surprises, tales and amazing affairs all combined to make it one heck of a year for the Pearl of the Orient.

Triumph

A year-end review in an election year will be incomplete if the political action is left out. Penang felt the heat as Barisan Nasional (BN) clashed with a fledging, albeit fast-maturing, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for control of the state.

Sore from losing control of one of the most industrialised states in the federation, BN made many promises during its election campaign for the 13th general election, from more affordable housing to a possible return of free port status to Penang, as it tried to regain control of the state.

Organisations aligned to BN, the most prominent being the 1Malaysia Penang Welfare Club, also made their presence felt as free food, drinks and entertainment were provided almost every night at various locations.

The triumvirate of DAP, PAS and PKR were no slouches despite the huge pressure on them and the last-minute bickering for seats which saw a three-cornered fight emerging for a constituency.

The PR alliance drew the crowds with its nightly ceramah where thousands packed fields to hear fiery speeches by its national and local leaders.

When the final votes were tallied, PR again emerged the victor by winning 30 of the 40 state seats, thereby strengthening its hold on the state legislature and showing the nascent cooperation was solidifying into an entity here to stay for the long term.

Tragedy

In June, two infrastructure disasters that struck a week from each other claimed the lives of two men. On June 6, a 30m section of a ramp leading to the then still under construction Second Penang Bridge collapsed burying former policeman Tajuddin Zainal Abidin, who was on his way home to Batu Maung, under the rubble.

On June 13, hawker Lim Chin Aik died after the car he was driving was struck by a 30m tall lighting arrestor which broke off from Menara Umno during a freak storm.

The incidents made newspaper front pages as the state scrambled to ensure buildings in Penang were safe while people tried to make sense of the unprecedented infrastructure failings in the new millennium.

The last time a structure failed was in July 1988 when a section of the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 32 people and injuring 1,634 others.

Traffic

Everyone agrees traffic congestion in Penang is bad. What is not agreed is how to go about solving the problem. For some, improving public transport is the way forward but for the state government, a RM6.3 billion package of three road projects and an undersea tunnel is seen as the answer.

The projects are a 4.2km bypass from Gurney Drive to Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a 4.6km bypass between Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and Bandar Baru Air Itam, a 12km paired road from Jalan Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang and the 6.5km Penang-Butterworth sea tunnel.

Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture between Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd and China Railway Construction Co Ltd, together with Beijing Urban Construction Group, Sri Tinggi Sdn Bhd and Juteras Sdn Bhd, was awarded the projects in October.

Controversy

Penang is well known for sun, sand and surf but despite these happy connotations, the state was not spared religious bigotry as a purported Bible burning festival was to be held at Butterworth as a result of the "Allah" controversy.

Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali had called for Bibles to be burnt and leaflets were found promoting the event which was to be held on a Sunday in January, a day Christians consider holy.

Thankfully the "festival" turned out to be a damp squib as no one turned up to burn the holy book.

Housing

There is no doubt that properties in Penang are expensive. The entry cost is high even for the supposedly middle-class. High property prices have been blamed, rightly or wrongly, on speculation activities.

In order to ward off a property bubble and to cool the market, the state introduced new property rules in December.

One of the rules allows property costing RM400,000 and below to only be sold after the fifth year of purchase while extending the moratorium on sale of low-cost and low-medium cost housing to 10 years from five previously.

The other rules include a 3% levy on purchases by foreigners and a 2% levy on the seller of all properties within three years of the date of sale and purchase.

These new measures have not gone down well with some quarters, which questioned the validity and legality of the rules which are alleged to contravene the National Land Code. Others however have lauded the administration for being far-sighted in addressing the housing issue.

Despite the brickbats, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has gone on record to say the state is willing to face any legal challenge over the move.

It remains to be seen if anyone is willing to be the first to test the rules' legitimacy. These are just some of the events which made 2013 an eventful one. - theSundaily

cheers.

Anak Mahathir minta Putrajaya tukar 'Malaysia Boleh' kepada "Malaysia Tak Boleh'...

Anak perempuan kepada perdana menteri paling lama Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hari ini mengecam Putrajaya yang terus diam dengan isu-isu panas yang dimainkan kerana ia boleh menimbulkan perbalahan dan memberi kesan kepada negara.

Dalam ruangannya di akhbar The Star, Musings, Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir (gambar) mengeluh tentang kepimpinan negara yang boleh melaungkan perpaduan tetapi diam terhadap kenyataan sensitif yang dibuat oleh pihak-pihak tertentu.

"Apakah jenis kepimpinan yang kita ada yang mulutnya bercakap tentang kesederhanaan dan perpaduan, namun sama sekali tidak berbuat apa-apa terhadap penyataan melampau yang dibuat bukan sahaja oleh apa yang dipanggil badan bukan kerajaan, tetapi juga oleh beberapa pemimpin kerajaan?

“Adakah mereka sedar atau takut? Dan jika mereka takut, mengapa?" tanya beliau dalam tulisannya.

Tulisannya ini telah menyentuh sanubari rakyat Malaysia apabila mereka menyebarkannya melalui laman sosial Facebook dan juga Twitter.

Tanpa namakan mana-mana pihak, Marina menulis, pemimpin negara lebih senang menghabiskan masa untuk mempertahankan kesilapan yang dibuat oleh keluarga sendiri daripada bercakap untuk pihak yang lemah dan tidak terbela dalam masyarakat.

"Ia sangat memalukan," katanya kerana rakyat Malaysia dipimpin oleh orang-orang yang jahil, tidak berpengetahuan tetapi bangga menjadi demikian.

"Kita berharap rakyat Malaysia yang terbaik semasa semua perayaan, tapi bagaimana ia tiba-tiba menjadi ancaman kepada iman kita?

“Atau adakah iman kita begitu rapuh dan tidak dapat menghadapinya? "tanya beliau hari ini.

Marina juga menulis, hampir setiap hari rakyat dilarang dari menyentuh sesuatu menyebabkan slogan "Malaysia Boleh" sudah menjadi "Malaysia Tidak Boleh".

"Kami diberitahu kita tidak boleh baik antara satu sama lain kerana ia mungkin mengancam iman sebahagian daripada kita. Kita diberitahu bahawa kita tidak boleh bercakap terus-terang kerana sesetengah orang mungkin akan tersinggung.

"Jadi, pada asasnya, rakyat Malaysia berbangga sebenarnya mempunyai iman yang lemah yang memerlukan bantuan kerajaan yang berterusan dan mempunyai rasa rendah diri.

"Inilah cara berfikir mereka dan mereka kira ini cara yang paling cepat ke syurga iaitu dengan menindas orang lain. Cantik!" katanya.

Dia juga menulis, negara sekarang mempunyai kerajaan yang berkuasa tetapi tidak disukai rakyatnya, tetapi mereka (kerajaan) tidak faham mengapa.

"Dan dalam jawapannya, mereka kira semua yang rakyat mahu ialah menjadi lebih beragama dan untuk dibeli," katanya.

Marina mengakhiri ruangannya dengan berharap tahun 2014 ini lebih ramai rakyat yang bangkit dan faham bahawa negara berada dalam bahaya.

"Untuk berjaya dalam dunia hari ini adalah dengan menjadi kuat. Kekuatan datangnya dari ilmu dan memahami realiti hidup hari ini dan bukan hidup dalam pulau fantasi bersama orang jahat," tulisnya.-tMi

Marina Mahathir raps Putrajaya for keeping mum on serious issues...

Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir hit out at Putrajaya today for keeping silent on simmering contentious issues affecting the country.

In her "Musings"column in English daily The Star, Marina said that the country’s leadership may preach about unity, but remained silent over sensitive statements made by certain parties.

“What sort of leadership do we have which only mouths platitudes about moderation and unity, yet has absolutely nothing to say about the type of extreme pronouncements made not only by so-called NGOs, but also by some parts of government?” she said.

 “Are they oblivious or scared? And if they are scared, why?”

Her article struck a chord with Malaysians, with many sharing it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Without mentioning names, Marina said that the country’s leaders would rather spend time defending family foibles than speak up for the most vulnerable and defenceless in society.

"How embarrassing is that?"

Malaysians, she said, were being led by people who were ignorant, unschooled and yet proud to be so.

“We have celebrated the Gregorian new year for ages. So how did it suddenly become a Jewish celebration?

“We have wished our fellow Malaysians the best during all our festivities. So how did it suddenly become a threat to our faith? Or is our faith so fragile that it can hardly withstand anything?”

She said on a daily basis, there are more and more things Malaysians are told they cannot touch on, so much so that the country’s slogan of “Malaysia Boleh” might as well be turned to “Malaysia Tak Boleh”.

“We are told we cannot be nice to each other because it might endanger the faith of some of us.

“We are told that we cannot talk frankly because some people, obviously with weaker constitutions than the rest of us, might get offended.

“We cannot do anything without treading on eggshells because some people have paper-thin skins.

“So basically, the Malaysians we are supposed to be proud of are those with weak faith, who need constant government help and have such inferiority complexes, that anything and everything that anyone else does better is offensive to them.

“These are the people who think the fastest way to heaven is to oppress other people. Lovely!” she said.

She said the country now has a government in power which is disliked by the people and yet, they were unable to understand why that is so.

“And it is responding by thinking that all that the people want is more religion and to be bought.”

Even that is “failing miserably”, she said.

“There is a simple premise behind election promises and pledges: They need to be kept. Either that or rely on people’s short-term memory. Which isn’t reliable by any measure.

“It’s astounding to me that simple logic doesn’t apply to the way our politicians think.”

She ended her column with her wish for 2014: that many more Malaysians will wake up and realise the danger our country is in.

“That to survive in the world today is by being strong.

“And strength comes from being educated and in tune with the realities of the world, not living in some fantasyland filled with bigots.”

Marina is also the daughter of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir had said last week that Putrajaya could minimise wastage and improve efficiency by applying a "cost down" concept to manage its growing expenses.- tMi

Sebuah darjah di Sekolah Rendah tetiba menjadi gempar dan kecuh gara-gara seorang anak murid perempuan tersepit kepalanya di sebuah kerusi.Tiada jalan lain melainkan terpaksa Guru Besar sekolah berkenaan dengan di bantu Guru Darjah terpaksa mengajikan kerusi tersebut.

cheers.

Rakyat sambut tahun barang naik di Dataran Merdeka, Najib sambut 2014 di Sydney dan L.A......

 

Najib,Rosmah bercuti ke LA, Sydney ketika rakyat sambut 2014 tahun harga barang naik...

  

Tokoh wartawan, A Kadir Jasin, dalam tulisan di blognya pada 30 Disember lalu menimbulkan soalan ke mana perdana menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor ketika sambutan tahun baru.

Dalam tulisannya, Kadir menulis- ketika orang ramai berhimpun di Dataran Merdeka bagi memprotes kenaikan harga barang dan kos sara hidup, Najib tiada di Malaysia untuk mendengar tuntutan mereka.

“Ketika penunjuk perasaan, menentang kerajaan, menuntut itu dan ini, mereka perlu tahu bahawa perdana menteri, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, tiada di sini untuk mendengar tuntutan mereka secara langsung,” tulis Kadir diblognya, kadirjasin.blogspot.com.

Menurut Kadir, maklumat diperolehi menyatakan Najib berada di luar negara ketika sambutan tahun baru walaupun pada awalnya dinafikan kumpulan ‘Penasihat Komunikasi Najib’ (CAG).
 

Katanya, dalam satu kiriman di blognya bertajuk “Wanita Chief and the Grandmaster” pada 11 Disember lalu, seorang bernama Zainol memberi komen Najib dan isterinya, bercuti ke Los Angeles (LA) dan terbang ke Sydney, Australia sempena tahun baru.

“…Dia kata Najib akan pergi cuti di LA dengan Isteri… Mereka terbang dari LA ke Sydney nak tengok matahari naik di Sydney.

“Jam itu kita masih tidor di Malaysia. Lepas itu mereka akan terbang dari Sydney pergi ke Las Vegas untuk tengok kali kedua matahari naik. Sebab Amerika satu hari lambat dari Australia,” komen itu dipetik Kadir.

Menurut Kadir, beliau mengirimkan pesanan ringkas (SMS) kepada ‘anggota CAG’ untuk bertanyakan kebenaran perkara itu, namun ia dinafikan.

Bagi mengesahkan ia bukan sekadar gossip atau fitnah, Kadir pada 30 Disember lalu mengirim SMS kepada Setiausaha Najib, Tengku Sharifuddin Tengku Ahmad yang mengesahkan Najib ke luar negara dan tugasnya diambil alih oleh timbalannya, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
 

Kadir menambah, beliau juga bertanya kepada editor dua buah akhbar, salah seorangnya juga anggota ‘CAG’ melalui SMS, bagi mengetahui sekiranya ada kenyataan rasmi dibuat.

Editor berkenaan kemudian mengesahkan bahawa tiada kenyataan rasmi dikeluarkan, namun enggan namanya dipetik.
 

Kadir yang sebelum ini dianggap bekas orang kuat Tun Mahathir Mohamad mencuri perhatian apabila menyindir Najib dan isterinya, Rosmah Mansor di blognya.
 

Secara sinis beliau mencadangkan Rosmah dilantik ke jawatan menteri, malah ke jawatan perdana menteri kerana peranannya mengambil tugas menteri-menteri kabinet.
 

Ia ekoran pujian Najib terhadap isterinya itu pada Perhimpunan Agung Umno awal Disember lalu, selepas mendapat kritikan menggunakan jet kerajaan untuk lawatan peribadi ke luar negara.

Tulisan Kadir itu, dilihat oleh ramai pemerhati politik sebagai serangan awal terhadap kepimpinan Najib dan mewakili pandangan bekas perdana menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.- f/bk

  

 

Najib Not Here to Hear on New Year Day...

While the protestors, be they for or against the government, may be demanding this and that, they should know that the man who could make things happen, i.e the Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, is not here to hear their demands firsthand.

He will be abroad for the New Year celebrations. Despite an earlier denial by a member of his Communication Advisory Group (CAG), the PM is indeed abroad.

A Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) regular said he left soon after Christmas celebrations in Penang and is not due back until Jan. 5.

Some readers and commentators may consider this article a gossip and “fitnah” (libel/slander) or even sacrilegious. But the following is the sequence of event to drive home my point.

1. In the posting entitled “Wanita Chief and the Grandmaster” on Dec. 11, a debater going by the name of Zainol, had, among other things, commented: “…Dia kata Najib akan pergi cuti di LA dengan Isteri…Mereka terbang dari LA ka Sydney nak tengok matahari naik di Sydney. Jam itu kita masih tidor di Malaysia. Lepas itu mereka akan terbang dari Sydney pergi ka Les vagas untok tengok kalimkedua matahari naik. sebab Amerika satu hari lambat dari Australia.”
 
2. I asked a member of the CAG via SMS if this is true. The response: “NO!!!..” which I duly posted in the comment section of the posting entitled “Suspending Newspapers May Not Be The Answer.”
 
3. I then made the following notation: “Jadi, kalau ikut penasihat CAG itu, berita/dakwaan PM akan bercuti di luar negara pada tahun baru tidak betul. Tetapi tahun baru masih 7 hari lagi.”

4. Today, on the advise of the CAG member (one who denied the PM was going abroad) I sent the following SMS to the PM’s Press Secretary, Tengku Sharifuddin Tengku Ahmad: “Salam Tengku. This is akj. I have published a denial that the PM and wife are going to sydney and las vegas on the new year’s eve. The source asked me to confirm with you. Tq.”

5. He replied “Dato.. PM is on leave and overseas.” (So the CAG member was wrong!)

6. Just to be absolutely sure and not be accused of gossiping, libelling and slandering, I sent another SMS to Tengku Sharifuddin: “Sorry, I assume he will not be around for the new year. Tq.”
 
7. His response: “Overseas on leave. Dpm will be around.”(Good luck Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin. Tired or not our well being is in your hand for the next few days.) 

8. Just to be super sure that I wasn’t missing anything, I asked two very senior newspaper editors, one of whom is also a member of the CAG, via SMS: “Sdr, akj here. Was there official announcement that the PM is on leave abroad? For my blog. Help appreciated. Tq.”

9. One responded: “No. I don’t think so. Don’t quote me plse.”
 
10. My response to him; “…May I say, a newspaper editor said no official media statement to that effect? Tq.”

11. He replied: “Ok.”

12. To be fair to all, I shot another SMS to Tengku Sharifuddin: “So the allegation that he might be in sydney and las vegas to see the sunrise on the new year could possibly be true. Someone from the CAG said pm wasn’t going abroad. I have to clarify in my blog. Anything u would like to add? Tq.”

The PM was also away at this time last year. But he is not alone. Many other ministers are also out of the country.

So if this is a gossip, a libel and a slander ( as I have alleged), I am willing to have debaters and visitors departing this blog in droves and not ever again commit sins by debating here as many a pious Muslim has been warning us lately. - The Scribe A.Kadir Jasin

Polis mohon maaf atas gambar 'anggota DBKL cedera' ketika perhimpunan Turun...

Gambar kononnya seorang anggota PGA atau DBKL yang disebarkan oleh macai UMNO semalam bukanlah gambar dari dataran, dari maklumat yang diterima dari abang mangsa: gambar tersebut adalah gambar adiknya yang ditetak oleh Lelaki India di Damansara Damai!

Laman sosial facebook macai UMNO tersebut, ANTI Semua Salah UMNO, menyatakan kononnya seorang anggota DBKL cedera teruk di bahagian kepala hingga bercucuran darah seluruh badan terkena batu yang dikatakan dilempar oleh peserta perhimpunan guling kerajaan di Dataran Merdeka malam tadi.

Kemudian pihak polis telah menggunakan gambar tersebut untuk dimuatnaik di dalam facebook Polis Diraja Malaysia dengan mendakwa lelaki yang berdarah itu sebagai salah seorang anggotanya.

Namun kemudian pihak polis telah meminta maaf di atas kesilapan (yang disengajakan?) memuatnaik gambar tersebut.

Sementara itu, tuan empunya badan Zoul Hellme Mustafar di dalam facebooknya bahawa beliau akan membuat laporan polis kerana gambarnya telah disalah-gunakan.

Saya tuan punya badan..yang mana sesuka hati membabit kan sy dlm hal2 perhimpunan haram, saya akan buat report polis.

Demikian hukum kebenaran dan keadilan berjalan... bagaimana fitnah menjadi budaya macai UMNO yang kemudiannya pihak polis juga terlibat sama.

Kebenaran tetap terdedah dan mengalahkan fitnah dan kebatilan. Si Pemfitnah akan tetap menerima hukumannya di dunia dan di akhirat.- gb

Gambar Anggota PGA atau DBKL yang tersebar semalam bukanlah gambar dari dataran, dari maklumat yang diterima dari Abang Mangsa. Gambar tersebut adalah gambar adiknya yang ditetak di Damansara Damai...

 

Police apologises over 'injured cop' picture...

The police have apologised for uploading a picture of an injured man that it assumed was a police officer on duty during the anti-price hike rally at Dataran Merdeka last night.

The force’s official Facebook page yesterday uploaded a picture of a man with a head injury who was bleeding profusely, but the picture was denounced by many netizens who pointed out that it was inconsistent with the police’s own statement that the three officers injured on duty yesterday were only injured on their arms.

“We apologise for our carelessness in uploading a picture assumed to be a police officer who got injured while on duty on New Year’s Eve,” it said in a short statement today.

“PDRM has no intentions of making the situation any worse,” it added.

It went on to say that police officers were “normal humans” who are “prone to mistakes”.

“We can’t run away from making mistakes but we will always improve our weaknesses,” it said.

The source of the picture remains unverified but it is believed that picture was circulated within Facebook after an individual claimed that the injured man was a General Operations Force member.- malaysiakini

Kurang RM1,698 untuk hiburan bulanan.Lagi RM6.8billion...

cheers.

Bekas Permaisuri Agong mohon batal 'penceraian'...

Bekas Sultanah Johor fail permohonan ketepi cerai daripada bekas sultan...

Bekas Sultanah Johor, Tuanku Zanariah Tunku Ahmad (gambar) memfailkan permohonan ke Mahkamah Syariah hari ini untuk mengenepikan perintah sebelum ini bahawa bekas suaminya Almarhum Tuanku Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail telah menceraikannya.

Beliau memohon keputusan mahkamah bahawa beliau telah diceraikan pada 23 Januari 2009 dan rujuk seminggu kemudian adalah tidak sah.

Dalam afidavit menyokong permohonan yang difailkan hari ini, dia mendakwa jabatan kerajaan Johor khasnya pejabat agama  telah disalahgunakan untuk memalukan beliau dan Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.

Tuanku Zanariah berkata, bekas sultan tidak pernah membuat permohonan penceraian itu, dan beliau bersama bekas sultan hidup bersama sebagai suami isteri yang sah dalam keadaan aman dan harmoni sehinggalah sultan mangkat pada 22 Januari 2010.

Dalam kes asal, Sultan Iskandar dinamakan sebagai plaintif manakala Tuanku Zanariah sebagai responden yang bermakna bekas sultan itu yang mengambil tindakan undang-undang ke atasnya.

Bagaimanapun, Tuanku Zanariah berkata, beliau tidak pernah dimaklumkan atau diserahkan sebarang surat prosiding mahkamah itu dan hanya mengetahui mengenainya pada 30 September 2013 melalui surat yang dihantar oleh Mufti Johor, Datuk Mohd Tahrir Syamsuddin.

"Daripada surat mufti, ia menunjukkan Jawatankuasa Fatwa Negeri telah menyalahgunakan kuasa pada 6 Ogos 2010 bahawa Sultan Iskandar dan Tuanku Zanariah telah bercerai, dan rujuk oleh almarhum adalah tidak sah," kata kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh pejabat Tuanku Zanariah.

Ekoran keputusan mahkamah itu, Tuanku Zanariah berkata, bekas Menteri Besar Johor ketika itu, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman pada 9 Disember 2010 telah menulis surat kepadanya dan menarik gelaran "Yang Maha Mulia Sultanah".

Beliau juga berkata, dia tidak pernah dimaklumkan mengenainya dan hanya tahu melalui surat mufti, tiga tahun kemudian.

"Ketidakadilan yang jelas telah dilakukan oleh pelbagai organisasi kerajaan negeri  khasnya pihak berkuasa agama," katanya dengan menambah saman ini dibuat untuk membersihkan nama baiknya serta Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, dimana reputasinya telah turut tercemar "tetapi telah tiada untuk mempertahankan diri."

Permohonan difailkan kira-kira jam 10.30 pagi hari ini di pejabat pendaftar Mahkamah Syariah Johor Bahru.

Tuanku Zanariah tidak hadir tetapi diwakili oleh peguamnya, peguam syarie Afshah Arifin dan Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman.

Kes telah ditetapkan pada 20 Januari untuk sebutan.

Di luar mahkamah, anak perempuan bongsu Tuanku Zanariah, Tunku Masera Iskandar berkata, dia sangat kesal dengan cara bondanya dilayan seolah-olah menggambarkan keluarganya "hidup dalam berdosa".

"Ibu saya bukan wanita jenis itu dan saya berharap kami akan mendapat keadilan," katanya kepada wartawan.- tMi

Peguam Tuanku Zanariah, Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman, bercakap kepada pemberita selepas memfailkan permohonan itu di Mahkamah Syariah Johor hari ini. 

Ex-Johor sultanah bids to nullify 'alleged' divorce...

The former sultanah of Johor Tunku Zanariah Tunku Ahmad has filed an application at the Johor Syariah Court today, to nullify the court order recognising her divorce from the late Sultan Mahmud Iskandar, who passed away on Jan 22, 2010.
 
Tunku Zanariah, 74, claims that the Johor Syariah Lower Court acted unlawfully to issue the order, eight months after her husband’s death, and backdating the divorce to 2009.

Tunku Zanariah was not present at the filing but her daughters were. She was represented by a team of lawyers comprising Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman, Habsah Arifin and Siti Nor Aira.

She has six children with Sultan Mahmud whom she named as the respondent, who was also the eighth Yang di Pertuan Agong and she was the Raja Permaisuri Agong during the 1990s. The present sultan is her stepson.

In court documents sighted by Malaysiakini, Tunku Zanariah wants the Lower Syariah court order dated Sept 30, 2010, to be set aside and declared null and void, along with other declaration the court deems fit.

There are four grounds to her application namely:

• The court order is wrong in law and is against syariah law,
• The divorce proceeding was wrong in law and is against syariah court procedures,
• The proceeding is against the procedures highlighted in Syariah Court Practices Enactment (Johor) 2003;
• And the order and decision is against principles of justice and syariah laws.

In her affidavit in support, Tunku Zanariah said they had been married since Aug 19, 1961, and claimed at all material times she was the legal wife.

The former sultanah said she received a letter dated Aug 22, 2013, from the Johor mufti Mohd Tahrir Syamsuddin, with three documents regarding herself that shocked her and she considered shameful.

• A letter by the former Johor menteri besar Abdul Ghani Othman, dated Dec 9, 2010, informing her that the Johor fatwa committee had met on Aug 6, 2010 and recognised the divorce proclamation made by the late ruler;
• The order by the Lower Johor Syariah court dated Sept 30, 2010, that decided the divorce was valid and deciding that the late sultan’s utterance for reconciliation is void;
• The divorce certificate dated Oct 8, 2010, claiming that they had been divorced since Jan 23, 2009.

Not called in divorce proceeding

Tunku Zanariah described that she was shocked to receive the mufti’s letter with the attachments as she felt that there was injustice done by certain parties.

She claimed that she had been advised by her lawyers that the divorce proceeding is against syariah law, and done not in accordance to the procedure of the Lower Syariah Court. Hence, the order dated Sept 30, 2010, is wrong, defective and invalid.

The former sultanah said she had been advised by her lawyers that the judge is bound by getting evidence that the proclamation of divorce was made and that the two, namely Abdul Ghani and the Johor Royal Committee chairperson Tengku Osman Tunku Temenggong Ahmad, who made a statutory declaration over it, were not qualified to verify it as they are not parties to the divorce application.

On the second divorce (talak dua) proclamation, Tunku Zanariah claims there was no affirmation from Sultan Mahmud himself who is the plaintiff in the case, and that any utterance of divorce made outside the court has be reported to the court within seven days.

Tunku Zanariah said the court should investigate whether the proclamation was valid according to Syariah laws and claims that there is an abuse of the court process, when the court only investigated based on the late sultan's report whereas he had already passed away.

“A person who passed away on Jan 22, 2010 does not have the legal capacity to initiate any court proceeding unless it is for the administration of its estate. Furthermore, during his lifetime the sultan had not file any divorce proceeding at any Johor Syariah court against me. He had not made an order or asked anyone to represent him in any divorce proceeding.”

“I further state that the divorce proceeding is against the normal practise as it is heard ex-parte (one side) as I was never called to verify as the defendant in this case. The matter was kept confidential from my knowledge as I was not served any notice nor cause of action,” the former sultanah said.

Tunku Zanariah said the court cannot decide and does not have the jurisdiction to decide on the case without her attendance.

Sultanah title withdrawn

She said that she has direct interest in this case as it involves her marriage and felt that there has been injustice done on her as the wife as she has been bestowed with the title sultanah.

Tunku Zanariah said Johor MB Abdul Ghani, in the letter dated Dec 9, 2010, which she received three years later, verified the divorce and the withdrawal of her title.

“I have been advised by my lawyers that the Johor Fatwa committee had acted beyond its powers when it made a decree on my marriage which is something personal, and not something of public interest and the problems faced by the people,” she said, claiming further that the committee had also abused its powers.

“This application is important as it pertains to justice and that I am still the lawful wife in law,” she emphasised, adding that she hopes the court would consider her application.

The Syariah court fixed Jan 21 for mention.- malaysiakini

Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur...

Dari Mesjid Jamek ke Dataran Merdeka

Dari Sogo ke Dataran Merdeka

Rafizi - Kalau Najib Tak Turunkan Harga Brg, Kita Turunkan Najib

 TURUN - Pandangan suasana perhimpunan dari bangunan tinggi

TURUN: 'Bagi kami masuk Dataran'

 'TURUN Protesters took over Dataran Merdeka'

 Datuk Bandar kl Ahmad Phesal di 'boo' peserta Turun

  2013 - Janji Dicapati, 2014 - Derita Rakyat

 

DBKL turned off the lights illuminating Dataran Merdeka and cancelled the count-down concert, ostensibly because of the TURUN protest. The protesters responded by reaching for their phones to light up Dataran Merdeka before they ended the protest...

 

 SINAR vs UTUSAN

 cheers.

Selamat datang 2014, tahun harga barang naik...

dari tumpang sekole

So, what costs are going up in 2014...

In a bid to to bring the country's deficit under control, the government has moved to cut subsidies on a number of essential items.

The government calls the move as "a necessary short-term pain" for sake of the country's long-term fiscal health.

However, these increases have created cascading effects, causing the prices of other good and services to increase as well because of the rising costs from the initial hikes.

To date, these are the items that have already increased in price:

1) RON 95 petrol – Increased from RM1.90 to RM2.10 per litre on Sept 3.

2) Diesel – Increased from RM1.80 to RM2.00 per litre on Sept 3.

3) Sugar – Increased from RM2.50 to RM2.84 per kg on Oct 25

For only three items, it isn't too bad. But what's going up next year?

1) Highway toll charges

The government has indicated that higher toll charges is a given, but has not given a deadline as it seeks to find a mechanism to minimise the impact.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Wahid Omar said the government needed to allow the increase to comply with its agreements with the highway concessionaires.

According to reports, the increases are expected to be between RM0.30 and RM1 and involve 13 highways.

2) Taxi, bus, train fares

The Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) has announced that it is considering an increase in the fares for the light rail transit (LRT) and Kereta Api Tanah Melayu services.

It's argument is that fares have not been increased for 10 years now, and added that any hike will only come in the second half of 2014.

Spad said it is also reviewing the taxi and bus fares, but the Johor Taxi Association had revealed, after its discussions with Spad, that the increase will come into effect in February.

The Union of School Bus Associations has also indicated that it may impose a 40 percent surcharge on bus fares beginning next year, citing diesel the price increase.

3) Electricity

From January 2014, electricity in peninsula Malaysia will cost 15 percent more, from RM33.54 to RM38.53 per kilowatt and 16.9 percent more in Sabah and Labuan, increasing from RM29.52 to RM34.52 per kilowatt.

4) Ice

If you need to tighten your purse, "milo ais kurang manis" isn't going to cut it, as the ice will also have to go. The industry cites rising cost from diesel and electricity hike.

The 26-member Tube Ice Manufacturers of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya announced that from January, a 50kg block of ice will cost about RM12.50 instead of RM10 and a 10kg bag of tube ice will cost about RM3.50, from RM3 now.

5) Stationery

The Federation of Stationers and Booksellers Association of Malaysia announced that stationeries are expected to see an increase in prices of between 20 and 30 percent by March. It cited increased costs from the fuel price hike.

6) Taxes

Klang Valley folks will have to fork out more money to their local government next year as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) unveiled a revision of property valuation in the capital which will results in a hike in assessment rates.

Even though it has announced that the assessment rate for residential property will be reduced from 6 percent to 5 percent, the upward revision of valuation up to 300 percent will still see an overall increase of assessment fee.

Likewise, the Selangor government announced that business licence fees will go up, up to 400 percent effective next year.

7) Temperature

Yes, you heard right, from 21 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius to be exact.

The Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management called on its 400-odd members to set air-conditioning at 23 to 24 degrees Celsius from current temperatures of as low as 21 degrees Celsius.

It said the move is to counter the electricity tariff hike. - malaysiakini

Newsmaker 2013 pilihan pembaca ialah...

Newsmaker ini dipilih mengikut takrif  'seseorang yang tindakannya menjadi tajuk berita, yang memberi kesan kepada wacana awam dan memberi impak kepada politik Malaysia, ke arah yang lebih baik atau lebih teruk lagi'.

Tahun ini, Malaysiakini menyenaraikan 12 individu bagi anugerah Newsmaker 2013 untuk dipilih oleh seramai 1,450 orang pelanggan berbayar portal berita ini.

Mereka mengundi dengan menunjukkan keutamaan mereka bagi setiap tokoh – satu markah untuk pilihan paling rendah dan 10 markah untuk pilihan paling tinggi.

Berdasarkan keputusan tinjauan ini, pembaca Malaysiakini pada tahun ini nampaknya memberi pengiktirafan kepada wanita paling kontroversi di Malaysia.

Dan pemenangnya ialah...

Newsmaker 2013 ialah Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, isteri kepada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Pelbagai kontroversi menghimpit Rosmah selama beberapa tahun ini. Tapi apa yang menyebabkan beliau memenangi anugerah tahun ini – berbanding pencapaian di tangga ketujuh pada tahun lalu – mungkin kerana liputan mengenai lawatan beliau ke luar negara menggunakan jet peribadi dibiayai kerajaan.
 

1. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (9,552 mata)

2.  Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (9,116)

3. Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (8,752)

4. Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil (7,842)

5. Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim (7,721)

6. Mohamad Sabu (7,380)

 

7. N Surendran (7,325)

8. Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (6,984)

9. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (6,678)

10. P Uthayakumar (5,750)

11. Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (5,393) 

 12. P Waythamoorthy (4,640)

2013 - GE13 takes centre stage...

The year under review, 2013, was a typical Malaysian year: it was full of excitement, zest for life, almost a comedy of errors and bursting at the seams with hope.

This, in a nutshell, could describe any other year in my lifetime in this country, once described as a land of milk and honey, but which carries a higher price tag these days.

Politically, given the fact that this hobby horse of some has a way of colouring life in the country, it was a year that appears to be an indicator of what looms on the horizon in future.

On the economic front, all appeared rosy but appearances, as they say, can be misleading.

Socially, as the internet wielded increasing influence on the lifestyle of the young, religion and culture put up a spirited defence of local values and norms.

The jury is still out on whether Malaysia will be swamped by so-called western values (how does one differentiate between them and local values, I wonder) as opposed to homegrown ones anchored on eastern culture and principles.

Back to politics, the political tsunami that swept the land in 2008 when Pakatan Rakyat (PR) took three states and made giant strides in several other states continued with the status quo maintained albeit with more seats in the bag for the motley crowd that the opposition coalition represented.

The May 5 elections saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) winning 133 of the 222 parliamentary seats while PR garnered 89 seats – an improvement over the 82 seats in 2008. But the icing on the cake for the BN was the winning back of Kedah from PR.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP) led the pack for the Opposition with 38 parliamentary seats (it had the giant's share of Chinese support) with a multi-racial Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) close behind with 30 seats and Islamist PAS with 21 seats.

As for the BN, Umno came out of the hustings stronger with 88 seats while the MCA was relegated to a non-entity with a dismal seven seats and the MIC hanging on for dear life with four seats.

There was a clear line drawn among the electorate with Umno winning more Malay support than it did in 2008, PAS trying to hang on to lagging Malay support, Chinese deserting the MCA and Gerakan for the DAP and Indians still giving their votes by and large to the BN via the MIC.

It was a year when the BN and PR fought tooth and nail over policies with the BN harping on almost every decision made by the opposition state governments with PR doing much the same in BN turf.

Next year can be expected to see more of the same cat and dog relationship between the two coalitions as stances harden to become almost intractable.

It appears as if a true two-party political system is evolving but what 2014 will see is still left to conjecture as PR's tag of a coalition of strange bedfellows is put to the test in the months ahead.

Generally-speaking, the year began with a nation fraying at the edges as political parties on both sides of the divide geared up for a battle royale at the forthcoming polls.

But the unexpected happened on Feb 12 when armed militants from the Philippines invaded Lahad Datu in Sabah to begin a standoff that culminated with two Malaysian policemen killed and three others injured.

Fourteen invaders were killed in the encounter which shocked Malaysians who never thought that such a battle would be brought to our shores.

On March 3, Ops Daulat was launched with casualties on the part of the Sulu's and a Malaysian soldier killed in action.

Fast forward to June and the haze reappeared with a vengeance to cloud the nation in a pall of acrid smoke from Indonesia with complicity by some in the peninsular.

Schools closed, offices saw diminishing number of staff at work and masks were the order of the day as the haze continued to bedevil Malaysians as it has for years with no respite in sight.

Quite coincidentally, July witnessed the banning of the shisha on religious and health grounds. To clear the air, there was no apparent link between this traditional style of Middle Eastern smoking and the haze.

The bizarre occurred on Aug 5 when 10 people tried to enter the Istana Negara grounds.

The horrific happened a little over a fortnight later when 37 people were killed and 16 injured in the worst road accident in Malaysia on the road down from Genting Highlands.

The nation mourned with the families of the victims, some of whom were foreigners with many asking searching questions about why such a crash should have occurred in Malaysia which boasts the best roads in the region, if not the world.

The announcing of the Education Blueprint in September caught Malaysian attention as many questioned the direction in which Malaysian education was heading.

Apace with this debate was that of the need to teach Science and Mathematics in English, a cause championed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Later the same month, the death of former communist supremo Chin Peng made the headlines with divergent views among Malaysian son whether his remains should be brought back to Malaysia.

The nays won the day with security forces put on alert to stop any attempt to bring in his ashes.

December has been a month of soul-searching and crystal ball gazing Malaysians as they collectively and warily look forward to a new year that appears to be filled with price hikes.

It is left to be seen whether this will pan out as contending views vie to be heard at all levels of Malaysian society.

What will 2014 be like? Only the future will tell.-theSundaily.

 

cheers.