Sabah, Sarawak to benefit from National Key Result Areas (NKRA) |
- Sabah, Sarawak to benefit from National Key Result Areas (NKRA)
- Can 2010 bring more common sense to us all?
- Antologi Dotkomania kini di pasaran
- Dasawarsa Berlalu
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- Ushering in HOPE - 2010
- Happy New Year 2010
- HAPPY 2010!
- Malaysian police joins Facebook community to get closer to the public
- What does “New Year” mean?
- Engine of Political Fraud
- HAPPY 2010 EVERYBODY!
- Malaysian Christian publication can use ‘Allah’ says High Court
- Sugar Price to increase, RM1.75 for Sarawak, Sabah, RM1.65 peninsular by Jan 1
- Zero-Nine Rewind
- Help Us!
- Last post ……. for 2009
- Resolutions and predictions.
- <br>*Cheers to the New Year 2010 !* <br>Remember: If you're
- “DAP SARAWAK…Finally and SPDP Whispers..??”
| Sabah, Sarawak to benefit from National Key Result Areas (NKRA) Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:07 PM PST The new year heralds real hopes for the people of Sabah and Sarawak to catch up with development as the National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) that will mostly benefit them when fully rolled out in January. Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said that this was the best opportunity for Sabah [...]
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| Can 2010 bring more common sense to us all? Posted: 31 Dec 2009 12:25 PM PST At the beginning of 2010 and the end of 2009, I couldn't write a posting worthy to be called "reaching" out to fair-thinking Malaysians except for the customary good wishes of hope - my feeble attempt HERE.  (Image from dapjlntembikai.wordpress.com)I would now like to reproduce what his thoughts are in full, both from his blog Malaysiana and the same article carried by The Malaysian Insider. A nation in waiting Today is not just an ordinary end to a year. It happens to be the end to a decade — the Noughties. I have been in search of words to describe the state of our nation during the first decade of the 21st century and felt compelled to borrow the title of Adam Schwarz's acclaimed book on Indonesia in the 1990s. Malaysia is a nation in waiting for a profound change, especially since the 1999 general election, when sufficient numbers of Malaysians voted for a corrupt-free government, a democratic political system, and a more equitable distribution of opportunities and resources. The themes that captured the attention of the electorate during the 1999 general election remained the same for the two subsequent elections, 2004 and 2008, except that in the 2004 elections, it was former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who stole the reform platform. The cry for reform was real ever since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad assumed the premiership nearly 30 years ago. Under his rule, politics and economy in Malaysia in general became a get-rich-quick scheme that had gone awry. This issue is highlighted in a new book on the former prime minister "Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times" which is still being withheld by either the Customs Department or the Home Ministry's Quran Publication Control and Text Division. In the book, author Barry Wain suggests that: "(B)ased on incomplete public information, RM15 billion was a conservative estimate of Perwaja's losses. Similarly, Bank Bumiputra dropped at least RM10 billion. Bank Negara's foreign exchange forays drained perhaps RM23 billion from Malaysia's reserves. "The cost of trying to push up the price of tin seemed paltry by comparison, may be RM1 billion. The total, RM50 billion or so, could have easily doubled if a professional accounting has been made, factoring in all the invisibles, from unrecorded write-offs to blatant embezzlement and opportunity costs." While the get-rich-quick scheme did go wrong, Malaysia was fortunate enough in the 1980s and 1990s because of the influx of foreign capital into Southeast Asia to finance the productive sectors and income from petroleum was sufficient to support a nascent rent-seeking culture. But the last 10 years saw our nation hanging in the balance. The economy did not really pick up after the 1997/1998 crisis. It is stuck in the low skill, low productivity, and low wage unhappy trinity that heavily depends on foreign labour while inevitably fuelled the exodus of the skilled and professional class. A World Bank report recently reported that only 25 per cent of Malaysian jobs are of skilled nature. While the real sectors did not grow, the civil service as well as the rent-seeking parts of the economy grew like nobody's business. The federal government employed fewer than 900,000 people at the turn of the century. Today, almost 1.3 million are on its payroll. The national budget tripled, from RM68 billion in 1998 to RM209 billion in 2009. Only now the government realises that it should reduce a bit, planning to spend RM191 billion for 2010. Yet, the quality of public service of all kinds, including public safety, roads, transportation, hospitals and healthcare, education, etc has visibly declined due to protectionism, wastage, corruption and collusion, as well as the wrongly done privatisation. And, because of poor public provision of services, the cost is borne by private citizens in various forms, which eats into their disposable income, unavoidably widening the gap between the rich and the poor. At the core of all these is politics. The one-party state that has ruled the country since independence refused to recognise the need to change despite suffering heavy blows in the 2008 general election. Moving into a new decade, it is my fervent hope to see the nation in waiting for more than a decade will rise again to democratise our political system, to free our government from corruption, and to see through the transformation of our society that has social justice and equal opportunity at heart. Only in such a society that we can restore hope and trust, and bring a new lease of life to our nation that is tired of waiting for change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As we take the first step into 2010, do we hear such rational and purposeful repose from those of the UMNO/BN kind? I think not! If only ordinary Malaysians would put aside state sponsored indoctrinated fears and return to common sense, we all know what needs to be done for a better Malaysia!  (Image from www.principalspage.com)Call me thick or naive but I'm hopeful that common sense will prevail in 2010 so long as fair-thinking Malaysians like YB Liew Chin Tong are representing us in parliament! 
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| Antologi Dotkomania kini di pasaran Posted: 31 Dec 2009 11:05 AM PST
Klik di SINI 
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 10:42 AM PST Berdiri dari pasir saujana sebuah arca kehidupan perjalanan diluar mimpi menghias peradaban silikon di sini, dasawarsa berlalu menjadi kilauan fatamorgana yang menganjak warna ruang dari langkah anak desa ke permukaan buana.  Hati menjamah suasana kitaran dari saingan global sentimental dalam paradoks ironi merubah destini di sini, dasawarsa bermula sebagai hikayat seribu perspektif yang mengolah puisi-puisi setelah sumpah anak desa terkubur di samudera maya Melambai sayup kejauhan sinaran bumi bertuah berbayang bersama alunan keroncong mengalun gelombang warisan di sini, dasawarsa bercambah merantai wajah-wajah memori sebagai imej-imej perasaan kerana masa depan itu adalah hari ini di mana-mana! Fudzail Al Twar 3, Dubai, UAE 3 Disember 2009 
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:20 AM PST  
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:54 AM PST  (Image from workchic.com/blog)
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST
     
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST WELCOME to 2010. It means that I have another year to love, laugh and make memories. 2009 has been eventful and wonderful. I've gotten to know that for every ten mean-spirited person out there, you only need one sweet person to balance it out. I'm thankful that I cannot count, with two hands, all the lovely and loving people in my life. There are so many and I am, indeed, blessed. So 2010, HERE'S TO YOU!  To the readers of this blog, this is my wish for you!  Thank you for coming by and to all those who spent some moments to comment, I've appreciated the gesture. Good luck, good health and God bless you with all things bright and wonderful for the New Year. 
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| Malaysian police joins Facebook community to get closer to the public Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:21 AM PST The police will use Facebook to get closer to the public, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan (picture). "As the social networking website is a popular medium of interaction, the police will capitalise on it from early January to achieve its targets by getting closer to the public," he told Bernama in an interview. To [...]
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 03:50 AM PST <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in;
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:56 AM PST A reflection about what the theft of the Malaysian Royal Military Air Force (RMAF) symbolizes of our present political establishment. A lot of us expressed disbelief that a RMAF jet fighter engines worth RM 50 million each were stolen along with other parts from the aircraft. The total cost is well over RM 100 million [...] 
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:50 AM PST WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR, best wishes and good tidings for next year. Time really flies. I hope to be 50 next year (Insya-Allah), just like A Voice and others whom I came to know on the blogs. Bru will be a year junior (betul ke?) although he doesnt looks ageing. A lot of pleasant and unpleasant events took place in 2009. Most to be remembered is of course (apart from Altantuya's haunting) the F5E scandal. I spoke to a few senior officials of Mindef and they believed a few top guns will be hooked later on. Nik Aziz wraps up his 2009 by his 'celaka' remarks which drawn attention of the masses. A respectable ulama, too may lose his head when he was attacked by bloggers. Otherwise, he's a 'nice' person, if not to others, to me... A series of by-elections which saw BN carded only 2 wins was another political window needs to be addressed by our leaders. And then, came the No.1 hit that jolted the judiciary - it seems that all decisions by the High Court can be reversed at the Court of Appeal. Anwar-Saiful remedy will goes on next year. The medical findings that nothing has penetrated Saiful's backside was quite interesting as it gives Anwar Ibrahim a wider window to breathe. The MCA saga is subsiding but much needs to be done to bring about stability to the BN component party. Umno, too must not feel relaxed as there are already signs of revolt in some divisions. PAS, DAP and Keadilan are also having problems. However, come to think about it, lu punya pasal la! Still, Malaysia is the best country to live in. Its so colorful, much colorful than the rainbow itself. (Rainbow is a popular 70s rock group which, among others, has Ritchie Blackmore of the Deep Purple as a member. Also recorded the song 'Rainbow' in their first album, a nice one). We have too much things to expect in 2010. Can we name the best 10 politicians by then? Can we look forward to another hard time should the world economy doesnt improve significantly. Anyway, CHEERS and SALAM! 
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| Malaysian Christian publication can use ‘Allah’ says High Court Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:26 AM PST A Malaysian court ruled on Thursday that a Catholic newspaper can use "Allah" to describe God in a surprise judgment that could allay worries about the erosion of minority rights in the majority Muslim country. The High Court said it was the constitutional right for the Catholic newspaper, the Herald, to use the word "Allah." "Even though [...]
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| Sugar Price to increase, RM1.75 for Sarawak, Sabah, RM1.65 peninsular by Jan 1 Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:16 AM PST Sugar will cost 20 sen more per kg from tomorrow, with the new price being RM1.65 in the peninsula and RM1.75 in Sabah and Sarawak, it was announced Thursday. Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Zain Mohd Dom, who made the announcement, said the government would also withdraw its subsidy on white bread [...]
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:16 AM PST Technorati tags: 2009, Retrospective, Recap, Rewind Wow… we're actually on the verge of welcoming another new year.
And now, it's almost another new year, in less than 6 hours time. It's been a rather slow blogging year for Walski, comparatively, including a few near-miss attempts to quit altogether. No point getting into the specifics of why – rest assured that he will definitely continue with myAsylum for a while yet. But there were a few blog projects that Walski had kinda planned, but didn't manage to pull off this year, due to time constraints, the key one being a new blog dedicated to the Hell on Earth News Network (HENN) . Same with the stalled comic series Kaca's Eyes – of which Walski's only managed to churn out two strips in '09 – the plan was a spin-off blog for Kaca and Dewilicious. It's something Walski's been thinking of doing for quite a while. Maybe next year. So, how did 2009 pan out, all told? Well, to put it mildly, it's been an interesting year. But a lot of it for all the wrong reasons… Walski won't be so ambitious as to try to recap the entire last decade. Many others have already done that, and there really is no point reinventing the wheel – unless you're a die-hard Islamist who wants to reinvent the Islamic this and Islamic that… But 2009 has been a busy year for the conservative Muslim demographic in our country. In February, an attempt to quell the voices of our more progressive sisters in Musawah (see also here) was in high gear. For the more conservative Malaysian muslims, the established status quo must be upheld, even if its defense is the flimsiest of threads. Particularly when it comes to women's issues, as evidenced by the many attempts at trying to silence Sisters In Islam this past year, including the call by PAS to ban the NGO. And then there's all those activities to ban anything resembling music and fun for the masses. Even something as mundane as Michael Learns To Rock came under attack. And you wonder why so many music acts opt for Singapore, Bangkok, or even Jakarta? Perhaps all of Malaysia's conservatives should take a leaf from what's currently happening in Iran (which started the June elections, and has never really stopped since), or the continued tyranny that ordinary Saudis face – a theocracy, as good as it sounds in theory, does not work. Let's not even mention the utter chaotic mess that is Somalia. Will this realization sink into some people's heads? Walski certainly hopes so – but only time will tell. It's useful to see how others have failed, if for nothing else, to not make the same blunders. The growing conservatism aside, one thing that underlined 2009 for Walski was tragedy – both on a personal basis, and also the demise of a number of well-known personalities, both locally and abroad. Like Yasmin Ahmad, for instance – a gigantic loss to the Malaysian film industry. Or Farrah-Fawcett, and more recently Brittany Murphy. The world this year, however, mourned on a global scale when one Michael Joseph Jackson breathed his last. But the most tragic, needless, shocking, and incomprehensible demise in 2009 will undoubtedly be the death of Teoh Beng Hock, who was found dead under very mysterious circumstances, on the rooftop of the podium block, below the Shah Alam MACC office. A big media circus, and two autopsies later, we are no closer to knowing whether his death was accidental, a suicide or whether he was murdered. Teoh's death created all kinds of reactions from civil society, the press, and the government, so much so that Malaysiakini named him their Newsmaker of 2009.
Teoh's death has been linked to the attempted coup to overthrow the rightfully elected Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor, alleged in a mystery letter that emerged a couple of months following his death. Which brings us to something we simply had too damned much of in 2009 – politics. It seems like the politicking running up to the March 8, 2008 elections simply refused to stop running a whole year and 10 months later. So bad did the politics get in 2009, Walski literally became quite fed up. There was, of course, the infamous Perak Power Tussle, in which BN maneuvered a take-over of the state government. This pretty much became the shit icing on an equally crappy political cake, whose foul taste was left in many peoples' mouths throughout much of 2009. Whether or not well see a reduction of extreme politicking in 2010 is left to be seen, but Walski certainly hopes so. And because the Internet was credited as one of the key factors in getting Barrack Obama elected last year, everybody wanted in on the new media bandwagon, including a very unnecessary website for Rosmah Mansor, the PM's other ¾'s (she's large and needs more than 'half'). Well, a quick check at the site moments ago has revealed that it still defaults to the lovely fuchsia, and is no different (or better) than when Walski first blogged about it in August. Oh, and still with the unlinked buttons and the 'Others Link' pull down. But the Internet was perhaps one of the few pluses about 2009, in particular, this application called Twitter, which really became big this year. Walski will admit that he only got on the bandwagon this year, too, but since hopping on board, he hasn't looked back. And he blames Twitter in part for the dearth of blogging this year. The nice thing about Twitter is that it's compact, easy to take along with you anywhere (literally), and you don't have to think beyond 140 characters whenever you have something on your mind. In any case, Twitter became the new source of instantaneous information, putting another dent into the viability of traditional media in the new millennium. So much so that today, even the traditional print and online press organizations have their compulsory presence on Twitter. It is through Twitter that the world kept up with the aftermath of the Iran Elections – the insurgency that keeps on giving, until even today. And it's also through Twitter that the shocking news regarding the collapse, and later, untimely death of Yasmin Ahmad spread through cyberspace like wildfire. 2009 marks the year that Twitter really exploded onto the scene, big time, not just in Malaysia, but across the world. Makes blogging seem so 20th century. But putting one's thoughts across 140 characters at a time does have its limitations, and so blogging is not about to die off any time soon. Which is more than Walski can say about the traditional media. But 2009 wasn't entirely about doom, gloom and politics – we had some really fantabulous films that were released this year. No thanks to the fear that that Walski may blow hard earned cash to watch a butchered film on the big screen (assuming it makes it to our shores in the first place), he didn't get to watch a number of films release this year. And so, courtesy of YouTube, and the creative genius of one Kees van Dijkhuizen, here's a mashup of the years films. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the debut album, "Pretty Hate Machine" by Nine Inch Nails, one of Walski's all-time favorite music acts. And finally Walski got to see them live in concert in August. Not here in Malaysia, of course, but in neighboring Singapore, during the Asian leg of Trent Reznor's (supposedly) last tour. Walski has to thank The Lord Panda for making the encounter possible. Now, he'd wanted to do a proper post on the concert, but one thing led to another, and so Walski never got to doing anything else but the one that was supposed to only be an interim post. 2009 was also a strange year in many respects. Walski won't elaborate much, but friend and fellow-blogger Pah Nur, in her year close out, has brilliantly put together some of the strangest news items published this year, from around the globe. And that, inevitably, includes a couple from Malaysia, as well. Truth, as they say, is sometimes stranger than fiction… and the truth is that this post is starting to get really, really long. And so, as we anxiously count the hours, and later, the minutes and second, towards a brand new year, there are a few Thank You's that Walski feels he has to make. First and foremost, to the blogging community, particularly the Malaysia sector of the bloggerhood, for making 2009 an interesting year. And that means ALL of you bloggers out there, even the unscrupulous hyper-political ones, and the fervent & foaming at the mouth Islamist ones. 2009 wouldn't have been the same without you. So thanks. Really. Special mention, and thanks, however, need to go out to a couple of bloggers – Art Harun, in particular, for being the voice of reason in a sometimes unreasonable Malaysia. Marina M., is another blogger Walski wishes to thank, for her support for, and occasional linkage, to myAsylum – especially for her being so kind as to host the current ISA poll on her blog. But most of all, 2009 would not have been the same if it were not for one very important person in Walski's life – Mrs. Walski. Thanks, my dear, for being there, and for keeping Walski on an even keel. It would have been the real asylum for him, if it weren't for the truly unconditional love of this one truly special person. It takes a lot to put up with Walski – he knows that, and for being there, thank you. And so, as 2009 draws to a close, Walski wishes one and all a very Happy New Year. Don't forget tonight's partial eclipse of the Moon, 2010's first wonderful gift to us all. Walski hopes that it's not so partial that we don't get to see squat. Happy 2010 people…. see ya'll next year! ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6d6382a5-a689-4780-addb-b1d1ebb55304)         
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| Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:50 PM PST
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 12:43 AM PST In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will. - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill The sum total of all news, read with a discerning eye, shall reveal the truth. - O.B.E. A truer truth. Too much reading maketh da hot chick go away. Far, far away. - O.B.E.'s alter ego I see dead politicians. - O.B.E.'s directorial debut for an inspirational documentary entitled "I see dead politicians" The future's so bleak, I gotta plant seeds of humanity. - O.B.E.'s SABM pledge Yer gonna be late for the Wharf's 16th anniversary celebrations tonight! - O.B.E.'s Nokia E63 message reminder      
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2009 12:44 AM PST  New year resolutions and predictions are here again. For the past 2000 years, wishing for peace and happiness never fades. Each passing year, we see more problems than the year before; and yet at end of each year we harbour the same hope and wishes for a better next year. To me everyday is the same old day. Perhaps age and financial constraints are good teachers for seeing the real world. However, 2010 is a very significant year for me; it will be my 60th year alive. In many cultures, the age 60 marks a new threshhold. It calls for celebration if one is successful in life, with loving children who have made good themselves. There is nothing for me to celebrate. Then why is it still significant to me? It is said that past 60, each day, one is alive, is a bonus day! So from tomorrow onwards, I have to celebrate each morning when I wake up and shout to the world, "Hey! I am still alive for another day!!" Be that as it may; YOU have a Happy New Year! 
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| <br>*Cheers to the New Year 2010 !* <br>Remember: If you're Posted: 31 Dec 2009 12:11 AM PST  Cheers to the New Year 2010 ! Remember: If you're paaaarteying tonight...please don't drive ! Hail for one of our ever infamous "taxis" home ! Otherwise get a designated and "sober" driver to take you home ! And thank you for the valuable input/comment one and all ! Godbless ! 
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| “DAP SARAWAK…Finally and SPDP Whispers..??” Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:10 PM PST
The smses have been flying across the cyberspace and the blogsphere has not been spared as news filtered through with the National English main stream coverage of ," Sarawak's Voon puzzled at being left out of panel." What are the implications….?? Need we say more as we have covered it quite extensively with our version of 'Storm Warriors"…The can of worms have been opened up and its up to you all to make your own assessment for now. Has Voon finally caught the imagination of the National DAP Council's attention? The following are the postings which culminated in Voon being caught in a corner by the FEROCIOUS WOLVES…
It seems that Voon is really caught up in the party factional warfare and his exclusion came as NO SURPRISE to the warlords. SPDP meanwhile seems to be facing some disgruntled and unhappy defeated candidates. There is a swirling rumour which according to our preferred sources will take some doing to stop it from hitting the party like a Tidal wave. All legal matters need to be looked into before actions are taken according to the source. It will take into the New Year 2010 and for us at audie61, the crew and management would like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends,supporters,allies.members,blog buddies and YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2010. Dont forget to say a little something nice to all the unfortunate people and us in your daily prayers to the ALMIGHTY CREATOR and we look forward to a very meaningful year ahead.      
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2009 seems to have whizzed by in a long flash. It seems like only 360-some yesterdays ago that Walski wrote his post to 
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