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2011-11-17T12:07:00.000+08:00

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Video seks: Kami tiada pilihan melainkan lawan, kata Anwar

2011-11-17T11:55:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Nov ― Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mendakwa Barisan Nasional (BN) mendalangi siasatan terbaru ke atas beliau berhubung isu Datuk T mempertontonkan video seks Mac lalu sambil mendakwa pesaing politiknya mahu menghidupkan misteri si lelaki dalam rakaman itu.

Ketua Pembangkang itu memberitahu pemberita bahawa beliau tidak akan tunduk kepada tekanan sedemikian, sebaliknya akan melawan dakwaan-dakwaan yang dibawa ke atas dirinya.

“Ini yang mereka lakukan. Insya-Allah, kami tiada pilihan tetapi akan terus melawan, lawan mereka dalam pilihan raya.

“Mereka gementar untuk berhadapan dengan kita dan jadi, ini taktik kotor dan jahat yang mereka gunakan,” katanya lagi.

Anwar bercakap kepada pemberita di pekarangan balai polis Kepong.
Beliau diminta memberi kenyataan ekoran laporan polis bahawa telah memberi maklumat palsu berhubung siasatan awal ke atas kes rakaman video seks yang dipertontonkan oleh Datuk T.

Anwar tiba di balai polis Kepong kira-kira pukul 3.15 petang dengan ditemani isterinya, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, yang juga Presiden PKR sebelum memberi keterangan kepada polis selama sejam.

Anwar dipanggil memberi keterangan mengikut Seksyen 182 Kanun Keseksaan kerana membuat laporan palsu.

Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh itu diminta hadir memberi keterangan kerana ada laporan oleh DSP Shanmugam terhadapnya.

Akhir Mac lalu, Anwar membuat laporan di ibu pejabat polis daerah Dang Wangi berhubung rakaman video aksi seks yang ditayangkan kepada wartawan di Carcosa Seri Negara, dan dalam laporan itu, Anwar menafikan bahawa beliau adalah lelaki dalam video tersebut.

"Lawan Tetap Lawan"

Under Age Sex Behavior Changed?

2011-04-26T00:34:00.000+08:00

INILAH.COM, Jakarta - Sex is a topic that is always 'warm' for discussion. So is the behavior. Many myths tell of sexual behavior change with age. Really?
Sexual behavior will change according to age development. Sex therapist who is the author Sextasy, Tracey Cox, reveal changes in expression and sexual drive, both men and women, according to age.
Sex Age 20s
At this age, sexual desire difficult to control. Most can not even stop dreaming about sex. At this age, women tend to have even a very wild fantasy. Then at this age, both men and women still in the stage of trial and fun experimenting style lovemaking.
Sex Age 30s
According to Tracey Cox, at the age of 30's, people increasingly look for unique things for sexual intercourse. Many have started to dare to do so in the semi-open, for example in a tent on the beach or a restaurant toilet. There are things you are looking for erotic and adrenaline that can make sex more interesting.
At this age, Cox also revealed, many couples make the bathroom or bathub a favorite place for sex. They also more often play the role and use unique konstum before sex.
Pregnancy is also most common in this age, so, naturally reduced sex drive. However, Cox said that during pregnancy the couple could have sex five times a month 4-5.
Most couples hold sexual desire for about seven weeks after giving birth. But four months later, sexual relations are usually back regularly.
Sex Age 40s
The man who is not a healthy lifestyle, in their 40s may experience problems erectile ability. At the same time, they are very susceptible to infidelity. Men are also more frequent watching porn and sex chat.
On the other hand, women become very demanding in terms of sexual partner. Women are also often attracted to younger men. At age 40, female sexual desire may begin to decline, but do not "give up" just like that.
According to Cox, it could still have sex with a partner on a regular basis. This will keep the passionate desire to remain until the age of five entering the head.

PKR siasat peratus tinggi mengundi di Sabah

2010-11-14T12:29:00.000+08:00

PKR sedang menyiasat kemungkinan berlaku penyelewengan dalam pengundian pemilihan pucuk pimpinan parti itu, di beberapa cabang di Sabah, kata timbalan pengerusi PKR Sabah, Christina Liew.

"Saya memeriksa dengan ibu pejabat parti dan diberitahu mereka sedang menyiasat... Saya faham majoriti (aduan) telah dibuat kepada ibupejabat, tetapi saya tidak tahu masa berapa lama siasatan akan dijalan," katanya ketika dihubungi kelmarin.

Tumpuan utama ialah mengenai jumlah yang keluar mengundi di beberapa cabang di Sabah, termasuk Sandakan dan Libaran, telah mencetuskan kebimbangan kerana rata-rata ia adalah sekitar 10 peratus.

"Ahli di Sabah nampaknya merasa bahawa pemilihan pucuk pimpinan pusat kurang penting berbanding di peringkat cabang kerana mereka lebih prihatin terhadap siapa yang memimpin mereka di peringkat cabang," kata Liew (kiri).

Di Libaran, 898 dari 1,501 ahli berdaftar, atau 59,83 peratus keluar mengundi, dengan calon timbalan presiden, Azmin Ali menyapu bersih hampir semua undi di cabang itu.

Sandakan juga mencatatkan jumlah pengundi yang tinggi - 43,57 peratus - dengan 456 daripada 1,047 ahli yang berdaftar, keluar mengundi.

"Bagaimana mereka boleh membuat begitu ramai keluar mengundi? Ada sekitar 4,000 ahli di Kota Kinabalu (cabang Liew), tapi hanya 300 yang keluar mengundi," katanya.

Sandakan, Libaran serta cabang-cabang lain yang ahlinya ramai keluar mengundi, seperti Tawau dan Tenom, hampir 100 peratus undi adalah untuk Azmin..

Di Tawau sahaja, calon timbalan ketua Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK), Chang Lih Kang memperolehi kesemua 232 undi, kecuali satu undi untuk lawannya Khairul Anwar Ahmad Zainuddin.

Ketika dihubungi untuk mendapat pengesahan bahawa siasatan sedang dijalankan, pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP), Dr Molly Cheah keberatan untuk mengatakan ya atau tidak.

Apabila didesak seterusnya, beliau bagaimanapun berkata: "Jika Christina Liew dah kata ia sedang disiasat, maka ia sedang disiasatlah."

Zaid : Withdrawal from Deputy President contest

2010-11-08T20:54:00.000+08:00

I wish to announce my withdrawal as a candidate from the contest of Deputy President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and my resignation from all posts held in the party.
I was offered to join this party under the belief that I could promote enlightened and progressive politics; nurture and develop principled political values and culture that I consider indispensable to the development of democracy and good governance in this country. I was mistaken.
Over the course of the party elections, events have shown that the leadership actively condones malpractices and electoral fraud to achieve its designed objectives. I am certain that any political party with such hypocritical and false values will not be able to offer meaningful reforms to the people of this country.

I have made this decision because there is no attempt on the part of the party leadership to address the various issues of manipulation and unfair electoral practices, although these issues were raised repeatedly.
I wish to thank all the members who have supported me and placed their faith in the cause of reform. It is of utmost disappointment that I am unable to continue in this flawed election process. I remain committed to the Opposition’s cause and will continue to speak about the issues of the common people. Together, we will continue our unabated struggle towards a better government for the people.
Finally, I hope those adoring fans of Anwar Ibrahim will no longer regard me as a “spoiler” standing in the way of their march to Putrajaya. I wish them well.

ZAID IBRAHIM
MONDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2010

Keputusan pemilihan PKR hari ketiga

2010-11-02T02:14:00.000+08:00

Sebanyak 27 cabang PKR di lima buah negeri pada hari ke-3 mengadakan pemilihan pucuk pimpinan parti termasuk memilih pemimpin di peringkat sayap - Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) dan Wanita PKR.

Cabang-cabang tersebut adalah enam di Pulau Pinang, Perak (8) Pahang (7), Melaka (4) dan dua cabang di Negeri Sembilan.

Keputusan untuk hari ini - setakat 10.54 malam - Naib Presiden Azmin Ali mendepani dua lagi pencabarnya dengan memperolehi 1,208 undi.

Penyelaras Pakatan Datuk Zaid Ibrahim mendapat 979 undi, manakala ketua PKR Perak Mustaffa Kamil Ayub meraih 332 undi.

Bagaimanapun, keputusan untuk empat lagi cabang - Bera, Batu Gajah, Kuala Kangsar dan Parit - belum diperoleh setakat ini.

Berikut keputusan yang diperolehi untuk jawatan timbalan presiden di peringkat cabang-cabang:

Batu Kawan: Azmin (59), Zaid (94), Mustaffa (9)

Ipoh Timor: Azmin (50), Zaid (14), Mustaffa (2)

Bukit Katil: Azmin (97), Zaid (41), Mustaffa (8)

Tampin: Azmin (6), Zaid (115), Mustaffa (2)

Masjid Tanah: Azmin (16), Zaid (38), Mustaffa (8)

Bukit Katil: Azmin (97), Zaid (41), Mustaffa (8)

Rembau: Azmin (7), Zaid (49), Mustaffa (4)

Tangga Batu: Azmin (80), Zaid (85), Mustaffa (22)

Permatang Pauh: Azmin (211), Zaid (58), Mustaffa (11)

Bukit Mertajam: Azmin (100), Zaid (15), Mustaffa (6)

Bagan: Azmin (19), Zaid (6), Mustaffa (4)

Alor Gajah: Azmin (95), Zaid (104), Mustaffa (12)

Temerloh: Azmin (24), Zaid (25), Mustaffa (0)

Maran: Azmin (4), Zaid (24), Mustaffa (1)

Kuala Krau: Azmin (104), Zaid (19), Mustaffa (7)

Bentong: Azmin (99), Zaid (30), Mustaffa (1)

Paya Besar: Azmin (11), Zaid (32), Mustaffa (3)

Rompin: Azmin (19), Zaid (55), Mustaffa (2)

Kepala Batas: Azmin (39), Zaid (55), Mustaffa (2)

Tasek Gelugor: Azmin (8), Zaid (40), Mustaffa (41)

Ipoh Barat: Azmin (9), Zaid (13), Mustaffa (45)

Kampar: Azmin (21), Zaid (16), Mustaffa (22)

Tambun: Azmin (33), Zaid (10), Mustaffa (112)

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Penyokong UMNO tumbuk pegawai Kerajaan

2010-10-21T20:18:00.000+08:00

Rabu, Oktober 20, 2010

Haji Anuar Hashim, Pegawai Perhubungan di Pejabat Ketua Menteri berkata sikap penyokong UMNO yang menyerang seorang Pengawai Penyelaras kurang bijak dan tidak bertamaddun.

Pada 18 Okt 2010, sekumpulan penyokong UMNO yang berjumlah lebih dari 50 puluh orang telah cuba merosakkan rancangan Pegawai Penyelaras, Latif Abdullah dan Ustaz Roshidi untuk mengedarkan terbitan buletin Kerajaan Pulau Pinang, Suara CAT.

Seorang dari mereka yang dikenali sebagai Zuri telah menumbuk Latif di pipi kiri dan kanan. Walaupun Latif cuma bersabar, dia diserang lagi dengan tendangan lutut. Anggota polis yang bertugas menjaga lalu-lintas di jalanraya telah cuba merenggangkan keadaan. Di dalam pergelutan itu, Latif telah terjatuh ke dalam longkang. Akibatnya, butang baju dia tertanggal dan kakinya luka.

Latif telah membuat laporan polis dan dia ditemani anggota polis ke hospital untuk pemeriksaan.

Haji Anuar dan Latif berharap Adun DUN Bertam akan memberi nasihat kepada penyokong UMNO mereka supaya jangan bertindak kasar begini di masa hadapan.

Latif juga adalah Ketua Cabang Kepala Batas yang baru.

Pemilihan 2010 PKR : PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

2010-10-16T23:48:00.001+08:00

PENERIMAAN PENCALONAN YANG TELAH DISERAHKAN OLEH CALON-CALON (TIDAK RASMI) SEHINGGA TAMAT PROSES PENERIMAAN PENCALONAN PADA JAM 6:00PM 16 OKTOBER 2010

PRESIDEN

1 Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

TIMBALAN PRESIDEN

1 Mohamed Azmin Ali

2 Mustafa Kamil Ayub

3 Zaid Ibrahim

NAIB PRESIDEN

1.Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid
2.Ansari Abdullah
3.Baru Bian
4.Chua Tian Chang
5.Dominique Ng
6.Dr Xavier Jayakumar
7.Fuziah Salleh
8.James Hj Ghani
9.Jimmy Donald
10.Jonson Chong
11.Mansor Othman
12.Mohd Yahya Sahri
13.Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff
14.N Gobalakrishnan
15.Nurul Izzah Anwar
16.S Manikasavagam
17.Saiman Marjuki
18.R Sivarasa
19.Suresh Kumar Ramachandran

Pemilihan 2010 PKR : Senarai Calon

2010-10-16T23:39:00.000+08:00

Presiden

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
( Menang tanpa bertanding )

Timbalan presiden

Azmin Ali
Zaid Ibrahim
Mustaffa Kamil Ayub

Naib presiden (17 calon untuk 4 jawatan)

Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid
Ansari Abdullah
Baru Bian
Dominique Ng
Fuziah Salleh
N Gobalakrishnan
Jimmy Donald
Jonson Chong
S Manikasavagam
Mansor Othman
Mohd Yahya Sahri
Nurul Izzah Anwar
R Sivarasa
Suresh Kumar Ramachandran
Tian Chua
Dr Xavier Jayakumar
Yusmadi Yusoff

Ketua AMK

Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin
Badrul Hisham Shaharin

Ketua Wanita

Animah Ferrar
Suraya Sudin
Zuraida Kamaruddin

Majlis tertinggi (111 calon untuk 20 jawatan)

Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh
Abbas Awang
Abdul Rahman Yusof
Abdul Halim Hussain
Abdul Latif A Tambi
Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim
Abdul Manan Othman
Abdul Razak Mohamed Jalil
Abdul Wahab Ibrahim
Ahmad Jufliz Faiza
Alinah Dompong
Aminuddin Harun
Amran Abd Ghani
Andonny Pilit @ Anthony Biri Mandia
Animah Ferrar
Azan Ismail
Azizan Jamaludin
Azman Abidin
Badrul Zaman PS Md Zakariah
Baharuddin Arif Siri
Beti @ Mohd Said Gapor
Chai Tong Chai
Cheah Kah Peng
Christina Liew
Christopher Kyu
Dominique Ng
Dr Mahendran V Markandoo
Dr Noraini @ Ahmad Faidhi Saidi
Dr R Krishnamoorthy
Dr Tan Kee Kwong
Elizabeth Wong
Fariz Musa
Francis Sebastian
George Chen Nyuk Fa
Felicia Ling
Gurmit Singh Hullon
Haniza Talha
Harbajan Kaur
Hasnah Hashim
Hassan Karim
Hee Loy Sian
Ismail Yusop Ahli
Jalumin Bayagoh
Johari Abdul
John Antau Anak Linggang
Josephy Wilfred
Juliana Jusit
Kalakau Untol
Kamal Badri Tak M Zainudin
Khalid Jaafar
Khew Kim Poo
Ko Chu Liang
Krishnasamy Punusamy
Kotappan Suppiah
Latheefa Koya
Low Chee Chong
MS Arjunan
M Mathialagan
Manikumar Subramaniam
Mat Shuhaimi SMd Yusof Saad
Md Shah Amin
Mohd Nazar Mohd Yakain
Mohd Annuar Mohd Salleh
Mohd Izwan Hafiz Othman
Mohd Roslan Puteh Ahli
Mohd Yatim Ismail
Muhamad Kamel Yassin
Murali Subramaniam
Mustapha Kamal Mohd Yusoff
Muzaffar Shah Khairuddin
Nik Mahmood Nik Hassan
Nicholas Bawin
Nordin Ismail
Ong Khan Lee
Onn Abu Bakar
Pajudin Nordin
Ponnusamy Nagamuthu
Pui Aen Du
Punusamy Govindasamy
Radzali Mokhtar
Ravi Munusamy
Rohani Bakar
Roland Chia
Rozaini Mohd Rosli
S Kesavan
Salma Ismail
Selvarajan Rathinam
Shanmugam Rengasamy
Sharifuddin Budin
Sivam Veeramuthu
Siti Aishah Shaik Ismail
Suhaimi Mohd Nor
Sulaiman @ Suhaimi Said
Suraya Sudin
Syed Hamid Ali
Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud
Tai Sing Ng
Thuraiyah Abd Aziz
Tuan Zamri Ariff
Vasantha Kumar Krishnan
Wan Salleh Wan Isa
Wan Zainal Abidin Wan Senusi
Yaakob Sapari
Yusmadi Yusoff
Zabadi Abbas
Zahari Mamat
Zainon Jaafar
Zakaria Abd Hamid
Zakaria Abdul Rahim
Zamri Yusuf

Pemilihan 2010 PKR : Pertandingan 3 penjuru - Azmin, Zaid, Mus

2010-10-16T23:33:00.001+08:00

Persaingan merebut jawatan nombor dua PKR adalah pertandingan tiga penjuru membabitkan naib presiden parti itu, Azmin Ali, ketua Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim dan ketua perhubungan negeri Perak, Mustaffa Kamil Ayub.

Azmin yang juga adalah ketua perhubungan negeri Selangor, merupakan calon pertama mengemukakan borang penerimaan pencalonan."Pada tepat jam 11.05 pagi tadi, dengan penuh keinsafan, saya menerima pencalonan sebagai timbalan presiden.

"Saya berharap anggota terus memberi sokongan dan selepas pemilihan ini parti (kita) akan lebih kuat, anggota menjadi matang, demokrasi akan terus subur dan reformasi ditegakkan di Putrajaya," katanya.

Turut berada di atas pentas, adalah exco Selangor Dr Xavier Jayakumar yang menyokong Azmin. Beliau pula pula menawarkan diri untuk bertanding naib prtesiden.

Zaid yang sejak awal pagi mengesahkan bahawa beliau akan bertanding menerusi blognya dan kemudiannya menghantar wakil untuk mengemukakan penerimaan pencalonannya.

Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim dan puteri reformasi PKR yang juga ahli parlimen Nurul Izzah Anwar yang sebelum ini disebut-sebuat akan bertanding, bagaiamanapun tidak berbuat demikian.

Nurul Izzah yang juga anak ketua umum PKR dan presiden parti itu kemudiannya mengumumkan bahawa beliau akan bertanding merebut satu daripada empat jawatan naib presiden.

Puteri reformasi itu berkata, beliau menolak pencalonan bagi timbalan presiden dan memilih bertanding jawatan nombor tiga itu disebabkan keterbatasan dan ruang yang beliau ada.

"Saya mahu membudayakan politik harapan dan pembebasan dan memperkukuhkan asas-asas demokrasi parti dalam usaha memperkasakan suara dan semangat generasi muda,"katanya dalam satu sidang media selepas menghantar borang pencalonannya.

Ditanya mengapa beliau tidak betanding untuk jawatan timbalan, sedangkan beliau layak berbuat demikian, Nurul Izzah berkata:

"Semua calon yang bertanding layak akan membuat sedaya mungkin untuk memmbantu memperkukuhkan parti.

"Dalam ruang dan keterbatasan yang saya, ada, saya fikir inilah (bertanding naib presiden) jalan terbaik untuk saya buat masa ini. Yang penting adalah kesetiaan dan perjuangan parti dan terus mempromosi politik harapan dan pembebasan demi memastikan Malaysia dijauhkan daripada politik kebencian dan perkauman".

Perjuangan reformasi

Sementara itu, Mustaffa Kamil Ayub yang berulang kali berkata tidak akan menarik diri mengotakan janjinya untuk bertanding jawatan timbalan presiden.

Beliau menyerahkan borang tawarannya itu kira-kira jam 12.50 pagi di ibu pejabat parti.

"Saya tawarkan diri untuk berkhidmat dengan parti kerana saya yakin demokrasi ada dalam parti.

"Saya akan meneruskan agenda kepimpinan dan kekuatan dalam parti sehingga ia terus diyakini," katanya dalam ucapan selepas mengemukakan penawarannya.

Menurutnya lagi, beliau mempertaruhkan segala pengalaman beliau sewaktu memimpin pertubuhan belia Islam dan selaku bekas setiausaha politik Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin untuk meneruskan perjuangan reformasi.

Tambahnya, beliau menawarkan politik baru yang menekankan politik nilai yang berteraskan profesionalisme dan menolak politik perkauman.

Sementara itu, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim yang tiba kemudian, dalam ucapannya berkata ahli parti perlu diberi kesedaran terlebih dahulu sebelum parti bercakap tentang perubahan dan transformasi.

"Ia perlu untuk menjayakan harapan kita yang terpendam... Dengan itu saya minta ahli dan penyokong tumpu dalam pemilihan dengan kempen yang sihat.

Ganyang BN

"Jangan mereka-reka cerita, jangan laga-lagakan sesama kita, kita mahu kesatuan yang kukuh. Itu sahaja yang boleh ganyang BN," katanya.

Katanya, parti ini bukan parti untuknya, tapi parti untuk rakyat.

Ahli parlimen Batu, Tian Chua, yang juga merupakan bekas naib presiden PKR telah memilih untuk tidak bertanding jawatan timbalan presiden meskipun telah mendapat lima pencalonan.

Beliau juga seperti Nurul Izzah, akan merebut jawatan naib presiden.

Semua calon mempunyai masa sehingga jam 6 petang tadi untuk mengesahkan sama ada mereka menerima pencalonan untuk bertanding jawatan masing-masing. 24 Oktober ini telah ditetapkan sebagai tarikh pengumuman calon yang sedia bertanding.

Penerimaan pencalonan dibuka mulai jam 10 pagi ini di luar pusat pencalon yang ditubuhkan di ibu pejabat parti di Tropicana, Kuala Lumpur.

Political Freedom and Liberal Democracy in the Islamic World

2010-10-15T00:05:00.001+08:00

Speech by Anwar Ibrahim,
Parliamentary Opposition Leader of Malaysia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Berlin, 30th September 2010

Let me begin with the poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, a towering figure in the landscape that we are about to traverse this evening, a bridge, if you will, over the gulf that is said to separate the East and the West, between Islam on one side, and freedom and democracy on the other.

In his poetic answer to the West, the Payām e Mashriq, Iqbal sets up the epiphanous encounter between Jallaludin al-Rumi and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe not on earth but up in the heavens. Reciting Faust, his magnum opus, Goethe convinces Rumi that here is one enlightened soul who understands the Great Mystery. We know that Iqbal's Payām i Mashriq itself was greatly inspired by Goethe's West-östlicher Diwan (West-Eastern Divan) which in turn drew its inspiration from the great 14th century master of the Persian ghazals Hafiz Shirazi. "Ad-Diwan Sharqi lil Mu'allif al-Gharbi," these were the words inscribed in the original script by Goethe himself on the title page, and it may be literally rendered as "The Eastern Divan by the Western Author." So, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and admiration, West meets East, and East meets West and the process goes back and forth.

Today, however, the encounter seems to have taken on a slightly different keel. For simplicity, it looks something like this: West tries to meet East by first tossing a couple of bombs; East says no thanks by firing a couple of missiles in return; West feels outraged and burns their books of wisdom and religion, and East goes berserk by blowing up their buildings.

My apologies for making light of the situation but the point is that the discourse today more than ever before is blindsided by hatred and misunderstanding giving rise among other things to "freedom and democracy phobia" on the one hand and Islamophobia on the other. This sets the stage for the clash of ideals and values, between political freedom and democracy on the one hand and Islam on the other. Yet in spite of this initial alarm and sabre-rattling war cry, I am quite certain that the clash is more imagined than real. I'm not suggesting that Islamophobia doesn't exist; indeed it very real but it is borne by falsehood, and fuelled by irresponsible parties from both sides of the divide. The upshot is stereotyping and cliché mongering about what Islam represents.

Now because of the disparate actions of certain people conducting themselves in the name of the religion, we find ourselves in a quagmire of false notions about Islam: that it is anti-freedom, anti-democracy, that it enjoins murder and mayhem, promotes divisiveness and exclusiveness and so on and so forth.

So, let us try to clear the fog that has descended on the discourse. Firstly, there is essentially no incompatibility between Islam and democracy. To say that it is infeasible for Muslim-majority countries to practice constitutional democracy is to fly in the face of reality. Let's start with Turkey, a fine example of a liberal democracy where the majority of its population are Muslims. They have free and fair elections, they have a proper judicial and legal system, they have fundamental liberties protected by the constitution and they have a relatively free press. You will not be prosecuted simply because you are a leader of the opposition party and the police won't beat you up just because you criticise the government. You can go about your daily business without the fear that at any time the authorities may just raid your homes and put you behind bars without a trial.

Now, the recent referendum of the Turkish people in favor of fundamental constitutional changes including imposing further constraints on the role of the military is clear testimony that democracy is alive and well. Detractors would like to suggest that it is so because it has chosen to depart from Islamic practices. We beg to differ. We would like to see it as a classic example of what a Muslim nation can achieve if its leaders remain faithful to the core values of Islamic statecraft: modernist, moderate, progressive and tolerant with justice and the rule of law as a motto for governance. In this regard, Turkey's Muslim leaders fortified by the principles of liberal democracy, stand in sharp contrast to the autocrats and dictators in some other Muslim countries.

Indonesia is yet another good example of the practice of political freedom and liberal democracy in a nation with a predominantly Muslim population. Of course, they had to go through the entire political evolutionary process to come to where they are today. After gaining independence from the Dutch, they had a brief experiment with democracy but it was short-lived and after May 1965, Indonesia came under the dictatorship of Suharto during the so-called New Order era. And this went on till the 1998 collapse which set forth the era of Reformasi. Now, just to get an idea of how alive and well democracy is in Indonesia, just switch on to their television stations and without fail, there will be aired daily forums and discussion sessions highly critical of the ruling party and the President. I am not suggesting that the system is perfect or that they have attained full democracy but at least most of the essential elements of a vibrant democracy are in place. Just move over to the neighbouring Muslim majority nation and we can see the stark differences. And the absence of real democracy in that neighbouring country as well as other Muslim majority countries has very little, if any, to do with Islam. Islam, I would say, is getting a pretty raw deal here because of the actions of these tyrants, dictators, autocrats and pseudo-democrats.

But are we denying that there is a problem of Islamic fundamentalism? Is the problem of extremists, of terrorists and of suicide bombers a figment of the imagination? Of course not. That is a complex issue but the hypotheses of correlating various acts with Islam are mere correlations and do not reflect the causal links. The underlying causes must be studied and steps taken to address them if we are to see any resolution to these issues.

As for the claim by some that fundamentalists are gaining traction on the political front in certain Muslim countries, the problem is largely blown out of proportion. It is true, however, that ideological rigidity is not conducive to the promotion of constitutional democracy. It is partly because of this rigidity that sees some fundamentalists citing so-called sabre-rattling verses from the Holy Book to condone acts of violence in the name of jihad. We, however, maintain that Islam prohibits violence and terror by virtue of the principles of moderation and the protection of life, limb and property. The objectives of the religion are clear: jihad enjoins on Muslims to do good and prevent evil, establish justice, promote goodwill and charity and help the weak and the needy. It is not a war cry, let alone one to justify mayhem and murder. Above all, jihad enjoins Muslims to maintain peace and harmony and safeguard the sanctity of life and property. But it remains incumbent on reformists and progressives to make it clear that Islam is for all time. Modernity is not anti-thetical to Islam. Casting the religion in stone is.

For those countries still bent on remaining static, we would urge them to democratize.
I make this call on the platform of Islam itself. Because Islam enjoins the faithful to uphold equality, justice, and human dignity, the resolve to embrace constitutional democracy is a reaffirmation of these principles. Our message is consistent on this: hold free and fair elections, ensure the separation of powers and guarantee fundamental civil liberties including allowing the full participation of women in political life. Put an end to vindictive prosecutions, arbitrary arrests, and the use of the state apparatus to silence political dissent.

On the question of the democratization process itself, I call on certain powers to stop practising double standards. Please do not blow hot and blow cold. Human rights violations are violations no less. We cannot allow some countries latitude in this and condemn them in others. The diplomacy of "you give me this, and I'll give you that in return" is well and good in certain matters but not so if it is a betrayal of the cause of democracy and freedom.

The hypocrisy has to stop unless of course we want to see Muslim societies continuing to languish under dictatorships, autocracies and sham democracies. Sham democracies as you know are now the rage particularly in Southeast Asia. They are more insidious and pose a greater threat to political freedom and constitutional democracy than even dictatorships and autocracies. Dictatorships and autocracies are at least clearly visible and we know that they cannot by any stretch of the imagination pretend to be democracies. Sham democracies on the other hand come well armed with the trappings of democracy. We can't see or in certain cases we pretend that we can't see that they are masquerades perpetuating injustice, human rights abuses and corruption.

With the entire state apparatus at their disposal, they rob and plunder the nation's wealth and resources, imprison dissidents without trial, deny press freedom and render the judiciary into a spineless organ of state whose existence is to serve their political survival. Yet, and this is the most insidious part, their leaders are recognised as leaders of the "free and democratic world" standing shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of the established democracies.

So, this begs the question whether there has been any real progress in political reform in the Muslim world apart from Turkey and Indonesia. Certain states even in the Middle East appear to be moving towards democracy but the rhetoric often exceeds the reality. Nevertheless, let us not be confused about what the real issue is. It is not whether Islam and democracy are compatible but whether leaders in Muslim countries will uphold freedom and democracy. Nor is it a problem about the East being at loggerheads with the West. If I may just conclude with a few lines from Iqbal's Zarb-i-Kalim:

Shun neither the East
Nor fear the West
For it is Nature that sets
you turning each night
(wherever you may be)
To the morning bright"

Thank you.

Warga Emas tolak fitnah umno

2010-10-13T11:37:00.000+08:00

BUTTERWORTH, 12 Okt: Warga emas sekitar Seberang Perai Utara mengatakan sokongan tidak berbelah bahagi kepada kepimpinan Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng serta meminta meneruskan program penghargaan kepada golongan veteran pada masa depan.

Seramai 70 orang warga emas yang datang dari Penaga, Kepala Batas, Bagan, Teluk Air Tawar, Sungai Dua, Tasek Gelugor, Pokok Sena, Lahar Yooi dan kawasan lain turut kesal dengan tindakan Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Azhar Ibrahim yang tiba-tiba mengajak mereka mengembalikan RM100 dan RM1,000 untuk para waris jika terdapat kematian warga emas kononnya berpunca dari wang judi.

Bagi mereka, semua itu merupakan mainan politik jahat yang sengaja dibangkitkan oleh Ketua Penerangan Pergerakan Pemuda Umno, Reezal Merican Naina Merican yang menuduh pemberian wang pada pertengahan tahun ini berpunca dari wang Kelab Lumba Kuda.

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Permatang Pasir yang juga Timbalan Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang, Ustaz Saleh Man pula meminta warga emas usah terpengaruh dengan dakyah jahat pembangkang negeri ini yang sudah kehabisan modal.

Beliau berkata, sebenarnya wang itu adalah lebihan perbelanjaan Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat tahun ini sebanyak RM88 juta dan RM20 juta diperuntukkan kepada warga emas sebagai menghargai pengorbanan mereka terhadap kemajuan Pulau Pinang.

"Wang hasil pemberikan Lumba Kuda memang ada tapi ia tidak dimasukkan pada tabung sumbangan kepada warga emas sebaliknya digunakan untuk Rancangan Anti Kemiskinan (RAK) khas untuk masyarakat bukan Islam, " jelasnya lagi.

Seorang warga emas, Zainab Mat (kanan) dari Butterworth menyifatkan, apa yang diperjelaskan oleh kerajaan negeri cukup meyakinkan bahawa semua itu pembohongan.

"Bila datang mendengar sendiri keterangan yang disampaikan oleh Adun dan Ahli Majlis Seberang Perai (MPSP) baru tahu hal sebenar," ujarnya.

Bekas ahli Umno, Abu Bakar Said (kiri) dari Bagan Ajam pula menambah, di zaman BN tidak pernah berlaku ketua menteri melawat surau atau masjid tetapi berlaku di era kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat.

"Bila KM sendiri turun padang menziarahi umat Islam di samping memberikan penghargaan warga emas, ia satu peristiwa yang tidak pernah berlaku dalam pentadbiran Barisan Nasional (BN)," tegasnya.

Bagi Sambasivam pula, kini baru beliau tahu hal sebenar mengenai perkara itu kerana selama ini mendengar sebelah pihak sahaja.

Sesi penerangan untuk menolak fitnah Umno itu diadakan di Bangunan Datuk Ahmad Badawi disampaikan oleh beberapa orang Adun termasuk Adun Bagan Dalam, Thanasekharan dan Adun Bagan Jermal, Lim Hock Seng.

Tune Talk mencatatkan keuntungan kali pertamanya

2010-10-12T19:28:00.000+08:00

PETALING JAYA 11 Okt. - Biarpun hanya hampir setahun beroperasi,Tune Talk Sdn. Bhd. (Tune Talk) yakin akan mula mencatatkan keuntungan kali pertamanya pada tahun depan.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Jason Lo berkata, keuntungan awal itu mampu diraih hasil kecekapan dalam operasinya dan penjenamaan Tune Talk yang semakin kukuh.

Menurut beliau, pelbagai produk dan perkhidmatan baru serta nilai tambah juga merupakan faktor penyumbang kepada keuntungan operator mudah alih itu.

''Walaupun baru beroperasi Tune Talk telah mencatatkan peningkatan dalam Purata Perolehan Setiap Pengguna, sekali gus menambah pendapatan kami.

''Prestasi ini dijangka mampu membantu Tune Talk merekodkan
keuntungan pada 2011,'' katanya ketika ditemui selepas melancarkan
Tune Talk Loyalty Points di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata, Tune Talk Loyalty Points juga dijangka mampu
menarik lebih ramai pelanggan pada masa depan berbanding 1.4 juta
setakat ini.

Jason berkata, daripada jumlah itu kira-kira 50 peratus adalah
pelanggan aktif dan bakinya pula terdiri daripada pelanggan yang
memiliki beberapa kad sim dan pelanggan yang mengembara.

''Kita percaya dengan jenama Tune Talk semakin stabil, syarikat ini
berupaya menarik lebih banyak pelanggan dengan kelebihan kadar
bayaran yang termurah,'' ujarnya.

Beliau tidak menolak pertumbuhan pelanggan Tune Talk disebabkan
kadar panggilannya yang termurah di negara ini.

Jelasnya, Tune Talk menawarkan kadar panggilan suara pada harga 16
sen seminit, data lima sen bagi setiap megabait, perkhidmatan
pesanan ringkas juga lima sen dan panggilan antarabangsa pula
adalah 10 hingga 30 peratus lebih rendah daripada pengendali lain.

Menurutnya, Tune Talk akan melebarkan strateginya dengan membuat
promosi agresif di Malaysia Timur, Pantai Timur dan Johor.

Mengulas mengenai Tune Talk Loyalty Points, Jason berkata, mulai
sekarang para pelanggannya boleh mendapat ganjaran melancong dengan
AirAsia dan AirAsia X hanya dengan menebus mata daripada kredit.

Program terbaru Tune Talk itu adalah hasil kerjasama bersama
syarikat penerbangan tambang murah, AirAsia.

Jelasnya, program itu amat menarik kerana ia tidak mempunyai tarikh
luput, selagi menjadi pelanggan Tune Talk.

''Mudah sahaja untuk mendapatkan ganjaran hanya dengan menambah
nilai kredit telefon.

''Lebih banyak pelanggan membuat tambahan nilai, lebih banyak
ganjaran yang diterima,'' katanya.

Jason berkata, pelanggan boleh mendapatkan maklumat penebusan
destinasi melalui http://www.tunetalk.com/points/ dan ia penebusan
boleh dibuat setiap enam bulan.

Beliau menambah, Tune Talk menawarkan sebanyak tiga mata bagi
tambah nilai RM3 dan 720 mata untuk harga kredit sebanyak RM300.

Keterangan lanjut : www.bisnesprepaid.com/teamnetwork

Results of the 2nd ICC Penang 2010

2010-10-12T05:20:00.000+08:00

For the second year running, Penang has participated in the International Coastal Cleanup. This year is a special occasion, being the 25th anniversary of this largest marine environment programme of its kind. The cleanup opening was graced by the Chief Minister Mr Lim Guan Eng.

This morning, more than 600 volunteers joined the international community to pick, categorise, count and remove almost 23,000 items of marine debris from the beaches at Pantai Bersih and Pantai Robina.
A distance of 1,300 metres along the shoreline was covered by volunteers from which more than two tonnes of marine trash was removed from Penang’s beaches.

The top ten items of marine litter were:

5,196 Plastic Bags
3,510 Cigarettes / Cigarette Filters
2,079 Food wrappers / Containers
1,977 Straws, stirrers
1,650 Plastic Beverage bottles, 2 liters or less
1,626 Cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons
1,182 Glass Beverage bottles
955 Styrofoam pieces
804 Cigar Tips
633 Caps, lids

The full results of ICC Penang 2010 can be viewed here here

Penang Coastal Cleanup Program

2010-10-12T05:10:00.000+08:00

BUTTERWORTH: Used condoms, underwear and sarong were among the 2,362kg of rubbish collected during the state’s first massive beach clean-up in Seberang Prai at two popular beaches here.

Most of the garbage collected during the four-hour clean-up covering a 800m stretch of Pantai Robina and 1.2km of Pantai Bersih were food packaging and plastic water bottles.

Event organising chairman Koay Teng Hai said it was possible that the clothing and condoms had drifted to the shore from elsewhere.
“Most of what we collected were food-related items meaning that it’s very likely to be rubbish left by picnickers.
“The ambiance here is nicer than Gurney Drive on Penang island but unfortunately, rubbish is being thrown indiscriminately,” he said.

At least 1,000 people turned up for the International Coastal Cleanup programme yesterday.
Penang was among an estimated 100 countries which participated in the international programme.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng launched the event and later the state’s green initiative website (http://greenstate.penang.gov.my).

The programme is part of the “Cleaner, Greener Penang” initiative, co-organised by The Star and the Penang and Seberang Prai municipal councils with support from the state government, to create environmental awareness among the public.

Program Rakan Anti-Kemiskinan (RAK) Membasmi Miskin Tegar Di Pulau Pinang Tetap Diteruskan

2010-10-05T00:13:00.001+08:00

Selepas gagal membuktikan Program Penghargaan Warga Emas terbabit dengan hasil judi haram, UMNO pula cuba mengalihkan perhatian daripada fitnah mereka dengan menyatakan program RAK membasmi miskin tegar datangnya dari sumber judi haram. Bukti UMNO adalah derma RM2 juta daripada Kelab Lumba Kuda Pulau Pinang.

Program RAK adalah inisiatif murni kerajaan negeri PR untuk membasmi miskin tegar dalam kalangan keluarga yang berpendapatan kurang daripada RM400 sebulan di Pulau Pinang dan memastikan setiap keluarga mendapat sekurang-kurangnya RM500 sebulan. Menerusi RAK, kerajaan negeri PR telah berjaya membasmi miskin tegar dalam tempoh masa setahun sahaja, apa yang tidak dapat dilakukan oleh BN dalam 51 tahun. Menyedari tentang sensitiviti wang derma daripada Kelab Lumba Kuda untuk orang Islam, maka ia diasingkan dan tidak diberikan kepada orang Islam tetapi hanya kepada orang bukan Islam.

Malah, Pegawai Kewangan Negeri Dato’ Farizan Darus telah mengesahkan kepada saya semalam bahawa wang derma RM2 juta ini daripada Kelab Lumba Kuda diasingkan dan dikhususkan kepada orang bukan Islam dan tidaknya kepada orang Islam. Perlu diingati bahawa ada juga orang bukan Islam yang miskin tegar, bukan semua bukan Islam kaya macam pemimpin BN. Adakah salah untuk menyalurkan wang derma ini kepada orang bukan Islam?

Bukankah lebih salah dan haram untuk UMNO luluskan lesen judi bola? Atau adakah UMNO dendam sama Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang yang merupakan negeri pertama mengharamkan judi bola dan sekaligus merosakkan rancangan baik UMNO untuk membenarkan lesen judi bola di Malaysia? Yang jahat pula tuduh orang lain.

Bantuan RAK kepada keluarga miskin tegar Islam dibiayai daripada hasil kerajaan negeri menerusi lebihan Belanjawan yang disebut tadi. Memang BN dan UMNO iri hati atas kejayaan kerajaan negeri membasmi miskin tegar dan program penghargaan warga emas. Walaupun terus difitnah, kerajaan negeri tidak akan berganjak atau tunduk langsung ke atas anasir jahat ini yang mahukan dua program ini dihentikan.

Rakyat terus dibela, hak rakyat terus diperkasakan dan undang-undang terus didaulatkan.

LIM GUAN ENG

Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang Tidak Akan Tunduk Kepada Usaha UMNO

2010-10-05T00:10:00.000+08:00

Kenyataan Akhbar Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng Di Komtar, George Town Pada 27 September 2010

Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang Tidak Akan Tunduk Kepada Usaha UMNO Mengganggu-gugat Program Penghargaan Warga Emas Sebanyak RM100 Setiap Tahun.

UMNO sekali lagi meneruskan fitnah dan tohmahan terhadap Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang dengan mendakwa bahawa Program Penghargaan Warga Emas dibiayai oleh sumber judi haram dan bila ini dibuktikan palsu, UMNO mengalih kepada program Rakan Anti-Kemiskinan (RAK) untuk membasmi miskin tegar. Taktik jahat seribu jahat bertujuan menggagalkan program ini daripada kerajaan berjiwa rakyat PR yang memberi manfaat kepada rakyat.

Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang tidak akan tunduk kepada usaha UMNO mengganggu-gugat program penghargaan warga emas yang membayarkan RM100 setiap tahun kepada semua yang melebihi 60 tahun. Sehingga sekarang, hampir 110,000 warga emas di Pulau Pinang telah mendaftarkan diri dan akan mendapat bayaran RM100 setiap tahun demi mengenang budi atas sumbangan warga emas. Di samping itu, si waris warga emas yang mendaftarkan diri akan menerima RM1,000 sekali sahaja bila warga emas meninggal dunia. Sebanyak RM20 juta telahpun diperuntukkan untuk program ini dalam Belanjawan 2010 pada tahun lepas.

Wang yang dibayar oleh kerajaan negeri untuk program ini tidak datang daripada mana-mana derma atau sumber kerajaan persekutuan. Ia adalah penjimatan hasil urustadbir CAT yang cekap, akauntabel dan telus serta langkah anti-rasuah yang bukan sahaja dipuji oleh Laporan Ketua Audit Negara tetapi juga disanjungi oleh badan antarabangsa anti-rasuah terunggul, Transparency International.

Urustadbir CAT dan langkah anti-rasuah telah membolehkan Pulau Pinang mencatatkan lebihan Belanjawan yang paling besar dalam sejarah sebanyak RM88 juta pada 2008 dan RM77 juta pada 2009. Oleh itu, tidak wujud langsung program ini dibiayai oleh sumber luar. Keseluruhan kos program ini dibiayai sepenuhnya oleh hasil lebihan Belanjawan. Dengan kata lain, program penghargaan warga emas adalah dividen “anti-rasuah” yang dapat dinikmati oleh rakyat kerana mempunyai sebuah kerajaan negeri yang bersih dan tidak makan duit.

Ini bukan kali pertama program ini diserang, kerana sebelum ini, BN pernah mendakwa bahawa pemberian RM100 kepada warga emas adalah serupa bagi rasuah! Untuk BN, bagi wang sama rakyat adalah rasuah tetapi lain pula bagi wang ke dalam kocek sendiri.

Sekiranya kerajaan negeri tak makan duit maka rakyat boleh dapat duit! UMNO jangan harap akan mengganggu-gugat program dividen anti-rasuah RM100 setiap tahun kepada warga emas dengan fitnah dan tohmahan.

Malik : UMNO's Azhar is biggest hypocrite

2010-10-03T03:35:00.000+08:00

Rakan Anti-Kemiskinan (RAK) is a fund to help the hardcore poor. According to Exco YB Phee, the funds in the bank has RM2.4M. The RM2M donation from the Turf Club received in February 2010 is not included in this RM2.4.M. The hardcore poverty funds come from various well-wishers.
YB Malik pointed out the senior citizens appreciation program and the senior citizens beneficiaries program have separate funds and has nothing to do with the donation. Moreover, the accounts for 2010 is not even closed so there is no question of any monies being used for the senior citizens appreciation program.

Therefore, YB Malik called Datuk Azhar and the other UMNO members as 'hypocrites of the highest order' for questioning something that does not even exist. He said it is a blatant lie by UMNO that the Penang State Government uses gambling money to fund the two programs.

The media reported that 9 persons returned their RM100 to Datuk Azhar yesterday. However, the Pegawai Penyelaras for both DUN Bayan Lepas and DUN Penaga submitted more than 168 new warga mas application forms from both constituencies which are UMNO's constituencies.

YB Phee also challenged UMNO to give him the names of the nine persons who claimed they do not want the RM100 so that he can check the warga mas database if they are indeed registered. YB Malik quipped that it maybe UMNO's sandiwara. However, YB Malik warned UMNO that they should stop using these innocent senior citizens in their political struggle. He said it is sinful for them to prey on the vulnerable senior citizens to gain political mileage.

YB Phee and YB Malik also threw the question to UMNO why there seem to be a large concentration of hardcore poor Malays in the the districts of Seberang Perai Utara and Barat-Day which are UMNO strongholds. UMNO has been shouting about defending and upholding the Malays' rights and yet, the numbers of hardcore poor is obvious.

Both of them also asked if the Federal Government is willing to separate the funds received from sources related to gambling and reveal to the public how these funds are used? For eg. In 2009, the Federal Government received RM2.3B from gambling sources.

YB Malik said Datuk Azhar, in his former capacity as an Exco member of the previous Penang State Government should very well know that the Penang State Government does not get any income from any gambling sources.
He said, 'Yang menjadi bapa judi besar ialah kerajaan pusat. Siapa dia pengerusi Genting Highlands dulu?'

LINK To Video

A Celebration of Democracy

2010-09-28T00:02:00.000+08:00

When I was sacked from the government and the ruling party in September 1998, a tremendous ground swell of support swept the nation and unleashed forces that could not be contained by the powers that be. Neither could the walls of incarceration in Sungai Buloh prevent the birth of a new party that was destined, together with its allies, PAS and DAP, to take the nation's politics to a new dimension. Thus was born Parti Keadilan Nasional, a party founded on a truly multiracial platform fighting for justice and freedom, democracy and good governance. As it grew from strength to strength emboldened by a fervent belief in the process of reform and renewal, the party became Parti Keadilan Rakyat after its merger with Parti Rakyat Malaysia.
It is this spirit of change that was the driver for the adoption of a new system of voting for this year's party elections under which the party's 500,000-odd members will be able to vote for their leaders directly across the board. While such a practice is hardly new for most political parties in mature democracies across the world, it is indeed a first in Malaysia. This is empowerment of the members and with power comes responsibility. We believe the members will use this power wisely and judiciously.
It is true that the last few months have not been easy for KEADILAN. We still have a long way to go but at least we are moving forward and not backwards. The run up to the party elections has seen some very harsh words coming from certain leaders in a fashion not befitting the position that they aspire to be in. In this regard, the criticism that there is an emergence of "UMNO Culture" in the campaign for party positions is unfounded. At the same time, we cannot rule out entirely the possibility of Trojan horses having found their way in. But we remain steadfast in the belief that our members are mature and wise enough to decide what is best for the party. The truth shall prevail.
Differences of opinion and dissent over policies are not only normal but should be encouraged in a political party to ensure vibrancy and participatory democracy. The empowerment process confers not just the right to vote but also to express support or opposition. The candidates too have their right to present their agendas and to campaign. But it should not be open season. All this should be conducted within the bounds of decency, decorum and civility. There are house rules to be observed. This is why we have an independent elections committee.
We are committed to serving the people. Since its inception, the party has continually pushed for reforms for the country so that we may see change for the better. We reject the excuses given by the powers that be that the people are still not ready for full democracy and hence should continue to rely on political crutches. We don't need them.
It is because of this confidence that we have decided to hold direct elections. We believe that the best leaders will be produced through this process, and that at the same time they will be more accountable to the members.
This will help us emerge even stronger.

Anwar Ibrahim

Kepimpinan tiga PKR cabang bertukar

2010-09-24T00:41:00.002+08:00

BUTTERWORTH - Seperti yang dijangkakan, barisan kepimpinan dalam Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) di tiga cabang dalam daerah Seberang Perai Utara mengambil alih pentadbiran apabila memenangi semua kerusi yang dipertandingkan dalam Pemilihan Cabang PKR bagi sesi 2010-2013.

Biarpun kehangatan pemilihan itu berjaya dibendung apabila tidak berlaku sebarang kejadian tidak diingini, namun semua perwakilan di tiga cabang itu menunjukkan ketidakpuasan hati mereka dengan menolak ketua dan barisan ahli jawatankuasa lama bagi melantik pemimpin baru untuk mengetuai mereka.

Barisan kepimpinan baru PKR di tiga cabang itu turut menyapu bersih semua jawatan yang dipertandingkan dari jawatan ketua cabang hinggalah ke jawatan Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) termasuk cabang wanitanya.

Di cabang Bagan, Farid Arshad dipilih menjadi ketua selepas menewaskan bekas setiausaha cabang itu, Mazlan Ghani dengan kelebihan 44 undi.

Menurut Farid, pemilihan ini bermakna perwakilan mahukan perubahan dari segi gaya kepimpinan untuk menerajui PKR pada masa hadapan terutamanya menjelang pilihan raya umum nanti.

“Kita tidak pernah menidakkan peranan dan fungsi ketua cabang lama serta AJK mereka kerana mereka juga telah berjaya berfungsi sebagai pihak pentadbir daerah yang berjaya.

“Namun yang pasti, ahli peringkat akar umbi mahukan perubahan bagi mengemaskan lagi perjalanan parti untuk menghadapi persaingan yang semakin sengit dalam dunia politik sekarang,” katanya.

Di Tasek Gelugor pula, Mohd Nasir Mohamad memenangi ketua cabang itu apabila menewaskan penyandang lama dengan majoriti undi sebanyak 70.

Menurutnya, beliau akan meneruskan agenda untuk memenangi hati rakyat melalui penganjuran berbagai program kerana sedar untuk menjadi parti pemerintah perlukan sokongan semua pihak.

“Kita barisan kepimpinan baru akan tetap menjalin kerjasama dengan pemimpin lama bagi menguatkan lagi azam untuk memenangi pilihan raya nanti,” katanya.

Sementara itu, di cabang Kepala Batas turut menyaksikan penyandang ketua cabang lama, Zaini Awang terpaksa akur dan menyerahkan jawatan itu kepada Abdul Latif Abdullah selepas tewas dalam pemilihan.

A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

2010-08-26T07:17:00.000+08:00

A BRIEF HISTORY THAT LED US TO BE RECOGNIZED
AS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Penang has been the destination
of choice of many people
from all over the world and as
a result, it has been considered
one of the best real estate not
just in Malaysia but in the world.
No one could’ve imagined that
this sleepy fishing village would
be such an important part of
Malaysia today.

Multi-cultural and economically
booming, this little island govon
the northwest of Peninsular
Malaysia has been the target
of expatriates and adventure
seekers from all over the world
with the Malaysia My Second
Home (MM2H) program.
Historically, Penang was
originally part of the Kedah Sultanate
until it was colonized as a British Crown Colony by Captain Francis Light who promised the Sultanate British protection from Siamese invasion.
Light die of malaria on October 21, 1794 and was buried at the
Protestant cemetery at the end of Northam Road (now Jalan Sultan
Ahmad Shah). His legacy lives on through his son,Colonel WilliamLight who went
on to found thecity of Adelaide in
Australia.Penang has a part of American history as well.

Fort Cornwallis was built in 1804
and completed in 1810. Fort
Cornwallis was named after
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess
Cornwallis who was the
former British Governor-General
of Bengal, India. Cornwallis was
also the man whose surrender
at Yorktown, Virginia was considered
the end to the American
War of Independence and
led to the birth of a new nation
known today as the United
States of America.
Penang is now considered
a place that welcomes
people from all over the world
with open arms. One can just
drive along Tanjung Bungah
and you can meet people from
all over the world like the USA,
UK, Canada, Germany, Korea,
Japan and many others. There
are many factors to why Penang
has become a melting pot
of sorts in modern Malaysia.
Singaporeans consider
Penang a sister city due to its
ethnic and cultural similarities.
But Penang attracts Singaporeans
all the way up north for its
food as well. Penang has been
known as the food capital of
Malaysia and with right reason
as well. Famous hawker food
like Penang Laksa, Char Kuay
Teow, Hokkien Mee and Chee
Cheong Fun are just among the
few that can be found. Indian
food like chappati, Roti Canai
(Prata) are the most sought
after delicacies for locals as
well and Malay food like Nasi
Briyanni gives visitors a chance
to literally get a “taste of the
world”. Local desserts like chendol
and Ais Kacang are famous
in Penang and recipes for these
delicacies are generally passed
down from generation to generation.
Today, Penang is every bit
a modern city as it is an island resort. With shopping centres
like Gurney Plaza, Queensbay
and Prangin Mall, there’s nothing
like a lazy Sunday where
one can bring one’s family for a
quiet stroll along the corridors of
the shopping mall to see what’s
new in the market.
Yes Penang is every bit as
vibrant as it is different. It took
us all awhile but Georgetown
finally got its recognition as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in
2008.
Recently, Penang celebrated
Georgetown’s 2nd year
anniversary of its recognition as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To commemorate this event,
the Georgetown Festival featuring
over 80 programs to promote
ART and HERITAGE was
held from the 1st to the 31st of
July.
The month long celebrations
have made Penangites
proud of their heritage and
past. Ours is a unique culture, a
meeting point of many different
cultures. This amalgamation of
cultures may never be repeated
again for a very long time.

Isu Khubah Jumaat Guang Eng Ganti Agong

2010-08-24T00:35:00.002+08:00

KENYATAAN BERSAMA PAKATAN RAKYAT PULAU PINANG DALAM MESYUARAT TERGEMPAR PADA 22.8.2010 DI KOMTAR, GEORGE TOWN.

Mesyuarat tergempar PR dipanggil hari ini berikutan permainan isu “Guan Eng gantikan Agong” yang digembar-gemburkan oleh UMNO dan media massa. Permainan politik oleh UMNO ini adalah begitu karut kerana hanya orang tak siuman dan berniat jahat baru berani menggantikan nama DYMM YDP Agung dengan nama lain.

Dalam mesyuarat tersebut Ahli EXCO Negeri Pulau Pinang portfolio agama Islam YB Abdul Malik Kassim telah menjelaskan teks khutbah yang disediakan oleh MAINPP dan JAIPP.

10 usul telah diluluskan dalam mesyuarat tergempar PR Pulau Pinang yang dipengerusikan oleh Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang dan Pengerusi Pakatan Rakyat Lim Guan Eng:-

1.    Melafazkan ikrar taat setia kepada DYMM Yang di-Pertuan Agung sebagai pemimpin terunggul negara atau Kepala Utama bagi Persekutuan menurut Perkara 32 Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan juga sebagai Ketua agama Islam bagi Negeri Pulau Pinang menurut Perkara 5(2) Perlembagaan Negeri Pulau Pinang.

2.    Melafazkan ikrar taat setia kepada Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang mengikut Perkara 1 Perlembagaan Negeri Pulau Pinang.

3.    Menegakkan Islam sebagai agama rasmi negeri; tetapi agama lain boleh diamalkan dengan aman dan harmoni menurut Perkara 5(1) Perlembagaan Negeri Pulau Pinang.

4.    Mengulangi sokongan ke atas dasar kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang yang diumumkan oleh Ketua Menteri mengharamkan judi bola yang pada awalnya diluluskan oleh UMNO.

5.    Menyokong pemberian kewangan khas Hari Raya Aidilfitri yang diumumkan oleh YAB Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang sebanyak RM 400 kepada semua ahli pentadbiran kerajaan negeri, MPPP, MPSP dan agensi kerajaan negeri yang dibuat pertama kalinya dalam sejarah Malaysia.

6.    Mengutuk amalan politik kotor dan jahat UMNO dan media massa yang dikuasai ini yang memainkan isu “Guan Eng gantikan Agong” dalam doa khutbah kedua solat Jumaat yang merupakan satu fitnah jahat yang dilakukan terhadap kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang dalam bulan Ramadan yang mulia ini.

7.    Menafikan dengan keras dakwaan UMNO kerana teks khutbah Jumaat yang disediakan oleh Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (JAIPP) tidak pernah menggunakan nama Ketua Menteri bagi menggantikan nama Yang di-Pertuan Agung serta Kerajaan negeri, JHEAIPP atau YAB Ketua Menteri sendiri juga tidak pernah menerima atau mengeluarkan arahan secara lisan mahupun bertulis kepada mana-mana pihak untuk menggunakan nama Ketua Menteri.

8.    Mendesak UMNO mengambil tindakan terhadap mana-mana khatib/imam masjid yang dapat dibuktikan telah terpesong atau lari daripada teks khutbah yang disediakan dengan menggantikan nama DYMM YDP Agung dengan nama YAB Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang.

9.    Mendesak BN dan UMNO hentikan permainan politik kebencian di kalangan orang ramai yang menimbulkan ketegangan kaum dengan cuba mengaitkan imam/khatib yang tidak mengikut teks khutbah yang disediakan, kalau ada, dengan fitnah penggunaan nama YAB Lim Guan Eng diarahkan oleh kerajaan negeri.

10.   Menyeru rakyat and penyokong PR bersikap tenang dan tidak masuk perangkap UMNO untuk mengalihkan perhatian rakyat daripada program baik kerajaan negeri meluluskan program pemberian kewangan khas Hari Raya Aidilfitri sebanyak RM 400 kepada semua ahli pentadbiran dan agensi kerajaan negeri, pemberian tahunan RM 100 wang penghargaan warga emas, menambahkan peruntukan hal ehwal Islam sebanyak 100% kepada RM 24.3 juta pada 2010 berbanding dengan RM12.5 juta pada 2008 dengan sumbangan Ihya Ramadan dan bantuan kepada Sekolah Agama Rakyat   (SAR), serta mengharamkan perjudian bola selaras dengan prinsip amar maaruf nahi mungkar.

YB Dato Mansor Othman
Timbalan Ketua Menteri 1 Pulau Pinang
Pengerusi PKR Pulau Pinang

YB Chow Kon Yeow
Pengerusi DAP Pulau Pinang

Ustaz Rosidi Hussain
Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Pulau Pinang

George Town World Heritage Message

2010-07-28T22:58:00.001+08:00

George Town World Heritage Message by Lim Guan Eng in Georgetown

on Tuesday, 6^th July 2010:

George Town World Heritage Message

First Newspaper in Penang 1805

7 July 2010 is a historic day for Penang in commemorating the inscription of George Town by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The historical and cultural imprint of the traders remains significant in the George Town as evidence in architectural styles, the tangible heritage and cultures or way of life as an intangible heritage. The presence of the tangible and intangible heritage till today form the justification for the serial inscription of Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca, on the World Heritage List in 2008. Melaka and George Town together represent Malaysia's first cultural heritage site.
To mark the importance the Penang state government has declared 7 July as a public holiday and wishes to record our appreciation to the Education Ministry for recognising this as a holiday. The Penang State Government is committed to protect, preserve and promote the George Town World Heritage Site:

Engaging civil society and experts in heritage conservation. Collaboration with the civil society and experts both locally and internationally on heritage conservation which can contribute ideas on heritage management.
Engage all the stakeholders, State and Federal Government, private investors and civil society to manage and implements projects in the heritage site. The model of Public-Private-community Partnership.
Having a State Legislation, that is “Penang State Heritage Enactment” which will empower the State Government to preserve, promote and protect heritage. This include the setting up of a State Heritage Fund which we hope to attract both private and public donors locally and international.

In order to achieve the above commitment, the Penang State Government has set up a George Town World Heritage Incorporated. Its main function is to manage the site by working together with all the stakeholders such as local communities, government agencies, non-government agencies, institutes of higher learning, schools, professional bodies and other relevant agencies. The establishment of George Town World Heritage Incorporated proves the commitment of the Penang State Government to conserve, preserve, enhance and promote our multi-cultural diversity of our heritage. It is very important to acknowledge that the UNESCO George Town World Heritage Site is not only just a source of pride to us but also to the world and humanity.
The Penang state government hopes that the Federal government values the significance of George Town as a World Heritage site by providing funds and not engage in partisan acts of discrimination. The granting of RM 30 million in heritage conservation funds for Melaka and none for Penang is a travesty of justice and a great disservice towards Penang that was promised RM 25 million and got nothing. So far the Federal government has spent for the past three years RM 9,600 annually in George Town. Hopefully, this year the Federal government will see the importance of collaboration with the state government together with civil society and experts both locally and internationally on heritage conservation by increasing funding.
Let us proudly demonstrate that Malaysia and Penang are capable custodians and guardians of this precious heritage that has gained international reputation as a reminder of our country's rich historical contributions that is worth preserving. Let all Penangites join together in this day of celebration and educate our children to be aware of the importance of heritage conservation.

Heritage Trail Around George Town

2010-07-28T22:27:00.000+08:00

George Town was founded and built by the British as a free port in the 18th century. This attracts not only traders and merchants but a lot of settlers from the neighbouring region to come to this island to seek employment. The British themselves shipped labours from India to help in the construction. In the later century, there were waves of immigrants who settled down here because of the Industrial Revolution in Britain which demanded raw material which was abundant in the neighbouring states. All of them brought along their culture and religion from their homeland which were infused into the local scene and also intertwined with each other over the centuries to make the town to what it is today, a multi culture heritage establishment.
Thus, George Town has a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing. Even the food, the language and the architectural design of the buildings were influenced by these different ethnic culture and religion. A tour of this amazing town is a must. As most of these attractions are nearby each other, walking will be the best option. We suggest a full one day tour which will covers most of the interesting places of George Town.

Start at Fort Conwallis – This is the best well landmark located at the upmost tip of the cape. Built to defend the port as a stockades when Captain Francis Light landed here, it was reinforced with bricks later on and some of the original structures built over centuries ago can still be seen and in the compound such as the chapel, some prison cells, ammunition storage area, a harbour light, the original flagstaff and some old bronze cannons, which includes the infamous 17th-century Dutch cannon called the ‘Seri Rambai’. The star shaped fortress is now privately managed with also an information kiosk, café, open-air amphitheatre, history gallery, souvenir centre and tour guides to show visitors around and provide visitors more details of the fortress history.

Penang Town Hall – Across the Fort is an open field call the Padang Esplanade and the majestic Victorian-style building, The Penang Town Hall which was constructed in 1903. Around this building is a Victorian fountain donated by Koh Seang Tat and the Cenotaph, erected in memory to those who died during World War 1.

Convent Light Street – From the fountain, keep to the side walk and at the end of the road is Convent Light Street, sometime known as Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, a girl school set by a French Sisters’ Mission in 1852. Still running as a girl’s school, visitors can view the house of Captain Francis Light, the oldest building in George Town inside it. When the Convent took over they added a chapel and classrooms.
State Museum – Walk along the side wall to Lebuh Farquhar, cross over to the other side of the road using the overhead pedestrian bridge. You will see the Cathedral of the Assumption (Catholic Church) which was built in 1890. The State Museum is just beside it. Further down the road is the St. George’s Anglican Church completed in 1818.

Love Lane – The road just beside the Cathedral of the Assumption is known as Love Lane. This is an interesting lane as it leads into the quaintly streets and alleys where rows of typical Chinese shop houses are located. When you have reach the first inter section of Love Lane, turn left to Lorong Steward and this will lead you to the Goddess of Mercy Temple and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (formerly Pitt Street). This road is sometime known as the Street of Harmony because in this street one can see three different major religious communities living side by side.

Goddess of Mercy Temple – This temple was founded in 1890 by the Chinese immigrants who came here as labours during under British rule. In the daytime the temple was always filled with smoke from the constant burning of joss stick and praying paper. Chinese opera and puppet show are performed regularly in the courtyard.

Little India – From Goddess of Mercy Temple turn right and cross the road over to Market Street. Here you reach into heartland of Indian trading community. You can hear all the latest “Bollywood” hits songs blasting aloud while browsing through the shops for sarees, garlands, costume jewelleries, spices and etc. There are a number of snacks and restaurants that sell authentic Indian food which are worth trying out.
Sri Mariamman Temple – Turn into Queen Street and find the oldest Hindu temple dating back to 1833. At the top of the wooden entrance gate is an imposing stone tower of intricate stone carving. Turn right and walk to the end of Queen Street and you will reach the Han Jiang Teochew and Ancestral Temple. The building’s magnificent carved wooden and granite beams are worth to stop and admire and so are the beautiful painted doors of their gods at the facade.

Kapitan Keling Mosque – From the Penang Teochew Association Temple, keep left. Diagonally across the traffic light you will see the famous Kapitan Keling Mosque. It was built by the Indian Muslim British soldiers attached to the British army that were stationed here. The original building has been changed the last being 1916.

Khoo and Yap Kongsi Temple – Turning right when exiting the mosque into Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling and walk till the end is where you find most of the Chinese community “kongsi” (clan) temple and famous Lebuh Armenian. Three major temples are the Khoo Kongsi, The Tua Pek Kong Temple and Yap Kongsi. Slightly further down the street is the Cheah Kongsi. All these clan temples have recently been restored to their once magnificent state.

Clan Jetties of Penang – Walk all the way down Lebuh Armenian and you will arrive at the Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay). Here you find where all the wooden houses built on stilts in the seashores by the waterfront. The Chinese immigrants who mostly worked at the port or were fisherman built their houses nearby their place of work during the British rule.
Walk down Pengkalan Weld will see the famous Penang Ferry Terminal on your right which ferries motor vehicles and passengers across the channel to Butterworth and vice versa. You can always take a ride on these ferries as it takes vehicles on the lower deck while some are built for passengers in upper deck. One will be able to capture a magnificent view of the island on the ride back from the mainland. Tickets are purchase only at the Butterworth terminal.
From the Penang Ferry Terminal, keep right and continue walking down the road. It will lead you back to Fort Cornwallis.
From this heritage walk, you would have discover and wonder how diverse Penang as a whole is. Because of its importance as a port for the spice route for the East and West in the nineteen century it has not only brought in ships and goods for trading but different ethnic group of people from the neighbouring region to settle here. What is more amazing that they managed to coexist, staying in close appropriately with each other, thrive together and later intertwine into each other culture.

Shakira's Biography

2010-07-20T23:28:00.000+08:00

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira’s first steps in her creative life were developed at a very early age. As a child, she would write short notes to her father, who encouraged her to keep logging her thoughts and emotions and was unintentionally fostering her ability to write song lyrics. But writing wasn’t her only developing skill. By the time she was seven, Shakira displayed an impressive dancing ability when she joined a group of belly dancers at a Middle Eastern restaurant. She showed she could emulate their moves, much to the delight of everyone in the restaurant and she continued delivering impromptu performances for anyone who would stop long enough to watch her. It’s a talent she has clearly continued to put to good use throughout her career though it hardly begins to describe her fluid, sexy dancing ability and the impact it has had on pop culture.

She also began singing and, from the start, displayed a unique voice that stood out among her peers. Because of her already developed strong vibrato, she could only sing the solos in school because her voice overpowered her class mates. Some of her school pals would laugh at her singing and called her sound “animal-like.” But Shakira was undeterred by the criticism. Early on she decided to embrace her individuality and cultivate her unique voice and dance moves.

In a twist that seems like something out of a made-for-TV movie, a local theater producer whom Shakira had befriended met a Sony Music executive on a flight and convinced him to audition Shakira in a motel lobby. He liked what he heard, but his Sony colleagues in Bogotá felt her voice was too unusual. In a sneaky, yet clever move, the label executive arranged an in-person audition for Shakira, but told his record company staffers they were seeing someone else since they had only heard Shakira and never met her. Her talent won over any doubters and the label signed her to a three-album deal. But she was hardly an overnight sensation. Her first album, “Magia," recorded when she was only 14 in 1991, failed to find an audience. She returned to the studio to record “Peligro", which came out in 1993 and although the album began to build an audience for her, she felt distant from the songs, feeling the project was more a reflection of her producer’s taste than her own.

Although she was barely known outside of Colombia, Shakira was invited to appear at Chile's Viña del Mar International Song Festival in February 1993. The Festival featured aspiring Latin American singers performing in front of a huge audience and such well-known judges as soon-to-be fellow Latin superstar Ricky Martin. Shakira’s emotional performance of powerful ballad “Eres" (You Are) landed her in third place and began to build her profile outside of Colombia. After taking time to finish high school, Shakira returned to the studio to make her third album, which reflected her various eclectic influences. The 1995 “Pies Descalzos” album brought her great popularity in Latin America bolstered by the hit singles "Estoy Aquí," "Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos" and "Dónde Estás Corazón." The album sold more than 4 million copies and prompted the release of a remix album, which sold another 500,000 copies.

Shakira then turned to renowned producer Emilio Estefan, also known as Gloria Estefan’s husband, to executive produce her fourth album, 1998’s“¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?.” The album drew the attention of not only her loyal and ever-expanding Latin American audience, but Shakira gained fans in non-Spanish-speaking countries like France, Switzerland, Canada and especially the United States. An impressive eight of the album's 11 tracks were singles, including "Ciega, Sordomuda," "Moscas En La Casa," "No Creo," "Inevitable," "Tú," "Si Te Vas," "Octavo Día" and fan favorite "Ojos Así.” To solidify further Shakira’s growing popularity in America, she performed on MTV’s first Spanish-language edition of “MTV Unplugged.” The subsequent album release of the concert program earned Shakira her first Grammy Award. She was later named favorite international artist at the August 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. At the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony that same year, Shakira delivered a much-discussed, show-stopping performance of "Ojos Así" and took home Unplugged-related trophies for Best Female Pop Vocal ("Ojos Así") and Best Female Rock Vocal ("Octavo Dia").

After laying down tremendous groundwork in the English-speaking market and being welcomed with open arms, Shakira knew now was the time to reach out to a broader audience. She and Gloria Estefan created English versions of many of the tunes from “Dónde,” but Shakira decided instead to learn English and write the new album herself. As always, eager to continue to explore her roots, she included new Spanish songs. “Laundry Service” contained the mega-smashes “Whenever, Wherever” and ballad“Underneath Your Clothes.”By airing her musical “Laundry” before her adoring public, Shakira went from a Latin American superstar to a global superstar loved by people all over the world. The 2001 album went on to sell more than 13 million albums.

Not surprisingly, by 2002 Shakira had plenty of material for a Spanish greatest hits set. The year was also memorable for her continued mutual admiration society with MTV. She won another MTV Award, as well as five MTV Latin America Video Music Awards. She followed the greatest hits with 2004’s “Live and Off the Record,” a DVD of her Tour of the Mongoose. But even greater things lay ahead as Shakira continued to challenge herself artistically.

In an innovative move, Shakira decided to issue a new project, two albums --one in Spanish and one in English—a few months apart. She wrote 60 songs and then divvied them up for the two projects. Her instincts, once again, proved right on target. “Fijación Oral Vol. 1”came out in June 2005 and landed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., making it the highest debut ever for a Spanish language album in the SoundScan era. It topped the Billboard Latin Album chart upon release, as well as charts in nine other countries. Lead single, "La Tortura," which featured Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz, shot to #1 on the Hot Latin Tracks Billboard chart where it stayed for a staggering, record-setting 25 weeks. The video for “La Tortura” was the first Spanish-language video added into regular rotation at MTV and VH1.

The album was also an instant sensation closer to home, selling out across South America. It was certified platinum based on first-day sales in Venezuela and triple platinum in her native Colombia. Three days after its release, it had already sold a remarkable one million copies. It has since gone onto sell close to four million units.

The English version, “Oral Fixation Vol. 2,” came out in November 2005. Like its predecessor, it set a few records of its own. The single “Hips Don’t Lie,” featuring Wyclef Jean, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the most played song in the history of pop radio as her fans could not get enough of the sexy tune. The trip to the top made Shakira the only Colombian artist to land at No. 1.

In another sign of Shakira’s now- realized status as both a Spanish and Anglo superstar, “Hips Don’t Lie” landed at #1 on Billboard’s Top 40 Mainstream chart and No. #1 on the Latin song chart in the same week, marking the first time a song hit the top of both charts simultaneously.

The song was also a digital phenomenon, selling a record-breaking 266,500 downloads in its first week. It hit the million downloads mark faster than any other tune and, to date, has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. “Hips Don’t Lie” also proved to be an extremely popular ringtone worldwide.

“Fijacion Oral Vol. 1” proved as popular with critics as with fans: in February 2006, Shakira won the Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. The album also captured a slew of Latin Grammys, including album of the year. In April 2006, Shakira also received six Billboard Latin Music Awards for the album. Last year, she was additionally honored with the Spirit of Hope Award for her 12-year-old Fundación Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet Foundation), which aids child victims of violence in Colombia by providing education, emotional, nutritional, psychological and medical support.

The English version also captured its share of accolades. “Hips Don’t Lie” snared a Grammy nomination for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2007. She was the most nominated artist for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home the statue for best choreography. “Oral Fixation” has sold more than 8 million copies.

With both the English and Spanish versions whetting her fans’ appetites around the world for the real thing, the Colombian star took to the road on her biggest world tour yet in June 2006. The 140-date outing touched fans in North America, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America and sold out 98% of the shows, including concerts at New York’s prestigious Madison Square Garden, Miami’s American Airlines Arena and Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Shakira once again made history when she performed in front of more than 200,000 fans at Mexico City’s Plaza del Zocalo, the largest crowd in Mexican history. She also played in front of the pyramids in Egypt and for the first time in Dubai.

Shakira proved equally popular with her fellow superstars as with her fans. She became the go-to girl they sought out to sing with. Shakira duetted with Alejandro Sanz on “Te lo Agradezco, Pero No.” In 2007, she teamed with Beyonce for their international hit “Beautiful Liar” from the deluxe edition of Beyonce’s “B’Day” album. In addition to topping the chart in 12 territories, the song set the record for the largest jump ever on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. by soaring 91 positions from No. 94 to No. 3 in one week. It also debuted at No. 1 on both the Hot Digital Tracks and Hot Digital Songs charts. Shakira also appeared on Miguel Bose’s “Si Tu No Vuelves,” from his career-spanning collection “Papito.”

Never known to sit still or rest on her laurels, Shakira is now trying her hand at writing music for films. She has co-written and recorded two songs for November’s “Love in the Time of Cholera,”the movie version of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s international bestseller starring Javier Bardem. She also plans to continue her education by studying both history and art. In addition toFundación Pies Descalzos, she launched a new charity, ALAS (Latin America in Solidary Action) . The foundation, funded by private donations and non-governmental organizations, endeavors to contribute to building a prosperous Latin America that can provide health care for its children. Shakira and many of her fellow artists, including Juanes, Sanz, Bose, Ricky Martin, Maná and others, also committed to performing regular benefits to raise funds for ALAS.

Regardless of which direction her interests take her, Shakira will always return to music and to her fans but her place in music history is already secure. According to the United World Chart, with three years to go, she is already the fourth most successful artist of the 2000s. From the Grammys, the Latin Grammys and the MTV Video Music Awards to her role as an ambassador for the UNICEF to her foundations Pies Descalzos and ALAS, Shakira’s contributions have been ambitious and yet, at the same time, she makes them, somehow, appear effortless. Just like you’d expect from someone full of grace.