Malaysian's Next Generation

Been A While

2011-11-24T16:09:00.001+08:00

So it has been a very long time since I last posted and partly, I have been very busy with life. However, this does not mean that I have stopped following the social, political and religious development in our country. Hopefully I should be back and giving opinions on various matters that concern all Malaysians.

PETRONAS has never made any losses in commercial ventures, says PM

2008-07-09T15:27:00.002+08:00

PETRONAS has never made any losses in commercial ventures, says PM
Date: 08/07/2008

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Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has never made any losses in any commercial ventures that the national oil company has embarked upon, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In his written reply at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday to Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timur-DAP), who had asked Petronas to list out five projects in which it had suffered major losses, also said Petronas had also undertaken non-commercial projects aimed at boosting nation-building.

Among such projects is Universiti Technologi Petronas (UTP) in Tronoh, Perak, which was established in 1997 specialising in engineering and information technology. The university incurs an operation cost of RM150 million per year and has produced 3,400 graduates to date.
Petronas had also established the Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas (INSTEP) in Bukit Rakit, Terengganu where it trains technicians for the oil and gas sector. Established in 1983, it has an annual operation cost of RM80 million.

Its other project is Petronas NGV Sdn Bhd, which owns 90 stations with NGV facilities and has plans to increase the number of stations to 200 by 2010. Established in 1992, the NGV is sold at 68 sen per litre and Petronas has forked out RM500 million in subsidies.

To another question by Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang-DAP), Abdullah said the national oil reserve on Jan 1, 2007 was at 5.4 billion barrel, with an average output of 666,000 barrels per day for the financial year ended March 31, 2007. The Malaysian crude oil was priced at US$68.50 per barrel in the same financial year.

Source :The Edge Financial Daily 07 Jul 2008

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This is an interesting report that I read, but it seems weird that this news was not covered by any MSM or even Malaysiakini. Maybe I have missed it due to my very busy working days. However, covered or not I sure think that is very important and everyone should understands the implications of boycotting Petronas. I state it plain and simple "without Petronas, Malaysia's economy and development will fall to the grounds". Support our own country's products and companies.

Letter From A Fellow Malaysian

2008-07-09T15:17:00.004+08:00

Below is a letter sent to NST and they published it online. This letter is quite contrary to other letters seen on Malaysiakini or other blogs. It quite refreshing to hear and understand the experienced of some Malaysian such as C.K OOI. Please have a read below and post you opinions about this letter. I do not have time to write about my feelings of this letter. Enjoy!

2008/07/09

After the march 8 election: This nonsense has to stop
By : C.K. OOI, George Town

I AM one of those Malaysians who voted in the March 8 general election, believing a strong opposition would provide the necessary safeguards and checks and balances against the Barisan Nasional.

Since I started voting in the 1978 general election, I have always voted for the BN. But each time an election came, and we the Malaysian public returned the ruling coalition with a strong mandate, I noted that there were issues which the government dealt with arrogantly and, sometimes, without due care about the effects on the country on a longer-term basis.

I am widely travelled and I have seen many countries, East and West. Malaysia is still one of the best places in the world to live in. That is why I have always supported the BN because it has done something right and that is why we have not gone down the path of Myanmar, the Philippines, Zimbabwe or Yugoslavia.

Still, the endemic corruption which started taking root in the 1980s, the erosion of the credibility of the judiciary, the nepotism and cronyism during the growth years of the late 1980s and 1990s, jaded my belief in the BN.

In 2004, I would have voted for the opposition parties for the first time had it not been for the promise of change made by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. With renewed hope, I expected Abdullah's government to change things that had been so wrong.

Little changed. The same faces were in government. There was the same arrogance, harping on racial issues and politicking in Umno. The last straw, really, was the cockiness and do-if-you-dare challenges thrown by people such as Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein on the temple and kris issues.

My wife and I decided that we had had enough and we were resolute in seeking to put pressure on the BN, to teach the likes of Dr Khir and Hishammuddin a lesson. I believe many people thought like us and that is why our country got the results we saw on March 8.

Four months later, many of us have had time to review our decision. Some good has come out of it. Abdullah has said he has heard the message and has begun the reforms he promised in 2004, with the judiciary, Anti-Corruption Agency and the removal of subsidies. He has appointed fresh and capable faces in his cabinet, though more can be done.

But to be honest, there has been more harm than good. The opposition parties have failed to show any sign that they know how to govern.

They are still interested in campaigning although the doors of the election centres were closed long ago and we exercised our vote and asked them to prove to us that they were a suitable alternative.

What do they do to repay us? Threaten to cut down our water catchment areas in Kedah, have rallies and demonstrations every week, making us fear that riots will break out, use the Internet and statutory declarations to tell the most unsavoury lies and make our country a laughing stock, misbehave at concerts and, since March 8, try to buy or "persuade" BN politicians, elected by the people, to cross over.

Of course, we still have idiots in the BN, like that assemblywoman in Perak and the Sabah Progressive Party. But it is the lunacy of the opposition parties who have done nothing but gripe, gripe and gripe that has made me ashamed today that I voted for them.

All I can say to Lim Guan Eng, Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Azizan Abdul Razak is get on with the job. I am not going to make the same mistake again in 2013.

As for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, this is my message: You both ruled Malaysia collectively for the better part of the last 27 years and you should bear responsibility for the state of the country Abdullah inherited.

To be fair to Abdullah, his hands were also tied by the system he inherited. Now, we can see that. Nevertheless, he has the opportunity to go down in history as the man who reformed the country. He has given openness, he has allowed democracy to flourish and now he must seize the moment and act, act and act.

If the opposition parties and the BN politicians have any interest left in serving the people, they should back Abdullah and support him in reforms. Otherwise, they will go down in our history as those responsible for turning us into a basket case.

Letter from Malaysiakini

2008-07-09T09:41:00.004+08:00

Ringgit sliding further and further under BN
Gan Jul 8, 08 4:03pm

Recently, I interviewed some fresh graduates applying for jobs with my engineering company. I accepted two applicants on a starting salary of RM1600. It struck me as odd that 15 years ago, I myself started work as a fresh graduate engineer for the same pay.

Indeed, if you compare the salaries of graduates now and 15 or even 20 years ago, you’ll find little difference but that their purchasing power is vastly different. It’s the same story when you compare salaries of shop assistants, office staff, factory workers and others.

To compound the effect of inflation, the ringgit has depreciated greatly against all major currencies. The real income of most Malaysians has moved backwards.

This is why many Malaysians suffer under the petrol hike. The root of the problem is that our real incomes have shrunk in the face of inflation and depreciated currency. Malaysians have not been spoiled by subsidy but are unable to move out of the time lock of stagnated and depreciated incomes.

If you compare the per capita incomes of Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, they are a few multiples of ours although at independence all these countries were the on the same economic level as Malaysia.

What has gone wrong? We were the rising star of East Asia, a country rich in natural resources with the most promising potential.

The reason is massive corruption, plundering of resources, wastage of funds for huge non- economic projects, anti-public interest deals with politically-linked companies and passing-of-the -buck to the man in the street.

Four decades of NEP where education, economic and employment policies are defined by race ensured that meritocracy took a back seat.

Our university standard has declined and the today best and brightest of our youth emigrate to escape the racial inequility only to contribute to the economies of foreign lands.

The reputation of our judiciary which was held in high esteem worldwide has sunk so low that foreign investors now insist on arbitration in Singapore in case of any dispute.

We also have a slew of oppressive laws such as the ISA, OSA, Uuca and PPPA which stifle free speech and are designed to keep the ruling parties in power.

We have become less attractive to foreign investors and now lag behind our neighbours in Asean for foreign direct investment. Even some corporations who have established themselves here are moving out.

All the economic and social malaise cannot help but affect the value of our currency. The strength of a country's currency is after all, a reflection of its fundamentals.

Furthermore, Bank Negara has a policy of weak ringgit to help exporters, never mind the burden on the common folk. The government is pro-corporation, not pro-rakyat.

While the poor and middle-class are squeezed, an elite group gets breathtakingly rich. We have the distinction of having the worse income disparity in Asean. A re-distribution of wealth is under way from the poor and middle-class to a select group of politically-connected elite.

The end result of this re-distribution will be a small group of super-rich while the majority are pushed into poverty and the middle-class shrinks. This is what happens when the rich gets richer and the poor get poorer.

There is much that is wrong with Malaysia. The responsibility for pulling the country backwards can be laid squarely at the door of the ruling regime. It is BN's mis-governance, racial politics and culture of patronage which has seen the country regress economically and socially.

We seem to be sliding down a slippery slope, further down with each passing year of BN's rule. Another five years of BN rule and we’ll be at Indonesia’s standard under Suharto. Another 10 years and we’ll be touching the African standard. What a way to greet 2020.

Is there any hope for Malaysia? Faced with the reality that BN will never change, many Malaysians desperate for change turn their lonely eyes to Anwar Ibrahim.

Pakatan Raykat has promised to treat all races fairly, to plug wastage, fight corruption, reform the judiciary and make Malaysia more competitive. But some have questioned whether we can trust Anwar and his loose coalition of disparate parties.

The question is not whether we can trust Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat but whether we can afford not to. Can we afford another ten years of BN's misrule?

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I read this letter intently and came to the conclusion that what is written by Gan is absolutely correct. In terms of salary and the economic advancement I don't think we are moving forward at all. I even believe that we are moving backwards. All of us middle class and the lower class are surrounded by debts and loans. In order to buy a house, a car or even the simplest thing like a fridge we have to take a loan and pay by installment. I wonder why there are SO MANY MALAYSIANS ABROAD AND REFUSE TO RETURN HOME. Well one of the reason is the salary and the biased/racial situations we have here. I am saying this based on what I see and not pointing fingers to anyone. But as a whole we are very racist, I mean look in the jobs ad. Looking for a Malay male/female for ..............(whatever position) and the same thing looking for a Chinese male/female for ...........(whatever position). Don't you think that this is racist? I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME TIMES YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE SUCH PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS. But most of the time it is just preferences. The way they advertise these things shows we have this unbalanced world.

Look at the developed nation such as UK, they advertise for a job simply to find the most suitable person for it. They don't look at your race or anything. In fact they have a law and each time you apply for a job or anything (IE university) they will have a clause that states all selection are made based on the suitable candidate regardless of his/her race, religion and ethnic background. SO if your business requires people that speak Chinese then say Looking for a male/female that speaks Chinese. IS THIS SO HARD?

There are so many other things that is wrong the employments procedure and employments opportunity in Malaysia and I don't think I have the time to write about all it. Ask yourself this include PM and all MPs WHY ARE THERE SO MANY MALAYSIANS OVERSEAS?

Just wanted to add another little thing. People kept saying that the cost of living is higher in Europe or USA. This maybe true but want I saw in the UK is abit different. The cost of living is high but their salary scheme is adjusted to the cost of living. Someone working as a construction worker can still buy a house or own a car and go about living their live (it may not be a luxurious life but they are not poor and have to wear clothes until they are torn). This is because their tax system is different, cars and houses and land are not taxed insanely.

Pak Lah's Wisdom

2008-07-08T08:37:00.004+08:00

If any of you managed to catch the news last night then you may have heard Pak Lah's word of wisdom regarding the political situation in Malaysia. For those of you who missed it then not to worry because I will be quoting him.

Firstly, I like to point out that the way he said those things clearly shows that he is blaming all this political turmoil on the bloggers and other people.

"He said the allegations and news championing those who broke the law through SMS, blogs and YouTube were akin to treachery." Furthermore Pak Lah added that “These stories and SMS do not have any benefit. It is a deliberately attempt to create a negative perception (of the Government)." I think it him and his politicians that have brought that negative perception.

I mean seriously? Is this what is going on in his mind? He also said the the following “This is not the doing of a race that wants to progress,” he said, hoping that the rakyat would not be influenced by it all." So apparently by doing this we are a race of people that do want to progress. This makes me laugh, i mean for god's sake everyone know that this is not true. We all want to progress but there so many roadblocks that progression seems impossible. Just to highlight one idea, look at the domination of the Internet by TMnet. We are so far behind the rest of the world with our 1mbps connection and most of the time that connection is far slower that what we are paying for. Why can't be have Internet connection like Singapore or Thailand where home users can get upto 10mbps. Why? I am sure that all of us knows the answer to that question.

Pak Lah goes on to say the following things by this time I can feel the fire burning in my stomach.“There is total disregard for the law and no one is giving importance to what is right and wrong any more,” he said, advising Malaysians to disregard all such attempts.Addressing staff of the Prime Minister’s Department at its monthly gathering here yesterday, Abdullah said he was also sad that the recent spate of events showed that the principles of the Rukunegara had been tarnished." So according to him we are a bunch of criminals that disregard the law and we bring shame to the country by tarnishing the principles of Rukun Negara. Who is actually doing this? its not the rakyat but in fact it is the politicians.

They are the ones that caused the political turmoil in our country now. They have forgotten their roots and their vows they made to the people. Look at the fuel price increase. I remember it as clear as the sky, two days before the price went up Pak Lah told the country that prices will remain the same until August but in fact it went up by 78 cents. The sudden and abrupt increased caused a ripple effect through-out the nation to effect the prices of food and other daily requirements. This has caused the people to feel the pain due to sudden increase of raw materials and food items. The government didn't think about this effect, they simply do it and then tell us to change our lifestyle. If he had been smart then he would have done in a few stages at least in this way he will have the support and the understanding of the people. Deep down in my heart I can feel a political up rise, a revolution coming towards Malaysia.

Source:
Lies akin to treachery, says Pak Lah

Update on Malaysiakini Article "Bala tarik balik akuan berkanun"

2008-07-04T14:45:00.004+08:00

Below are information taken from the newly released statutory declaration of PI Balasubramaniam (the star news: here)

The 10 statements highlighted in the second statutory declaration dated July 4 were:

* At no material time did Razak inform him (Balasubramaniam) that the former was introduced to Altantuya Shaariibuu by a VIP;

* At no material time did Razak inform him that Najib had a sexual relationship with Altantuya and that she was "susceptible to anal intercourse";

* At no material time did Razak inform him that Najib instructed Razak to look after Altantuya as he did not want her to harass him since he (Najib) was the Deputy Prime Minister;

* At no material time did Razak and/or Altantuya inform him that Najib, together with Razak and Altantuya had met and all been together at a dinner in Paris;

* At no material time did Altantuya inform him that she wanted money in the sum of US$500,000 as a commission for a submarine deal she "assisted" with in Paris;

* At no time whatsoever did Razak and/or Altantuya inform him that Najib met with Altantuya in Singapore;

* At no time whatsoever did Altantuya inform him that she wanted Balasubramaniam to arrange to see Najib;

* At no time did he tell the police during the course of their investigations about any relationship between Najib and Altantuya as no such relationship existed to his knowledge;

* At no time did Razak inform him that he had sent Najib an SMS the evening before he (Razak) was arrested; and

* At no time did Razak inform him that Najib has sent him an SMS on the day of his (Razak) arrest to the effect that he was going to see the IGP that day and that the matter should be resolved and for Razak to remain calm.

I do not know what else to say and what else to think. Have a read of the original statuatory declration posted earlier in my blog and you see that there some clear cut differences. Seriously I think they are not taking us (Malaysian Citizen) seriously. Of the events that took place, I am sure that most of us will be thinking that the goverment had something to do with this, but I can't say anything for sure as I am just another lowly citizen reporting what the media is reporting.........

Ammunition for the Opposition

2008-07-04T14:29:00.002+08:00

"Mahfuz raises latest allegation against Najib in Parliament", this article posted on the The Star online news is quite interesting. As you all can understand the recent statutory declaration by P.I Balasubramaniam have started to effect the parliamentary proceedings. This is way too obvious the opposition party members are just waiting for evidence or anything that shows the corruption and misuse of power by BN politicians. I expect things to get worse from now on, because the meaning of statutory declaration has lost its meaning and its power. It is suppose to be the words that have meaning and credibility but Balasubramaniam has proved to the entire Nation that these words can be easily changed. His reasoning for the retraction is simplly "I have been blackmailed/ forced to say those things about DSR Najib". WEll at this point all the angles of the Altantuya case is very unclear. None of the things said about the case has any credibility anymore and things are just about to get out of BN's grips.

I just wish the aftermath of this war between the politicians will not be harmful to me and other Malaysians.

Malaysiakini Update on Altantuya Case

2008-07-04T12:22:00.002+08:00

Bala tarik balik akuan berkanun
Jul 4, 08 11:18am
Penyiasat persendirian, P Balasubramaniam membuat kejutan lagi apabila menarik balik akuan berkanunnya yang mengaitkan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dengan Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Dalam akuan berkanunnya itu, Balasubramaniam mendakwa Najib mempunya hubungan seksual dengan Altantuya. Najib juga didakwa memperkenalkan Altantuya kepada Abdul Razak Baginda.

Balasubramaniam berkata, beliau telah dipaksa membuat akuan berkanun tersebut. Dalam satu sidang akhbar di sebuah hotel di Kuala Lulmpu pagi ini, Balasubramaniam membuat akuan berkanun yang baru.

Akuan berkanun yang baru itu tanpa rujukan Najib mempunyai hubungan seksual dengan Altantuya ataupun Najib yang memperkenalkan Abdul Razak baginda kepada wanita Mongolia tersebut.

Balasubramaniam juga mempunyai peguam yang baru. Peguam Americk Sidhu, yang bersamanya semalam, juga tidak tahu apa yang sedang berlaku. Sidang akhbar Balasubramaniam masih berjalan.

Semalam, Balasubramaniam membuat pendedahan yang menggemparkan bahawa beliau telah mendengar dari Abdul Razak mengenai hubungan Najib dengan Altantuya.

Tetapi hari ini beliau berkata, beliau mahu menarik balik akuan berkanunnya pertama, yang difailnya pada 1 Julai, dan menggantikannya dengan yang baru, yang diumumkannya hari ini.

"Saya mahu menarik balik akuan berkanun yang pertama," katanya sambil menambah, beliau dipaksa membuat akuan berkanun tersebut.

Balasubramaniam telah diupah oleh Abdul Razak untuk menguruskan Altantuya pada 2006 yang mengganggu Abdul Razak, yang juga rapat dengan Najib.

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What in the world is happening? this guys guys realesd his statement on first of July that implicated DSR Najib to the Altantuya case. And all of sudden he changed his story! There is something fukin messed up going on here. The truth seemed to have been buried deep inside all of this mess! So who is lying and who is telling the truth? Unfortunatley, no one will ever know. Is all this a plot to discredit Anwar or Raja Petra? Who knows. All I know is that I am frekin confused of the drama that is going on in our beloved country.

The WAR IS ON

2008-07-04T08:57:00.000+08:00

*Read point 25,.0-2*

Looks like not only anwar is a fan

http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysian-news/34-malaysian-news/1352-p-balasubramaniams-statutory-declaration

P. Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration

JULY 3 — Below is the statutory declaration in full made by murder accused Abdul Razak Baginda's private investigator P. Balasubramaniam that claimed police suppressed evidence to protect some personalities, including proof that Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu knew Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

I, Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal (NRIC No: 600928-08-6235), a Malaysian Citizen of full age and residing at No. 32, Jalan Pelangi 1, Taman Pelangi, Rawang, Selangor, do solemly and sincerely declare as follows:

1. I have been a police officer with the Royal Malaysian Police Force having joined as a constable in 1981 attached to the Police Field Force. I was then promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and finally resigned from the Police Force in 1998 when I was with the Special Branch.

2. I have been working as a freelance Private Investigator since I left the Police Force.

3. Some time in June or July 2006, I was employed by Abdul Razak Baginda for a period of 10 days to look after him at his office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang between the hours of 8.00am to 5.00pm each working day as apparently he was experiencing disturbances from a third party.

4. I resigned from this job after 2-1⁄2 days as I was not receiving any proper instructions.

5. I was however re-employed by Abdul Razak Baginda on the 05-10-2006 as he had apparently received a harassing phone call from a Chinese man calling himself ASP Tan who had threatened him to pay his debts. I later found out this gentleman was in fact a private investigator called Ang who was employed by a Mongolian woman called Altantuya Shaaribuu.

6. Abdul Razak Baginda was concerned that a person by the name of Altantuya Shaaribuu, a Mongolian woman, was behind this threat and that she would be arriving in Malaysia very soon to try and contact him.

7. Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that he was concerned by this as he had been advised that Altantuya Shaaribuu had been given some powers by a Mongolian “bomoh” and that he could never look her in the face because of this.

8. When I enquired as to who this Mongolian woman was, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that she was a friend of his who had been introduced to him by a VIP and who asked him to look after her financially.

9. I advised him to lodge a police report concerning the threatening phone call he had received from the Chinese man known as ASP Tan but he refused to do so as he informed me there were some high profile people involved.

10. Abdul Razak Baginda further told me that Altantuya Shaaribuu was a great liar and good in convincing people. She was supposed to have been very demanding financially and that he had even financed a property for her in Mongolia.

11. Abdul Razak Baginda then let me listen to some voice messages on his handphone asking him to pay what was due otherwise he would be harmed and his daughter harassed.

12. I was therefore supposed to protect his daughter Rowena as well.

13. On the 09.10.2006 I received a phone call from Abdul Razak Baginda at about 9.30am informing me that Altantuya was in his office and he wanted me there immediately. As I was in the midst of a surveillance, I sent my assistant Suras to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office and I followed a little later. Suras managed to control the situation and had persuaded Altantuya and her two friends to leave the premises. However Altantuya left a note written on some Hotel Malaya note paper, in English, asking Abdul Razak Baginda to call her on her handphone (number given) and wrote down her room number as well.

14. Altantuya had introduced herself to Suras as “Aminah” and had informed Suras she was there to see her boyfriend Abdul Razak Baginda.

15. These 3 Mongolian girls however returned to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang again, the next day at about 12.00 noon. They did not enter the building but again informed Suras that they wanted to meet Aminah’s boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda.

16. On the 11.10.2006, Aminah returned to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office on her own and gave me a note to pass to him, which I did. Abdul Razak Baginda showed me the note which basically asked him to call her urgently.

17. I suggested to Abdul Razak Baginda that perhaps it may be wise to arrange for Aminah to be arrested if she harassed him further, but he declined as he felt she would have to return to Mongolia as soon as her cash ran out.

18. In the meantime I had arranged for Suras to perform surveillance on Hotel Malaya to monitor the movements of these 3 Mongolian girls, but they recognised him. Apparently they become friends with Suras after that and he ended up spending a few nights in their hotel room.

19. When Abdul Razak Baginda discovered Suras was becoming close to Aminah he asked me to pull him out from Hotel Malaya.

20. On the 14.10.2006, Aminah turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights when I was not there. Abdul Razak Baginda called me on my handphone to inform me of this so I rushed back to his house. As I arrived, I noticed Aminah outside the front gates shouting “Razak, bastard, come out from the house”. I tried to calm her down but couldn’t so I called the police who arrived in 2 patrol cars. I explained the situation to the police, who took her away to the Brickfields police station.

21. I followed the patrol cars to Brickfields police station in a taxi. I called Abdul Razak Baginda and his lawyer Dirren to lodge a police report but they refused.

22. When I was at the Brickfields police station, Aminah’s own Private Investigator, one Mr Ang, arrived and we had a discussion. I was told to deliver a demand to Abdul Razak Baginda for US$500,000.00 and 3 tickets to Mongolia, apparently as commission owed to Aminah from a deal in Paris.

23. As Aminah had calmed down at this stage, a policewoman at the Brickfields police station advised me to leave and settle the matter amicably.

24. I duly informed Abdul Razak Baginda of the demands Aminah had made and told him I was disappointed that no one wanted to back me up in lodging a police report. We had a long discussion about the situation when I expressed a desire to pull out of this assignment.

25. During this discussion and in an attempt to persuade me to continue my employment with him, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that:

25.1 He had been introduced to Aminah by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

25.2 Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak informed Abdul Razak Baginda that he had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.

25.3 Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wanted Abdul Razak Baginda to look after Aminah as he did not want her to harass him since he was now the Deputy Prime Minister.

25.4 Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Abdul Razak Baginda and Aminah had all been together at a dinner in Paris.

25.5 Aminah wanted money from him as she felt she was entitled to a US$500,000.00 commission on a submarine deal she assisted with in Paris.

26. On the 19.10.2006, I arrived at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights to begin my night duty. I had parked my car outside as usual. I saw a yellow Proton Perdana taxi pass by with 3 ladies inside, one of whom was Aminah. The taxi did a U-turn and stopped in front of the house where these ladies rolled down the window and wished me “Happy Deepavali”. The taxi then left.

27. About 20 minutes later the taxi returned with only Aminah in it. She got out of the taxi and walked towards me and started talking to me. I sent an SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda informing him “Aminah was here”. I received an SMS from Razak instructing me “to delay her until my man comes”.

28. Whist I was talking to Aminah, she informed me of the following:

28.1 That she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Singapore with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

28.2 That she had also met Abdul Razak Baginda and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a dinner in Paris.

28.3 That she was promised a sum of US$500,000.00 as commission for assisting in a submarine deal in Paris.

28.4 That Abdul Razak Baginda had bought her a house in Mongolia but her brother had refinanced it and she needed money to redeem it.

28.5 That her mother was ill and she needed money to pay for her treatment.

28.6. That Abdul Razak Baginda had married her in Korea as her mother is Korean whilst her father was a Mongolian/Chinese mix.

28.7 That if I wouldn’t allow her to see Abdul Razak Baginda, would I be able to arrange for her to see Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

29. After talking to Aminah for about 15 minutes, a red Proton Aeroback arrived with a woman and two men. I now know the woman to be Lance Corporal Rohaniza and the men, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azahar. They were all in plainclothes. Azilah walked towards me while the other two stayed in the car.

30. Azilah asked me whether the woman was Aminah and I said “Yes”. He then walked off and made a few calls on his handphone. After 10 minutes another vehicle, a blue Proton Saga, driven by a Malay man, passed by slowly. The driver’s window had been wound down and the driver was looking at us.

31. Azilah then informed me they would be taking Aminah away. I informed Aminah they were arresting her. The other two persons then got out of the red Proton and exchanged seats so that Lance Corporal Rohaniza and Aminah were in the back while the two men were in the front. They drove off and that is the last I ever saw of Aminah.

32. Abdul Razak Baginda was not at home when all this occurred.

33. After the 19.10.2006, I continued to work for Abdul Razak Baginda at his house in Damansara Heights from 7.00pm to 8.00am the next morning, as he had been receiving threatening text messages from a woman called “Amy” who was apparently “Aminah’s” cousin in Mongolia.

34. On the night of the 20.10.2006, both of Aminah’s girlfriends turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house enquiring where Aminah was. I informed them she had been arrested the night before.

35. A couple of nights later, these two Mongolian girls, Mr Ang and another Mongolian girl called “Amy” turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house looking for Aminah as they appeared to be convinced she was being held in the house.

36. A commotion began so I called the police who arrived shortly thereafter in a patrol car. Another patrol car arrived a short while later in which was the investigating officer from the Dang Wangi Police Station who was in charge of the missing persons report lodged by one of the Mongolians girls, I believe was Amy.

37. I called Abdul Razak Baginda who was at home to inform him of the events taking place at his front gate. He then called DSP Musa Safri and called me back informing me that Musa Safri would be calling my handphone and I was to pass the phone to the inspector from the Dang Wangi Police Station.

38. I then received a call on my handphone from Musa Safri and duly handed the phone to the Dang Wangi inspector. The conversation lasted 3-4 minutes after which he told the girls to disperse and to go to see him the next day.

39. On or about the 24.10.2006, Abdul Razak Baginda instructed me to accompany him to the Brickfields police station as he had been advised to lodge a police report about the harassment he was receiving from these Mongolian girls.

40. Before this, Amy had sent me an SMS informing me she was going to Thailand to lodge a report with the Mongolian consulate there regarding Aminah’s disappearance. Apparently she had sent the same SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda. This is why he told me he had been advised to lodge a police report.

41. Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that DPS Musa Safri had introduced him to one DSP Idris, the head of the Criminal division, Brickfields police station, and that Idris had referred him to ASP Tonny.

42. When Abdul Razak Baginda had lodged his police report at Brickfields police station, in front of ASP Tonny, he was asked to make a statement but he refused as he said he was leaving for overseas. He did however promise to prepare a statement and hand ASP Tonny a thumb drive. I know that this was not done as ASP Tonny told me.

43. However ASP Tonny asked me the next day to provide my statement instead and so I did.

44. I stopped working for Abdul Razak Baginda on the 26.10.2006 as this was the day he left for Hong Kong on his own.

45. In mid-November 2006, I received a phone call from ASP Tonny from the IPK Jalan Hang Tuah asking me to see him regarding Aminah’s case. When I arrived there I was immediately arrested under S.506 of the Penal Code for Criminal intimidation.

46. I was then placed in the lock-up and remanded for 5 days. On the third day I was released on police bail.

47. At the end of November 2006, the D9 department of the IPK sent a detective to my house to escort me to the IPK Jalan Hang Tuah. When I arrived, I was told I was being arrested under S.302 of the Penal Code for murder. I was put in the lock-up and remanded for 7 days.

48. I was transported to Bukit Aman where I was interrogated and questioned about an SMS I had received from Abdul Razak Baginda on the 19.10.2006 which read “delay her until my man arrives”. They had apparently retrieved this message from Abdul Razak Baginda’s handphone.

49. They then proceeded to record my statement from 8.30am to 6.00pm every day for 7 consecutive days. I told them all I knew including everything Abdul Razak Baginda and Aminah had told me about their relationships with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but when I came to sign my statement, these details had been left out.

50. I have given evidence in the trial of Azilah, Sirul and Abdul Razak Baginda at the Shah Alam High Court. The prosecutor did not ask me any questions in respect of Aminah’s relationship with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak or of the phone call I received from DSP Musa Safri, whom I believe was the ADC for Datuk Seri Najib Razak and/or his wife.

51. On the day Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested, I was with him at his lawyers’ office at 6.30am. Abdul Razak Baginda informed us that he had sent Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak an SMS the evening before as he refused to believe he was to be arrested, but had not received a response.

52. Shortly thereafter, at about 7.30am, Abdul Razak Baginda received an SMS from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and showed this message to both myself and his lawyer. This message read as follows: “ I am seeing IGP at 11.00am today … matter will be solved … be cool.”

53. I have been made to understand that Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested the same morning at his office in the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang.

54. The purpose of this Statutory declaration is to:

54.1 State my disappointment at the standard of investigations conducted by the authorities into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu.

54.2 Bring to the notice of the relevant authorities the strong possibility that there are individuals other than the 3 accused who must have played a role in the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu.

54.3 Persuade the relevant authorities to reopen their investigations into this case immediately so that any fresh evidence may be presented to the Court prior to submissions at the end of the prosecutions case.

54.4 Emphasise the fact that having been a member of the Royal Malaysian Police Force for 17 years I am absolutely certain no police officer would shoot someone in the head and blow up their body without receiving specific instructions from their superiors first.

54.5. Express my concern that should the defence not be called in the said murder trial, the accused, Azilah and Sirul will not have to swear on oath and testify as to the instructions they received and from whom they were given.

55. And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same be true and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declaration Act 1960.

SUBSCRIBED and solemnly declared by the abovenamed

Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal

this day of 2008 )

Before me,

………………………………….

Commissioner for Oath

Kuala Lumpur

Altantyu Murder Story

2008-07-03T16:29:00.002+08:00

Thursday July 3, 2008 MYT 3:19:16 PM
Altantuya murder: PI implicates senior politician

PETALING JAYA: Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda's private investigator P. Balasubramaniam says the police omitted information about the relationship between a senior politician and Mongolian murder victim Altantuya Shaariibuu in his statement.

In the high profile case, Unit Tindakan Khas (UTK) operatives C/Insp Azilah Hadri and Kpl Sirul Azhar Umar are charged with murdering the 28-year-old Mongolian translator between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20 two years ago in Mukim Bukit Raja, Shah Alam.

The article above which is taken from thestar online is quite a news. Firstly, there are some evidence now that may implicate on of the politician and I am sure that all of you know who. Secondly, it can also proves that they are cover up being done by politicians and quite possibly the goverment.

Malaysian are not stupid, come one lah the bloddy goverment should realise it by now and stop doing all this nonsense. On of this day Malaysians will stand up to the BN goverment to put a stop to their stupidity. And I personally think that time is coming quite soon because frankly I am sick of all this crap that are being said and being done by them.

Who to Blame for Rats Problem

2008-07-03T08:44:00.002+08:00

Thursday July 3, 2008
Shocked at seeing rats at food outlet

FOR 63-year-old Eusof Izzudin, the visit to a 24-hour restaurant in Desa Pandan with his foreign friends last month would be his last to the outlet if authorities do not make an effort to clean up the area.

“I was with my friends who were visiting the country for the first time, when one woman friend saw a big rat running under our table,” Eusof said.

“She shrieked in disbelief and refused to touch any of the food on the table,” Eusof told StarMetro in an email.

“Eradicating rats here and there once in a while is not the solution. A concerted effort to get rid of the menace in the city and its surrounding areas should be made to make our city a safer, cleaner and healthier place to live in,” he said.

“Rats breed at a very fast rate and if no action is taken immediately, we will not be able to solve the problem later,” Eusof said.

Carol Cheong, who lives near the Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park, said she had sent several letters informing the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to clean up the area.

“The DBKL people would come and check but nothing permanent is done. And the problem continues,” she said.

Cheong said that the food operators did not have grease traps but just had leftovers strewn all over the drain.

According to Carlos Loh of Cheras, he has seen a foot-long rat roaming about at a eating place.

“After seeing a huge rat running under the tables at one eating place, I told myself that was the last I would be visiting the outlet,” Loh said.

Loh said the incident happened one night when he and a group of friends met up for tea after work and had to lift their feet up when they saw the rat running towards their table.

“We see rats all the time when we eat at the stalls but they are always further then where my table is placed, so it doesn’t bother me much,” said a customer who only wants to be identified as Tan.

Tan said he had no choice but to eat at such places and 24-hour restaurants as the food was cheaper.

“I will pay more to ensure that the food that I am eating is clean. I will save on other less important stuff,” said Andrea Loh, who does not want to gamble her health at dirty stalls.

An executive who often goes to SS2 Petaling Jaya for his favourite Penang hawker food said he had seen rats as big as cats at the back lanes of the coffee shops there.

He said that the lanes and drains on the side of the SS2 food court were also filled with leftover foodstuff and he had also seen rats, both big and small, running around the area.

The executive said the local authorities should engage pest control firms to monitor, control and eliminate the rodents.

If lack of funds is the problem, he suggested that each food stall operator be made to pay perhaps RM10 a month towards the cost of engaging the pest control firm.

=====================================================================================
So who should be blame for the rats problem? Clearly it seems that DBKL should be responsible. But at the same time I think that the food stall operator/restaurant owners should be responsible and contribute to help solve the problem. But it doesn't seem to be happening, we have this mentally that if is doesn't effect me personally then it is not my problem.

Clearly the restaurant owners seem to be OK with rats running around their shops and around the place where they prepare food and to be honest I am sure that some Malaysians don't even care about it. Why do I say this? Well its because I have certain friends who don't care if they are rats running around inside or outside the shops. According to them that is the way of life and we must understand that animals are here for a reason too. Well he may have a point but when it comes to food preparation then I am very particular and need to be sure that the food is clean and safe. I am sure that many of us agree to this. But yet we still have massive rat infestation problems around KL. If you don't believe me then try walking around Chow Kit and I am sure you will spot one or two of the them.

The only way to solve this problem is by having DBKL cooperate with food stall and restaurant owners. This is the only way to reduce the number of rats running around our capital city.

UPDATE TO THE RAPED BY POLICE

2008-06-25T11:28:00.001+08:00

Gadis meracau
Oleh Mohd Jamilul Anbia Md Denin dan Salman Hamat
am@hmetro.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Keadaan gadis yang mendakwa menjadi mangsa rogol seorang anggota polis amat membimbangkan apabila dia dikatakan berkelakuan seperti orang gila dan sering menangis serta ketawa seorang diri.

Menurut abang ipar mangsa yang enggan dikenali, dia dan keluarga amat risau dengan kelakuan adik iparnya itu yang berkelakuan ganjil sejak dikatakan diperkosa di sebuah balai polis, Rabu lalu.

“Adik ipar saya tidak seperti dulu, dia enggan ke sekolah kerana trauma akibat diperkosa anggota polis terbabit.
“Kami sekeluarga amat sedih setiap kali melihat dia menangis dan kemudian ketawa seorang diri secara tiba-tiba. Memang lagak seperti orang kurang siuman,” katanya, semalam.

Sementara itu, seorang lagi saudara mangsa yang hanya ingin dikenali sebagai Mohd Rizal, 29, berkata dia dan penduduk kampung hanya mengetahui peristiwa malang itu Sabtu lalu dan amat marah dengan kejadian itu.

“Saya dan 20 penduduk kampung membawa mangsa ke balai polis berkenaan untuk mencari anggota terbabit namun dia dikatakan tidak bertugas.

“Kami kemudian menemani mangsa untuk membuat laporan di balai polis terbabit berikutan kejadian yang tidak sepatutnya dilakukan seorang anggota polis itu,” katanya.

Dia juga menyatakan kekesalannya berhubung kejadian yang menimpa gadis berusia 17 tahun itu dan meminta siasatan terperinci dijalankan untuk mengelakkan imej Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) tercalar.

Baginya, polis sepatutnya melindungi orang awam dan bukannya bertindak di luar batasan undang-undang.

Harian Metro semalam melaporkan dakwaan gadis terbabit yang dikatakan dirogol dan dipaksa melakukan seks luar tabii oleh seorang anggota polis berpangkat lans koperal berusia 20-an di sebuah balai polis di Puchong.

Difahamkan, sebelum itu, mangsa bersama teman lelakinya ditahan kerana tidak mempunyai lesen motosikal lalu dibawa ke balai polis untuk disoal siasat sekitar jam 5 pagi.

Bagaimanapun mangsa yang disoal siasat di bilik berasingan dipaksa berbogel.

Mangsa pada mulanya enggan menuruti arahan, tetapi terpaksa akur selepas anggota terbabit mengugut mencederakan teman lelakinya.

Selepas dibebaskan, mangsa yang masih terkejut merahsiakan peristiwa hitam yang menimpanya daripada pengetahuan teman lelaki dan keluarganya.

Dia hanya menceritakan perkara itu kepada seorang individu yang dirahsiakan identitinya selepas dua hari kejadian itu menimpanya sebelum membuat laporan di Balai Polis Putra Height.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hubungi bahagian pengiklanan kami untuk tujuan pengiklanan dan tajaan di dalam Harian Metro Online .
© Hak cipta terpelihara 2007 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad

As you can see my worries were exactly mentioned in the article above posted from Metro online. I feel deeply sorry for the victim and her family. But what else can I do apart from pray for her and her family.

IT Happened Again- Rape

2008-06-25T10:18:00.003+08:00

Held over rape in police station
By Alang Bendahara

2008/06/24

KUALA LUMPUR: A policeman was detained for allegedly forcing a 17-year-old girl to perform oral sex and raping her in a police station in Selangor recently. It was learnt that the policeman, in his 20s, had stopped the girl and her boyfriend, who were riding a motorcycle, while making his rounds about 5am on June 18.

Upon questioning, the policeman, who was with a colleague, discovered that the girl's boyfriend did not possess a licence and the couple was taken to a police station for further questioning.

Sources said the couple was later interrogated separately in different rooms.

While being interrogated, the girl was allegedly forced to undress and threatened.

"The policeman allegedly threatened to throw her boyfriend in jail for 20 years if she refused to obey his instructions," said a source.

Fearing for her boyfriend's safety, the girl agreed to the policeman's demand and performed oral sex on him and was also raped.

After about 30 minutes, the couple was released and she did not reveal the incident to either her boyfriend or family members.

However, two days later, the girl decided to inform her cousin about what happened in the police station.

The cousin later informed the girl's parents.

On Sunday, the girl, accompanied by her family members, lodged a police report at the Putra Heights police station in Subang Jaya.

When contacted, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed the report.

He however refused to elaborate, saying that the case was still under investigation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

The article above is taken from News Stratis Times and can be found here

Honestly where is the sanctity and the morality of the police officers these days? They suppose to be the trusted ones, the ones that we can trust, believe and rely on to safeguard our children and out community. But is this the result? Truth be told I am sure that the girl's family will be utterly disappointed to learn that the people that they expect to protect their child have raped her. I don't know how else to express my disbelieved and disappointment. Yes I get it police officers are human being and they can make mistakes but these kinds of immoral behaviour should not be tolerated. That officer should be punished as maximum as the law will allow it.

Imagine if you are the father of the girl, you have trusted the police officers to protect your beloved daughter but in return all you get is your daughters life ruined by some young punk and perverted officer. Seriously, I urged everyone who reads this to take a minuted and understand the seriousness of this issue. I have friends who have been raped victims and it seriously destroys your life. The whole thing will mess with your head and causes alot of mental stress. We need to think about our community and try to investigate what is the source of this incident. Why a police officer is giving a bad name to his own people? At one point in history police officers are well respected but now they are associated with so many crimes and they have lost the sanctity and merits of being a police officer.

MB: Duit S'gor masuk akaun PKR

2008-06-24T09:12:00.002+08:00

Interestingly Malaysiakini has posted the article above (link on the title to read). The article stated that they is a small amount of money going to into the PKR account and this is just for the purpose of organzing events related to party. Clearly, this is normal, because once a party have power they will try to increase thier financial status so that they can remain in power. However, it seems very odd that PKR is doing the same thing and it has only been about 100 days after they came into power. Truth be told, the opposition have the chance now to prove the the 'rakyat' that they are different and they must fully utilise this chance in order to have any chances of remaining in power for the next term.

I can't say that the Selangor state goverment (PKR) have been good or bad. At this point I am just giving them a chance with an open mind. So that I can see whether these people live up to the promises they made and whether they can get things done. But it seems like they have more internal politics/problems going on. This is clearly reflected by the suspension of Selangor's MB officer Yahya Shahri on his recent misuse of power.

If I can say one thing to all the opposition led state goverment, it would be that take this time to plan what you and this is the only chance that you are getting. If people see the opposition cannot handle the task given to them then most probably the voters will vote for BN and its coalition in the next rounds of elections.

Tenaga’s high employees’ benefits

2008-06-19T13:44:00.002+08:00

Finally I found a blog that shed some light into this TNB issue, clearly that this problem has be drowned by the ripple effects of the increased fuel price. This article cab be found here:

Tenaga’s high employees’ benefits

The article stated that Tenaga’s employees’ benefits have increased by 81 per cent over the last two years, compared with only a 14 per cent rise in wages and salaries. This damn shocking, TNB is suppose to be a GLC and just like any other company it is understandable that they want to make a profit but at what costs?

The article highlighted that they are financially stable and in order to increase the benefits to its staff TNB must be making a reasonable amount of profit. Yet the question remains why did the electricity tariff increased? Have any of you seen the tariffs or you have just been to busy complaining about the fuel price? The new tariff is ridiculous, basically if are using electricity less that 200kW per month than it is cheap. But honestly to use that much is almost impossible. With the amount of electronics and things we have it is extremely hard to keep power consumption below that rate. Why did they increase the price? Well BEATS ME. I HAVE NO CLUE why they have done this. The fact is that they are buying gas for electricity generation from Petronas at a subsidised price (RM 2 cheaper that the market price). That is alot of saving for TNB and it the end it comes to bite us in the ass..........

WHERE ARE WE HEADING WITH BOYCOTTING PETRONAS?

2008-06-19T09:17:00.002+08:00

So lately there are alot of news and accusation towards our National oil company PETRONAS. Surely I have posted a few things and I am sure that you have heard alot of these things on the news. In any case I received an email today (attached below) and I think this is worth sharing with all of Malaysians. I completely agree with this email. The only thing that comes out from boycotting Petronas is just hurting our own economy and people. I am willing to receive and post any comments from people who disagree with me.

Dear all,

After reading all the chain mails and blogs, I feel called to reply, because of the relentless attacks and allegations -- most of which are inaccurate or baseless -- against PETRONAS.

PETRONAS' STAFF SALARY & BONUS

1) The salaries paid to PETRONAS' employees are not as high as people think. At best, they are just industry average. And these are not attractive enough for some who left PETRONAS to find work at other companies (mainly from the Middle East) which are willing to pay more. Why do they pay more? The oil and gas industry worldwide has been facing acute shortage of qualified or experienced personnel, so most companies are willing to pay lots of money to entice and pinch staff from their competitors.

Bonus? There has NEVER been a bonus amounting to 6 months or 12 months throughout the 33 years. On average, it is 2 months. But don't ever think we don't deserve it. We more than deserve it. A lot of us work really hard, some in the most extreme of conditions. Those who have been to and worked in northern Sudan, for example, would testify that it's like working in a huge blower oven. Southern Sudan, on the other hand, is almost all swamps and mud. Imagine having to go through that kind of heat, or waddling in muddy swamps, day in and day out.

QUALITY OF CRUDE & REFINED PRODUCTS

2) Malaysia produces about 600,000 barrels of crude oil per day (and about 100,000 barrels condensate). Of this crude volume, 339,000 barrels are refined locally for local consumption. The rest is exported (and yes, because it has lower sulphur content it fetches higher prices).

Malaysia also imports about 230,000 barrels of crude oil per day, mainly from the Middle East, to be refined here. This crude oil contains higher sulphur and is less expensive (so the country gains more by exporting our crudes). In Malaysia, this crude is processed by PETRONAS at its second refinery in Melaka, and also by Shell at its Port Dickson refinery.

Different refineries are built and configurated to refine different types of crude. And each crude type yields different percentage of products (diesel, gasoline, kerosene, cooking gas etc) per barrel.

But most importantly, products that come out at the end of the refining process have the same good quality regardless of the crude types. That's why PETRONAS, Shell and Exxon Mobil share the same pipeline to transport the finished products from their refineries to a distribution centre in the Klang Valley. The three companies collect the products at this centre accordingly to be distributed to their respective distribution networks. What makes PETRONAS' petrol different from Shell's, for example, is the additive that each company adds.

PETRONAS' ROLE, FUNCTION & CONTRIBUTION

3) A lot of people also do not understand the role and function of PETRONAS, which is essentially a company, a business entity, which operates on a commercial manner, to mainly generate income and value for its shareholder. In this case, PETRONAS' shareholder is the Government.

In 1974, when PETRONAS was set up, the Government gave PETRONAS RM10 million (peanuts, right?) as seed capital. From 1974 to 2007, PETRONAS made RM570 billion in accumulated profits, and returned to the Government a total of RM335.7 billion. That is about 65% of the profits. That means for every RM1 that PETRONAS makes, 65 sen goes back to the Government.

Last year, PETRONAS made a pre-tax profit of RM86.8 billion. The amount given back to the Government (in royalty, dividends, corporate income tax, petroleum products income tax and export duty) was RM52.3 billion. The rest of the profit was used to pay off minority interests and taxes in foreign countries (about RM7.8 billion - PETRONAS now operates in more than 30 countries), and the remaining RM26.7 billion was reinvested. The amount reinvested seems a lot, but the oil and gas industry is technology- and capital-intensive. Costs have gone up exponentially in the last couple of years. Previously, to drill a well, it cost about US$3 million; now it costs US$7 million. The use of rigs was US$200,000 a day a couple of years ago; now it costs US$600,000 a day.

A lot of people also do not realise that the amount returned by PETRONAS to the Government makes up 35% of the Government's total annual income, to be used by the Government for expenditures, development, operations, and yes, for the various subsidies. That means for every RM1 the Government makes, 35 sen is contributed by PETRONAS.

So, instead of asking what happens to PETRIONAS' money or profits, people should be questioning how the money paid by PETRONAS to the Government is allocated.

CRUDE EXPORTS & FUEL PRICES

4) A lot of people also ask, why Malaysia exports its crude oil. Shouldn't we just stop exporting and sell at cheaper prices to local refiners? If Malaysia is an oil exporting country, why can't we sell petrol or diesel at cheaper prices like other oil producing countries in the Middle East?

I guess I don't have to answer the first couple of questions. It's simple economics, and crude oil is a global commodity.

Why can't we sell petrol and diesel at lower prices like in the Middle East? Well, comparing Saudi Arabia and other big producers to Malaysia is like comparing kurma to durian, because these Middle Eastern countries have much, much, much bigger oil and gas reserves.

Malaysia has only 5.4 billion barrels of oil reserves, and about 89 trillion cubic feet of gas. Compare that to Saudi Arabia's 260 billion barrels of oil and 240 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Malaysia only produces 600,000 barrels per day of oil. Saudi Arabia produces 9 million barrels per day. At this rate, Saudi Arabia's crude oil sales revenue could amount to US$1.2 billion per day! At this rate, it can practically afford almost everything -- free education, healthcare, etc, and subsidies -- for its people.

But if we look at these countries closely, they have in the past few years started to come up with policies and strategies designed to prolong their reserves and diversify their income bases. In this sense, Malaysia (and PETRONAS) has had a good head start, as we have been doing this a long time.

Fuel prices in Malaysia is controlled by the Government based on a formula under the Automatic Pricing Mechanism introduced more than a couple of decades ago. It is under this mechanism that the complex calculation of prices is made, based on the actual cost of petrol or diesel, the operating costs, margin for dealers, margin for retail oil companies (including PETRONAS Dagangan Bhd) and the balancing number of duty or subsidy. No retail oil companies or dealers actually make money from the hike of the fuel prices. Oil companies pay for the products at market prices, but have to sell low, so the Government reimburses the difference -- thus subsidy.

Subsidy as a concept is OK as long as it benefits the really deserving segment of the population. But there has to be a limit to how much and how long the Government should bear and sustain subsidy. An environment where prices are kept artificially low indefinitely will not do anyone any good. That's why countries like Indonesia are more pro-active in removing subsidies. Even Vietnam (which is a socialist country, by the way) is selling fuel at market prices.

PETRONAS & TRANSPARENCY

5) I feel I also need to say something on the allegation that PETRONAS is not transparent in terms of its accounts, business transactions etc.

PETRONAS is first and foremost a company, operating under the rules and regulations of the authorities including the Registrar of Companies, and the Securities Commission and Bursa Malaysia for its listed four subsidiaries (PETRONAS Dagangan Bhd, PETRONAS Gas Bhd, MISC Bhd and KLCC Property Holdings Bhd.

PETRONAS the holding company produces annual reports which are made to whomever wants them, and are distributed to many parties and places; including to the library at the Parliament House for perusal and reading pleasure of all Yang Berhormat MPs (if they care to read). PETRONAS also makes the annual report available on its website, for those who bother to look. The accounts are duly audited.

The website also contains a lot of useful information, if people really care to find out. Although PETRONAS is not listed on Bursa Malaysia, for all intents and purposes, it could be considered a listed entity as its bonds and financial papers are traded overseas. This requires scrutiny from investors, and from rating agencies such as Standard & Poor and Moody's.

BOYCOTT PETRONAS?

6) The last time I checked, this is still a democratic country, where people are free to spend their money wherever they like.

For those who like to see more of the money that they spend go back to the local economy and benefiting their fellow Malaysians, perhaps they should consider sticking to local products or companies.

For those who like to see that the money they spend go back to foreign shareholders of the foreign companies overseas, they should continue buying foreign products.

FINAL WORD (FOR TODAY)

I'm sorry this is rather long, but I just have to convey it. I hope this would help some of you out there understand something. The oil and gas industry, apart from being very capital intensive, is also very complex and volatile. I'm learning new things almost every single day.

Appreciate if you could help to forward this response to as many contacts as possible to counter the subversive proposal out there.

Thank you.

Malaysiakini Letter

2008-06-17T14:53:00.003+08:00

Gov't gives you a rebate but robs you on taxes
PSP | Jun 13, 08 4:16pm

The mainstream media should realise that the average per capita income in Malaysia is US$5,000 compared to Singapore’s US$25,000 when they make fuel subsidy comparisons with our neighbours south.

Thais do pay RM3.90 per litre of petrol but they also pay RM10,000 less for new cars over there. Driving licenses do not need to be renewed and they have no road tax. Plus you can drive from Hat Yai to Bangkok on a six-lane highway without paying any toll.

Malaysia has driving license renewals, road taxes and tolls everywhere. Singaporeans pay in their currency, so it is distorted when you keep quoting in the ringgit. Oil is still relatively cheaper for the Singaporean and they are not crude oil exporters.

Compared to oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia at 38 sen and UAE at RM1.19, our oil prices here are indeed high. On top of that , a Toyota Vios cost RM89, 000 here while only being RM62,700 internationally. Malaysian Vios owners are coughing up an extra RM26,300.

So the government gives you RM625 as a rebate but robs you of RM26,300 in taxes they collect when you buy the car. Where is the fairness in that? We should feel penalised.

Car taxation is government profit, fuel sales is Petronas' profit which also translates into government profit. The government is ridiculing Malaysians by continuously pointing at the global fuel price changes. Malaysians are not stupid.

And which idiot economist pays rebates using the cubic capacity of the vehicle? An average office clerk may own a second hand 1300cc Proton Iswara costing RM7,000 (rebate = $625) while the ‘Datuk's’ children can own a fleet of 10 new cars of BMWs, Audis and Volvos all less than 2000cc costing RM2 millions and get a total rebate of RM625 x 10 = RM6,250!

The word ‘subsidy’ has been brandished by the BN government as if it has so generously helped the rakyat and in doing so incurring losses. The BN government claims that it is a ‘subsidy’ because the oil is kept and treated as somebody else's property.

By right, the oil belongs to all citizens of the country and the government is a trustee for the citizens. Thus, the BN government cannot claim that it has subsidised the citizens.

This guy has just said the right things, I mean the media and goverment are blinded the rakyat with facts that used for their advantages. Of course there are countries that have really cheap oil but look at them as a country not at their fuel prices. Countries like Sudan, egypt do not have a stable economy and their most of their population are poor. Compare their development to Malaysia? WE ARE WAY AHEAD OF THEM. Secondly, the media is twister the whole story and the raykay have very poor understanding of the oil issue, this is all related to Petronas. If Petronas makes money then it is good for the country!!!! This is a fact do body can deny. Of top of giving money to the Goverment, Petronas is also paying tax. The articles posted earlier shows clearly how much money the goverment is making from Petronas. Petronas has nothing to do with the fuel price. Petronas have been selling fuel to international market based on the world's oild price which is usually set by the Americans. The fuel sold locally are controled by the goverment, Petronas sell at the price which is set by the goverment. The price increased is termed to give a wrong idea, the truth is Petronas DID NOT INCREASE THE PRICE it is just that the goverment reduce subsidy. Meaning the 78 cents are not being paid by the goverment anymore. So this all conclude to Petronas are not gaining any extra profits from the "fuel increase".

There are few things that needs to be done to help this situation. People understand that the price will soon increase but the sudden change made it worst because people are not prepared for it. Hell! I wasn't prepared for it. Fuel price increases = everything else increases. What the goverment needs to do is to reduced the taxes or increase the minimum wage in Malaysia. Look at UK, fuel price is higher than Malaysia, taxes are way off the charts too. We need to balance things out, if something increases then everything else must increase. IE the cost of living now has sky rocketted and yet the salary is still maintained, those in low-income group can't make a living. In the UK even is you work as a security officer (pak guard) you can earn a decent living, but in Malaysia guards usually have 2 or 3 other part time jobs. This is insane.

Petronas chief: Report is public

2008-06-17T10:24:00.000+08:00

Petronas chief: Report is public
By WONG SAI WAN

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas has been publishing its annual report for the past 18 years and it is easily available, including on its website, said its president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican.

“We print 5,000 copies of the report every year even though we are legally required to publish only two. We distribute the report to the Parliament library, ministries and even the media,” he said in an interview.

Replying to queries by various quarters that the national petroleum corporation’s accounts were not made public, Hassan said yesterday that this was not true and it was just that certain people “refused to look for iteven though it is easily available.”

”If they cannot find one of the 5,000 copies we've printed, then they should have searched our website under the heading 'Investors Relations' in the Corporate webpage.

“The accounts from 2002 to last year are listed there.

“We have got nothing to hide. When I joined the corporation in 1990, I told my then boss the late Tan Sri Azizan (Zainul Abidin) that we have to publish an annual report if we are to be a global petroleum player,” he added.

A copy of the 2007 annual report was made available to The Star last April. The 165-page report has 84 pages dedicated to Petronas’ financial statements.

The report not only states the accounts but also gives five-year financial highlights, review of its business and even its corporate sustainability targets, including its role in protecting the environment.

Hassan said the standard of the report surpassed the requirements of the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

“We behave like a public-listed company in publishing our report. I do not understand why people say that our report is not made public.

“By law all companies are required to submit their accounts to the commission and if they cannot get a copy of our report then they should have extracted a copy from the commission,” he added.

Opposition leaders and several Barisan Nasional backbenchers had called for Petronas’ accounts to be made public.

Some, including Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had claimed that Petronas’ accounts were secret.

The calls were made following the government’s decision to raise the price of petrol by 78 sen to RM2.70 per litre and diesel by RM1 to RM2.58 per litre.

Related Stories:
Petronas urges public not to join e-mail campaign

Petronas urges public not to join e-mail campaign

2008-06-17T10:23:00.000+08:00

Tuesday June 17, 2008
Petronas urges public not to join e-mail campaign

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas has urged the public not to join an e-mail campaign to boycott its products because it will not affect fuel prices.

Its president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican said Petronas was not the largest retailer of fuel in the country as it only has about 800 stations nationwide.

“Any form of boycott will only hurt the station owners, the small and medium-seized enterprises that supply the stations with their products and the shareholders of Petronas Dagangan – many of whom are pensioners,” he said in an interview.

Petronas stations account for about 30% of fuel sold in the country. The largest retail station owner is Shell with over 1,200 stations.

An e-mail has been circulating calling on the public to boycott Petronas stations and its products. The e-mail claimed that a similar boycott was carried out in the United States against another petroleum company and it succeeded in forcing the company to reduce its prices.

Hassan said that Petronas had no say over fuel prices as they were determined by the Government.

He said Petronas as a corporation would not be unduly affected by such a boycott as Petronas Dagangan accounted for less than 5% of its revenue.

Hassan also said the country had to import 80,000 barrels of petrol every day because the refineries in the country did not produce enough.

“We are an exporter of diesel and jet fuel because of the composition of the Tapis sweet light crude that we produce. Any boycott will only benefit the foreign oil companies who operate here.”

It is learnt that some foreign oil companies own the stations directly from overseas even though they have local units here.

Asked why Petronas was not making more money now that the Government had increased the pump prices, Hassan said oil companies always sells fuel at market rate and it was the Government that paid the subsidies to these firms.

“Our profits remain the same and we do not benefit from any increase or reduction of fuel prices.”

Fuel Price Increase, End of Malaysia?

2008-06-12T12:22:00.003+08:00

Protes lancar bantahan Sabtu ini

Abdul Rahim Sabri | Jun 11, 08 6:51pm
dikemaskini Gabungan Anti-Inflasi (Protes), yang menjanjikan demonstrasi besar 12 Julai di Kuala Lumpur, akan memulakan siri pertama bantahannya di Seremban berhubung kenaikan mendadak harga minyak.

Selain penyelarasnya Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli, program selama sembilan jam yang bermula pukul 3 petang Sabtu ini turut disertai naib presiden PKR Tian Chua, naib presiden PAS Mohamad Sabu dan setiausaha agung Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) S Arutchelvan.

Program itu yang dimulakan dengan pengedaran risalah anti-kenaikan harga minyak dan sidang media di hadapan bangunan Umno Negeri Sembilan berakhir dengan ceramah umum yang disampaikan barisan pemimpin tersebut.

Turut serta di acara itu yang diadakan selepas solat maghrib di masjid Senawang, ahli parlimen DAP di Rasah, Anthony Loke Siew Fook dan wakil rakyat PAS di Paroi, Mohd Taufek Mohd Ghani.

Bantahan 14 Jun ini dalam siri jelajah Protes ke seluruh negara berhubung isu tersebut, kata satu kenyataan sekretariat Protes hari ini.

Sejak 2006, Protes - dianggotai 57 badan bukan kerajaan dan lima parti politik pembangkang - mengadakan beberapa siri kegiatan menentang kenaikan harga utiliti, minyak dan tol.

Sepanjang siri jelajah keseluruh negara, Protes bercadang mengumpul 100,000 rakyat untuk menyertai demontrasi besar-besaran di ibu kota bulan depan bagi menetang kenaikan terbaru harga minyak Rabu lepas.

Harga petrol naik 78 sen, manakala diesel pula RM1. Tarif elektrik turut naik mulai 1 Julai - dianggap keputusan kenaikan yang paling besar dan mengejutkan negara.

Sementara itu, Angkatan Muda PKR Wilayah Persekutuan membatalkan hasrat berdemontrasi pada 5 petang Jumaat ini di masjid jamek Jalan Tun Perak.

Pembatalan itu selepas arahan AMK pusat dalam mesyuarat malam tadi yang melibatkan Pemuda Pakatan Rakyat, kata naib ketua AMK Wilayah, Rozan Azen Mat Rasip hari ini.

Pemuda Pakatan merancang mengadakan perarakan besar-besaran sejauh hampir dua kilometer 13 Jun berhubung isu minyak, sehari sebelum siri pertama bantahan Protes.

Pergerakan Pemuda PKR, PAS dan DAP akan bergerak dari masjid Kampung Baru ke Suria KLCC selepas solat Jumaat.

Perhimpunan ini dipercayai yang terbesar pernah dianjurkan oleh parti-parti pembangkang selepas pengumuman kenaikan mendadak harga bahan api.

Penganjurnya menganggarkan kira-kira 3,000 orang akan hadir bersama ketua-ketua pergerakan Pemuda Pakatan - Salahuddin Ayub, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin dan wakil Pemuda DAP.

Sejak minggu lalu, beberapa demonstrasi kecil diadakan di beberapa lokasi seluruh negara, antaranya di Kuching, Ipoh, Sungai Petani, Pulau Pinang dan Kuala Lumpur.

The article above is taken from Malaysiakini, the article calls for all Malaysian to unite and protest against the fuel price increase. It is truly shocking to understand and see that the only way out voices can be heard is through protest. However, even the protest might now work because it is illegal and all the goverment care about is stoping the protest by mobilizing the police. They don't care about what the people are saying and what the protest is about. The people protesting will just end up in ISA or some other prison. If more and more protest are being held then more and more people will be held. All the Malaysians will be gone, most of them that protest are intellectual people with strong opinions, without them I can't think of a bright future for Malaysia.

I am having a hard to time digesting it all in, why it is so hard to make the politicians/ goverment to hear our opinions and voices. Are they so arrogant that they have forgotten who gave them the power in the first place? This is a question that does not have a straight answer.

After the fuel increase I have heard and seen so many accusations toward Petronas. This is truly another matter that must be addressed. Petronas has nothing to do with the price and they are not making money from the increase. The profits gain from the increase goes to the goverment. Period that is the end of the story. Petronas do not have control on the fuel price. They are just a tool being used by goverment to generate large sums of money. The fact is that Petronas contribute 35% to the budget and truly with Petronas's money the goverment will go broke.

Honestly, I do not know why the goverment needs more money. I am sure that they have plenty of it and I also sure that alot of money are being spend recklessly.

Away

2008-06-06T17:02:00.004+08:00

Heya,

I haven't updated this blog for some time because I have been away on training for about 3 weeks. Although the training was fun but it has kept busy most of the time and I have been unable to post anything.

Anyways in that time so many things have happened that are out of this world. I mean who would have thought that Dr M will quit UMNO. Damn that is crazy and the lastest crazy thing from our politicians is the increase of fuel price.

I don't know what to say, all of you know how this will effect us and damn I have already felt the pain this morning. This is going to hurt my wallet and all of the other Malaysians out there. The only thing I can say is that we have to stay strong and keep our heads up and unite as Malaysians for our rights.

Raped by dad - Who to BLAME?

2008-05-15T14:50:00.003+08:00

Four-year-old raped by dad

JOHOR BARU: A 27-year-old man allegedly raped his four-year-old daughter repeatedly at their home in Kangkar Pulai.
The contract worker’s heinous act was uncovered when the victim complained of pain in her private parts.
When the mother, in her 20s, inspected her, she found blood in her daughter’s private parts.
The girl then told her that her father had done things to her, which prompted the mother to lodge a police report.
Nusajaya OCPD Supt Abd Aziz Ahmad said police picked up the suspect on Tuesday.
“Initial investigations revealed that the suspect committed the offence repeatedly at their home while the wife was busy taking care of their two other children.
“The victim has been sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for treatment and a medical check-up,” he said.
Supt Abd Aziz said the suspect might have committed the offence since early this month.
He added that the suspect also has a six-year-old son and a three-month-old baby.

The article above is from The Star Online, as I read it for a few minutes my mind just blacked out. I have no idea what to think and I cannot comprehend what I was reading. I was truly shocked to by bones, how can this happen?

A father whose responsibility is to protect your children from all the bad and evil things in this world raped his own flesh and blood. Even worst is that this man forced himself onto an innocent, clueless little girl. For god's sake she is 4 years old. They don't know anything, they are pure, innocent and they represent all the goodness in this world; and this man the so called father had the heart to do that to her. I just don't get it, what do you see in a 4 year old girl? What is there to be sexually attracted you to her? If it was a teenager or someone who has reached puberty then it is a different story. The question is who do you blame?

Is the wife/mother responsible for not satisfying the husband? Or the community and religion for the lack of education. Should we blame the media for showing too many sexual related movies? Honestly, the only person you can blame is the father, a sick twisted pervert who cannot control himself.

Whenever, I read these kinds of news my heart dies a little. Our world has already been tainted by so many evils and now we have rape of a 4 yr old girl happened in out own country.........what is wrong with people these days?

Internal Security Act Should be Known as Internal Oppression Act

2008-05-15T08:09:00.003+08:00

Some of you may know that today is Blogger's Unite for Human Rights. So I have thought about many many things that I wish to write about. Finally I decided why should I write something that is happening miles away in another country, when we have humans rights violation happening in our own country. As you all may know or not, is that recently they have been so many talk about the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Malaysia. Supposedly ISA is to protect the country and its people but if look at it from a humanitarian point of view then you will understand that it violates human rights.

Recently, the Hindraf 5 and so many other people have been jailed under the ISA this include the beloved Anwar Ibrahim. So why is this human rights violation?

Well firstly, I think it is very unfair for anyone to be held for whatever reasons without the rights to defend themselves. Without a hearing to defend themselves, they are just kept in the prison where their health and living conditions are not taken care of. Everyone should have the rights to freedom and to defend themselves. I can't image myself being held, your freedom is taken for granted.

The reason that I think that this a severe case of oppression is due to the Hindraf case. These people organised a 'peaceful' rally to voice their concern to the government but instead the 5 leaders are held under ISA apparently for rebellion. So the way I see it is that you voice your concern through public rally then you will end being held under ISA (clearly proven since the same thing happened with the BERSIH rally). Is this not oppression? where is our freedom to express ourselves? I thought that Malaysia was a democratic country where each individual needs are taken care.

However, this law exists in so many many countries in many different variation, in United Kingdom there is Terrorism Act 2000 and a similar act exist in USA. Everyday many people are held under these kinds of law which imprison for indefinite amount of time so something they may or may not be guilty of. The thing that saddens me even more is that the people in our government (ie all the ministers) are given the power by the 'rakyat'. We voted them in, we gave them the power, we made them to be who they are and yet they continuously do whatever they wish. Clearly the Malaysian 'rakyat' have spoken out, I have seen posters, blogs and website that called for the freedom of ISA detainees. IF ISA is really necessary the please treat those people with some humanity, they are people and not animals. Finally to conclude this article I include a letter send to Pak Lah by K Kalaivaniy (mother of P Uthayakumar ):

YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi,
Dear Mr Prime Minister,

I am the 67-year-old and proud mother of P Uthayakumar one of Hindraf leaders detained by your goodself under the Internal Security Act. I write as the mother of Uthayakumar and on behalf of all Malaysian mothers who have been deprived of the love, care and attention of their sons detained under the ISA.

Only a mother who had raised and nurtured her son would understand the torture of forcefully being separated from him. Like me, there are many other mothers in this country currently being denied to be freely with their sons. On behalf of them, I write to appeal to you as a father figure of this beautiful country to immediately release them.

No mother on earth would condone her son committing an unlawful act and going unpunished but no mother would be able to digest the fact that her son is held for his political beliefs without being charged with any offence.
Like my son, many sons are being held under the law for their political beliefs or held on mere suspicion and without proof that they have committed offences. I wish to state that, like me, many mothers are suffering every day thinking of the uncertainty and unjust punishment and torture their sons are going through.

Many mothers are older than me and their days may be numbered. Every other day in detention is an eternal punishment to the mothers meted out by the country. Dear Prime Minister, let not a single mother leave this earth not being able to cuddle and hug her son for one last time.
I beg you on behalf of all mothers - be he a JI suspect, Hindraf leader or anyone - no mother would want to leave this earthly life with the burden of not speaking to her son one final time. On behalf of all I pray to the Lord Al-mighty to give you the utmost wisdom to see this great unjust committed on our sons.
I beg and appeal to you. Please release them and shut down the Kamunting detention camp.

This is a plea where we all should respect and join, let us be humans and free those ISA detainees. Think about the thousands of people world wide that have been held in similar situation. Their freedom and rights just taken from them just because they have a different political idea, or may be guilty of something or for just standing up against those who oppress them. I can't begin to imagine the feeling of those people and how they survive in those horrible detention camps. Power hungry politicians abuse their power and detain people under ISA in the name of freedom, security and democracy, but they forget one thing people will always be people. Treat others with some humanity. Let us unite and speak up against those that oppress us.

Malaysian Seks Scandal a.k.a Aksi-Aksi Seks Melayu

2008-05-14T10:35:00.007+08:00

'Skodeng' couple dating in a park

So interestingly, the internet and web have always been subjected to the use of viewing illegal materials such as porn, gambling, sex and other stuff. Harian Metro Online featured this article "4,000 klip tersebar", the article highlighted that over 4 thousand porno clips were distributed through a number of websites. These clips include teenagers in school uniforms making out and having sex. Other extreme clip featured Malay Women wearing 'tudung' in action.

Clearly that this problem is not new and have always been haunting our community and culture. The article stated that the action of those women are bring very negative and shame to the image of Islam. Well of couse it does, but what you must remember is that these are all human beings. No matter what religion, they will sometime secumber to their desire ie making out in public places.

They is no easy way to handle this, the law in Malaysia has always been specific against porno and oviously the Islam law is also very strict.

But what is interesting is that there are some many Malaysians that are interested in watching naked or 'aksi-aksi' of other Malaysian. Truly there must be a fundamental reason for this? Is it because illegal or taboo activities draws interest? Maybe so, the only thing I can relate it to is that 'if you tell a teenager dont' make out with you girlfriend (ringan-ringan) then surely he will do it and furthermore he/ they may even do it in public places to experience the thrill. Well I don't know what that 'thrill'. I have always thought that being intimite with a loved one should be done in privacy and not in some random places.

Well I guess this is where we are heading to, teenagers engaging in sexual acts is nothing new these days. I guess the only thing left for me to say is that the fundamental reason behind this is our culture and our education system. The culture and education system have made 'sex' to be so illegal and taboo that the curiosity is drawing teenagers to try.

Blogger Unite - May 15

2008-05-14T08:50:00.002+08:00

May 15 marks the anniversary for bloggers unite. This year the aim is to focus on the human rights. I only found this out from the following blogs: Blogger Unite and thanks to Mental Jog for a reminder.

Below is a summary from Blogger Unite:

Bloggers: making a difference

Bloggers Unite is an initiative designed to harness the power of the blogosphere to make the world a better place. By challenging bloggers to blog about a particular social cause on a single day, a single voice can be joined with thousands of others to help make a real positive difference; from raising awareness for cancer, to an effort to better education systems or support 3rd world countries.

Bloggers unite for human rights

While the words might change from country to country and are sometimes taken for granted, human rights represent one of the universally agreed upon ideas — that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms that include life, liberty, and justice. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations.

Bloggers Unite For Human Rights challenges bloggers everywhere to help elevate human rights by drawing attention to the challenges and successes of human rights issues on May 15. What those topics may include — the wrongful imprisonment of journalists covering assemblies, governments that ignore the plight of citizens, and censorship of the Internet. What is important is that on one day, thousands of bloggers unite and share their unified support of human rights everywhere.

So thinking that this is a good idea? Well it is absolutely brilliant move, we have to speak up and stand united for our voice to be heard in this world. So interested in participating?

How to Participate:

<1> Before May 15th, add a badge to your blog and spread the word.

<2> On May 15th get the word out and blog about a human rights issue!

<3> Spread the love, share your post in the Bloggers Unite Group.