Isnin, 12 Disember 2011

Dr Shafie Abu Bakar

Dr Shafie Abu Bakar


Malam Barakah: Tiga Dalam Satu Ibadah

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST

Melawat Rumah Kebajikan Kajang: Sampaikan Bantuan Banjir

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 12:48 AM PST

Philosophy Politics Economics

Philosophy Politics Economics


The Computing Professionals Bill 2011: An Orwellian "Big Brother"

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 03:26 PM PST

The draft Computing Professionals Bill 2011 (CPB2011) which is currently being circulated for "consultation" is an attempt by MOSTI to regulate all "computing services" provided to entities or persons related to the "critical national information infrastructure" (CNII).

"Computing services" is defined as any services provided to "plan, architect, design, create, develop, implement, use and manage information technology systems". Based on this definition, the scope of such services would cover anything from designing websites to the setting up of computer servers to the design and development of any computer products - whether software or hardware. In fact, one would easily classify the setting up of blogs and news portals, or even use of Facebook and Twitter accounts as being covered under "computing services".

"CNII" on the other hand, is defined as "those assets, systems and functions that are vital to the nation that their incapacity or destruction would have a devastating impact on National economic strength or National image or National defense and security or Government capability to function or Public health and safety".

CNII could hence cover any entity in the Government, financial institutions and government linked companies. What is absolutely frightening is the definition would also cover all the way to any website, portal or information technology application which could have a detrimental impact on the "National image" or deemed to hurt the "Government's capability to function".

Any ambiguity in the law shall be determined by the 15 imember "Board of Computing Professionals" appointed at the sole discretion of the Minister, and subjected only to the Minister's approval.

Contrary to the clarification statement made by MOSTI, which claimed that the bill does not restrict the practise of "computing services" and is only limited to CNII, the bill has pervasive and damaging consequences not only on the information technology industry, but also infringes on key Goverment commitments under the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees.

The Bill of Guarantees have promised "unrestricted employment of knowledge workers" and "no censorship of the Internet". However the CPB 2011 will clearly restrict the hiring of knowledge workers by necessitating registration. Similarly, the CPB 2011 as it is currently defined could be used to register, regulate and restrict the activities of individuals or corporations to publish news reports or those who use Facebook, Twitter or other similar applications with the excuse of protecting the "National image".

It is clear that the flimsily drafted CPB has the Orwellian "big brother" fingerprints all over it.

The information technology and computing industry has been operating without controversy, issues or impediment for the past decades. There is absolutely no bureaucratic requirement to restrict and control the industry, which will only bring adverse outcomes without any corresponding tangible benefit.

I will personally attend the CPB 2011 Open Day organised by MOSTI tomorrow to hear the Ministry's clarifications on the bill, and to submit the relevant points of objection.

Zahid Hamidi and Papagomo: What's the Link?

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 07:30 AM PST

The presence of blogger Papagomo on board KD Tun Razak Scorpene submarine proved that Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi is an incorrigible liar, for he had promised Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that Papagomo will not be on board the submarine.

Zahid had even told reporters that no bloggers were on board claiming that "If we allowed any blogger to go, others would ask, too".

However Papagomo's blogpost with pictures has proven beyond doubt that Zahid is not only untrustworthy, Papagomo is the numero uno Umno blogger, hatchetman and special advisor to the Defence Minister, or the latter would not have been allowed on board the high security submarine.

The Defence Minister hasn't only lied to Lim Guan Eng about Papagomo's presence, he had earlier promise the Penang Chief Minister that he would accompany the latter for the ride, but reneged on the promise last minute.

Zahid had also earlier this year made unbelievable and scurrilous allegations againts me when he alleged that I was previously arrested and charged in Singapore which disqualified me from becoming a Member of Parliament in the city state. He had further claimed that it was due to my connections with the Singapore authorities that I was released and returned to Malaysia to become an elected representative here.

Such fantastic stories can only originate from an Umno blogger extraordinaire, who had also started the despicable and fictitious allegations that Lim Guan Eng's son was forced to transfer school due to sexual assault and Lim Guan Eng had paid money to cover up the case. It was later proven beyond doubt that Papagomo and his cohorts had made up the allegations when the alleged victim was a foreigner never to have stepped onto the shores of Penang.

The fact that Papagomo possesses such exclusive privilege with the Defence Minister who is also the most senior Umno Vice-President confirms his position as the latter's inner-circle confidante.

Papagomo 's privilege is a clear cut case of abuse of power and the Defence Minister must answer to all Malaysians for his lies and his intimate association with one of the most despicable of Umno bloggers.

Zahid has singled me out for criticism for not having gone on the submarine sojourn. I was overseas for the past week and was unable to make the trip to Langkawi. However, as pointed out by Lim Guan Eng, going on the dive will only prove the dedication and professionalism of the Malaysian Navy, which was never in doubt. It will give people like Papagomo the bragging rights but does not at all answer our questions over the seemingly exhorbitant billions of ringgit paid, as well as the hundreds of millions of "commissions" made to interested parties.

Najib Hypocritical Over Civil Service

Posted: 09 Dec 2011 07:32 AM PST

The Prime Minister has the cheek to inflame racial sentiments among the Malays by accusing the opposition of wanting to trim the civil service when it is the BN Government who will chop 29,000 civil servants starting next year

The Prime Minister had in his speech a Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida) gathering 3 days ago accused and berated the opposition of wanting to "halve the civil service" which is majority Malay.

Firstly, there was never any proposal from Pakatan Rakyat to "halve the civil service". I had suggested in reply to questions from an audience in a forum that we could consider early optional retirement and the removal of those who had breached discipline and regulations, such as those who purchased RM1,940 binoculars for RM56,350. I had even emphasized that drastic measures are out of the question because we would need the cooperation of the civil service to govern effectively should Pakatan Rakyat take power in the next general elections.

But secondly and more importantly, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has proven himself to be a hypocrite of the highest degree when two days after his speech, the Public Service Department (JPA) under the Prime Minister's office announced 29,000 redundancies in the civil service.

Under the new civil service scheme "Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA)", not only did the Barisan Nasional government made redundant thousands of civil servants, JPA also announced that those who were assessed with 70 marks or less for their performance will be given warnings. And if their performance does not improve in 6 months, then they will be removed from the service automatically via an "exit policy".

The Director-General of JPA, Tan Sri Abu Bakar Abdullah had also emphasized during the announcement that the new exit policy will affect all 1.4 million civil servants in the country.

The above civil service downsizing attempts by the BN administration is consistent with Najib's Government Transformation Programme (GTP) which said "the Government will move towards a new model of smaller government" (page 240). Similarly, Najib's cornerstone New Economic Model (NEM) Part II had called for a "reduced government role" which will involve "downsizing and re-focussing" (page 55).

Hence the above proved that the Prime Minister and his fellow UMNO leaders were just mere political opportunists in portraying Pakatan Rakyat as anti-civil service by inflaming racial sentiments using racist arguments.

It is UMNO who is culling the civil service today and yet they had the cheek to claim that Pakatan Rakyat and myself are racists. Dato' Seri Najib Razak has taken an extreme racial position in this matter, and together with other aspects of his speech which pits Malays against non-Malays, he is fighting to retain power at all costs, even if it means spreading vicious lies and even signing the death warrant for his 1Malaysia policy.

Call for Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 07:35 AM PST

The Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi yesterday dismissed the need for a bi-partisan parliamentary oversight committee over defence expenditure, claiming that he "is confident in the ability and transparency of the evaluation committee of the three branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM)".

Such contemptuous arrogance towards parliamentary oversight over defence expenditure which amounts to tens of billions of ringgit annually has proven Transparency International (TI) right by scoring Malaysia at only 4.5 points out of a maximum of 12, or only 37.5%, well below the failure mark. This was the score given in the inaugural "Transparency of Defence Budgets Report" launched on 19 November 2011.

Director of the International Defence and Security Program for TI in United Kingdom, Mark Pyman, who launched the report in Subang Jaya said "Malaysia ranked far below other countries (for this), where the budget lacked details and no audits were undertaken of the secret programmes."

Malaysia is ranked alongside Afghanistan, Rwanda, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the report, well below other countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The results of the research indicate that approximately 14 per cent of the countries under review in this study scored high and these are primarily developed countries with strong democratic systems in place.

The Minister's disdain towards transparency and accountability is best epitomised in his reply to the question which I had posed in the recently concluded parliamentary sitting. I had asked for the Minister to explain the gap between the RM7.55 billion paid for 257 armoured personnel carriers to Deftech Sdn Bhd, and what latter will be paying to FNSS Defences Systems, a Turkish defence manufacturer – RM1.7 billion for the same items. Deftech is a subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd based in Pekan, a company controlled by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Syed Bokhari.

The Minister had acknowledged the above transactions, but had the gall to claim "no knowledge" of the details of the Deftech-FNSS transactions and hence was not able to explain what makes the difference in the 2 contracts. The Minister was also not forthcoming in explaining other sizeable transactions such as the RM6 billion purchase of 6 Second Generation Patrol Vessels as well as the RM2.3 billion acquisition of 12 Eurocopter EC725 helicopters.

The answer most often given by the Minister and defence officials to justify the much higher pricing had been that the military equipment were "customised to our specific needs". Mark Pyman had stated that it is in the best interests of the government that customisation is kept at a bare minimum as it disproportionately drives costs up. He said that "it doubles the base price before you can say good morning. It's not value for money, difficult and dangerous".

However the best justification for a Parliamentary Oversight committee is the annual litany of scandals and transgressions reported in the Auditor-General Report on the Defence Ministry.

We call upon the Government to honour the Prime Minister's Government Transformation Plan (GTP) which pledged for transparency and accountability by setting up the Parliament Select Committee on Defence, modelled after the United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations which looks after defence policies as well as the US Defense Budget Appropriation Committees which review and approve detailed defence expenditure.

Otherwise, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi's contemptuous attitude towards transparency and accountability marks the lack of honesty and sincerity by the Prime Minister to honour his GTP pledges.

Health Minister Confirms E.Coli in 1Malaysia Fresh Milk

Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:36 AM PST

The developments over the past few days, including the dialogue between the Health Ministry with the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah Anwar and myself have proven that there are serious concerns over the food safety of 1Malaysia products.

The Health Minister, Dato' Seri Liow Tiong Lai has finally confirmed the presence of e.coli bacteria in the 1Malaysia fresh milk yesterday. However, he had attempted to downplay the incident by claiming that most of the other 13 products were withdrawn over "labelling" issues and not over food safety concerns. The list of products included all the products which we have raised which had quality issues or failed to comply with Food Regulations 1985 – fresh milk, ice-cream, evaporated milk, sweetened creamer, ghee, fruit jam, oyster sauce, tinned sardines and curry chicken.

He was quoted in The Star as saying "the products were removed due to non-compliance with food regulations such as incomplete labelling, he said, stressing that it was not due to food safety matters." In fact, most shockingly The Star had made absolutely no mention of the e.coli find.

Various strains of the E.coli or Escherichia coli bacteria produce potentially lethal toxins which causes common food-related illness such as diarrhoea, and at its worst, even deaths have been recorded.

Instead of giving a severe warning or even taking punitive action against the supplier of the harmful food products – where under the Food Act 1983 the supplier is subjected to a "fine not exceeding RM100,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years", the Minister chose to go on a rant against me for exposing the 1Malaysia food products scandal.

The Minister must realise that it is his responsibility to enforce the food safety and quality standards of products sold in our stores and not the role of the opposition members of parliament. The fact that the stores were selling all of the above products over the past 6 months proved that the Minister had failed in his role, most likely because these products were sold under the "1Malaysia" brand which was heavily promoted by the Prime Minister and the Government.

Had it not been due to the exposé by the Pakatan Rakyat MPs and the subsequent public pressure, no action would have been taken. Hence Dato' Seri Liow Tiong Lai must not try to downplay the incident or deflect responsibility by trying to put the blame on us instead.

On the other hand, we would call upon the Minister to make the public announcement to be printed in ALL mainstream newspapers for all consumers who have purchased the products to return the items to Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia stores for a full refund. That is the very least the Minister could do for the ordinary Malaysians, if he has decided not to take further action against the supplier(s) of the offending products.

Low Cost KLIA2 Turned High Cost

Posted: 01 Dec 2011 07:38 AM PST

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAB) had confirmed fears that the cost of KLIA2 has effectively doubled from less than RM2 billion to a massive RM3.9 billion and will only be completed at the earliest in April 2012, a delay of more than 8 months.

MAHB admitted increases in scope in practically all elements of the airport were increased significantly causing the cost of building the airport to balloon. The KLIA2 airport terminal for example, for increased from the original 2 storeys to the new 9 storey's building, costing an additional RM420 million. At the same time, the footprint of the airport increased by 130.7% which caused a whopping RM670 million extra. In addition, there was an increase of RM530 million just for the construction of buildings of government agencies.

The biggest question must be, were all these major expansion of scope justified? Underlying MAHB Managing Director, Tan Sri Bahsir Ahmad Abdul Majid's basis for the cost increase was for the new airport terminal to cater to 45 million passengers, as opposed to the original 30 million. Hence the increase in cost for the airport is just a case of "bring forward the capex".

The Ministry of Transport must justify the approval for such a massive increase in capacity which involved MAHB raising RM2.5 billion in debt in 2010 when the current passenger traffic at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) is only 15.4 million. What's more, even the current main KLIA terminal which has a capacity for 25 million passengers received 18.7 million passengers or 74.8% of the capacity. As a gauge, the Dubai airport, which is one of the busiest hub in the world today, served 47 million passengers while Changi Airport served 42 million in 2010.

Essentially, what MAHB is building is a terminal 80% larger than the current main terminal! In addition, the provision for super-scale A380 operations, walkalators, fully automated baggage handing system, substantially larger commercial space including a public shopping mall, provision for 4 hotels excluding an Airside Transit Hotel and a premium lounge gives the impression that KLIA2 is a "replacement" for the KLIA Main Terminal today, instead of being a new Low-cost carrier terminal!

The Ministry of Transport and MAHB appears to have gotten the concept of a "low-cost" terminal completely wrong and have obviously not been able to adapt and cater to the new business model despite demands from the low-cost carriers. Their penchant to spend big money for grandeur has resulted in Malaysia missing a true and rare opportunity to bring about a game-changing transformation for the Malaysian aviation sector.

What is more, shareholders of MAHB, including Khazanah and the Government must question MAHB's reckless expenditure – for if the passenger tax will not be increased as a result of the massive expansion of cost as asserted by Tan Sri Ahmad Bashir, then effectively, the returns to MAHB would have reduced by nearly half as a result of the doubling of costs. One could also argue that had MAHB not overspent on KLIA2, then there would have been no need for the recent 28% increase in airport taxes from RM25 to RM32 at LCCT and RM41 to RM65 at the main airport terminal, which resulted in lower competitiveness for Malaysia.

What is more important for MAHB is to improve the efficiency, service and other intangible qualities of our airport in the region instead of being obsessed with everything "big". It is unfortunately that Malaysia today serves fewer passengers today than most of our regional competitors – Indonesia (44 million), Singapore (42 million), Bangkok (43 million) and Hong Kong (50 million) – compared to KLIA's (Main Terminal and LCCT combined) 34 million.

The Ministry of Transport must give an assurance that there will be no further cost increases and no further delays in the construction and operations of KLIA2 which will further jeopardise our leadership in the increasingly competitive low-cost carrier industry.

Did the Cost of KLIA2 Double?

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 07:42 AM PST

It was reported on the front page of The Edge Financial Daily yesterday that the cost of KLIA2, or the new low-cost terminal has ballooned to more than RM4 billion or more than double its original budget.

The severe cost overrun is shocking and shows that the Minister of Transport, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha has failed in his responsibilities to keep the cost of its projects. MCA Ministers of Transport has a history of failing miserably in managing project costs which has resulted in the rakyat having to bear the burden of billions of ringgit in cost overruns such as the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone, the RM5.8 billion Ipoh-Rawang double-tracking railway and the purchase of substandard train systems for KTM Bhd at inflated prices.

Now it appears that the KLIA2 project will be added to the list of MCA Transport Minister's incompetence. The consequences of such extravagance will be enormous as the higher cost will either be translated into higher airport taxes and charges – hurting both domestic consumers and international passengers, and ultimately our tourism industry. Or if the charges are kept at currently levels, then the cost burden will be shifted to the Government which has to unnecessarily subsidise the airport via soft loans, grants or drastically reduced financial returns from the project owner, Malaysia Airports Bhd (MAB).

It is worthwhile to note that in early 2009, Sime Darby, in partnership with AirAsia had proposed to build a new KLIA low-cost airport in Labu at the cost of only RM1.6 billion without costing the Government a single sen. However, the plan was scrapped by the Government, partly because MAB had promised to build a new terminal at KLIA at the cost of less than RM2 billion by June 2011.

Therefore the Minister of Transport must provide full clarification and justification as to why he has failed to manage and control the cost of the new airport. He must also explain why the project has been delayed to April 2012 as announced by the MAB Managing Director, Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad in August this year, and whether there will be any further costly delays to the project.

If Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha does not respond to parliament in a transparent and accountable manner, I will be formally requesting the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor-General's office to investigate the project to find out the real reasons for the massive RM4 billion KLIA2 scandal.

1MDB Got Sg Besi Land for a Steal

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 07:40 AM PST

Did the Government subsidise 1MDB by more than RM3 billion by "selling" the 495 acres of prime land in Sg Besi to 1MDB for only RM1.6 billion?

We would like to call upon the Government to confirm that the 495 acres of land in Sg Besi, or the existing RMAF Sungai Besi airfield has been sold in June this year to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) for RM1.6 billion or only RM74.20 per square feet.

If true, then this prime land is sold without any tender to 1MDB at a ridiculously low price at the expense of the Government tax payers.

Recently, the Penang state government has conducted an open tender for 101 acres of land, of which 65% of the area still needs to be reclaimed. The winner of the bid offered RM1.07 billion or RM240 per sq ft.

There can be no doubt that the land in Sg Besi surrounded by developed infrastructure will be worth well in excess of the market price of land in Penang, given its unbeatable location in Kuala Lumpur. At RM240 per sq ft, the Sg Besi land should already be worth a whopping RM5.2 billion. Despite its high potential valuation, the Government has chosen to transfer the land to 1MDB for only RM1.6 billion or RM3.6 billion less.

It would not be a far from the truth to say that the land could be worth a lot more given its development potential compared to other pieces of land in Kuala Lumpur which are valued at in excess of RM500 per sq ft.

The sale of land to 1MDB at such subsidised and preferential prices will only lead to the loss of revenue to the government for additional investments and programmes for the people. In addition, any profits generated by 1MDB as a result of development on Sg Besi will be inflated as it was handed the land at bargain basement prices.

The Prime Minister has clearly failed to meet his own promise of "open tenders" and maximising income from undeveloped land. Just before he took over the premiership, he was reported in The Star (5 Nov 2008) to have said:

Open tenders to ensure transparency and value for money as well as to generate more income will be the way forward for the Government. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government would ensure that a large portion of government procurement would be via open and restricted tenders... Najib said that the Government planned to maximise income on all its existing assets, including on parcels of land that have not been developed, via open tender.

On the contrary, it is the Pakatan Rakyat Penang state government which has walked the talk by practising its policy of "Competency, Accountability and Transparency" by implementing open tenders which have maximised revenue for the state government on its assets. This in turns allow the state to implement additional development and welfare programmes to help the man on the street.

We call upon the Government to disclose in full the terms of the agreement on all land sale to 1MDB and explain why 1MDB has been given such unfair preferential treatment, which will in turn only crowd out investments from the private sector.

Ismail Sabri and KR1M Victimises the Poor

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 07:44 AM PST

Pakatan Rakyat MPs are the real heroes fighting for the interest of Malays and poor Malaysians by exposing the substandard and illegal products being peddled by BN Ministers as "cheap" and "quality" products comparable to branded goods

Pakatan Rakyat members of parliament have over the past 2 weeks exposed the fact that many of the goods sold in Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) were not only substandard, illegal and unhealthy, many of these products were also not cheaper than products sold in existing hypermarkets.

We were criticised by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, Dato' Ismail Sabri as being unfair by not comparing "apple to apple", that is we should not be comparing 1Malaysia products with house-branded products from Tesco, Giant or Carrefour.

However, we have proven that the comparison was indeed not "apple to apple" for products such as the "oyster sauce" because the sauce from Tesco contained real oyster extracts, the 1Malaysia product had only flavouring and no oysters.

At the same time, the comparison of 1Malaysia milk powder with that of Nestlé's Nespray 1+ demonstrated not only a far inferior product but also the fact that the latter was 24% cheaper than the former. The 1Malaysia milk powder was short of at least 15 legally required vitamins and minerals, deficient in calcium and iron and provided a 802% overdose of Vitamin A, putting at real risk our very young children.

Instead of facing up to the problems, Dato' Ismail Sabri has chosen to go on an inflammatory rant calling Pakatan Rakyat MPs, DAP and myself racists for allegedly being anti-Malay in our exposés.

Dato' Ismail Sabri said on his Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1631334090) and Twitter on Tuesday 15th November 2011 that



"tony phua DAP ni masih tk habis2 menfitnah KRIM. kini dgn tuduhan tdk berkualiti. semlm isu ini tlh dijwb oleh Mydin & pembekal IKS. jelas agenda DAP yg ingin menguburkan KRIM yg rata2 supplier nya terdiri dari IKS bumiputra. Rata2 pembeli nya terdiri dari gol berpendapatan rendah bumiputra. Mydin pun bumiputra. malangnya ada bumiputra spt nurul izah & zulkifli 'menyalak' bagi pihak DAP.."

The racist accusations made by the Minister is not only completely baseless, it is the complete opposite of what the Pakatan Rakyat MPs are trying to achieve. By exposing the list of poor quality and illegal products which do not meet the minimum legal standards set out in the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985, it is Pakatan Rakyat that is truly fighting for the interest of the mostly Malay consumers at KR1M as well as other poor Malaysians.

If not for our exposés, many Malays and other poor Malaysians will still be consuming poor quality oyster sauce, evaporated millk, ice-cream, sardines and fruit jam sold at KR1M. What is worse, if not for Pakatan Rakyat highlighting the shocking deficiencies of the 1Malaysia children's milk powder which resulted in the product's withdrawal yesterday, a whole generation of Malay and poor Malaysian children might end up suffering from malnutrition, disease and poor physical development.

It is the BN Ministers like Dato' Ismail Sabri who are more than willing to sacrifice the interest of ordinary Malays and Malaysians by giving unsubstantiated "guarantees" on the quality of KR1M products and pander to the monetary and vested interest of certain businessmen.

The fact that Dato' Ismail Sabri's ministry is going to subsidize the KR1M stores to the tune of RM40 million in 2012 to sell some of these products to ordinary Malaysians without first ensuring strict quality control over the products shows that BN Ministers are only keep to score political goals with KR1M. They are not at all interested in the welfare of Malaysians, especially the Malays, who will suffer the most.

1Malaysia Growing Up Milk: Legal or Safe?

Posted: 16 Nov 2011 07:49 AM PST



KEY TAKE AWAYS FROM PRODUCT COMPARISON BETWEEN 1MALAYSIA AND NESPRAY 1+ GROWING UP MILK POWDER BASED ON THE FOOD REGULATIONS 1985 – REGULATION 389A TWENTY-FIRST SCHEDULE ON FOLLOW-UP FORMULA


A. Completely missing key nutrients from 1Malaysia Growing Up Milk Powder per Food Regulations 1985 based on "follow-up formula" for infants 6 months and above to 3 years old:

  1. Essential fatty acids – e.g., Omega 3, Omega 6 etc.
  2. Vitamin D
  3. Vitamin C
  4. Vitamin B1
  5. Vitamin B2
  6. Nicotinamide
  7. Vitamin B6
  8. Folic Acid
  9. Pantothenic Acid
  10. Vitamin B12
  11. Vitamin K1
  12. Vitamin H
  13. Vitamin E
  14. Iodine
  15. Zinc

B. Grossly inadequate quantity of certain key nutrients

  1. Calcium – only 4.1mg per 100kcal or 4.5% of regulatory minimum requirement
  2. Iron – only 0.1mg per 100kcal or 7.4% of regulatory minimum requirement

C. Grossly excessive quantity of Vitamin A

  1. Vitamin A – 6012 I.U. per 100kcal or 802% above maximum regulatory limit (750 I.U.)
  2. May contribute to Hypervitaminosis A. Effects may include liver problems, reduced bone mineral density, coarse bone growths, skin discoloration, hair loss

D. KR1M is more expensive than Nespray 1+

Although there are differences in packing sizes (small packs are usually relatively more expensive) but a per gram calculation of a 300g pack of KR1M milk powder versus a 1kg pack of Nespray 1+ showed a remarkable price difference of 23.8%, that is, Nespray 1+ is cheaper.

E. Contradictory ingredients between English and Bahasa Malaysia Version

On the ingredients labelling, the Bahasa Malaysia version says "pepejal susu rendah lemak" but the English version says "instant wholemilk powder". So is it "susu rendah" or "wholemilk"?

KR1M Product Quality Issues

Posted: 12 Nov 2011 07:54 AM PST

Click for a larger image (or open image in new window) to read


Food Act 1983 Offences


Offence: Clause 13 - Food containing substances injurious to health
Penalty: Fine not exceeding RM100,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years

Offence: Clause 13B(2)(e) - "Adulterated food" – non-compliance with the standard or specification prescribed by any regulations made under this Act.
Penalty: Fine not exceeding RM20,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years

Offence: Clause 14 - Prohibition against sale of food not of the nature, substance or quality demanded.
Penalty: Unspecified fine and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years

Offence: Clause 15 - Labelling etc., not complying with standard of food
Penalty: Unspecified fine and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years

Offence: Clause 16 - False labelling
Penalty: Unspecified fine and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years

念群与沙登人民同在 | Nie Ching for Serdang

念群与沙登人民同在 | Nie Ching for Serdang


張念群:列大選前線州‧民聯有信心柔州獲佳績

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 04:29 PM PST




(柔佛‧峇株巴轄2日訊)民主行動黨全國副宣傳秘書兼沙登區國會議員張念群表示,在來屆大選中,民聯有絕對信心能在柔州獲取比上屆大選更好的成績。

張念群日前在峇株巴轄舉行的行動黨柔中區大選工作培訓營上指出,行動黨全國策略主席林吉祥已將柔州列為大選前線州。

她說,在308大選之前,柔佛州是前陷州,即"全面淪陷"的州屬。然而在308之後,柔佛的反風不減,反而還處於保溫且持續上漲的趨勢。

"為了達到目標,行動黨中央已委派3名中央領袖協助部署大選工作,即潘儉偉、陸兆福及我本人。希望柔州南北中三區黨員做好準備迎戰大選,視柔州為邁向布城的前線州。"
(More......)

張念群:針對臨教合約轉換‧慕尤丁魏家祥應給交代

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 04:27 PM PST



(柔佛‧峇株巴轄28日訊)沙登區國會議員張念群要求教育部長丹斯里慕尤丁與副部長拿督魏家祥,針對臨教的僱傭合約轉成服務合約作出解釋。
張念群昨日到永平訪問選民表示,臨教的工作其實與正式教師無異,新合約卻剝奪臨教應享有的僱員公積金及花紅等福利。
隨同訪問的還有行動黨柔州財政兼婦女組主席周碧珠及柔州副秘書顏碧貞。

除了表示不滿與遺憾,她也說,屆時華小師資不足的問題將惡化,華小勢必受到嚴重衝擊,除了慕尤丁應作出解釋,魏家祥也難辭其咎,應作出明確交代。

她也指出,國家花費巨資在國家養牛中心、購買戰艦坦克等,但卻沒有合理對待本來就缺乏應有保障的臨教,令人很難接受。

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不满姚再添拿母亲病情宣传 . 张念群:登报送匾才满意呼?

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 08:47 AM PST

I am very upset that the heart problem of my mother has been used by MCA Negeri Sembilan to attack my comrades in NS. Below is the full story. I leave it to the people to decide if I am truly ungratefully, as alleged by Dr Yeow Chai Thiam.

我很遗憾森州马华联委会主席拿督姚再添,在我当着1500人面前当众向他3度致谢后,依然不肯“放过”家母。

我重申,家母的心脏出现问题后,我们已在第一时间安排她进入医院接受治疗。舅舅和家母感情甚佳,知道母亲的情况后主动联络拿督姚再添,所以家母才会在从柔佛上来吉隆坡的途中,在芙蓉停歇片刻,而拿督姚再添的助理张永坚也非常热情地陪同家母前往医院。

至于舅舅为什么会联络拿督姚再添?原因也在简单不过。舅舅和拿督姚再添有些交情,也曾为拿督姚再添的洗肾中心出钱出力。所以他觉得凭着这点交情让他以友人身份联络拿督姚再添并不过分。我很遗憾事情从拿督姚再添的口中描绘出来,我却变成了“过度牵挂本身的政治工作,不关心自己的母亲,事事要求舅舅代劳”的不孝女。

事实上,拿督姚再添屡次拿我母亲宣传,甚至用来攻击森州行动党主席陆兆福同志,已经让我舅舅深感不妥和困扰。可惜,拿督姚再添为了政治利益,已经顾不上朋友的感受了。当然,如果拿督姚再添觉得一位曾出钱出力帮助他的洗肾中心的热心人士称不上是朋友,那么我也无话可说。

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【念念有辞】互不信任猜忌者是谁?

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 08:44 AM PST

This column article published on the Website of Chinese Newspaper Chinapress.com.my

报佳音是基督徒庆祝圣诞节的传统活动。我在英国唸书时也曾参与报佳音活动。一行人戴着圣诞帽等五彩缤纷装饰,手持蜡烛,就在冰天雪地的一隅,或是在街灯下、或是在人潮汹湧火车站,在简单乐器伴奏下朗朗高歌。

12月底的英国夜晚可谓天寒地冻,如果装备不足,随时要在寒风中直打哆嗦。可是对一个生长在热带国家的人而言,却是别有一番浪漫滋味。

国内报佳音活动和我在英国体验略有不同。这里报佳音多半都不是在街头走走唱唱,而是直接到信徒教友家中高诵福音,主人家一般也会准备简单的茶点招待来宾。总体来说,其实和新春团拜非常相近。

可惜,基督徒例常活动今年却出现了不寻常变更。警方突然要求教会必须呈上各种细节,包括报佳音团队成员大马卡身分证号码、参与人数和接待报佳音团队的住户资料。这种突兀要求,让基督徒严重觉得自己宗教自由被侵犯。

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Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud

Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud


Hasan Ali: I'm still willing to cooperate with Pakatan

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 06:18 AM PST

魏宗贤文打烟之声 Gwee Tong Hiang for Bentayan

魏宗贤文打烟之声 Gwee Tong Hiang for Bentayan


文打烟区州议员魏宗贤服务中心提供协助填写500零吉援助金表格

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 05:10 PM PST

i n t a n h i j a u

i n t a n h i j a u


JANGAN UNTUNG SEHARI, RUGI LIMA TAHUN

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 02:09 AM PST


KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Dis: Rakyat dinasihatkan agar sedar bahawa Program Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) hanyalah sogokan dan umpan Umno BN menjelang pilihan raya umum ke-13 yang boleh berlaku pada bila-bila masa sahaja.

Ketua Dewan Muslimat PAS Pusat, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusuf (gambar) berkata, bantuan sebanyak RM500 secara one off itu hanya bersifat sementara, sebaliknya rakyat akan terus menanggung beban kenaikan harga barang dan kos sara hidup selagi menyokong Umno BN.

"Jangan rakyat untung sehari, tapi rugi lima tahun kerana berada di bawah pemerintahan Umno BN.
"Fenomena pemberian one off ini sedang rancak berlaku sekarang. Ini budaya sogok yang sudah lama berlaku dalam pemerintahan Umno BN," kata beliau ketika dihubungi Harakahdaily hari ini.

Siti Zailah juga berkata, rakyat terutamanya yang mempunyai tanggungan ramai tidak seharusnya terlalu teruja dengan jumlah RM500 itu kerana ianya tidak berbaloi dengan harga barang yang tinggi.

"Rakyat kena celik sikit, pemberian cuma RM500. Kalau ada anak ramai, tak cukup pun hendak membeli keperluan sekolah dan sebagainya sedangkan dalam tempoh lima tahun lagi, terpaksa melalui masa-masa sukar," katanya yang juga Ahli Parlimen Rantau Panjang.

Sabtu lalu, Menteri Kewangan Kedua, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah melancarkan BR1M di Dewan Komuniti 1Malaysia, Chemor.

Menurutnya, jumlah isi rumah yang layak itu diperoleh daripada pangkalan data Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) dan permohonan akan dirujuk semula antaranya melalui semakan pihak Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

Menurutnya, jumlah isi rumah yang layak memohon itu diperolehi daripada pangkalan data Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) dan permohonan akan dirujuk semula antaranya melalui semakan pihak Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

"Kumpulan sasaran terdiri mereka yang berpendapatan kurang RM3,000 bagi satu isi rumah dengan ramai tanggungan, warga emas berumur 60 tahun ke atas dan anggota keluarga berdaftar di bawah program eKasih.

Sementara itu, menyentuh mengenai Umno BN yang mempersoalkan hanya sebuah masjid berjaya didirikan oleh Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan, Siti Zailah berkata, apa yang harus diberi perhatian bukan kuantiti, tetapi cara masjid itu diimarahkan.

"Kenyataan BN itu menggambarkan betapa jauhnya pemimpinnya dengan ajaran Islam.

"Dalam sejarah dulu, kaum munafik mendirikan Masjid Dirar bagi menyaingi masjid yang didirikan para sahabat dan Rasulullah mengarahkan masjid itu dibakar," katanya.

Siti Zailah berkata, Menteri Besarnya, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat lebih gemar mendidik rakyat negeri itu agar menginfakkan wang untuk membina masjid.

"Tok Guru Nik Aziz mahu masjid yang didirikan itu hasil kutipan derma daripada rakyatnya sendiri kerana pahala menderma untuk pembinaan masjid itu sampai ke akhirat," katanya.(harakahdaily)

Comments for Wee Choo Keong

Comments for Wee Choo Keong


Comment on The MYCC “hush-hush” public meetings! by adam schandler

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 09:20 AM PST

I simply love your effort YB.

may god bless you and your family

Comment on The MYCC “hush-hush” public meetings! by Kunyit Hidup

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 02:22 AM PST

Dear MAS Lover,

You're right, cabin crew works hard. However you should observe;

1. Your duty period is including free transportation from home to airport then to hotel or return home. Unless last minutes, everything pre-arranged. Otherwise just complain.

2. Complaining whenever minimum rest period applicable but not compensating with holidays (several days off duty or shopping spree) at other stations.

3. Meals provided on board. Requesting hotel room plus breakfast despite allowance

4. No less than 3 star hotel for stopover but always insisted good location regardless how much MAS need to pay.

5. Regulated duty period, simply return home/hotel if flight delay exceeding the limitations.

6. Periodical trainings

In contrast, baggage handlers or most of other ground staff:

1. Manage your own – petrol, parking, toll & maintenance. Duty period is when you actually report for duty.

2. Works 16 hours daily or not even return home (during long delay, crisis) are part of responsibility. Hundreds of hazard reports were simply 'closed'.

3. We are paying RM3.00 for lunch nasi putih with kuah kari and ais kosong at airport canteen. We can't afford more than one meal per-shift.

4. Small, noisy and no facilities in our restroom. Not even comfortable sofa.

5. Work till aircraft serviceable while aircrew sleeping at home/hotel.

6. Trainings are just to meet DCA requirements that only started recently. Before – the only training was when you are freshie.

The most important, can we compare our payslips?

The point is – every dept is equally important and every staff is doing things at level best. If you feel not sufficiently rewarded, others too and perhaps more as reasoned above. For management, staff is a liability so do not expect they sincerely fulfil staff's eligibility. MASEU is obviously not functioning, not even promoting 'work-to-rule' instead blatantly announcing picket. While others see us 'problematic' that justifying MAS to be cannibalised.

Comment on The MYCC “hush-hush” public meetings! by MAS insiders

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 10:20 PM PST

YB, please do not get confused by MAS LOVER for he or she does not love MAS but merely pretending to do so. This is what MAS called disgruntled employees. He or she can resign and find other job if this job lifestyle does not suit them. For 50 years, MAS transformed its cabin crew those days were the golden girls to today MH cabin crew and no even single one senior crew are complaining about the long journey or those being complained above because it is “the lifestyle” of a cabin crew with no only with MAS but all other airlines also. She or he is definitely the questionable “employees”.

Comment on Teks ucapan di Parlimen terhadap “Gang of Two” by Sarif Khazanah

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 06:28 PM PST

Azman Mokhtar “We have a winner in mind.” Azman and his ex-business partner Rashdan has AIrAsia in mind. That is the problem with the share swap and collaborative framework that favors AirAsia. So far nothing being given up by AA but MAS has been given up profitable routes all under the name of New Business Plans. To date Rashdan could not brief much on collaborative framework. Bloody Bina tak Fikir two idiots. The Gaji but a practicing cronyism in Khazanah.

Comment on The MYCC “hush-hush” public meetings! by MAS LoVeR

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 06:10 PM PST

YB, please attend MAS townhall or their dialogue.. Observe this so call brilliant just keep quite not to give their accurate answer when question raised. We need some people to create some debate since the capability of Management, Maseu and other union questioned. To those who cursing MAS staff please do some small research… We work like slave today.. They ask us to work hand to hand or support the management to bring MAS big profit but what do we get in return? Can you please imagine every flight the crew will spend their time up to 15 hours and they entitle to rest 18 to 12 hours minimum. Most of the time 13 hours below. This 12 hours rest is includes of waiting for transport, the journey period to hotel/home going out for our meal, shower sleep and wake up time. Don’t you think they’ve been abuse? They are not Air Asia who sell the food which is those passenger bought the food can get the service. But those who aren’t, don’t even get fart from them. MAS crew try their level best to deliver good service and pleasing everybody. 4 sector full service with up to 15 hours duty period. If anything happen to the aircraft do you think they can perform their safety priority? God, they are really tired.. How many of them get spinal injuries to carry carrying passengers luggages? How many of them hospitalized because of their current lifestyle? Example: the crew don’t even have time to eat during feeding customers on board. When we report this to management or safety department, you know what they reply to the crew? ‘ LOW HAZARD REPORT’ which mean NOTHING TO WORRIED! Every stupid plan questioned by passenger they have to answer but shit done management. Every problem on ground the crew have to face it and can you imagined the crew have the longest contact to bring them to their destination? This about crew, we don’t know about other department yet.. So please stop false accusation and hopefully somebody like YB stop this abuse..

Comment on The MYCC “hush-hush” public meetings! by Musnah Harapan

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 08:19 AM PST

MAS: 10 years too late – Even the analysts were sleeping on the job.

http://mastroubleshooters.blogspot.com/2011/12/mas-10-years-too-late-even-analysts.html

Direct Free Kick

Lim Kit Siang

Lim Kit Siang


Chameleon politics

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 12:37 AM PST

— Tan Teck Huat The Malaysian Insider Dec 12, 2011 DEC 12 — If anyone wants to know the chameleon nature of the Najib government or perhaps even the prime minister, you just have to look at the government's attitude towards Singapore. On one hand, Najib talks about closer ties with Singapore and his upcoming [...]

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #92

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 10:45 PM PST

By M. Bakri Musa Chapter11: Embracing Free Enterprise Malaysian Capitalism Moral Arguments For Free Trade Daniel Griswold of the conservative Cato Institute in Washington, DC, argues that free trade is morally right, quite apart from the benefits that accrue upon the participants. Free trade respects individual dignity and sovereignty. When one engages in honest work, [...]

Essential national intellectual capital: What is needed more, a genius or two, or good academic institutions?

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 07:06 PM PST

— Clive Kessler The Malaysian Insider Dec 12, 2011 DEC 12 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has recognised that a country's intellectual capital is its primary asset. Its "brainpower", he understands, is the major determinant of its international standing, of its prospects of achieving success and prosperity (Melissa Chi, "PM says intellectual capital [...]

A single spark starts the prairie fire?

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 05:39 PM PST

— Sakmongkol AK47 The Malaysian Insider Dec 11, 2011 DEC 11 — Dengar cerita CEO NFC (suami Sharizat) dpt gaji 100k sebulan, anak sulung (age 31) dpt gaji 45k sebulan, anak kedua (age 27)dpt 35k sebulan, anak ketiga (age 25) dpt 35k sebulan. Jika ini betul, ia sesungguhnya memalukan. Ambil duit rakyat buat bayar gaji [...]

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