ASEAN Should Take Cognizance of Sabahans' Plight

Kota Kinabalu: “In the modern era of democratic nations, good governance and human rights, the ASEAN grouping should move with the times.   It should not just be confined to trade, economy and common market as it appears to be moving towards but to do more similar to the European Union” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief cum State Assemblyman for Bingkor, commenting on the sidelines of the forthcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat to be held in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday and Wednesday.

PSM Statement 23 January 2015 - Now is not the best time to implement GST

By S. Arutchelvan

Mr Prime Minister, you said yesterday that now is the best time to implement the GST because you claim that with the decrease of fuel prices, Malaysians will have more money in hand and have a higher purchasing power.

This is totally untrue. The decrease in fuel prices has not made prices of other goods go down. This has never happened before and you know very well that our enforcement agencies can never bring down prices of goods. You have also cut subsidies which mean you have left prices in the hands of the market. On ground 0, the rakyat is facing a massive increase in daily expenses and people and businesses just talk about further price increase after the GST. No amount of creative advertisement by the Government seems to dispel this fear.  

Malaysia has no legitimacy in Sabah, Sarawak?

Comment by Joe Fernandez

Former Petagas Assemblyman James Ligunjang  -- defeated in 1994, according to him, by illegal voters on the electoral rolls -- is misleading everybody with his Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia 63 Campaign.

He does not touch on the following:

Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 is like flogging a dead horse. It's too little, too late.

100% support Pairin call to replace "lain-lain" in govt forms

By Ezra Haganez

PENAMPANG: Almost everybody in the community of Kadazandusun and Murut supported the call made by Huguan Siou Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to do away with the "lain-lain" or "others" column in the race section of government forms.

Senior vice president of KDCA (Kadazandusun Cultural Association), George Mijin, said such conclusion could be deduced from feedbacks and an already agitated community as a result of the thoughtless introduction of "bangsa lain-lain" in government forms a couple of years ago, leaving out the ethnic groups in Borneo, retaining only three races - Malay, Chinese and Indian.

What is Plan B for Sabah Budget 2015?

Kota Kinabalu:     “As dust is settling down on the collapse of oil prices globally, the picture becomes clearer for Malaysia and Sabah’s 2015 Budget projected revenues.   The question on everyone’s mind is what is Plan B for the National and Sabah Budget 2015?” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, reflecting on the 60% plunge in oil prices from USD110 to USD47 - USD49 per barrel and creating a huge dent in projected revenues from oil.

When PM Najib unveiled the national Budget on 10 October 2014, the world oil price was about USD90 per barrel and when CM Musa announced the Sabah Budget on 07 November 2014, it was about USD80.   However, the budget projections were based on assumption of oil prices at USD100 per barrel.   They now seem half a world away from the current USD48 per barrel, up from a low of USD45.

Do Away With “Lain-lain” and “Bumiputra” in Sabah

Kota Kinabalu:     “The move by the Chief Minister of Sarawak to do away with the categorization of Sarawakians as “Others” or “Lain-lain” in government administration and replacing them with Sarawak ethnic races is most welcome and long overdue.   Sabah leaders should take the cue and follow suit to replace “Sabahan” for “Lain-lain” in Sabah” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the move by the CM of Sarawak.

In fact, the Sabah government should not stop at the re-categorization and should implement policies for the upliftment of the indigenous people of Sabah as provided in Article 41 of the Constitution of Sabah.   Article 41 provides:-

No more ‘lain-lain’ in forms

Federal government cancels controversial column that classifies Sarawak Bumiputera as ‘others’ in race section of official forms

KAPIT: There will be no more ‘lain-lain’ column in the race section of government forms to indicate the race of Bumiputera in Sarawak.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem said yesterday the federal government had acceded to a request by the state government to eliminate the words ‘lain-lain’ in the race column in official forms.

“In government forms, there will be Bumiputera Iban, Bumiputera Bidayuh and Bumiputera Orang Ulu.

Sarawak’s Taib tries to stop BBC broadcast on timber corruption

© Provided by The Malaysian Insider Sarawak governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud has on multiple occasions been asked to explain his allegedly vast wealth. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 16, 2015.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Sarawak governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud are attempting to stop a BBC interview from being broadcast, said a Swiss-based rainforest advocacy group.

The Bruno Manser Fund said a London law firm had been commissioned by the controversial Taib to stop a BBC interview on Lukas Straumann's book, “Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia”, which exposes the former chief minister's vast wealth allegedly derived from illegal logging.

The Meaning of Mutual Respect

By Baru Bian , Ba Kelalan assemblyman

The lecture by Shaykh Afeefuddin Al-Jailani that is being organised by the Islamic Information Centre and supported by UNIMAS’ Pusat Islam has created much unhappiness among Sarawakian Christians who, over the past few years, have had to put up with various forms of illogical and unreasonable interference by the authorities in the practice of their faith. They have unfailingly exercised tremendous restraint and shown remarkable forbearance in the face of unwarranted disrespect and curtailment of their rights. This latest episode is truly a blow to the Christians, who had hoped that they would be left alone to carry on the practice of their religion in peace in the spirit of mutual respect that seemed to still exist in Sarawak. I have received many calls from Christians and Christian leaders on this proposed lecture.

Proposed new seven Sabah seats ill-conceived, says politician

By Ezra Haganez

KOTA KINABALU: The recently-announced proposal to create seven more new state constituencies in Sabah to make it 67, will further reduce the Christian-majority seats in the already muslim-dominated State Assembly, claims a leader of a local political party.

Parti Kerjasama Rakyat Sabah (PAKAR) deputy president, Paulus Gani, said as such the exercise is not a noble and clean exercise let alone reflect the true spirit of partnership in the country.

The balance between the major communities is lost, he said, explaining that the last time an exercise by the Federal-controlled SPR to increase the seats from 48 to current 60, the 20-20-8 sharing formula between non-muslim bumiputeras, muslim bumiputras and chinese, was changed to 34-18-8.