Beach Development Will Drive Tourists Away From Sabah

The Malaysian Nature Society is opposing the proposed Tanjung Aru Beach development which will include 180ha of sea reclamation, calling it unnecessary and an affront to the idea of sustainable development. — File pic credit www.sabah.edu.my

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30, 2015: The planned RM1.5 billion development of Tanjung Aru beach under the Tanjung Aru Eco-Development (TAED) plan will drive away tourists as Sabah’s main attraction and selling point is its nature, said the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

In expressing its opposition, MNS said the proposed plan that included 299ha and 180ha of sea reclamation was by all means unnecessary and an affront to the idea of sustainable development.

20-Points and Sabah Rights Arguably Non-Seditious

Kota Kinabalu:     “The federal government and leaders of Malaya should listen to the advice of the learned federal Attorney General that the 20/18-Points are historical facts, part and parcel and fundamental to the formation of Malaysia.  They represent the aspirations of the people of Sabah and Sarawak and, as rightly pointed out, they were constitutional safeguards for Sabah and Sarawak” said Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR Sabah, responding to the Attorney General’s speech at the opening of the Sabah and Sarawak Legal Year 2015. 

The Attorney General was spot on in advising how to go about and deal with the grievances of the people in clamouring for the restoration and rights and equal partnership of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia.  

BHF Launches UBF Academy to Empower People

Kota Kinabalu:     “It is a timely opportunity to establish the UBF Academy to institutionalize its political, economy consciousness and educational programs that will enlighten and empower the people with the correct history and rights of Sabah and Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia in view of the growing support and calls for Sabah and Sarawak to be restored as equal partners to Malaya in the Federation of Malaya and the restoration of rights and constitutional safeguards that were promised to the Borneo States” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of the Borneo Heritage Foundation (BHF) and founding mentor of the United Borneo Front (UBF) at the launch of “Akademi UBF” in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday.

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.