Voice of Damansara Utama

Security Guards hid themselves during bank robbery

2009-09-18T23:20:00.002+08:00

Why would the bank needs to hire security guards when they hide themselves when a robbery is in progress?

How safe is Malaysia?

2009-09-11T22:11:00.002+08:00

Anita Sarawak and husband escape parang-wielding robbers

Friday September 11, 2009 MYT 9:18:00 PM

By ANDREW SAGAYAM

KUALA LUMPUR: Entertainer Anita Sarawak and her husband Mahathir Abdullah were attacked by four parang wielding robbers in Taman Melawati at 6pm Friday.

However, Mahathir fought back and the commotion alerted neighbours’ who came out. The robbers fled on two motorcycles.
Mahthir, an Englishman, suffered a slash wound in his chest and was taken to Prince Court Medical Centre in Jalan Tun Razak where he is reported to be stable.

The two were on the way to Anita Sarawak’s stepmother, veteran actress Datin Umi Kalthum, near Zoo Negara, to pick her up for a function when the robbers came at them, police sources said.

BN and Umno will lose in the next GE

2009-09-11T17:33:00.001+08:00

According to former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, there is a strong chance that BN and Umno could lose in the next GE. This is probably true judging from the current political climate in Malaysia.......

Mirzan Mahathir appointed director on San Miguel Corp board

2009-09-10T17:09:00.004+08:00

Haram?

Thursday September 10 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Mirzan Mahathir, the eldest son of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was recently appointed to the board of San Miguel Corp, the biggest food and beverage conglomerate in the Philippines and the owner of San Miguel Brewery Inc.

San Miguel Corp told the Philippines stock exchange last week about Mirzan’s appointment which is to represent the interests of Q-Tech Alliance Holdings Inc on the board.

Q-Tech, a Manila-based investment company in which Mirzan has a stake in, recently acquired a 19.9 per cent share in San Miguel Corp for 39.61 billion pesos (RM2.9 billion).

It bought the stake from Japan’s Kirin Holdings, which used the funds to help finance the acquisition of a 43 per cent stake in San Miguel Brewery Inc.

With this latest corporate exercise, San Miguel Corp still maintains a 51 per cent stake in San Miguel Brewery Inc.

San Miguel Brewery controls 95 per cent of the Philippine beer market. The company has made San Miguel Beer for more than a century. The beer is brewed in the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, and is sold in 60 markets worldwide, according to the company’s Web site.

San Miguel Corp has been selling its food and beverage assets since 2007 to expand into the mining, infrastructure and property industries.

Mirzan’s involvement in the deal, while a sound investment decision, has raised some eyebrows among Malaysia’s conservative Muslim community.

Since news of Q-Tech’s acquisition of San Miguel Corp shares began circulating here, a number of news blogs have used it to attack Dr Mahathir’s Muslim credentials.

Mirzan’s corporate forays have not been without controversy.

He once controlled Konsortium Perkapalan Bhd when Dr Mahathir was prime minister, but was forced to sell its shipping assets to Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC), in what critics said then was a bailout.

Bagan Pinang: Indian voters would not vote for BN

2009-09-07T16:26:00.001+08:00

This is the reason why:

and I don't think Najib gets the message.

Couple fined for beach sex

2009-09-06T23:36:00.002+08:00

Sep 4, 2009

Couple fined for beach sex

BANGKOK - THAI police fined an Iranian couple about US$15 (S$21.58) for having drunken sex on a popular tourist beach in front of a crowd of excited onlookers on Friday, officials said.
The 28-year-old man and the woman, 25, from the strict Islamic republic were caught in the act just before dawn by a policeman in the coastal resort of Pattaya.

'While I was on a motorcycle patrol I saw some 20 people including tourists gathered at the beach. I went to examine and found the two Iranians were naked and having sex,' said Captain Jamras Thongjinda of Pattaya city police station.

Police charged the pair with committing an indecent act in a public place and in front of the public.

The couple said they were drunk after finishing a bottle of vodka between them and police fined them 500 baht before freeing them, Jamras said.

Pattaya has a reputation for drunken excess, sleazy bars and explicit sex shows. -- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_425444.html?vgnmr=1

Najib's Merdeka present for the nation?!!

2009-08-31T22:44:00.004+08:00

Effective 1st September 2009: Petrol price up with RON97 at RM2.05/litre (up 25 sen) while RON95 replaces RON92 & will be sold at RM1.80/litre (up 5 sen).

BN = Barang Naik?

Harga minyak naik sebagai hadiah merdeka ?

Is this why not many Malaysians flying the Jalur Gemilang?

Japan's LDP lost after 54 years in power and who is next?

2009-08-31T13:11:00.003+08:00

Japan had rebelled against its postwar political tradition and rejected the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that has been in power for over half a century.

BN has ruled Malaysia for 52 years.......

Bus fares up 30% for Raya

2008-08-28T14:46:00.003+08:00

Bus operators have been allowed to impose a 30% fare surcharge during the Hari Raya period. Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the fare surcharge would come into effect between Sept 15 and Oct 15.

Barisan Nasional (BN) = Barang Naik.

Inflation for July up 8.5%, one of the highest in the region.

Now bus fare going up by 30% during the Hari Raya period.

Selamat Hari Raya to you, Datuk Noh Omar! Do you know many Muslims may not be able to go back to their kampung (hometown) for Hari Raya due the the sharp bus fare hike?

Our public transport system is sucks

2008-08-22T12:16:00.003+08:00

Yes even our PM got to admit that our public transport system is bad and has no system at all. It has been years all of us suffer and nothing has been done about it.

BN leaders continue to enjoy good life esp the Trengganu state executive councillors with their brand new spanking Mercedes Benz!

Politicizing Olympic!

2008-08-20T10:55:00.002+08:00

Najib told Lee Chong Wei that a special ceremony would be held at Lee’s home state in Penang tonight, in which he would be presented with a cheque for RM300,000 and a monthly pension of RM3,000 – for winning the nation a silver at the Beijing Olympics.

Most likely the ceremony will be held in Permatang Pauh where BN is struggling to win the by-election. Anwar the 1st seed player in Permatang Pauh, is too powerful for BN candidate Arif Shah to fight.

So BN will be taking the opportunity to make use of Chong Wei in the political campaingn! It is an abuse because that RM300,000 to be presented to Chong Wei is tax-payers’ money. It is not BN or UMNO’s money. So please do not use it for BN’s political gain. Not that they will win in Permatang Pauh anyway!

What if there is a water shortage in Kepala Batas?

2008-08-19T15:34:00.002+08:00

The UMNO led federal government is holding back a RM1.1 billion federal allocation for expansion of the Mengkuang Dam, located in Permatang Pauh.

This will cause a critical water shortage for Penang's growing population in four years.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has warned that the dam’s expansion must be implemented by early next year and completed by 2012 to ensure Penang has sufficient raw water to meet the increasing water demand until 2024.

If there is a water shortage in Penang, Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBA) should cut the water supply to Kepala Batas (the hometown of Pak Lah) first. This is because Pak Lah as PM cum Finance Minister is the person who held back the RM1.1 billion allocation for the Mengkuang Dam expansion.

Therefore if there is water shortage in Kepala Batas, the residents can only blame themselves for voting for Pak Lah!

September 16 is on track

2008-08-08T11:57:00.003+08:00

Anwar held a press conference this morning to reiterate that he is confidence in gaining enough support to form the next government by 16th September 2008.

He also urged BN MPs to leave BN as it is a sinking ship.

Anwar will be contesting in the Permatang Pauh by-election on 26th August. The seat was held by his wife Datuk Seri Wan Azizah whom resigned to pave way for Anwar to enter the parliament.

Will Yong Teck Lee and SAPP help Anwar in the by-election campaign?

2008-08-07T16:07:00.003+08:00

Since SAPP has lost confidence in Pak Lan and BN's leadership, why not help Anwar to campaign in Permatang Pauh.

Yong Teck Lee can explain in person to the rakyat in Peninsular why SAPP will forge ahead with greater force and unity in pursuit of their struggle for the people based on the their Declaration of eight points, to fight against the inflation and rapid rise in costs of living which has caused hardship to the people.

Anwar: 'If consensual, why charge me only?'

2008-08-07T15:43:00.004+08:00

Anwar Ibrahim questioned why he was the only one brought to court if he supposedly had 'consensual' unnatural sex with his former aide.

"The Prime Minister says rape, the police report was not given to me, the doctor says assault and the charge says consensual," he said.

Is this a joke and simply another Malaysia Boleh!?!

Massive jam again!

2008-08-07T11:29:00.004+08:00

Road blocks on all the roads leading to KL city this morning causing massive jam at peak hour. Is there such a need for road block?

Is Anwar a threat to our national security? He is a threat to the current corrupted and inefficient leaderships.

Malaysians are looking for the by-election in Permatang Pauh on 26th August 2008. With the imminent return of Anwar to the Parliament, a new dawn will begin in Malaysia's history!

Landslide victory for Anwar / Pakatan Rakyat in Permatang Pauh By-election

2008-08-06T16:26:00.002+08:00

BN/ UMNO is provoking the anger of Malaysians by charging Anwar with sodomy.

The majority of Malaysians do not believe the 61 years old Anwar whom has serious back problem capable of sodomising a 23 years man.

If BN/ UMNO wants to win the votes from the rakyat they should fight corruption, money politic and etc (instead of playing dirty politic).

Voters in Permatang Pauh will send the strongest message to BN/ UMNO on 26th August 2006.
I expect Pakatan Rakyat to defeat BN by a majority of at least 15,000 votes.

Let’s wait and see…….

Want a job that pays plenty of overtime?

2008-08-05T15:44:00.004+08:00

Work for Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) then. In 2007, DBKL paid out RM45 million to its 11,200 employees in 27 departments (averages to RM4,017 per employee). And up to June this year, it has forked out RM31 million in overtime claims.

Why so much overtime being paid? Reason: poor management and staff scheduling.

Syabas DBKL! (Well done DBKL!)

Robbed, raped and left by the roadside

2008-08-05T15:36:00.001+08:00

So sad. Our city is no longer safe! Ladies take good care of yourselves....

Let Saiful be BN's candidate for Permatang Pauh

2008-08-05T10:35:00.003+08:00

Since Permatang Pauh is Parti Keadilan’s stronghold and BN will not win anyway.

Why not let this by-election be the referendum on how many people believe the sodomy allegation and act as guide on whether the authorities should proceed further on this case.

I bet Saiful will lose his deposit.

BN to Boycott Permatang Pauh By-Election?

2008-08-01T23:54:00.002+08:00

Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa Friday suggested that the Barisan Nasional (BN) boycott the by-election to be held in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency following the resignation of its Member of Parliament and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail Thursday.

The best suggestion from Annuar Musa. I hope BN will boycott the election to pave way for Anwar Ibrahim to go back to the Parliament. We need a new PM to wipe out corruption and to take Malaysia to the next level.

Credit crisis has triggered a 'negative feedback loop' in the global economy

2008-07-29T01:07:00.002+08:00

According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sub-prime credit crisis has triggered a 'negative feedback loop' in the global economy that poses risks for growth.

Global financial markets continue to be fragile and indicators of systemic risks remain elevated.
Credit quality across many loan classes has begun to deteriorate with declining house prices and slowing economic growth.

Banks are under 'renewed stress' to raise additional capital amid a sharp plunge in banking stocks, which has 'increased the likelihood of a negative interaction between banking system adjustment and the real economy.

The IMF estimated banks and financial institutions have written off in excess of 400 billion dollars in soured mortgage-related investments.

The 185-nation institution said that due to the slump in the asset-backed securities and ongoing loan delinquencies, it had 'little reason' to change its April 3 estimate of of 945 billion dollars for the 'total mark-to-market losses' in the financial crisis.

With sharply rising loan delinquencies and foreclosures and a continuing fall in home prices, a bottom for the housing market is not yet visible! More bad news to come.....?

EX-World Bank, IMF Chiefs ask Malaysia to drop allegation against Anwar

2008-07-25T14:41:00.001+08:00

Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, ex-World Bank chief James Wolfensohn, and Michel Camdessus, the former head of the International Monetary Fund expressed their deep concern on sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim.

They said in a joint statement that the charges were brought 'in spite of the fact that similar unsubstantiated charges filed 10 years ago against him were overturned by the Supreme Court.'

Thus, they hoped that 'the government of Malaysia will ... demonstrate, by dropping the charges... an exemplary sense of respect for the rights of the individual which are so important to the international standing of Malaysia.'

The three reiterated their 'full confidence in Anwar's moral integrity.' Anwar spent a night in custody last week after being arrested over accusations that he sodomised a 23-year-old male aide. He was released on bail.

Will Malaysia consider this joint statement as another attempt by foreigners to interfere in its internal affair?

Selangor to use Toyota Camry as its official cars?

2008-07-25T10:29:00.000+08:00

The Selangor Government may choose the Toyota Camry as the official cars for its state executive councillors.

This is because the price of the car was reasonable and maintenance cost is not high (definitely cheaper than the Mercedes).

This is something for Trengganu State Government to think about. Maybe they should sell all their Mercedes and switch to cost efficient Japanese cars too!

Buying a fleet of luxury Mercedes cars to save cost?

2008-07-24T17:04:00.000+08:00

Terengganu state government bought 14 of the luxury cars for RM3.43mil (i.e. at RM245k each) to replace the Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars that had been purchased in 2004.

They bought the German cars, as “it is more reliable for long-term use and to reduce the maintenance cost”.

The argument doesn’t make sense. Mercedes-Benz E200 Kompressor is a luxury car and you will pay a premium price for the maintenance.

If the state government thinks Proton cars are lousy and not reliable, they should consider Japanese cars instead (i.e. Toyota Camry and Honda Accord).

Both Toyota Camry 2.0 and Honda Accord 2.0 cost less than RM160k. They are very reliable and certainly cost less to maintain than Mercedes cars.

Is United States Interfering in Malaysia’s Internal Affair?

2008-07-24T15:13:00.000+08:00

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Malaysia to be transparent and follow the rule of law in dealing with the sodomy accusation against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. She also rejects claim that Anwar case is an internal affair.

Is this an interference? Looking at how Anwar was treated in 1998, Ms. Rice just hope that BN Government would not abuse its power again.

Anwar Ibrahim should contest in by-election ASAP

2008-07-24T11:49:00.000+08:00

Anwar Ibrahim should contest in a by-election ASAP. He should do so before his opponents taking next step to nail him down e.g. fabricating DNA evidence and etc.

The hearing of the election petition for Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary seat has been postponed twice to Aug 19. Is this a deliberate attempt to delay it so that Anwar won’t get to return to parliament so soon?
Most likely Parti Keadilan will lose the case in this election petition anyway. (You know how impartial is our Justice system – correct, correct, correct.) YB Zulkifli Noordin should resign now to force a by-election before it is too late for Anwar.

Inflation hits 7.7% in June 2008!

2008-07-24T10:28:00.000+08:00

Inflation in Malaysia hits 7.7% in June 08, the highest in 26 years.

The figure came as a surprise as economists had predicted June inflation of 6.6 percent. The main culprit is the 41% rise in fuel price.

The inflation would probably remain high in July due to the increase in the electricity tariff.

Syabas Pak Lah! (Well done Pak Lah!)

Nepotism in MCA?

2008-07-20T00:55:00.001+08:00

Ka Ting will support Tee Keat for #1 post in return for Tee Keat's support for his brother Ka Chuan to be #2?

The two old Chuas (namely Soi Lek and Jui Meng) are observing the situation closely. They may enter the race and trash Tee Keat's sweet dream.

The pact for Tee Keat to be No.1 and Ka Chuan No. 2 could be detrimental for Tee Keat as the MCA members may not like it. After the March 8 tsunami, MCA members should be more mature now and they may deny the nepotism practice in the party.

What is Ka Chuan’s credential to qualify him for the #2 post? What has he done for the Chinese society and the nation? Is it just because he is Ka Ting brother?

Petrol subsidy, What subsidy?

2008-07-19T14:49:00.000+08:00

My friend, MT Ong shared with me his view on petrol subsidy. Attached herewith his writeup on the petrol subsidy:

I am surprised that so far no one has made a comprehensive study about the false impression that we Malaysians have been subsidized for our petrol. In fact we have been paying more than our fair share for our petrol. How is this? We need to look at the big picture of petrol prices, the price of cars, toll charges, per capita income and the cost and efficiency of public transportation. I am glad that our Minister of Information made a comparison of petrol prices in Malaysia and some Scandinavian countries. Let me make a simple comparison between Malaysia and Australia based on rough estimates.

1. Per capita income of Australia (USD35,990.00) is more than 6 times that of Malaysia (USD5,490.00) in 2006. (Source: World Bank)

2. Starting pay of a graduate in Malaysia RM2,500.00 per month and in Australia AUD4,000.00 (RM12,000.00) per month.

3. Price of one liter of petrol in Malaysia RM2.70 and in Australia AUD1.75 (RM5.25). The price differential is RM2.55 a liter.

Assume we buy a similar new car in both countries, a 1.8L Honda Civic Auto cost RM110,000.00 in Malaysia and AUD24,000.00 (RM72,000.00) in Australia. That is a difference of RM38,000.00. If we divide the price differential of the car with the cost of petrol, 38,000/2.55=14,900 liters of petrol. This means that an owner of a Honda Civic will upon consuming the first 14,900 liters of petrol is actually not getting a single cent of subsidy from the government.

The cost of a new Honda Civic in Malaysia is equivalent to 44 months salary of a fresh graduate. In Australia it is 6 months salary of a fresh graduate. It is a known fact that according to our previous Minister of MITI she openly admitted that the duty on cars in Malaysia is imposed not to protect Proton alone, but that the government is now dependent on car duty as an important source of government revenue.

I had recently returned from a driving holiday in Australia. We drove approximately 8,000 km from Melbourne to Perth and return, and guess what? I did not have to pay a single cent in terms of TOLL!!!!!!!! The road condition is in no way inferior to that of our Malaysian roads.

If we look at the big picture it looks as if we Malaysians have been taken to the cleaners by the Malaysian government all these years without realizing it. We have been conned by the Malaysian government into believing that the government has been so kind to us by subsidizing our petrol. It is especially sad if we compare car prices with the developed countries in addition to the income level. It is time that the present Minister of MITI take a good look at the national car policy and correct the wrongs after all these years. The man who is responsible for this atrocious Malaysian car project is no longer in power, so fear not, Mr. Minister and do the right thing for the citizens of this country.

MT Ong

Malaysian government should investigate on Proton’s boo-boo sale of MV Agusta!

2008-07-17T16:54:00.000+08:00

Malaysian government should investigate on Proton’s boo-boo sale of MV Agusta!

Former PM Mahathir Mohamad has called for an investigation into the reasons behind national car maker Proton's 2006 sale of an Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta for RM5, while it was sold two years later for close to RM800 million.
This is another mismanagement under Pak Lah’s Administration!

We will vote you out of office!

2008-07-17T14:31:00.000+08:00

Road blocks again this morning? Millions of Klang Valley residents suffered as the police blocked the road for no obvious reason. Does it means that we don’t have to go to work to earn a living (since Petronas has so much profit?) and our children do not need to go to school?

We urge the BN/ UMNO led government not to block the road whenever they like and take laws in their own hands.

We will vote you out of office in the next general election!

Anwar wouldn’t have made 2pm deadline?

2008-07-16T17:26:00.000+08:00

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would not have been able to turn up for his scheduled appointment at the city police headquarters on time. He said Anwar was supposed to have gone straight to the police headquarters here after his interview at the Anti Corruption Agency in Putrajaya.

“Instead, he was on his way home. He couldn’t possibly have made it on time.

Asked why the police had not waited until 2pm before making the arrest, Wan Farid said: “What's the difference between 20 or 50 minutes?”

Is there a difference between 20 or 50 minutes? Off course there is, right?

Police detained Anwar Ibrahim

2008-07-16T12:24:00.000+08:00

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was arrested by the police just outside his home in Bukit Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, at 12.55pm.

Has Malaysia became a police state? That's the end of democracy in Malaysia! Malaysians will rise up to protect our democracy. If the authority has brain, they should release Anwar asap…..