MP blames bankruptcy on 2007 economic crisis

LABUAN: Member of Parliament here Datuk Yussof Mahal said his bankruptcy was due to the national economic crisis in 2007.

“I conducted a business and I could not continue with my project after the economic crisis hit our country,” he said during a seminar attended by government officers at Tiara Labuan Hotel yesterday.

Yussof, who was declared bankrupt by Labuan High Court on August 7, said he had met his lawyer over the matter recently.

“I just came back from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur to deal with my problem. I have also discussed with my bank, that I am going to settle the matter soon.

“Don’t worry, and I need your prayers so that everything will be alright,” he told the seminar participants.
Last week, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said he had been notified of the MP’s bankruptcy status by the Insolvency Department.

Pandikar said he would look at the documents received from the department before making a decision whether to allow Yussof to attend the Parliament sitting beginning September 24 till November 27.

Cubaan halang sambutan 16 September Pakatan, kata Lajim

KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will hold its Malaysia Day celebration in Tuaran on Sept 15, said the event organizing chairman, Datuk Seri Panglima Lajim Ukin.

He said the event, to be held at Singgah Singgarung from about 9pm, is expected to be attended by most PR leaders, including the various component parties’ heads.

“PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to arrive at the celebration about 10pm,” Lajim told reporters at his Hari Raya open house for the media at Ocean Seafood Restaurant here yesterday.

“We will also be inviting all opposition leaders in Sabah, including SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Sabah STAR liaison chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan to join in the celebration of Malaysia’s formation.

Lajim said it was not easy to find a venue for the celebration as there were a few ‘glitches’ that involved the authorities.

“I am very disappointed because even though this is an opposition organised event, it is just to commemorate the birth of our nation Malaysia.

“The Government should not prevent us from holding this event because Sabah and Sarawak are directly involved in the formation of Malaysia 49 year ago,” the Beaufort Member of Parliament said.

Lajim also said that they expect about 5,000 people to attend the event.

“We are extending our invitation to all Malaysians in Sabah notwithstanding their political views to come and celebrate the 49th Malaysia Day with us this Saturday.

“We also hope that the police in Tuaran will be more lenient to motorists who park along the roadsides near the venue.

“If the vehicles are not obstructing traffic, please do not issue summons, at least from 9pm to midnight.
“We also wish to remind those coming for the event to please park your vehicles properly and adhere to any instructions by the police,” Lajim who now heads Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) said.

To the media, the former Housing and Local Government Minister said that they should continue to give fair reporting as Malaysia is a democratic country.

Bumburing disagrees with Pairin on PM

Posted on September 14, 2012, Friday

TUARAN: Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing does not agree with Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan’s description of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Bumburing, who now heads Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) which is aligned to Pakatan Rakyat (PR), was of the opinion that Pairin’s portrayal of Najib as a political ‘doctor’ shows a lack of political awareness on numerous political, social and cultural problems faced by the people in Sabah.

“Instead of giving the right and actual attributes our current Prime Minister actually possesses, Pairin has given him the wrong attributes.

“If indeed Najib is a political ‘doctor’ as Pairin has highly attributed him with, then he (the PM) has all along been giving only generic medicines for the illnesses that have fallen on the people of Sabah,” he said.

Citing the “illegal immigrant disease and the extraordinary population explosion” in Sabah, the former UPKO deputy president said, “this is the real disease, it is the cancer that is eating into the fabric of our society that Najib should have given the right kind of medications.”

Bumburing said the announcement on the establishment of the RCI was made almost a month ago during Najib’s visit to Sabah and yet there seem to be no indication when they would start their work.

“This makes me and the people of Sabah want to ask if the members of the RCI have received their letters of appointment to enable them to function,” he said.

Bumburing asserted that some of the ‘cure’ for the ‘illnesses’ mentioned by Pairin as being given by Najib to solve the people’s problems are just “generic medicines’ that do not have lasting effect on the livelihood of the people, especially those in the hardcore poor bracket.

“More so, how much do you expect from a RM500 monetary assistance that comes once after a 50-year period? What they should have done is to improve the delivery system in the e-kasih and ‘cari-cari’ programmes instead of randomly terminating the assistance on selected individuals.

“I have people coming to me complaining that their assistance has been terminated after having been approved and receiving the assistance for four months,” he claimed.

“The reason given for terminating the assistance on this particular individual is just the word “TAMAT” (Terminated),” he said.

“Clearly, if indeed Najib is a political doctor as portrayed by Pairin, then he has been carrying out the wrong diagnosis and thus giving the wrong medicines.

“I doubt if Pairin ever visited any remote rural areas where poverty among the Kadazan Dusun community are still prevalent. As such, I therefore challenge Pairin to personally go to the ground and find out for himself if the level of poverty among the KDM has been ‘cured’ by Najib,” he said.

Boleh masuk sekolah tanpa dokumen pengenalan - menteri

KUCHING: Kanak-kanak warganegara tanpa dokumen pengenalan diri boleh diterima masuk ke sekolah-sekolah kerajaan di negara ini.

Menteri Kebajikan, Wanita dan Pembangunan Keluarga Datuk Fatimah Abdullah (bertudung hijau tapi tak lengkap) berkata, tindakan menghalang kanak-kanak ini daripada bersekolah hanya akan mengundang masalah sosial.

“Kita tidak boleh membiarkan kanak-kanak tinggal di rumah apabila mereka boleh bersekolah.
“Masalah dokumen penge-nalan diri boleh diselesaikan kemudian. Apa yang lebih penting ialah benarkan mereka memasuki sekolah dahulu,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita ketika ditemui selepas menerima kunjungan daripada Temenggung Vincent Lau dan rombongan berhubung Dana Amanah Pendidikan Cina di pejabatnya, Tingkat 15, Bangunan Wisma Bapa Malaysia di sini semalam.

Tambah Fatimah, ketua kaum dan ketua masyarakat memainkan peranan yang penting dalam masalah ini.

Pemimpin-pemimpin masyarakat katanya, perlu tampil membantu keluarga kanak-kanak warganegara tanpa dokumen pengenalan diri terutama dalam proses pendaftaran persekolahan dengan surat sokongan.

“Seperti yang kita tahu hak asas kanak-kanak adalah untuk mendapatkan pendidikan.

“Justeru tidak ada sebab untuk kita menghalang mereka daripada bersekolah meskipun tanpa dokumen pengenalan diri,” ujarnya.

Berdasarkan kepada statistik daripada Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia, bilangan kanak-kanak tidak bersekolah di Sarawak pada tahun 2011 adalah seramai 41 orang.

Jumlah keseluruhan kanak-kanak tidak bersekolah di negara ini bagi tahun 2011 adalah seramai 2,059 orang dengan Johor mencatat jumlah tertinggi seramai 172 orang.

Antara sebab-sebab kanak-kanak ini tidak bersekolah ialah tidak mempunyai dokumen pengenalan diri dan pelbagai alasan lain.

Dalam pada itu, mesyuarat jemaah menteri pada 16 Januari 2008 memaklumkan bahawa semua anak warganegara tanpa dokumen pengenalan diri boleh diterima masuk ke sekolah kerajaan.

Manakala mesyuarat jawatankuasa perancangan pendidikan pada 22 Jun 2010 meluluskan dasar pendidikan yang membenarkan kanak-kanak bukan warganegara Malaysia tanpa pengenalan diri mendapat pendidikan secara tidak formal melalui pendidikan alternatif dengan kerjasama agensi kerajaan, swasta dan NGO.

Lajim tubuh parti BUMI

Masdar Wahid

Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin menubuhkan Parti Bumiputera Bersatu atau ringkasnya BUMI dengan surat permohonan mengenainya sudah diserah kepada Pendaftar Pertubuhan (ROS) minggu lalu.

Penubuhan parti itu katanya dirancang sejak beliau meletak semua jawatannya dalam Umno penghujung Julai lalu.

"Minggu lalu permohonan sudah dikemukakan dengan ROS sedia mempertimbangkannya dan jika diluluskan, kami akan bertanding di bawah tiket BUMI pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) ke-13," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada majlis pelancaran Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) sempena Hari Malaysia di Jalan Kepayan, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 9 September lalu.

Beliau turut memberitahu hanya menjadi ahli biasa dan tidak akan memegang jawatan dalam parti baru itu yang kini diterajui Datuk Idrus Salleh.

Lajim berkata, beliau bersama pimpinan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) hanya akan bertanding di bawah tiket gabungan Pakatan Rakyat jika permohonan BUMI dilewatkan kelulusannya.

Lajim turut menyatakan komitmennya agar agihan kerusi PPS bersama komponen Pakatan diselesaikan segera agar wujudnya pertandingan satu lawan satu antara gabungan pembangkang Sabah lawan BN.

Pada 27 Ogos lalu, Lajim menegaskan parti baru yang bakal ditubuhkan sebagai platformnya bagi menggantikan PPS akan bertanding di semua kawasan Umno.

Bagi kerusi majoriti Cina, campuran atau Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM), Lajim menyerahkanya kepada kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat dan parti pembangkang lain untuk bertanding.

Lajim meletak jawatan sebagai Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno, Pengerusi BN Beaufort, Ketua Umno Beaufort, Ketua Cawangan Umno Kampung Kerambai Kebatu 30 Julai lalu dan menubuh PPS sebagai paltform politiknya.

Lajim sehingga kini bagaimanapun masih kekal sebagai ahli Umno walaupun tempoh untuk beliau menjawab surat tunjuk sebab Umno sudah berakhir sejak 14 Ogos lalu.

SAPP confident of one-on-one fights

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is confident that opposition parties will come to an agreement on straight fights with the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming general election.

This is despite the pessimism expressed by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang that it is difficult for the opposition parties to achieve a one-on-one fight against the BN, said its President, Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.

"The two basic principles agreed between SAPP and Pakatan leaders are that Sabah local parties will contest a majority of the State seats and share the burden in contesting some of the difficult seats.

"This is the view of Pakatan leaders in view of the Sarawak State elections last year, which saw DAP contesting most of the easy seats, leaving BN strongholds to PKR, PAS and SNAP to fight," he said.

He said this when asked to comment on Lim's statement that hinted at non-cooperation among the opposition during a DAP function here last Monday.

The SAPP, he said, is willing to face Umno in their stronghold areas and at the same time contest in non-Umno areas.

He said this is consistent with the struggle for autonomy of Sabah where local parties contest most of Sabah state seats so that the State Government, should the opposition win, would not be appointed by Federal-based parties.

But he assured that SAPP would support other parties including Sabah State Reform Party (Star) and also Pakatan Rakyat coalition parties so as to win more parliamentary seats and to capture Putrajaya.

"Like in Sandakan, I have repeatedly and openly offered to the DAP that SAPP will only contest its incumbent seats in Elopura and Tanjong Papat and that we support the DAP or PKR for the Sandakan parliamentary seat including the Karamunting State seat," he said.

Yong said SAPP also harbours hope to contest in one or two Umno seats in Sandakan.

This formula, according to him, received overwhelming response from the people in Sandakan.

Hence, he said, SAPP Sandakan leaders were shocked when the DAP about two weeks ago announced in Sandakan that DAP would be contesting in all three State and one parliamentary seats in Sandakan.

"Lim's admission that it is hard to achieve a consensus even in Sarawak proves that the stumbling block to the opposition's cooperation has nothing to do with SAPP because SAPP is not in Sarawak," he said.

He said the SAPP has declared earlier this year that it would not contest in Labuan but support any Pakatan candidate contesting there.

"This again shows that it is not the SAPP that is hindering cooperation among the opposition parties," he stressed.

Yong said the opposition should not lose its sight of the intense infighting among BN parties and Umno leaders in Sabah.

He said the situation is making it easier for the opposition to deny BN its "fixed deposit" Sabah seats, thus paving the way for the toppling of BN at the national level.

Penulis buku ‘best seller’ sertai PAS

Pengarah Pilihan Raya PAS Pusat, Dr Hatta Ramli menyifatkan Umno BN umpama pokok yang mampu ditumbangkan jika ditebang secara beramai-ramai.

“Kita yakin mampu menumbangkan BN pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) Ke-13 ini. “Kalau kita tebang seorang-seorang memang sukar tetapi kalau beramai-ramai kita ‘menebang’ pokok besar (BN), ia akan tumbang jua,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada majlis perasmian Program Himpunan Hijau ke Putrajaya Peringkat Sarawak yang dirasmikan Presidennya, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang di Miri, 3 September lalu.

Turut hadir, Ahli Dewan Unda-ngan Negeri (Adun) Piasau Alan Ling, Ketua Pemuda PAS Pusat, Nasrudin Hassan, Timbalan Pesuruhjaya III PAS Sarawak merangkap Ketua PAS Kawasan Miri, Jofri Jaraiee dan Ketua KEADILAN Cabang Miri, Dr Michael Teo.

Turut mencuri tumpuan kehadiran bekas Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran Sarawak, Datuk Salleh Jafaruddin dan pengumuman beberapa tokoh negeri ke dalam parti Islam itu.

Mereka termasuklah masyarakat Iban dari Sibuti yang disampaikan oleh Ramba Asun dari Kuap, Sungai Bakas dari Sibuti dan borang keahlian daripada wakil masyarakat Bidayuh, Ustaz Muhammad Rashidi Abdullah dari Lundu dengan semua borang diserah kepada Hadi Awang.

Muhammad Rashidi ialah penulis buku ‘best seller’ untuk Travelog Syahadah: Jejak Seorang Mualaf Mencari Jalan Ke Syurga dan Travelog Hidayah: Daripada Hidayah Kepada Dakwah dan merupakan pendakwah terkenal.

Walaupun sudah menetap di Kuala Terenggau, namun Muhammad Rashidi kerap balik ke Sarawak dan aktif menjelajah negeri itu membawa mesej perubahan kepada rakyat Sarawak sejak setahun lalu.