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Can Asia beat corruption? – by Tunku Abdul Aziz – 27 October 2012 | last updated at 10:30PM
SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS: Countries like Malaysia are wrestling with graft on the national level, but have a better chance of reducing it substantially sooner
A bumper sticker on a taxi in Kuala Lumpur sends an anti-corruption message. The prime minister's initiatives are a brave new approach to transparent and accountable governance.
Tunku Abdul Aziz on Oct 2,
I was invited to participate in a televised debate on corruption, organised by Channel News Asia as part of its Bridging Asia: The Singapore Debates. The motion before the house was "Can Asia Beat Corruption?"
Professor Mark Thompson, director, Southeast Asian Research Centre at the City University, Hong Kong, teamed up with prominent Singapore anti-corruption lawyer Wilson Ang to try and convince a critical studio audience that Asia could lick corruption, citing cases of countries once at the bottom of the Transparency International Perceptions Index and today showing signs of improvement.
They drew comfort from, and put great store by, the fact that nearly all Asian countries had introduced anti-corruption laws. But they forgot to mention that a million anti-corruption laws would amount to nothing without strong, effective enforcement.
In those countries, and to some extent in Malaysia, enforcement continued to be derisory. Laws are of course required for defining public service behaviour: they are essential for creating institutions, but of themselves, "as a deterrent to unethical public behaviour", are largely ineffective.
Ann Florini, professor of Public Policy, School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University and I were not persuaded that Asia could confront corruption decisively because, unlike Singapore or Hong Kong, there was no evidence of strong political will emerging any time soon in much of Asia.
Good governance was totally absent in seriously corrupt societies where best practices were more observed in the breach than the observance. In such countries, corruption would continue to run its course with little or no prospect of even reducing it marginally.
I said that in the case of Singapore, which was once a very corrupt colonial backwater, if at the time of independence the city state was run by a bunch of crooks instead of Lee Kuan Yew, the course of its history might have been quite different.
Countries in Asia that managed their affairs well and supported their institutions, the likes of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia, while still wrestling with corruption at the national level, apparently had a better chance of reducing corruption substantially over a shorter time frame.
Ann Florini and I won the debate against worthy opponents. The verdict was that as long as Asia continued to pay lip service to fighting corruption in their societies, it would invariably be regarded as a profitable, low-risk enterprise. Corruption would be in robust good health.
Electronic voting was employed by those in the studio as well as those watching at home. I must say they do these things extremely well in Singapore, as indeed we have come to expect. I believe it is the institutions in which they worked that made the difference. Strong institutions produce highly motivated and competent people.
I remain unabashed and unrepentant in my complete support of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's national transformation programmes as I see in his initiatives a brave new approach to transparent and accountable governance for Malaysia, and not a day too soon.
Over the years, we have, largely by default, allowed unprincipled governance to take on a life of its own, with predictable consequences. These comprehensive transformation programmes, covering a whole range of critical social, economic, legislative and governance issues, once implemented, will help ensure for Malaysia a place of honour at the top table, among the "clean" nations of the world. I am confident that as a result of these measures, we would be better armed and equipped to tackle the scourge of corruption head on.
I am happy that the Najib administration has shown great moral strength to resist the temptation of turning the national transformation programmes into a political slogan: they are far too important for the long-term future of our nation to be trivialised and used as a political play thing.
They are not about scoring a political point. They are about getting the country out of its slumber, out of the rut and bouncing back with clear and transparent policies that will grow the economy, unite our people and ensure peace and harmony for all Malaysians.
The government should not be distracted by the mountains of lies and innuendoes spun without a break by the opposition "axis of evil", with apologies to the junior Bush. Najib must do whatever it takes legally to win big and win well to save the country from the clutches of unprincipled political adventurers, who, lacking experience, would be too risky a gamble to be allowed to govern this country.
Let me remind the Anwars and Guan Engs of this world that it is easier to destroy than to build. On that note, I wish my Muslim readers a blessed Aidiladha.
Well at least there is a critical view (3rd force inclined hopefully?) on the so-called Opposition in Malaysia. But for this part . . . I said that in the case of Singapore, which was once a very corrupt colonial backwater, if at the time of independence the city state was run by a bunch of crooks instead of Lee Kuan Yew, the course of its history might have been quite different . . . is quite nonsensical and propaganda inclined. Lee Kuan Yew has written MANY crook like laws into the Singaporean system.
Extreme salaries worldwide second only to corruption ridden Kenya says alot about Singapore. There is no justification of such extreme salaries, that and many other things often covered up that make Singapore a very corrupt NEO-COLONIAL 'military base', that has ** INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION written into law**.
I think Tunku should hand over his (non-existent) degree in politics to moi (also non-existent degree), simply for not being honestly academic as an academic should be, in a preferably academic article, or simply because Tunku can't think straight being so afflicted or colluding on the Lee Junta ethos. Honesty please dear Tunku! Friendship does not mean 99.999% of the citizens should suffer so 2 people feel good about themselves! Not at our expense!
Strategic location makes Singapore a military base that foreign powers pretend to pour money into for a sense of normalcy. Apart from unique culture and unique goods local to the region, there is no reason to travel or even trade at all. Port of call issues are no longer viable either due to long range ships etc.. This is one occasion where otherwise useful associations and the myopia of life long friendships end up hampering the truth of the matter. See below link for some unpleasant Singaporean reality that a Beloved Leader junta of a nepotistic and term limitless political careerist family or a privileged member of Royalty can never relate to.
Singapore experiencing a golden age? Let's not kid ourselves — Romesh Navaratnarajah – October 27, 2012
OCT 27 — Is Singapore really experiencing its golden age, or are we missing a part of the plot?
In a recent commentary, Straits Times Editor Sumiko Tan described what she called 'Singapore's Golden Age', with references to Singapore's impressive skyline, boasting an array of new developments like Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer, just to name a few.
Citing statistics and surveys, Tan implied that the city-state must be doing something right and is attracting many foreigners to come and work here.
She further stated: "Property is a national preoccupation, but it's not whether you can afford a roof over your head that Singaporeans fret about. It's whether or not to get a second property to invest in."
Sorry Sumiko, but I beg to differ as there are undoubtedly a growing number of Singaporeans who are struggling to buy a decent home for themselves or for their families, let alone purchase a second property.
There was even a recent article which first appeared in The New Paper highlighting how cash-over-valuations (COVs) for resale HDB flats are high, making it more difficult for buyers to acquire units. The report quoted B. Wong, an operations manager, who said that he and his wife would not have been able to pay the S$60,000 (RM150,000) COV for their 11th-storey four-room flat in Punggol had they not sold their previous unit.
Moreover, property prices rose to record levels last quarter amid low interest rates, prompting the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to implement new home loan regulations to prevent a property price bubble.
Private home prices rose 0.5 per cent to a new high in Q3 this year. As for the public housing market, Singapore recently saw its first S$1 million HDB resale flat transaction.
So it is unlikely that the majority of Singaporeans are indeed preoccupied with acquiring more investment properties, especially with the many netizens regularly grumbling about sky-high housing prices.
I don't argue with the fact that Singapore has seen astounding progress over the last few decades, but it might be time to also accept that not all that glitters is gold. — TR Emeritus
* Romesh Navaratnarajah is the Senior Editor at PropertyGuru.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
300 stage peaceful protest against condo project in Batu Caves – Friday, October 26, 2012 – 19:27
ABOUT 300 people staged a peaceful protest in front of the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple here today against the proposed construction of two blocks of 29-storey condominiums close to the Batu Caves limestone outcrop near here.
They gathered at about 10 am, carrying placards with slogans, one of which called read: "Stop the construction and save the Batu Caves natural heritage and the world-renowned religious shrine".
Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Dhevasthanam chairman Datuk R. Nadarajah said the development of the two blocks of 29-storey condominiums would also lead to the destruction of the world's tallest Lord Murugan statue situated less than 300 metres from the proposed development.
"The construction would endanger the lives of the devotees and tourists from around the world due to the (possibility of) falling objects as a result of the massive development in the vicinity of the temple," he told a news conference, here.
"The project must be stopped permanently, not temporarily, and we urge the (Selangor) government to consider our plight," he said.
Former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the high-rise construction should be stopped because it could have great adverse impact on the eco-system of the limestone hills there.
"We are not asking for money or land, we are asking to stop the construction permanently because it will also affect many species of animals and plants," said Samy Vellu, who is Malaysia's Special Envoy for Infrastructure to India and South Asia.
Malaysian Nature Society secretary Lim Teck Wyn claimed that it was unsafe to locate the proposed development close to Batu Caves.
He recalled an incident of Oct 19, 1973, when a massive piece of rock sheared off the cliff face of Gunung Cheroh in Ipoh and landed on the village of Kampung Kacang Putih, killing 42 people.
Following that tragedy, the Minerals and Geoscience Department (MGD) came up with guidelines for development next to limestone hills.
The Batu Caves cliff face next to the proposed blocks of condominiums has discontinuities and overhangs, which means that the MGD criteria for a very high hazard rating is met.
"The zone surrounding the base of the hill is thus considered to be a very dangerous zone where there should be no houses or permanent buildings," said Lim. – Bernama
Hi density areas weaken spiritual energy due to lots of living beings taking the areas Qi or Prana. Also tall buildings block line of sight as well as cause further blockage spiritual energy of having people in the way.
Soi Lek disagrees with Umno ally over hudud – by Ida Lim – October 28, 2012
KUALAL LUMPUR, Oct 28 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has openly disagreed with his Umno colleague in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) that introducing hudud, the strict Islamic penal code, here will not impact non-Muslims, adding to the protracted debate over religious rights in multicultural Malaysia.
"Maybe he did not do his homework. I am disappointed with what he said," the MCA president was reported as saying today by English-language paper The Sunday Star.
Dr Chua was referring to Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who had earlier this week said hudud could only apply to Muslims as they come under the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts.
Dr Chua said he was disappointed with Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom's statement. — File pic
"Therefore, hudud law will not impact non-Muslims," Jamil Khir, the minister for Islamic affairs, told Parliament in a written reply.
He had based his reply on the Federal Constitution, where Islamic law falls under the jurisdiction of each state and is only applicable to Muslims.
"Therefore, if hudud is to be implemented in Malaysia, then the Syariah Court would only have jurisdiction over those who practise Islam in accordance with the Federal Constitution," Jamil Khir had said.
Malaysia's dual-track court system has resulted in an blurring of lines in an increasing number of legal disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims over their constitutional rights.
Dr Chua had last week said many Chinese voters are "also aware that the DAP has been lying when it said that hudud will not affect the non-Muslims".
MCA has been using the hudud issue to warn non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community, away from voting for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the coming polls, insisting that the pact's "dominant" partner PAS would insist on its implementation despite its ties with secular DAP and PKR.
Hudud has remained a sensitive touch point in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy, which has a 60 per cent Muslim population, with political parties continuing to spar over the subject in the run-up to the 13th general election.
The idea of an Islamic criminal code has been used to either scare the minority Chinese voters, or shore up support among the majority Malay-Muslim community.
The Malay community is seen today as split three-ways among the ruling BN's mainstay and the country's biggest Malay party, Umno, the opposition's Islamist PAS, and PKR, which is seen as an urban liberal party.
MCA had also previously warned that Muslim MPs would unite to amend the Federal Constitution in favour of hudud and the Islamic state if PR takes over, but DAP's Lim Kit Siang had dismissed it as a "lie" to stop the Chinese community from voting for the opposition.
Lim had said that there were only 130 Muslim MPs in the country, while 148 MPs are needed to make up the two-thirds majority for a constitutional amendment.
PAS would not be the dominant member IF all more than 2 term candidates are dropped, and all more than 2 term candidates vacate their posts and all phenotypically similar sycophants would-be and 'Phenotypical Nepotists' as well. Thats about 50% of the Pakatan Coalition required to drop out of the race.
To ensure seperation of powers and distribution of power, to prevent vested interest, an MP must not also be on the committee, or Supreme Council (that should be ex-MPs instead), on top of disallowing family blocs in the MP posts or within the committee or Supreme council. That way cults of personality Gaddafi or Mubarak or Ali Salleh style do not form, that end up biasing the political parties intentions, and affecting the nation's policies. Consider that after various junior posts in the committee, a member would have spent possibly 5-10 years.
Then a 2 term MP or Assemblyman stint possibly 8 years, then finally a Supreme Council post for 2 terms another 8 years. Thats also a grand total of 26 years which is more than enough for any person. So think when a MP post could have seen 8 MPs over the same period of time, how inappropriate that only 1 member among a political party of MILLIONS got to be MP. How is that fair? This is how dictatorship is like in many 3rd world countries, and if the trend is uncontrolled, we end up with an Egypt, a Libya and a Tunisia in the end where revolution is needed to overthrow power mad people in power too long.
The current or would be politician's intent to the people can be seen in how long they have been in power (long in power but unable to think cleverly enough to destroy racism or fundamentalism or encourage corruption seems to typify most Malaysian politicians btw), or how they consider the above facts and best practices for political parties, so voters take a closer look at the party of your choice and if all intents of candidates or incumbents are bad, run for candidacy yourselves instead! It's your country too, and that MP's seat is for EVERYONE, not just those who refuse to amend laws and demand special funeral funds at tax payer cost and enable Astro type monopolies, no-insurance opt outs, extreme fines for minor offences and corrupt and opaque procurement contracts!
Vote 3rd Force and drop all term limitless nepotists and crony capitalist/fundo colluders like DAP or racists like BN!
GE-13: Manifestos to decide BATTLE OF THE TITANS – Sunday, 28 October 2012 10:14
KUALA LUMPUR, — Manifestos are part and parcel of any general election. They also play a vital role in determining the success or defeat of an electoral candidate or a political party.
The word 'manifesto' is being bandied about increasingly in the media and in conversations among the people in the run-up to the 13th General Election, particularly with regard to promises made by political parties prior to the last general election and as to whether they have been delivered or not.
So, what is a manifesto, actually? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as "a public declaration of policy and aims, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate".
Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali, political science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Dungun, Terengganu, is of the opinion that a good manifesto is one that can inspire the desire among voters to choose a political party or candidate to represent them.
"Of course, the candidate plays an important role but the voters also want to know what is the manifesto or declaration being offered by the party," he told Bernama.
And to what extent do all voters remember the declarations or promises made prior to a general election?
In a 2009 study of a group of people aged between 21 and 40, it was found that most respondents had forgotten what was offered to them during the 2008 general election campaign, said Che Hamdan.
"At that time (the general election campaign), voters were excited by what was offered in the manifestos of political parties. But after some time, they forgot the points and only recalled them after certain related issues were raised nearer the general election date," he said.
Deciding factor
Speaking of the next general election, Che Hamdan, who is also a political analyst, said that apart from the contesting candidates, the offer of an attractive manifesto would be among the deciding factors to determine the success or defeat of a party.
"Informing people of what has been implemented is actually very effective. They'll then know what has and has not been done.
"I feel that the Barisan Nasional (BN) should increase the dissemination of information on what it has implemented," he said referring to the "Jelajah Janji Ditepati" ('Promises Fulfilled' Tour) which provided a platform for people to obtain the latest update on the government's efforts to help them.
Lecturer Prof Dr Ahmad Atory Hussein of the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Social Science Studies Centre, said a manifesto means a declaration or promise which must be presented at any general election.
"Based on political science, there are several elements in a general election, such as campaigns and manifestos. And a manifesto is the main element in any general election," he said.
The manifesto has a very strong influence in determining the continuity of a party or individual, he added.
A manifesto which fulfills the needs of the people in a particular locality would generally influence the voting pattern,' he said.
"For example, at the 2008 general election, the opposition had a manifesto which attracted the attention of the people and this allowed them to win in several states," he said.
However, many of their promises remain unfulfilled, to the point that people were willing to take them to court, he said.
The Parti Keadilan Rakyat-led Selangor government was now facing several legal suits brought by consumers over the water subsidy which was promised in the party's 12th general election manifesto, he said.
Ahmad Atory said voters would also evaluate the ability of a representative to deliver on promises, through the manifesto.
So, what is a manifesto, actually? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as "a public declaration of policy and aims, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate". 90% failed manifesto by DAP renders DAP unvotable, being voted in on a failed manifesto of unkept words, cheating the voters. Vote 3rd Force!
Karpal: Put party before self – by SIRA HABIBU – Monday October 29, 2012 firstname.lastname@example.com
PETALING JAYA: DAP chairman Karpal Singh has hit back at his fellow leaders who thought his "one candidate, one seat" proposal should be an internal party matter.
On the contrary, he said DAP could not risk the rakyat having leaders playing multiple roles as assemblyman, MP and executive councillors.
"We must put the interest of the country and the party before self," Karpal said.
In the 1970s, Karpal said DAP leaders had to contest multiple seats because it did not have enough candidates of calibre.
"In the 1990s, party strongmen had to contest tough seats and give up safe seats for new or weaker candidates as our strategy was to win as many seats as possible to wrest control of Penang," he pointed out.
"Now, we must accommodate quite a number of professionals who have joined Pakatan Rakyat," he said, adding that DAP should also be sensitive to the people's views on the multiple seats issue.
Karpal was responding to talk that some leaders were against the "one candidate, one seat" policy as they would lose the multiple incomes that could exceed RM40,000 a month.
In Selangor, an assemblyman's pay is about RM11,700, inclusive of allowances, while that of an executive councillor is about RM25,000 (inclusive of state assembly pay). An MP earns about RM15,000 a month.
National organising secretary Teresa Kok, who is an MP, assemblyman and an executive councillor in Selangor, had described Karpal's call as an "old story".
Kok said that the party's central executive committee had already discussed the issue and that the final decision depended on each and every constituency and state.
Selangor Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim had said that it was not wise to air the matter via the media as "it would create unnecessary dispute and problem".
On Friday, Karpal had urged DAP leaders holding both parliamentary and state seats to publicly express their willingness to give up one.
Besides exceptional figures in Penang and Sarawak, all others should be willing to vie for only a single constituency, he said.
"We secured great victory in the last general election because of political tsunami but we do not expect such tsunami in the coming polls. It's going to be tough as the public will assess the candidates based on their abilities," he said, adding that the party should change its strategy accordingly.
Karpal also stressed that his intention was sincere, adding that there was no "sinister motive" and that even party grassroots supported the "single seat" policy.
Few people even decades into any industry earn as much. These salaries are more than 10 times average annual wage and excessive by normal standards. Then consider the term limitless and nepotism issue. Does the Rayat want to support these people for unlimited terms? 2 terms at most then vote for someone else but not that person's relatives! Term limitless and nepotistic political careerists begats Minister Mentors and Senior Ministers, that turn into Gaddafis, Mubaraks and Ali Sallehs.
At 23K a month (or 4 million in Singapore's case), MPs won't need to work anymore after 2 terms or even 1 term if thrifty, so please voters, do give another one of your fellow constituents a chance to enjoy a salary windfall and allow seperation of powers as well – if the salaries are lowered to national annual wage levels, then fully expect only the wealthier and not greedy political careerists to join up in politics. In either case TERM LIMITS ensures distribution of political power to ALL constituents, not just Supremo and nepotistic family members or cliques which is what DAP has sunk to now – another PAP, and likely indulging in NEUROTECH techno-fascism that can be used to ensure people have no inclination to challenge bad laws that they do not want to change or even bad laws being introduced all the time)
Masing's swipe at Taib? – SPECIAL REPORTS – Monday, 29 October 2012 Super Admin
Parti Rakyat Sarawak has declared itself the "true custodian" of Dayaks in Sarawak, putting a spoke perhaps in Taib's divide and rule strategy.
Parliamentary election's is not Taib's top priority, but state is. Rumours are rife that he's had a finger in the chaos within SUPP, SPDP and PRS. A divided state coalition allows him to have better control of his 'partners' and an increasingly empowered native community courtesy of the opposition.
Free Malaysia Today
SIBU: Was Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Masing sending out a message to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud with his speech during the party's eight anniversary dinner here last Saturday?
Masing's emphasis on PRS being a "truly Dayak party" and that its elected representatives were "all Dayaks" wasn't just a frivolous statement. It was tactical.
It comes at a time of the rapid 'Dayak awakening' amongst the rural native communities courtesy of the alternative media, Radio Free Sarawak and a brazen opposition.
Fueling this 'awakening' is the floundering Barisan Nasional partners – Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Sarawak United Peoples party (SUPP) – who can't seem to get their act together.
The only 'water-tight' party appears to be PRS and Taib's PBB which incidentally is facing simmering discontent within its Bumiputera wing led by the allegedly much spineless Alfred Jabu Numpang.
The next parliamentary election which must be held by April 2013 will be a challenging one for Sarawak BN's component parties.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is desperately in need of Sarawak's 31 seats in view of the fluid political situation in Sabah and in the peninsular.
In the last parliamentary elections in 2008, it was Sabah and Sarawak's collective 56 seats that helped BN retain Putrajaya. Sabah and Sarawak each lost one seat to the opposition, delivering 54 seats to the federal coalition.
But the current scenario is somewhat different. The latest spin from the ground in Sabah is that the Musa Aman-led BN could lose up to 10 if not 12 of the 25 contestable parliamentary seats.
In Sarawak the seat sharing ratio stands at PPB (14), SUPP (seven) PRS (six) SPDP (4)
As it stands, speculations are rife that BN could lose up to seven seats from amongst SUPP, SPDP and PRS.
Taib, on his part, has guaranteed Najib a return on all 14 of PBB's parliamentary seats and there's no reason for the PM to doubt his ability especially after his performance in the last state election. Taib is not too concerned about parliament.
PRS truly represents Dayaks
Parliamentary election's is not Taib's top priority, but state is. Rumours are rife that he's had a finger in the chaos within SUPP, SPDP and PRS. A divided state coalition allows him to have better control of his 'partners' and an increasingly empowered native community courtesy of the opposition.
Masing is said to be a thorn in Taib's side. In the run-up to last year's state election, Masing, unhappy with Taib constantly ignoring his proposals, met directly with Najib and in one instant managed to thwart attempts to allow an ex-PRS incumbent elected representative, Larry Sng, from contesting.
On Saturday, stamping PRS' sway over Sarawak's majority Dayak community, Masing said the party was the "custodian" of Dayak interest and that its elected representatives were "duty bound" to protect the race.
"For all intents and purposes, PRS is the party which truly represents rural constituencies where most of the Dayaks happen to reside.
"Therefore, we do not apologise for who we are and the basis of our political stand and struggles," he said alluding perhaps to the known 'issues' between him and Taib.
Masing further warned members to be wary of "attempts" to stir discontent within the party adding that enemies and approaches came in different forms.
"There are people who are envious of our strength and will try to de-stabilise us. They maybe individuals or groups.
"They will (either) contest against us when the general election is called (or) slyly fight us by pretending to our friends or friends of the group and pull us down.
"The other way is to de-stabilise us is by picking on some of our members who exhibit certain weaknesses. This will be a subtle approach and by people who we are familiar with. Thus without realizing it, we will fall into a trap which will eventually break the party's solidarity," said Masing.
Pakatan is the custodian of nepotism and term limitless as well as continuation of apartheid. The Dayaks do not need a 'custodian', custodianship implies a lack of mental capacity. Do the Dayaks see what an insult Pakatan has offered up to them? The Dayaks will demand equal representation and full 100% disbursement of profits from East Malaysia as well as return of all stolen lands – not this so-called 'custodianship'. Dayaks in fact could secede and demand a seat at the UN instead of 'custodianship'. Wake up Dayaks, simply because when someone pretends to talk to you like an adult, that does not mean they respect you or will grant you rights as an equal or allow you the autonomy of an adult – thats like an ADULT 'pet animal' being trapped in that cage forever EVEN when adult when their natural preference is to roam the world or set up their own habitates without bars and feeding times or what not . . .
, the Dayaks need to think clearly and fight back against condescension – the contents of the words are those for a child, or in this case mentally inept! Demand equality or leave the Malaysian Federation to form your own nation with a seat at the UN if either caolition BN or PR does not promise via statuary declaration to grant :
1) Freedom from Apartheid/Fascism (Article 1 Human Rights Charter)
2) Freedom from Religious-Persecution/Religious-Supremacy. (Article 18 Human Rights Charter)
3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75)
;as well as return ALL stolen and illegally occupied lands as well as 100% disbursement right to ALL wealth from East Malaysia as well as 1st class citizenships. Perhaps after the stupid and shameless or selfish Chinese Malaysian voters and politicians see this action by the Orang Asli will APARTHEID of BUMIPUTERA end.
Errant house owners, beware! – Kong See Hoh – firstname.lastname@example.com – Posted on 28 October 2012 – 09:11pm – Last updated on 29 October 2012 – 10:22am
KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 28, 2012): Once the Strata Management Bill 2012 is enacted, the management of a gated community can apply for a court order to seize and auction the property of a delinquent house owner to offset management fee owed.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung told Sin Chew Daily in an interview published today that this is because house owners were fully aware when they purchased their property that they had to pay monthly management fee for security service rendered.
This rule also applies to gated apartments and condominiums.
The Strata Management Act 2012 (SMA) is to replace the Building and Common Property Act 2007.
Chor said in fact the Building and Common Property Act 2007 empowers the management of a gated community to take the aforesaid action against delinquent property owners, but many people are not aware of this as it is not clearly defined in the act.
He said he had spent a lot of time and talked to not less than 20 related organisations on this matter to come up with the new act
However, he said, the government cannot do anything if house owners in guarded communities refuse to pay for guards hired to watch over and patrol their areas, as it is not stated in the owners' sale-and-purchase agreement.
Chor also said that under the SMA, residents of a housing area need only obtain the consent of 51% of the residents to set up a guarded community, compared with 80% under the present law.
"Residents who hire guards to beef up security in a housing estate do it on their free will and out of their own pockets. If the other 49% of the residents believe the housing area is safe, and that they need not pay for additional security, they cannot be forced to do so," said Chor.
He pointed out that roads within a gated community are private property, and therefore residents within the community have the right to deny access to non-residents.
"On the other hand, roads within a guarded community are public property. The security guards have no right to deny non-residents access to the area."
This is idiotic and democracy destroying. Beware? Which MPs ratified the act? Which people drafted the act? These 20 organisations who proposed or back these abusive laws are a plague upon the 'conscientious objectors' of the gated community! Just because some people want guards does not mean others should pay and backed by government as well! The man's home is their castle but a group of men with castles unless intending to be thugs or warlords cannot STEAL already paid for ownership because others living around them intend to force them to pay for extraneous services that they do not want. The Housing Minister in fact should act to disallow such laws not implement and announce the same.
This empowers the management of the gated community, or even the Resident's Committee to unprecedented levels in society, into that of local gangsters, and actual gangsters do not even have power to sell off people's property! This is like Japan selling China's Diaoyu Islands! Who paid for the unit? The management, so-called Resident's Committee or the owner? If the mob mentality of the rest of the residents and colluders want the security, that's their business and they cannot be penalized for living in the area. Those who do not want to be controlled by the doubtless political party backed so-called managment of gated communities however have every right to refuse to pay. This is blatant legalist bullying legalized gangsterism almost, and cannot be allowed, a feudal mentality of anything. Taking away people's homes simply for refusing to pay for guards is UN unendorsable in law. Absolutely uncivilised and uneducated. No lawyers on this as usual eh? Bunch of legal lap-dogs that UN has somehow seen fit to award . . .
United Nations should be kicked off US soil: US congressman
The Rakyat had better understand the ramifications of such a law that allows a mere management company or group of mob minded residents to sell property that does not belong to them! Vote out the MPs who began this disaster against democracy! The incidental beneficiary of guards cannot legally be beholden to relinquish 100s of 1000s even millions worth properties because the laws make no sense o r are written with collusion in mind. Vote for 3rd force!
This is also another reason why hi-rise and now gated community units are a serious problem especially with law makers like these. The grey area autonomy issues in common spaces end up being abused in this manner which would doubtless be employed against political opponents of any politicians who are inclined to bing term limitless (meaning ganglord type satrapies withuot term limits), and amounts to protection rackets! So for example a handful of people try to pull a fast one in collusion with as many as possible that they want 'guards' (doubtless relatives or cronies with aging parents in the security field) and effectively force everyone else to pay up or their unit will be sold off (by all common sense considerations this is unconstitutional) . . . THEN consider if ethnicity is brought into consideration as well! Structural abuse of civilian rights backed by bad laws!
One can imagine the destruction of the sense of nation further and worsening of management gangs or property developers with this sort of mentality (identify which property developers or land bank owners that write up or assent to such abusive powers and you will identify the 1% in Malaysia that will never allow Allodial Titles and keep raising quit rents and maintenance fees AND NOW with new abusive powers to take away entire life savings worth of properties that the courts also back – all for not paying guards that are their cronies and aging relatives?! Wake up voters! Vote for 3rd Force! Kongsi Ho? More like Boho!
Penalise kratom abuse under Dangerous Drugs Act: Pengasih – Posted on 28 October 2012 – 02:28pm
KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 28, 2012): Drug rehabilitation organisation Pengasih Malaysia today urged the attorney-general to penalise the abuse of kratom (ketum) leaves under the Dangerous Drugs Act instead of the Poisons Act, and also to regard glue-sniffing under the former law as well.
Pengasih president Datuk Mohd Yunus Pathi said this was necessary to check the abuse of kratom leaves, which were addictive, especially if mixed with certain items.
He said a study by Pengasih found that some adults in their 40s consumed a kratom extract mixed with coffee or other drinks to boost their energy.
"Taking a kratom drink on a regular basis will have an adverse effect on the health of the consumer," he told reporters at Rumah Pengasih, here.
Mohd Yunus also regarded the sniffing of glue as a serious problem.
"There is no specific law on sniffing glue, although the practice can cause brain damage and lead to crime and social ills," he said.
He proposed that the aftercare programme for former drug addicts be reviewed as certain aspects were seen as obstacles for them to lead a normal life. – Bernama
Ridiculous and condescending. Coffee, Sugar and Milk can also be abused. Try over drinking too much of these everyday drinks/condiments and possibly become very ill. Kratom is also liable to be abused in the same manner or could be taken in moderation as well. '. 'God' gave man the right to the world and the food and plants on the world. Government is but a group of men. Which group of men have a a right to tell another group what they can or cannot do? Where are those Organics Psychedelics Zones for much like the ones in Amsterdam? Illegal and rare makes for high profit and high fines . . . for victimless crimes? Undemocratic.
Karpal: DAP reps should only contest one seat in GE – by Edmund Lee – firstname.lastname@example.com – Posted on 26 October 2012 – 04:26pm
GEORGE TOWN (Oct 26, 2012) : Veteran lawmaker Karpal Singh has called on party representatives who hold both parliamentary and state seats to declare that they will only contest one seat in the next general election.
He said that during one of the party's central executive committee (CEC) meetings, the committee had agreed by consensus that a candidate should only hold two seats in "exceptional" cases.
" I had suggested that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should be considered an exception, " he said at a press conference in Farlim market earlier today.
Karpal said that at present the party has nine representatives holding two seats – three in Penang, two in Perak, one each in Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kuching and Sibu.
The three who are holding two seats in Penang are Lim, state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow and Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.
Lim is currently Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman, Chow is Tanjong MP and Padang Kota assemblyman while Ramasamy is the Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyman.
Karpal, who is also DAP national chairman said it was up to the CEC to decide which seat the candidate should give up.
He added that there should not be any difficulties in surrendering seats as the DAP was no longer short of candidates.
Chow was recently quoted as saying that the party would allow its candidates to concurrently contest two seats if the situation calls for it.
After a slew of DAP failures and 90% failed campaign promises as well as a scores of abusive run ins with the local traders and residents over refusals to amend laws, 1 SINGLE move towards best practices in democracy (outweighed by dozens of worst practices) will not make a difference to the voters aware of the undemocratic rubbish DAP now is. Karpal being such a veteran politician should know that this single action cannot change the minds of the educated voters at all because democracy is only for DAP members and no other Rakyat at all. DAP is such a hateful political party, term limitless and nepotistic to boot! Again I post what the voters need to know :
REPOSTED WARNING ABOUT NEPOTISM : Please note the Oligarchs in Pakatan as listed below :
NEPOTISM IN PAKATAN RAKYAT Three of the family blocs below must be challenged so that only a single candidate without relatives remains :
7. Hulu Selangor (BN – P Kamalanathan)
We don't NEED another tycoon and another stupid money laundering purposes and inaccessible super casino in ANOTHER country. We want 4D outlets to offer casino games in our street corners. We want casino billionaires to change the law to ensure the rights of non-Muslims to gamble be not interfered with in the above suggestions! Preferably monopoly free and non-relative franchise related!
Malaysian employers practise racial bigotry, study shows – Friday, 02 November 2012 admin-s
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/2012/november2012/02/workers-nov2.jpgFile photo of a Workers' Day rally in Kuala Lumpur. Two academics found that there is racial discrimination in the hiring process based on an experiment they had conducted.
(The Malaysian Insider) – Malaysian employers tend to favour Chinese job applicants over their Malay counterparts, a recent university study has shown, indicating racial discrimination underscores the hiring process in the private sector labour market.
In their joint research, Universiti Malaya (UM) senior lecturer in development studies Dr Lee Hwok Aun and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) research fellow Dr Muhammed Abdul Khalid found that fresh Chinese graduates are more likely to be called for a job interview based on their resumes compared to Malays.
"Our findings suggest that employers are generally predisposed favourably towards Chinese, substantially due to compatibility factors and unobservable qualities not revealed in job applications, and are more selective towards Malays, which results in fewer but considerably qualified applicants getting callbacks," the duo stated in an abstract of their seminar paper being presented at UM today.
The two academics said they had conducted a field experiment by sending made-up resumes of fresh Malay and Chinese graduates to real job advertisements.
From their research, Lee and Muhammed Abdul found that while both Malay and Chinese graduates who listed Chinese-language proficiency and stated that they graduated from a certain university were likely to increase their chances to be called for an interview, yet employers — especially those that were Chinese-controlled or foreign-run — were significantly inclined to pick the Chinese applicant.
They noted that the racial discrimination was sharper in engineering jobs than in the accounting or finance sector.
They also found that in the engineering industry, Malays were most likely to be rejected by foreign-controlled companies, followed by Malay-controlled companies and lastly Chinese-controlled firms.
However, they said their data does not directly show the motif of the racial discrimination in the hiring process based on the experiment they had conducted.
Lee and Muhammed Abdul are presenting their paper, titled "Does race matter in getting an interview? A field experiment of hiring discrimination in Peninsular Malaysia", at UM's Economics and Administration Faculty at 10am.
Malaysia's mushrooming local higher education institutions churned out a total 184,581 graduates last year, according to the latest statistics released on the Higher Education Ministry's website. Of that figure, 44,391 people or 24 per cent are unemployed. The Najib administration has set aside some RM500 million in its Budget 2013 to spend on jobless youths to make them marketable.
Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-employers-practise-racial-bigotry-study-shows/
The first comment below says quite abit on why this happens.
written by @GetReal, November 02, 2012 20:43:29
There are very poor grounds for the survey to be meaningful. The survey is carried out in a country which practise institutionalised discrimmination. Admission to Government universities are on race base quotas and not merit. Standards have been lowered to accommodate students who were admitted on the basis of the quota. None Malay students are the creme de la creme and have to work hard to justify their father's scholarship. So we expect vastly different standards in the graduates. The private universities probably produce better graduates as they have genuinely better qualified lecturers. I met a none Malay electronics engineer who helps to design programmable computer chips.. He is paid an annual salary of Rgt.500,000 He says some lecturers in the local Government Uni have a problem understanding his lectures! Race based quota is the cause of race based discrimination.
written by @upsidedown119, November 02, 2012 20:35:33
written by Imprimatur: As an employer in Malaysia, and a foreigner to boot, I have observed middle management with very obvious preferences based not so much on race but on the perceived values that each race allegedly has…….If I had to jump on the racist bandwagon that seems so popular here, I would actually say that the attitude displayed by people like mvinside makes a good case against hiring Chinese employees … nothing worse than staff filled with pride at their race's perceived strengths and having little else to offer.
Base on the obvious bias in your comment, it's not hard to conclude that either you or your company is the sub-contractor of a UMNO-BN crony contractor or the manager of a crony company itself. Your comments runs counter to my own observations many members of top management, including of public-listed companies!
But if you are the beneficiary of a UMNO-BN crony contract, then the 'buta gaji' for those extraneous engineers are already provided for in the inflated contract price! If not, you are likely to go bankrupt.
written by @EU, November 02, 2012 20:18:23
Why don't you do a survey on the private malay companies? They almost employed 100% malays, unlike the chinese companies. And from experience, even if two resumes are the same, I can tell you, the chinese can speak better English than the malays because the malays will always answer back in B.M. They refused to speak other languages. Also I know that the malay ladies also will go to prayer room in the afternoon. Friday, Malay guys will be allowed to go to mosques. Employers are looking for profitability. Chinese only takes little time for lunch and work overtime too. Employers are also very wary of dismissing a malay staff even if he or she is not performing. So, the private sectors more likely to call in chinese for interview because they believe their qualifications are real. It is a matter of trust and through experience.
written by @Jimmy Lim, November 02, 2012 19:32:42
Our locally qualified professors are really HP6. cant even think critically, laterally n vertically. writing such utter rubbish.
written by @Jimmy Lim, November 02, 2012 19:23:18
What a lot of crap. Bias n racist study. What about GLC n Govt where 99% are malays?
written by @EU, November 02, 2012 11:51:37
I don't believe this report. How is it my former china man company employs more malays than chinese. And in my department, out of 15 employees, only 2 are chinese. If the public sectors do not employ chinese and private sectors also will not employ chinese, then, where would the Chinese go. Are they satisfy only when the chinese have no jobs and become beggars. This kind of report is not helpful at all. It only stirred up the races. It is only logical that since more malays are employed in the public sectors, they are less likely to go for the private companies that offer no pensions on retiring. Whereas, there will be more chinese applying for private jobs since they cannot get into the public sectors.
written by @Kiwi, November 02, 2012 18:23:40
Actually the comments are more interesting than the article. What they reveal is why as an outsider I look at Malaysia and shake my head and what bigots so many of you are.
The other half of commenters say that this is discrimination but it's ok because the Government sector discriminates against non Malays. So two wrongs make a right. Then you go on to suggest that Chinese employers only started discriminating against Malays because of the NEP. Yet you are ignorant of history. The Tunku back in the sixties was speaking with the Australian ambassador from his office in KL. He pointed across the shop lots below and said (I paraphrase) how many of these businesses owned by Chinese will employ a Malay worker – almost none.[[[ *** Response to Comment by @Kiwi *** ]]] So Malay Special Privileges were applied for 15 years after which they were to be reviewed for ending, UMNO did not review. Social Contract broken, the Chinese retaliated. So the reality is that the NEP misused as it may have become was a result of Chinese racism in employment not the cause of it. Want further evidence? Walk through a shopping centre in Australia or NZ and look at the businesses owned by Chinese. How many non-Chinese do they employ? None. Is that the fault of the NEP too?[[[ *** Response to Comment *** ]]] Chinese in Australia has nothing to do with race, but religious habits impacting upon the secular/commercial sphere. Muslims are too religious to do business well (many Malays are forced to be Muslims or lose bumi privileges – or are Muslims by habit if not sometimes violent inculpation by sick minded authoritarian parents – because of the abuse and shame in the childhood coercion to abide religion cases, Muslims are quite closed as a society by necessity and have many inane(insane?) religious rules that impinge on secular society such as loud prayers 5 times daily, Friday halfdays (thats 2 halfdays a 7 day week), MANY Holy days which MUST be holidays that the employer has to bear the brunt of, avoiding pork and alcohol which is served everywhere etc..) with the larger community, so Muslims will always attract less secular customers and employers, which is what Australia and even Malaysia mainly is, secular. Don't try to create problems by fingering the Chinese when the issue is religious preference caused by the Malays themselves …
written by Babu, November 02, 2012 11:53:48
Have they done the studies in government related jobs? Like the public office, etc? We are not blind you know? I don't know why the Chinese have to be made like it is something wrong with them for being better, faster or knowledgable. Probably they are good at adapting to the economic environment.Maybe if you put Chinese in the jungle they would be dead in 2 days compared to the native people. It's all about adaptation to the environment. If your culture blocks your advancement, don't blame it on the chinese or anyone else. The Chinese have more reasons to blame the NEP and lopsided affirmative actions when it comes to retarding their advancement.
"She had been involved in running the movement even when Ashaari was still alive. Ashaari suffered a mild stroke in 2005."
The source added that Khatijah, known to followers as Ummu Jah, had been living in self-imposed exile in Mecca for the past few years.
The group, the source said, had received funding from more than 30 welfare homes in Malaysia run by their proxies.
Some homes run by key personnel in Al-Arqam were registered with the Welfare Department and received government funding.
"These welfare homes received donations, not only from the government, but private companies and unsuspecting individuals as well," said the source.
"From our intelligence reports, only a small portion of the donations received were used for the homes while the remaining went to Khatijah's accounts," the source said, adding that Khatijah lived lavishly in a mansion rented for 340,000 riyal (RM276,000) a year.
The mansion, called RSA Palace, has a conference room, an elevator, gymnasium, sauna and a swimming pool. The source said the movement collected an average of RM800,000 in donations every month.
Meanwhile, Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha said they were collecting evidence on the group's activities.
"We found that the group, through its company, still continues with its deviant teachings. All the claims that Ashaari is Imam Mahdi and Ummu Jah can communicate with her late husband are blatant lies.
"We hope those with information on their activities will come forward to assist in our investigations."
Al-Arqam was decreed a deviant sect in 1994 by the National Fatwa Council after it was found to have practised Aurad Muhammadiah teachings which was described as misleading Muslims from the true Islamic beliefs.
Al-Arqam is peaceful in the legal physical sense but in the spiritual sense doing much illegal thought via spiritual methods. Ethics also require that the spiritual state of people need to be allowed autonomy. Al-Arqam's manipulation is much like Malaysian Syariah laws that effectively force Malays via 'Bumiputra Privilege Removal' threats to keep Muslims in Islam, or disallow choice to young children in Muslim families to choose their faith.
This is the abuse fostered by Islam that offends the Western and modern world so much, that makes countries like Malaysia into pariahs among nations. Don't even get into what the worst of the Middle East does to their people. Religion is a tool of control nothing else when applied in this manner. Were children allowed to choose, Islam could well disappear from the planet in as soon as 1 generation. The only way to keep Islam alive is with violence and forced inculpation or bribery with material 'Islamist' benefits like in Malaysia's biased and minority disenfranchising, Malay only – ethnicity based discriminating Bumiputra Apartheid system. If Muslims only seek the afterlife, then why is the entire faith is fillled with money grubbing infidels who care not for the suffering of their fellow Muslims, much less fellow men, what with the extreme wealth some Muslims have and the corruption and lack of ethics everywhere else.
WHY ANWAR IBRAHIM? Time to end race-based politics in Malaysia Featured – written by John Lee M K – Tuesday, 02 October 2012 13:41
It ignores a simple reality: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already made history by being the first Malay politician to ever actually win more political support through an explicitly non-racial platform. It is practically impossible to underestimate how Anwar bucked the trend; he has completely turned our understanding of politics in this country on its head.
History has already made it crystal-clear; Malay politicians who try to unite the country by appealing to a common sense of Malaysian-ness inevitably wind up heading into political oblivion. Dato Onn Ja'afar's political career went up in flames the moment he founded the first multiracial political party in the country, in spite of it having every conceivable advantage – it was literally the incumbent party of the time because of Onn's towering status in Malayan politics. And it, of course, foundered completely.
Since then nobody has even tried to unite the Malays as Malaysians. Unite the Malays as Malays, of course; Syed Jaafar Albar famously proclaimed in the 1960s that he was a Malay first and a Malaysian second. Syed Hussein Alatas made an admirable attempt to change Malaysian politics through Gerakan, and we all know how that turned out. Literally every Malay leader who has tried to be Malaysian first ever since has risked being branded as a sell-out, a puppet of the non-Malays and a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew.
The one exception was Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who experienced some brief success with his Bangsa Malaysia idea. This only makes sense, considering Dr Mahathir's iron-fisted handling of anyone who dared to oppose him; it is thus a pity that he never took this policy beyond mere words.
The moment Dr Mahathir handed over the reins to his successor, Malay politicians were up in arms criticising Bangsa Malaysia as a 'nebulous' and untenable concept for daring to acknowledge that the non-Malays have a place in this country too.
Brave enough to dump ketuanan Melayu
So here we are today: 51 years after independence, the easiest way to tar a Malay politician next to calling him a Jew-lover is to accuse him of saying this country belongs to the Chinese and Indians too. That is simply how Malaysian politics works; to win the support of the Malays, you need to denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters, who are only here as a matter of privilege rather than right, a privilege revocable at any time.
And what a coincidence it is – that is exactly how the Malaysian government works too. If you're not an Indonesian who can be counted as a Malay, your application for permanent residency or citizenship can never hope to see the light of day. If you're not a Malay, you can expect to hear your fair share of racist remarks in a public national school – and not from students, mind you, but teachers.
As a student you can expect a syllabus which teaches you about the meaning of ketuanan Melayu rather than bangsa Malaysia. As an employee you can expect a civil service where you're not welcome unless they need you to fulfil their minuscule quota of non-Malay recruits. As an entrepreneur you can expect a government – and many government-linked companies – which will not give you any business unless you are a Malay. Half a century after independence, and that's what 40% of this country has to look forward to.
And since this is how the government works, up-and-coming politicians and political activists realise this is how politics works too. That is why even though you will never hear the typical Malaysian voicing such sentiments, political activists will readily denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters here at the behest of a social contract which gives them the privilege, not right, to stay and live here.
Since this is how politics and government have worked since time immemorial, we owe Anwar an incredible debt for nearly single-handedly turning all this – everything – completely on its head.
'Anak Melayu, anak saya. Anak Cina, anak saya. Anak India, anak saya'
For the past half century, to be a good Malay leader, you have either had to publicly proclaim your support for ketuanan Melayu – and not the mild ketuanan as in strong leadership, but ketuanan as in 'blood will run in the streets if our demands are not met' – or you have had to simply avoid commenting on the issue and just hope you can be all things to all people.
Anwar ran on a platform, not of vague meaningless nice-sounding platitudes, but a platform explicitly against everything ketuanan Melayu stands for.
This is a man, mind you, who celebrated the end of his ban on active politics by damning ketuanan Melayu and consigning it to the dust heap of history. This is a man who has publicly and repeatedly proclaimed that his commitment is to the sovereignty of the people – ketuanan rakyat – rather than the dominance of the Malays.
This is a man who has never wavered from his stand that the philosophy of government assistance based on racial origin, rather than economic status, is fundamentally and morally wrong. This is a man who has repeatedly, wherever he goes, whoever he speaks to, driven home the same point, again and again: 'Anak Melayu, anak saya. Anak Cina, anak saya. Anak India, anak saya.'
And this is a man who has had everything in the traditional playbook of Malaysian politics thrown at him. He's been labelled a heretic, a sodomite, a liar, a hypocrite, a traitor willing to sell the Malays and Malaysians out at a moment's notice. The ruling coalition has done everything in their power to make it known far and wide that this is a man committed to non-racialism; committed to a Malaysia where everyone belongs.
Regardless of whether you think he deserves it, or if he was just lucky, credit is due to Anwar: where so many brave Malay leaders have fallen and failed, he has won an incredible victory. Onn Ja'afar was vilified simply for opening up his political party to Malayans of all creeds and colours; Anwar has gone above and beyond, explicitly declaring that this is a country for all Malaysians, whoever they might be. And he has won a resounding victory.
Broke new frontiers
It would be one thing if he scraped through with a majority of less than 5,000 votes in the recent by-election, but the fact is, it was not even close – not with a landslide majority of 15,000, larger even than the majority his wife won before he explicitly condemned ketuanan Melayu. Anwar has succeeded where everyone else has failed; he has carved out a broad base of political support, not on a platform of rights or privileges for one community, but a platform of justice and equality of opportunity for all communities.
Criticise Anwar all you like for his inconsistent and wishy-washy stands on other issues. Criticise his coalition for its internal dissension and strange hypocrisy all you want. You can even say you have no intention of trusting a man who might just stab you in the back the moment he gains power.
The fact of the matter is, you do not have a choice between Anwar and your ideal, committed, consistent, sincere Malaysian leader. Your choice, in the here and now, is between Anwar and a regime built on racism, built on stoking the flames of mistrust and hatred. This regime of hatred has delivered its promise of ketuanan Melayu; why should we expect things to be any worse under a regime promising ketuanan rakyat?
At the worst, it's the same old shit under a different government; at best, we might finally have a government and a political system which works for all Malaysians rather than whoever yells the loudest and threatens the most blood.
Making the Malaysian dream a reality
As far as taking power is concerned, this is still a long shot. Anwar may yet turn out to be a flop on delivering if he ever gets the chance to govern. But the simple and stark reality is, as far as we who live in the present are concerned, he is our best and only chance to put a stop to this insanity.
Anwar is not the perfect vessel for uniting the country, but there is a reason he scares the powers that be: he is the first real chance we have ever had to unite the country against the demons of racialism and parochialism. And for now, he is our only chance. He is the only one who can cross ethnic barriers to proclaim a commitment to a Malaysia where Malaysians, not Malays, are sovereign, and actually win more support than before.
I am no huge fan of Anwar, but I recognise what he has done, and how far he has come. I support him, not because I like him as a person, but because I believe in the cause he champions, and because I believe that if there is any person in this country who can make that dream a reality, it is Anwar Ibrahim.
Lies. 90% of campaign promises failed by RPK's reports PKR had 8% quorums for Anwar's PKR Presidency. Anwar has never mentioned in any clear certain terms (as in the below 3 items) ending apartheid of bumiputra and even has tolerated PAS and DAP's attempts to implement Hudud. John 'Chattering Classes' Lee has been unthinkingly a PKR supporter too long :
1) Freedom from Apartheid/Fascism (Article 1 Human Rights Charter)
2) Freedom from Religious-Persecution/Religious-Supremacy. (Article 18 Human Rights Charter)
3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75)
;and has not made clear on the above 3 items or showed any inclination to run as an independent candidate.
Rise above politics, reject Lim Kit Siang's Nepotistic DAP – Kong Cho Ha tells PR MPs – Re-written by – @AgreeToDisagree – Wednesday, 31 October 2012 16:55
In the past 24 hours, two DAP MPs have broken ranks and swung their support for 3rd Force's call for the immediate suspension of the DAP for 'campaign promise failure' offences, pending full study of various public interest issues related to its implementation.
The first to do so is the 3rd Force Youth leader and MP who, after a meeting of the 3rd Force Youth executive council yesterday, called for the government ROS to suspend DAP as a review of the system was necessary to rectify democratic weaknesses in DAP. Today, a 3rd Force MP for Sabah, who is also Deputy Chairman of 3rd Force Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) also crossed the political divide to back the BN call for suspension of DAP.
The BARISAN state governments have already given approval for the suspension of DAP until conclusion of full study and a proper consultation process with all the relevant stakeholders.
Put public good above all
The question now is whether there is any DAP MP, Deputy Minister or Minister who dare to break ranks to call for immediate suspension of DAP to produce the first fruit of DAP's two-year-old "failed campaign promises" or whether all the boasts of "campaign promises" are just bunkum.
Since the DAP Supremo, Lim Kit Siang has refused to listen to the legitimate concerns about the keeping of canpaign promises, I call on all 3rd Force MPs, whether Minister, Deputy Minister or ordinary backbencher; or other 3rd Force component parties; whether from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak, to follow the example of 3rd Forcers to support the call for the immediate suspension of Pakatan Rakyat for failure to decxlare assets as promised, failure to implement Local Council Elections and other abuses of democratic processes.
MPs from both 3rd Force and BN can effect an immediate suspension of the Pakatan Rakyat by adopting a common position during the committee stage of the 2013 Budget debate on the Transport Ministry on 20th November 2012.
3rd Force has 25 political parties and if there are at least another 36 MPs from Barisan Nasional and Independents who support the suspension of the Pakatan Rakyat to make a total of a parliamentary majority, then Lim Kit Siang would have no choice but to resign as MP of Bandar Melaka and all posts in the DAP Committee and Pakatan Supreme Council as per democratic requirments and limits on terms, if Lim Kit Siang refuses to heed the voice of the majority of MPs to immediately drop all MPs who have family blocs and have breached term limit prohibitions.
While 3rd Force is against the implementation of the AES system alongside Pakatan Rakyat, the severe failure and shamelessly undemocratic, nepotistic and term limitless culture of DAP is unacceptable.
@AgreeToDisagree is the 3rd Force adviser & independent lobby of 3rd force MPs.
AES implementation has been suspended in Pakatan Rakyat controlled states for now.
Not all Chinese are interested in power for power's sake, rather Chinese need the power to ensure Democracy as in the below 3 items, and also to prevent Hudud by weak minded seemingly insane Dhimmifiers of the world which UMNO is and UMNO having continued apatheid in Malaysia against minorities like the Chinese necessitates – THIS IS WHY the Chinese want to kick out the Malay Umno government NOT greed and lust (for money or as the poorly applied NLP indicates – sexuality which we all know RPK has issues about in the LGBT area, even though none are forcing their will on RPK . . . ) :
1) Freedom from Apartheid/Fascism (Article 1 Human Rights Charter)
2) Freedom from Religious-Persecution/Religious-Supremacy. (Article 18 Human Rights Charter)
3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75)
RPK should not display this lack of ability to differentiate between the types of Chinese who hold types of mindsets, and not just lump all Chinese into a single group – i.e. Lustful and Greedy. The Chinese? the entire Malay race is probably mixed-half-chinese/half-Orang Asli and RPK isn't even truly 'Malay' anymore . . . stop ethnic profiling, and start reading the Human Rights Charter. Say with me . . . H-U-M-A-N- this is more difficult than teaching an Orang Utan to smoke or wear a monkey-suit. Lazy or senile? Or human rights unaware? Maybe all 3. Whats wrong with you RPK? RPK is getting less and less viable to challenge as an MP despite the finances and networks . . .
RM46mil allocated to four restoration projects in Penang by – firstname.lastname@example.com | Nov 3, 2012
SINCE George Town received Unesco World Heritage Site (WHS) status in 2008, over RM46.3mil has been allocated to restoration work in four major heritage projects.
The most well-known of these heritage properties restored are the Choong Lye Hock mansion and the Loke Thye Kee building.
The other two restoration projects are by Asian Global Business (AGB) and Public Packages Holdings Bhd involving commercial offices and warehouses built in the early 20th century at Weld Quay and Church Street Ghaut.
The AGB Group is restoring two early 20th century commercial and warehouse properties to be an integrated RM220mil Rice Miller Hotel and Residences, which is an in-fill development project.
An in-fill development involves constructing a project from scratch.
The cost of restoring a heritage project depends on the quality of finishing used and normally ranges between RM300 and RM400 per sq ft.
Sometimes a company spends more for restoration because of the condition and age of the property.
A prime heritage property in George Town can fetch rental of between RM5 and RM10 per sq ft, which means that a 2,000 sq ft heritage property strategically located can generate a rental of RM10,000 to RM20,000 a month, according to Henry Butcher Malaysia (Penang) vice-president Shawn Ong.
The Choong Lye Hock mansion restoration project, located on 48,943 sq ft at Macalister Road, was undertaken by local businessman Datuk Sean H'ng and his wife Datin Karen H'ng.
The Choong Lye Hock mansion belonged to a tycoon and philanthropist, who bought the property in the late-1890s.
Lye Hock is the father of local millionaire Ch'ng Eng Hye and the grandfather of badminton legend Datuk Eddy Choong.
The restored building, now known as Macalister Mansion (MM), has eight hotel rooms, two restaurants called The Dining Room and The Living Room, and two bars called the Bagan Bar and The Den.
Macalister Mansion opened its doors to the public in April 2012.
According to MM public relations director Josephine Leong, the planning and the restoration work for the 17,286 sq ft mansion took about 20 months.
"This is corporate responsibility initiative project to demonstrate that old colonial buildings can be regenerated into useful and practical spaces with a contemporary feel.
"Some eight months were spent on planning the design with a Singapore-based interior design company, Ministry of Design (MOD) to produce stunning interior designs.
"It took us 12 months to restore and reinforce the original columns, staircases and archways, original brick walls and wall cornices.
Leong says the Macalister Mansion project was more about a labour of love.
"The owners want to raise the bar in the boutique hotel scene in Penang. As global travellers, they would like to bring back that differentiated hotel experience where guests get to enjoy a more personalised and intimate level of service within luxurious surroundings," Leong adds.
Raine & Horne Malaysia director Michael Geh says about RM2mil or about RM630 per sq ft was spent on restoring Loke Thye Kee, known as the oldest restaurant in Penang, at Burmah Road.
According to Geh, a local investment company, Loke Thye Kee.com, set up by Singaporean investors, bought the double-storey property from a local businessman some about six years ago.
"About two years, which included also the time to obtain the green light from the local authorities for renovation, was spent on restoring the building with approximately 3,200sq ft of built-up area.
"It has been leased to a local company called Food People Sdn Bhd, which plans to set up soon a Hainanese restaurant, and food and beverage outlets," he says.
Known as the House of Happiness in Hainanese, the Loke Thye Kee restaurant was established by brothers Loy Kok Boon and Loy Kok Dai, who leased the building from local businessman and philanthropist Khoo Sian Ewe.
Loke Thye Kee serves traditional Hainanese and Western cuisine such as curry kapitan, choon piah, and chicken chop.
AGB Group spent RM21.5mil or RM860 per sq ft to restore two heritage commercial and warehouse properties built in the early 20th century at Weld Quay.
AGB chief executive officer Dr Noraini Abdullah says the restoration turned out to be costly because a lot of work had to be done for strengthening the physical buildings, as their conditions were bad.
"About RM16mil was spent for restoring and reinforcing the physical infrastructure of the warehouse building, which serves as the event hall of the Rice Miller Hotel.
"Another RM5.5mil was spent in restoring a 5,000 sq ft colonial commercial building that will serve as the restaurant for the Rice Miller Hotel," she adds.
The Rice Miller Hotel and Residences project is scheduled for completion next August and scheduled for opening in Dec 2013.
It will comprise 48 hotel suites, 99 city residences, which range between 800 and 2,500 sq ft in built-up, 23 retail lots of 600 sq ft, and two blocks of five-storey office buildings.
"In the past 12 months, we have sold 50% of the retail lots and city residences. Most of the buyers comprise Penangites and investors from Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur," she adds.
Next to the Rice Miller Hotel and Residences project, Public Packages Holdings Bhd (PPHB) is restoring two heritage double-storey commercial properties with over 39,632 sq ft to be integrated into a RM50mil in-fill heritage hotel cum commercial project located at Church Street Ghaut, off Beach Street, which is popularly known as the central banking district.
PPHB hotel project manager Tony Koay says the group would spend RM15.8mil or RM400 per sq ft to restore the two heritage properties with fittings.
"One of the heritage commercial building with 11,000sq ft will be restored as part of the in-fill heritage hotel.
"The other heritage property with 28,632sq ft will be restored for commercial and office usage," he says.
Koay says the advantage of carrying out infill development work for the heritage hotel project was that one could maximise the interior of the buildings to suit the needs of modern business usage.
The cost per sq ft to develop a heritage hotel from scratch with furnishings is about RM1,000 per sq ft, says Koay.
"A problem with restoring a heritage building for hotel usage is that the interior of such heritage buildings restricts the utilisation of space," he says.
Koay adds that the in-fill heritage hotel would have over 150,000 sq ft of built-up area, 150 rooms, a business centre, meeting rooms, two-level of basement car-park, and retail shops on the ground floor.
"The architectural style for the hotel follows the design of late 19th and early 20th century port offices and warehouse buildings in George Town.
"We are targeting the upmarket tourists," Koay says.
Dishonest 90% failed campaign promises DAP, now disingenuously posing as hardworking. 46 million could be used to file a lawsuit against the Federal Governnment for :
1) Freedom from Apartheid/Fascism (Article 1 Human Rights Charter)
2) Freedom from Religious-Persecution/Religious-Supremacy. (Article 18 Human Rights Charter)
3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75)
This restoration b.s. is just Business NGO work, or perhaps Architecture NGO work, and NOT Political party work. Whats a political party for? Fighting for human rights and equality, not pushing 'restoration projects' while clinging on to undemocratic nepotism or term limitlessness. Weak and undemocratic!
Compelling 'Malays' to be Muslims: Why M'sians should support Nurul Izzah – written by Gavin Khoo – Monday, 05 November 2012 07:22
Politicians are known to be chameleons and most of them would tailor make their statements according to their audience. Not for Nurul Izzah, an emerging force within the party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which was founded to fight against Anwar Ibrahim's persecution.
At a forum on "Islamic State: Which version; Who's responsibility?", she was reported to have said "People should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion and this should also apply to Malays."
"When you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally." she said.
She was responding to a question from the floor on whether Malays should have religious freedom like non-Malays.
"Malay" is defined under Section 160(2) of the federal constitution as a person who professes Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language and conforms to Malay customs.
Ultimately, she said, what should be sought is "quality" where Muslims' faith is strong.
"Even me, being schooled in Assunta (secondary school) with a huge cross in the hall and an active singing Catholic society did not influence me," she said.
However, Nurul Izzah stopped short of saying that Malays should be legally granted religious freedom, saying: "I am, of course, tied to the prevailing views."
The position she espouses is unprecedented especially when she is a Muslim and she needs the support of largely Muslim voters in her constituency. She is probably facing one of the toughest political fights in her short political life against a much more established candidate, a federal minister, who has much more resources than what she could have mustered before the next GE.
We need a leader a leader who speaks from her own conscience as a democrat and a proponent of universal human rights. She sees a bigger picture than most leaders who would adopt a narrow religious interpretation which can be manipulated for their own political benefit.
Nurul did not attempt any of these cheap political stunts. She speaks up as a democrat, a true Muslim who holds firmly to her faith and a leader who reaches out to soothe the fear of her fellow Muslims against an often manipulated sense of inferiority and threats against their faith.
For this, Straight Talk would like to urge voters in her constituency, Lembah Pantai, to return her moderate voice and outstanding leadership to the 13th Malaysian Parliament.
If you would like to make contribution to her campaign fund:
Acc. Name: Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai
A/C No: 564128345008Maybank – Bangsar Baru
NLP Warning about the title first – Though the writers may claim bad grammar : Compelling 'Malays' to be Muslims: Why M'sians should support Nurul Izzah makes the title of the article an NLP intended to sound like Malaysians should support Nurul BECAUSE of Compulsions of 'Malays' (one more NLP here, Malays in quotes can be misread to mean those considered by not actually Malays – subverted minorities perhaps?) to be Muslims.
Otherwise a spot of good news and a slight shift to actual moderation, though structurally and policy wise, still nothing here. Statements hold no water. Laws being changed, and constitutional amendments forwarded for ratification at Parliament at very least do. 'Congrats' (being sarcastic) at FINALLY reaching UFO/Bigfoot sighting level. Thats 33.3% and still a fail, though at least 1 PKR person bothered to apply for the exam (made a press statement) but didn't turn up (no attempt to formalise in law/constitutional amendment) . . . whats the MP seat for? Making statements only? Is Nurul just a blogger or a media outlet and with NLP's considered is Gavin and Khoo in cahoots with Nurul for more Islamic agendas or inmtentionally trying to demonise Nurul with misrepresentation via NLP titles?
Article 18 of the UN Human Rights charter for the Malays, and Article 1 of the UN Human Rights charter for the minorites, 3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75) MEANS Bumiputra Special Privileges ENDS . . . not empty talk. Also, nepotism issues still loom, but there will be plenty of time for that later. 2 term limits, and at 23K a month, thats 540K in 2 years! Let someone earn a living at that seat why don't you or lower that salary to no more than 3 times annual average wage for Malaysia (around 3-4K a mont) . . . then GTFO after 2 terms, so do whatever is worth doing before 3rd force sweeps the back and forth out of the Dewan! This was responded to with Jamil Khir's racist rant in below link.
More Article 16 type inability to differentiate AGAIN. Equality is not inconceivable. But those who do not gove others their spaces are unconscionable a create a culture of strife. The above Youtube vid is correct to a point but does some form of 'lumping' as well.
Equality is not inconceivable. But those who do not gove others their spaces via legal rights (do not disenfranchise minorities) are unconscionable and create a culture of strife. The above Youtube vid is correct to a point but does some form of 'lumping' as well, as not all Muslims will tolerate the lack of :
1) Freedom from Apartheid/Fascism (Article 1 Human Rights Charter)
2) Freedom from Religious-Persecution/Religious-Supremacy. (Article 18 Human Rights Charter)
3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75)
;with righteous Muslims fighting for the right to apostasy as well as all the entertainments and proclivities every single minority in the world can want represented and given spaces in law.
Arrested youth's family fear Johor palace interference, urge cops to help – by Clara Chooi, Assistant News Editor – November 04, 2012
Ahmad Abd Jalil is being investigated over allegedly seditious remarks he had made against the Johor Sultan on his Facebook page. – Reuters pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The family members of Ahmad Abd Jalil, who was arrested on Friday for insulting the Johor Sultan, is pleading with the police not to permit the palace authorities to haul the youth to the royal house for an apology.
The family, responding to talks that Ahmad may be brought personally before the Sultan to apologise for his remarks, expressed fear today over the safety of the 27-year-old if he were to be taken to the palace.
According to an SMS from Ahmad's sister to one of the family's lawyer late last night, the police had told her mother that, "if the palace calls, they (the police) would be forced to bring Ahmad to face the Sultan".
"If they want my son to apologise, bring him to court. Once he enters someone else's territory, anything can happen and we wouldn't know who to blame," Ahmad's father Abd Jalil Abd Rahman told The Malaysian Insider today.
"Everyone has to respect the due process of the law. And if they want to take my son to court to extract an apology, then so be it.
"Do not force him into palace custody where we have no control over. We are Penangites. We are not used to having a Sultan and we have heard many horror stories. This is our right," he added.
The 60-year-old former government servant said the police have so far refused all attempts by his family to visit Ahmad, who was arrested in Kuala Lumpur at 8pm on Friday and transferred into the Johor police custody the same night.
As at noon today, Abd Jalil said he will be meeting with the investigating officer in Ahmad's case.
"We hope to have a positive outcome from the meeting… I just want to see my son," he said, adding that if it would look bad on the police if they were to forbid him from doing so.
In an SMS to The Malaysian Insider, Ahmad's older brother agreed with his father in saying that the youth must be kept safely away from the palace compound.
"It is wrong to extract him from the balai/lokap to anywhere. We an apologise but thru proper procedures. Ahmad will apologise openly at court.
"Otherwise, we condone that the system is being used as 'mode of ugutan (threat)'," he said in the text message.
Ahmad is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, believed to be over allegedly seditious remarks he had made against the Johor Sultan on his Facebook page.
He was picked up from his office at around 8pm in Cheras yesterday by several plainclothes policemen before he was brought to the Wangsa Maju police station for questioning.
According to Ahmad's lawyer Mohd Zakwan Adenan yesterday, the youth was at first not informed of his offence, except that he was allegedly being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948.
"They said they wanted to charge him under the Sedition Act for remarks he made on Facebook but when we asked the police which statement they were referring to, they could not answer," he said.
Section 4(1) stipulates that any person who utters, prints or publishes any seditious words, on conviction, would be liable for a first offence to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both.
After interrogating him for several hours at the Wangsa Maju police station yesterday, the police raided Ahmad's parents' house in Damansara Damai before taking the youth with them to Johor.
At 3pm yesterday, Ahmad was taken before a Johor magistrate by the police to obtain a three-day remand order.
The reverse could be said of having the case in Penang and the more urban areas of Malaysia, where the animosity towards all Sultans (who due to tacit approval pf Bumiputra Apartheid contributes in substantial measure to this sort of disafffection, or in some uncommon cases heavy monopoly like involvement in business sectors . . .) could be intentionally used to dismiss the case intentionally to make a salient point about apartheid (minorities) or absolutism (non/anti-royalist Malays) rather than to administer justice which in this case should be an equitable apology to the the measure of insult offered on the social networking site.
Malaysian judges and the legal system in Malaysia are not impartial, and always are politically motivated rather than professionalism or justice motivated, as much as the Bar Council does not address the lack of :
1) Freedom from Apartheid/Fascism (Article 1 Human Rights Charter)
2) Freedom from Religious-Persecution/Religious-Supremacy. (Article 18 Human Rights Charter)
3) Equality for all ethnicities and faiths in all aspects of policy, Law and Constitution. (Surah An Nisa 4:75)
;for the Bar Council's own political or financial (contract) based profit. I had written on the apartheid issue to every individual Sultan before and had no response whatsoever. Perhaps the letters were intercepted as so many other communications might have been. And due this, or simply crypto-racism, if not authoritarianism on the part of the palace officials if not the post service's racists or lapdogs, I received no response on the matter whatsoever, as any civil society might have and issues like the above continue to mar relations between the intended as symbolic rulers and and the masses. Stature and privilege should be enough to even ignore this sort of insult, the palace certainly has the resources to unofficially argue back without getting directly involved but from the looks of this sandiwara which might well have ulterior motives of sounding out the populace's less well written (also less well read) to identify those who are against the palace, which has chosen to get directly involved instead.


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Randstad's latest Employer Branding survey examines gender differences
around what makes an employer attractive
ALTANTA, Ga.– Although salary and benefits rank as the biggest draw for both men and women when it comes to choosing an employer, significant gender differences exist when it comes to defining other elements of employer attractiveness, according to a recent employer branding survey conducted by Randstad US. Randstad recently surveyed 7,000 people nationwide with a variety of backgrounds and occupations to find out the key factors that go into employer attractiveness.
"How a company is perceived as an employer impacts what types of candidates it will attract," said Lisa Crawford, senior vice president, Randstad U.S. "As our research reveals, companies may need to focus on key elements, such as building culture and adopting more flexible work policies, to appeal to different demographics. Attracting and retaining talent is not a one stop shop—particularly with a diverse workforce and multiple generations sitting side-by-side to one another."
Key findings:
· Women Want a Prime Location: Location is key for women workers, with 44 percent of female respondents choosing that as an important employer attribute compared to 35 percent of men.
· Men Want Career Progression Opportunities Financially Healthy Companies: When choosing to work for an employer, 42 percent of men look for opportunities to advance versus 36 percent of women. Additionally, the financial health of a company is very important to male respondents (36% of men versus 28% of women).
· Work/life Balance Continues to Be a Top Concern for Women Workers: Nearly one-in-four (37%) women respondents chose workplace flexibility as an important employer attribute, compared to just 26 percent of men.
Companies Must Assess What Their Brand Means
"As the job market continues its steady momentum and employee confidence increases, more employees will keep their options open for other opportunities," Crawford said. "If companies are to retain and attract the best talent, they first need to assess what their brand really means, determine what keeps their talent coming through their doors and how to attract the next wave of workers who may have different expectations than what their company currently offers.
"With women making up half the workforce, they should also consider the unique things that women value when choosing an employer. Investing in building a strong employer brand will pay off in a stable workforce, a better match of talent within your organization and increased engagement and productivity."
Survey Methodology
Randstad's Employer Branding survey is based on perceived attractiveness of companies amongst 7,000 students, employed and unemployed workers between the ages of 18 and 65. Samples are based on national demographics with a slight emphasis on respondents aged below 40, as potential jobseekers, or those most likely to be in the job market, are the target audience of the survey. Each sample is representative of age, region, gender and education.
Respondents are invited by means of online interviews to select the companies they know from a random list; each company is set to appear approximately 1,500 times at random during the entire survey.
The margin of error on a sample of 1,500 is plus or minus 1.245 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is a 95 percent chance that the responses of the target population as a whole would fall somewhere between 1.245 percent more or 1.245 percent less than the responses of the sample (confidence interval of 2.49 percent on the worst case percentage of 50 percent).
About Randstad US
Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.0 billion global provider of HR services. As the third largest staffing organization in the US, Randstad holds top positions in permanent placement, office and administrative, IT and accounting and finance. From professional services, commercial staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, to managed services and more, Randstad delivers a comprehensive range of temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement and outsourced placement services. With its 5,660 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of nearly 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations.
Learn more at www.randstad.com and access Randstad's panoramic US thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.
for job seekers
for business
career resources
learning center
about randstad

subset: commoncrawl


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Christie Weber and pat mAcdonald organized quite a show and once again Door Pod Show was there! Recorded June 14-16, 2007, this series of podcasts on the topic of the fabulous Steel Bridge Songfest are Door Pod Show's most ambitious production yet. The 17 audio files were pared down from over 100 recordings done over a three day period. And yes, it took me a long time to complete, but I think the results are worth it.
Here are a few things to keep in mind. Several files were recorded backstage and have lots of LOUD background noise. There was also lots of wind and some of the recordings reflect that, most notably the interview with Paulie Rocco. I think the interviews are worth the noise however and encourage you to give each one a listen. The podcasts include interviews with Jackson Browne, Jane Wiedlin, Jonathon Spottiswoode, James Hall, Chris Aaron, Ruby James, Tony Brown, Melanie Jane, Catacombs of Rome and many, many more artists. And don't miss Margaret Welch of the National Trust for Historic Preservation who gives a shout out to Christie and pat for their hard work in preserving the Sturgeon Bay steel bridge. This year the podcasts are organized differently this year, into smaller audio files as opposed to the long all inclusive podcast format from last year. Be sure to tell me what you think of the new set-up and enjoy Steel Bridge Songfest 3!
This first podcast features interviews at the Holiday Motel with Chris Aaron, Susan Hall, Kris Doty and Eric McFadden.


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Knowing where our food comes from is about slowing down. So let me begin with the fog.
It comes in the night and settles into the mountain. When daylight opens, it lingers to watch. On this autumn morning, the fog is the quiet keeper of the garden, Project Sprout, at the base of Monument Mountain in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
The garden was started in the way of many lesser ambitions: high school students talking in the hall between class. Yet one student's simple observation was the catalyst for something extraordinary.
"I realized that our biology class never went outside in the whole year. It didn't make sense. And food is our closest connection to the natural world," said Sam Levin, Class of 2011 at Monument Mountain Regional High School.
Sam, along with two other students, Nathalie Akers and Sarah Steadman, started the garden two years ago as a way to relate to their environment. With the encouragement of Mike Powell, a guidance counselor who also leads the school's Green Team, they partnered with a local non-profit group, Project Native. Since then, they have gained one part-time staff member, Bridghe McCracken, a landscape designer who specializes in organic gardens, and a team of regular volunteers. Project Sprout now grows fresh produce for the nearby elementary, middle and high schools. At the height of its recent harvest, the garden produced 200 pounds of vegetables each week for the school cafeterias. On average, the garden yields anywhere from 50-100 pounds weekly.
"I would never have expected to do this before. I find it fun coming to the cafeteria knowing that I helped harvest and grow this food. It just boggles my mind. Now I feel sure of what I'm eating," said garden volunteer Isabel Mitchell, Class of 2012.
Project Sprout is also an outdoor classroom for the middle school gardening class and the high school greenhouse class. The elementary kids make regular visits, too.
"It's powerful for a young person to watch a seed become food. A kindergartener will try a spicy radish, for example, when they have been a part of growing it. They would have never eaten one before," said Bridghe, "I think growing food is essential to understanding our place in the world."
On the day I visited, the volunteers were planting leeks and arugula, among other things, to be harvested in February. As the winter comes in, they will protect the garden with a moveable hoop house. Every aspect of the garden–organic planting and rain water irrigation, for example–contributes to its mission of environmentally-conscious living. "We're beyond carbon neutral," explained Bridghe with a chuckle.
Now the team is armed with a 10-year plan; in six years, this will include fruit from their newly-planted apple tree orchard. The students of Project Sprout will do it all: plantings, fund-raising events, field harvesting at 6:45 am, and more.
"What means the most to me is that it's student run. People think we just sit around and play video games all day," said Sam.