Malaysia’s 13 Best Scams

Forget about the African-based black money scam. The biggest scams in Malaysia are those conceived by the Barisan Nasional federal government.

It is they who are professional scam-masters par excellence and they have two types of scams: the Money Scam and the Concept Scam.

This write-up will list both types of scams for your perusal.

First of all, the Money Scam:

1. SARA (Skim Amanah Rakyat) – This is the greatest investment scam ever. Dump in RM5,000 cash at one go and you will get RM13,000 in five years’ time. This is just too good to be true because the returns are more than doubled but still there will be many gullible “investors”. However, there are some who say that this is a scheme by the government to obtain the rakyat’s money to finance handouts to the rakyat during the campaign duration of the 13th general election. Whether there is any truth to this or not, only the wise can tell.

2. 1Care – this will just involved the rakyat paying more to the government and its cronies where health facilities are concerned. This scam is targeted at enriching the elite and the well-connected as is the purpose for all the scams.

3. EPF Housing Loan Scheme – this scheme is dangerous to the EPF contributors and could lead to a similar situation akin to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US if there are too many loan defaulters. EPF is rightly named the government’s Eternal Pilferage Fund and has now ended up as the government’s treasure chest. All the private sector workers who contribute to this fund have to protest. This shows that the BN government has run out of money in trying to help the rakyat and is now using the rakyat’s money to help the rakyat.

4. 1Malaysia products, badges, stickers, mugs, whatever – the purpose of these products is to enrich the corny manufacturer. Enough said.

5. BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia) – has all the money (more than RM2 billion) allocated for this purpose been distributed? Some opined that part of the funds will be channelled into BN’s general election campaign machinery. No prizes for guessing, though, as BR1M is much shrouded in secrecy. All those who applied for this RM500 aid should be getting this cash because only those eligible will apply. Therefore, it defies logical explanation when there are still people who fail to obtain this cash aid. Thus, this has given rise to speculation that applicants staying in opposition areas where BN has no chance of winning will not be given this aid. This then begs the question where the remaining undistributed allocated funds will be chanelled to, a question which the BN government will surely find difficult to answer.

Next comes the Concept Scam:

6. 1Malaysia – the most prominent Concept Scam which is engineered to create a mind-numbing cult following with everyone chanting “1Malaysia, 1Malaysia” in a hypnotised state similar to what goes on in cult sessions. There is no solid foundation to this concept although Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has the gumption to state that this is a philosophy. Even those in his own camp do not adhere to this philosophy, not to mention practise it wholeheartedly 24/7. 1Malaysia is thus a concept to delude the masses, to cheat the people into voting for BN.

7. GTP (Government Transformation Programme) and ETP (Economic Transformation Programme) – these twin transformation programmes have transformed the pockets of government cronies from millionaires into billionaires and maybe even trillionaires. As for the rest of the ordinary rakyat, all we get is nothing but hot air.

8. NKRAs (National Key Result Areas) and NKEAs (National Key Economic Areas) – lengthy names but more of the same fluff.

9. NEM (New Economic Model) – is this dead and buried?

10. EOC (Equal Opportunities Commission) – this IS dead and buried. It should have been part of the NEM but was omitted due to intense pressure-lobbying from certain quarters.

11. Talent Corp – much money has been channelled into this corporation to promote Malaysia as a place of golden opportunities in order to attract Malaysian talent living overseas to return to these golden shores. Has the success rate of Talent Corp been published? Seems to have gone into near-oblivion.

12. E-mail scam – why must money be paid to a certain company just for sending out e-mails when there is free-of-charge e-mail service readily available on the world wide web?!

13. The 13th general election – this has been labelled the “mother of all battles” by the BN leaders and therefore it follows that this must be the mother of all scams because it involves money, concept (BN’s sloganeering) and the future of the nation; this is big-time scamming indeed. In this scam, foreign workers are given citizenship and their names inserted into the voter rolls to enable them to vote in the coming general election. This scam can result in the negation of Malaysian votes and therefore the true election results are subverted.

From the above listing, it leaves us no doubt that we are living in scam-country. The ideas that go into each scam is elaborate and simple at the same time. And really so many ideas!

By the way, has anyone noticed that Najib is the one and only prime minister who has spewed forth the most number of acronyms showcasing his so-called bold initiatives?

It is time for the rakyat to wake up to all these “bold initiatives” which are in fact well-designed scams. It is also a salient point to note that suddenly the SARA and BR1M scams are running concurrently so close to the general election. Is there anything to this? Mind you, these scams can generate much funds for the government.

All said and done, we must put an end to all these scams. Otherwise, it will seem that we enjoy getting duped by a bunch of crooked professional scammers.

 

*Taken from Free Malaysia Today.Full article at http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2012/02/08/malaysias-13-best-scams/

Usage Of English, Native Languages Officially Still Legal In Sarawak

 English will continue to be one of the official languages in Sarawak because the National Language Act 1963/1967 has not been approved by an enactment by the Sarawak State Assembly, Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chief Baru Bian said today.

“Hence, its provision do not apply in the State, and therefore, it is not mandatory that Bahasa Malaysia should be the only language used in our government departments and ministries, even for the purposes of the Federal Government,” he said in a statement.

Baru,who is also the State Assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan, however, explained that he is not against the use of Bahasa Malaysia in Sarawak.

“What concerns me is that Sarawakians must know, understand and appreciate the uniqueness of our State and its people, and the efforts made by our forefathers to protect and safeguard this uniqueness,” he said when commenting on a call by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) director-general Professor Dr Awang Sariyan for Sarawak to conduct a study on the extent of the usage of the national language in the state administration.

Speaking to reporters after launching the state level “Hari Pejuang Bahasa 152” on Friday, Awang Sariyan felt that the Chief Minister’s Department, all state ministries, government departments and agencies need to conduct the study.

He had stated that the usage of the national language in official documents in the state administration needed to be given emphasis as under the Federal Constitution, the Malay Language had to be used in all official matters.

Baru, however, explained that Article 161 of the Federal Constitution states that “no act of Parliament, terminating or restricting the use of the English language, shall come into operation until the Act or relevant provision of it has been approved by an enactment of the Legislature of that State.”

“This exemption preserves for Sabah and Sarawak the use of English in the Courts, the Legislative Assembly or for other official purposes (including the official purposes of the Federal Government),” he said.

Baru stressed that Article 26 (8) of the Sarawak Constitution provides that “for a period of 10 years and thereafter until the Legislature by law otherwise provides, all proceedings in the Dewan may be in the English language, and subject to the standing orders of the Dewan Undangan Negeri, members may use any native language in addressing the Dewan.”

Baru said Sarawak needs to protect its safeguards which were formulated before it agreed to form the Federation of Malaysia with Malaya, Sabah and Singapore in 1963.

“These safeguards include the freedom to conduct our business in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and native dialects,” he said, adding that Sarawakians have always taken pride in their command of the English language, and that they must continue to maintain this mastery for the sake of future generations.

He said he noted the Federal Government’s desire to promote the use of Bahasa Malaysia.

“However, all parties involved must be aware of the constitutional rights and the special position of Sabah and Sarawak.

“Let us not promote one particular language to the exclusion of the others. Mastery of multiple languages is the key to education and to progress and development in this increasingly borderless world.

“We would be taking a myopic view to restrict the use of other languages in our workplace and in our lives,” he said, adding:” Sarawak does not prescribe to one particular language as her official language and we are proud of that fact.”

*Taken from The Sun Daily.Full article at http://www.thesundaily.my/news/299416

 

Kebaikan Makanan Pedas

1. Menurunkan berat badan
Menurunkan berat badan. Siapapun pasti setuju, makanan apapun kalau diberi sambal pasti akan lebih menambat selera. Kalau boleh, makanan diet anda pun mesti nak kena ada sambal. Kalau hal ini boleh membuat anda boleh menikmati makanan sihat dengan lebih berselera, kenapa tidak? Lagipun, rasa pedas itu boleh meningkatkan metabolisme anda. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa bahan utama dalam cili, iaitu kapsaisin, memiliki efek termogenik yang boleh menyebabkan tubuh membakar kalori ketika mengunyah selama 20 minit.

2. Menyihatkan jantung
Menyehatkan jantung. Hasil kajian juga menunjukkan, budaya makan makanan pedas menyebabkan insiden serangan jantung dan stroke menjadi lebih rendah. Alasannya, cili merah boleh mengurangkan kesan dari kolesterol yang berat, sedangkan kapsaisin pula boleh melawan peradangan. Keduanya merupakan faktor risiko untuk masalah jantung.

3. Mencegah Kanser
Mencegah kanser. Menurut American Association for Cancer Research, kapsaisin juga memiliki kemampuan untuk membunuh beberapa sel kanser dan leukimia. Sedangkan kunyit, yang dijadikan bahan dalam kari dan mustard, boleh memperlambatkan proses penyebaran kanser dan pertumbuhan tumor. Untuk memberikan hasil semaksima mungkin, campurkan dengan lada hitam untuk menyerap kunyit 2.000 peratus lebih banyak.

4. Menurunkan Tekanan Darah
Menurunkan tekanan darah. Vitamin A dan C mampu menguatkan dinding otot jantung, sementara panas dari lada meningkatkan aliran darah ke seluruh tubuh. Kombinasi ini boleh menghasilkan sistem kardiovaskular yang lebih kuat.

5. Mengurangkan Stress
Mengurangkan stress. Makanan pedas boleh meningkatkan produksi hormon yang memberi rasa ketenangan, seperti serotonin. Hasilnya, makanan ini mampu membantu mengurangkan depresi dan stress.

 

*Artikel diambil dari Radio Informasi.Artikel penuh di http://www.radioinformasi.com/2012/02/13/5-kebaikan-makanan-pedas/

‘Someone Is Always Trying To Split Dayaks’

KUCHING: Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s statement that he does not want to interfere in the affairs of other component parties in the state has amused Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian.

Bian, who is Ba Kelalan assemblyman, has known Taib for about 30 years, since the days of the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS). Bian was then a PBDS supreme council member.

Bian recalled that every time there were political problems affecting any of the Dayak political parties in the state Barisan Nasional, there was always someone behind it.

“Some people are trying to break up the Dayaks in Sarawak. I think we notice from the time of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak, there were some people who did not want us to be strong politically so they come and interfere and split us,” said Bian.

PBDS was deregistered on Oct 24, 2004 following a leadership crisis and at the same time it gave birth to the formation of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) led by James Masing.

Allegations linked PBDS demise to Taib as is now being said of the strive within BN partners Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic party (SPDP).

Both are on the threshold of becoming irrelevant in Sarawak’s political landscape.

Said Bian: “I am amused by what he (Taib) said. We must examine the context of the whole statement. Did he say it intentionally or does he want SUPP to disintegrate.

“He statement has more or less confirmed that he has a hand in every crisis of party in the Barisan Nasional. After all he is the chairman.

“His statement says that he is no longer an expert, meaning to say that he was one time an expert. That is how I look at it. It appears to me he wants to divide SUPP further,”

Bian was asked to comment on Taib’s statement last week that he did not wish to interfere in the internal problems of SUPP and SPDP.

Splitting Dayaks

Taib said he had “already offered” his opinions and advice to the leaders of the two parties, “but there does not seem to be any development in solving the problem.”

“As for SPDP, leave them alone for now,” said Taib, adding that he “was no longer an expert in giving advice.”

However Taib did add that while he chose not to interfere in the parties’ problems, he was not ‘washing hands’ off their affairs.

“My main responsibility in Sarawak is to ensure every race in the state can participate in the transformation of the state,” he said.

Taib’s reiteration of his ‘responsibility’ has only served to stoke old memories.

Bian recalled that every time there were political problems affecting any of the Dayak political parties, there was always someone behind it.

“The caution I would like to make is whether it is the chief minister or someone else what is obvious is that that there seems to be consistency of interference by someone in all Dayak-based parties since the time of Sarawak National Party (Snap).

“It looks like somebody is constantly trying to engineer our (disunity) from behind.

“Look at Snap which split twice, one in 1983 and the other in 2002.

“Whether Snap, PBDS, PRS or SPDP now, there seems to be a trend of consistency and symptom that someone is always trying to split our people,” Bian stressed.

Dayak BN leaders gutless

He said that some Dayak leaders are aware of the attempt (to split Dayaks), but they do not dare to make a stand because of their personal interest.

“And of course within the fold of Barisan Nasional, they do not want to hurt one another’s feelings. So they continue to keep quiet.

“But then they are doing that at the expense of the Dayaks at large.

“They are being used by someone to suppress the Dayaks. Take the NCR land issues and the amendment to the Land Code as examples.

“You remember the passing of the amendment to the Land Code in June 2000 which is very damaging to the interests of native landowners, some Dayak ministers and leaders describe it (the passing of the amendment) as ‘gawai gift’ and ‘jewel in the crown of Barisan’.

“By supporting policies that are detrimental to the Dayaks, they are actually tools to destroy the Dayaks,” Bian said.

 

*Taken from Free Malaysia Today.Full article at http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2012/02/13/someone-is-always-trying-to-split-dayaks/

Mimos Finds Over 10,000 Cases Of Dubious Voters

The government’s research and development organisation Mimos Bhd has discovered that there are more than 10,000 cases of multiple voters registered under same addresses.

In revealing its findings to the sub-committee of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms today, Mimos also said that it did not find any cases of multiple voters with identical identification numbers in the voters’ roll.

Speaking to FMT, PSC member Anthony Loke said Mimos also revealed that there were only five deceased voters who were still registered as active voters in the electoral roll.

He added that according to Mimos, the present electoral roll contained 12,652,424 voters.

Of this, 12,380,166 were regular voters while 272,258 were armed forces personnel who vote through postal voting. However, Mimos found that 785 armed forces personnel were registered under both lists.

Mimos, an agency under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti), was tasked by the PSC to oversee verifications on several contested issues in the electoral roll.

In specific, the PSC had wanted Mimos to weed out voters with same identification cards, multiple voters registered under same addresses and deceased voters who are still on the electoral roll.

Incomplete addresses

Loke said Mimos also provided a breakdown of multiple voters registered under same addresses where in about 6,000 cases, 11 to 20 people had shared a same address.

He added that there were 3,254 cases where 21 to 50 voters were registered under one address,  1,259 cases were noted where 51 to 100 voters listed under the same address, and in 820 instances more than 100 voters were registered under one address.

“The difficulties we face now is that most of these addresses with multiple voters are incomplete. There are cases where we only have the house number, but not the house lane and etc,” he said.

Loke, who is also DAP’s Rasah MP, said that these addresses however included army camps and police stations which would naturally have more voters than the regular households.

PSC had requested Mimos to exclude the armed forces from its finding. The agency has also been asked to group these cases of multiple voters registered under the same addresses according to their respected constituencies.

There are various sub-committees within the PSC, designated to overlook specific tasks on electoral reforms. Together with PSC chairman Maximus Ongkili,  Loke sits in the sub-committee to improve the electoral roll.

Loke said that the sub-committee would meet again next month when they will discuss suggestions to address these issues. These suggestions will be included in PSC’s final report to be tabled in parliament by the first week of April.

 

*Taken from Free Malaysia Today.Full article at http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2012/02/14/mimos-finds-over-10-000-cases-of-dubious-voters/