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An Express meal you will want to linger over Posted: 16 Sep 2011 05:39 PM PDT Moutabel is eggplant with tahini, and pomegranate seeds... a great starter. — Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 — Whenever anybody mentions Lebanese food, I am always reminded of the first Lebanese restaurant in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, many years ago. I remember getting into a sort of Bedouin tent and having a feast inside. Since then, Lebanese food and other Middle-Eastern cuisines have become more familiar to me. It's a different experience though at Al-Amar Express, a casual Lebanese diner in front of Fahrenheit 88 (the former KL Plaza). It's got glass walls, and a half open-air concept, which gives you a clear view of the more formal Al-Amar Restaurant in the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur across the road. You feel the throb of the city as you dine, and do some people watching at the same time. This platter of beef and chicken chawarma is bursting with flavour. First the drinks — Lebanese beer and wines — then the shisha was offered. Two among us took it up and tried to puff away, and one ended feeling quite high (possibly through lack of oxygen)! I watched the cloud of smoke enveloping the face of the Al-Amar man trying to get the shisha going. I always enjoy the starters in a Lebanese or any Middle-Eastern meal. They are so satisfying that I could be quite happy not having the main courses. Here we had the delicious Moutabal, a smoky eggplant and tahini (sesame paste) dip with a well of olive oil and pomegranate seeds which we ate with Lebanese bread. The pomegranate seeds delivered a lovely sweet punch to it. The Hommos was just as lovely — whole chick peas soaked in olive oil varied the texture of this chickpea paste and tahini dip that was so thick and creamy. Getting the shisha going is not an easy job! You must eat the Tabbouleh here — it has mellow, balanced flavours, a mix of bulgur wheat, chopped cucumber, tomato, cucumber, parsley and mint. Labneh is Lebanese cream cheese made of strained yoghurt topped with olive oil, and resembles hommos in appearance. It has a sharp tartness that makes you reach out for the Lebanese bread to soothe your palate. Likewise the Warak Enab or vine leaf rolls filled with rice, tomato and parsley that were too tart and salty. But in between we ate some small savoury pastries that restored some balance to the palate, such as the cheese rolls that squirted out melted cheese, Spinach Fatayer filled with baby spinach, onions and lemon zest, and Beef Sambousik stuffed with spiced minced beef. So far we had had an almost vegetarian, healthy, refreshing start. The mains were about meat, whether chawarma style, in sausage form in baguettes or beef and lamb patties in burgers. We also shared a very cheesy pizza and an exceptional roast chicken. Chawarma is about meat grilled and hung from a spit and sliced thinly. We had some beef and chicken chawarma served with small pickled cucumbers and onions, tomato, French fries and a tartare dip. The tender meat delivered a whoosh of spiced flavours. If you just order this, it is a delightful, complete meal. The Al-Amar burger has a minced lamb and beef patty topped with a slice of cheddar cheese and grilled onion, which you should slather with the brown garlic sauce. Altogether it makes a juicy, tasty burger. In between bites, you could have some fries and coleslaw at the side. Meats are always well-seasoned with spices here, and the lamb sausage in the baguette is no exception. It could do with a bit less salt though. Pick up a slice of the hot Manakeesh or pizza, and threads of lovely melted mozzarella and bulgari cheese refuse to be disentangled. Its topping is of spiced chicken and thin slices of kafta. The luscious creme caramel here is worth trying. Al-Amar's roast chicken is well-known. It's seasoned with garlic, bay leaves and spices before roasting, and the skin is crispy. It comes to the table covered with a thin Lebanese bread, which you eat with this delicious chicken, fries, pickles and garlic sauce. The café should be doing a lot of takeaways with this roast chicken. It has a promising dessert menu as well. Try the Achtalieh, a Lebanese milk pudding with banana slices at the bottom, and ground pistachios on top that is so heavenly. Scented with rose water, it tastes like a very smooth pannacotta. The Crème Caramel gets my vote too, for its superb texture, and balanced flavours. It was not too sweet. I was wowed by the ice-cream — the pistachio one, and the vanilla ice-cream, made with vanilla bean. The strawberry sorbet was zippy, with pure fruit. It's inexpensive eating here. The appetisers are from RM10 to RM12, Chawarma RM26, Al Amar Burger RM25, Lebanese pizza RM16, whole roast chicken RM26, desserts RM12. Al-Amar Express is located in front of Fahrenheit 88, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2141-3814).

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Chelsea’s Villas-Boas heaps praise on Man United Posted: 16 Sep 2011 08:29 AM PDT LONDON, Sept 16 – Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has praised Manchester United's "impressive" start to the season but believes Sunday's clash with the Premier League champions comes at a good time. United have scored 18 goals and conceded three in picking up maximum points from their first four games with local rivals Manchester City having an almost identical record albeit having scored three goals fewer. "It's for all of us to praise when any team in the world starts a league like that," Villas-Boas (picture) told a televised new conference as he prepared to cross swords with United manager Alex Ferguson – who is more than twice his age – for the first time. "It's impressive and the fans are able to enjoy these kind of goals from Man United or Man City or any team in the world who starts a goalscoring spree like this one. It's good for all football," added the 33-year-old Portuguese. Chelsea are two points behind United and City, having dropped points on the first weekend of the season when they were held to a goalless draw at Stoke City, but Villas-Boas said he was pleased with their start under his leadership. "We're confident with what we've been doing so far. Of course we would prefer to be level on points by this date but it didn't happen. We think we had an important point at Stoke. It's early season and the Premiership is so unpredictable." Asked if his reputation was at stake on Sunday he added: "It's the fifth game of the season. I think if any manager is judged on five games... there is not something wrong with the manager there is something wrong with the people who run clubs. "We have made a good strong start in the Premiership. This game comes at a good time for us because both teams feel very motivated and feel strong so hopefully this will be enough for the spectacle to be excellent which all of us should hope for. "Normally when there is this high expectancy for a game sometimes things go the other way round and it is a boring, tactical game. "Hopefully, it won't because that's not the culture of the Premiership. I think it will be a high-intensity game fuelled by emotion," he added at Chelsea's training ground in Cobham near London. Villas-Boas was not even born when 69-year-old Ferguson began his managerial career and the Portuguese admitted he could not remember his appointment as United manager but he praised the way the Scot repeatedly developed young players. "Ferguson promotes talent, young talent, and you have a couple of good quality young players coming through from (Tom) Cleverley to (Phil) Jones to (Danny) Welbeck and Chicharito," he said. "This plays to the importance of the work he does. Sir Alex can take the best out of all his players and choose two strong starting elevens. He has been doing this throughout his life." Striker Didier Drogba will miss out as he is still recovering after a serious head injury and Michael Essien is a long-term injury victim, Both reserve goalkeepers are also struggling with knocks. "One of them will be available but Hilario picked up a big knock yesterday and went for a scan so we are trying to find the extent of the injury to his hip and Ross (Turnbull) is making a steady recovery from an injury he picked up in a reserve team game and is at 80 per cent," said Villas-Boas. – Reuters

Mancini eyes goals, goals and more goals Posted: 16 Sep 2011 07:45 AM PDT MANCHESTER, Sept 16 – Manchester City need to adopt the same merciless mentality as neighbours Manchester United and never stop attacking, coach Roberto Mancini said today. It marks a stark change in approach from Mancini, who was criticised last season for being too defensive, as his team have notched 15 goals on their way to four wins out of four in the Premier League this term. Their scintillating start has been eclipsed by neighbours United, who are top on goal difference having scored 18 including last month's 8-2 drubbing of Arsenal, but City's form may well be motivating the champions according to Mancini (picture). "When they (United) played against Arsenal, they continued to try to score, also for us we need to have this mentality," the Italian told a news conference. "If we have a game like in Tottenham when we can score we need to continue to play, play, play, to score always." City came away from Spurs with a 5-1 win on the same day that United beat Arsenal and had striker Edin Dzeko to thank for four goals. Last weekend they hammered Wigan Athletic 3-0 at home with all the goals coming from Argentina forward Sergio Aguero in a game where they squandered many other chances. Sunday's opponents Fulham will not be relishing a more attack-minded City, having lost 4-1 to them in this fixture last year in one of the visitors' most fluent performances of the season. Critics branded Mancini a bit too 'Italian' for his cautious approach to some games last term where a one-goal lead was often defended rather than built upon. His team were booed by their own supporters at times last term, while opposing fans joined in too such as at the Emirates Stadium after a 0-0 draw with Arsenal. At the time, Mancini shrugged off the accusations that his team were boring saying: "I prefer boos in the end and to go home with one point rather than with three goals in our net." Now he seems to want three goals and three points although he is realistic about whether his strikers can continue at their current rate. "I think today they play very well all the strikers," he said. "But it is impossible to score every game." They found out they would not get everything their own way when they made their Champions League debut on Wednesday against a Napoli side who defended in numbers and waited for the opportunity for a counter-attack. City had several chances to score in that game but in the end had to come from behind with an Aleksandar Kolarov free kick to draw 1-1. "We need to improve in the Champions League," Mancini said. "I'm sure in our next game in Munich (against Bayern) we will do much better than on Wednesday." – Reuters

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Historypin app lets people create a ‘time machine’ Posted: 16 Sep 2011 06:52 AM PDT BANGKOK, Sept 16 — For people who have stood at a monument or scanned a landscape — the Great Wall of China, for instance, or the US Grand Canyon — and wondered how it looked 100 or more years ago, there is now an app for you. Historypin, on iOS and Android platforms, strives to create a collection of memories about locations by counting on people to dig up and digitise old photographs and other media of the places, along with personal recollections of the past. Going back in time. — Reuters pic Combined with modern pictures and memories, the app creates a story of a place for people to enjoy — a sort of "time machine in your pocket", its backers say. "It's about people coming together to create a web of human history," said Nick Stanhope, chief executive of We Are What We Do, a United Kingdom-based non-profit organisation responsible for the Historypin project. The app uses GPS to find content that has been added within a certain vicinity. Users can also browse content that has been uploaded at any location on the map. The results can be filtered by date, ranging from the 1840s (the time of the earliest photographs) leading up to the present day. The app also includes an augmented-reality camera that overlays historic images in the database on top of the current landscape. Over 55,000 photos and stories have been pinned to the map since the website and app were introduced. One photo from 1938 shows a car being tugged across Newfoundland, Canada's Placentia Gut, by two small wooden boats, a method that was retired as soon as a bridge was built to provide a more efficient route. Another from the late 1920s shows a mother and daughter in Minnesota enjoying a laugh in front of a local school and its now defunct bell and tower. Users can create or upload content using the app. Comments can be added to existing media, helping build what the organisation hopes will become a tapestry of historic data. "We don't make any judgments on what is and isn't history," said Stanhope. "But there are judgments made on things like marketing spam or unrecognisable content." With the ubiquity of digital content today, some users are concerned that Historypin could become a dumping ground for social photos that might be a better fit for a Facebook album. "Obviously a guy falling out of a bar in Manhattan in September 2011 is not interesting in itself," said Stanhope. "But when you look at what people have done at that location over the past 200 years, it becomes interesting — and over time it becomes more interesting. If you look at people socialising or having a party 100 years ago, suddenly it's fascinating." The app, which has received over 250,000 downloads, has faced some complaints over speed and stability since it was launched. Stanhope said the organisation was providing upgrades every few weeks to deal with the issues. New tools being rolled out in January are expected to significantly increase the amount of content in the database, as are partnerships in the works with US museums. Stanhope said that future updates would include features to increase the accuracy and amount of detail attributed to content and the introduction of a rating system. The app is available worldwide on the App store and Android Marketplace. Content can also be explored through the project's website. — Reuters

Electric car hype hiding a quiet revolution Posted: 16 Sep 2011 06:22 AM PDT BERLIN, Sept 16 — Electric cars and hybrids may be capturing headlines and the imagination of green-leaning consumers around the world as one vehicle manufacturer after another announces plans to push into the brave new world of fossil fuel-free mobility. But away from the spotlight, car makers have been quietly delivering significant cuts in CO2 emissions with some re-engineering of internal combustion engines, technology advances, weight reduction and aerodynamic improvements. A 2012 Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle at a solar-powered electric charging station designed by Sunlogics in the parking lot of General Motors Co's assembly plant in Hamtramck, Michigan. — Reuters pic Increasingly stringent fuel economy standards in Europe and the United States that were mandated due to climate change concerns have been the main catalyst. Yet with rising fuel prices and a waxing awareness of global warming, consumers have also been clamouring for more fuel-efficient vehicles. "Car makers have finally gotten the message and have made a good start in making cuts in CO2 emissions but only after they were forced to," said Dorothee Saar, an industry analyst at the German Environmental Aid Association (DUH) in Berlin with the opening of the Frankfurt international car show. "Before 2008 they had only voluntary targets that were largely ignored. They're moving forward now because they know if they don't cut emissions they'll pay heavy fines. They're doing better but there is still a lot of untapped potential." In the European Union, CO2 emissions fell 3.7 per cent last year to 140 grams per kilometre after dropping 5.1 per cent in 2009. Average emissions are down from 186 grams in 1995. The EU is on track to meet a 130 grams target by 2015 set in 2008 in the face of heavy resistance. The limit will be 98 grams in 2020. In the United States, notorious around the world for its gas guzzlers, the Obama administration announced plans in August to raise fuel economy requirements by 53 per cent by 2025. The proposal requires companies to reach an average fuel efficiency across their US fleets of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. "The industry has done what they have agreed to with the CO2 reduction goals but the problem is that they are aiming at moving targets," said Philippe Houchois, car industry analyst at UBS in London. "The CO2 targets get tougher all the time. "Everyone has made good progress because they have to with the regulations," he added. "There are no obvious laggards. But as the requirements continue to move, they are going to have to sell more electric cars to be able to meet the targets." Electric cars That is an important reason why many car makers are turning to electric cars even if they now only represent a tiny slice of the global business — where about 50 million cars are sold each year. Until now only a few thousand have been electric. Even hybrids represent only a small slice of the pie so far. Out of an estimated one billion vehicles on the roads worldwide, only 47 million alternative vehicles are running as hybrids, on hydrogen or electric power, according to a recent report by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. Electric cars, a key part of a low-carbon economy, have been on the minds of consumers with a green consciousness for years. Green is a major theme at the Frankfurt Car Show, with an entire building — Hall 4 — devoted to electric mobility. "Never before have the stars of the Frankfurt Car Show been so revolutionary, so green, so efficient, so quiet and so super clean as in 2011," wrote Bild am Sonntag newspaper. But there are still many hurdles preventing electric cars from becoming a more common sight on the roads — in particular high battery costs, limited range and infrastructure. Tesla Motors made a splash in 2004 with its battery-powered Roadster while Mitsubishi's i MiEV and Nissan's Leaf followed. Nissan with its French partner Renault has sold 8,500 Leaf cars since it was launched in December 2010. Plug-in hybrids, such as the Chevrolet Volt — also known as the Opel Ampera — entered markets in late 2010. Ford will introduce its C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid in 2013. Toyota has said it will begin selling a Prius-based plug-in hybrid in 2012. Daimler and BMW have been field testing electric cars. But battery-powered vehicles will likely remain only a small niche as long as batteries make the car prices prohibitively expensive. Why would anyone in their right mind pay more for a car that might run out of power in the middle of nowhere? "The limitations of the electric cars right now are all well known," said Houchois. "They will not be replacing combustion engines anytime soon. A lot of people aren't going to replace their cars with electric cars. The industry is reluctant too. Every electric car you sell is a combustion car you don't sell." Analysts and industry officials expect it to take another three to five years at least for battery technology and infrastructure to improve to a point that "range anxiety" disappears and electric cars can hope for market shares in the low single digits. The Boston Consulting Group forecast there will be just 1.5 million fully electric cars worldwide in 2020. Cars are responsible for about 10 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which most scientists believe are responsible for climate change that could lead to rising sea levels, more powerful storms, droughts and floods. Governments are thus under pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many have ramped up spending, devoting billions to develop electric cars, batteries and recharging infrastructures. Many offer tax credits and other incentives for electric cars, which if recharged with renewable energy have zero emissions. The German government in May set a goal of having have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2020, and doubled federal research spending on electric vehicles to €2 billion (RM8.5 billion) over the next two years. Cutting emissions So with the heat on, it is no wonder that vehicle manufacturers have focused on cutting emissions. BMW got an early start even before EU fuel efficiency standards were mandated. The Munich car maker launched its "efficient dynamics" programme to cut emissions in 2007. Its overall fleet average in 2006 was 186 grams of CO2 per km but was cut to 148 grams by 2010. It was not any single major breakthrough that helped reduce emissions by some 20 per cent in four years but rather a series of small, unremarkable changes to the engine, the aerodynamics and components along with the introduction of a stop-start button, air vent control and brake energy regeneration. BMW officials are proud to point out that, despite the reduced emissions, engine performance was maintained, with a fleet average in Germany of 139 kilowatts (or 188 PS). The German dream of building a "3-litre car" — a vehicle that can travel 100km on 3 litres of fuel — has gone from a far-fetched fantasy to near reality. BMW's 2012 116d model with 116 PS needs 3.8 litres per 100km and emits 99 grams of CO2 — down from its 2011 model with 4.5 litres and 118 grams. Technology advances have helped car makers reduce emissions without sacrificing performance. Helping make engines more efficient are suppliers such as Honeywell, whose turbo-chargers increase the air entering engines. Alex Ismail, CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems, said turbo-chargers can boost fuel economy by 20 per cent for petrol cars and 40 per cent for diesel. "Tightening fuel economy and emission standards worldwide, coupled with consumer demand for affordable and more fuel efficient vehicles have automakers looking to increase turbo charging," Ismail told Reuters via email in response to a query. "Despite the buzz around electric vehicles, it's clear that automakers are looking primarily at turbo-charged engines to help quickly green their fleets and meet the regulatory targets." — Reuters

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Paul McCartney posts wedding banns in London Posted: 16 Sep 2011 05:22 AM PDT Paul McCartney (L) and Nancy Shevell arrive for the fifth anniversary celebration of 'The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil' show at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in this file photo of June 8, 2011. McCartney posted wedding banns this week at Westminster Register Office in Marylebone, central London. – Reuters pic LONDON, Sept 16 – Former Beatle Paul McCartney posted wedding banns this week at Westminster Register Office in Marylebone, central London. The banns allow McCartney to marry New York business woman Nancy Shevell any time 16 days after the Sept 14 posting at the Register offices. It will be McCartney's third marriage. Shevell, 51, who is divorced, and McCartney, 69, are believed to have begun dating after the Fab Four singer's bitter split with second wife, former model Heather Mills. The banns list the couple as "James Paul McCartney" and "Nancy Shevell" and say he has had a previous marriage dissolved. He gives his profession as "business executive" and his multi-millionaire future wife is listed as an "executive". McCartney was happily married for 29 years to American photographer Linda Eastman until her death of breast cancer in 1998. He said at the time that he and Linda had spent just 11 nights apart during their marriage. McCartney's partnership with John Lennon in The Beatles in 1960s Britain produced some of the most famous and enduring pop songs of the past 50 years. The "Long and Winding Road" singer has five children – four from his marriage to Linda Eastman, and one from his brief union with Mills. Shevell has a teenage daughter. – Reuters

‘Captain America’ finds an audience in China Posted: 16 Sep 2011 04:15 AM PDT HONG KONG, Sept 16 – The Chinese film industry has thrown up a few surprises this week, not least of which has been the way local audiences have warmed to a production many doubted they would ever see. Captain America: The First Avenger picked up 32 million yuan (RM15.37 million) over its opening weekend in China, according to Marvel Studios, and while no other box office figures for other releases have been made available, that's pretty impressive for a film with a name deemed so potentially sensitive that its makers offered to dump the Captain America for fear of putting off foreign audiences. There's also the matter of political sensitivities in a country known for its own fierce patriotism – a point which also makes the Chinese government's apparent enthusiasm for the latest blockbuster to come out of Taiwan even more puzzling. Warriors of Rainbow: Seediq Bale – the Taiwanese production which made its world premiere at the just-finished Venice Film Festival – not only collected more than NT$140 million (RM14.52 million) over its opening weekend, it could also be in line for a mainland China release. According to media reports in Taiwan, a spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said they were "willing to make it happen", a move rather unexpected given the political tensions that have historically existed between the two nations and, of course, considering the film's subject matter. Seediq follows a native Taiwanese uprising against the Japanese in the 1930s and has touched a nationalist nerve in the island nation, which is set for a presidential election in January. Local productions fared best in Asia's two other largest film markets over the past week. In Japan, the odd-couple cop flick Tantei wa bar ni iru (The Detective is in the Bar) made US$2.2 million (RM6.80 million) over its opening weekend while South Korea remained in the thrall of the war epic Choijongbyunggi Hwal (The Last Weapon) which took in US$3 million (RM9.27 million) for a four-week grab now of more than US$36 million. There was a touch of local flavour, at least, to the box office champ in Hong Kong, too. Steven Soderbergh's sneeze-and-you'll-snuff-it thriller Contagion was partly shot and set in Hong Kong, and the city seems to have recovered well enough from its own recent health scares not to worry about the subject matter, as reflected in the US$394,758 the film picked up to top the charts. – AFP

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Malaysia coming of age, at last! Really? Posted: 15 Sep 2011 09:02 PM PDT SEPT 16 — The prime minister's Malaysia Day speech last night evoked the kind of hope and excitement the country has dreamt for. Indeed, it has been a long time coming for Malaysia. For a long-standing government to dismantle draconian laws that have literally secured and safeguarded it in power is in fact very commendable and laudable. Arguably, he deserves to be congratulated for critical reforms that are long overdue anyway. Putting it on record, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has announced that he is repealing the Internal Security Act 1960, the Banishment Act 1959 and the three emergency proclamations will be finally annulled. Najib also wants to amend the obnoxious Printing Presses and Publication Act 1948. The Restricted Residence Act 1933 and the law against assembly in public places i.e. Police Act (section 27) would be reviewed to allow for free assembly. Citizens would no longer, presumably, be apprehended for their political conviction or criminalised for expressing their socio-political conviction, as witnessed in the Bersih2.0 peaceful assembly. It must be made categorically clear that I am not against Najib on these reforms. Any intention for reform, by anybody, let alone the premier, must be accorded its credit. It would be both silly and unbecoming of me to reject his good intention. I have stated it earlier that the rakyat have long waited for this. But a response in the tweet that I immediately got, when I commended Najib for his reforms while watching him speak last was: do you really believe in what he says? I tweeted back by reminding the guy that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". Perhaps that appeased him for a while and that is exactly what I want to share in this piece. Much as I would like to join the chorus of praises or accord him a standing ovation, I hasten to add that I want to take all these announcements with a lot of salt. I want to reserve my support and accolades for him. A relentless optimist though, as I have claimed to be on numerous occasions, I want to be conditionally elated by these as they are coming on the back of a looming general election (GE) — a GE that is about the toughest for a government that has overstayed its welcome, hence understandably enough of the gracious efforts on the part of the power-that-be. Having campaigned so strongly for Najib to initiate genuine reforms as prerequisites to the efforts of propelling the nation to greater heights and competitiveness, why am I not rejoicing, you may want to ask. Wasn't it the case that I took pains to make Najib understand the demands of new politics in my various critiques including my "An open letter to the 1 Malaysia PM" (January 16, 2010)? Now that Najib has openly declared his reform measures, you might want to know why am I getting cynical and turned a sceptic? My rationale for taking this stance is quite straight forward. As I have stated earlier of the "proof in the pudding is in the eating", I now seriously want to see Najib taking this through. But Najib's two years at the helm have been arguably far from satisfactory. Most disheartening is his obvious penchant for flip-flopping. For all his forte for big-sounding rhetoric, the bottomline is, the citizenry couldn't escape noticing his indecisiveness, his lack of steadfastness and will to see through all his well-intended promises and vision.   The list is a long one. It has become more pronounced of late. The latest is the polemical six per cent service tax on prepaid phone users. His flip-flopping on the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) was more disastrous, caustically criticised by none other than the late Dr Zainal Aznam and Professor Mohd Ariff of MIER, both astute economists. His flip-flopping on Bersih2.0 was even more fatal and unforgivable. His indecisiveness and non-action on racial slurs, religious bigotry, endemic cronyism and the yawning income gap are, at best, depressing and, at worst, deplorable. It conjures emptiness, shallowness and distrust to his oft-repeated rhetoric of 1 Malaysia and sweet promises of inclusiveness and "prosperity for all" through a high-performing economy and high-income. Against this backdrop of inaction and non-performance, how could Najib expect us to believe that his well-meaning reforms will see the light of the day and finally come to fruition? On the one hand, it cannot be denied that Najib has perhaps stolen a march on the opposition which has been pressing for such reforms. Najib might go down in history as the prime minister who repealed the diabolical ISA. But after all the vehement reasons and rationale for having it continued all these years after the emergency era, would it go down well with his own party, especially warlords like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and not the least with the right-wing Perkasa that has been outsourced by his party to defend such undemocratic laws. Is Najib fully aware of the entire ramifications and implications of his pronouncements on his party, the length and breadth of it and not the least on the entire rakyat and the nation, both legally and politically? Considerable research into this is certainly warranted to fathom the far-reaching implications. Is Najib willing to correct the many wrongs of those detained without trial? Is Najib willing to stand by the standard required by the abolition of all those laws that have given the power-that-be inequitable advantage to stifle press freedom, right to peaceful assembly and usurping the right to democratic and bona fide dissent by the rakyat and political parties? Najib and his party have a lot of "eating humble pie" to do as they have rigorously argued for all these draconian laws to be perpetuated once upon a time or rather for a long time indeed. Will his party accept Najib "political moves" seating down? Will his party condone and admit all the sins of omissions and commissions of these draconian laws? Are they willing to stand trial, now? Incidentally, the minister in charge of internal affairs of the country and its domestic security, whatever that might now mean to anyone, had vigorously denied any reform to the ISA, right to the last hour before the speech delivered by his good cousin, the PM. We are also rudely reminded that despite the strongest mandate enjoyed by Pak Lah after the 11th GE of April 2004, none of the reforms he set out to do materialised. It would be in keeping with the reform agenda of Najib that he seriously considers amending the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) that has stifled intellectual freedom and perpetuated mediocrity. It is also to eliminate the shackles of fear that has undermined students' development, leadership and creativity.  Perhaps it is high time to similarly put in place an Act that secures access to information, a prerequisite to an empowering society that additionally will be the ultimate check to the endemic corruption at all levels of society. It would be extremely naïve on my part to now argue that Najib is doing all these for the conviction he has, albeit latently, that these draconian laws are in contravention to civil liberty and diametrically opposed to fundamental human rights. Has Najib become suddenly enlightened? Hence, it goes without saying that Najib has perhaps stolen a march on the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, as it was PR that had been pressing passionately for such reforms. It might be presumptuous on my part to say that he is doing all these for his political survival and expediency, but everyone knows that I'm not far off. Regardless, let us take him on, at face value, and give him the chance to prove himself. However, one can't help but ask, should he win a resounding victory at the next GE, what is there to prevent Najib and BN from reinstituting similar laws? That would be the greatest folly of Najib and Umno-BN! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Somewhere only we know Posted: 15 Sep 2011 05:47 PM PDT SEPT 16 — Somewhere along our journey as a nation, we forgot why we set out to travel together in the first place.  Where once our society was the embodiment of tolerance and mutual respect, we are today broken, polarised and racially tense. Simple things like sitting down to eat together or even picking a place to dine are now sensitive matters.  Let's not even try to say anything yet directly on race and religion. So, while some things have changed, some have still stayed the same — and both not necessarily for the better. We still hear Malaysians referring to our country as "Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak." I've personally been in a conversation with a taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur who, upon knowing I was from Sarawak, proceeded to ask politely if I "visited Malaysia often."  Talk about 48 years of marriage and not knowing your spouse. Is it any wonder that some are asking if this is a marriage worth saving? As a Sarawakian involved in the MyConstitution Campaign who's had the wonderful opportunity this past year to interact with so many Malaysians from all over the country, I can tell you the typical responses I've heard when the topic of Sabah and Sarawak crops up in our discussions.   From the older generations in Sabah and Sarawak, I tend to hear laments of despair. "How did we become like this today?" "Things used to be better, everyone got along with everyone else." From younger Malaysians, two very different and opposing views. On the one hand (and usually from the Sabahans and Sarawakians): "We should get out of the Federation. Be free, make it on our own. We have the resources after all. Leave all this petty politics to the Orang Semenanjung. It's all their doing anyway" versus the Peninsular Malaysians' "Why do you have all these special protections? Shouldn't all states be equal in Malaysia? Why do you Sabahans and Sarawakians have additional privileges that the rest of us Malaysians don't have?" Sadly, in all our national campaigns to promote patriotism, none actually does anything to foster deeper and meaningful relations — and by that I mean real understanding — between our two states and the peninsula. Ironically, most if not all of these campaigns are antitheses to everything that Malaysia was supposed to represent.  The catch-cry of all these campaigns — Satu Bangsa, Satu Bahasa, Satu Negara — is on the face of it, noble. But look closely and you'll realise that simplicity comes at the cost of diversity. Because what we have in the end is the promotion of a unitary state and the creation of a people with a singular identity.  Surely, these are things we're not. And these are certainly not what Sabah and Sarawak envisioned when we agreed to form Malaysia with Malaya and Singapore in 1963.  My own state, for example, has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups whereas Sabah has 32. Each one of these groups has its own culture, language and lifestyle. Add to this already rich myriad of colours our different religions and our peoples' political affiliations and personal aspirations, and you begin to get an idea of the diversity that our two states contribute to the Malaysian landscape.  More beautiful of course was how all these different things came together and fit seamlessly. So, from the very outset of our negotiations going into the Malaysia project, we knew that diversity was our asset. And yet, it was a fragile thing — easily shattered and easily lost — something that had to be protected. These concerns were foremost on the minds of our representatives and in their consultations with the Cobbold Commission and later the Inter-Governmental Committee in 1962 to 1963 leading to the formation of Malaysia, they made sure that in the final compromise of power between the incoming central government and the two state governments of Sabah and Sarawak — adequate protections would be in place to safeguard them. For instance, in the matter of immigration, we were worried that there would be a mass migration of people from Malaya and Singapore into our sparsely populated states and that this would adversely affect our local communities. As a compromise, the federal government gave up some of its powers over immigration and border control to us. These enabled us to retain control over who could come here to live and work. Religion was also a concern. It was agreed that although the religion of the federation should be Islam, there would be no state religion in Sabah and Sarawak. In education, we knew frequent and hasty changes were bad, and so, although education would be a federal responsibility, its direction and control in our states would belong to our governments. We also felt strongly that the natives of states be accorded the same special position as the Malays in Malaya. Hence provisions were made to ensure that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as Head of the Federation be tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding this position by reserving licences, permits, scholarships, places in universities and our public service in allocations that His Royal Highness deemed as reasonable.  The federal government ceded its own powers to us in order that we be able to raise our own revenue through fees and taxes, make our own state laws with regards to native and customary matters. Sabah and Sarawak are also excluded from national land policies so that we chart our own plans for development. These are just a few of the powers, specific to Sabah and Sarawak, that would become enshrined under Part XIIA of the new Federal Constitution of Malaysia and also in other federal laws. They afforded us a certain degree of autonomy over our own affairs and allowed us to progress socially, economically and politically at a pace of our own choosing. While I may have explained how and to some degree justified why these protections for Sabah and Sarawak came about, what I really wanted to write about was nothing more than a reminder of what we once had.  This 48th Malaysia Day, as we ponder once more the meaning of real integration and unity, perhaps we can move forward by first looking back to a time when we had a government that knew how to give and take, exercised mutual respect, consultation and compromise for the greater good of the country.  The special protections our two states continue to enjoy today are proof of that.  And perhaps also those who seek to promote national unity take a look at Sabah and Sarawak.  Forget that myopic version of us as a country of three main races and one national language. Instead, understand the simplest truth all of us should embrace in the cause of nation-building: In diversity, we find strength. Isn't that why we're all on this journey together? I look at the clock. It's ten past one in the morning.  And yes, it's Malaysia Day. 2011. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Suhakam: Najib perlu bentuk panel khas Parlimen jamin hak asasi Posted: 16 Sep 2011 02:17 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Sept — Suhakam menggesa pentadbiran Najib menubuhkan jawatankuasa pilihan khas Parlimen mengenai hak asasi manusia bagi memperkukuhkan proses demokrasi berparlimen selari dengan beberapa inisiatif pembaharuan politik yang diumumkan semalam. Pengerusinya Tan Sri Hasmy Agam berkata, Suhakam mengharapkan komitmen berterusan Putrajaya dan tanpa henti ke arah perlindungan dan promosi hak asasi rakyat, yang sememangnya menjadi tanggungjawab kerajaan. Sehubungan itu kata Hasmy, suruhanjaya berpuas hati dengan langkah terkini yang diambil oleh kerajaan dan ingin memuji Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak atas keputusan yang penuh sejarah dan berani untuk melupuskan Ordinan Darurat, Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) dan undang-undang terhad yang lain yang telah lama dituntut dan dinanti-nantikan rakyat, dan telah digesa secara berterusan pihaknya sejak lebih 10 tahun lalu. "Pengumuman yang amat dialu-alukan ini tiba tepat pada masanya untuk semua rakyat Malaysia meraikan Hari Malaysia dan merupakan langkah positif ke arah peningkatan keseluruhan keadaan hak asasi manusia di negara ini. "Ia merupakan semangat pendekatan 1 Malaysia yang diilhamkan Perdana Menteri sendiri dan selaras dengan ikrar untuk mengkaji semula secara komprehensif ISA apabila beliau memegang jawatan pada 2009," kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. Hasmy berkata Suhakam berharap pengumuman semalam akan dapat dilaksanakan secepat mungkin, dan dengan itu mengarak ke satu era baru untuk Malaysia dalam ia melangkah ke arah menjadi sebuah negara maju pada 2020 dan meletakkan ia di kalangan barisan negara-negara yang menghormati, melindungi dan mempromosi segala aspek hak asasi manusia secara bersungguh-sungguh dan konsisten. "Selaras dengan hala tuju baru bagi negara ini, berdasarkan pengiktirafan realiti masa dan keperluan, aspirasi dan kebijaksanaan rakyat, Suhakam amatlah berharap agar Kerajaan akan mengadakan usaha baru yang lebih fokus ke arah penyertaan kepada instrumen-instrumen teras hak asasi manusia, yang mana Malaysia telah hanya ratifikasi tiga, dengan reservasi," kata beliau. Katanya, dalam menggubal mana-mana undang-undang baru dan perlu yang berkaitan dengan keselamatan negara, Suhakam juga mahu kerajaan agar memastikan undang-undang ini bukan sahaja mematuhi Perlembagaan Persekutuan tetapi juga prinsip-prinsip dan norma-norma hak asasi manusia antarabangsa, khususnya sebagaimana yang termaktub dalam Perisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat, yang Malaysia berkewajipan untuk menegakkannya sebagai anggota Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) dan Majlis Hak Asasi Manusia. Dalam perutusan khas sempena Hari Malaysia semalam, Najib mengumumkan bahawa ISA akan dimansuhkan dan dua undang-undang baru yang sesuai akan digubal bagi memelihara keamanan, kesejahteraan, kesentosaan serta kerukunan hidup rakyat dan negara. Katanya, dua undang-undang baru akan digubal di bawah "semangat serta payung" Perkara 149 Perlembagaan Persekutuan bagi mencegah perbuatan subversif, keganasan terancang dan perbuatan jenayah. Perdana Menteri menegaskan bahawa undang-undang baru itu akan memperuntukkan tempoh tahanan polis yang lebih pendek daripada yang dijalankan pada masa ini. Kerajaan juga menjamin bahawa mana-mana individu tidak akan ditahan semata-mata hanya kerana ideologi politik. Perdana Menteri turut mengumumkan bahawa kerajaan memansuhkan Akta Buang Negeri 1959 di samping akan mengkaji semula beberapa undang-undang lain bagi memastikan ia memenuhi kehendak semasa. Kajian semula komprehensif ini akan melibatkan Akta Kediaman Terhad 1933 dan Akta Mesin Cetak dan Penerbitan 1984 di mana prinsip pembaharuan tahunan akan dihapuskan dan digantikan dengan pengeluaran lesen sehingga dibatalkan. Kerajaan juga akan mengkaji semula Seksyen 27 Akta Polis 1967 dengan mengambil kira peruntukan Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan tentang kebebasan berhimpun dengan prinsip menentang sekeras-kerasnya demonstrasi jalanan. Beliau juga berkata kebenaran berhimpun akan diberi selaras dengan kaedah-kaedah yang akan ditetapkan kelak dengan mengambil kira norma-norma di peringkat antarabangsa.

ISA: Saya minta maaf pada Najib, kata Zaid Posted: 16 Sep 2011 01:39 AM PDT [unable to retrieve full-text content]KOTA BARU, 16 Sept — Bekas menteri Kabinet Datuk Zaid Ibrahim memohon maaf kepada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak kerana suatu ketika dahulu beliau tidak pernah yakin dengan keupayaan Najib untuk melakukan sesuatu termasuk memansuhkan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA). Zaid berkata ternyata pandangan beliau terhadap Najib adalah meleset ...

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