Rabu, 7 Disember 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Real Madrid helps send Ajax out

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST

Real' Gonzalo Higuain celebrates a goal against Ajax during their Champions League match at the Amsterdam Arena stadium December 7, 2011. — Reuters pic

AMSTERDAM, Dec 8 — Real Madrid secured a 3-0 win over Ajax Amsterdam yesterday, their sixth consecutive victory in Champions League Group D, to leave the Dutch club in misery as they missed qualification for the knock-out phase.

Ajax ended the night level on eight points with Olympique Lyon, 7-1 winners at Dinamo Zagreb, but were overtaken by the French side on goal difference.

Real opened the scoring after 14 minutes when a pass from Kaka beat the Amsterdam offside trap and put Jose Callejon in a scoring position.

Ajax, who needed only a draw and started with a seven goal advantage over Lyon, were unlucky when first half goals by Nicolas Lodeiro and Vurnon Anita were ruled offside.

Four minutes before the interval Real's Karim Benzema set up Gonzalo Higuain to double the lead and in the second half only Sulejmani came close to bringing his side back in the match when his curved shot hit the bar. Callejon made it 3-0 for Real in stoppage time.

"We were so close and if you go out like this it tastes bitter," Ajax coach Frank de Boer told NOS-TV.

"I noticed some tension in my team in the opening phase but after the opening goal we did well and scored two good goals which were wrongly disallowed.

"It should have been 2-2 at halftime as we were not worse than Real who didn't really play with everything they've got." — Reuters

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Manchester misery as Basel, Napoli advance

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 02:55 PM PST

Manchester City's Vincent Kompany reacts during their Champions League match against Bayern in Manchester, December 7, 2011. — Reuters pic

LONDON, Dec 8 — Manchester United and Manchester City suffered ignominious Champions League exits on Wednesday as Basel, Olympique Lyon, Napoli and CSKA Moscow grabbed the last four spots in the knockout round.

Needing victory over last year's runners-up in their jam-packed St Jakob-Park stadium, Basel battled to a 2-1 win to jump ahead of United into second place in Group C and send the English champions into the Europa League.

City, running riot at the top of the Premier League, beat already-qualified Bayern Munich 2-0 in their final Group A match but it proved in vain for the competition's newcomers as Napoli won 2-0 at Villarreal to grab second place.

Like French rivals Marseille the previous night, Lyon produced the most stunning turnaround as they thrashed Dynamo Zagreb 7-1 away to snatch second place in Group D from Ajax who lost 3-0 at home to Real Madrid.

Lyon, for whom Batefimbi Gomis scored four times, and Ajax finished on eight points and level on head to head after two 0-0 draws between the sides, but the French side's onslaught in Croatia meant they squeezed through on a better goal difference.

Russian's CSKA began the evening bottom of Group B but their 2-1 victory at already-qualified Inter Milan meant they rose to second after Lille and Trabzonspor played out a 0-0 draw in northern France when victory for either team would have put them into the first knockout round.

Basel enjoyed one of the greatest nights in their history as United failed to reach the knockout stage for only the third time in 17 attempts.

Marco Streller struck in the ninth minute to put the hosts ahead and Alexander Frei scored late in the second half before United pulled one back through Phil Jones to set up a nerve-jangling finale to a gripping clash.

Benfica secured top spot in the group with a 1-0 victory over Romanians Otelul Galati.

Second-half goals by Gokhan Inler and Marek Hamsik were enough to secure Napoli's passage at the expense of Manchester City, the Italians finishing on 11 points to the 10 of City who will join United in the Europa League.

Chelsea, Olympique Marseille and Zenit St Petersburg booked their last-16 berths on Tuesday to join Bayern Munich, Inter, Benfica, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, APOEL Nicosia and AC Milan in next week's draw. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

104-year-old HK media mogul Run Run Shaw to retire

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:57 AM PST

Hong Kong media mogul Run Run Shaw attends the presentation ceremony of the Shaw Prize 2006, an international award for scientists in three areas of research, in Hong Kong in this file photo of September 12, 2006 file photo. Shaw will retire as chairman of TVB at the end of 2011. – Reuters pic

HONG KONG, Dec 7 – Media mogul Run Run Shaw, the 104-year old chairman of Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB) , Hong Kong's biggest TV operator, will retire as chairman at the end of this year, the company said today.

Shaw, who created a media empire in Asia spanning from movies to TV, will be appointed chairman emeritus of TVB after he relinquishes his post as chairman, a post he has held for 30 years, TVB said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Shaw, who set up Hong Kong's biggest free-to-air television operator TVB in 1967, will be replaced by deputy chairman Norman Leung, who will assume chairmanship on Jan. 1, 2012, the company said.

"Sir Run Run Shaw has confirmed that he has no disagreement with the board, and that he is not aware of any matter relating to his retirement that needs to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the company," TVB said.

Shaw was born in 1907 in Ningbo, in the Chinese province of Zhejiang.

The statement came after Hong Kong markets closed. Today, TVB's shares ended 1.3 per cent lower, lagging the main Hang Seng Index's 1.6 per cent rise. – Reuters

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Hollywood conjures up Harry Potter theme park

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:05 AM PST

Smoke filters through Hogwarts Castle during the grand opening celebration for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Studio Resort in Orlando, Florida in this file photo of June 16, 2010. Another Hogwarts Castle is coming up in Hollywood with the creation of a Harry Potter theme park to be built at the Universal Studios Hollywood site. – Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Dec 7 – Harry Potter is going Hollywood with a new theme park based at Universal Studios that will feature a Hogwarts Castle as its centrepiece alongside rollercoasters and other rides.

NBCUniversal and film studio Warner Bros yesterday unveiled "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," which will be built at the Universal Studios Hollywood site with attractions that are similar to the money-spinning Potter theme park opened in June 2010 at Universal's resort in Orlando, Florida.

The new theme park could take 3-4 years to construct and is likely to cost several hundred million dollars but will create more than 1,000 jobs and is expected to boost tourism to the Los Angeles area, officials said.

The two companies – Universal runs the theme parks and Warner Bros. owns the rights to the "Harry Potter" movies – also said the "Wizarding World" in Florida would be expanded.

Toasting yesterday's announcement with mugs of "Butterbeer", officials said the Hollywood park will be centred around a huge Hogwarts castle and feature rides and other attractions based on the adventures of the popular British boy wizard and his friends who use sorcery to battle evil.

Author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" book series have sold some 450 million copies worldwide and the eight movies from the Warner Bros. studios have taken more than US$7.7 billion (RM24.07 billion) at global box-offices, making the films the largest-grossing franchise in history.

With its "Dragon's Challenge" rollercoaster and life-size model of the Hogwarts Express train, the 20-acre "Wizarding World" park in Orlando has proved a huge success with fans. It drew more than 7 million visitors in its first year and boosted NBC Universal's theme park revenue by 33 per cent to US$1.5 billion for the first nine months of 2011, according to company results.

Officials did not say how many of the Florida rides would make their way to the Hollywood park, nor did they say if any new rides were envisaged. But they did say the new attraction would be created with the same commitment to authenticity with the books and movies as the one in Florida.

Warner Bros. chairman Barry Meyer called yesterday's announcement "probably the best holiday gift we could give to the legions of Harry Potter fans worldwide."

"Everyone involved with these projects is committed to continuing the enchantment of J.K. Rowling's masterful books as they were brought to life on screen in our eight films and dedicated to extending the magic of the experience for generations of fans to come," Meyer said.

The expansion of the Potter franchise follows Walt Disney's Co's announcement in September of a theme park based on the 2009 film "Avatar" – the highest-grossing single movie in history.

Work on the "Avatar" park is due to begin in 2013 in a section of Disney World in Orlando, with plans for other locations in the future. – Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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World heading for 3.5 C warming, climate talks told

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:59 AM PST

Scientists warn 3.5 C would badly worsen droughts, flood and storms and affect sea levels, spelling famine and homelessness for tens of millions. — Reuters file pic

DURBAN, Dec 7 — Current pledges for curbing carbon emissions will doom the world to global warming of 3.5 C, massively overshooting the UN target of 2 C, researchers reported at the climate talks here yesterday.

Output of heat-trapping carbon gases is rising so fast that governments have only four years left to avert a massive extra bill for meeting the two degrees Celsius target, they said.

"The current pledges are heading towards a global emissions pathway that will take warming to 3.5 C goal," according to an estimate issued by a consortium of German researchers.

The world is on a "high-warming, high-cost, high-risk pathway," they said.

The report, compiled by Climate Analytics and Ecofys, which are German firms that specialise in carbon data, was issued on the sidelines of the 194-nation UN talks in Durban. The 12-day conference runs until Friday.

The 2 C goal, initiated at the stormy Copenhagen Summit of 2009, was enshrined at last year's conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with a less feasible target of 1.5 C.

Accompanying these objectives is a roster of pledges by nation-states about what they intend to do to rein in their emissions.

The promises mark the first time that all countries have been coaxed into declaring specific carbon-curbing actions.

But the measures are not subject to any international compliance regime and do not incur any penalties if they are not met.

The report said current pledges would lead to global emissions in 2020 of 55 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) or its equivalent in 2020. This is 11 billion tonnes above the 44 billion tonnes consistent with meeting the 2 C objective smoothly.

As a result, costs in energy efficiency and switching to cleaner power will rise very sharply after 2020 in order to recover lost headway. Global emissions would have to fall by 3.8 per cent annually from 2020 to 2050, using 2000 as the benchmark year per year.

But this effort would be roughly halved, to two per cent, if action to brake emissions growth is initiated within the next three years to bring the tally back on line to 44 billion tonnes by 2020.

The figures carried in the report concur with similar estimates, published last month by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Scientists caution that 2 C is no guarantee of a safe haven against climate change and consider 3.5 C to be an extremely dangerous scenario.

It would badly worsen droughts, flood and storms and affect sea levels, spelling famine and homelessness for tens of millions.

Already, 0.8 C of the 2 C has occurred since the start of the Industrial Revolution, when coal — followed by oil and gas — powered the rise to prosperity. — AFP/Relaxnews

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Pearl Harbour veteran recalls attack

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:43 AM PST

The USS Nevada is aground and burning off Waipio Point, after the end of the Japanese air raid on December 7, 1941. — Reuters pic

HONOLULU, Dec 7 — Seventy years ago Navy veteran Lou Gore was startled by the muffled thuds of explosions and a burst of commotion while cleaning up below deck on the USS Phoenix, a cruiser docked at Pearl Harbour.

Hurrying topside, the 18-year-old seaman first-class was confronted by pandemonium — flames shooting skyward, roiling clouds of acrid smoke, swarms of fighter-bombers buzzing low overhead.

Gore is one of 100 aging Pearl Harbour survivors who will attend ceremonies today on Oahu marking the 70th anniversary of the Japanese air and naval assault. — Reuters pic

Within moments that Sunday morning, it became clear that the US Pacific fleet was under attack. Gore and others jumped into action and began firing back with anti-aircraft guns.

"We didn't know (at first) those were Japanese planes," Gore, now 88, said. "We didn't know what was happening. I just did my job."

He is one of 100 Pearl Harbour survivors who will attend ceremonies today on Oahu marking the 70th anniversary of the Japanese assault that claimed 2,390 US lives and drew the US into World War Two.

Nearly half of those who perished were sailors aboard the battleship USS Arizona, which Japanese torpedo bombers sank early in the attack, killing 1,177 of its 1,400-member crew.

Seven of the last known 18 survivors from Arizona's crew are expected to attend the anniversary ceremonies.

Gore's vessel, the Phoenix, was anchored a short distance from the stretch of harbour known as Battleship Row, where the Arizona was moored when it was hit.

"I'll never forget watching the ... USS Arizona battleship jumping up out of the water, landing and rolling on its side," Gore said. "There were bodies everywhere."

Long after the two-hour surprise attack had ended, he said the base remained on edge.

An aerial view of "Battleship Row" at Pearl Harbour, photographed from a Japanese aircraft, on December 7, 1941. — Reuters pic

"Everyone was keyed up. After the attack, at night, it wasn't safe to be out. People were shooting at shadows."

The Phoenix was among a handful of vessels that emerged unscathed from the attack that left 1,178 people wounded, sank or heavily damaged a dozen US warships and destroyed 323 aircraft.

Veterans, relatives and dignitaries will observe a moment of silence today at the time when the attack began, as military jets soar overhead. The morning service will end with a "walk of honour" by more than 100 Pearl Harbour Survivors and other World War Two veterans.

The turnout of Pearl Harbour veterans is expected to be about half of what it was last year. Mal Middlesworth, former president of the National Pearl Harbour Survivors Association and publisher of the Pearl Gram newsletter, estimates there are about 2,700 Pearl Harbour veterans still alive.

For Gore, of Seattle, this week marks his first visit to Hawaii since the 1960s. He remained in the Navy for 30 years.

"I'm grateful to still be alive. So many lost their lives for no reason," he said. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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One citizen’s wish-list

Posted: 06 Dec 2011 04:15 PM PST

DEC 7 — Dear YBs,

I hope that you are all in good health. I write to you as an ordinary Malaysian citizen who wants to see this country back in its glory.

I know it is hard to believe but we are not the only ones who determine the rise and fall of Malaysia. You too have a role to play. You are after all our "leaders", no?

In the spirit of Christmas and New Year's, I've decided to be a good citizen by helping to make your wish come true. I'm not exactly sure what they are, but people have been telling me that you really want to win the next general election.

I wanted to buy you reading materials as presents to improve your leadership skills, but as my purchasing power is small, and whatever's left of my salary goes to paying your salaries, building bigger palaces, hiring expensive economic consultants, I was not able to buy so many books.

But in the spirit of a true blue Malaysian I've decided to write you a list of what we Malaysians want before the next general election. This is after all a win-win situation.

You grant our wishes, and we may just grant you yours.

Besides, I don't think you keep books for company anymore.

1. Read more please

There is a reason why those who read more get better jobs. They make good, solid, well thought out and impressive statements. Have you listened to the statements your colleagues made in the last few weeks?

MCA, for instance, does not wish to allow Malaysians abroad to vote, questioning their loyalty and relevance to the future of Malaysia.

Is that how we measure loyalty these days? To be physically present in Malaysia? Does that mean the Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Indonesians here are more loyal than our citizens working, studying abroad?

Maybe we should make it compulsory for our YBs to sit for an IQ test before running for office?

2. Get rid of corruption

Perception is everything in politics. You may be squeaky clean but it doesn't matter if the people believe otherwise. Please remove your Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers who appear to be corrupt.

It is guilty until proven innocent in public office. Can't accept that? Well, you can always resign and let someone else take over.

3. Be fair

Please avoid double standards when awarding contracts or meting out punishments. I read in The Star that civil servants who cause the government to lose money due to their negligence will be made to repay a portion of the lost revenue and they may even be sacked.

What about politicians, ex-prime ministers, deputy prime ministers, ministers, the heads of GLCs? Don't they need to repay the lost revenues too? We have yet to forget about Port Klang Free Zone or the double tracking rail project when we were served with the latest lembu fiasco.

4. Learn these phrases

Please look up a dictionary and familiarise yourself with these terms:

i) Conflict of interest

Father, mother, husband, wife, sons-in-law should not benefit or be seen to benefit from your post. Taking them into office is at your peril. Try not to get them to lead the youth wing, tend to your cows, or help you register the foreign workers. This is all about perception and doing it secretly will make it even more suspicious.

Remember, cameras are following your every step, including your trips to Thailand.

ii) Transparency and accountability

Please show us what you have done with our money. We want to know how the experiment in space has benefitted us, or how the tender for KLIA2 was awarded. What about the Auditor-General's report, why aren't heads rolling away yet?

What happened to the two oil blocks in Sarawak and Limbang? Are they Brunei's, or as Tun Abdullah Badawi said, ours?

Gone were the days where silence is golden, or elegant. Keep mum and the country will scream at you for answers.

5. Great Losing Companies (GLCs)

TNB, MAS, Petronas, Proton issues need to be addressed, fast. It is baffling to see why TNB is losing money to the tune of hundreds of millions of ringgit when we are all buying electricity from them. They say it is due to gas shortages from Petronas, necessitating them to use a more expensive alternate fuel. Why is that so?

Depleting reserves is one thing, but an acute shortage is usually due to sudden and severe loses. Hey Petronas, are your pipes leaking, or the decrease in production is because of poorly-maintained platforms etc?

Please also address the MAS issue. It is getting really boring for them to blame expensive fuel when the other airlines are making money. I am not comparing MAS with Garuda, Thai, or the Pakistani Airlines. Since we aim to be number one in Asia by 2015, we should benchmark ourselves against SIA, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, which all recorded profits in 2011.

Emulate them, please.

6. Education, education and education

I read that we are one of the big spenders in education.

Really?

Pardon my disbelief but have you met, or spoken to, an average graduate in English or Malay lately? Do they seem like the product of an expensive investment to you?

You should get your IQ checked if you say yes.

7. Slimmer and meaner civil service

We have 1,076,761 civil servants serving a population of about 26 million. We spend about RM40 billion on their salaries and other remunerations alone. Our population to civil servant ratio is one of the highest in the world. The Koreans, Japanese, Singaporeans and Thais have better ratios than ours.

Malaysians are already importing so many foreigners to do hard labour, are we really that lazy to have so many in the civil service doing what the other countries are doing at half the number?

Trim the numbers down please, and make them more efficient.

8. Better enforcement agencies

We are losing our sand, illegal logging is depleting our rainforest, and we are home to some two million illegal immigrants.

Is everyone sleeping? We already have too many civil servants and don't need to employ new ones to get the job done. Get the existing ones to wake up and do some real work. Give them KPIs in the number of arrests and summonses issued please, before our borders shrink and jungles and forests disappear.

9. Better public transport and toilets please

We want good roads to drive on and not ones with numerous potholes. Between road taxes and tolls, where are the good roads? Our cars are already expensive thanks to the AP system, and those which are not expensive cannot last long on our roads.

Even the tolled roads are not that good anymore. Have you driven to Kuantan on the East Coast Expressway lately? The operator should be ashamed of the current road condition.

And please stop the civil servants from going around rating the toilets, it is a futile effort. When one has to go, one has to go no matter the number of stars awarded.

Where are the commuter trains? Get them back on track and on time. It sounds like a broken record when the Transport Ministry keeps harping on how they are waiting for new commuters to start service.

10. Stop pitting us against each other

Stop with the racial rhetorics. We know they are just cheap political shots to gain political mileage. We Malaysians hate them and loath the politicians that make them. Consider yourself warned.

I have more on my list but fulfilling these should be enough to win our hearts and minds for now. You don't need to go walking around asking for opinions, instead save your time and make these happen.

Remember, the whole nation is watching you and if I counted correctly, you are running out of time.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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The oxymoronic world of Umno’s politics

Posted: 06 Dec 2011 04:06 PM PST

DEC 7 — Oxymoron.

That's the word that has been on my mind of late. Why? Because that's exactly what we, Joe Public, are being fed on a daily basis.

Etymologically speaking, the word is derived from the fifth century Latin "oxymoron", which in itself is derived from the ancient Greek to mean "sharp, dull," according to Wikipedia. The noun describes "a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction."

And therein lies the connection — such is the frequency of contradictory ideas and terms used in today's local political sphere that it's almost as if our government has nothing else to worry about.

Case in point: The highly controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill passed last week in Parliament, and our Prime Minister's declaration that the Bill is "revolutionary," and that the amendments follow international norms. That's oxymoronic.

Also, the war cries of one Umno leader last week that labelled those who support opposition parties as "bangsat" (bastards) and that a vote for DAP is a vote for the destruction of Islam. Hmm... that's another one.

And finally the PM's quote in his closing speech, "When I started 1 Malaysia, I did not say — let's neglect the Malay agenda."

I can go on, but I'm sure you get my drift.

Granted. One might argue that some of these oxymoronic statements are part and parcel of the ongoing political rhetoric and that they might have been uttered recently in the context of a recently concluded party convention.

But rhetoric or not, still, it all seems contradictory, doesn't it?

What isn't the diff?

Umno's strategy, for one. Come election time, Umno's war cries invariably include all the usual suspects — elements that touch on the two "Rs" in this country's political landscape: race and religion.

After all, doesn't anyone remember what happened a few years ago when certain Umno leaders waved the keris at its general assembly, thumping their chest and shouting about "Ketuanan Melayu?" (Malay supremacy).

Given the proclivity of the dominant party ruling the current government to do such things, I'm not at all surprised that their fairly predictable playbook, has gone something like this:

The non-Malay opposition is the tyranny and enemy of Islam and the Malay opposition doesn't practise true Islam. The non-Malay opposition doesn't care for Malays and is undermining the religion, the Malay way of life, and the national language, Bahasa Melayu. Therefore, a vote for the opposition is a vote against the Malay race, culture and Islam. Umno is the only protector of Malay rights. QED.

After 54 years of independence, is this the best the "big brother" in the ruling coalition can think of? Scare tactics and the endless vilification of the opposition, in hopes that the electorate will be taken in by all these claims?

As Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, the former mufti of Perlis noted in a news report last week, a nervous Umno has failed to bring new ideas to voters ahead of the expected general election. "Umno is talking among themselves. I see Umno is now anxious and has no idea what will happen in the coming elections."

What other strategy isn't different? The doling out of cash and incentives, that's what. Right now, it's still early days as campaigning for the ruling coalition has yet to start. Come that day, expect more "incentives" in the form of cash or kind to be given out.

But is this what the rakyat (people) want?

Perhaps it's poignant to note what Asri had to say, "The current generation is different from those in the past. They will not be attracted by just cash and handouts."

And what's the diff?

The most obvious one is the fact that this is the first election after the one where Barisan Nasional got hammered and lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament, which has prompted the deputy prime minister to say that GE13 is the "mother of all elections."

This sets the tone for GE13, and already, Umno leaders acknowledge that the opposition could be a formidable opponent this time around. But shouldn't that be what an election is all about? The Constitutionally guaranteed right for the people to choose one party over another, and their choice of their representative to form a government? It should be, since the last I checked, we are still a democracy, of sorts, I think.

Secondly, the world has changed, and so have the people that occupy it. In the last 18 months alone, we've seen how other countries have demanded change in their own nations, holding their respective governments accountable for their actions, or the lack thereof, in what is today known as the Arab Spring.

Gone are the days where repressive regimes rule over the people as if they were puppets as citizens begin to decry and dismantle the tyranny of democracy.

Thirdly, the social landscape and global connectivity have changed. In the days before Twitter, Facebook and many other social media channels, repressive regimes could control the flow of information and limit the damage any opposition can mount. Today, that is no longer true. Thankfully, we have alternative sources of media to which we can turn to judge for ourselves who is telling the truth.

Interestingly, before 2008, I asked opposition politicians if they thought new media would play a part in the GE12. They responded saying that it can play a part but conceded back then that it had its limitations.

But in 2012, these limitations are fewer and further in between. More people will read news updates via alternative channels; smartphones, tablets and laptops will be the preferred choice to access these updates; higher broadband penetration will ensure that news will be delivered faster and more visually impactful via videos.

And for those who aren't connected, there is the spectre of the influence that urban folks will hopefully bring back to their respective senior communities, convincing them that the current ruling coalition isn't up to the mark anymore.

So what could be the diff?

Of course, all this does not necessarily mean that the opposition will take Putrajaya in GE13. But perhaps what is important is that the rakyat is at the cusp of experiencing a new level of participation in their right to choose the government by the people, for the people.

This is especially true for the thousands of first-time voters who hopefully will flood the voting stations on polling day and choose wisely. Whatever the outcome, Malaysians, in my humble opinion, have awakened to a new level of political sensitivity, thanks to the aforementioned changes in the socio-political-economic landscape.

I, for one, look forward to change, where hopefully the rakyat will choose a better class of representatives that will govern the country equitably, justly and according to the rule of law — regardless of race, creed, gender or religion.

That these representatives will deal with bread and butter issues of economic reform, reduction in corruption, stemming the brain drain and to instil excellence and meritocracy and everything they do thereby ensuring that the future of all Malaysians will be protected, instead of wading in rhetorical, race- and hate-based politics.

That, I hope, would not turn out to be an oxymoronic wish.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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‘Exit Policy’: Henti kakitangan awam lemah prestasi mula 2012, kata JPA

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 02:22 AM PST

PUTRAJAYA, 7 Dis — Kakitangan kerajaan yang tidak memperlihatkan prestasi baik akan dinilai mulai Januari depan, susulan pelaksanaan sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA) dan akan dihentikan kerja jika terus gagal memperbaiki kedudukan mereka, kata Ketua Pengarah Perkhidmatan Awam hari ini.

Ketika berkongsi kandungan pekeliling SBPA selepas melancarkannya di pejabatnya hari ini, Tan Sri Abu Bakar Abdullah berkata, penilaian akan dibuat ke atas kakitangan awam yang memperoleh markah 70 peratus ke bawah.

"Kita akan menilai mulai tahun depan. Mereka akan dinilai oleh panel dan akan diberi peluang untuk memperbaiki prestasi masing-masing, dan jika masih tidak berubah, mereka akan dibuang kerja," kata beliau merujuk kepada peruntukan dasar pemisah atau "exit policy" — salah satu perkara yang terkandung dalam SBPA.

SBPA akan dikuatkuasakan mulai 1 Januari ini bagi menggantikan Sistem Saraan Malaysia (SSM).

Abu Bakar (gambar) berkata, mereka bukan dihentikan secara automatik jika gagal mempamerakan prestasi tidak memuaskan, sebaliknya akan diberi peluang bagi memperbaiki keadaan.

"Tetapi akan dinilai oleh panel, selama enam bulan, mungkin ada sebab mengapa seseorang kakitangan awam tidak berkhidmat dengan baik. Kita semua manusiakan," katanya.

"Kita kena beri mereka peluang untuk memperbaiki keadaan, dan jika masih tiada perubahan, baru akan diminta berhenti kerja," kata beliau lagi.

Laporan media sebelum ini menyebut mereka yang gagal mempamerkan perkhidmatan memuaskan selama tiga tahun berturut-turut dengan memperoleh markhah kurang 70 peratus akan dibuang kerja.

Pada masa yang sama kata beliau, mereka yang menunjukkan perkhidmatan baik tetapi ingin keluar dari sektor awam awal secara sukarela untuk berkhidmat di sektor swasta juga akan dibenarkan berbuat demikian di bawah SBPA.

"Mereka yang berbuat demikian boleh mengekalkan tempoh perkhidmatan masing-masing untuk mendapatkan pencen sekiranya kembali ke sektor awam kemudian," katanya lagi.

Kata beliau, dasar pemisah itu akan melibatkan kesemua 1.4 juta pekerja sektor awam semua peringkat.

Tambah beliau, JPA memberi jaminan tidak akan menganiaya mana-mana kakitangan menerusi dasar pemisah kerana hanya bertujuan memperbaiki sektor awam.

"Itu jaminan yang saya boleh berikan," kata beliau sambil menambah, bilangan mereka yang tidak mempamerkan prestasi baik sangat minimal buat masa sekarang.

"Saya tiada bilangan sekarang, tetapi ia sangat minimal," katanya ketika ditanya sejauh mana seriusnya masalah itu.

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SBPA: JPA nafi pegawai tinggi terima perubahan gaji hingga RM5,000

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 12:34 AM PST

PUTRAJAYA, 7 Dis – Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) menafikan dakwaan bahawa sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA) memberi kenaikan gaji yang terlalu tinggi bagi penjawat Kumpulan Pengurusan Tertinggi dan Premier berbanding mereka di kumpulan sokongan yang kini dikenali sebagai Kumpulan Pelaksana.

Ketua Pengarah Perkhidmatan Awam Tan Sri Abu Bakar Abdullah berkata, andaian dan tanggapan sedemikian adalah tidak betul kerana kadar upah di bawah sistem saraan mengambil kira semua aspek agar ia dapat memenuhi sasaran menjadi negara berpendapatan tinggi menjelang 2020.

Sambil mengakui memang ada cakap-cakap sedemikian dalam dunia siber, Abu Bakar memberitahu, kakitangan awam kena melihat secara menyeluruh dan manfaat jangka panjang daripada SBPA.

"Apa yang mereka lihat adalah jangka pendek... itu persepsi mengenai manfaat jangka pendek. Mereka kena melihat kemudahan dan gaji dari segi jangka panjang," kata beliau pada sidang media selepas majlis pelancaran Pekeliling SBPA di pejabatnya di sini, hari ini.

Beliau ditanya soalan sama ada ada kebenaran berhubung rungutan dan aduan sestengah pihak bahawa kakitangan peringkat rendah hanya menerima perubahan gaji yang kecil manakala pegawai di Kumpulan Pengurusan Tertinggi dan Premier sebaliknya.

SBPA mewujudkan empat hierarki perkhidmatan awam iaitu Kumpulan Premier, Kumpulan Pengurusan Tertinggi, Kumpulan Pengurusan dan Profesional dan Kumpulan Pelaksana.

Di bawah SBPA yang akan dikuatkuasakan mulai 1 Januari ini, peruntukan gaji secara 'single point' tanpa kenaikan gaji tahunan diberikan kepada Kumpulan Premier dan konsep Jadual Gaji Minimum-Maksimum kepada Kumpulan Pengurusan Tertinggi dengan kenaikan gaji tahunan diberi mengikut pencapaian prestasi.

SBPA juga menyediakan peruntukan jadual gaji sebaris kepada pegawai dalam Kumpulan Pengurusan dan Profesional serta Kumpulan Pelaksana.

Sekarang mereka berada dalam sistem gaji tiga baris atau tiga lapisan.

Kesemua 1.4 juta kakitangan awam termasuk mereka yang masih di bawah Sistem Saraan Baru (SSB), yang diperkenalkan pada 1991 sebelum digantikan dengan Sistem Saraan Malaysia (SSM) akan diberi opsyen sama ada mahu menerima SBPA ataupun sebaliknya.

Jika mereka memlih untuk kekal dalam SSB dan SSM, mereka akan menikmati sistem saraan lama.

Tempoh opsyen selama dua minggu akan berakhir 31 Disember dan Abu Bakat menyifatkan masa itu memadai untuk membuat keputusan.

Mengulas lanjut mengenai rungutan bahawa Kumpulan Pengurusan Tertinggi dan Premier menerima perubahan gaji sehingga RM5,000, Abu Bakar tidak menolak kemungkinan ia dikaitkan dengan kedudukan gaji peringkat maksimum.

Misalnya kata beliau, seorang pemandu yang kini menerima gaji bersama elaun sebanyak RM1,222, di bawah SSM, akan dibayar RM1,425 di bawah SBPA.

"Itu adalah kadar minimum. Maksimum pula RM2,965 di bawah SBPA berbanding RM1,882 di bawah SSM... jadi ada kenaikan lebih RM1,100," katanya.

Bagi kakitangan di bawah Gred 48, gaji minimum adalah RM4,431 manakala SBPA pula RM4,520. Dalam pada itu gaji maksimum gred itu di bawah SSM dan SBPA masing-masing RM6,439 dan RM8,840 iaitu perbezaan sekitar RM2,400.

"Jadi kita kena melihat jangka panjang dengan kemajuan kerjaya penjawat-penjawat awam," kata beliau lagi.

Sambil menegaskan SPBA bukannya satu pelarasan gaji, Abu Bakar menambah, secara purata perubahan gaji adalah antara tujuh sehingga 13 peratus.

Pekeliling berkenaan pelaksanaan SBPA dikeluarkan hari ini.

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Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Rabu, 7 Disember 2011