Ahad, 7 Oktober 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

China to introduce food catering safety standard

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 04:49 PM PDT

From June 2013, a new food safety standard will be enforced in restaurants across China. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

BEIJING, Oct 8 — China will see the introduction of a safety standard for food caterers from next year, reported the China Daily this past week.

The Beijing Health Inspection Institute announced that from June 2013, a new food safety standard will be enforced in restaurants, bakeries, shops selling snacks, drinks and desserts, canteens, as well as workplace kitchens across the country.

Food hygiene will come under the spotlight, in particular bacteria contamination, as the new standards will help "better prevent and control food-borne diseases related to catering," an official at the institute told the daily.

This follows the launch of a food safety monitoring system by the China Food Safety Assessment Center in 2010, in which contamination is revealed to be a major cause of food poisoning in the country.

Yan Weixing, secretary-general of the safety committee under the China Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, welcomed the measure, saying that the move will help the relevant authorities better detect and trace the cause of food-related incidents.

Over the past year, the Chinese health authorities have taken more steps to monitor food catering businesses, including making more stringent checks on the catering service sector and restaurants, as well as the dissemination of more information to the public on food safety issues.

The announcement of the food safety standard for caterers comes in the wake of a five-year plan announced by China's Ministry of Health to upgrade food safety regulations in June this year, including the setting of limits for food additives, and development of standards for testing contaminants and other micro-organisms in the country's food production by 2015.

In August, Su Zhi, senior supervision official of China's Ministry of Health told Xinhua news agency that while the country had formulated more than 2,000 national, 2,900 industry and 1,200 local standards relating to food and additives, "problems still exist in the country's present standards of food safety due to the restricted development of food industry and ability of risk assessment."

In recent years, China has seen a series of food safety incidents such as tainted milk powder, fake eggs and medicine, and gutter oil which involved restaurants serving food cooked with discarded cooking oil. More recently in September, a factory in the Guangdong province was found recycling expired mooncakes, reported Chinese news blog Shanghaiist. — AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Hamilton criticises ‘crazy’ Perez

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 06:48 AM PDT

McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain performs a pit stop during the Japanese F1 Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit October 7, 2012. — Reuters pic

SUZUKA, Oct 7 — McLaren's Lewis Hamilton accused his future replacement Sergio Perez of 'crazy' driving today after the two fought for points at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Mexican Perez, who will move from Sauber to replace Hamilton next season when the 2008 Formula One champion joins Mercedes, retired on the 18th of 53 laps after spinning off while trying to pass the Briton at the hairpin.

Perez, who is not a title contender, had successfully made a passing move on Hamilton on lap six before the pitstops reversed the order.

"I thought that he was going to do a crazy manoeuvre, which he did," said Hamilton, who finished fifth, of the first attempt.

"Then (later) when he was behind me I saw it coming again so I moved a little to the inside, thinking that he was going to go up the inside so he couldn't get by, and he just flew down the outside of me. So very interesting ..."

Hamilton closed the gap on Ferrari's championship leader Fernando Alonso, who retired at the first corner of the first lap, to 42 points with five races remaining but had few illusions about his title chances.

"I am quite realistic, I know my situation, but the Red Bulls are going to be hard to beat," he declared.

"Everyone should be concerned, they are very quick, they are always very quick in Korea and they (Vettel) have picked up 50 points in the last two races, Fernando should be more worried than I am."

Vettel, winner of the last two championships as well as the last two races, cut Alonso's lead to four points after winning at Suzuka from pole and setting the fastest lap.

The German won on South Korea, the next race on the calendar next weekend, last year and also in India which follows.

McLaren are Red Bull's closest rivals in the constructors' battle, but the champions have score more points in the past two races. — Reuters

Roma finally manage first home win

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 06:39 AM PDT

AS Roma's Michael Bradley (not seen) scores against Atalanta during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Olympic stadium in Rome October 7, 2012. — Reuters pic

MILAN, Oct 7 — AS Roma finally managed their first home win of the season today as they beat Atalanta 2-0 to ease the pressure on coach Zdenek Zeman.

Thrashed 4-1 by Juventus one week ago after a shambolic defensive display, Roma surprisingly dropped midfielder Daniele De Rossi and forward Pablo Osvaldo and survived several Atalanta near misses in a nervy opening.

They went ahead on the half hour when Argentine midfielder Erik Lamela flicked the ball into the net after being sent clear by a delightful chipped pass from Roma stalwart Francesco Totti.

Roma, who squandered a 2-0 lead at home to Bologna as they lost 3-2 and also scored first in the 1-1 draw against Sampdoria, increased their lead just after the hour with US midfielder Michael Bradley's first goal since his move from Chievo.

Bradley, son of former United States and current Egypt coach Bob Bradley, nipped in to snap up a rebound after Andrea Consigli parried Mattia Destro's shot.

Leaders Juventus were away to Siena later today (1300) with the derby between AC Milan and Inter at San Siro in the evening (1845). — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Liam Neeson thriller ‘Taken 2’ captures box office crown

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 08:53 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES, Oct 7 — Kidnapping thriller "Taken 2" easily won the weekend box office race with US$50 million (RM153 million) in ticket sales at US and Canadian theatres over the weekend, studio estimates released on Sunday showed.

The sequel starring Liam Neeson as a former CIA agent who gets captured in Istanbul pushed last weekend's winner, family flick "Hotel Transylvania," to second place. The movie about a hotel run by Dracula earned US$26.3 million.

"Pitch Perfect," a comedy about a girls singing group, landed in third place with US$14.7 million. The movie expanded nationwide after an impressive opening a week ago in a small number of theaters.

"Taken 2" was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp. Sony Corp's movie studio distributed "Hotel Transylvania." "Pitch Perfect" was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp. — Reuters

Artist in profile: AlunaGeorge

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 06:08 AM PDT

NEW YORK, Oct 7 — Described as "lustrous, sinister and ever so slightly weird" (Pitchfork), London's Aluna Francis and George Reid, better known as AlunaGeorge, have been attracting a huge buzz since releasing their debut EP You Know You Like It earlier in 2012. The duo is now planning to build on its success with the release of the upcoming 7" "Your Drums, Your Love," which has already been called "one of the best pop songs of the year" (Pretty Much Amazing).

Who?

London producer George Reid and singer Aluna Francis of AlunaGeorge smashed their way into public consciousness with the release of their debut EP, the R&B tinged You Know You Like It, in June this year on the experimental Tri Angle Records.

Why the buzz?

R&B influenced yet packed full of pop sensibilities, You Know You Like It won praise from bloggers and music media heavyweights alike. Pitchfork gave the EP a 7.7 out of 10.0, describing the duo as exuding a "seductive confidence," and drew parallels between the band and Canadian electro duo Purity Ring. Leading UK leading music magazine NME gave the EP 8/10, calling it "a hot record which lives up to the hype." Already available on the internet, "Your Drums, Your Love" has been called one of the year's "most indelible debut singles" by Stereogum and has even been treated to a remix by English indie darlings Friendly Fires.

What to listen to?

Check out AlunaGeorge over at Soundcloud at soundcloud.com/alunageorge/tracks and pre-order "Your Drums Your Love" as an EP with remixes on iTunes at itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/your-drums-your-love-remixes/id559036136.

Where to see?

AlunaGeorge will be playing in Paris and at various venues across the United Kingdom throughout November. For further information regarding tour dates see: alunageorge.com/live

— AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Swimming the hard way in Japan: in samurai armour

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 08:51 AM PDT

Mutsuo Koga, wearing Japanese traditional armour and helmet, performs his swimming skills during an exhibition of the Japanese-style swimming competition in Yokohama on August 19, 2012. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

YOKOHAMA, Oct 7 — Walking or running in a full suit of samurai armour is not the easiest thing in the world. Swimming in it is even harder, but that's exactly what some in Japan are doing. For fun.

"It's heavy, and it's hot in here ... Fan me hard," Mutsuo Koga, a 27-year-old doctor, told fellow disciples of traditional Japanese swimming at a recent meet.

"I'm worried about whether I'll be able to get myself back out of the water. It's been three years since I last swam," said Koga as he readied to take the plunge in a public swimming pool.

Traditional swimming was developed during Japan's feudal 15th and 16th Centuries, when feared samurai swordsmen roamed the country enforcing their masters' will.

Part survival technique – there were times when a warrior just had to swim for it, boots and all – and part aesthetic performance, traditional swimming now has its place in the pantheon of Japanese martial arts.

And like all martial arts, its adherents say it has real-life applications.

"The primary purpose of this kind of swimming is to acquire practical skills for swimming in a real environment," said Tadao Koga, Mutsuo's father and the grand master of the Kobori school, one of twelve recognised by the Japan Swimming Federation.

"If you can swim fast using Western strokes, that doesn't mean you can survive in a natural environment," said Koga, 67.

Traditional swimmers have to master a kind of treading water, which will allow them to withstand powerful waves near a seashore.

They also have to learn the "hayanuki" stroke, vital for swimming against a current or up a river, thrusting your body high into the air as your arms crash into the foam.

Whatever happens, you have to keep your head above the water and your wits about you – that obstacle looming in front of you could be a rock, or it could be an axe-wielding enemy.

Oh, and you have to do it while wearing 15 kilograms of armour.

The appeal of the sport is that "swimmers compete on form and beauty, rather than the speed of swimming," said Yoko Suzuki, 25, a champion of women's traditional swimming.

Masahiko Yaginuma, chairman of the Japanese Traditional Swimming Committee of the JSF, said the form was widely taught in schools in the early 20th century but fell out of favour and is now only found in a few institutions.

"Nowadays women in their 60s or older are the main group of new learners," because they see traditional swimming as an extension of the other noble arts a cultured Japanese woman learns – like flower arranging and tea ceremony, he said.

Briton Antony Cundy, a Tokyo-based advertising executive who has spent years being tutored in the Kobori school of swimming, said there were real benefits to taking up the sport.

"It's a fun way of getting fit and enjoying Japanese culture and history," said Cundy.

"It's astonishing you don't see many foreigners enjoying it."

Around a minute after he slid heavily into the water, Mutsuo Koga slowly and unsteadily hauled himself out to roaring applause from the assembled crowd.

He had managed about 20 metres using a stroke designed to make him glide across the surface of the water, his helmeted head making no abrupt moves.

"Your chest was supposed to be above the water," Tadao chastised, as his son stood panting on the poolside.

"I was not very good," gasped Mutsuo. "My body didn't float at all." — AFP-Relaxnews

Czech forest golfers make an extreme sport of game

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 01:46 AM PDT

Forest golfers take part in a tournament near Uvaly village, east of Prague, on September 23, 2012. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

UVALY, Czech Republic, Oct 7 — A club roughly hewn from a freshly chopped cherry branch, a tennis ball and a buddy to play with is all it takes to make golf an extreme sport that would test the skills of even top professional players.

Over the last decade, a group of Czech "forest golfers" have pioneered a novel approach to this gentleman's sport in the wilds of Bohemia on terrain that would usually be out of bounds on a regular golf course.

"The idea was born when two friends at a summer camp decided to introduce the kids to golf," says Jiri "George" Rehor, a teacher and veteran forest golfer.

"Besides playing, they wanted the kids to make the equipment themselves. When they returned home, they were thrilled with their idea and asked their friends to join them."

The sport has caught on, with dozens of Czechs competing up to nine times a year at forest golf tournaments played across the republic, including both singles and team events.

On a sunny September Sunday morning in a lush forest in Uvaly just east of the capital Prague, about 20 extreme golfers are testing their skills on a rough 10-hole course crossed by a yawning ditch.

Most have come equipped with clubs made of walnut, sour cherry or other harder types of wood, a tennis ball or two and snacks, sometimes including a bottle of hard liquor.

"You can bring the club with you or make one on the spot," laughs Rehor, sporting four clubs and joking that a new club or a set of tennis balls make a perfect birthday gift for him.

The club must pass through a testing tube that is 10 centimetres wide, according to the forest golf rule book on the golfers' meticulously maintained website, which includes a link to their Facebook page.

Instead of regular tees, forest golfers use spruce cones broken in halves, while tennis balls replace regular golf balls, which are too tiny for the terrain.

"It also hurts like hell when you get hit by a golf ball," says Rehor, as a few balls ricochet off trees at the height of the players' heads.

As a rule, players wear hats or caps, and men sport colourful, often outlandish, ties.

"We also had to wear sandals but that rule was abandoned after the first tournament on snow," says devoted forest golfer Daniel Suk.

Leona, a woman who has come with her husband and two children, tees off from a hill towards a hole hidden behind a tree about 40 metres away.

To her dismay, her daughter hits a tiny pine, while a family friend whacks the ball against a tall spruce; it rebounds onto a cushion of light-green moss.

"You're on the green," Leona chuckles, before scoring an impressive -9 on the par-15 hole – the usual limit for forest golfers.

The players help each other by bending short trees that are in the way. The rules allow that trees can be bent, but not broken.

Forest golfers held their first tournament in 1999.

"We've been playing full seasons and had fixed rules since 2000," says Rehor.

There's no age limit. Sunday players at Uvaly range from young children, their parents to players over 60 and all play by the motto "fun that we're dead serious about".

"I've been playing for seven years and I've won four seasons," 63-year-old Vaclav Hajek chimes with pride as he skillfully sinks a tennis ball in a hole just an inch wider than the ball itself, hidden between the roots of a tall spruce.

"I used to practise at work, in an asphalt yard, aiming at a gutter pipe.

"I've won 32 out of 43 tournaments. I'd be ticked off to see the young ones beat an old dog like me," he said, laughing.

Like most forest golfers, Hajek has never tried regular golf, but Rehor says he'd love to try a real course once.

"But that's really expensive. Here in the forest I take a walk for free, shell out 20-50 koruna (roughly RM3-4) for the chocolate medals and diplomas, and that's it," he says.

As there are no swish club houses on this golf course, players head off to a humble pub for the awards ceremony, washed down by a beer or two.

While regular golf has made it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Czech forest golfers would rather not see an Olympic future for their discipline.

"I'm happy playing with 50 people, the forest is much more quiet like this," says Rehor, a two-time tournament winner this season.

"Although it's pleasant to go home with the medal hanging down your neck," he laughs. — AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Ian Fleming, the man behind James Bond

Posted: 06 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT

LONDON, Oct 7 — Ian Fleming, who created the fictional secret agent James Bond, drew some of the raw material for his novels from his experiences in Naval Intelligence during World War II.

The British author, who came from an affluent banking family, published his first Bond novel, "Casino Royale" in 1953, when the Cold War was in full swing.

But the book was not made into a film until 2006 — the first novel to be transformed into a movie was "Dr No", which hit cinema screens on October 5, 1962, and was being celebrated as part of the festivities for 50 years of Bond films on Friday.

Many of the novels centred on East-West espionage themes, with the added spice of sex and high living which gave rise to the expression "Bond girls" to describe the legions of attractive young women who ended up in the secret agent's bed.

Fleming (picture), who had worked as a journalist and also a banker and stockbroker before the war, was to write a total of 14 Bond books, two of them collections of short stories. The last novel was "The Man with the Golden Gun", which appeared in 1965.

Other bestsellers were "From Russia with Love" (1957), "Dr. No" (1958), "Goldfinger" (1955) and "Thunderball" (1965).

In addition to the Bond books, Fleming also wrote "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang — The Magical Car" (1964), a children's story which later became a highly successful film.

He did much of his writing on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, where he had a house built after the war.

The writer was a keen bird watcher, and one of the bird books he relied on was written by a certain James Bond. The name caught Fleming's imagination, and a legend was born.

Fleming recounted that when he later actually met the ornithologist in question, he seemed not to be concerned about the extraordinary career his name had embarked on.

Fleming married Ann Charteris in 1952; the couple had a son, who was to commit suicide in 1975. The writer's widow died in 1981.

Fleming, a lifelong smoker and drinker, was to die in 1964 of a heart attack at age 56, only two years after the release of the first Bond film, 'Dr. No'.

Starring Sean Connery as Bond and Ursula Andress as the first of many temptresses with evil intentions, it brought the brand to the attention of a whole generation.

The James Bond film franchise has long run out of titles actually written by Fleming, and other writers have been called in to continue the tradition.

The most recent Bond novel, "Carte Blanche', written by US author Jeffrey Deaver, came out in 2011 and another is being penned by the British novelist William Boyd, for release next year. — AFP/Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Menilai tahap kepercayaan rakyat terhadap pemimpin politik

Posted: 06 Oct 2012 04:08 PM PDT

7 Okt — Sebut sahaja mengenai pemimpin politik, akan kedengaran kesangsian dan persepsi negatif masyarakat awam terhadap mereka.

Jika anda berpeluang untuk mengadakan tinjauan pendapat mengenai pemimpin politik, kesudahannya tidak banyak berbeza.

Situasi ini bukanlah sesuatu yang menghairankan, malah sudah dijangka. Umum maklum bahawa pemimpin politik bukan calang-calang individu biasa. Mereka dilihat mempunyai kemahiran luar biasa iaitu berpolitik!

Dalam dunia politik, apa yang benar tidak semestinya begitu. Malah, dunia politik penuh dengan kepura-puraan. Disebabkan sifat kepura-puraan itu juga, ramai pemimpin politik yang bersih dan ikhlas tidak dapat bertahan lama.

Terdapat beberapa jenis pemimpin politik di negara kita. Ada yang berfikiran terbuka, ada yang berfikiran sempit dan tidak kurang juga yang hanya menjadi pak turut yakni sekadar mengiakan apa yang diperkatakan oleh pemimpin tertinggi mereka.

Di satu pihak lagi, lahir pemimpin-pemimpin politik yang berkarisma, dinamik dan mempunyai pendiriannya yang tersendiri. Pemimpin jenis ini tidak gentar untuk menyuarakan pendapat mereka biarpun menyedari tindakan itu mungkin membahayakan kerjayanya.

Malangnya, bilangan pemimpin sedemikian hanyalah kumpulan minoriti.

Ternyata, sikap dan telatah kebanyakan pemimpin politik negara amat mendukacitakan. Keadaan ini tidak mengira pemimpin kerajaan mahupun pembangkang.

Keadaan berkenaan cukup terserlah dari aspek komen mereka terhadap dasar-dasar yang cuba diperkenalkan oleh lawan masing-masing. Misalnya, saban kali apabila kerajaan mengemukakan bajet atau sesuatu dasar baru, ada sahaja kritikan oleh pembangkang yang menyelar ia sesuatu yang tidak telus dan menipu.

Di pihak pemimpin kerajaan pula, kedengaran juga bahawa dasar-dasar yang diamalkan pembangkang tidak realistik. Kepada semua pemimpin politik dari kedua-dua belah pihak, berhenti dengan sikap kebudak-budakan ini.

Apa guna dan rasionalnya untuk berkelakuan sedemikian? Mungkin ada antara pemimpin politik yang begitu seronok dengan tindakan itu namun tidakkah anda sedar bahawa segala gerak-geri dan tutur kata anda sedang diperhatikan?

Rakyat telah memberikan mandat kepada pemimpin politik untuk mentadbir urus negara dengan baik, bukannya berpolitik secara kerterlaluan. Di manakah profesionalisme anda sebagai pemimpin politik?

Bukankah sebagai figura awam, pemimpin politik wajar memberikan teladan baik kepada rakyat? Bagaimanakah pemimpin-pemimpin politik boleh mengharapkan rakyat untuk menghormati mereka jika mereka sendiri tidak mahu menghormati dirinya?

Barangkali, pemimpin politik terlupa bahawa segala kuasa dan pangkat yang dimilikinya datang dari mandat rakyat? Apa sekalipun, usaha yang dilakukan kerajaan mahupun pembangkang, ia harus dinilai secara telus dan objektif sebelum mengkritik.

Kritikan memang baik, lebih-lebih lagi jika kritikan yang dikemukakan itu adalah yang membina. Ia bukan sahaja menyedarkan pihak tertentu daripada terus terjerumus ke kancah kesilapan bahkan membolehkan pihak berkenaan lebih bersiap-sedia.

Malangnya, apa yang kelihatan kini ialah pemimpin politik hanya tahu mengkritik sama ada kerana kesetiaan membuta-tuli kepada parti yang disertainya ataupun mahu melindungi kepentingan peribadi mereka.

Apa yang mendukacitakan, wujud kecenderungan pemimpin politik untuk menjadikan media sebagai "punching bag" di atas kesalahan yang dilakukannya. Helah sedemikian sudah tidak relevan lagi.

Malaysia sememangnya memerlukan barisan pemimpin politik yang berfikiran terbuka, rasional dan berpijak pada bumi nyata. Mereka boleh mengkritik dengan mengemukakan hujah-hujah bernas dan bukannya mengampu semata-mata.

Pemimpin politik sering dilabel sebagai orang yang berintelektual. Jadi, mereka haruslah berkelakuan seperti seorang yang intelektual. Bermakna, mereka menjadi intelektual yang bukan sahaja boleh memberi kritikan membina tetapi juga menerima kepelbagaian pandangan.

Sudah sampai masanya sikap buruk ini dikikis. Sikap buruk itu bukan sahaja tidak memberi manfaat kepada semua bahkan juga pemimpin politik di mata rakyat.

Tidak hairan mengapa imej dan persepsi umum terhadap pemimpin politik sejak sekian lama, masih rendah. Apakah sudah tidak ada jalan keluar untuk mengatasi masalah ini?

Pilihan kini terletak pada pemimpin-pemimpin politik itu sendiri. Jika mereka enggan berubah, maka rakyat boleh menunaikan kewajipannya untuk menukar pemimpin-pemimpin terbabit.

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

Jalan sukar melawan perkauman

Posted: 06 Oct 2012 04:03 PM PDT

7 Okt — Melawan perkauman bukan hal mudah lagi-lagi di negara ini yang sudah mendarah daging. Kita sering berusaha untuk lari namun sering digagalkan di meja makan bila bersama keluarga atau di hari perayaan besar. Hal ini berlaku di kalangan anak semua bangsa, baik Melayu, Cina, India dan lainnya.

Oleh kerana berkecimpung di dalam dunia aktivisme selain dunia nyata (perniagaan), saya pernah menulis tentang peri pentingnya melawan perkauman di kalangan mereka yang mendakwa sebagai pejuang melawan perkauman. Ini bukan hal yang sengaja diada-adakan melainkan memang ada dan tanpa sedar dinafikan dan diberikan pelbagai alasan oleh si pelaku, aktivis anti-perkauman yang perkauman.

Dibesarkan di dalam dua dunia yang satunya penuh dengan wacana Melayu dan musuh-musuhnya dan satunya lagi, bangsa Malaysia dan kebersamaannya memberikan dimensi yang pelbagai di dalam menyikapi hal-hal yang berlaku di sekeliling.

Telinga ini sering mendengar keluh kesah pekerja Melayu yang mendakwa didiskriminasi di tempat kerja dengan gaji yang tidak sama dengan rakan sejawatan dari bangsa lain dan peluang kenaikan pangkat yang disulitkan.

Telinga ini juga sering mendengar keluh kesah mahasiswa Cina dan India yang mendakwa tidak mendapat biasiswa dari kerajaan walaupun mendapat keputusan cemerlang dan datang dari keluarga tidak berada.

Mata ini sering melihat bagaimana anak-anak Melayu dipandang rendah apabila menjejak kaki di kedai-kedai bernuansa mewah dan mata ini sering melihat bagaimana anak-anak Cina dan India akan dibantai sekiranya melakukan pelanggaran ke atas anak-anak Melayu. Tragedi Kampung Medan sebagai contoh.

Lalu apa jalan ke depan? dan masihkah ada sinar cahaya?

Jika ditanya saya, jawapannya bercampur kerana sulit untuk dijangka ke mana akan menghala hubungan kaum di negara ini. Selepas pilihanraya Mac 2008 saya kembali optimis, namun beberapa tahun kedepannya optimisme itu kembali memudar. Peristiwa Bersih 2.0 dan Bersih 3.0 kembali memberi harapan walau banyak cerita-cerita dalaman yang saya dengar tentang apa di sebalik gerakan Bersih dan Pakatan Rakyat kadangkala menggoncang perasaan ini.

Pilihanraya umum ke 13 semakin menjelang dan perang kebencian di antara kaum akan ditingkatkan demi sebuah kuasa. Minda orang Melayu telah dihasut dengan gigihnya oleh UMNO melalui media arus perdana bahawa kuasa politik Melayu sedang diancam walaupun hakikatnya tidak sama sekali.

Namun, tingkah laku segelintir ahli politik bukan Melayu dari Pakatan Rakyat yang kurang sensitif terhadap persoalan politik Melayu dan Islam turut tidak membantu, sebagai contoh komentar Ngeh Koo Ham dalam kes filem "The Innocence of Muslim".

Baru-baru ini, Persatuan Jawatankuasa Sekolah Cina Bersatu Malaysia (Dong Zong) telah mengadakan "Kempen selamatkan pendidikan Cina" dan mereka telah menghantar memorandum kepada PM Najib Razak.

Antara isi kandungan memorandum itu adalah: masalah kekurangan guru yang serius di Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina, petempatan guru tidak berkelayakan bahasa Cina masih dihantar mengajar di sekolah Cina, Sijil Peperiksaan Bersama sekolah persendirian yang tidak diiktiraf, kesukaran permohonan pendaftaran ahli lembaga pengarah pengelola sekolah dan beberapa lagi.

Saya memahami dan tidak bermasalah dengan apa yang diperjuangkan mereka kerana ia termaktub di dalam Perlembagaan walaupun jauh sudut di hati berharap anak semua bangsa di masa hadapan akan belajar di bawah satu bumbung.

Meskipun itu hak, saya percaya perangai seperti Dong Zong ini tidak akan membantu ke arah hubungan kaum yang lebih baik dan kaum Cina akan dilihat dengan lebih curiga. Pastinya hal ini tidak membantu saya dan kita semua yang menginginkan wujudnya bangsa Malaysia yang lebih bersatu padu. Jalan semakin sukar kerana pelaku perkauman, UMNO akan memanfaatkannya.

Meski begitu, Dong Zong telah dihentam hebat oleh seorang blogger berbangsa Cina, Shen Yee Aun yang kebetulan sahabat saya dan sayangnya sudah memasuki kem UMNO melalui proksinya MCA, tidak mengapalah.

Saya sangat bersetuju dengan beberapa kenyataan balas beliau merespon isi memorandum Dong Zong seperti di bawah;

- Even the Malays let a Chinese to lead and coach them and my own University Debate coach recognize that as integration of skills , knowledge and mindset of the Chinese version of the Malay Debate mentality and technique into our University Debate Community.

- How could Dong Zong ever thinks that only Chinese deserved to teach Chinese and non Chinese teacher are less qualify to teach Chinese ?

-Even Shila Amzah can sing Chinese Song way better than thousands of Malaysian Chinese.

- Even you ( Dong Zong ) are more RACIST THAN THE MALAY RACIST BECAUSE THEY NEVER EVEN SUGGEST TO USE ARABIC LANGUAGE AS PART OF OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE ( Islamic Language ).

- Dong Zong are more RACIST and EXTREME than Malays because they restricted other races to learn Chinese Language but the Malays ENCOURAGE OUR MALAYSIAN CHINESE TO LEARN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE.

Kritikan tajam tersebut boleh dibaca lengkap di blog beliau di sini.

Akhirnya seorang berbangsa Cina berani mengkritik cauvinis dari kaumnya, tahniah saya ucapkan! Jika selama ini hanya kaum Melayu yang berani secara terbuka menempelak kaumnya sendiri, sudah tiba masanya kaum-kaum lain melakukan hal yang sama. Jangan dicari salah kaumnya, carilah salah perkaumannya.

Semoga perbezaan politik tidak menghalang kita untuk membetulkan apa yang tidak betul.

Kita anak semua bangsa wajib melawan perkauman di kalangan bangsa kita dahulu bermula di meja makan, sekolah, tempat kerja dan di mana saja. Semoga usaha kecil tetapi berterusan akan membuahkan hasil paling tidak untuk anak-anak kita nanti.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Walaupun rungutan meningkat, pemandu teksi minta dilepaskan bayar saman

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 01:39 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Oct — Bantahan oleh pemandu teksi ibu kota di Bukit Bintang minggu ini untuk minta dilepaskan dari membayar saman membawa perhatian ramai kepada rungutan mereka, juga kepada penumpang teksi yang sering rasa tertipu, di bandar antara paling dikunjungi di dunia.

Dalam bantahan itu, pemandu teksi mendesak Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) memadam semua saman yang dikeluarkan oleh pelbagai pihak berkuasa bagi memudahkan proses pembaharuan kad pemandu teksi mereka.

Tetapi banyak media melaporkan kumpulan pemandu teksi ibu kota mengenakan kadar yang lebih tinggi untuk jarak perjalanan pendek dan tidak menggunakan meter mereka.

"Mereka (pemandu teksi) meminta supaya semua saman mereka yang direkodkan dalam pangkalan data dapat dihapuskan," kata pengurus komunikasi SPAD, Noor Hisham Mohd Taha kepada The Malaysian Insider.

Noor Hisham berkata permintaan itu dilakukan oleh wakil dari Persatuan Pemandu Teksi Bestari Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang (Bestari) pada Rabu lepas di dalam mesyuarat dengan SPAD, sehari selepas protes.

"Kami berkongsi pangkalan data berpusat dengan pihak berkuasa lain seperti Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) dan Jabatan Pengangkutan Darat (JPJ). Jika mereka mempunyai saman dari mana-mana satu pihak berkuasa ini, mereka tidak akan dapat memperbaharui kad mereka ," kata Noor Hisham.

Apabila ditanya jika SPAD berpendapat permintaan ini wajar, Noor Hisham enggan mengulas lanjut tetapi berkata, "Kami akan cuba untuk menyelesaikan perkara ini secara baik. Kami tidak mahu persengketaan."

Noor Hisham menambah bahawa suruhanjaya itu masih mencari tarikh yang sesuai untuk membincangkan permintaan Bestari dengan pihak berkuasa lain.

Satu lagi aduan oleh pemandu teksi adalah melibatkan perkhidmatan bas Go-KL, perkhidmatan percuma intra-bandar yang digunakan oleh pekerja pejabat dan juga pelancong.

Pengerusi SPAD Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar memberitahu The Malaysian Insider bahawa bas Go-KL tidak bertujuan untuk mengurangkan pendapatan pemandu teksi.

"Kemudahan ini telah diperkenalkan untuk kemudahan kepada orang awam untuk bergerak lancar".

Tender terbuka projek kerajaan bukti ketelusan, kata TPM

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 12:46 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Okt — Timbalan Perdana Menteri (TPM), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata langkah melaksanakan persaingan tender terbuka untuk projek dan pembelian adalah bukti ketelusan dan pentadbiran baik yang dipraktikkan oleh kerajaan Malaysia.

Menurut Muhyiddin lagi, hasil kejayaan tersebut Malaysia telah diiktiraf oleh firma antarabangsa A.T. Kearney yang mengiiktiraf negara sebagai antara 10 negara terbaik dalam indeks keyakinan pelaburan langsung asing pada 2012.

"Perkara ini satu perkembangan yang positif sekaligus memberikan petanda tahap keyakinan dikalangan pelabur dan usahawan asing semakin tinggi.

"Ini bukti Malaysia sebagai satu destinasi yang mampan dan menguntungkan untuk mereka menjalankan aktiviti perniagaan," kata Muhyiddin semasa majlis penutupan sidang Pertubuhan Agensi Penguatkuasa AntiRasuah Antarabangsa (IAACA) di ibu negara hari ini.

Selain itu, Muhyiddin turut berbangga dengan kaji selidik Transparency International pada tahun 2011 apabila 49 peratus rakyat Malaysia berpendapat usaha kerajaan memerangi rasuah berkesan berbanding 29 peratus pada 2009.

"Kerajaan Malaysia sudah melancarkan kempen memerangi rasuah, bagi untuk memastikan usaha ini lebih berkesan kita juga perlu memperbaiki sistem dan memperbaharui sikap dalam pentadbiran.

"Salah satu bukti kesungguhan kerajaan perdana menteri (PM) Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk membanteras rasuah adalah melalui peruntukan sebanyak RM276 yang diumumkan pada Bajet 2013 yang lalu kepada Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM)," tambah Muhyiddin lagi.

Di samping itu, Muhyiddin turut menggesa negara peserta IAACA mencontohi kerajaan Malaysia serta berganding bahu bersama untuk menjayakan Deklarasi Kuala Lumpur 2012 yang telah dimerterai semasa sidang keenam yang berlangsung di sini.

Pada ucapan perasmian yang lalu, Najib berkata Putrajaya mengiktiraf keperluan untuk kerjasama dengan komuniti antarabangsa dalam meneruskan usaha-usaha anti-rasuah dalam negara.

Usaha membanteras rasuah salah satu keutamaan Najib dengan memasukkan ia sebagai Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA) di bawah Program Transformasi Kerajaan (GTP), mengaktifkan agensi Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) dan menubuhkan mahkamah anti-rasuah.

Tahun lalu, Malaysia mendapat tempat ke-60 dalam Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI), penurunan sebanyak empat tempat dari tahun sebelumnya.

Ia menjaringkan 4.3 pada kajian tentang tahap persepsi rasuah sektor awam di kalangan 183 negara. Negara juga menduduki tempat ketiga di kalangan negara-negara Asean di belakang Singapura (9.3) dan Brunei (6.3).

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Ahad, 7 Oktober 2012