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CAS reject Butt and Asif’s appeal against ICC ban Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:38 AM PDT April 17, 2013 ISLAMABAD, April 17 — The cricket careers of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and pace bowler Mohammad Asif appeared over after they lost their appeals against spot-fixing bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today. File images show former Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt (L) and Mohammad Asif in London on November 1, 2011. — AFP pic"The players appealed to the CAS individually and their cases were handled separately but referred to the same panel of arbitrators...," the CAS said in a statement. Butt and team mates Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned by an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal in 2011 for their roles in spot-fixing in the Lord's Test against England in 2010. Butt, the orchestrator of a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls, was banned for 10 years, with five of those suspended. Paceman Asif was banned for seven years, two of those suspended. Amir, who was given a five-year ban, did not appeal to CAS. A London crown court handed the trio jail terms for corruption and cheating. Asif's appeal against the ban was mainly on procedural grounds but the 30-year-old paceman failed to convince the three-member CAS panel that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. "The panel was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Asif was a was party to the spot-fixing conspiracy," the statement said. Butt did not contest the findings of the ICC tribunal and only requested for a lesser sanction which was turned down by the panel comprising Graeme Mew (Canada), Romano Subiotto (UK/Belgium) and judge Robert Reid (UK). "The CAS Panel was not persuaded that the sanction imposed by the ICC Tribunal was disproportionate...," the statement added. — Reuters

AFF hopes local money can fuel ambitious league Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:32 AM PDT April 17, 2013 SINGAPORE, April 17 — As Southeast Asian money floods into English football while local leagues are left to rot, the proposed ASEAN Super League (ASL) might just offer those investors a viable alternative and put a stop to the financial drain from the region. The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) told Reuters yesterday that their new tournament will start in Feb. 2015 and feature eight franchises initially with no promotion or relegation. The plan is to eventually increase that number to 16 teams with all 11 members of the federation taking part in a product the body hopes will enable the region to realise its true potential. The AFF said discussions were ongoing but they were keen to reassure that the new league would not kill off domestic competitions in the region, many of which are already struggling with investment lacking. The blanket coverage of the English Premier League means more people in Singapore stay up to watch the Manchester derby between City and United at 3 am local time then pay SUS$5 (US$4.05) to attend an S.League match. One of the 12 clubs in this year's league, Balestier Khalsa, even went door-to-door to drum up support for this season, with their exploits going viral as their commendable initiative was mocked. In Indonesia, supporter passion is there but stifled by mismanagement with clubs in perilous financial states as a two-year power struggle continues to rip apart the domestic game. FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have had little joy in resolving the issues, with Paraguayan striker Diego Mendieta paying the ultimate price when he died of a treatable disease after going months unpaid, caught in the middle of the rival factions power struggle. In Vietnam, it is still unclear when the 2013 V.League season will start after months of delays because of financial issues, while the Philippines is slowly professionalising after years of neglect. While all these leagues suffer in a region, which is more famous for its contribution to match-fixing than achievements on the field, Southeast Asian businessmen follow the fans and plough their money into England. Cardiff City's Malaysian owners were celebrating yesterday as their Welsh club finally gained promotion to the lucrative English Premier League. They could swap places with another Malaysian-owned club, with Tony Fernandes' Queens Park Rangers in dire relegation trouble, while another struggling side, Aston Villa, are sponsored by Malaysian gaming and plantation group Genting Bhd . FAN LOYALTY Elsewhere in England's second tier, three times League Cup winners and promotion chasing Leicester City are run by Thailand's King Power International. Last year, Singaporean businessmen Bill Ng came close to buying Scottish club Glasgow Rangers, while compatriot Peter Lim was in advanced talks about purchasing English giants Liverpool in 2010. Asian money men also own Manchester City, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City with the Premier League receiving hefty sums from television networks in Asia to air matches for fans who cannot get enough football. But simply mimicking the English Premier League model at home has struggled to bear fruit for the majority of the member associations in ASEAN leading to the AFF's bold, ambitious and brave plans to join forces. "The challenge for the organisers and backers of the league is to develop a product that resonates in this market," sports rights expert James Scholefield told Reuters. "The fans need to have a genuine affiliation and loyalty that takes them off their sofas and into stadia to watch games. "Without this level of engagement, I don't see why savvy, sophisticated sponsors and marketeers will be rushing to invest in a property that doesn't 'speak' to mass audiences in Southeast Asia." The success of the biennial AFF Suzuki Cup for international teams in the region suggests it could work, with 90,000 routinely attending matches and television rights proving a hot commodity. Fusing a club competition with an international rivalry has interested some. "The ASL is likely to see a lot of attention from sponsors," John Yap, chairman of former S.League club Gombak United, told Singapore daily The New Paper. "Because it showcases national rivalries, it may just be the right concoction to take regional football to the next level." But whether it will ever be enough to wean sponsors and fans alike off the English Premier League only time will tell. — Reuters

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Fox pulls ‘Family Guy’ episode following Boston bombings Posted: 16 Apr 2013 11:40 PM PDT April 17, 2013 The spliced clip that YouTube pulled. — Photo courtesy of YouTubeLOS ANGELES, April 17 — Fox television yesterday pulled a recent episode of animated series "Family Guy" from television and Internet sites after unrelated clips that were edited together to depict a bombing at the Boston Marathon went viral on the Web. "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane slammed the mash-up as "abhorrent". It appeared a day after two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding 176. A Fox spokeswoman said the network had pulled the "Turban Cowboy" episode of the satirical series "Family Guy" from Fox.com and Hulu.com and from being rebroadcast, and that network officials were working with YouTube to take down the edited clips. It was not known who posted them. The edited video showed two separate clips fused together from the "Turban Cowboy" episode, which aired in March, in which lead character Peter Griffin drunkenly drives over runners in order to win the Boston Marathon. Later in the episode, in an unconnected storyline, Peter unknowingly becomes friends with an extremist who gives him a cellphone, which Peter calls and explosions are heard. In the video that went viral, the two scenes were put together to make it appear that the explosions happened at the Boston race. "The edited 'Family Guy' clip currently circulating is abhorrent. The event was a crime and a tragedy, and my thoughts are with the victims," MacFarlane, who voices characters on the show including Peter, wrote on Twitter. Television networks and movie studios frequently review material that might be considered sensitive or offensive after national tragedies such as the school shootings in Newton, Connecticut, in December, and Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. Fox is a unit of News Corp. — Reuters

Aerosmith’s Tyler and Perry honoured for songwriting Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:06 PM PDT April 17, 2013 Steven Tyler (left) and Joe Perry with the ASCAP Founders Award during a photo shoot in Los Angeles April 8, 2013. — Reuters picLOS ANGELES, April 17 — After 40 years with one of the biggest rock bands in the United States, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry are finally being honoured for their songwriting. The duo, dubbed the Toxic Twins in their drug-fuelled early years, co-wrote many of the bands' biggest hits, such as "Walk This Way" and "Back in the Saddle", which catapulted Aerosmith to fame in the mid-1970s. After winning multiple Grammys and other accolades, Tyler and Perry will be honoured today with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers founders award for songwriting. They will be also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13. Tyler and Perry will miss the ASCAP ceremony because they will be on the Australian leg of the band's "Global Warming" world tour in support of their first album of new material since 2001. The duo told Reuters ahead of the ceremony today that they drew much of their inspiration from each other, although Perry admitted the process might be a bit tamer than in the 1970s and 1980s when he and Tyler turned out some big hits while under the influence of drugs. "Taking drugs can be a shortcut to that place of creativity, but it will kill you in the end because it stops working," Perry said. "We had to figure out how to change the way we did things," said Perry, 62, who is working on an autobiography and a solo record project. Tyler, the son of a classical pianist, formed Aerosmith in Boston in 1970 after meeting Perry and bass player Tom Hamilton a year earlier. They signed a record deal in 1971 and what followed were four often tumultuous decades filled with thousands of concerts, band break-ups, well-chronicled bouts of drug abuse, glorious comebacks and sales of more than 150 million albums worldwide. "We all just get together in a room and inspire each other," said Tyler, 65, who at 17 wrote the signature Aerosmith hit, "Dream On", before meeting his future band members. "The secret is to overwrite. I like to write 19 songs if I only need 12," said Tyler, who quit last year after two seasons as a judge on "American Idol" to refocus on Aerosmith. Asked how his writing methods had changed over the years, Perry said he now loved composing songs with the help of his smartphone recording device. "Bottom line, I always have a studio with me. It's called an iPhone," said Perry. He said he also liked to have a guitar in every room of his home in case inspiration struck, often pausing the TV while watching late at night to lay down a new musical phrase or riff that came into his head. "I just feel like that there are too many rhythms that haven't been explored in my head. Even in the narrow confines of rock 'n' roll, there's an infinite amount of places to go," Perry said. Tyler said he had a lot of new material to work on, including some songs he began but did not complete for the band's November release "Music from Another Dimension". "I have 30 thumbnail sketches I haven't finished, including four without any lyrics," Tyler said. — Reuters

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Startup links families with their independent seniors Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:55 AM PDT April 17, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 — A new way for families to stay close to independent elders that blends modern technology with old fashioned parcel post debuted on crowd-funding website Kickstarter yesterday. Lively provides a set of sensors to be affixed to things such as pill boxes, refrigerators, microwave oven doors, or kitchen cabinets routinely used by seniors at home when they are eating, drinking or taking their medicine. — Pic courtesy of LivelyThe system — the brainchild of a startup called Lively — uses sensors and an online service to keep tabs on seniors without intruding on their lives. "There is some technology here, but the root of what we are doing is building stronger connections between elders living independently and their family members," said Lively's chief operating officer, David Glickman. Unlike Kickstarter pitches for financial backers, Lively is raising money with "pre-order pledges" of US$99 (RM each. Lively provides a set of sensors to be affixed to things such as pill boxes, refrigerators, microwave oven doors, or kitchen cabinets routinely used by seniors at home when they are eating, drinking or taking their medicine. A "Lively Hub" that plugs into an outlet picks up signals from sensors and uses a wireless signal to relay information through cell phone towers to the San Francisco start-up's servers. Another sensor attaches to a senior's key chain and detects when they come or go from home. "The general idea is activity sharing," Glickman said. "We created an experience that shares daily patterns in a way that is not too intrusive or over sharing." Seniors can decide who has access to "dashboards" online indicating how conscientious they are being about eating and getting out of the house. Arrays of family members or friends can use Lively smartphone applications to upload pictures or musings during daily activities. Photos and messages shared by people are then printed and sent to seniors by mail in booklets called "LivelyGrams." "Studies have shown that living independently encourages successful aging for older adults through improved self-esteem, health and life satisfaction," said Laura Carstensen, a Lively board member and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. "Yet this can be a challenge for extended family who feel responsible for the care of their elders as they're often 'sandwiched' between their aging parents and own children, while balancing jobs and parenting." The Lively system will be priced at US$149 when it becomes regularly available, and subscriptions to the service will cost US$19.95 a month. The startup sees itself as a low-cost entry in a market known for costly and invasive elder monitoring systems. "This category has always been described as Big Brother; fear and monitoring," said Lively co-founder Iggy Fanlo. "We want people to be thinking about loving and caring." US orders placed at Kickstarter will be shipped by July, while those in Europe, Canada or Australia will be sent by December, according to Lively. Versions for other markets will be announced late this year. — AFP/Relaxnews

Mum and dad equally good at recognising baby’s cry Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:49 AM PDT April 17, 2013 PARIS, April 17 — French researchers yesterday dealt a blow to folklore that says mothers are better than fathers in recognising their baby's cry. The "maternal instinct" notion gained scientific backing more than three decades ago through two experiments, one of which found that women were nearly twice as accurate as men in identifying the cry of their offspring. — Pic courtesy of shutterstock.comThe "maternal instinct" notion gained scientific backing more than three decades ago through two experiments, one of which found that women were nearly twice as accurate as men in identifying the cry of their offspring. But the new study says men and women are equally skilled at this — and accuracy depends simply on the amount of time that a parent spends with the child. Scientists led by Nicolas Mathevon at the University of Saint-Etienne recorded the cries of 29 babies aged between 58 and 153 days as the infants were being bathed. Fifteen of the babies were in France and 14 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The idea of sampling cries in Africa and Europe was to test whether local culture and family habits affected outcomes. All the mothers, and half of the fathers, spent more than four hours a day with their baby. The other fathers spent less than four hours daily with the child. The parents were asked to listen to a recording of three different cries from five babies of a similar age, one of which was their own. There were two sessions of experiments. On average, the parents were 90 per cent accurate in identifying the cry of their own baby. Mothers were 98 per cent accurate, and fathers who spent more than four hours with baby per day were 90 per cent accurate. Fathers who spent less than four hours daily with the infant were only 75 per cent accurate. Parents who were exposed to other babies each day — a characteristic of the extended family in Africa — were 82 per cent accurate. The study, which appears in the journal Nature Communications, says the "maternal instinct" hypothesis is flawed, as the studies from the late 1970s and early 1980s failed to take into account the amount of time the fathers spent with their kids. In biological terms, men and women are "cooperative breeders", so the idea that one gender is better than the other at a basic mechanism to protect the baby is incongruous, it suggests. "Both fathers and mothers can reliably and equally recognise their own baby from their cries," it says. "The only crucial factor affecting this ability is the amount of time spent by the parent with their own baby." — AFP/Relaxnews

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Britain’s Hilary Mantel tops women’s fiction prize shortlist Posted: 16 Apr 2013 09:15 PM PDT Sequel to 1964 Yoko Ono poetry book due June, entitled 'Acorn' NEW YORK, April 14 — Avant-garde artist and 1960s icon Yoko Ono will have a new book of playful poetry and black & white drawings made available in June via specialist publishing house OR Books."It's ... Read More Paulo Coelho brings timeless ideas to new novel NEW YORK, April 13 — Like his international best seller "The Alchemist," Paulo Coelho's new novel weaves a story that takes place in the past while the ideas it explores, he says, are more relevant than ... Read More Colonial psalm book could fetch US$30m at NY auction NEW YORK, April 13 — One of 11 surviving copies of the first book printed in America is hitting the auction block later this year and is expected to fetch as much as US$30 million (RM93 million), which ... Read More Fans queue at midnight for new novel by Japan's Murakami TOKYO, April 12 — More than 100 people lined up at midnight at a Tokyo bookstore, eager to get their hands on the latest Haruki Murakami novel that went on sale today, the first in three years by the ... Read More Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlists six LONDON, April 12 — Novels written in Afrikaans, Spanish, Dutch, Albanian and Croatian constitute the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist for 2013, pending a May 20 prizewinner's ... Read More

Rembrandt’s dark genius shines in new graphic novel Posted: 16 Apr 2013 09:01 PM PDT Sequel to 1964 Yoko Ono poetry book due June, entitled 'Acorn' NEW YORK, April 14 — Avant-garde artist and 1960s icon Yoko Ono will have a new book of playful poetry and black & white drawings made available in June via specialist publishing house OR Books."It's ... Read More Paulo Coelho brings timeless ideas to new novel NEW YORK, April 13 — Like his international best seller "The Alchemist," Paulo Coelho's new novel weaves a story that takes place in the past while the ideas it explores, he says, are more relevant than ... Read More Colonial psalm book could fetch US$30m at NY auction NEW YORK, April 13 — One of 11 surviving copies of the first book printed in America is hitting the auction block later this year and is expected to fetch as much as US$30 million (RM93 million), which ... Read More Fans queue at midnight for new novel by Japan's Murakami TOKYO, April 12 — More than 100 people lined up at midnight at a Tokyo bookstore, eager to get their hands on the latest Haruki Murakami novel that went on sale today, the first in three years by the ... Read More Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlists six LONDON, April 12 — Novels written in Afrikaans, Spanish, Dutch, Albanian and Croatian constitute the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize shortlist for 2013, pending a May 20 prizewinner's ... Read More

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Ahli akademik ramal kerajaan Selangor akan tumbang Posted: 17 Apr 2013 02:39 AM PDT April 17, 2013 SHAH ALAM, 17 April — Seorang ahli akademik, Prof Madya Dr Ismail Sualman, hari ini meramalkan kerajaan negeri Selangor pimpinan pakatan pembangkang akan tumbang pada pilihan raya umum 5 Mei depan ekoran "gelombang kemarahan" rakyat terhadap banyak janji yang dibuat pada pilihan raya lepas masih tidak ditunaikan. Dr Ismail dari Fakulti Komunikasi Massa, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) di sini, berkata masanya akan tiba tidak lama lagi bagi rakyat Selangor untuk menghukum kerajaan pakatan pembangkang melalui peti undi di atas kemungkiran janji dan kelemahan yang ketara selama lima tahun memerintah. "Setiap pengundi ada hak untuk menyatakan kekesalan dan kekecewaan terhadap kerajaan negeri, dengan tidak lagi mengundi Pakatan Rakyat. Maknanya inilah hukuman yang bakal diterima oleh kerajaan negeri yang tidak menunjukkan prestasi dan tidak menunaikan janji-janji," katanya dalam satu temuramah. "Inilah yang paling nyata sekarang. Itu sebabnya gelombang kemarahan rakyat dah ada. Gelombang kemarahan nak menjatuhkan kerajaan yang sedia ada dan balik kepada kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) dah mula bergerak," katanya. Sebagai contoh, beliau berkata inilah satu-satunya kerajaan negeri yang paling banyak disaman oleh rakyatnya sendiri dalam sejarah negara, ekoran tindakan sedemikian oleh kira-kira 3,000 ibu tunggal baru-baru ini kerana kerajaan negeri gagal menunaikan janji pemberian bantuan kepada golongan itu. Dr Ismail berkata kerajaan pakatan pembangkang mengamalkan dasar pilih kasih dalam pengagihan bantuan kepada ibu tunggal, suri rumah dan warga tua dengan memberi hanya kepada penyokong parti-parti mereka, berbanding apa yang dilakuklan oleh BN melalui Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) yang dinikmati oleh rakyat tanpa mengira parti politik mana yang mereka sokong. "Kerajaan negeri Selangor yang ini, tidak beri kepada ibu tunggal yang tidak menyokong parti Pakatan Rakyat. Ini satu kerajaan yang tidak adil. Juga bila katakan anak nak masuk ke pusat pengajian tinggi, dia akan siasat siapa keluarga dia. Kalau katakan dia keluarga orang UMNO, dia tidak akan bagi dan ini yang berlaku sebenarnya. "Maknanya pilih bulu, pilih kasih. Bila ini berlaku saya rasa parti begini tidak akan disokong lagi kerana dia hanya berikan pada orang yang ada kepentingan sahaja. Satu lagi contoh, banyak elaun untuk suri rumah yang menjaga anak atau yang hantar anak ke tadika yang dijanjikan dalam manifesto mereka dahulu masih tidak diberi. Banyak janji yang tidak ditepati yang boleh menyebabkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat akan kalah pada pilihan raya kali ini," kata Dr Ismail. Beliau juga berkata memang kerajaan negeri menunaikan janji pemberian air percuma 20 meter padu pertama tetapi mereka yang tinggal di rumah-rumah pangsa atau rumah bertingkat yang kebanyakan berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana yang tidak menggunakan meter secara individu sebenarnya tidak mendapat nikmat apa pun. Dasar air percuma yang dipertikaikan kewajarannya oleh banyak pihak ini lebih menguntungkan kumpulan-kumpulan yang tidak sepatutnya mendapat air percuma seperti mereka yang tinggal di rumah-rumah mewah, tambahnya. Dr Ismail berpendapat apa yang berlaku di Selangor sudah tentu membuka mata pengundi bukan sahaja di negeri ini tetapi juga memberi impak kepada pengundi di seluruh Malaysia secara umumnya. "Kerana apa yang berlaku di Selangor ini akan juga menjadi tempias kepada negeri-negeri lain. Dan sudah tentu dia akan memberi kesan implikasi kepada corak trend pengundian pada kali ini". Beliau berkata rakyat Selangor juga "sangat marah" kerana kerajaan negeri di samping mempolitikkan isu air, juga melakukan perkara yang sama terhadap soal pendidikan kerana pentadbiran negeri masuk campur dalam urusan Universiti Selangor (Unisel). "Unisel ini boleh jadi bankrap kerana terlalu banyak dipolitikkan hingga soal dalaman seperti siapa jadi Naib Canselor dan sebagainya ditentukan oleh (Penasihat PKR) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sendiri. Unisel menurun jumlah pelajarnya, daripada begitu banyak sehingga sekarang ini dah begitu banyak berkurangan". Beliau berkata tidak dapat dinafikan akan berlaku "pertempuran sengit" di antara BN dan pakatan pembangkang pada pilihan raya umum kali ini dan Selangor akan kembali kepada pangkuan BN sekiranya BN meletakkan "winnable candidate" atau calon-calon boleh menang yang mewakili nurani hati dan dekat dengan rakyat. Kesimpulannya pentadbiran lima tahun pakatan pembangkang di Selangor merupakan tempoh "janji tinggal janji", sehingga manifesto yang dahulu pun tidak dianggap sebagai janji, katanya. "Kalau sesuatu janji itu hanya tinggal janji dan tidak dilaksanakan seperti yang saya dapati dalam kajian saya, ini dah menipu rakyat." Merujuk kepada manifesto pakatan pembangkang untuk pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13) ini, Dr Ismail berkata manifesto yang baharu lebih banyak memansuh daripada membina. "Cuba tengok sendiri dalam manifesto baharu ini...menghapus itu, menghapus ini, dia tak cakap nak membina. Menghapus tol sebagai contoh tetapi dia nak buat tol daripada Tanah Besar sampai George Town...dia tulis situ terowong bertol tetapi dalam manifesto hapuskan tol. Yang mana satu ni? Manifesto itu dari awal -awal lagi dah menipu," katanya. — Bernama

PKR akan bertanding di sebahagian besar kerusi Sabah, fokus di kerusi parlimen Posted: 17 Apr 2013 02:24 AM PDT Oleh Syed Jaymal Zahiid April 17, 2013 PETALING JAYA, 17 April — PKR akan bertanding di sebahagian besar kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) dan parlimen di negeri kubu kuat Barisan Nasional (BN) di Sabah, memberikan gambaran pertarungan tiga penjuru yang bakal berlaku di negeri Malaysia Timur itu. Ketua PKR Sabah Ahmad Tamrin mengatakan hari ini parti tersebut, bersama-sama dengan sekutu mereka APS dan PPS mensasarkan untuk menjadikan "negeri di bawah bayu" itu sebagai negeri utama yang menyumbangkan kerusi parlimen diperlukan untuk membentuk kerajaan pusat Pakatan Rakyat (PR) selepas hari mengundi pada 5 Mei. PPS dan APS adalah pergerakkan yang ditubuhkan oleh bekas pemimpin BN Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin dan Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing - keluar parti dan menjadi ahli parlimen pro PR tahun lepas. "Rakyat Sabah melihat kepada gambaran lebih besar: untuk menawan Putrajaya. Kami tidak mahu menukar kerajaan, kami pernah menukar kerajaan (negeri) sebelum ini. "Rakyat Sabah mampu untuk menukar kerajaan. Rakyat Sabah kini ingin menjadi negeri utama yang memberikan sebanyak mungkin kerusi," kata Tamrin dalam sidang akhbar di ibupejabat parti di sini. MENYUSUL LAGI

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Terengganu is all set for the polls! Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:02 PM PDT April 17, 2013 Dina Zaman writes to find answers. Sometimes she doesn't. If she's not spending too much money on books, it's household items. She would like everyone to be happy. APRIL 17 ― Someone asked me about politics in Terengganu. I said, it's still very grassroots, and it will remain laidback whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat governs it.  There is some progress, but that progress is contentious. About a month back, I was assigned to observe how Umno Terengganu fared, and what their preparations were for the coming elections. Despite the flags lining the roads, everyone I met was nonchalant about the elections. It's a shoo-in for BN and Umno, as far as everyone in the state was concerned. There are fears; they were complacent when they lost to PAS and they don't want a repeat of that. A short meeting with Ibrahim Omar, the Umno Kuala Terengganu secretary, revealed that the polls would be "…sengit." It's going to be a tough fight, as the young and more professionals support the Opposition, but Umno will win Terengganu. Umno Kuala Terengganu has been preparing for the general election for more than a year. Because of their preparedness, activities were not rushed. "We're having the usual ceramahs, just like the Opposition. We're briefing our members what to expect during the polls, how to organise the ceramahs and activities, but we're not in a frenzy yet. The flags that you're seeing now were to welcome the PM over the weekend, not because of the elections!" Ibrahim Omar.And they would remain there until May 5! What about social media, I asked. On Facebook, there are a number of Umno Terengganu groups, but most are closed to the public. One ― Kelab Penyokong Umno Parlimen Kuala Terengganu ― was set up to gather as many supporters to discuss and implement strategies to help with the upcoming elections. The one open Facebook group was a space where jobs were advertised and beauty products were sold. On Twitter, there's hardly any representation from Umno Terengganu, but tweets from their supporters and, of course, the Opposition are many. There seems to be little social media presence. Ibrahim shook his head. His office didn't engage with social media. In Terengganu, ceramahs work best. He's confident that the locals will vote for them. "The Chinese community are in business. They don't want to live in a country that is huru-hara. They can't afford to have strife. And even our Malay traders can't afford to have their businesses affected." Many of the locals who voted for PAS and were under PAS in the nineties found it hard to eke out a living. Bread-and-butter issues are topmost priority for them now. Terengganu may not be as modern as other states but it has progressed. Its resident voters are different from those of Kuala Lumpur. Urban, educated voters in Kuala Lumpur demand for better transportation, for example, but Terengganu locals are happy with what they have, and do not ask for more.  "We're too complacent."The women of Umno Ladang. Ladang Ladang is hot right now. Once upon a time, it was a tiny village that fulfilled all the clichés about Malay kampungs. Now it is a site that is contested and discussed heavily and angrily by the Opposition. Ladang has divided the locals into two camps: either you support the move or you don't. However, the women of Ladang, who have now moved to the new flats built by the state government in what the Opposition has deemed as a controversial move, are grateful for their new homes, though they admit to missing "kampung life." Back then, when they lived in the village, sanitation was poor, their houses were crumbling, and they were poor. They're still poor now, but they have a roof over their heads, and there's clean water. The flat Kak Na (Halina Mamat) and her friends live in is not unlike the low-cost flats seen in Kuala Lumpur. They're tiny shoeboxes, and an air of despair hovers over the inhabitants. Halina, Sisulawati Kadir and Kak Ja don't see the move as bad. "Kami AJK je… (we're the committee members of the branch…)" The women work as cleaners, and Sisulawati sells curry puffs. Their involvement in politics is due to wanting to give back to the community and bangsa Melayu. They're quite eager to help out in the elections. Their way of campaigning is rudimentary. They talk among their friends, and when the community meets for kenduri, meetings and events. When asked what their campaign was about, they stared blankly. "Preparations for the upcoming polls started a month back. But preparations are muted…. cara kampung. So far, there have been a few ceramahs here and there. But Insya'Allah, all will be well. Bahang pilihanraya sudah ada sekarang," Sisulawati said. Everyone is prepared, and they are making sure their friends are not influenced by the "pembangkang." "Kami buat banci, to find out the number of each household. We believe that everyone is intelligent enough to figure things out. So we don't need to campaign from door to door," Halina said. Halina added, "The Opposition keeps talking about religion and how to be a better Muslim. Religion IS important but they don't tell us how to survive!" Besides, Umno is a Muslim party, too.Haji Senun Embung. And in Kampung Haji Kadir…. It's not often that you meet a very important committee member of Umno in front of an outhouse after Isyah prayers, but that was where I met Haji Senun Embung of Kampung Haji Kadir. Seventy per cent of its residents support PAS, while the rest support Umno. In a show of defiance perhaps, BN flags the size of carpets were hung from poles as tall as streetlights, right by the village. "What we want when PRU is over, is that the top level Umno listen and talk to us orang kampung. Because they don't," Haji Senun Embung claimed, as he greeted my cousin and I at the outhouse. The outhouse is a world apart from the hallowed grounds of hotel coffeehouses and lounges that the more senior and established Umno members haunt. Haji Senun, his daughter Rospariza and family are Umno members and represent Umno Bahagian Masjid Haji Kadir. Kampung Masjid Haji Kadir is a PAS bastion, with a small population of Umno stalwarts (30 per cent).  Every Sunday, there's a ceramah blasting throughout the small village, but the Umno supporters soldier on. If they can survive here, they can survive anywhere. Syed Safri, a relative of Haji Senun, was introduced. He was proud of his work; he had a serious obligation to perform: he climbs up the flag poles to put on the flags at night. He considers it a privilege to hang them, and feels that "… tampal bendera ni… it is like I am supporting my government." Syed Safri.The work itself is challenging. The work is done at night, and from time to time, PAS members would heckle him while he hung the flags. His modus operandi is to ignore them. After a while, they'd go home to sleep. Rospariza grinned. "I suppose you can call this a campaign." Rospariza is with Puteri Umno, and has a lot to say about the social problem the state has. Campaigning and winning are two things; the problems would still not go away when the elections are over. Haji Senun was sanguine. "I love my country, but I feel frustrated. The problems of the people in the kampung are real, but overlooked."  He is still confident of BN's win in Terengganu. They're ready for the polls; they have been holding ceramahs at Batu Burok, and in some villages. However, there needs to be more co-operation and collaboration between top tier of Umno and people like him. "Come back during the week of the elections. Then Terengganu will be fun, like a carnival, with both sides slugging it out," Rospariza said. *** I predict a livelier political scene in my home state in the future. The architect Raja Bahrin has joined PAS, and has been a vocal oppositionist for quite some time. His uncle YAM Tengku Sri Paduka Tengku Ibrahim Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin may wish to play a quieter role as a supporter and member of PAS, but he is no less influential. There is also another Terengganu man who is shaking up a lot of things already: Rafizi Ramli. I received a call from my friend, the former gangster and now PKR member of Terengganu, the other day. "Ku. Pilihanraya nok dekak doh. Nok mintok sumbangan boleh?" "Berapa ribu tu!" "Skek je. Lime puloh ringgit pong takpe." "Allah! Sedih aku dengor! Kang mung SMS nombor akaun k?" Hodup Kepok Lekor! * This is the personal opinion of the columnist

GE13 wishlist: For a safer Malaysia Posted: 16 Apr 2013 04:34 PM PDT April 17, 2013 Native Sabahan Erna is (not) Malay but loves Malay literature. Her hobbies: cats/gaming/blogging at ernamerin.com/Tweeting at @ernamh. APRIL 17 — Whoever wins the upcoming general election, I hope there will be measures to make our country safer. As a Sabahan, I would like to be able to visit Semporna without being worried that armed militants will decide to have a picnic there. I would also like to walk on the streets without having to be on constant alert for thieves on motorcycles. And I would really, really like to not be afraid of the men in uniform who are supposed to make me feel safe. Having been stopped in cabs and on the street by policemen who think I am a foreign worker they can extort, it is upsetting that I need to be wary of policemen. My nerves are already frayed from being on high alert for pickpockets, molesters and MLM recruiters. But the thing about handling crime is that it goes way beyond reforming the police and increasing security measures. We have to ask the hard questions: What do we need to do to give people less cause to commit crime? Punitive measures are not a perfect deterrent. Poverty is not a direct cause of crime, but the environment of poverty encourages it. Crime, you see, is the symptom. Not the disease. Our country is sick in many ways ― income disparity, racial polarisation, a failed education system. There is no quick fix for all that. Tackling crime means having to address not just our police force, but our economy. People need alternatives to crime. In an ideal society, crime would be an undesirable option as people could make their livings in an easier, hassle-free manner. But the way things are, it is actually less work and far more profitable to form a gang and snatch handbags from random women than to seek honest employment. Why work retail for awful pay, scant benefits and long hours when in 15 minutes you can grab yourself a wallet full of money, a brand new phone and maybe something extra just by taking it away from someone? Even more disheartening is how women are often targets of crime and to top it all off, blamed for being targets. Too often we blame women for not "doing more" to protect themselves. Instead, we keep admonishing them to: Cover up. Don't leave your house alone. Don't drive to malls alone. Don't walk to your car alone. Don't go anywhere without pepper spray. Don't bring handbags that are easy to snatch. Why can't we instead send a stronger message out: Don't prey on women in the first place? I leave you with the latest instalment of Popteevee's new show Gila Selamba Jane where Zara Kahan explains just how much fear the average Malaysian woman has to deal with on a day-to-day basis. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist

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