KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — My first encounter with this moist, perfectly structured cake was back in the days when I used to go Hari Raya visiting with my parents.I wasn't interested in the other food served ... Read More
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — My first encounter with this moist, perfectly structured cake was back in the days when I used to go Hari Raya visiting with my parents.I wasn't interested in the other food served ... Read More
ROME, June 11 — Ferrari backed Formula One's governing body today for their handling of a tyre testing controversy involving rivals Mercedes.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has summoned Mercedes and tyre supplier Pirelli to its international tribunal in Paris on June 20 on charges of breaking the rules by testing in Spain last month.
"We have faith in the FIA," president Luca di Montezemolo declared at the opening of the new Ferrari museum at the Italian team's Maranello factory on Tuesday.
"I do not wish to comment but I note with satisfaction that the federation is following this incident well," he added in comments reported on the Ferrari website (http://www.ferrari.com).
"Let's hope Formula One can maintain its professionalism and we have faith that those who attempt to circumvent the regulations are pursued and prosecuted, or rather more prosecuted than pursued."
Former Ferrari team manager and current FIA President Jean Todt and his girlfriend Michelle Yeoh walk in the paddock area before the Monaco F1 Grand Prix May 26, 2013. — Reuters picThe FIA is now run by Jean Todt, the former Ferrari principal who presided over the team's most successful years with Michael Schumacher winning five championships in a row between 2000 and 2004.
The Mercedes team principal is Ross Brawn, Todt's former right-hand man as Ferrari technical director up to the end of 2006.
Ferrari, who made an official protest about Mercedes using a 2013 car at the 'secret' Barcelona test when word leaked out at last month's Monaco Grand Prix, also tested with Pirelli in April but with a 2011 car.
The FIA also quizzed Ferrari about that test but decided to take the matter no further because they were deemed to have broken no rules.
Champions Red Bull, who also protested, have accused Mercedes of gaining an important advantage from the 1,000km test. Mercedes say the test was controlled by Pirelli who have said the team had no knowledge of what was being tested. — Reuters
South Korea's Kim Young-Gwon (left, 2nd row) and Kim Shin-Wook (right) celebrate after Shorakhmedov Akmal (not pictured) of Uzbekistan scored an own goal during their World Cup qualifying soccer match in Seoul June 11, 2013. — Reuters picSEOUL, June 11 — South Korea are on the brink of making another World Cup finals appearance after scraping a 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in a top-of-the-table qualifying clash in rainy Seoul today.
An entertaining match was settled by an own goal from Akmal Shorakhmedov just before halftime, the Uzbek defender heading Kim Young-gwon's cross from the right past his helpless goalkeeper.
The Koreans now have 14 points from seven matches in Group A of Asian qualifying, three clear of the Uzbeks with Iran on 10 from six games with only the top two guaranteed a place at Brazil 2014.
Iran host Lebanon later on Tuesday and a shock defeat for the home side would mean Korea qualifying ahead of their final fixture against Carlos Queiroz's side in Ulsan next week.
The Koreans had the better chances on a slick surface in Seoul on Tuesday with towering striker Kim Shin-wook causing the visitors numerous problems in the air.
A flicked header by the forward gave Asian player of the year Lee Keun-ho a fantastic chance to open the scoring in the 11th minute but the tricky forward sliced his shot hopelessly wide from six metres.
The Uzbeks also played well although they struggled in the final third, striker Ulugbek Bakayev offering their best chance with a fizzing shot from distance that was palmed away.
The Koreans always looked more likely to score and they took the lead three minutes before halftime when Kim Young-gwon cut inside on to his left foot and his inswinging cross was flicked in by Shorakhmedov at the near post.
The Uzbeks, who are at home to Qatar in their final match next Tuesday, took the game to the Koreans in the second half.
They threw on substitute forwards Aleksandr Geynrikh and Sanzhar Tursunov but were still unable to create clear-cut chances.
The Koreans comfortably held out for the three points which left them on the verge of their eight consecutive World Cup finals appearance. — Reuters
NEW YORK, June 11 — The epic fantasy and comedy series came out on top at the third Broadcast Television Journalists Association's awards ceremony on June 10.
Thanks to "Game of Thrones," voted Best Drama Series, HBO emerged as the big victor of the evening. The cable network also won Best TV Movie for the biopic "Behind the Candelabra," for which Michael Douglas took Best Actor for his portrayal of Liberace. Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Veep") received the award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, while Jane Fonda ("The Newsroom") came away with Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series.
Other pay TV channels stood out too in the critics' estimation, including FX for "American Horror Story: Asylum" and AMC for Bryan Cranston's lead performance in the series "Breaking Bad."
The only major network to hold its own at the awards was CBS, on the strength of "The Big Bang Theory," voted Best Comedy Series of the year, and supporting cast members Kaley Cuoco and Simon Helberg.
Winners of the main Critics' Choice Awards:
Best Drama Series: "Game of Thrones" (HBO) Best Actress: Tatiana Maslany in "Orphan Black" (BBC America) Best Actor: Bryan Cranston in "Breaking Bad" (AMC) Best Supporting Actress: Monica Potter in "Parenthood" (NBC) Best Supporting Actor: Michael Cudlitz in "Southland" (TNT)
Best Comedy Series: "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) Best Actress: Julia Louis-Dreyfus in "Veep" (HBO) Best Actor: Louis C.K. in "Louie" (FX) Best Supporting Actress: Kaley Cuoco in "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) Best Supporting Actor: Simon Helberg in "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
Best Movie/Miniseries: "Behind the Candelabra" (HBO) Best Actor: Michael Douglas in "Behind the Candelabra" (HBO) Best Actress: Elisabeth Moss in "Top of the Lake" (Sundance Channel) Best Supporting Actress: Sarah Paulson in "American Horror Story: Asylum" (FX) Best Supporting Actor: Zachary Quinto in "American Horror Story: Asylum" (FX)
The complete list of winners in order of their announcement can be found on criticschoice.com. — AFP-Relaxnews
Malkovich was in Toronto for a three-day theater run as Casanova in 'The Giacomo Variations'. - Reuters pic
TORONTO, June 11 — Actor John Malkovich, known for playing unhinged villains in a 30-year film career, took on the role of real life hero this past week, rushing to the rescue of an Ohio man who was lying bleeding on a Toronto street.
Jim Walpole, 77, and his wife Marilyn had just left a downtown pub on Thursday when Walpole fell, cutting his neck on a piece of scaffolding near the central King Edward Hotel.
Malkovich, in Toronto for a three-day theater run as Casanova in "The Giacomo Variations", went to his side almost immediately, putting pressure on Walpole's neck, according to Chris Mathias, a doorman at the luxury hotel who was alerted to the incident by Walpole's wife.
"By the time I got there John Malkovich was already using a scarf and holding it on the wound of the gentleman, because he was bleeding a lot," Mathias said.
Walpole, who was lucid throughout the ordeal, didn't recognize the Oscar-nominated actor, whose had roles in "Dangerous Liaisons", "Con Air" and the self-spoofing "Being John Malkovich."
Mathias said paramedics arrived after about ten minutes.
Walpole was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and he has since returned to his home in Defiance, Ohio, Canadian media reported.
"The ambulance drove away, (Malkovich) looked at me and said 'that was intense'," said Mathias.
"And he sort of just faded into the night." – Reuters
NEW YORK, June 11 — Healthcare has improved in many countries in the last five years, but patients in South Korea, Argentina and Japan are the most satisfied with their medical care, according to an Ipsos poll released today.
In a survey of 15 countries, people in those countries gave top grades for improvements in their national healthcare system since 2008, along with residents of Belgium and Australia, which rounded out the top five nations.
Healthcare has improved in many countries in the last five years, but patients in South Korea, Argentina and Japan are the most satisfied with their medical care, according to an Ipsos poll released today. — AFP picAt the other end of the spectrum, patients in Sweden, France, Italy, Hungary and Spain were the least satisfied with their health services and experiences among the 15 countries studied.
"On average things are moving forward in terms of healthcare access and experience around the world based on what we saw. This is very clear," said John Wright, senior vice president and managing director of Global Advisor Ipsos Public Affairs, which conducted the survey.
"But the elements within the healthcare system in certain countries are very specific in terms of what they are concerned about," he added in an interview.
The United States, which came in sixth overall, was followed by Poland, Germany, Canada and Britain.
It's worth noting the survey only included the 15 countries and was based on perceptions of users. So one country's system could be superior to another's, but if its users didn't rate it as highly, it would rank lower on the list.
"Everybody is getting a report card by their individual patient populations," Wright explained, likening it to "a customer satisfaction survey."
Ipsos polled a total of 12,001 adults online in 15 countries in Europe, Asia and North America about whether healthcare in their countries was better now than in recent years.
It also asked residents to rate access to doctors, specialists, a hospital, diagnostic tests, drugs and their experiences in treatment options, quality, coordination, speed and level of care.
MEETING EXPECTATIONS?
The poll could help healthcare officials see where they are failing to meet patient expectations, Wright added.
While the results show how patients rate their country's healthcare system, he added, they do not reflect how one nation's system compares against another.
South Korea scored the highest marks in all categories.
Residents of Spain, which ranked at the bottom of the list, gave poor scores on access to diagnostic tests, hospitals, drugs and specialists and patient experiences in all categories.
Those in France also gave low grades for most healthcare services, except for diagnostic tests and for the speed with which they could access medical care.
Poland's scores suggested worsening healthcare in the areas of hospital and specialist access, while Hungarian patients were most dissatisfied with availability of specialists and a hospital, and speed of services.
Sweden, which has universal healthcare coverage and among the world's longest life expectancies, was No. 11 overall and received low marks for access to specialists, diagnostic tests and hospital, and coordinated services.
Ipsos surveyed about 1,000 adults in each country, except for Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, Poland and South Korea which each had a sample of 500-plus participants. The online survey conducted Jan. 4-18 had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 per centage points for a poll of 1,000, and plus or minus 5.0 per centage points for a poll of 500 people. — Reuters
WASHINGTON, June 11 — The US government has recovered 400 pages from the long-lost diary of Alfred Rosenberg, a confidant of Adolf Hitler who played a central role in the extermination of millions of Jews and others during World War Two.
A preliminary US government assessment reviewed by Reuters asserts the diary could offer new insight into meetings Rosenberg had with Hitler and other top Nazi leaders, including Heinrich Himmler and Herman Goering. It also includes details about the German occupation of the Soviet Union, including plans for mass killings of Jews and other Eastern Europeans.
Defendant Alfred Rosenberg, the former Chief Nazi Party Ideologist, sits in his jail cell during the International Military Tribunal trial of war criminals at Nuremberg in this photograph taken by a United States Army Signal Corps photographer in Nuremberg on November 24, 1945. — Reuters pic"The documentation is of considerable importance for the study of the Nazi era, including the history of the Holocaust," according to the assessment, prepared by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. "A cursory content analysis indicates that the material sheds new light on a number of important issues relating to the Third Reich's policy. The diary will be an important source of information to historians that complements, and in part contradicts, already known documentation."
How the writings of Rosenberg, a Nazi Reich minister who was convicted at Nuremberg and hanged in 1946, might contradict what historians believe to be true is unclear. Further details about the diary's contents could not be learned, and a US government official stressed that the museum's analysis remains preliminary.But the diary does include details about tensions within the German high-command — in particular, the crisis caused by the flight of Rudolf Hess to Britain in 1941, and the looting of art throughout Europe, according to the preliminary analysis.
The recovery is expected to be announced this week at a news conference in Delaware held jointly by officials from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Justice and Holocaust museum.
The diary offers a loose collection of Rosenberg's recollections from spring 1936 to winter 1944, according to the museum's analysis. Most entries are written in Rosenberg's looping cursive, some on paper torn from a ledger book and others on the back of official Nazi stationery, the analysis said.
Rosenberg was an early and powerful Nazi ideologue, particularly on racial issues. He directed the Nazi party's foreign affairs department and edited the Nazi newspaper. Several of his memos to Hitler were cited as evidence during the post-war Nuremberg trials.
Rosenberg also directed the systematic Nazi looting of Jewish art, cultural and religious property throughout Europe. The Nazi unit created to seize such artifacts was called Task Force Reichsleiter Rosenberg.
He was convicted of crimes against humanity and was one of a dozen senior Nazi officials executed in October 1946. His diary, once held by Nuremberg prosecutors as evidence, vanished after the trial.
A Nuremberg prosecutor, Robert Kempner, was long suspected by US officials of smuggling the diary back to the United States.
Born in Germany, Kempner had fled to America in the 1930s to escape the Nazis, only to return for post-war trials. He is credited with helping reveal the existence of the Wannsee Protocol, the 1942 conference during which Nazi officials met to coordinate the genocide against the Jews, which they termed "The Final Solution."
Kempner cited a few Rosenberg diary excerpts in his memoir, and in 1956 a German historian published entries from 1939 and 1940. But the bulk of the diary never surfaced.
When Kempner died in 1993 at age 93, legal disputes about his papers raged for nearly a decade between his children, his former secretary, a local debris removal contractor and the Holocaust museum. The children agreed to give their father's papers to the Holocaust museum, but when officials arrived to retrieve them from his home in 1999, they discovered that many thousands of pages were missing.
After the 1999 incident, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the missing documents. No charges were filed in the case.
But the Holocaust museum has gone on to recover more than 150,000 documents, including a trove held by Kempner's former secretary, who by then had moved into the New York state home of an academic named Herbert Richardson.
The Rosenberg diary, however, remained missing.
Early this year, the Holocaust museum and an agent from Homeland Security Investigations tried to locate the missing diary pages. They tracked the diary to Richardson, who was living near Buffalo.
Richardson declined to comment. A government official said more details will be announced at the news conference. — Reuters
Victor Tan enjoys writing, philosophising, and watching the world spin. He believes that dreams aren't worth dreaming if they aren't grand enough to strike fear into people's hearts. He writes for CEKU at http://www.ceku.org.
JUNE 11 — "So you know, the A-students become the professors, the B-students become the investment bankers, and the C-students become the volunteer workers. The A-grade men marry the B-grade women, and the B-grade men marry the C-grade women. It's a fundamental law of nature." — Anonymous
From society's point of view, it's desirable for men to be rich. In the world of men, money is social capital. It conveys freedom to act and therefore dominance. Following Darwin's theory of natural selection, men who show ambition and potential are often those who gain the "lion's share" of mates.
It holds that individuals with the best traits should mate to pass down their favourable genes. I don't claim to know about the way all men perceive relationships between other people, but a general rule that we can distil is that men do not prefer career-oriented women. It may sound sexist, but it's true — although it reflects insecurity.
If we measure dominance in terms of balance sheets and career influence, there is a stark difference between society's perception of high-income women compared to high-income men. For instance, in terms of singlehood by choice, older men have far greater leverage than women of the same age.
Many men tend to prefer women who earn less than them, or at most their equals. It's not something people talk about — but ask yourself how many guys go for women in elite schools or in high positions, or how many high-achieving women they know. If your family is like mine, you will hear stories about female corporate execs who are highly paid, single, looking to date but unable to find a mate.
As a justification for the preservation of traditional gender roles, some men enjoy making the claim that the male species is dominant across all strata in the animal kingdom. This is patently untrue e.g. the praying mantis eats its husband upon mating, and the female anglerfish is the nightmare-horror-career-oriented hambeast that dissolves the male of the species into little more than a brainless parasite.
Gender roles are changing rapidly. Women are marrying later, partly because of choice, but partly because there is a mismatch between men's expectations of women and what women can provide. Perhaps it's because we men fear rejection, and so deflect it, or completely avoid situations in which it occurs. Often, intelligence intimidates and deters — it strikes hard at the egos we so ruthlessly protect.
High-income women do not have time to indulge our desires and whims — thus many of us don't go after them. However, the opposite applies for career-minded men on account of our patriarchal upbringings. On average, it is more expected that the man spend time providing for the family. Yet, 40 per cent of households now feature women as the main breadwinner, as men increasingly take on roles as stay-at-home dads.
It's something that is worth considering, whether you're male or female, whether you're 21 or 45, seeking for love or for seeking a future — though these two may intertwine. Do I prefer to marry for love? Will I wait for someone who is worth the wait? Will I settle? Do I even have a choice in the matter, and indeed will waiting for "the one" be the most worthwhile investment? At the end of the day, these things take a turn for the idiosyncratic. The fascinating question, yet the question I won't presume to answer for you, is this — can we have it all?
I'm 21 and male. I have been asked at Chinese New Year whether I'm getting married, as have my cousins. The pressure increases every year. I wouldn't mind an overachiever who supports my ambitions. Yet, intellect and social standing isn't everything. To me, what's important is for one to be the best that one can be. I'm comfortable with what I am and confident in what I can become. Age doesn't particularly matter to me; I believe it's more important to achieve your dreams than to hinge your self-worth on the age at which you get married.
Uthaya Sankar SB berkarya dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Beliau adalah presiden Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan) dan pemilik tunggal Perunding Media, Motivasi dan Penerbitan Uthaya. Selain menulis, membaca dan bercakap, beliau juga suka menonton filem.
11 JUN — Antara isu yang masih hangat diperkatakan (sekurang-kurangnya di akhbar-akhbar Tamil) adalah berkenaan pucuk kepimpinan dalam MIC serta kekalahan teruk calon-calon MIC dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU13).
Baru-baru ini saya berpeluang minum teh bersama-sama Ketua Penerangan MIC Selangor, L. Sivasubramaniam di sebuah restoran di Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam. Ada beberapa perkara menarik yang beliau nyatakan dan saya fikir wajar dikongsikan kepada umum.
"Kita boleh tanya mana-mana ketua cawangan dan bahagian MIC. Mereka boleh ceritakan perbandingan antara gaya kepimpinan Datuk Seri Utama S. Samy Vellu dan Datuk Seri G. Palanivel sebagai presiden parti," katanya apabila bercerita mengenai perbandingan yang sering dilakukan orang.
Pada penelitian Sivasubramaniam, kalau ada orang pergi meminta bantuan daripada Palanivel, beliau tidak memberikan wang. Sebaliknya beliau akan berikan penyelesaian terbaik bagi masalah yang dihadapi. Sebagai perumpamaan, Palanivel tidak memberikan ikan untuk dimakan selama sehari tetapi memberikan joran supaya orang itu boleh belajar memancing ikan sepanjang hayat.
"Palanivel juga berjaya mendapatkan banyak peruntukan daripada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk disalurkan kepada kaum India; khususnya menjelang PRU13. Setiap pusat daerah mengundi mendapat peruntukan yang lumayan untuk menggerakkan kempen bagi memastikan pengundi memilih Barisan Nasional (BN)," kata bekas Ketua Pemuda MIC Kuala Selangor itu.
Bagi Sivasubramaniam, kekalahan BN di kebanyakan tempat, misalnya di Parlimen Kota Raja dan DUN Seri Andalas, disebabkan sikap mementingkan diri para pemimpin MIC peringkat bahagian dan cawangan. Beliau tidak mahu menyalahkan masyarakat India kerana, katanya, sejak sekian lama mereka mempercayai serta menaruh harapan ke atas parti politik berkenaan.
Sivasubramaniam bercerita sambil kami minum teh.Dalam PRU13, mungkin keputusan Najib meletakkan Zulkifli Noordin sebagai "calon rakan BN" di Parlimen Shah Alam turut menjadi punca ramai pengundi kaum India memutuskan untuk tidak memilih BN. Sivasubramaniam mengakui bahawa banyak yang telah dilakukan oleh Najib untuk kaum India tetapi tindakan kecil itu memberikan kesan negatif yang amat besar.
"Malah, agak mustahil untuk mempercayai bahawa BN kalah teruk di Selangor dalam PRU13. Kalau kita perhatikan, jika Zulkifli tidak diletakkan sebagai calon, BN tidak akan kalah teruk sampai begitu sekali," kata politikus kelahiran Bukit Rotan, Kuala Selangor itu.
Menghurai lanjut, katanya, dalam PRU12 (8 Mac 2008), isu kuil menjadi antara punca utama BN kehilangan Selangor. Pada kali ini, Zulkifli menjadi antara punca utama.
"Saya bukan menafikan haknya untuk bertanding tetapi dia tidak patut bertanding di Selangor; apatah lagi di Shah Alam. Maka, mudahlah untuk pembangkang memanipulasi isu Zulkifli demi kepentingan mereka.
"Saya menyebut semua ini bukanlah untuk menyalahkan sesiapa tetapi supaya dapat dijadikan pengajaran oleh MIC dan BN pada masa hadapan. Kita perlu belajar daripada pengalaman dan kesilapan," katanya.
Transformasi dalam MIC perlu menyeluruh
Sivasubramaniam juga berharap orang ramai tidak membanding-bandingkan antara Samy Vellu dan Palanivel. Masing-masing ada gaya tersendiri. Samy Velu memang hebat sepanjang menjadi presiden MIC. Satu-satunya kesilapan beliau adalah dalam isu Maika Holdings. Itu pun kerana bukan Samy Vellu sendiri yang menguruskan operasinya. Demikian pandangan beliau.
Apabila bercakap mengenai transformasi dalam MIC, pada pandangan Sivasubramaniam, ia perlu dimulakan dengan pemimpin peringkat cawangan. Pada setiap hujung tahun, yuran keahlian bagi sekitar 100 ahli di setiap cawangan perlu dibereskan.
Rupa-rupanya, menjadi tradisi bahawa yuran RM4 itu tidak dikutip daripada ahli tetapi ditampung oleh ketua cawangan. Malangnya, menurut beliau, ada ketua cawangan yang keberatan untuk mengeluarkan RM400 dari poket sendiri.
Sivasubramaniam mengakui bahawa sudah wujud jurang antara ahli dan ketua cawangan. Pada masa dahulu, ketua cawangan akan pergi dari rumah ke rumah untuk mengutip yuran; sekali gus wujud hubungan rapat antara ahli dan pemimpin peringkat cawangan.
"Kita ambil Parlimen Kota Raja sebagai contoh. Terdapat sekitar 32,000 pengundi kaum India di sini tetapi kurang daripada 5,000 orang sahaja yang menjadi ahli MIC. RS Maniam selaku Ketua Bahagian MIC Kota Raja merangkap Penyelaras BN Kota Raja sepatutnya telah menggerakkan kesemua 47 cawangan MIC untuk menambah ahli serta menambah cawangan supaya jumlah ahli juga bertambah.
"Sejak 2009, Maniam sepatutnya sudah mampu menarik sekurang-kurangnya 15,000 daripada 32,000 pengundi kaum India di Kota Raja menjadi ahli MIC. Segala kemudahan diberikan. Wang bukan menjadi persoalan. Najib sendiri banyak kali turun ke Kota Raja. Maniam sepatutnya telah gunakan peluang untuk menambah ahli; sekali gus menambah pengundi bagi calon MIC dalam PRU13," katanya sambil menghulurkan salinan kenyataan media dalam Bahasa Tamil yang menyelar kelemahan Maniam.
Menurut politikus itu yang kini tinggal di Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam, terdapat juga banyak pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) berasaskan kaum India di Kota Raja yang boeh ditarik masuk supaya menyokong BN. Sekali lagi, katanya, wang tidak menjadi persoalan kerana sebagai penyelaras, Maniam mendapat peruntukan yang banyak dari BN.
"Malangnya, kita masih kalah teruk. MIC perlu belajar daripada kesilapan. Antaranya adalah dengan memberikan tumpuan kepada golongan pemuda dan belia. Malangnya, dalam kempen PRU13, Maniam tidak memberikan kerjasama kepada Pemuda MIC Selangor apabila mereka mahu menjalankan pelbagai aktiviti di Kota Raja.
"Hasil maklumat yang saya terima, ketua pemuda itu juga mengharapkan peluang untuk dicalonkan dalam PRU13. Masing-masih melobi dengan cara sendiri. Atas sebab itulah juga Maniam tidak beri kerjasama kepada Pemuda MIC Selangor dan sabotaj program anjuran mereka di Kota Raja," Sivasubramaniam menceritakan.
Program tidak bawa manfaat kepada masyarakat
Walau bagaimanapun, seperti diakuinya, memang amat menyedihkan bahawa segala program yang dianjurkan oleh kesemua pihak terbabit tidak benar-benar membawa manfaat kepada golongan belia kaum India. Sebaliknya hanya berciri menonjolkan diri masing-masing bagi merebut peluang dan kerusi dalam pilihan raya.
Salinan kenyataan media turut diberikan untuk rujukan."Pada waktu saya terlibat dalam Pemuda MIC, saya dan rakan-rakan benar-benar turun padang untuk membela masyarakat. Misalnya dalam isu tanah di Pulau Carrey pada 2003. Begitu juga dengan isu air dan sebagainya di Subang. Pemuda MIC benar-benar terlibat pada peringkat akar umbi.
"Malang sekali semangat seperti itu sudah luntur sekarang. Saya perhatikan bahawa ketua-ketua pemuda peringkat cawangan dan bahagian hanya bersemangat apabila menerima kunjungan para pemimpin. Mereka mahu menjadi pengiring sahaja," katanya dengan nada kecewa sambil mengimbau kenangan lalu.
Menurut lelaki berumur 47 tahun ini, sebagai penyelaras program MyDaftar di Selangor, beliau dan kumpulannya berjaya menyelesaikan isu dokumen pengenalan diri bagi sekitar 2,000 orang manakala sekitar 200 kes masih dalam proses.
"Program seperti ini perlu diteruskan oleh MIC dan Pemuda MIC sehingga masalah dapat diselesaikan sepenuhnya. Masyarakat memerlukan bantuan. MIC boleh membantu. Saya tidak akan menyalahkan pengundi kaum India jika mereka menolak MIC.
"Masalah timbul apabila ada ketua bahagian, ketua cawangan dan penyelaras tertentu yang merajuk kerana tidak dipilih sebagai calon dalam pilihan raya. Akibatnya mereka melakukan sabotaj secara halus sehingga merugikan MIC dan BN," katanya tanpa menyebut nama sesiapa secara khusus.
Sepanjang perbualan santai kami berdua sambil minum teh di restoran, Sivasubramaniam ternyata amat optimis bahawa golongan muda kaum India boleh ditarik supaya menyokong MIC dan BN menjelang PRU14.
Beliau memberikan contoh pelantikan P. Kamalanathan sebagai Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan 2 serta Datuk M. Saravanan sebagai Timbalan Menteri Belia dan Sukan. Pada pandangannya, kedua-dua kementerian itu amat penting dalam mengubah pemikiran dan membina mobiliti sosial dalam kalangan generasi muda kaum India.
"Saya yakin bahawa di bawah pimpinan Palanivel, MIC akan mampu menjadi lebih kuat dan kembali menyerlah dalam masa lima tahun lagi. Memang ada ramai pemimpin golongan muda dalam MIC yang boleh diasuh supaya mampu sama-sama membantu mengembalikan kegemilangan MIC sebagai parti tunggal yang membela nasib kaum India di Malaysia," katanya dengan penuh semangat.
Walaupun saya tidak menyokong mana-mana parti politik — serta menolak parti-parti politik berasaskan kaum dan perkauman — saya masih terasa seronok mendengar pandangan Sivasubramaniam. Sekurang-kurangnya saya berpeluang mengikuti perkembangan politik dalaman MIC secara lebih dekat.
* Uthaya Sankar SB akan mengendalikan "Dialog Perpaduan Kavyan" anjuran Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan pada 16 Jun 2013 di Shah Alam.
SEMPORNA, 11 Jun — Seorang lelaki Pakistan maut apabila sebutir bom, dipercayai buatan sendiri, meletup di ruang tamu sebuah rumah di Kampung Air, Semporna awal pagi ini.
Kejadian pada pukul 4.20 pagi itu menyebabkan Attaulah Hukmat Khan, 35, yang sedang tidur di ruang tamu rumah itu, mati di tempat kejadian. Ketua Polis Daerah Semporna DSP Mohd Firdaus Francis Abdullah berkata rumah yang tidak bernombor itu didiami empat lagi rakan Attaulah dan ketika kejadian kesemua lelaki Pakistan yang berumur antara 22 dan 50 tahun itu sedang tidur dalam sebuah bilik.
"Pemeriksaan awal mendapati terdapat tanda goresan di bahagian perut dan dada mangsa namun polis masih menunggu laporan bedah siasat bagi mengenal pasti punca sebenar kematian mangsa," katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini. Mohd Firdaus berkata empat lagi rakan mangsa tidak cedera.
Mohd Firdaus berkata kesan letupan itu dapat dilihat pada dinding ruang tamu yang pecah dengan tingkap kaca rumah berkenaan serta tingkap kaca beberapa rumah berhampiran turut bekecai. Beliau berkata Unit Letupan dan Forensik dari Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontinjen Sabah sedang menjalankan siasatan bagi mengenal pasti jenis sebenar bahan letupan itu.
Motif kejadian belum dikenal pasti namun polis mendapati kejadian itu lebih kepada kes jenayah. Beliau menegaskan bahawa letupan berkenaan tidak ada kaitan dengan insiden pencerobohan pengganas di Lahad Datu dan Semporna Februari lepas dan menasihatkan orang ramai supaya tidak panik. "Orang ramai tidak perlu membuat andaian yang bukan-bukan. Mana-mana pihak yang ada maklumat mengenai kejadian itu diminta terus berhubung dengan pegawai penyiasat ASP Zairul di talian 089-781244 di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Semporna," katanya. — Bernama
OLEH CLARA CHOOI PENOLONG PENGARANG BERITA June 11, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Jun — DAP telah mengeluarkan surat tunjuk sebab kepada ahli Parlimen Bakri Er Teck Hwa kerana tidak mendengar arahan parti untuk memboikot taklimat di Parlimen pagi ini.
Setiausaha Organisasi DAP Anthony Loke memberitahu The Malaysian Insider, Er, ahli Parlimen penggal kedua, mempunyai tujuh hari untuk menjawab surat tersebut sebelum dihadapkan ke jawatankuasa disiplin parti.
"Beliau perlu jelaskan. Kita beri dia peluang untuk memberi penjelasan," katanya apabila dihubungi di sini.
Er merupakan satu-satunya daripada 38 ahli Parlimen DAP dan 89 ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat (PR) yang hadir untuk taklimat di bangunan Parlimen pagi ini.
Majlis Pimpinan PR telah membuat keputusan memboikot taklimat itu dalam mesyuarat lalu untuk menunjukkan bantahan terhadap pemerintah Barisan Nasional (BN) kerana enggan memenuhi tuntutan reformasi pilihan raya.
Apabila ditemui oleh pemberita pagi ini, Er mengatakan beliau merasakan taklimat itu penting dan keputusan untuk menghadirinya adalah dari inisiatifnya sendiri.
"Hari taklimat adalah yang penting, kita nak tengok ada peraturan baru atau sebagainya," katanya.
Apabila ditanya apakah Er tidak diberitahu mengenai arahan boikot, Loke mengatakan ini tidak mungkin kerana semua ahli Parlimen telah diberikan notis mencukupi.
"Kami mempunyai kumpulan e-mel dalaman jadi semua ahli Parlimen diberitahu lebih kurang 10 hari lalu," kata ahli Parlimen Seremban itu.
"Ia adalah tanggungjawab asas semua wakil-wakil kami untuk memeriksa e-mel mereka. Dan tambahan pula, segala-galanya telah dilaporkan dalam akhbar.
"Tidak ada sebab untuk dia tidak tahu pendirian kami mengenai perkara itu," katanya.
Apabila mengesahkan tentang boikot minggu lalu, Loke memberitahu The Malaysian Insider langkah itu berkait dengan protes seluruh negara terhadap dakwaan penipuan BN dalam Pilihan Raya 2013.
Beliau mengatakan gabungan itu juga merancang perhimpunan raksasa di Padang Merbok dan menghadiri taklimat itu dilihat bercanggah dengan tujuan perhimpunan.
"Majlis Pimpinan PR merasakan kita perlu mengenakan tekanan sebanyak mungkin yang kita boleh lakukan bagi memastikan kerajaan memberi respon kepada tuntutan kita untuk reformasi pilihan raya.
"Jadi pada ketika ini, kita rasa kita tidak perlu hadir taklimat itu... pada masa sama, kita merancang perhimpunan besar, jadi, pada masa sama, kita tidak harus hadir taklimat itu," katanya apabila dihubungi di sini.
Beliau walau bagaimanapun menegaskan kegagalan untuk hadir taklimat itu tidak akan menjejaskan kedudukan wakil rakyat PR di Parlimen kerana kedatangan adalah tidak wajib.
Beliau menerangkan taklimat itu bermaksud untuk ahli Parlimen penggal pertama diberikan penerangan mengenai perkara teknikal termasuk peranan di Dewan Rakyat seperti bagaimana untuk membuat usul, undang-undang Standing Order dan urusan pentadbiran lain.
The Malaysian Insider :: Food
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — My first encounter with this moist, perfectly structured cake was back in the days when I used to go Hari Raya visiting with my parents.I wasn't interested in the other food served ... Read More 
NEW YORK, June 11 — The epic fantasy and comedy series came out on top at the third Broadcast Television Journalists Association's awards ceremony on June 10. 
