Selasa, 10 Disember 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Quails in orbit – French cuisine aims for the stars

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 08:36 PM PST

December 11, 2013

It's your 150th day in space, and life is starting to resemble the movie "Groundhog Day" — a repetitive daily routine interspersed with tugs of longing for life back on Earth.

Then, all of a sudden, things start to look up.

Mission Control has declared that today will be a "special day," and you can look forward to a lip-smacking, finger-lickin'-good gourmet meal at the end of it.

This is where France's space chefs come in.

In an initiative backed by top-of-the-line cuisinier Alain Ducasse (pic), a team of cooks design and make "Special Event Meals" — SEMs — to enliven the nutritious but often dull freeze-dried diet of life in space.

About once a month, as the distant Earth rolls slowly beneath them, astronauts can feast on roasted quail, Breton lobster, hand-reared chicken from the Landes, casserole of Burgundy beef cheek, Riviera-style swordfish or duck breast in a caper sauce.

Dessert could be a lemon cream cake, chocolate cake, or "millefeuille" (literally, "thousand-leaf") puff pastry with fruit and cream filling.

As with almost everything connected with space, preparing food to be consumed in zero gravity comes with a range of challenges.

Rule no. 1 is safety, said Lionel Suchet, deputy head of France's Toulouse Space Centre, who launched the programme.

Because of a "no bacteria" requirement, the food must be handled in an ultra-clean environment.

Another potential devil is texture. Ingredients that provide a pleasant feel in the mouth on Earth could be lethal in space, Suchet said.

"Food can't be too dry, breaking up into crumbs that astronauts can inhale," he said.

"At the same time, you can't have it too liquid. If food is too runny, you get 'Captain Haddock Syndrome'," Suchet said.

This was a reference to an episode in one of the Tintin cartoon books, where a character's whisky rolls up disconcertingly into a ball as their spaceship speeds to the Moon.

"Captain Haddock Syndrome" may sound fun... but the balls of liquid can cause short circuits if they touch electronic gear.

Then there is ease of use. The food must fit in ultra-light aluminium tins that can be reheated on an induction cooktop.

And the astronauts must be able to consume the contents one-handed, using a spoon. Anything with bits that are too big, too tiny, too fiddly or need to be cut is a no-no.

France's National Centre of Space Studies (CNES) has ordered up to 2,000 individual meals, from 25 recipes, for next year alone. They are certified by Nasa for use aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Henaff, a small pate-making company based at Pouldreuzic, Brittany, does the cooking, using a sterile chamber at its plant.

French culinary involvement in space dates back to 1993, when French astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere returned from a mission aboard the Russian space station Mir.

Everything went well, but the food was another matter: day after day of black bread, cold herrings and tinned plasticky cheese... For any French palate, a cosmic nightmare.

In a rush of sympathy, Richard Filippi, a teacher at a restaurant school in Souillac — appropriately in the foodie heartland of the Dordogne — contacted the CNES, offering his help.

The meals proved an instant success. In 1997, when France was forced to cancel a manned mission to Mir, Russia's cosmonaut begged the CNES to send up the food anyway as they liked it so much.

"At this point, we discovered that there was an important issue at stake, not just in operational terms but also psychologically, for teams to meet for a good meal on special occasions," Suchet told AFP.

With Ducasse's help, the menu expanded to top-of-the-range offerings. SEMs were born in 2004, and five years later made their first appearance on the ISS.

The importance of festive meals is influencing preparations for manned missions to Mars.

Boredom and tensions between team members will be among the greatest obstacles on what is likely to be a round trip of two years in extreme confinement.

One idea is to have dishes that on "special days" pop out from secret compartments to provide crew with a tasty, morale-boosting surprise. - AFP, December 11, 2013.

Nasa recruits chef Alain Ducasse to create astronaut meals

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:52 PM PST

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Next summer, astronauts aboard the International Space Station will tuck into meals like lobster and celeriac puree, duck confit with capers and chocolate cake prepared by Michelin-starred French chef Alain Ducasse (pic). Instead of freeze-dried soups, vegetables and meats, space travellers will fete special occasions such as team changeovers...

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Bayer Leverkusen through after 1-0 win at Sociedad

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST

December 11, 2013

Bayer Leverkusen players celebrate a goal against Real Sociedad during their Champions League soccer match at Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian. – Reuters pic, December 11, 2013.

Bayer Leverkusen secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League yesterday when Oemer Toprak struck in a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad in the final round of Group A matches.

The Bundesliga team's victory lifted them above Shakhtar Donetsk into second place in the group after the Ukrainian side were beaten 1-0 at group winners Manchester United.

Leverkusen were deserved victors at the Anoeta against already eliminated Sociedad, midfielder Gonzalo Castro and forward Stefan Kiessling hitting the post either side of Toprak's goal four minutes after halftime.

United top the group on 14 points, with Leverkusen second on 10 ahead of Shakhtar on eight. Sociedad, who have scored one goal and conceded 10, have one point in fourth and last place.

The Basques were appearing in Europe's elite club competition for the first time in a decade and hoped to sign off with a win in front of their fans in chilly San Sebastian.

However, it was the German side, coached by former Finland and Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia, that started strongest.

Gonzalo Castro's free kick ricocheted off the inside of a post in the 11th minute before captain Simon Rolfes headed over when well placed in the 23rd.

Sociedad goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai produced a good save to deny Kiessling early in the second half, but Toprak rifled in from close range from the resulting corner.

Sociedad had a few half-chances in the final 20 minutes without seriously troubling Leverkusen keeper Bernd Leno.

The draw for the last 16 takes place on December 16. – Reuters, December 11, 2013

Jones strikes to lift Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk falls

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST

December 11, 2013

Manchester United's Phil Jones (right) shoots to score during their Champions League soccer match against Shakhtar Donetsk at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England yesterday. – Reuters pic, December 11, 2013. Manchester United midfielder Phil Jones grabbed the winner to make sure they finished top of Champions League Group A as they eliminated Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at Old Trafford yesterday.

England international Jones cracked home a low volley in the 67th minute to secure a win for United, top of their group before kickoff but having lost their last two Premier League home matches, and ease the pressure on manager David Moyes.

Ukrainian champions Shakhtar, who needed to match Bayer Leverkusen's result at Real Sociedad to progress, finished third and go into the Europa League after Leverkusen held on for a 1-0 win in Spain that took them through to the knockout phase.

Shakhtar's Brazilian trio of Taison, Alex Teixeira and Luiz Adriano gave vulnerable United a torrid time early on, but Mircea Lucescu's side could not convert any of their promising opportunities and they fell away after Jones broke the deadlock. – Reuters, December 11, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Singapore dilemma: more or less foreign workers?

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:20 AM PST

December 10, 2013

Putting out the flames of discontent in Singapore. - Reuters pic, December 10, 2013 Singapore's first major riot in four decades is forcing the wealthy island to confront a stubborn but vexing question: how to treat low-paid foreign workers whose muscle underpins much of the economy but whose presence riles its citizens.

Images of rioters overturning police cars, throwing garbage bins and burning an ambulance in Singapore's Little India on Sunday night shocked the orderly Southeast Asian nation and stirred debate over whether foreign workers should be better integrated or see their numbers reduced.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Gayathiri, 30, an engineer who lives near the scene of the riots. "I hope the government will take it as a wake-up call. We need foreigners to boost our economy, but not at the expense of our security," she added, echoing a widely held sentiment.

Police charged 24 Indian nationals with rioting, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years' prison and caning. They were among an estimated 400 people who rampaged after a private bus fatally struck construction worker Sakthivel Kumaravelu, 33. The number of arrests could rise.

The government has urged people not to jump to conclusions, but many Singaporeans blame an overabundance of migrant workers and could use the riots to intensify a push for tighter immigration curbs - a step that could hurt the economy.

The dominant People's Action Party (PAP) that has ruled Singapore for more than half a century was facing pressure over Singapore's high cost of living and its reliance on foreign workers on the island of nearly 5.4 million people.

Founded by Lee Kuan Yew, the father of the current prime minister, the PAP is credited with transforming Singapore from a colonial outpost in the 1960s into a global financial hub with world-class infrastructure, safe streets, an efficient civil service and the world's highest concentration of millionaires.

Part of that success is built on cheap foreign labour, which makes up nearly 20% of the population. Many Singaporeans have expressed concerns over a government proposal to raise the population to 6.9 million by 2030.

Of that, up to 36%, or 2.5 million, would be made up of foreign workers to balance a low birth rate and to sustain economic growth.

Many of the 1.3 million foreign workers do low-paid jobs shunned by locals - from construction to domestic work.

Jobs in the construction industry, for instance, are dominated by male workers from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who earn a basic monthly salary of between S$460 (RM1,180) and S$700 (RM1,795).

That compares with the average Singaporean monthly wage of about S$4,433 (RM11,370).

Employers must pay a government-imposed levy on each foreign worker they wish to hire, with a higher levy for lower-paid workers to regulate their numbers. Authorities could tighten that measure to slow the influx of foreign workers.

"The latest incident may further increase pressure to reduce Singapore's dependence on foreign workers," said Chua Hak Bin, a Singapore-based economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "Construction as a segment is seeing some of the steepest levy hikes and tightening in quotas."

Others, however, argue that policymakers should focus more on the workers' welfare and integration.

Many foreign workers live in crowded dormitory compounds, some housing up to 8,000 people, on the fringes of the island.

"There is no policy for promoting integration. It is a separatist policy," said Bridget Tan, the founder and chief executive of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics in Singapore.

In their scarce free time, many gather in Little India, an area of narrow streets and rows of shop-houses selling colourful fabrics, spices and groceries, a legacy of the 19th-century British colonial rulers who laid out the city in ethnic zones.

Indians and Bangladeshis have congregated peacefully in large crowds in the area for years, eating and drinking, and illustrating decades of success of maintaining religious harmony in a polyglot community of ethnic Chinese, Malays and Indians that was convulsed by race riots in the late 1960s.

Authorities banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in the area this weekend. Police stepped up patrols at foreign worker dormitories and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set up an inquiry. Some commentators say a deeper change of mind-set needs to take place.

"We seem to operate on a model of wanting the foreign workforce for their labour and economic value, yet wishing they would disappear at all other times," blogger Alex Au wrote. - Reuters, December 10, 2013.

Happiness for some in Pakistan’s gated communities

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 10:20 PM PST

December 10, 2013

In this photograph taken on October 2, 2013, Pakistani motorists drive past under-construction buildings at the Bahria Town private development in Rawalpindi. - AFP pic, December 10, 2013.On the edge of Rawalpindi, Islamabad's scruffy, congested twin city, a grand arched gateway opens to a rather different Pakistan, one of tidy lawns, golf courses and constant, reliable electricity.

Welcome to Bahria Town, where Pakistan's new middle class takes refuge from the Taliban attacks and endless power cuts that plague the rest of the country.

Cars glide softly over the smooth tarmac carpeting the gentle hills of Pakistan's largest gated community, past immaculate green verges dotted with statues of cattle — which, unlike their real counterparts elsewhere in the country, pose no threat to traffic.

There's a horse-riding centre, a golf course, a posh cinema, an immaculately air-conditioned cafe and a mini-zoo with "the only black panther in Pakistan", whose growling excites young couples taking a walk.

Elsewhere 20-metre models of the Eiffel Tower and Nelson's Column — complete with lions — watch over this vision of suburbia which seems a world away from the rest of Pakistan's seething, traffic-choked and crumbling cities.

For Riaz, an employee of a multinational firm, it is heaven compared to the sprawling, violent metropolis of Karachi that he left a few months ago.

An unprecedented wave of murders and kidnappings gripping the port city, Pakistan's economic capital, forced him to quit for the quiet comfort of Bahria Town.

"Here we have peace, though it's a bit lacking in life and cafes," Riaz told AFP as he walked through the zoo with his young son.

Popularised in the United States in the 1990s, gated communities have spread across the world.

They have grown in popularity in Pakistan in the last decade as Islamist violence and crime have spiralled and a crippling energy crisis has left people without electricity for hours at a time in the blistering summer.

Pakistan now has at least two dozen gated communities, according to real estate broker Shaista Zulfiqar.

Bahria Town has expanded to three cities — Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi — housing some 100,000 people in total.

When work started on Bahria Town Islamabad in the early 2000s, the area was nothing but "jungle", said 28-year-old Arif Ali, one of the first residents.

For the residents of Bahria Town and the dozens of other closed communities like it around the unstable country of 180 million people, life passes calmly.

Cameras watch over the enclave 24 hours a day, on top of the guards patrolling to kick out interlopers.

The power cuts that plague life in the rest of Pakistan are no more than a distant memory thanks to enormous generators guzzling to run the residents' air-conditioners and HD TVs.

Bahria Town is also a town without a mayor. The development company, owned by billionaire Malik Riaz, sells the land, builds the houses, hospitals, schools, runs the security, electricity, water, sewage, all in return for a local "tax".

Bahria Town and its rivals like Gulberg Greens and Khudadad City offer a corner of walled-in paradise — for those who can afford it.

"People from middle and upper middle class, including businessmen, government employees and bankers invest in gated communities," said Zulfiqar.

The population also includes members of the Pakistani diaspora who have become rich in Canada, Australia, the UK and the Gulf.

Demand has seen prices rocket — in 2007 a 200 square metre house in Bahria Town Lahore cost around four million rupees (RM209,214.80). A similar property in 2012 would have cost nine million rupees (RM470,733.30).

Would-be residents have the choice of buying plots of land or houses of different sizes, with prices running up to 100-300 million rupees (RM5.2 million-RM15.6 million), according to Bahria Town vice-CEO Muhammad Ilyas.

Speculation has also pushed prices up as property remains a safe haven as the rupee collapses against the dollar.

"It's a very good investment, I have made 300% profit since 2007," said Umar Paracha, who buys and sells Bahria Town plots in Islamabad, though he lives elsewhere.

"I am just an investor, I purchase a plot and after two or three months I sell it for a profit of one million or half a million rupees."

But for most Pakistanis — a fifth of whom live on less than $1.25 (RM4.80) a day, according to the World Bank — communities like Bahria Town are a distant, impossible dream.

At a roundabout facing the entrance to Bahria Town Islamabad, dozens of scruffy men wait for work, squatting on the ground looking at this portal to another world.

"It does not seem like Pakistan, it seems like a new country," said one of them, Haji Gulzar.

"The difference is like day and night, black and white, earth and sky." - AFP, December 10, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Al Jazeera’s 101 East awarded best current affairs programme in Asia

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 08:01 PM PST

December 10, 2013

Programme editor Sharon Roobol (right) and producer Sarah Yeo pose after receiving the award in Singapore. - Al Jazeera pic, December 10, 2013.A year-long investigation into wildlife smuggling from Madagascar to Malaysia, exclusive interviews with Mongolian sumo wrestlers and Japan's Yakuza, cutting-edge coverage in Myanmar — these are just some of the reasons why Al Jazeera's 101 East has been awarded Best Current Affairs Programme at the 2013 Asia Television Awards (ATA), held in Singapore on Sunday.

The Kuala Lumpur-based team was picked as winner after facing strong challenges from leading international networks including CNN, BBC, CNBC and CCTV. The most recent half-hour episode that won the hearts of the judges was the year-long investigative report, the "Return of the Lizard King", which featured Malaysia's convicted wildlife smuggler Anson Wong.

101 East produces 52 half-hour episodes a year and was launched together with the Al Jazeera English Network globally in November 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. The ATA is Asia's most significant and celebrated event recognising excellence in programming, production and performance. This year's ATA attracted 1,248 entries from 14 countries across Asia-Pacific.

Programme editor Sharon Roobol said it was a very challenging field and that winning this prestigious award meant a lot to the team which comprised of multi-national citizens including Malaysians and Singaporeans.

"It's been a great year for 101 East, with a number of awards wins – from cinematography to human rights awards - and now this prestigious Asia Television win for Best Current Affairs. It's proof of our commitment to tell stories of life in Asia, from those on the street to those in power. Our style has been to provide a balanced coverage to any issues," she said.

101 East is Al Jazeera's weekly Asia Pacific current affairs programme, known for its special reports, in-depth interviews and debates. Reporters travel to all corners of Asia to explore and uncover stories that affect the lives of its diverse audience. - December 10, 2013.

Disney’s “Frozen” cools “Catching Fire” at box office

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 07:32 PM PST

December 10, 2013

Disney's 'Frozen' has topped 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' as the highest-earning movie in North American theatres this weekend. - AFP/Relaxnews pic, December 10, 2013.Disney animated musical "Frozen" extinguished the box-office flames of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" to take top spot as the highest-earning movie in North American theaters this weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The 53rd movie in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, which began with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937, "Frozen" is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale "The Snow Queen".

Preliminary figures from box office tracker Exhibitor Relations showed the movie had deposed "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" after raking in a cool $31.6 million (RM101.3 million).

The latest installment of the blockbuster "Hunger Games" franchise continued to hold up well, however, taking second with $27 million (RM86.5 million), taking its overall earnings to date to a healthy $336.7 million (RM1.07 billion) in North America alone.

The series stars Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a teenager forced into a deadly battle for survival in the macabre post-apocalyptic kingdom of Panem.

In a distant third place with $5.3 million (RM16.9 million) was "Out of the Furnace", a thriller starring Christian Bale and Casey Affleck as two brothers who are sucked into the criminal underworld as they attempt to break free from poverty.

In fourth spot was superhero flick "Thor: The Dark World", the latest movie based on Marvel's iconic comic book character, which took in $4.7 million (RM15.06 million) on its fourth weekend.

In fifth was "Delivery Man". The comedy, starring veteran funnyman Vince Vaughn as a sperm donor who discovers he has sired 533 children, earned $3.8 million (RM12.1 million).

Gritty action-thriller "Homefront", about a former drug enforcement officer forced to battle a meth druglord in small-town America, was in sixth, taking in nearly $3.4 million (RM10.9 million) on its second weekend in theaters.

In seventh place was World War II drama "The Book Thief", based on Markus Zusak's best-selling novel about a girl who steals and shares books in Nazi Germany, earning $2.7 million (RM8.6 million) on its fifth week out.

Romantic Christmas comedy "The Best Man Holiday", a sequel 15 years in the making to "The Best Man", in which old college friends reignite old romances and rivalries, was just behind with $2.67 million (RM8.5 million).

In ninth spot was "Philomena" starring Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, about a journalist who helps a woman's search for her long-lost son, seized when she was forced to live in a convent. It made $2.3 million (RM7.3 million).

Rounding the out the top 10 was drama "Dallas Buyers Club", the critically-acclaimed drama starring Matthew McConaughey based on the true story of an AIDS-stricken rodeo cowboy who set up an illegal ring to provide unapproved anti-viral drugs to people battling the disease in the 1980s.

The movie, which has earned rave reviews and talk of a possible Oscar nod for McConaughey, earned $1.5 million (RM4.8 million). - AFP/Relaxnews, December 10, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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Chew Mei Fun kembali ke MCA, bertanding jawatan Naib Presiden

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:38 AM PST

December 10, 2013

Selepas senyap dalam arena politik selama tiga tahun, bekas Ketua Wanita MCA Datuk Paduka Chiew Mei Fun muncul semula dengan mengumumkan beliau akan bertanding jawatan Naib Presiden parti.

Mengumumkan keputusan beliau dalam satu kenyataan akhbar yang dikeluarkan di sini hari ini Chew, yang merupakan satu-satunya calon wanita bagi jawatan Naib Presiden, berkata beliau mahu bertanding bagi jawatan itu untuk membantu memperbaharui dan membina semula parti.

"Selepas berundur daripada politik aktif, keputusan ini pastinya bukan mudah. Bagaimanapun, sebagai anggota MCA dan daripada apa yang saya telah timba dan lalui, bagaimana saya boleh berdiam sahaja dan menyaksikan apa yang berlaku kepada parti?" katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Chew, 49, telah meletakkan jawatan sebagai Ketua Wanita MCA pada 8 April, 2010, dua minggu selepas Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek dipilih sebagai presiden untuk menepati janjinya yang beliau akan melepaskan jawatannya itu jika Dr Chua menang.

Sejurus kemudian, pada April 28 tahun yang sama, beliau meletakkan jawatan sebagai senator dan timbalan menteri Wanita, Keluarga dan Pembangunan Masyarakat.

Chew merupakan orang kelima untuk menyatakan hasratnya secara terbuka untuk bertanding bagi empat jawatan naib presiden itu semasa pemilihan parti pada 21 Disember.

Yang lain termasuk Datuk Chua Tee Yong, Datuk Lee Chee Leong, Ahli Parlimen Tanjung Piai, Johor Datuk Wee Jeck Seng dan Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri Gurun, Kedah Leong Yong Kong.

Bagi jawatan presiden parti, sehingga ini tiga orang telah mengumumkan hasrat untuk bertanding – Timbalan Presiden Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, bekas Presiden Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat dan Naib Presiden Gan Peng Shieu.

Penyandang jawatan tertinggi parti itu Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek tidak mempertahankan jawatan tertinggi parti itu.

Bagi jawatan Timbalan Presiden, Ketua Pemuda Datuk Wee Ka Siong dan Naib Presiden Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai telah menyatakan hasrat masing-masing untuk bertanding.

Pencalonan bagi pemilihan parti akan diadakan pada 16 Disember dengan pemilihan Pemuda MCA pada 19 Disember, Wanita MCA (20 Disember) dan barisan utama kepimpinan MCA (21 Disember). – Bernama, 10 Disember, 2013.

Kerana satu panggilan telefon, berita Rosmah wajar jadi menteri ditarik balik

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:30 AM PST

OLEH DIYANA IBRAHIM
December 10, 2013

Ekoran panggilan telefon dari Pejabat Perdana Menteri, laman web Astro Awani online telah menarik balik satu berita mengenai cadangan bekas Ketua Pengarang New Straits Times Datuk A. Kadir Jasin (gambar) yang mencadangkan agar isteri perdana menteri Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor dilantik sebagai menteri.

Berita itu tidak ada lagi dalam laman web sejak tengahari semalam selepas disiarkan sehari sebelum itu. Namun begitu tulisan asal kadir masih disiarkan oleh laman ini.

Ketika dihubungi, seorang kakitangan Astro Awani memaklumkan, ia dibuang atas arahan Pejabat Perdana Menteri.

Namun pengarang laman ini ketika dihubungi enggan memberikan sebarang pengesahan dan meminta pihak atasannya menjawab persoalan ini.

Kadir pula ketika dihubungi menegaskan beliau tidak tahu-menahu arahan penarikan balik penyiaran berita tersebut.

Beliau enggan memberi komen lain mengenai hal itu dan berkata artikelnya yang bertajuk "PAU 2013: Antara Cinta dan Jasa" yang disiarkan Ahad lalu adalah pandangan sebagai rakyat jelata dan wartawan.

"Saya tidak tahu-menahu mengenai adanya arahan menarik balik berita Astro Awani atau mana-mana portal media, maka pertanyaan itu saya tidak boleh jawab.

"Bagaimanapun artikel adalah berdasarkan atas hak saya sebagai wartawan dan rakyat yang bebas menyuarakan apa sahaja asalkan ia tidak melanggar undang-undang dan peraturan dalam perlembagaan," katanya.

Beliau juga turut menjelaskan catatannya dalam blog boleh digunakan oleh mana-mana media untuk diubah menjadi berita asalkan pihak tersebut memetik sumber artikel yang diperolehi.

Sebelum ini, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2013 memuji isterinya, Rosmah, di atas jasanya kepada negara.

Selain, bertungkus-lumus membantu mangsa banjir, Najib mendedahkan Rosmah juga dikatakan berjasa kerana berjaya membebaskan seorang pelajar Malaysia yang ditangkap pihak berkuasa Mesir akibat disyaki sebagai pengintip dengan hanya menggunakan pengaruhnya menelefon isteri Presiden Mesir Suzanne Mubarak (isteri kepada Hosni Mubarak).

Lebih dari itu, Rosmah juga dikatakan mengguna pengaruhnya dengan keluarga Diraja Arab Saudi untuk membebaskan pelajar Malaysia yang terkandas di Mesir semasa kebangkitan Arab Spring untuk memasuki negara itu tanpa menggunakan visa.

Susulan dari itu Kadir dalam tulisan diblognya, mencadangkan Rosmah perlu diberi jawatan menteri, malah mungkin jawatan perdana menteri.

Mengulas kenyataan Najib yang memuji isterinya ketika Perhimpunan Agung Umno itu, Tokoh Wartawan Negara itu berkata, pendedahan perdana menteri menyebabkan kedudukan Menteri Luar dan menteri lain harus dikaji kerana ternyata ia tidak setanding dengan Rosmah dalam menyelesaikan krisis antarabangsa. – 10 Disember, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Melayu bergantung kepada Allah, bukan Umno

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 03:30 PM PST

December 10, 2013

Shukur mempunyai lebih 30 tahun pengalaman sebagai wartawan dan bekerja dengan pelbagai media. Beliau kini pencen tetapi menjadi pemerhati politik yang tegar.

Mengikuti ucapan Presiden Umno, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan perbahasan perwakilan di Perhimpuan Agung parti itu minggu lalu yang penuh dengan semangat perkauman, kita boleh merumuskan bahawa Umno berada di 'alam fantasi' kerana pemikiran mereka tidak berjejak di alam realiti negara ini.

Alam realiti itu ialah yang di luar PWTC, tempat Perhimpuan Agung Umno itu diadakan. Di sana ada lebih 25 juta rakyat pelbagai bangsa dan agama dengan kehidupan yang pelbagai, kepercayaan politik pelbagai. Semuanya mencerminkan kemajmukan masyarakat majmuk di Malayasia, yang saya kira, Umno dan pimpinannya tidak berupaya memahaminya.

Apabila presiden bertanya, "Ke manalah orang Melayu hendak membawa diri, jika Umno sudah tiada lagi. Di manakah lagi keluh kesah orang Melayu hendak dizahirkan, jika tidak di perhimpunan ini. Jika tidak kepada parti Umno ini". Ini suatu pertanyaan yang sama sekali tidak munasabah, ia boleh menjadi syirik Rububiyah, di luar logik akal dan boleh menjadi bahan kekeliruan yang sangat besar, justeru pertanyaan ini tidak mungkin dapat diterima oleh rakyat yang berfikir matang.

Ini kerana kuasa Allah menentukan segalanya, bukan manusia. Jika Umno percaya bahawa Umno menentukan nasib orang Melayu, ini bermakna melanggar hak Allah untuk menentukan hidup dan rezeki manusia. Cuma, manusia perlu berakhtiar untuk membina kehidupan.

Orang Melayu tetap boleh menjadi kaya raya, tanpa kehadiran Umno, jika rajin berusaha dan menambah ilmu. Tetapi jika mereka malas, walau di zaman Umno masih ada, ia tetap miskin dan ketinggalan. Kecuali mereka menjadi kaya jika melalui jalan mengampu, rusuah, penyelewengan dan sebagainya yang bertentangan dengan Islam.

Sebagai contoh, sebahagian besar orang Melayu di Singapura, walaupun tanpa kehadiran Umno di sana, mereka kini menikmati kehidupan selesa, walaupun tidak menjadi kaya raya. Ini kerana mereka berusaha keras mencari rezeki - bekerja dengan kerajaan dan swasta serta berniga sendiri. Mereka bekerja keras untuk survival.

Kini orang Melayu di sana, sepanjang pengamatan saya, kerana mempunyai saudara-mara dan rakan di sana, banyak menumpukan bidang perniagaan dan perusahaan dan ramai yang berjaya, termsauk golongan wanita. Mereka menjadi sangat kreatif dan inovatif hingga mencapai kejayaan. Ini menjadi contoh terdekat, Melayu boleh berjaya dalam kehidupan mereka, di mana-mana, tanpa Umno. Jadi tentunya bukan Umno yang menentukan kehidupan seseorang, malah padangan yang mengatakan nasib Melayu di tangan Umno adalah bertentangan dengan Islam.

Sementara itu, ucapan dan perbahasan di perhimpunan parti sekular itu yang penuh dengan teriakan perkauman adalah cerminan bagaimana sempitnya pemikiran mereka.

Tetapi oleh kerana mereka menguasai TV dan media cetak tradisional, maka digambarkan perhimpunan itu begitu grand dan hebat sekali, tetapi natijahnya tidak ada apa-apa, seperti kata pujangga Inggeris, William Shakespeare, "Like sound and fury, means nothing." (Riuh rendah bunyinya, tetapi isinya kosong).

Perhimpunan itu membuktikan Umno berada di 'alam fantasi' kerana pemikiran mereka tidak berjejak di alam realiti negara ini. Iaitu pada ketika rakyat, pelbagai kaum dan anutan agama bercakap mengenai keadilan dan demokrasi, kehidupan yang semakin sukar kerana rakyat dibelit kenaikan harga barang, pelbagai cukai, kesan rasuah dan penyelewengan kepada rakyat dan pelbagai lagi, tiba-tiba rakyat dihadapkan dengan pelbagai kenyataan perkauman.

Di dalam Perhimpunan Agung Umno itu macam-macam ucapan yang karut-marut, melucukan, malah menggambarkan lemahnya mutu pembahasan. Maka berderai-derailah ketawa para hadirin kerana merasa sangat 'terhibur' dengan ucapan seperti itu. Padahal orang luar merasa amat jengkel dengan telatah perwakilan itu. Bagaimanapun itulah dia 'mutu' perbahasan di perhimpunan tersebut.

Mengapa tidak dibangkitkan isu Batu Puteh, Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST), kenaikan harga petrol, gula, tarif elektrik dan cukai pintu Kuala Lumpur tahun depan.

Bagaimana bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pernah mengatakan amalan rasuah dan penyelewengan meningkat di zaman pentadbiran Najib. Apakah benar di zaman Dr Mahathir tidak terjadi demikian. Rakyat sedang menyaksikan satu lakonan yang sungguh real oleh pemimpin Umno sendiri.

Jeritan 'Salam 1Melayu' pula jelas menunjukkan sikap paranoid yang sengaja melepas pandang isu keselamatan serta pembelaan kedaulatan negara yang seharusnya diutamakan.

Saya tidak tahu apakah maknanya 'Salam 1Melayu' yang mungkin ditujukan kepada bangsa Melayu saja atau kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia dan ini memang sangat melucukan.

Saya tertarik dengan pandangan Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah yang berkata, perwakilan Umno kali ini gagal mengupas isu Pulau Batu Puteh, pencerobohan wilayah Malaysia oleh pengganas Sulu, isu pemberian kad pengenalan biru dan pembunuhan warga Taiwan di Sabah yang langsung tidak mendapat perhatian. Selain itu, isu Perjanjian Perkongsian Trans-Pasifik (TPPA) gagal didebatkan secara khusus.

Nurul Izzah berkata, isu kemerosotan kualiti pendidikan seperti yang dilaporkan dalam kajian Program Penilaian Pelajar Antarabangsa (PISA) turut tidak mendapat perhatian sepenuhnya di perhimpunan tersebut kerana kegagalan dalam meningkatkan mutu pencapaian pendidikan secara global akan terus menggelapkan masa depan pelajar.

"Apakah perasaan ibu bapa apabila mendapat tahu bahawa murid dari Singapura, Korea Selatan dan Vietnam darjah 5 dan 6 berpendidikan setaraf dengan pelajar tingkatan 3 negara kita?

"Apakah pendidikan berkualiti dan berpendapatan tinggi tidak penting bagi Umno? Merekalah yang akan mewarisi kadar gaji malar dan budaya berhutang semata-mata untuk menyara kos hidup yang semakin meninggi," katanya sambil menyifatkan pelajar Melayu perlu terus mendapat bantuan.

Nurul Izzah berkata, Umno hanya selesa memusatkan kuasa dan kekayaan melalui berbagai usul penjenamaan semula dasar ekonomi yang hanya untuk kepentingan ahli Umno terpilih saja.

Pada pendapat saya, Perhimpunan Agung Umno itu cuba mengelak daripada membangkitkan pelbagai isu sebenar negara seperti yang disebutkan tadi, dengan mengalihkan perhatian kepada isu perkauman yang sama sekali tidak menggambarkan realiti masyarakat hari ini.

Kesimpulannya, dengan hanya menumpukan isu survival Umno yang menuju kepada isu perkauman, maka ternyata, seperti yang saya katakan tadi, bahawa Umno sebenarnya hidup di alam fantasi. – 10 Disember, 2013.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.