Jumaat, 7 Mac 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food


Chef Andrea puts a new spin on Le Midi’s dishes

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 05:23 PM PST

BY EU HOOI KHAW
March 08, 2014

The Eggplant Nest with truffle egg yolk and parmesan cheese. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. The Eggplant Nest with truffle egg yolk and parmesan cheese. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. First, we were distracted by the live nautilus, a marine mollusk that looks like a giant snail in the round Perspex water feature at Le Midi in Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Then, all attention was on the food delivered by Andrea Alimenti, a new chef with stellar credentials.

Chef Andrea Alimenti, from Florence, Italy. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. Chef Andrea Alimenti, from Florence, Italy. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. Andrea, who is from Florence, Italy, has earned a Michelin star each in the two restaurants he has worked with in his home city, and another in his own restaurant Acquamatta in Tuscany.

The Eggplant Nest with truffle egg yolk and parmesan cheese got things started. This had light, crispy layers of eggplant topped with a poached egg drizzled with truffle oil and capped with parmesan flakes. The rich, runny egg yolk brought the sweet eggplant and salty parmesan together with the lovely aroma of truffle oil.

The Mozzarella Ravioli in tomato consommé was soft and pillowy, delivering melted cheese at each bite. The consommé matched the ravioli well, while a slice of garlic toast gave a little punch to it.

I liked the smooth texture of the Homemade Tagliolini in saffron butter whiskey salmon cream and crunchy almonds. This fine egg pasta is usually served with a creamy sauce. I wonder why. I would have loved it plain, all the better to enjoy its slithery texture. 

Homemade Tagliolini in saffron butter whiskey salmon cream and crunchy almonds. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. Homemade Tagliolini in saffron butter whiskey salmon cream and crunchy almonds. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014.

The salmon cream was too rich for it. The menu also had tagliolini with scallops and saffron oil, and the pasta would have shone with these.

Tagliolini is a hand-made pasta of the Langhe in Piemonte, Italy. It is the finest of the flat pasta in the tagliatelle family, and it is often tossed with drippings from a roast or served with just butter and shaved white truffle.

The Seabass with fine herb crust on spinach bed was delicious. The crust was nutty with pistachios and the baked fish rested on an aromatic pesto sauce. Some of the crushed pistachios and sauce were on the 

Seabass with fine herb crust on spinach bed. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. Seabass with fine herb crust on spinach bed. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014.

tomato and spinach which made it all the more delightful to eat.

Everyone also favoured the Tenderloin in old Madeira sauce with foie gras and fig. The sauce was sweet, complex and aromatic, with pieces of foie gras and fig glistening in it and laid over the beef. The taste and texture was so memorable.

Le Midi is also the place to come to for dessert. The Millefoglie with Chantilly cream and caramel is not to be missed. Millefoglie is also millefeuille in French – flaky puff pastry layered with Chantilly creamTenderloin in old Madeira sauce with foie gras and fig. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. Tenderloin in old Madeira sauce with foie gras and fig. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014.  and drizzled with caramel on top. One bite and the pastry crumbles and falls away, yet sticking together with the lovely cream.

The Vanilla panacotta with strawberry coulis was happily wobbly, smooth, creamy and delicate with vanilla. The Orange cheesecake and chocolate drawing was so light. It was topped with julienned sugared orange rind and orange segments, and a thin, crispy dehydrated slice of orange.

The same crispy orange slice was on the panacotta and the millefeuille. There was a hum at the table as my fellow diners enjoyed these slices and were keen to know how they cameThe Millefoglie with Chantilly cream and caramel. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. The Millefoglie with Chantilly cream and caramel. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 8, 2014. about.

The Chocolate fondente was wonderful in its almost liquid and velvety texture, with a slight bitter edge. I was not so enamoured with the cup mini chocolate. The Chocolate tender heart with Amarena cherry parfait is a molten lava cake.

Wines were poured for the different courses. We began with a Secret de Berticot Sauvignon, moved to a Honore de Berticot Rose Merlot for the pasta (which was a good pairing, cutting its richness), then the Sauvignon Blanc for the seabass. The Chateau Pouroutou Bordeaux was stellar with the beef.

Le Midi is located on the 3rd floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Maarof, Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-2094 1318. – March 8, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Marseille suffer derby woe as Champs League hopes fade

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:34 PM PST

March 08, 2014

Olympique Marseille's Mathieu Valbuena (left) challenges Nice's Nampalys Mendy during their French Ligue 1 match at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille yesterday. – Reuters pic, March 8, 2014.Olympique Marseille's Mathieu Valbuena (left) challenges Nice's Nampalys Mendy during their French Ligue 1 match at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille yesterday. – Reuters pic, March 8, 2014.French giants Marseille's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League suffered a huge blow with a 1-0 defeat at home to struggling Nice in the Cote d'Azur derby yesterday.

Marseille coach Jose Anigo had complained before the game about the quick turnaround just 48 hours after Wednesday's international friendlies.

And his fears proved justified as the former European champions produced a poor display and fell to Valentin Eysseric's sumptuous 66th-minute free-kick.

But he insisted the lack of suspended striker Andre-Pierre Gignac played a greater role.

"We knew it would be like this, a lot of players only came back yesterday (Thursday). That penalised us but Andre-Pierre Gignac missing was a factor," Anigo told Canal Plus Sport.

"We're not dependent on one player but with our system he's important and when he's not there it's difficult to replace him."

The result left Marseille six points off third place and the final Champions League qualifying position, while depending on other results this weekend they could drop as low as seventh by tomorrow night.

For Nice, who last season were battling for a place in the top three, this much-needed victory eased their relegation concerns and pushed them up to 11th for the time being, and 12 points clear of the drop zone.

It was their third win over their neighbours this season after a 1-0 success at home in the league and 5-4 win in the cup.

"This win here is not undeserved. We created chances, we let the storm pass in the first half and we weren't in danger in the second half," said Nice coach Claude Puel.

"We've had so many disappointments (this season), so many matches that ended badly that it's important finally for this group to earn their reward."

Although Marseille, who were missing first choice forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, dominated for long spells of the game, particularly in the first half, Nice arguably had the best chances.

Dario Cvitanich snatched at an opportunity presented to him in the first 20 seconds following an appalling back pass from Andre Ayew, firing well over.

And on the stroke of half-time Eric Bautheac lost his cool when presented with a sight of goal from 12 yards, volleying well over the bar.

In between, the hosts kept Nice goalkeeper David Ospina busy with efforts from distance, although he never looked like being beaten.

He saved two efforts from Dimitri Payet and one each from Ayew and Florian Thauvin, who also headed another chance wide while Benoit Cheyrou was also off target with a speculative shot.

Substitute Saber Khelifa came closest after the break for Marseille but Ospina was once again equal to a rare shot on target. – AFP, March 8, 2014.

Messi vomiting not normal, Barcelona coach Martino says

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PST

March 08, 2014

Recent episodes of vomiting suffered by Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (pic) are "not normal" but they do not affect his performance and there is no cause for alarm, coach Gerardo Martino said today.

Messi was sick during Argentina's 0-0 draw with Romania on Wednesday and the four-times World Player of the Year said it was something that had occurred several times at Barca but was nothing to be concerned about.

"It happens to him regularly and he has even gone to see specialists at certain times," Martino told a news conference ahead of Barca's La Liga game at Real Valladolid tomorrow.

"They haven't solved the problem but it isn't a cause for concern. It doesn't affect him at all in terms of doing his job," he added.

Champions Barca, chasing a fifth title in six years, can pull two points clear of Real Madrid at the top with a win at Valladolid, who are battling relegation down in 18th.

Real are at home to eighth-placed Levante on Sunday, while Atletico Madrid, three points off the top in third, play at Celta Vigo, who are 11th, tomorrow.

Martino has Gerard Pique back after the Spain defender was declared fit by club medical staff today.

He missed the world and European champions' 1-0 win at home to Italy on Wednesday due to a minor calf problem.

With an eye on Barca's packed calendar in March, including Wednesday's Champions League last 16, second leg against Manchester City, Martino said he had decided to rest left back Jordi Alba for the Valladolid trip.

Alba was out for more than two months with a hamstring injury before Christmas and was briefly sidelined by a similar thigh problem last month.

Barca lead City 2-0 from the first leg. – Reuters, March 7, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Video games offer hope for autistic children

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:29 PM PST

March 07, 2014

Experts say children with autism can benefit from playing some computer games such as Kinect, that help with coordination, body awareness and cooperation, all challenges for kids on the autism spectrum. – AFP pic, March 7, 2014.Experts say children with autism can benefit from playing some computer games such as Kinect, that help with coordination, body awareness and cooperation, all challenges for kids on the autism spectrum. – AFP pic, March 7, 2014.The game over, a beaming Sawyer and Michael, both 10, cheer and give each other a high-five.

It is a small but significant reaction that experts say shows how children with autism can benefit from playing some computer games.

The Steuart W. Weller Ashburn Elementary School in Virginia is one of the specialized centres in the United States testing Microsoft's popular Xbox game console, equipped with "Kinect."

With Kinect, launched by Microsoft in 2010, kids can play videogames without controllers. Instead, they use their bodies to dictate the action on the screen, courtesy of a motion detector.

Kinect was not specifically designed for children with autism, but experts say the device is proving beneficial for some with the disability.

"The positive high-fives, the cheering for each other, that was something that wasn't seen as often, and it became a regular thing for Sawyer," Anne-Marie Skeen, a specialist teacher at the Virginia school, told AFP.

"Now, whenever we praise him, he gives us high-fives because he knows that's a good way to say, 'good job.'"

Autism, a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders that typically appear during the first three years of a person's life, now affects an estimated one child in 88 in the United States.

It impacts on a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. With the help of schools such as Skeen's, autism is treatable, but children do not simply "outgrow" it.

I love boats

Side by side, Sawyer Whitely and Michael Mendoza bend and stoop, directing the action on the screen –a boat careering down a rushing river.

As many children would be, they are captivated, and when they finish, they look exhilarated.

"It looks like you are in the game but you're not," said a breathless Michael, adding innocently: "I love boats."

Ashburn's teachers have been working with Kinect for two years, and are homing in on the lack of communication that typically characterizes autism.

"Communicating with each other, giving each other directions, giving compliments... I can teach social skills and communication with board games and with other games but the students are so much more motivated to take part in games like this, and with games like the Kinect we get a lot more out of them," said Lynn Keenan, a teacher and trainer.

"It's much easier to build the skills when they are motivated to learn. We've found some pretty impressive results.

"There are many tools but there are few that hold that kind of motivational value that a tool like this does, so it's much easier then to build the skills because they are motivated to take part in it."

Dan Stachelski heads the Lakeside Center for Autism in Issaquah, Washington state.

"Because they are so motivated by the game, they are more likely to engage and follow through on instructions that they might provide or they might create a situation where they actually do it on their own, which is what we really want to see the kids do," he explained.

He takes the example of "Happy Action Theater," a game in which the avatar shoots at fireballs or kick rocks.

"The cool thing about that is that it creates an environment on the screen and you are actually projected yourself onto the screen into this environment, and the cool thing about it is that the way that the kid moves and interacts with this environment on the screen," he said.

"And multiple kids can play in the same area at the same time, so for those kids that have social interactions challenges and have difficult times sharing the same space, it gets them in the same space and it's the very first step you want them to achieve."

Encouraging results

Kinect could also be used to detect signs of autism.

For example, researchers at University of Minnesota have installed it to spot signs of hyperactivity, one of the signs of autism.

The use of Kinect for children with the disorder is catching on, said Andy Shih, of Autism Speaks, an autism science and advocacy organization, adding that at about $150, Kinect is an affordable accessory that offers "encouraging results."

"Many families are exploring its potential," he said, stressing: "We have a neutral position.

"We advocate for more researches and more datas. Right now the information is very preliminary.

"The population is so diverse: some kids are verbal, other kids are not; some children have intellectual disability, other do not; some children have motor-skills challenges, others do not.

"It's very difficult for any one product to be the miracle cure, the magic bullet that will meet all the needs of all individuals." – AFP, March 7, 2014.

Your money or your life – coal miner’s dilemma mirrors China’s

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 04:45 PM PST

March 07, 2014

This photo taken on on February 20, 2014 shows the widow of a deceased coal miner surnamed Zhang holding photos of the couple at her village near Anshun, Guizhou Province. – AFP pic, March 7, 2014. This photo taken on on February 20, 2014 shows the widow of a deceased coal miner surnamed Zhang holding photos of the couple at her village near Anshun, Guizhou Province. – AFP pic, March 7, 2014. Forty years of digging for coal have left the miner with tuberculosis and drained his village water supply. But he, like China, clings to the resource as his economic mother lode.

"If I did farming, it would take me a year to get what I make in a month," said the 55-year-old, surnamed Di and sporting the blackened fingernails of someone who has spent most of his days beneath the hills of China's poverty-stricken Guizhou province.

His lungs "don't hurt much", he said, although in any case he cannot afford treatment.

China too has embraced the economic benefits of coal despite the threats it poses to health and the environment.

But anger has mounted over the stubborn smog that regularly cloaks Chinese cities, and authorities have repeatedly promised action since President Xi Jinping took office a year ago.

Premier Li Keqiang vowed to "declare war against pollution", speaking Wednesday at the opening of the Communist-controlled National People's Congress legislature's annual session.

The government will cap total energy consumption, shut 50,000 small coal-fired furnaces, clean up major coal-burning power plants and take six million high-emission vehicles off the roads, he promised.

Yet in practice, changing course will be tough in the face of swelling energy demand and pressure to sustain economic growth, already at its lowest levels since 1999.

"Since environmental issues have become so public – everybody is talking about them, the international community is talking about them – the government feels the need to deal with environmental issues more seriously," said Xiaomin Liu, a Beijing-based coal expert with the consultancy IHS Cera.

"They will do a lot of things, but I don't think that will change things fundamentally," he said. "The first priority is still to keep up economic growth."

China uses more energy than any other country and is responsible for about half the world's coal consumption, relying on the fossil fuel for two-thirds of its energy supply.

Public pressure over pollution erupted in January 2013 when an "airpocalypse" of smog choked Beijing, with particulate matter shooting 40 times past UN standards and horrifying images spreading worldwide.

The scandal prompted authorities to stop burying the problem – cities and state-controlled media began reporting on air quality, and this year 15,000 factories were required to regularly publicise emissions data.

Over the past year Beijing has already allocated $280 billion (RM912.5 billion) to improve air quality, and pledged to evaluate officials not only by their economic but also environmental record.

Last September it announced tough air pollution limits, called for coal-use cuts in three densely populated areas, including the capital, and promised to shave nationwide coal consumption to 65% of total energy by 2017.

Some of the targets were "ambitious", sending an important message, said Alvin Lin, the Beijing-based China climate and energy policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"Once you send that signal, then everybody has to try to meet it."

But implementation is another matter and even stricter quotas were still needed, he warned.

Another concern is that wealthier coastal cities, which have complained about pollution the loudest, will simply shift their coal-fired power-stations and factories to the country's poorer interior.

"Maybe the push is going to be just to push the dirty coal further west," said Jennifer Turner, director of the China Environment Forum at the Wilson Center in Washington. "It's the whole Nimby (not in my backyard) movement."

Guizhou, in southwestern China, has pledged to close half its mines – about 800 – by mid-2014, but this follows a broader trend of shutting small struggling operators without necessarily cutting overall production.

Villagers around Anshun have long reaped the benefits of coal, earning as much as 6,000 yuan (RM3,195) a month from mining, double what they could make as labourers and 10 times more than farming.

Nonetheless, some see the advantages of ending the fatal explosions, blackened lungs, water shortages and the threat of collapsing homes.

Opposite a mine in Anshun, along a picturesque valley lined with gentle terraces of yellow rapeseed amid a cascade of smoky blue hills, Zhang Yan tearfully recalled searching for her husband after he failed to return from work one evening last year.

He had been killed on the job, and their teenage son said his father had urged him to find another trade.

"He had talked with me about this, 'Don't do this work, stay above ground, it's safer'," he said, huddling around a stove for warmth.

Up the road, a longtime miner surnamed Yan said he quit last year for fear of the "hidden danger".

"Closing the mines is a good thing, first off because of the environmental damage to homes and water," said the 45-year-old father of two, who is debating whether to leave his family in Guizhou to find work elsewhere.

"The benefits are only temporary," he said. "In the long term there are no benefits." – AFP, March 7, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books


Benazir Bhutto’s niece nominated for fiction prize

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:08 PM PST

March 07, 2014

Fatima Bhutto, the niece of assassinated Pakistani former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has been nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, the judges announced today.

Fatima is among 20 women on the long list for the award, which was formerly known as the Orange prize and is open to English-language novels from anywhere in the world.

She is nominated for "The Shadow of the Crescent Moon", her first attempt at fiction following several fact-based books, including a memoir of her family's blood-soaked history.

Fatima is a fierce critic of her charismatic aunt, who twice served as prime minister, claiming she was power hungry and "morally responsible" for the murder of her brother, Fatima's father Murtaza Bhutto, in 1996.

The winner of the prize, which will be announced at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 4, receives £30,000 (RM164,000) and a bronze known as a "Bessie".

Other nominees for the 19th annual award include "The Luminaries" by New Zealand author Eleanor Catton, which won the 2013 Booker Prize.

Australia's Hannah Kent is nominated for "Burial Rites", while Indian-American Jhumpa Lahiri is long-listed for "The Lowland".

Penguin Books UK's managing director Helen Fraser chairs the five-woman judging panel, which will announce the short list on April 7.

"This is a fantastic selection of books of the highest quality – intensely readable, gripping, intelligent and surprising – that you would want to press on your friends," she said.

Former winners Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2007) of Nigeria and Suzanne Berne (1999) of the US are on the long list, which also contains six debut novels.

The other long-listed authors are from Britain, Canada, Ireland and Pakistan.

American writer A.M. Holmes won last year's prize with "May We Be Forgiven". – AFP, March 7, 2013.

Benazir Bhutto’s niece nominated for women fiction prize

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:08 PM PST

March 07, 2014

Fatima Bhutto, the niece of assassinated Pakistani former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has been nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, the judges announced today.

Fatima is among 20 women on the long list for the award, which was formerly known as the Orange prize and is open to English-language novels from anywhere in the world.

She is nominated for "The Shadow of the Crescent Moon", her first attempt at fiction following several fact-based books, including a memoir of her family's blood-soaked history.

Fatima is a fierce critic of her charismatic aunt, who twice served as prime minister, claiming she was power hungry and "morally responsible" for the murder of her brother, Fatima's father Murtaza Bhutto, in 1996.

The winner of the prize, which will be announced at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 4, receives £30,000 (RM164,000) and a bronze known as a "Bessie".

Other nominees for the 19th annual award include "The Luminaries" by New Zealand author Eleanor Catton, which won the 2013 Booker Prize.

Australia's Hannah Kent is nominated for "Burial Rites", while Indian-American Jhumpa Lahiri is long-listed for "The Lowland".

Penguin Books UK's managing director Helen Fraser chairs the five-woman judging panel, which will announce the short list on April 7.

"This is a fantastic selection of books of the highest quality – intensely readable, gripping, intelligent and surprising – that you would want to press on your friends," she said.

Former winners Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2007) of Nigeria and Suzanne Berne (1999) of the US are on the long list, which also contains six debut novels.

The other long-listed authors are from Britain, Canada, Ireland and Pakistan.

American writer A.M. Holmes won last year's prize with "May We Be Forgiven". – AFP, March 7, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa


Penyokong Anwar anjur himpunan solidariti malam ini di Stadium Kajang

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:53 AM PST

March 07, 2014

Perhimpunan solidariti untuk Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (gambar) dirancang akan diadakan di Stadium Kajang malam ini.

Aktivis PKR dan juga Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia, Badrul Hisham Shahrin atau Cikgu Bard berkata, ia akan diadakan jam 8 malam ini.

Ia adalah himpunan pertama yang dirancang ekoran keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan hari ini yang membenarkan rayuan Putrajaya dan menjatuhkan hukuman bersalah ke atas Anwar.

Sehingga ini, mahkamah masih belum menjatuhkan hukuman ke atas Anwar walaupun sudah didapati bersalah.

Kajang dipilih kerana semua jentera PKR berada di sana ekoran pilihan raya kecil yang akan diadakan tidak lama lagi.

Dalam respons segera terhadap keputusan mahkmah ini, Pengarah Strategi PKR Rafizi Ramli berkata, "Perasaan paling buruk adalah, saya tidak terkejut dan bersedia dari segi mentalnya untuk ketidakadilan ini".

Bekas pengerusi bersama Bersih Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan berkata melalui laman Twitternya, dia terkejut dan meminta Anwar terus cekal.

"Saya tidak percaya ia boleh berlaku," katanya.

Elizabeth Wong dari PKR yang juga Adun Bukit Lanjan berkata: "Memeranjatkan. Mahkamah Rayuan menolak keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi yang membebaskan Anwar Ibrahim. Di mana keadilan?"

Sementara itu,Timbalan Pengarah, Bahagian Asia, Human Rights Watch Phil Robertson berkata, ini adalah penghakiman politik.

"Perbicaraan ini bertujuan untuk menendang Anwar keluar dari politik dan kerajaan bersedia untuk berbuat apa saja untuk mempastikan ia berlaku.

"Anwar dan keluarga beliau nampaknya terperangkap dalam mimpi ngeri yang tidak ada penghujung dalam karier politiknya, di mana mahkamah telah digunakan sebagai alat untuk menjatuhkan hukuman politik.

"Memang benar, hari gelap kepada kehakiman di Malaysia yang menunjukkan diri mereka sendiri tidak mampu berdiri tegap bila isu politik dimainkan di depan mereka.

"Kes yang dihadapi Anwar tidak sepatutnya dipertimbangkan sebagai jenayah sejak awal-awal lagi," katanya. – 7 Mac, 2014.

Institusi Kesultanan Melayu hadapi cabaran besar kekal relevan, titah Raja Nazrin

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:21 AM PST

March 07, 2014

Institusi Kesultanan Melayu kini berhadapan cabaran lebih besar untuk menjadi institusi yang kekal relevan serta diterima secara positif dan dihormati rakyat, titah Pemangku Raja Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah (gambar).

Baginda bertitah kebelakangan ini kedengaran suara yang secara terbuka mencabar peruntukan tertentu undang-undang negara, bersikap melanggar adat dan adab serta mempersendakan Institusi Kesultanan di negara ini.

"Pada 21 Februari 2014, Mahkamah Tinggi mendapati pihak pendakwaan berjaya membuktikan kes melampaui keraguan munasabah terhadap Yang Berhormat Karpal Singh (Pengerusi DAP) yang didapati bersalah atas tuduhan melafazkan perkataan berbaur hasutan terhadap Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan Perak pada 6 Februari 2009," titah baginda pada Mesyuarat Ke-156 Dewan Negara Perak di Istana Iskandariah di Kuala Kangsar hari ini.

Baginda bertitah usaha untuk memastikan institusi itu kekal relevan hendaklah difikirkan secara bijak dengan melaksanakan program yang berupaya merapatkan hubungan Raja dengan rakyat agar fahaman dan penghargaan rakyat terhadap Institusi Kesultanan dapat ditingkatkan.

Raja Nazrin bertitah program yang melibatkan Raja Pemerintah hendaklah dirangka dan diolah agar dapat memberi pengertian dan mengisi makna serta berupaya memberikan impak dan keberkesanan.

"Program-program jangan sekadar hanya berwajah istiadat, dianjurkan dan dihadiri oleh lingkungan audiens yang sama lagi terbatas. Program-program yang tidak dirancang secara bijak bersifat permukaan.

"Program-program sedemikian tidak produktif dan gagal memenuhi falsafah dan matlamat ia dianjurkan," titah baginda.

Raja Nazrin bertitah program sedemikian merupakan satu pembaziran sumber, tenaga, masa dan kewangan kerana tidak mendatangkan sebarang nilai tambah mahupun pulangan.

"Oleh itu, program-program yang melibatkan Raja Pemerintah, bermula dengan program sempena sambutan Hari Ulang Tahun Keputeraan Sultan Perak pada tahun ini, perlu diolah secara bijaksana, disuntik dimensi baharu, disegarkan dengan kandungan lebih dinamik, ditiupkan roh yang menghidupkan agar dapat merapatkan tautan hubungan di antara Raja dengan rakyat dan mengimbangkan antara protokol dengan imej kemesraan Raja Pemerintah terhadap rakyat," titah baginda.

Baginda bertitah untuk tujuan itu ia memerlukan perekayasaan semula beberapa perkara dari segi komposisi tetamu yang diundang serta susun atur tempat duduk agar Raja tidak kelihatan bersemayam terlalu jauh dengan audiens dan hanya diapit orang-orang yang sama serta melihat wajah yang serupa.

Raja Nazrin bertitah program dianjurkan di peringkat daerah pula sewajarnya memberi peluang kepada lebih ramai tetamu untuk mengenali Raja dan Raja juga berpeluang mengenali mereka.

Baginda bertitah untuk itu, ketua-ketua jabatan di peringkat negeri memadai dijemput secara selektif dan bergilir agar lebih ruang dapat diberikan kepada tetamu di peringkat daerah.

"Sektor swasta serta badan bukan kerajaan (NGO), wakil-wakil pelbagai agama, persatuan-persatuan kebajikan, belia, sukan dan pelajar, perkhidmatan beruniform, pengetua, guru besar dan guru-guru serta penghulu hendaklah dimasukkan dalam senarai jemputan, agar lebih ramai konstituen berpeluang berinteraksi dengan Raja Pemerintah," titah baginda.

Baginda bertitah selaras dengan langkah berjimat cermat kerajaan, aspek kos juga hendaklah dikawal dan diberikan perhatian serius agar rakyat tidak tersalah anggapan terhadap Institusi Raja.

"Kemeriahan sesuatu acara hendaklah menekankan aspek penyertaan rakyat, dimeriahkan kerana kehadiran rakyat dengan perbelanjaan yang sederhana lagi berpatutan," titah baginda.

Raja Nazrin bertitah demi menjamin kelangsungan dan kefahaman rakyat jelata akan peranan serta kerelevanan Institusi Raja, perekayasaan pendekatan amat perlu diperkenalkan agar terjalin rasa kasih, sayang serta hormat rakyat kepada Raja Pemerintah. – Bernama, 7 Mac, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion


Air: Anwar, Khalid dan PKR

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 05:04 PM PST

March 07, 2014

Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed is a three-term MP for Pulai and the new PAC chairman. Apart from being in the new politics, he also writes for The Malaysian Insider while debating other matters at www.jazlan.net

Malam Rabu lalu, dalam program Soal Jawab TV3 menyaksikan senario yang begitu istimewa dalam konteks politik negara apabila dua kerajaan yang berlainan parti di Malaysia membincangkan isu sama demi kepentingan rakyat iaitu air.

Datuk Seri Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air daripada kerajaan pusat Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Menteri Besar Selangor daripada kerajaan negeri PKR duduk semeja memberikan penerangan terperinci mengenai Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) Penstrukturan Bekalan Air di Selangor yang ditandatangani genap seminggu lalu.

Walaupun, sebaik MoU berkenaan ditandatangani, Khalid selaku ketua eksekutif kerajaan Selangor dihentam teruk ahli partinya terutama sekali pimpinan tertinggi PKR yang membuat pelbagai tuduhan terhadap beliau, tetapi ahli korporat veteran ini, yang kemudian bertukar menjadi ahli politik tidak ambil pusing terhadap segala apa yang dilemparkan terhadapnya.

Apa yang pasti beliau seakan berseorangan dalam PKR yang cuba memberikan yang terbaik kepada rakyat Selangor dalam isu air ini, selain penyokong kuatnya, Faekah Husin yang juga setiausaha politiknya dan ketua pegawai eksekutif Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI).

Seperti biasa, Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang juga calon PKR untuk Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Kajang, 23 Mac ini, memberikan pelbagai komen mengenai MoU berkenaan yang kadang kala begitu mengelirukan sehingga menimbulkan rasa lawak.

Sekejap Anwar bersetuju dengan Khalid dan memberikan sokongan, kemudian sekejap lagi beliau mendakwa akan mengkaji semula MoU jika ia merugikan rakyat Selangor, sedangkan pakar strateginya, Rafizi Ramli berterus terang mendakwa bahawa MoU berkenaan merugikan rakyat Selangor.

Jadi yang mana betul dan yang mana tidak betul bagi Anwar? Siapa yang hendak beliau pertahankan, Rafizi atau Khalid?

Ketika ini, Timbalan Presiden PKR, Azmin Ali banyak berdiam diri terutama sekali selepas Khalid mengumumkan secara terbuka untuk bertanding mencabarnya dalam pemilihan parti itu, Jun ini dan mungkin akan disertai Rafizi, sekali gus sudah pasti memeningkan kepala Anwar.

Tambahan pula Azmin juga kini, turut dihimpit 'masalah' sendiri kerana selain dikritik Hishammuddin Rais dalam akhbar rasmi PKR, Suara Keadilan kerana mempunyai DNA Umno, beliau turut dilaporkan disiasat PKNS berhubung pembabitannya dalam projek PJ Sentral.

Apa yang pasti berbalik kepada isu MoU, semua pihak sama ada Anwar, Khalid dan Rafizi, mengambil modal yang sama iaitu 'demi kepentingan rakyat Selangor'.

Namun adakah kepentingan rakyat terutama sekali rakyat Selangor dikorbankan dalam perjanjian MoU antara kerajaan PKR Selangor dan kerajaan pusat BN.

Sedangkan beberapa siri rundingan antara kerajaan BN dan PKR berlangsung sejak beberapa tahun lalu, sudah pasti kedua-dua kerajaan ini, yang dipilih rakyat tidak akan membelakangkan kepentingan rakyat dalam melaksanakan projek mega bekalan air ini.

Tetapi jika dilihat daripada kritikan, tuduhan dan tanggapan buruk yang dilakukan kepada Khalid serta kerajaan BN berhubung perjanjian berkenaan, ia membuktikan betapa segala-galanya adalah berkisar kepada perjuangan politik bukannya untuk rakyat.

Kerajaan BN pimpinan Datuk Seri Najib Razak jelas sejak dari awal lagi sentiasa konsisten menjelaskan kepada rakyat bahawa kerajaan pusat sentiasa bersedia untuk memberikan apa sahaja kepada kerajaan PKR Selangor bagi menjayakan projek Loji Rawatan Langat 2 yang amat kritikal dan penting dalam menjamin bekalan air berterusan kepada penduduk Lembah Klang dan Selangor.

Sejak PKR mengambil alih kerajaan Selangor pada 2008, isu air ini jelas terlalu mudah dipolitikkan sehingga menjadi modal dalam kempen Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) lalu, dengan pelbagai dakwaan bahawa kerajaan pusat BN mengawal empat pemegang konsesi air di negeri berkenaan.

Fakta yang disembunyikan adalah keempat-empat pemegang konsesi air ini, adalah syarikat yang mana kerajaan Selangor mempunyai kepentingan saham di dalamnya dan ada antaranya disenaraikan dalam Bursa Saham Malaysia.

Jadi timbul persoalan bagaimana kerajaan pusat hendak mengawal syarikat ini, sedangkan mereka (syarikat) mempunyai pelbagai pemegang saham termasuk kerajaan Selangor.

Sudah pasti jika Selangor mahu mengambil alih keempat-empat syarikat ini, ia perlu dilakukan secara komersial dan apabila tawaran pengambil alihan bernilai kira-kira RM9 bilion dibuat Khalid, ia juga adalah berasaskan nilai komersial syarikat-syarikat terbabit.

Khalid sedar bahawa rizab tunai Selangor setakat 31 Oktober 2013, yang berjumlah lebih RM2.7 bilion mampu untuk menampung pengambilalihan itu, dan sebab itu beliau membuat tawaran berkenaan.

Lagi pun, apa gunanya mengumpul rizab tunai dalam jumlah yang begitu besar sekiranya, ia tidak dibelanjakan untuk kepentingan rakyat Selangor kerana selepas mengambil alih keempat-empat syarikat pemegang konsesi air itu, industri bekalan air Selangor adalah milik rakyat Selangor melalui kerajaan yang mereka pilih.

Jika dahulu, ada segelintir pemimpin PKR sendiri yang mengkritik Khalid kerana kurang 'berbelanja' dalam melaksanakan pembangunan di Selangor tetapi apabila beliau berbelanja bagi menyelesaikan isu bekalan air, tiada pula yang menghamburkan pujian terhadap rancangannya itu.

Tetap ada suara-suara sumbang dalam parti Khalid sendiri yang mengutuk dan dengan mudah membuat 'kira-kira' bahawa jumlah keseluruhan menstruktur semula industri bekalan air Selangor yang berjumlah hampir RM20 bilion adalah suatu pembaziran wang rakyat.  Adakah mereka ini, lupa bahawa rakyat Selangor mahukan isu air ini, diselesaikan 'once and for all' tanpa perlu terus dipolitikkan.

Memang mudah menjadi pembangkang kerana tugas pembangkang adalah membangkang apa sahaja yang dilakukan kerajaan pemerintah tetapi pemimpin PKR Selangor perlu sedar bahawa dalam konteks politik Selangor, mereka adalah kerajaan pemerintah dan tidak patut membangkang membabi buta tanpa mengambil kira kepentingan rakyat Selangor.

Tambahan pula yang dibangkang adalah menteri besar daripada PKR sendiri dan sepatutnya, mereka memberikan kepercayaan penuh kepada Khalid sebagai ketua eksekutif kerajaan Selangor yang diberikan kepercayaan oleh parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat untuk memimpin negeri berkenaan.

Lebih menghairankan yang ghairah menghentam Khalid adalah di kalangan PKR sendiri sedangkan PAS dan DAP yang memegang kerusi DUN paling banyak dalam Selangor tidak melatah dalam tindakan Khalid.

Apa yang rakyat Selangor dan Lembah Klang mahukan adalah ketenangan fikiran dalam isu air dengan air bersih sentiasa mengalir dalam paip di rumah mereka tanpa perlu risau keputusan bekalan walaupun ketika musim panas atau kemarau.

Rakyat Selangor tidak mahu beratur panjang menunggu lori Syabas menghantar bekalan air sehingga tiga minggu sedangkan mereka tinggal di negeri paling maju di Malaysia.

Justeru adalah sesuatu yang begitu ironi apabila 'gelanggang' PRK Kajang dibuka secara rasmi pada 11 Mac nanti, mungkin ada pemimpin PKR yang menghentam Khalid dalam siri kempen Anwar sedangkan Khalid adalah pengarah PRK Kajang.

Dan jika itu berlaku, kemungkinan besar Khalid terpaksa menggunakan pentas ceramah PRK Kajang bagi memberikan penerangan mengenai langkah beliau menandatangani perjanjian berkenaan sekali gus mempertahankan kerusi menteri besar yang khabarnya diintai sendiri calon PKR PRK Kajang. – 7 Mac, 2014.

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

Calon BN patutnya bertanding di Taiwan?

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 04:42 PM PST

March 07, 2014

Haji Subky Abdul Latif seorang penulis bebas dan tinggal di Kuala Lumpur. Seorang pendiam, dia gemar meneliti perangai manusia dan berita politik di Malaysia.

Dalam ceramah pra kempen Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Kajang, Ketua Pemuda DAP yang juga Ahli Parlimen Rasah, Anthony Loke menyindir calon Barisan Nasional (BN), Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun sepatutnya tidak bertanding di Kajang, sebaliknya bertandinglah di Taiwan.

Mengikut pemimpin DAP itu, dalam kempen awalnya pada pra kempen PRK itu, wakil MCA itu dikatakan menyebarkan kartun politik. Tidak disebutnya kartun apa dan mengenai apa.

Tetapi setelah disiasat, kartun itu dikatakan diciplak dari Taiwan. Kartun itu dikatakan tidak sesuai dibawa ke Kajang dan Chew cadangnya lebih baik bertanding di Taiwan, bukan di Kajang.

DAP tidak kata MCA adalah parti Cina yang berkiblat ke Taiwan, tetapi ia implikasinya ialah parti itu condong ke Taiwan.

Selama ini musuh politik DAP sentiasa melabelkan parti itu tidak bertunjang di Malaysia. Ia tidak menjunjung langit di bumi ia dipijak. Sebaliknya ia adalah parti yang berkiblat ke Singapura. Ia adalah disebabkan parti itu asalnya ialah PAP yang memerintah Singapura. Masa itu Singapura sebahagian daripada Malaysia.

Isteri setiausaha PAP Semenanjung, Devan Niar adalah warga Singapura. Pilihan PAP Malaysia ialah menukar parti itu kepada DAP. DAP menghadapi kesukaran untuk membebaskan dirinya daripada dikatakan sebagai parti Singapura.

Yang mengata DAP itu parti Singapura bukan sekadar Umno, bahkan MCA juga memperoloknya sebagai parti Singapura. Penyokong MCA pada peringkat akar umbi sama naik memomokkan ia parti Singapura.

Bahkan hingga sekarang parti itu masih diperleceh sebagai tidak bertunjang di sini. Apatah lagi perjuangannya pula adalah Malaysian Malaysia, satu slogan yang digunakan oleh Lee Kuan Yew sebagai warga Malaysia dulu.

Justeru parti itu terus mendapat sokongan masyarakat Cina dan sejak lebih 10 tahun lalu ia menjadi rakan PAS dalam Barisan Alternatif dan selepas PRU 2008 ia ikut membentuk Pakatan Rakyat, maka tidak berapa laku lagi isu parti Singapura itu.

Manakala MCA sejak zaman Tunku Abdul Rahman dikira sebagai pelobi Taiwan, pemimpin masa itu adalah anti Komunis China, ia sentiasa dikira ancaman kepada Malaysia, maka Umno dan Tunku adalah pro Taiwan kerana Taiwan di bawah ketiak Amerika. Memang Taiwan pula menjadi pusat orang Cina melanjutkan pelajaran.

Sekarang dalam politik yang lebih terbuka dengan generasi muda, tidak banyak peduli ia pro Singapura atau pelobi Taiwan, apa lagi apabila dalam transformasi politik Najib ialah mempromosikan 1Malaysia.

Arus perdana politik di Malaysia keluar daripada kepompong perkauman. Apabila arus perkauman itu ditinggalkan, maka ia menjadi suasana gelap bagi BN. Bagi menyelamatkan Umno dalam kekuasaan, maka ia terus menanamkan rasa benci kepada DAP yang dikatakan akan menghakis saki baki kedaulatan Melayu yang masih ada.

MCA sendiri membangkitkan isu pelajaran Cina yang dikatakan cuba diabaikan oleh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim semasa menjadi menteri pelajaran dulu. Ia mahu menimbulkan isu itu di kalangan pengundi Cina di Kajang bagi menolak Anwar. DAP sejak bersama dengan PAS dan PKR lebih fokus kepada keadilan, kerajaan baik dan anti rasuah.

Dalam suasana ini, calon BN datang dengan kartun Taiwan. DAP mulai kaitkan MCA meniupkan semangat pro Taiwan bagi mengingatkan Umno apakah ia suka Cina Malaysia terus bersama Taiwan, sedangkan transformasi politik adalah untuk 1Malaysia.

Ketika DAP sudah keluar daripada momokan Singapura, DAP kata MCA masih lagi Taiwan. – 7 Mac, 2014.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
 

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