Khamis, 24 April 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

0 ulasan 11:38 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

A forager’s find

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 08:16 PM PDT

BY MELISSA DUIS
April 25, 2014

The chicken malai kebab is marinated in a mélange of herbs and spices to make it flavourful. – April 25, 2014.Amidst the convoluted bends of any city enwrapped in the dust of history, one would be hard-pressed to find an authentic dish. In fact, even when one claims a strike of good luck in finding an authentic dish, the claimant's good judgment still comes into question. On top of that, suggestions by do-gooder foodies often come off more as a cacophony of opinions.

As a fan of Indian cuisine, I've had my fair share of Indian dishes in Malaysia, India and in other parts of the world. But as fate would have it, it was a long overdue visit to a Hyderabad restaurant in my country and that did the trick. The excursion elicited a genuine cry of excitement and glee from me.

There was once upon a-not-so-long-ago time that I had frequented another Indian restaurant for their mutton briyani but that quickly moved down to the bottom half of my favourite restaurants list when I had my first mouthful of 'this' mutton briyani.

Aptly called Hyderabad Recipes' Restaurant, the place is small but roomy, simple but comfortable and they served a mutton briyani that sounded foreign to my ears - Soofiyani Mutton Briyani. I guess what that means went unlearned by me during that lunch course that altered my perception of mutton briyani forever. An experience like that goes undisturbed unless the building itself was burning down.

When my dear friend and I took a seat for my life altering moment, I naturally let him take the lead as he was the leader and I, the follower. In my opinion, it's only natural that I admit defeat to my friend – a native of India – on any discussion of authentic Indian dishes.

The eager beaver in me was pushed to the point of foolhardy when I suggested we dig in to our meal before allowing my friend to take a picture. I indulged my friend's newly found "Malaysian hobby" – as he called it – of 'instagramming' his food before devouring it.

Finally, the dishes were served and in came the chicken malai kebab which was tender to agonising perfection and juicy. The soofiyani mutton briyani was served with a flavourful and spicy, but not intolerably hot brinjal curry and later gulab jamun for dessert.

Gulab jamun, a traditional Indian dessert is made mainly from milk solids, traditionally from freshly curdled milk. – April 25, 2014.My first spoonful of the mutton briyani upped the ante for me as all my senses scattered in opposite directions to try and make sense of the dish. As I duly chewed and ingested mouthful after mouthful of the mutton briyani I surmised that an authentic Hyderabad mutton briyani should be smoky, spicy, buttery, savoury and more.

Unfortunately, the rest of the mutton briyani goodness becomes indescribable to me at this point. But a shout out to my friend would also describe a good Hyderabad mutton briyani as comprising basmathi rice cooked at the right temperature and duration and bedecked in various colours from different spices. The 'properly' multicoloured basmathi rice grains also indicate proper cooking technique as briyani rice is cooked in layers. Not forgetting the mutton, or whichever meat used, should be tender, juicy and tasty.

Although conclusively, I still think what is truly authentic and what isn't, really is subjective to the enjoyer, Hyderabad Recipes Restaurant on Jalan Putra, Kuala Lumpur, for whatever it's worth, certainly changed my understanding of and appreciation for mutton briyani.

I did leave the restaurant feeling satisfied but with a miniscule degree of resentment that I got schooled by a non-Malaysian on where to find top-notch food in my own country. Still, it was worth every penny and at a reasonable price too. – April 25, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

0 ulasan 3:13 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Malaysian jailed over Australian soccer match-fixing

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 04:40 AM PDT

April 24, 2014

The Malaysian ringleader of an Australian soccer match-fixing ring was jailed today, shortly after the lower league club involved was fined and deducted points for their failure to prevent the situation.

Victorian County Court Judge Michael Bourke sentenced Segaran "Gerry" Subramaniam to three years imprisonment, with two suspended, after he pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct to corrupt the betting outcome.

Subramaniam was arrested in September 2013 as part of a police investigation into betting irregularities surrounding Victorian Premier League club Southern Stars.

Given time already served, Subramaniam is likely to spend at least five months in jail, after which he will probably be deported, a court spokeswoman said.

Two English players have already been convicted and fined for their involvement, and slapped with worldwide life bans by soccer's global governing body FIFA earlier this year.

Early today, Football Federation Victoria (FFV), concluded its investigation into the Southern Stars, charging them with "misconduct by materially injuring the reputation and goodwill of football".

FFV fined the Southern Stars A$10,000 (RM30,318), deducted eight championship points from its 2014 season and told them they must regularly report back during the season after undergoing educational courses.

"The investigation identified a serious lack of governance and failure to conduct due diligence by the committee at Southern Stars," FFV chief executive officer Mitchell Murphy said in a statement.

"Although no criminal charges have been laid against any of the committee members at Southern Stars, its poor administration provided an environment and the opportunity for the match-fixing to take place."

The punishments come after convicted soccer match-fixer Wilson Raj Parumal was arrested in Helsinki.

The 48-year-old Singaporean had been under house arrest in Hungary prior to his arrest last week. – Reuters, April 24, 2014.

Indonesian Thomas-Uber Cup squad brings chef to New Delhi

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 03:01 AM PDT

April 24, 2014

The Indonesian badminton squad to the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup competitions in New Delhi, India will be accompanied by a chef to ensure proper food intake.

Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) President Gita Wirjawan said with a chef accompanying the team, players can avoid becoming victims to food poisoning or other food related ailments which will then affect their performances.

"We will coordinate with the Indonesian embassy in India to facilitate the necessary requirements," he told reporters after visiting the Thomas and Uber Cup teams undergoing training in Kudus, today.

The PBSI's decision to take a chef along was because there was a difference in taste and preparation of food in India compared with the normal food consumed by the players back home.

"We are just being cautious about players affected by diarrhoea or food poisoning," he said adding that he had also advised the players to be prepared for the hot weather conditions in New Delhi.

"I have lived in India and know the type of food and weather conditions there," he said.

New Delhi will host the Thomas and Uber Cup finals from May 18 to 25 while Indonesia has been installed at the top seed, followed by China, Malaysia, Japan and Denmark.

Since the inception of the Thomas Cup in 1949, Indonesia has the best track record after having won the title 13 times, followed by China with nine wins.

The last time Indonesia won the Thomas Cup was in the 2002 edition held in Guangzhou, China.

Since then, China has dominated the Thomas Cup, winning it five consecutive times from 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. – Bernama, April 24, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

0 ulasan 1:19 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

In US coming out party, Bollywood finds curious fans

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 10:48 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

Dancers pose during the opening act for the 15th International Indian Film Academy Awards in Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa, Florida, yesterday. – AFP pic, April 24, 2014. Teresita Alonso had never watched an Indian film until she browsed the home-order television service Netflix and, noticing the favourable reviews, took a chance on "My Name Is Khan".

Several years later, Alonso was wearing a T-shirt with the likeness of the 2010 drama's lead actor, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and eagerly sitting on a lawn chair as Bollywood's premier awards ceremony put on a public show in Tampa.

"I can't understand the language, but I just love the colours, the culture and the stories," said Alonso, who has since also seen other Indian films lighter than the politically charged "My Name is Khan".

The International Indian Film Academy has come to the city on Florida's west coast for its first-ever US edition, hoping to win over more fans like Alonso as the world's most prolific film industry looks to make inroads in the most lucrative box office.

Ahead of a star-studded awards ceremony on Saturday, Bollywood put on a free performance yesterday with more than 1,000 spectators showing up to watch choreographed Indian dancers and DJs as the sun set over the central city's riverside Curtis Hixon Park.

While around half of the crowd appeared to be South Asian, the rest of the audience included both curious onlookers and budding Bollywood connoisseurs. Stands sold Indian dishes such as crispy masala dosas and red-hot plates of chole batura, while others sold American staples including tacos and Bud Light beer.

Alonso's brother Felipe, like his sister of Cuban descent, said that Indian films' narratives offered a refreshing change from US cinema and were generally "more clean" in their content.

"I don't really like to admit it, but the Indian films often make me cry," he said.

Drummer and DJ Ravi Jakhotia, who was raised in the city and performed a new song "Do Da Tampa" for yesterday's party, said that Latinos offered a natural constituency for Indian culture.

"Lots of things Indian and Latin aren't too far off. They also like spicy food and big extravagant events. After Indian weddings, nothing's more raging than a Latin wedding," said Jakhotia, who performs under the name DJ Ravi Drums.

Jakhotia saw a turning point with the popularity of the film "Slumdog Millionaire". He performed at the 2009 Oscars as the British movie's track "Jai Ho", composed by Indian music legend A.R. Rahman, won Best Original Song.

"I think when 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Jai Ho' caught fire the way they did, it revolutionised everybody's perspective globally on India," Jakhotia said.

Still, while the United States has topped Britain in recent years as the top overseas market for Bollywood, the growth has been due largely to the three million-strong Indian American community.

While the Tampa extravaganza charmed the non-South Asian audience that showed up, some suggested that Bollywood's appeal was mostly kitsch and unlikely to give Hollywood a run for its money in the world's largest box office.

"Bollywood is a great spectacle and great for its cheekiness. I enjoy it, but for many people it may take awhile," said Connie Franks, a theater performer in Tampa.

Ashley Martin, 22, said that younger Americans may be more interested in Bollywood but that it may be too foreign for much of the audience in the United States, where domestic films overwhelmingly dominate the market.

"These aren't action films or even independent films or French movies. Bollywood is totally different from what many people are used to," she said. – AFP, April 24, 2014.

Catching more than fish – Ugandan town crippled by AIDS

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 09:37 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

This picture taken on February 20, 2014 shows a typical scene with fishermen at a bar (right) as a sex-worker (left) waits for clients at Kasensero on the shores of the Lake Victoria in Uganda where in the 1980's the first Ugandan AIDS case is deemed to have been discovered. – AFP pic, April 24, 2014.When you risk your life fishing on dangerous seas, a drink in the bars back on shore seem a welcome relief, but in Uganda, it has created a culture with staggering rates of HIV.

Exhausted from a night of hard fishing on the vast inland sea of Uganda's Lake Victoria, fishermen come off the boats as the first rays of light glimmer at dawn.

Once the fish is sold and the nets untangled, some go home to their families, but most head straight for the bars of the town and the sex workers who hang out there, despite HIV rates soaring to at least six times the national average.

Here, 43% of the population live with HIV compared to 7% nationally: for a man seeking a sex worker, the rates and risks are likely to be far higher.

"The fishing communities along the lakeshore are the places with the highest HIV prevalence rates in the country," said Raymond Byaruhanga, chief doctor at the AIDS Information Centre in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

"The mindset of the fishermen is to say, 'one day my boat will overturn and I will die. Therefore there's no need to be scared of HIV, it will take several years to kill me'."

Kasensero, a sleepy fishing port of some 10,000 people close to the Tanzanian border, has the dubious distinction of being the place where the first case of AIDS in Uganda was reported in the 1980s.

"Most of the fishermen are interested only in drinking and in women," explained Josua Mununuzi, the owner of four boats.

In the 10 years he has worked, "nothing has changed", he says, except the faces of the prostitutes hanging around in the narrow streets, where the smell of urine mingles with that of rotting rubbish.

The good wages earned by fisherman attract a steady stream of sex workers from surrounding communities.

"Since it's a fishing port, we get a lot of sex workers coming here," said Kato Francis, a doctor at Kasensero's run-down hospital.

Two factors explain the trend: the relatively high earning power of the fishermen and their live for today mentality.

Sex workers typically come to the town for a few months, often during the peak fishing season.

They go back home with some savings – and very often HIV.

The going rate here for sex is as little as two dollars, or up to three dollars for an especially valued lady.

Sheyla came from the Ugandan capital Kampala two months ago, adding that her clients regularly ask for sex without a condom.

She says she refuses systematically, but adds that the same cannot be said for all her colleagues.

"A friend of mine had sex with a man and when she took the condom off the man was bleeding," she said. "I'm scared of that."

Like most of the sex workers in town, Sheyla lives in a tiny room close to the bars.

Her knickers are hung up to dry in a corner and condoms are scattered on a bench, while a small bed with mosquito netting takes up half the room.

With an average of five clients a day, she has saved up enough money to buy a small plot where she hopes to build a house.

"It's so risky going out on the lake, that when they come back they want to spend their money exactly as they wish, they know they could die the next day, so they don't make plans for the future," said boat owner Mununuzi.

Storms are frequent on Lake Victoria and a wave can easily overturn the light boats that the fishermen use. Few can swim and none wear life jackets.

Apolinari Yousters, 57, has lived as a fisherman in Kasensero for the past 20 years. Three years ago he went to get tested for the first time and was found to be HIV positive.

He has no idea when he became infected. Asked who might have infected him he shrugs simply and says, "prostitutes or bar girls".

Sex workers transmit the virus to the fishermen, who pass it on to other sex workers and to their wives. Sometimes the wives pass it on to other men while their husbands are away on the lake, often to traders who come to buy fish.

The flow of sex workers, traders and fishermen makes it very difficult to follow up on and treat patients, Byaruhanga said.

A number of aid agencies have come to Kasensero in recent years to work on issues related to AIDS, Francis said, but adding sadly that "changes have been few and far between". – AFP, April 24, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

0 ulasan 1:18 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Young director makes short film on selfish Malaysian drivers

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 10:56 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

28-year-old film director Jason Lim (pic) has produced a four-minute short film on ignorant, inconsiderate and selfish drivers on Malaysian roads.

He said the film aimed to alert the motoring public to the importance of giving way to ambulances rushing to and from scenes of accidents.

The film entitled "Who Cares!!! The Truth About Malaysian Drivers" also documented scenes of drivers tailgating and obstructing ambulances.

To make the film, Jason Lim Productions re-enacted an accident scene in Kuala Lumpur and placed hidden cameras in the accident vehicle to record how real-life drivers deliberately slowed down to take pictures for their own use.

"This film or public service announcement will portray the elements of love, fear, anger and death. By making this film, we hope to capture the attention of drivers and the public to understand the important message behind it," said Lim, adding that he was discussing the possibility of airing the documentary with a local TV network. – Bernama, April 24, 2014.

Young director makes short film on selfish Malaysian drivers

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 10:56 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

28-year-old film director Jason Lim (pic) has produced a four-minute short film on ignorant, inconsiderate and selfish drivers on Malaysian roads.

He said the film aimed to alert the motoring public to the importance of giving way to ambulances rushing to and from scenes of accidents.

The film entitled "Who Cares!!! The Truth About Malaysian Drivers" also documented scenes of drivers tailgating and obstructing ambulances.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Books

0 ulasan 11:12 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Sci-fi fantasy novel ‘Seeker’ receives movie treatment

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 09:48 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

Arwen Elys Dayton's novel 'Resurrection' was selected for Amazon's sci-fi imprint 47North. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, April 24, 2014. Arwen Dayton's science-fiction and fantasy novel "Seeker", primed for cinematic conversion, is now in the hands of Callie Kloves, the scriptwriter behind Warner Bros' big "Jungle Book" project.

With the "Seeker" trilogy tipped as the next big thing in young adult fiction, hot on the heels of breakaway successes "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games", readers and cinema goers will find themselves following the adventures of Quin Kincaid, a girl who has spent her life being trained for the role of a deadly assassin.

Heading up the production is Mark Gordon of "Speed", "Saving Private Ryan" and "Source Code", according to The Hollywood Reporter, with Sony Pictures backing the venture.

Book fans will be able to get hold of "Seeker" in 2015; until then, the curious can check out Arwen Elys Dayton's "Resurrection", a story of advanced alien beings seeking refuge on Earth, and one lone female scout's quest to uncover technology buried thousands of years ago – the story was picked by Amazon as one of its 2011 launch titles for sci-fi imprint 47North. – AFP/Relaxnews, April 24, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

0 ulasan 3:47 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

MH370 dan kisah Ashabul Kahfi

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 03:58 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

Meor Yusof Aziddin adalah Malaysian folk singer/songwritter yang telah menghasilkan 10 album indipenden sejak tahun 2000 sehingga 2011. Juga penulis untuk buku tentang kehidupan, "Sembang Tepi Jalan" dan "Syurga Yang Hilang." Memblog di www.pestajiwa.net. Berkerjaya sebagai "professional busker" di KL Sentral di bawah pengurusan KTMB sejak tahun 2010 sehingga ke hari ini.

Kita masih bercerita tentang MH370 yang semakin menjauh daripada kita, semakin sayup dan lama-kelamaan ia mungkin akan hilang ditelan zaman.

Sudah lebih sebulan, atau mungkin sampai kiamat, segala yang hadir hanyalah andaian dan spekulasi belaka.

Tanpa kesan, tapi terkesan. Kejadian ini adalah sebahagian daripada tragedi misteri yang tidak akan terungkap sebagaimana misterinya kisah Segi Tiga Bermuda.

MH370 akan menjadi renungan dan sejarah yang mungkin tidak mampu dijawab oleh sesiapapun, walau dari mana-mana negara sekalipun. Yang mereka kemukakan hanyalah andaian dan spekulasi belaka.

Cerita-cerita logik pun seakan sudah tidak relevan lagi dengan misteri MH370. Apa teori dan logik yang masih tertinggal untuk membuatkan kita kembali menaruh harapan tentang MH370? Yang kita tunggu hanyalah keajaiban, itu saja.

Tolak cerita bomoh, marilah kita singgah ke alam mistik, kepercayaan dan misteri. Seperti pandangan seorang kawan, mungkinkah dalam tempoh 200 atau ratusan tahun lagi MH370 yang lenyap itu akan kembali dengan semua penumpangnya akan pulang dalam keadaan selamat?

Atau seperti kita menonton filem sains fiksyen dari Amerika yang bertaraf box-office "The Abbys", arahan pengarah hebat James Cameroon terbitan tahun 1989 dulu?

Filem ini memang menarik jika kita sukakan "advanture" dengan lakonan pelakon hebat seperti Ed Harris dan Mary Elizabeth. Menariknya filem ini kerana ada dunia dan kehidupan yang tidak pernah kita fikirkan di dalam sana, 8km ke dasar lautan dan mereka jauh lebih hebat dan maju daripada kita.

Apa yang terdapat di dasar laut sana? Kita tidak tahu dan teknologi kita tidak akan sampai ke situ walau kita sedang berusaha ke arah itu. Mungkin berbanding Alien atau makhluk asing, manusia tidaklah sepandai dan sehebat mana dari segi sains dan teknologi.

Manusia kebanyakannya cuma pandai menipu dan membelit untuk memenuhi tuntutan nafsu.

Segi Tiga Bermuda, Atlantis, Piramid, Patung Gergasi Pulau Easter, Crop Circle, Batu Ica, Black Hole mahupun cerita Ashabul Kahfi adalah sebahagian cerita misteri yang masih tiada jawapan sahih tentangnya sehingga ke hari ini.

Mungkinkah kehilangan MH370 kerana diculik sekumpulan makhluk asing (alien) seperti yang selalu kita tonton dari filem-filem keluaran Hollywood? Atau mereka berjaya menghentikan putaran masa (dengan izin Tuhan) sehingga segala-galanya terhenti untuk satu tempoh masa.

Andainya kisah penumpang MH370 yang katanya "berakhir di Lautan Hindi" itu rupanya dilenyapkan oleh suatu kuasa yang tidak terjangkau oleh akal dan pemikiran kita, adakah kita akan percaya jika itulah kehendak Tuhan?

Atau mungkin untuk ratusan tahun lagi mereka pun kembali dalam keadaan seperti hanya sedetik masa berlalu sahaja, seperti mereka dibangunkan daripada mimpi dan tidur yang lena?

Ini kerana mereka tidak terikat dengan ruang dan waktu. Mereka malah terpinga-pinga tidak tahu apa yang telah berlaku.

Kitapun bertanya mengapa surah Kahfi itu terkandung di dalam al-Quran? Maka kitapun diwajibkan percaya akan kisah-kisah tentang keajaiban itu boleh saja berlaku dengan izin Yang Maha Kuasa. Siapa kita untuk menafikan cerita Tuhan?

Kisah Ashabul Kahfi (Penghuni Gua) mengisahkah tujuh orang pemuda bersama seekor anjing melarikan diri bersembunyi ke dalam gua daripada pemerintah yang zalim.

Di dalam gua tersebut mereka ditidurkan selama 300 tahun lamanya dan apabila dibangunkan semula, mereka seolah terpinga-pinga dan tidak sedar tentang apa yang berlaku kepada mereka.

Di dalam surah al-Kahfi, sebagaimana firmanNya yang bermaksud:

"Adakah engkau (Muhammad) menyangka bahawa kisah Ashabul Kahfi dan ar-Raqiim itu sahaja yang menakjubkan antara tanda kekuasaan Kami?

"(Ingatlah peristiwa) ketika sekumpulan pemuda berlindung di gua, lalu mereka berdoa: "Wahai Tuhan kami! Kurniakan kami rahmat daripada sisiMu dan berikanlah kemudahan serta pimpinan kepada kami untuk keselamatan agama kami".

"Lalu Kami menidurkan mereka dengan nyenyaknya dalam gua itu, bertahun yang banyak bilangannya."

"Kemudian Kami bangkitkan mereka (daripada tidur ) untuk Kami menguji siapakah antara dua golongan mereka yang lebih tepat kiraannya mengenai tempoh mereka hidup (di dalam gua itu)." (Al-Kahfi, ayat 9-2).

Kisah mereka ditidurkan juga terdapat di dalam firmanNya,

"Dan engkau sangka mereka sedar, padahal mereka tidur dan Kami balik-balikkan mereka dalam tidurnya ke sebelah kanan dan ke sebelah kiri sedang anjing mereka menghulurkan dua kaki depannya dekat pintu gua, jika engkau melihat mereka, tentulah engkau akan berpaling melarikan diri daripada mereka dan tentulah engkau akan merasa amat gerun dan takut kepada mereka." (Al-Kahfi, ayat ke-18).

Saya percaya setiap yang tertulis seperti apa yang terkandung di dalam kisah Ashabul Kahfi itu untuk kita renungkan. Al-Quran mewajibkan kita percaya setiap ayat yang terkandung di dalamnya kerana itu kata-kata Tuhan, bukan kita.

Dan saya percaya, jika Dia mahu sesuatu itu berlaku, "kun faya kun", maka jadilah! Adakah kita mampu menafikan ceritaNya dengan menilai segala sifat kita yang baharu dan lemah ini? – 24 April, 2014.

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

Khidmat kesihatan, perumahan naik harga selepas GST

Posted: 23 Apr 2014 03:58 PM PDT

April 24, 2014

Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad is a member of the PAS central working committee and ex-MP of Kuala Selangor.

Sesiapa yang menonton Wacana Nasional Ahad lalu (20 April) di TV1 atas tajuk GST – Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan akan teringat tentang beberapa perkara yang saya tekankan.

Di sini saya hendak highlight tentang kenaikan harga/inflasi yang bakal menimpa rakyat di sektor kesihatan dan perumahan yang dinafikan pengarah GST Kastam dan YB Titiwangsa. Maaf. Tapi sebelum itu, mengulangi sedikit.

Tentang hutang dan defisit fiskal yang tidak akan dapat diatasi selagi tabiat berbelanja besar, pembaziran, ketirisan serta bocor dengan rasuah tidak dapat diatasi. Inilah ketirisan bahkan kebocoran pada "tempayan" kerajaan.

Maka banyak mana pun yang bakal dipungut, dikatakan RM20-RM27 bilion peningkatan hasil cukai,ketika stabil nanti, hutang dan defisit tetap tidak akan dapat diatasi sebab "kebocoran tempayan" mesti ditangani dahulu.

Beberapa perkara lain yang saya bangkitkan gagal dijawab secara tuntas oleh pengarah GST Kastam dan juga Ahli Parlimen Titiwangsa. Wakil PPIM tidak bersungguh mempastikan kepentingan rakyat selaku pengguna dipertahankan.

Tulisan ini mahu membangkit satu perkara secara lebih khusus kerana dalam Wacana Nasional satu jam banyak isu tidak dapat digarap secara tuntas dan muktamad. Antara asakan saya adalah untuk membuktikan bahawa GST tidak akan membebankan khasnya golongan berpendapatan sendah-sederhana, secara tidak adil dan ganas atau "regressive".

Pengarah GST Kastam cuba sedaya upaya meyakinkan penonton tetapi fakta dan sokongan hasil penyelidikan pihak Kastam belum atau tidak kukuh untuk mempertahankan dakwaannya. Sebaliknya saya hanya perlu menyandarkan hujah saya kepada pernyataan timbalan pengerusi Kluster Ekonomi dan Kewangan, Majlis Profesor Negara, bahawa perlaksanaan GST nanti akan membebankan golongan berpendapatan rendah-sederhana meskipun ada barang-barang asas yang "dikecualikan atau disifarkan kadar" cukainya.

Begitu juga nama-nama pakar ekonomi seluruh dunia yang sependapat seperti Douglas Holtz dan Cameron Smith bahkan Pemenang Novel Laureatte Ekonomi Milton Friedman tentang persoalan mengatasi hutang dan sifat "regresif" cukai kepenggunaan atau Consumption Tax seperti GST.

Cukai progresif' adalah seperti cukai pendapatan (Income Tax) dan cukai keuntungan modal (Capital Gain Tax- CGT). Contoh CGT ialah RPGT atau Real Property Gain Tax (Hartanah).

Di negara-negara maju (OECD), orang kaya di samping cukai pendapatan, dikenakan "cukai buffet" untuk yang Maha-Kaya atau Super-Kaya. Itu baru adil terutama yang memilikki kekayaan kerana amalan kronisme dan kontrak-kontrak mega-mewah daripada kerajaan.

Juga wujud 'Windfall Tax' atau Cukai Keuntungan Berganda'. Malaysia pernah mengenakan cukai ini kepada sektor kelapa sawit sedikit waktu dahulu.

Keuntungan pemilik konsesi atau monopoli seperti lebuh raya atau telekomunikasi-media seperti Astro juga berbilion RM. Kenapa rakyat berpendapatan rendah-sederhana juga yang mahu dimangsakan?

Untuk hari ini yang mahu dibangkitkan adalah dakwaan kerajaan kononnya cukai yang dibayar oleh peniaga dalam rantaian bekalan contohnya sebagai pemborong, pengilang, peruncit tidak akan dipindah kepada pengguna kerana mereka akan dapat rebat atas "cukai input" mereka bayar kepada pihak Kastam DiRaja.

Dalam Wacana malam itu saya tekankan dan ulangi bahawa disegi teorinya betul tetapi rebat bukan seluruh jumlah "input tax" yang mereka bayar. Ia hanya perbezaan antara "Input Tax - Out Tax" yang dibayar pihak sebelumnya dalam rantaian bekalan.

Katakan kalau mereka dikenakan 6% GST yang berjumlah RM60 dan pihak yang bayar sebelum telah membayar cukai sebanyak RM20, maka mereka tetap akan membayar (RM60-RM20) yakni RM40 dan merekan hanya dapat balik RM20 (rebat) tetapi tetap membayar RM40!

Persoalan RM40 siapa hendak tanggung? Ini yang akan akan dipindah kepada pihak selepasnya dalam "supply-chain" itu dan akhirnya rakyat akan terbeban!

Hari ini ada dua sektor yang mengakui bahawa mereka terpaksa akan pindah kos cukai ini kepada pengguna iaitu sektor kesihatan dan perumahan.

Meskipun perkhidmatan dan rawatan hospital adalah tidak dicukai kerana dalam senarai dikecualikan (Tax-Exempted), namun ubat-ubatan dan alat-alat perubatan semuanya dicukai. KPJ Healthcare Bhd, contohnya meramalkan bil perubatan akan meningkat sebanyak 3-5% setiap tahun.

Begitu juga halnya dalam sektor perumahan dan hartanah. Seorang naib presiden MCA hari ini membangkit hakikat bahawa harga rumah akan meningkat disebabkan pihak pemaju tidak akan sanggup menampung kenaan cukai 6% terhadap pelbagai barangan pembinaan.

Beliau meramalkan kenaikan harga rumah apabila kos 3% barangan tidak mampu mereka tanggung. Ini akan dipindahkan akhirnya kepada pembeli yang akan dibebankan dengan kenaikan harga rumah.

Beliau menuntut supaya rumah mampu-milik yang dijual kepada golongan berpendapatan rendah-sederhana dikategorikan sebagai "sifar kadar" cukainya.

Nah, jelas dalam kedua-dua contoh tadi peniaga pastinya akan memindahkan kos kenaikan mereka akibat bayaran 6% GST kepada pengguna yakni rakyat. Tepat seperti yang saya nyatakan dalam Wacana Nasional Ahad lalu, teori betul, peniaga tak boleh pindah kos cukai kepada pengguna tetapi hakikatnya semua barangan dan perkhidmatan yang dikenakan cukai akan dipindahkan dana dibebabkan kepada rakyat.

Betullah seperti disebut timbalan pengerusi Klaster Ekonomi dan Kewangan MPN bahawa golongan berpendapata rendah akan paling teruk terbeban.

Maka jangan lupa untuk menyatakan bantahan pada 1hb Mei nanti di Dataran Merdeka. Semua rakyat termasuk ahli Umno-BN mesti hadirkan diri. – 24 April, 2014.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

0 ulasan 3:37 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Krisis air Selangor perlu selesai sebelum jejaskan lagi operasi syarikat, kata menteri

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 02:47 AM PDT

April 24, 2014

Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (gambar) berharap krisis air di Selangor dapat diselesaikan dalam masa terdekat sebelum lebih menjejaskan operasi syarikat tempatan dan luar negara di negeri itu.

"Kita harap hujan lebat kebelakangan ini dapat menyelesaikan masalah buat sementara waktu. Namun satu langkah penyelesaian jangka panjang perlu dilaksanakan secepat mungkin," katanya hari ini.

Beliau berkata selaku menteri yang bertanggungjawab dalam pelaburan, beliau mahu memastikan iklim pelaburan di Malaysia sentiasa berkeadaan baik.

"Yang paling penting kita sudah lama cakap bahawa Selangor akan mengalami krisis air. 'Reserve margin' air di Selangor 2% sahaja. Itu dalam keadaan biasa. Dalam keadaan kemarau memang tak cukup air," katanya.

Margin optimum yang disarankan Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN) ialah sekitar 10% hingga 15%.

Mustapa berkata pelaksanaan Projek Loji Rawatan Air Langat 2 sangat penting dan berterima kasih kepada kerajaan Selangor kerana bersetuju melaksanakan projek tersebut meskipun lewat lima tahun.

"Kita berharap tiada halangan lagi selepas ini kerana air ini keperluan asas. Sesetengah syarikat perlukan air yang banyak untuk mengeluarkan barangan. Kita nak jadi negara maju, keperluan asas perlulah dipenuhi," katanya. – Bernama, April 24, 2014.

ICAO sahkan klia2 tepati standard keselamatan

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 02:24 AM PDT

April 24, 2014

Pertubuhan Penerbangan Awam Antarabangsa (ICAO), sebuah agensi khusus United Nations yang menyediakan piawaian, peraturan dan prosedur bagi penerbangan antarabangsa, mengesahkan klia2 memenuhi standard keselamatannya.

Mengumumkan perkara itu hari ini, Pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (gambar) berkata projek ikonik negara itu mematuhi piawaian antarabangsa ICAO.

"Saya ingin mengumumkan hari ini bahawa laporan daripada ICAO mengesahkan klia2 adalah selamat. Laporan itu dibentangkan di Kabinet semalam," katanya hari ini.

Beliau berkata lapangan terbang itu masih menjalankan kesediaan operasi dan pemindahan sehingga akhir April walaupun sijil perakuan siap dan pematuhan dikeluarkan pada 18 April.

Hishammuddin membayangkan klia2 mungkin dibuka secara rasmi sebulan selepas pra pembukaan pada 2 Mei.

"Saya menyatakan bahawa kami akan melakukannya (pelancaran rasmi) dalam tempoh sebulan kemungkinan pada 2 Jun dan itu adalah perkara biasa (tempoh masa) tetapi apa yang lebih penting ialah saya mahu semuanya beroperasi dari hari pertama," katanya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pengarah DCA Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman mengumumkan klia2 menetapkan prosedur berlepas dan mendarat pesawat yang baru.

"Semua syarikat penerbangan perlu mematuhi prosedur baru ini yang kami tetapkan dan syarikat penerbangan telah mengambil maklum mengenainya sebulan yang lalu," katanya, sambil menambah pesawat pertama dijangka mendarat pada 12.01 pagi, 2 Mei.

Azharuddin berkata klia2 mencapai satu pencapaian baru dengan pengenalan landasan ketiga.

"Kita adalah yang pertama di Asean memiliki sistem tiga landasan," katanya.

Terdahulu, para jemputan dan media dipertontonkan dengan pendaratan dua buah pesawat MH402 dan MH604 secara serentak di landasan dua dan tiga di klia2.

"Ini akan kita jadikan sebagai prosedur normal dan membolehkan kita menambah lagi jumlah pesawat yang akan mendarat dan berlepas dari klia2," katanya.

Ini adalah peristiwa bersejarah dan pencapaian bagi industri penerbangan kita, katanya.

Pengarah Urusan MAHB Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad berkata pada hari pertama operasi klia2, akan terdapat 56 pergerakan (ketibaan dan berlepas).

"Manakala dari 9 Mei dan seterusnya, apabila Airasia memulakan operasinya di klia2, kita boleh mempunyai kira-kira 400 pergerakan sehari," katanya. – Bernama, April 24, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Khamis, 24 April 2014