Webwatch: Recession, recession
October 24, 2008
Stocks dive on belief global recession is at hand
NEW YORK – Wall Street joined world stock markets in a precipitous plunge Friday, with the Dow Jones industrials dropping more than 400 points in the opening minutes of trading. The growing belief that the world will suffer a punishing economic recession has investors furiously dumping stocks.
Webwatch: Altantuya-Najib allegations resurface
October 12, 2008
Altantuya Shariibuu, the controversially murdered Mongolian national, and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak are back again in the spotlight
Report: Stick to Islamic principles to avoid instances like the melamine scare, says Siti Mariah
October 10, 2008
Dr Siti Mariah at her service centre cum home in Kota Raja, Oct 10
KLANG: Consumers were told to stick to Islamic principle in buying food products in light of the melamine scare that continue unabated in the country. Several products have so far been ordered off the shelves.
Islamic Party of Malaysia(PAS) consumer and environment bureau chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said it helps if the consumer knows of the producer of any food product and how it was produced.
“I avoid all these ready made products,” Siti Mariah told Harakah in an exclusive interview about her leisure activities at her service centre-cum home at her constituency of Kota Raja, Oct 10.
Siti Mariah was asked to comment on the melamine scare that continues to grip the country.
On Oct 9, the Health Ministry has ordered Taro brand biscuit produced by Bairong to be withdrawn from the market with immediate effect after tests showed it contained melamine above the permissible level.
The ministry’s food quality and safety division director, Noraini Mohd Othman, said in a statement the product contained above the 75ppm (parts per million) level of melamine that is permitted.
The statement however added that 12 products analysed by the division were found to meet the ministry’s standard for melamine content.
They are Fruit Jelly Stick (Motion), Genuine Pearl Jelly (Tian Tian), Lobster Peanut Crisp (Cap Layang), 888 (Egg & Milk Filling) (Vigor 888), Rice Crackers (Wang Wang), Biscuit Sticks (Four Seas). Mini Poppers Chocolate Flavoured (Walls), White Coffee 3in1 (Dali Coffee Beverage), Apple Sandwich Biscuits (Bairong), Colourfull Party (Cherry & Apple Biscuits) (Bairong), Almond Cakes (Fu Die Lai) and Curtes Chocolate (Giff).
More seats for women in PAS
Siti Mariah also said parents play an important role in shaping the buying trend of their children and how to eat healthy food.
“We must based our decision to buy a product on something and not just because they are on sales,” she said.
“To me the element of healthy eating, and what its permissible (under the Islamic Law) should be practiced,” she said adding that “home cooked food” is “the best”.
During the candid one hour interview, Siti Mariah shared her hectic schedule compared to before being elected as the Kota Raja parliamentary member. She said her time was now fully occupied to the extent that she kept “dead trees” at her other house.
She also hopes that more seats would be allocated for PAS women in the next general election.
She also revealed her latest “assignment” of reading a book titled “The Malaysian Indians” in order to get close to her constituents. Siti Mariah was one of PAS leaders who won with the help of minority voters in the last general election.
She also speaks highly of her assistant Krishna Vani Perumal, 35 who had been with her for the past five months. She said the PAS supporters club in her constituency is also actively planning to organize several programmes.
The Kota Raja parliamentary seat has some 47.8 percent Malays, 23.2 percent Chinese and some 28.3 percent Indians.
/end.
Statement: Abdullah pledged reform initiatives
October 9, 2008
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 Pejabat Perdana Menteri |
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1. I have been in public service for over 45 years. I have served this country as a civil servant, and as an elected representative of the people. I have served as a member of government and feel blessed to serve in the highest office in the land. I have seen this country grow from a small, poor nation into the modern, prosperous Malaysia that we live in today.
2. Despite our successful track record, for the past few years I have firmly believed that our nation is standing at an historic crossroads. We must reform some elements of our nation, we must evolve and mature, or we risk losing all that we have gained in over 50 years. Throughout this time of reform and transformation, we Malaysians need to be united now more than ever before.
3. In all my years of service, I have always been guided by my conscience. I have always placed the interests of the nation above all else. It is with this in mind that I announce I will not stand for the Presidency of UMNO. I do not want a divided party and governing coalition, but one that is united and harmonious. A united Barisan Nasional is vital in order for the country to face the global challenges ahead and for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation, with prosperity and fairness for all.
4. My current term as President of UMNO ends in March next year. There are several initiatives I intend to see through before I leave office. These initiatives are important because they are necessary to move our country forward. These initiatives are needed to regain our country’s competitiveness. They are necessary to enable our nation and our society to face the challenges that the world has in store for us. I ask all Malaysians to unite and join me in working towards making Malaysia a better place.
5. First, our institutions need to be reformed and strengthened.
· The judiciary needs to enhance its stature and credibility in the eyes of the public. Before I end my term, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish a Judicial Appointments Commission. Such a Commission will propose judicial appointments in a transparent and merit-based manner. · We also need a strong and effective anti-corruption body that can combat the cancer of corruption without fear or favour. Before the end of the year, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with greater powers of investigation and enforcement. The Commission’s oversight structure has been modelled after the successful ICAC in Hong Kong. · I also intend to complete the establishment of a Special Complaints Commission to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement agencies.
6. Second, I have long spoken about the need to ensure that the fruits of growth are more equitably distributed. In the recent Budget, I explained the government’s commitment to strengthening and enlarging the Social Safety Net. We will speed up work on this front to help poor and disadvantaged Malaysians, regardless of background, race or religion. I will also work to ensure that tangible results can begin to be enjoyed in Iskandar, as well as the development corridor initiatives around the country.
7. Third, I would like to see the Government and BN renew their commitment towards building a united and harmonious nation. Society has seen an alarming decline in inter-racial and inter-religious relations. Various issues have cropped up which threaten to tear the very fabric of Malaysian life. We need to tackle these issues head-on, through dialogue; deal with the issues constructively and even-handedly; ensure greater clarity and certainty for the people; and focus on the points that unite us, rather than the points that divide us. For this reason, I will convene a BN Convention early next year. This is a long-term effort that I hope to kick-start and continue to contribute towards.
I fully intend to see through my mission, and I am sure that my successor will carry on this agenda. I want to hand over to my successor a Malaysia that is capable of weathering the challenges of a dangerous global economy, a Malaysia not of rich and poor, of young and old or of the city or the kampong, not of south and north, and not of one religion or another but of unity and harmony. This is not the time for infighting and narrow politics but for greatness, unity and cooperation. |
