Give priority to Sarawakians

• Each year more and more school leavers @ graduates leaves educational institutions, venturing into the world of employment. The number are so huge and diverse that, it requires a careful statistical survey to know the exact number.

• Hence, there are not enough jobs for them, most become unemployed.

• These numbers consist of mainly form 5 and form 6 school leavers who are not able to further their studies.

• In order to cope with this problems, the government need to take these measures, amongst others: a) increase intake into technical institutions with scholarship/financial aids provided, with an option to repay back. b) creating more jobs that suits their qualifications.

• Employment is the key to acquisition of wealth. More jobs means greater wealth for the people.

• The reason why Sarawak people (Sarawakians) are poor because most well paid jobs were taken up by West Malaysian workforce, hence more money taken out from Sarawak.

• The only way to help the people and make Sarawak a wealthy state is by giving priority to the Sarawakians in terms of jobs distributions and stop the West Malaysian workforce from coming into the state.

• The policy of UMNO with regards to Sarawak is nothing better than to oppress and marginalise Sarawakians.

• Workforce from all over Semenanjung were being "released" into all corners of Sarawak just like hungry stray dogs.

• What has the state government done to protect the employment rights of Sarawakians? Nothing. Yet, Sarawakians keep on voting for BN.

• Sarawak BN government has become the tool of UMNO central government to oppress Sarawakians and sucked the wealth from its natural resources for their benefits.

• In return, the Sarawak BN government are given the freedom to rule this country and suck the blood of Sarawakians as they pleased.

• To Sarawak BN government, if you want to stay in power, please change your policy or it's your turn to face the political tsunamy during the next GE.

• Give priority to Sarawakians, your legitimate voters.

Electricity tariff reduced by up to 5% (updated)

The following news is extracted from "The Star Online" dated 11 February, 2009.


PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians will get to enjoy slightly cheaper electricity beginning next month.

Some 5.2 million domestic users and households will get a 2.54% reduction in electricity tariffs while commercial and industrial users will have their rates cut by 2.7% to 5%.

On average, the price of electricity will come down to 31.31 sen per kWH (kilowatt hour) as compared with 32.5 sen per kWh (kilowatt hour) previously.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor said the electricity rates would be reviewed again on July 1 and subsequently every six months to ensure that they reflect the global price of gas and coal.


“We hope that this reduction will benefit all users, particularly those in the industrial sector, and help lower their cost of operation during this economic crisis.

“For the domestic users, the Government would have liked to reduce their electricity rates by a bigger margin. However, when we last reviewed the electricity tariffs last July, we only allowed a slight increase in the rates despite the soaring prices of oil and gas at that time,” he said.

Last year, the tariffs were raised by 12% for consumers and 26% for industrial and commercial consumers. The last increase before this was in 2006, when rates were upped by about 14%.

“The reduction today will better reflect market prices. Our energy generation is also by coal, which has not shown any significant reduction in price,” Shaziman said, adding that in fact the price of coal was now at RM307.70 (US$85) per tonne, up from RM271.50 (US$75) per tonne last July.

“Although coal only comprises 28% of electricity generation in the country, the cost of purchase makes up 20% of the entire fuel costs,” he said.

Last week, he had announced that Malaysians might get their electricity rates reduced by between 5% to 10%.

Shaziman said another reason for the lower than expected reduction was that the Government had decided to divert 100 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day) supply of gas meant for the electricity sector to the industries starting this year.

“This is meant to spur the economy as well as enhance investors’ confidence in Malaysia.

“It is now up to the Economic Planning Unit and the International Trade and Industry Ministry to decide which industries will benefit from this extra supply of gas,” he said.

Shaziman said the ministry had also received the green light from the Government for the Energy Commission to look into the terms for the renegotiation of existing agreements between Tenaga Nasional Bhd and the independent power producers.

“We want to look into the terms carefully so that we don’t have to backtrack in our renegotiations when something new arises,” he said.

Shaziman said Malaysia was also in discussion with a power company in Indonesia to sell electricity to Sumatra due to the high demand there as well as to reduce the high reserve margin of electricity here.

“We are thinking of building an electricity grid to export power to Sumatra . We already had a couple of meetings with the company PLN,” he said.

Dear Fellow Sarawakians,

Don’t be overjoyed by the above news!!! Eventhough the news did mentioned that the electricity tariff will be reduced for Malaysians. DON’T BE MISLED!!! The reductions are applicable to “SEMENANJUNG ONLY” NOT FOR SARAWAK!!!

SCORE

SCORE (Sarawak Corridor Of Renewable Energy) telah dilancarkan di Bintulu pada tahun 2008 sebelum pilihanraya umum ke 12 oleh Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.   Difahamkan SCORE mempunyai visi dan misi untuk mewujudkan 1.6 juta peluang pekerjaan kepada rakyat negeri Sarawak menjelang tahun 2030 dan seterusnya dapat menaikkan taraf kehidupan rakyat di kawasan yang terbabit.

Namun, sehingga hari ini, sudah hampir setahun berlalu semenjak pelancaran SCORE, belum nampak tanda tanda program tersebut akan dilaksanakan.   Apakah kita perlu menunggu selama 5 tahun lagi untuk menikmati hasil daripada program tersebut, iaitu apabila menjelang pilihanraya yang seterusnya, PRU ke 13 nanti?

Nampaknya, kerajaan ingin menjadinya sebagai platform bagi mengabui mata rakyat serta menarik undi rakyat.   Mungkin kerajaan BN sudah tidak ada isu lagi.   Kita sebagai rakyat biasa yang langsung tidak ada pengetahuan tentang hal ini tentu akan percaya 100% kepada manifesto tersebut.   Kenapa mengambil masa yang begitu lama untuk memulakan perlaksanaan program tersebut, sedangkan kerajaan BN hanya ada masa selama 22 tahun untuk mencapai matlamat 2030?

Apabila sampai waktu untuk memilih kerajaan yang baru nanti, sudah tentu kita akan menconteng lambang dacing lagi kerana takut program tersebut tidak dapat diteruskan dan tidak diberi peruntukan untuk menjalankan pembangunan.   Seperti lazimnya, selepas habis pilihanraya, kita akan kembali sebok mencari nafkah dan sudah pasti akan lupa akan manisfesto tersebut, sehinggalah tiba masa pilihanraya yang seterusnya.   Begitulah dari dulu sehingga sekarang tidak ada perubahan pada amalan kerajaan BN.

To the Police, conduct a thorough investigations..

The following news was extracted from The Borneo Post Online on January 29, 2009 issue.


Son tells how dad was shot dead
By Gaing Kunding

DALAT: A son of a bomoh (shaman) who was shot dead here last Sunday evening described how his father fell down to a single bullet in front of the family.

“My father looked momentarily stunned when the intruder fired at him, then fell lifelessly down in a heap right in front of my mother and their grandchildren,” Limai Sakim, 60, said when met at his house at Kampung Sungai Ud, Dalat here yesterday.

Limai is the son of Sakim Edin, 79, the village’s medicine man who was shot at point black by an intruder around 12 midnight, Sunday.

Recalling the incident, Limai described how his father was awoken by a window that was apparently forced open.

He got up to check, he added.

“My father must have seen the intruder pointing a gun at him. He did look like he wanted to run for his life but as soon as his made a turn to escape, the shot rang out.

“For a split second, my father stood rooted to ground, expressionless, and then fell in a heap, lifeless.

Limai said the bullet got his father on the back of his neck and it instantly killed him.

The gunshot woke everybody up, he said, adding that they rushed to the old man who did not get to say a single parting word.

Limai said he and other members of the family could not recall any incident that could have led to the fatal shooting, adding his late father had not acted in any way strange as even a day before his death, he was performing traditional medication on one person who had come to him for help.

He said a pair of slippers and a spanner were recovered just outside the same window.

“We have handed over the slippers and spanner to the police to facilitate their investigation,” he said.

Limai, who is the village headman, also said a cupboard at their living room was also at the end of a bullet.

He described his father’s death as the most brutal murder in the history of Dalat, in fact in the whole of Mukah Division.

“Killing is not the best way of settling any problem or difference. It will in fact lead to many more problems in future.

“My family is open to discussion with others who may have different opinions. I think the killer is insane,” said Limai.

Meanwhile Sakim’s body has been sent to Sibu Hospital for a post- mortem.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the Dalat police, in confirming the case, said as at press time yesterday no arrest was made.

“We are still investigating the case thoroughly and have yet to identify the suspect as well as the motive of the killing,” said the spokesperson.

Throughout the interview, Limai was accompanied by his younger siblings Merting and Jelita.

I would like to call upon the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the above case, the culprit(s) must not be let free. The criminal(s) must be inhuman for slaughtering an old man of that age. We condemn such act as devilish.

Kita perlukan perubahan - Dalat/Oya/Mukah/Balingian

Adakah anda berpuas hati dengan keadaan dan pembangunan di kawasan anda? Apakah yang ada di bandar anda? Adakah cukup peluang pekerjaan seperti di bandar bandar lain? Dengan kata lain, apakah yang telah dilakukan oleh wakil rakyat di kawasan anda untuk menaikkan taraf kehidupan rakyat di kawasan anda? Saya rasa tidak banyak yang telah disumbangkan atau dilakukan oleh wakil rakyat anda. Sudah 2 kali pilihanraya, wakil rakyat anda menang tanpa bertanding. Mungkin disebabkan hal tersebut, wakil rakyat tersebut tidak ambil peduli untuk menjalankan tugas beliau dengan baik. Nampaknya, beliau sedang tidur nyenyak dibuai mimpi.

Kawasan Dalat/Oya/Mukah/Balingian adalah kawasan "comfort zone" bagi BN. Jika seekor anjing diletakkan di kawasan tersebut atas tiket BN untuk bertanding dalam mana mana pilihanraya pun boleh menang dengan majority besar.

Nampaknya, pemikiran rakyat di kawasan ini masih cetek dan konservatif. Mereka takut menempuhi perubahan, perubahan dari segi pemimpin. Mereka terlalu selesa dengan kehidupan yang dipinggirkan. Sikap rakyat yang tidak ambil peduli menambahkan kemalasan wakit rakyat.

Minda rakyat kelas bawahan yang telah ditekan oleh kerajaan BN selama bertahun tahun yang lepas akan mengambil masa yang lama untuk berubah atau dipulihkan. Bagi mereka, lambang dacing adalah segalanya, tetapi mereka tidak sedar bahawa mereka telah dipinggirkan dari segi pembangunan dan peluang kehidupan yang lebih bermutu tinggi.

Saya berasa kasihan dan kecewa melihat anak anak muda generasi baru pun turut terikut ikut dengan minda kelas bawahan ini walaupun mereka lebih terpelajar. Saya berharap anak anak muda ini dapat bangkit mewakili generasi baru untuk menghentikan penindasan tersebut dan keluar dari perangkap penipuan korporat kerajaan BN.

Kita memerlukan beberapa intelek intelek muda untuk merintis jalan ke arah pembebasan tersebut. Tetapi di manakah mereka? Berapa ramai kah intelek intelek muda tersebut yang sanggup mengorbankan kerjaya mereka demi membela nasib anak bangsa sendiri?

Terdapat juga beberapa percubaan anak anak muda setempat dalam pilihanraya yang lepas untuk memecah monopoli kerajaan BN, tetapi semuanya gagal. Sudah pastilah kegagalan ini berpunca dari kekuatan BN yang senantiasa memanipulasikan minda rakyat kelas bawahan dengan janji janji kosong mereka. Tetapi sekarang tengoklah, siapa yang rugi. Sudah tentu rakyat sendiri. Rakyat tidak mendapat balasan yang setimpal dengan kesetiaan yang ditunjukkan oleh mereka selama ini.

Jadi sebagai rakyat yang menderita dan tertindas, kita perlukan perubahan. Kita benar benar memerlukan perubahan dari segi kepimpinan supaya kita dapat menikmati pembangunan yang sewajarnya kita nikmati. Bagaimana caranya kita boleh mencapai impian tersebut? Cara nya mudah sahaja, kita cuma perlu membuat pilihan yang tepat pada pilihanraya akan datang dan membuat perubahan drastik.

School children paying unnecessary fees

I would like to highlight the plight of one of my neighbours. This is regarding his inability to pay the expenses of his 5 school going children. He is just a mechanic earning a monthly income of just slightly over one thousand. It is indeed a big headache for him. Needless for me to say more, if you have children going to school, you should know how does it feel. He did mentioned to me how hard it is for him, having to spend at least RM300-RM400 for 1 school going child. Just imagine multiply this amount by 5!!!

Nowadays, a student is obliged to pay an average fee of RM100++. This amount is inclusive of all the fees and cost of stuff such as T-shirt, track suit, excercise books and others. It would be amateur for me to list all the items one by one.

Talking about the fees, I found that most of them are not relevant and unnecessary. What has happened to the fund allocated by the ministry to each schools? Where does this fund goes to? Why should they impose extra fees, when there are allocations especially for each schools?

Stuff such as excercise books, track suit, t-shirt just to name a few, are mandatory to be bought from the school and the prices are much higher than those sold in the shops. In the olden days, during our school days, these stuff were for us to opt to buy direct from the shops at a lower prices. Why is it that mandatory to get it from the school? I suspect that, the departments concerned must have some interest on the dealings with the supplier for the supply of these stuff, if not why should they make it mandatory for the student to get from the school.

Even school magazines are sold at an exorbitantly high prices. If you turn the pages of school magazines, you would surely found out that there are lots of advertisements. And these advertisements are not FREE!!! Full page advertisements could cost the advertisers thousands of dollars. Don't tell me that the income from these advertisements are not enough to cover the cost of printing of these school magazines.

Looks like the schools nowadays are more concerned about making profits than educating our future generations. There are no more values in our present education system, it is not surprising nowadays even form five student doesn't know how to spell their own names. And no wonder there are less Sarawakian kids going to universities compared to semenanjung. In olden days, even primary six pupils are qualified to be teachers, and back then, there were less corruptions.

Changes In Malaysia

Nowadays, in Malaysia, especially among bloggers, everybody is talking about changes. They talk about political changes, leadership changes and eventually, governmental changes. Thus far there has been more talks and criticisms than actual actions, with the exceptions of Anwar Ibrahim. No doubt, other than DSAI, they are not in the position to or having the accessibility to effect that changes. DSAI have tried, but pitifully have failed.

Except for DSAI, in order to achieve these changes, what have they done? What are the contigency plans that they have worked out in order to bring about these changes? Changes cannot be effected by mere talks and criticizing. Changes needs all the proper planning, organisation and immediate implementation, in short summarized as"ACTIONS".

Yes, we look forward to see these changes and eagerly waiting to celebrate their success. Question is. will that dream becomes reality for us and a nightmare for those currently in power? How soon will that happen? Who will spearhead these changes? Do we still trust DSAI to lead us towards these changes? If so, how committed is he? Does DSAI have any other hidden agendas? What actually are his motives? Revenge? Personal glory? Self political gains?

However, interesting to note that, leadership changes does not necessarily means changes in the ruling coalition. Leadership changes does not mean PR taking over Malaysian parliament from BN. Leadership changes may means that the old and season leaders giving way to the much younger talents and caliber to lead.