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Rethink simple majority idea – UPKO BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Rethink simple majority idea – UPKO

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 10:31 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: The Barisan Nasional (BN) consensus system is the basis of the coalition's strength and success, and it is also an important basis in ensuring the structure and feeling of togetherness in BN, said United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization (UPKO).

Its secretary general Datuk Donald Mojuntin pointed out that with the consensus system, each and every BN component party, in spite of its size, has its part to play in the process of decision-making.

"If this system is changed with a majority system, it could give rise to inferiority complex especially among the smaller parties in BN and will result in the components being divided when important decisions have to be made," he said when asked to comment on the proposal by BN secretary general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to adopt a simple majority compared to a consensus agreement in making decisions in BN.

He said that the proposal would be submitted at the BN Supreme Council meeting next year and added that the BN Constitution should be amended so that all decisions can be made using a majority vote against the consensus system now.

"If a coalition party does not agree to a proposal, then it will not be pursued. I, as the BN secretary general, suggest that BN review and amend the BN Constitution by using a simple majority. I have informed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who is also BN chairman of this matter," Tengku Adnan said in Putrajaya on Sunday.

Mojuntin believed that the proposal must be scrutinized and discussed further by all the BN component parties before any decision is made.

He pointed out that even the mere suggestion had raised the feeling of dissatisfaction among the BN component parties, especially those from Sabah and Sarawak.

"The question is why change something that works? Why change something that is clearly the basis of BN's strength and success as well as something that has given meaning to the concept of BN?

"However, at the moment this proposal will need to go through the existing consensus system to be approved so this might be a case of 'much ado about nothing'. We would like to think that there is no dominance within BN, only pertinent and fundamental things like collective decision and of course consensus.

"UPKO would like to believe that the BN concept reflects the 1Malaysia concept in the true meaning of the word," he stressed.

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‘PBRS better off without Jelani’

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 10:31 AM PST

by Johan Aziz. Posted on December 17, 2013, Tuesday

KENINGAU: Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) deputy youth information chief Melitus Anastasius said former PKR assemblyman Jelani Hamdan had no right to tell PBRS what to do with regard to its objectives and visions.

"PBRS has never enticed him as judging from his requests. PBRS is better off without him (Jelani)," he said in a statement here yesterday.

Melitus said as far as PBRS was concerned, its door was wide open for people who subscribed to its constitution,and without any conditions attached.

According to him, PBRS is a multiracial party guided by the Barisan Nasional (BN) power-sharing concept.

If any changes in the party were made, it had to go through the normal procedure as stipulated in its constitution within the concept of collective decision, he said.

"Thus, we are not subjected to directives from any one person or individual as a condition to suit his personal interest," he said in response Jelani's statements published in a local paper yesterday.

Melitus said the needs and aspirations of the people of Sabah were always in PBRS' heart.

The basis of PBRS' struggles, among others are religious freedom in Sabah, land matters should remain under the jurisdiction of the state government, and native customary rights and traditions must be respected and protected by the government.

In return, the people of Sabah, particularly its party members, pledge their undivided support and loyalty to the BN government and the nation, he said.

"Therefore, no matter what other people perceive of PBRS, its sincerity, loyalty and consistency in its struggle, is always being transformed from time to time in accordance with the transformation programmes initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

"Jelani has his own freewill to choose any pro-BN party, but it is too overboard to urge PBRS to make changes to the party just to suit his personal interest," he said.

In his statement published in a local paper yesterday, Jelani said he would join PBRS if the latter was willing to make significant changes to the party to suit current political needs.

He said the changes must especially conform to the needs of the Kadazan, Dusun and Murut communities.

He was commenting on speculation that he and Kedamaian assemblyman Jeremy Malajad would be joining PBRS.

"But it won't happen unless there is a major reshuffle within PBRS to suit the current political needs," he said.

According to him, PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup had been trying hard to entice him and Jeremy to join PBRS.

Nevertheless, Jelani said the news article about him joining PBRS was fabricated.

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Free Era fm concert for fans

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 10:30 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: ERA fm listeners will be thrilled to know that a free admission concert will be held in appreciation of their support to the radio station all this while.

According to Uno (Syazleey Zalsyam Zakaria), Astro Radio Operation Manager, Sabah the 'Konsert ERA Sayang Sabah with Biozip' will be held at 1Borneo Gourmet Lane on January 18 and it will showcase local as well as international artistes.

Among the performers that night are Sabahans Candy as well as recent Akademi Fantasia 2013 champion Faizul, Uno told a press conference here yesterday.

"On behalf of ERA Sabah, we are proud to once again organize the concert Konsert ERA Sayang Sabah scheduled for January 18, 2014. Our listeners can look forward to a different feel as we will bring Sabahans and enlighten the stage with diverse genres of music performed by well-known artistes in the country and abroad.

"Headlining the concert is a popular Indonesian singer Judika who will be performing his popular hits that are often aired on ERA fm such as 'Aku Yang Tersakiti, Setengah Mati Merindu and Bukan Dia Tapi Aku," he added.

Besides the popular singer Judika, concert goers will be entertained by W.A.R.I.S, Altimet, DJ Fuzz, Mark Adam and Awi Rafae, he said, adding that "Konsert ERA Sayang Sabah" is organized in conjunction with our third year anniversary and we also want to express our gratitude to all ERA fm's listeners, our partners, advertisers and media in Sabah through this concert for their relentless support, Uno said.

To make it even more special for the loyal listeners, 200 passes to the 'Rock Zone' await lucky winners to watch the concert at a close range.

"Tune-in to ERA FM Sabah daily and find out how to win Rock Zone passes to the upcoming "Konsert Era Sayang Sabah with Biozip". Apart from on air contest, ERA fm Sabah listeners can also win the rock zone passes and special meet and greet session via the station's Facebook fan page and Instagram," Uno said.

He added that they were expecting a crowd of about 10,000 at the concert this time as in the last event, they entertained about 7,000 of ERA fm's listeners.

Uno also disclosed that there are future plans to expand the annual concert into a music carnival and there is a possibility that it will be organised in other districts.

Visit fbsabah.era.fm and follow the station on Instagram at erafmsabah to find out more.

The "Konsert ERA Sayang Sabah" is presented by Biozip and supported by 1Borneo Hypermall, Astro hitz, Astro Ria, CARINO Sporting Goods, Borneo Creative Academy and Rafflesia Chicken Hut.

For more information, tune in to 102.4 FM in Kota Kinabalu, 103.0FM in Sandakan and visit www.era.fm.

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Signature drive against proposed Kaiduan Dam

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 10:30 AM PST

PENAMPANG: The coordinator cum organizing head of Projek BANTAH, Kenny Chua Teck Ho has called upon the people of Penampang to come and support the signature drive against the construction of the Kaiduan Dam.

They can do so by signing the the petition forms at the Coalition Against Kaiduan Dam (CAKD) booth which is located in the side door of Megalong Shopping Complex, Donggongon fronting Public Bank Berhad.

"The booth will be at that place the whole week except on Thursday as it will be shifted to the Donggongon Tamu ground," Chua explained.

As for the progress of the signature drive, Chua also confirmed that CAKD had stated its round of collecting the signatures at Moyog earlier this month which is expected to be completed by mid January.

"The general response from the public on the signature drive is very encouraging. Apparently, while most people from the district would not want to express their disagreement about the proposed dam openly, majority of them support the signature drive," Chua said.

He also brushed off the allegations that the signature drive was politically motivated or as a sign of rebelling against the Government.

"For those who may not know the story of how Projek BANTAH came about, Deputy Chief Minister cum the Infrastructure Minister, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had earlier on requested the stakeholders to register their grievances relating to the proposed dam project.

After consulting with several human right activists and NGOs, the assemblyman for Moyog, Terrence Siambun had decided to set up the Coalition Against Kaiduan Dam (CAKD) and accepted the challenge by the Deputy Chief Minister by launching Projek BANTAH, Chua explained.

So, how could there be any political motivation or even sign of rebelling against the Government in this case when Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan himself had in the first place, requested the people to state their disagreement on this proposed project, he added.

Chua is also appalled with the reaction of some people from the district who are not interested at all to sign the petition.

"Some of them said that the dam has nothing to do with them. Maybe they think so because they are from other district but residing in Penampang. Some of them even think that signing the petition is a total waste of time and would not change anything.

"As far as I am concerned, those who think or say so have no sense of love at all towards Penampang," he concluded.

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RM294 mln help for Sabah, Sarawak smallholders

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 10:28 AM PST

by Mariah Doksil. Posted on December 17, 2013, Tuesday

KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) has allocated RM294 million for smallholders in Sabah and Sarawak for 2014 to replant and plant new oil palms involving 35,000 hectares of land under the government's National Key Economic Area (NKEA).

Its minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said 5,000 hectares would be in Sabah while another 30,000 hectares would be in Sarawak.

"The government will continue its effort to encourage more smallholders to replant and plant new oil palms. Under this programme, MPIC will provide assistance of RM9, 000 per hectare to cover costs, seedlings, clearing, and also for fertilizers.

"We are also looking at the other challenges in the oil palm industry, such as issues in fertilizers, mills and also the dependence on foreign workers," he said to reporters after launching the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Complex at Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), yesterday.

With the setting up of the complex, Embas said the ministry was hoping it would help the industry move towards good agriculture practice.

Realizing the importance of competitive human capital in order to carry the national transformation programme, Embas said the ministry had also set up Institute of Malaysian Plantation and Commodities (IMPAC) in 2010.

The institute is responsible for implementing courses under the ministry.

During the event, a total of 230 IMPAC graduates from Sabah received their diplomas and certificates after successfully graduating from various programmes under IMPAC.

"MPOB has built Pusat Latihan Industri Sawit (PLASMA) Lahad Datu at a cost of RM5 million, and a hostel costing RM9 million. Another PLASMA has been set up in Keratong Pahang, with a total cost of RM35,030,351.

"Since 2000, MPOB has trained 15,000, while about 105 companies have benefited from the programmes organized by MPOB," he added.

Earlier in his speech, Embas said the industry had contributed RM73.3 billion to Malaysia's export earnings from the 5.08 million hectares of oil palm plantations.

Sabah, he said, had the largest plantation in Malaysia with 1.46 million hectares, where 12.8 per cent of the total plantations were being cultivated by smallholders.

The newly launched MPOB Complex, costing RM4.6 million, would be an information centre for industry players seeking more information or the latest developments in the industry, he said/

Also present at the event yesterday were MPOB chairman Datuk Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad, Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid, Deputy Minister of MPIC Datuk Noriah Kasnon, Assistant Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Bolkiah Ismail and director general of MPOB Datuk Choo Yuen May.

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China tourist dies after snorkeling incident

Posted: 16 Dec 2013 10:26 AM PST

Posted on December 17, 2013, Tuesday

KOTA KINABALU: A 28-year-old woman tourist from China died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 17 hours after encountering difficulties while snorkeling at Manukan Island.

Wang Chao, who just turned 28 on Sunday, and her 32-year-old husband went to Manukan Island on Sunday.

The victim was rushed to the hospital for treatment but passed away at 7.49am yesterday.

Deputy city police chief Superintendent M Chandra confirmed the news yesterday, adding that the police had classified the incident as a drowning case.

Chandra added that the police had launched an investigation into this incident.

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