Malaysia Airlines (MAS) recorded a stunning net loss of RM2.52 billion for 2011 and the company is now in "crisis", the national flag carrier said today.
The carrier also confirmed that the losses for the 2011 financial year were the largest in its history. The airline reported a massive net loss of RM1.28 billion in the fourth quarter, which was about as much as the first three quarters combined. "The company is in crisis," CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya openly admitted in his statement today.
For so many years, MAS has indeed suffered losses continuously and last year, its performance was the worst in history. It clearly shows that the nation's carrier has been badly managed, overstaffed and its management as well as workforce has no productivity at all. Why? It is because the entire organization itself is full of politics, cronyism and opportunists.
In fact the entire board of directors of MAS should resigned en bloc to pave way for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the BN government's investment arm and largest shareholder in MAS should also sell of their part to private entities in order to allow professionals to run the company competently. Let those who knows how to run a business professionally to run MAS instead of giving it to politicians or conservative civil servants.
It has been proven, the MAS board has been given so many opportunities to buck up, but they are now making it the worst in history.
We would like to tell Umno and BN, forget about the bumiputra entity, the bumiputra equity, the more you talk about maintaining this status in the name of the supremacy of one race, the more you will disgrace that particular race that you claimed to uphold all these years.
WOW! Such an AMAZING TURNOUT during former Selangor Religious Exco "HASSAN ALI's" talks given in Kampung Melayu, in Subang last night! :-)
And majority "UMNO IDIOT'S" after HASSAN ALI was FIRED from PAS as well as Religious Exco for the State of Selangor often say that "HASSAN ALI's" is fighting for justice... ( when his TOURS have been SPONSORED by "Barisan Nasional" ).
Now he's ended up like just another EZAM NOR & DZULKIFLI NORDIN...
Waaaah! HEBAT "SUNGGUH" sambutan bagi CERAMAH "HASSAN ALI" di Kampung Melayu Subang semalam! :-)
Apa kata si LEMBU "Barisan Nasional" sekor "Syairi Isrofil/Dairi Syairi"...: "DHA perjuangan SUCI???! " heheheh
A victim of the disruption at Sunday's anti-Lynas rally in Penang, Abbey Ong, says she and her boyfriend were attacked by a hostile group before Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng arrived at the scene.
The rally was held at the Speakers Square in Esplanade and attended by more than 500 people, in solidarity with the Himpunan Hijau 2.0 gathering in Kuantan opposing the Australian-owned Lynas Advanced Materials Plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.
Ong, 28, said she was helping to carry some boxes at the rally vanue when a few men "roughly shoved" her from the back and pushed her.
"My boyfriend, who was nearby tried, to protect me but was hit by the men and injured his fingernail and head," she told a press conference held by Lim in his office today.
Ong said the incident occured before Lim arrived to give his speech at the rally, contrary to Umno's assertion that chaos erupted after the CM provoked the group.
Ong, a personal assistant to state executive councillor Law Heng Kiang, said she believes the men who assaulted her are members of Umno and the Malay rights group Perkasa.
She was not able to say how many men assaulted her as the situation was "extremely chaotic at that point in time".
At the press event, a video clip of how Ong was attacked was shown to the press.
Lim complains to IGP
Meanwhile, Lim said he has written a letter to Inspectopr-General of Police Ismail Omar about the incident during which his speech on the Lynas issue was disrupted and two journalists from the Chinese press were injured by pro-Lynas supporters.
He accused Umno and Perkasa for rioting and disturbing him during the event.
"I understand that before I arrived, the group had already been harassing the protesters to stop their rally and return home," he told reporters.
"Many were pushed and beaten until they fell, including women. It is fortunate that the victims did not retaliate," he added.
Lim also related how the pro-Lynas supporters hurled racist and vulgar statements at him and the anti-Lynas protesters.
In his letter to the IGP, he said, he stated that the reporters - Adam Chew and Lee Hong Chun of Kwong Wah Jit Poh - were injured and sent to the Penang Hospital for treatment.
He reminded Ismail that two reporters from the Chinese media were also injured last year, during a rally at Komtar, where Umno and Perkasa members were also involved.
"This is the second time reporters have been hurt and police did not take action against the attackers," Lim said.
"The rioters also hit and tried to stop my car and spat on the vehicle (as I was leaving the protest venue).
"The attack happened in public and arbitrarily, even in front of the police who were standing nearby, but the police did not do anything to control the situation," he added.
'Video shows police just stood watch'
He claimed that from the video evidence, the police also stood watch and did not try to protect him from those who assaulted his vehicle.
He added that he was invited to the event , organised by local human rights NGO Suaram, as the chief minister of the state.
He said he has lodged a police report and the evidence gathered has been submitted to the police.
"We cannot accept the behaviour of the police who did not do anything to control the situation," Lim said.
"We hope stern action will be taken against those involved so that a similar incident does not happen again."
The youth section of right-wing Malay NGO Perkasa will organise a boycott of MCA-owned English-daily The Star if the Home Ministry does not take stern action against the newspaper for allegedly insulting Islam.
"If there is no stern action from the ministry, we shall stage a nationwide roadshow to boycott The Star," Wira Perkasa chief Irwan Fahmy Ideris told reporters in Putrajaya today.
He said this after handing over a memorandum to a senior representative from the ministry's administration division, in which Wira Perkasa calls for strict action against The Star or a suspension of its printing licence.
"The Home Ministry should suspend The Star's printing permit or take stern action to ensure that this does not happen again," Irwan said.
In another development, two editors from the English daily were suspended today in connection with the use of an offending picture, according to sources.
No other detail was immediately available.
The daily apologised on its website on Monday and in the print version the following day.
Perkasa is part of the chorus lambasting the daily for publsihing a picture of American soul singer Erykah Badu (left) sporting a body art of the Arabic character representing the name of Allah.
"They don't seem to respect the sensitivities of Malays and Muslims, who are the majority in the country.
"If they are like this, they shouldn't be in the business. We, at Wira Perkasa, will no longer compromise with The Star," Irwan lashed out.
He reiterated that this was the second time that the MCA-owned daily had committed such a blunder, pointing out that the newspaper had put a pork dish on its pages promoting food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last year.
According to Associated Press, Badu said she holds no grudge against the government for barring her from performing following the controversy.
More than 1,500 people had bought tickets to watch the Grammy-winning American singer at a Kuala Lumpur auditorium today.
"It's sad, because we traveled a long way," Badu was quoted as saying in Kuala Lumpur today.
"But I'm totally understanding of (the government's) protection of the laws and its people. He doesn't want anything to happen.
WOODEN.....Edward inspecting the small wooden bridge.
THE timber bridge in the remote Kg Togung next to the Kokol road in Menggatal is facing a potential collapse, and it is too small for bigger and heavy vehicles.
The people who live in this very remote village have requested for the help of the Sabah DAP vice chairman Edward Ewol Mujie in the DAP Inanam service centre yesterday for fear that one day a car will fall into the stream here.
The timber of the bridge is getting rotten fast. If the bridge is not replaced, they fear that they will be unable to reach to the other side of the village. There are at least 48 families live here.
Edward immediately went on site to inspect this small wooden bridge, and he took quite sometime to search for this remote village even with the map that was handed to him by the villagers. The condition of the village road is very poor and looks like never being maintained at all.
After speaking to the villagers here he said that the road is indeed needed upgraded and proper road surface should be done. At the moment it is half asphalt and half earth road with little bit of aggregates. It will be impossible for the villages to get home when it rains. It will be dangerous to drive and may anytime end up in the ditches or stream if not careful enough.
Edward urges the authorities like the JKR and the Rural Development office to come to see and plan immediately to upgrade the bridge and the road. He promised the people there he will come back to check to see whether the authorities do their job or not.
GRAVEL The village road leading to Kg Togung, Kokol road.
Friends have been wondering the rather quiet blips on the blog, thinking that some special branch or security apparatus at the command of the ruling party has whisked me away to be subjected to 'special treatment' by HMS or His Majesty Service.
It was more work that had kept me imprisoned in my own self absorbing world to finish the ever unending work just to ensure there is money coming at the end of the month.
Sometimes, it does pay to earn below RM3,000 a month as you get free money, dirt cheap homes, courtesy of EPF to stay in neighbourhood that have a commanding view of the Petronas Twin Towers or literally s stone's throw away from the central shopping or financial district.
Like in Kuala Lumpur, so much money is going to be pumped to provide facilities and one wonders if it is the desperation of the city folks to avoid jams, crowded living and not be reminded we are getting to be an expensive city to live in, that the urban folks are not questioning if the projects really costs that much billions.
We spend billions to built an LRT system that doesn't connect because of someone's bright idea to partition the route and now we are spending probably 5 times more to pay for some stupid mistakes to make others even richer.
It was rather odd to hear that our Malaysian Thais of Thai origin are considered more sons of the soil that other major races principally the Chinese and Indians! Odd, we didn't hear those ketuanan NGOs going berserk their rights and privileges are given out to those who don't belong to the same breed whatever it means or faith!
While everyone wants to be treated special, this conferment of sons of the soil status is a result of another legacy of the appointed 1Malaysia. Those who help me gets help hah! The famous scratching back ransom kind of bargaining with the ordinary voters.
But our Malaysia Thai are not ordinary voters because they have been loyal scratching the back of one party for so long, it's time to let them enjoy the fruit! s of the ir scratching.
Which brings to the question, one vote accords you privileges till death do you part, while the thousands of taxes you pay, gets you nothing - at least that is what some race feels.
So now we know that privileges and rights is linked to being loyal, the voting loyalty than paying taxes, working hard, being honest or just wanting a fair share of one's toils and burdens.
Too bad you China-apek and Indian mari, your votes don't give you any rights simply because you fellows have been so inconsistent in voting for opposition and then switch. There is no place for opportunists voters. But those accorded sons of the soil status are given vast opportunities even if they vacillate in their loyalty.
So to overcome this abuse of privileges, the solution is to change the system that perpetuate it, like in Sabah, the sons of soil status was accorded to many when a new State government took over, remember?
So you China-apek and Indian vello, stop asking for rights and privileges.Just pay your taxes and keep your mouth shut and stay in your corner they direct you.
Speaking of Thais, it was lovely the Thai Prime Minister, duly elected against odds and a women at that, Yingluck Shinawatra visit BolehLand to meet the nonelected, by the people that is, leader. Speaks volumes of the kind of tolerance, acceptance and respect our northern neighbours have. And we claim to have the best world democracy when a female is not allowed to be a leaders and the women leaders in the government are getting a good hide for scandals than one that earn the respect of the people, hah!
While some hope that the other party are! people who respect everyone, you know justice, freedom, respect, transparency and what not, some of the leaders in the hopefuls to rule Putrajaya are behaving like whores. Especially the DAP fellow for branding reporters prostitutes, whores or loose woman, any of this will mean the same thing even if that insensitive MCP apologises he was misquoted. And we accuse reporters of being juvenile delinquent when we have leaders whose brains and mouth are more loose that the loose word to describe the reporters.
Shame on this DAP fellow. Perhaps the DAP are behaving big headed Dreaming Awaiting Putrajaya that he can afford to be sexist, disgusting and humiliating. Having had media friends, the MSM should just boycott the DAP since the DAP is always asking the whole country to boycott the MSM!
Such is the contrast in BolehLand when both sides are trying so hard to win votes they are willing to behave worse than whores. And these leaders are supposed to be sons of the country for your young generation to emulate!
A group of activists escorted by opposition MPs defied a police ban to cycle to Parliament today and present a list of demands including the repeal of the Internal Security Act. www.malaysiakini.com Video Rating: 5 / 5
Concert promoter used censored "tattoo" photo since Jan 4
Uncensored photo was sent to Star in concert publicity kit
For eight weeks, a censored version of the Erykah Badu "tattoo" photograph had been used by the concert promoter, Pineapple, on the concert Facebook event page as well as in the press release they issued on Jan 4 and available for download.
The calligraphy of the word "Allah" had been removed (above, left) — clearly, the promoters knew, at least eight weeks ago, that it might cause problems.
And yet the uncensored photo was apparently supplied to the Star last week. I'm told that the photo was contained in the pre-concert publicity press kit sent to the press. It is the same image displayed on the Erykah Badu web site.
(The web site has been blanked out since late on Tuesday night, after the Malaysian government announced the banning of the concert.)
Is the government's morality gestapo blind, lazy or stupid?
Concerts and performances by big-name western foreign artistes have always contained seeds of controversy: Elton John, for being gay; Lady Gaga, for nudity and gayity; Beyonce, for revealing too much; to take recent examples.
They didn't come by their behaviour overnight. None of those cases would have justified a last-minute ban on those grounds — and even then, a large portion of Malaysian society does not accept such grounds for a ban.
Moral cowardice in political 'leadership'
Erykah Badu's controversial body art — they were not tattoos — have been displayed on her web site; the concert promoter used a censored version of the image for eight weeks, indicating they knew of the potential problem.
Was the culture ministry's gestapo blind to that fact for eight weeks?
When did culture minister Rais Yatim decide to wake up and appoint himself Grand Caliph and Protector of the Ummah? Was it when a few bloggers started moaning about the photo in the Star on Monday morning? Or did he suddenly realise the ummah needed protection after the Star had already yanked the photo from the web site and apologised?
Going by what they said and did, there seems little doubt that
the concert promoter and Erykah Badu are being punished for what the Star published;
the Star is being punished by the home ministry with another threat to its publishing licence, essentially for what Erykah Badu and the concert promoter did.
Thus the Malaysian government resorts to its favourite tool in times of controversy — shooting the messenger.
It is a lazy way out to cover up for shoddiness in administration and moral cowardice in political leadership. But that's normality in Malaysia. Biasa kan?
AS A VETERAN activist of Sabah issues, I would like to advise my old friend Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) who is also the Huguan Siou of the Kadazandusuns, to consider paying 'Sogit' to his younger bother Dr Jeffrey, if indeed he has uttered the word 'Mendiang' (the late) on his brother.
If Pairin really and actually did utter the word 'mendiang' on Jeffrey in Beluran as claimed by some, I advise Pairin to promptly do the honourable thing to pay 'sogit' in the form of one buffalo, a pig and a chicken as is the way of our custom when one utter such word on a living person.
As Chief Custodian of the Kadazandusuns Customs and Laws, Pairin knows best what to do in cases like this. So please be honourable so that everything is balanced again.
(NOTE : Lojingki, 71, was active together with the late Peter Mojuntin in now-defunct UNKO in the 1960s. Lojingki who claimed once a close friend of Pairin and many PBS leaders, had recently joined the State Reform Party (STAR) and was appointed its state committee member.) - Sabahkini
BERSIH 2.0 urges Prime Minister Najib Razak to immediately stop the serial political violence inflicted on opposition politicians and civil society activists by thugs reportedly related to UMNO and PERKASA, while the Police often just looked on and no one has been charged so far.
Bersih 2.0 warns that such impunity on political violence, if it continues, leaves no room for clean elections in Malaysia. If political activisms are met with physical assaults even before elections, could the safety of opposition leaders and campaigners be guaranteed come the next election?
BERSIH 2.0 wants Najib to order an immediate investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the two latest incidents of political assault on February 26.
At Speakers' Corner, Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, a group of thugs identified as UMNO Youth and PERKASA members attacked the anti-Lynas protesters and eventually injured two reporters. Most shockingly, the Police personnel looked on and did nothing. Later, the Chief Police Officer (CPO) of Pulau Pinang Ayub Yaakob blamed it on the organisers for not informing the Police of their event.
At Felda Lepar Hilir 1, Gambang, Pahang, YB Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR MP for Lembah Pantai, was assaulted by Asrullah Affendi Abdullah, an assistant of UMNO Lepar state assemblyperson Mohd Shohaimi Jusoh.
These are not isolated cases. Forums by student activists and the Anything But UMNO (ABU) Movement have experienced similar attacks and no one has yet been charged in court.
If PM Najib Razak refuses to take action to end such political violence, to have the assailants prosecuted and to punish those Police personnel who shirked their responsibility, Malaysia may be pushed to the edge of chaos and unrest by electoral violence.
In this alarming development, BERSIH 2.0 calls upon Malaysians and the international community to establish a Election Observation Mission to mitigate such a threat.
* The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises: Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan (Co-Chairperson), Datuk A. Samad Said (Co-Chairperson), Ahmad Shukri Abdul Razab, Andrew Khoo, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Dr Farouk Musa, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato' Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato' Yeo Yang Poh and Zaid Kamaruddin.
TERMINAL.....Half finished Labuan bus terminal idling with no work.
THE NEW Labuan bus terminal under construction has yet faced another stop work since the last time and the work site is at a total stand still for three months now. It is not sure when the work can be resumed.
The Labuan DAP Chief Lau Seng Kiat went to inspect the job site and found there are not work activities and some workers are sitting there playing with children. He asked what happened to the work and why the contractor is not finishing the work.
He was told that the workers are not being paid for three months now and they are not going to work without pay. The workers are given only some pocket money to buy food.
Judging on what we can be seen on site that the work progress there is already jammed and stuck. This is the second times that the construction of the bus terminal has stopped work, and it is obvious that there is something very wrong in this project.
Lau said that the completion of the new bus terminal is very important to solve the present bus parking problems and the traffic jam in the town centre. The new bus terminal also can effectively provide a more conducive condition for the commuters in Labuan town, especially when the new market is eventually completed next to it. This will be able to house all the buses on the island, and it is going to be big enough to cater for future increased number of buses.
The question is when can it be completed and it seems that there is going to be another long delay before it can be operational. What happen to the Ministry of Federal Territory, why are they not taking action on the contractor, or rather the government has no money to continue to pay the contractor?
No matter what it is, this has indicated that there is definitely something serious wrong with the execution of the contract. The government is to be blamed and held responsible for the foul arrangement and on the appointment of the contractor from last time till now.
The Sabah DAP KK Member of Parliament Hiew King Cheu shall raise the question on this issue in the coming sitting of the new Parliament session in March. Lau said this is a hot topic among the people in Labuan and the people here are beginning to wonder whether they will elect someone who can do the job properly or not. A simple job of building a bus shelter can stop work twice and that is unacceptable. - Sabahkini
HAVELOCK, North Carolina - Police say a man is dead after he accidentally drank from a jar of gasoline and then smoked a cigarette.
Havelock police received an emergency call about 9:55 p.m. local time Monday after 43-year-old Gary Allen Banning set himself on fire. Banning was transported to UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill, where he died early Tuesday morning.
City spokeswoman Diane Miller said investigators believe Banning was at a friend's apartment when he apparently mistook a jar of gasoline sitting by the kitchen sink for a beverage. After taking a gulp, he spit the gas out and got some on his clothes.
Sometime later, investigators say Banning went outside to smoke a cigarette and burst into flames.
Havelock police and the city fire marshal are continuing their investigation.
TERMINAL.....Half finished Labuan bus terminal idling with no work.
THE NEW Labuan bus terminal under construction has yet faced another stop work since the last time and the work site is at a total stand still for three months now. It is not sure when the work can be resumed.
The Labuan DAP Chief Lau Seng Kiat went to inspect the job site and found there are not work activities and some workers are sitting there playing with children. He asked what happened to the work and why the contractor is not finishing the work.
He was told that the workers are not being paid for three months now and they are not going to work without pay. The workers are given only some pocket money to buy food.
Judging on what we can be seen on site that the work progress there is already jammed and stuck. This is the second times that the construction of the bus terminal has stopped work, and it is obvious that there is something very wrong in this project.
Lau said that the completion of the new bus terminal is very important to solve the present bus parking problems and the traffic jam in the town centre. The new bus terminal also can effectively provide a more conducive condition for the commuters in Labuan town, especially when the new market is eventually completed next to it. This will be able to house all the buses on the island, and it is going to be big enough to cater for future increased number of buses.
The question is when can it be completed and it seems that there is going to be another long delay before it can be operational. What happen to the Ministry of Federal Territory, why are they not taking action on the contractor, or rather the government has no money to continue to pay the contractor?
No matter what it is, this has indicated that there is definitely something serious wrong with the execution of the contract. The government is to be blamed and held responsible for the foul arrangement and on the appointment of the contractor from last time till now.
The Sabah DAP KK Member of Parliament Hiew King Cheu shall raise the question on this issue in the coming sitting of the new Parliament session in March. Lau said this is a hot topic among the people in Labuan and the people here are beginning to wonder whether they will elect someone who can do the job properly or not. A simple job of building a bus shelter can stop work twice and that is unacceptable. - Sabahkini
Alamak, one day friends, next day enemies. I'm of course talking about Perkasa and MCA, wakakaka.
After the joint effort in the 'white pow' debacle, Perkasa must have felt it was sabotaged by the MCA bloke who went along with Ibrahim Ali, playing a Perkasa Santa Claus at a Chinese New Year party. So I suppose Perkasa has been waiting for a chance to bite back.
Not that the running dog sabotaged the Perkasa event deliberately but he wasn't even consulted. C'mon, who consults a running dog?
So when The Star published a photo of American singer Erykah Badu with her tattoo of the word Allah, Perkasa yelled: Tiew*Suspend The Star's permit, wakakaka.
* no no, it wasn't calling Colin Tiew of MCA wakakaka
Apart from The Star's swift apology for the religious faux pas, I am personally quite convinced the MCA-owned news media had made an honest mistake. The Star as a newspaper has been quite cautious on and sensitive to Islamic issues. For example, in March 2006 it initially refused to publish Marina Mahathir's article in her Star column and only changed its editorial mind after the BBC and Malaysiakini picked up the Star's cringe.
Marina said that Malaysian women could be compared to the black South Africans during Apartheid days. She averred they were nothing more than 2nd class citizens who were held back by discrimination which didn't apply to non-Muslim women.
Well, wouldn't you agree The Star was ultra sensitive about publishing the above (Marina Mahathir's) Islamic issue, or perhaps afraid to offend Imam AAB who was then PM? Wakakaka.
My Uncle told me that years ago (before there was such a thing as Internet, a Star reporter (Indian) who was responsible for the entertainment page unwittingly insulted Islam. Poor bastard was shivering in his pants when the Muslims went berserk over his sentence that "There isn't anything on TV tonight other than the boring Quran reading competition".
He was saved by Tunku (then retired from politics and living in Penang, and also The Star Chairperson) who told the raving mob to shut the fxxk* up as the young reporter had already apologized. Matter closed in a most kowtim-ish manner, such was the wibawa of Tunku.
* of course Tunku didn't use the f* word - it's just kaytee improvising wakakaka
I wonder whether manmanlai will say something? Aiyah, tankookoo lah wakakaka.
www.merdekablog.com There are many videos showing how barbaric the central government is. http A few examples of the videos: www.youtube.com Overturning of state government and stopping the opposition party state representatives elected by the state citizens from entering the state assembly. www.youtube.com A Malaysian Indian under police custody was found to be starved and beaten to death in the police station. However the chief police at first lied to the public on this real reason of the death. The first autopsy report didn't disclose the real reason. People were not satisfied with the reason given by the chief police and so called for the second autopsy and that's how all these uncovered. www.youtube.com The police used chemical laced water to disperse the crowd who gathered in front of a police station to lodge police reports to complain of the government delaying the medical treatment of a civil rights activist who was detained under the draconian Internal Security Act that allows government to detain someone without trial indefinitely. www.youtube.com How stray cats and dogs are abused and killed by the government. www.youtube.com Protest of thousands of the state citizens to fight against the swearing in ceremony of the central government in the state which was taken away from opposition party. www.youtube.com One of the many Anti-ISA (Internal Security Act) candle light vigils. www.youtube.com Citizens were arrested when singing national anthem during an Anti-ISA ...Video Rating: 4 / 5
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) recorded a stunning net loss of RM2.52 billion for 2011 and the company is now in "crisis", the national flag carrier said today.
Ong, 28, said she was helping to carry some boxes at the rally vanue when a few men "roughly shoved" her from the back and pushed her.
Lim also related how the pro-Lynas supporters hurled racist and vulgar statements at him and the anti-Lynas protesters.
The daily apologised on its website on Monday and in the print version the following day.
He reiterated that this was the second time that the MCA-owned daily had committed such a blunder, pointing out that the newspaper had put a pork dish on its pages promoting food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last year.
