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Selangor State Govt Chinese New Year Dinner on Thaipusam Eve

February 2nd, 2012
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This is being compared with last year’s Parliament sitting on Deepavali eve by MIC and MIC-friendly folks.

The Parliament sitting was cancelled by Cabinet after some noise were made by various groups (and DAP reps sent a memo), as it was considered a disrespectful and insensitive move.  Read about it below:

http://poobalan.com/blog/borninmalaysia/2011/10/11/parliament-sitting-on-deepavali-eve-issue/

http://poobalan.com/blog/borninmalaysia/2011/10/21/parliament-sitting-on-deepavali-eve-cancelled/

This time, its Selangor state government which is organising its Chinese New Year Dinner on 6th February (6pm till 11.30pm) at Rawang, which is on the eve of Thaipusam.  Refer here:

http://www.selangor.gov.my/main.php?Content=vertsectiondetails&VsItemID=423&VertSectionID=373&CurLocation=481&IID=

The difference between the two events are clear:

- one is an official “serious” event, the other is a official celebratory dinner.

- One involves all elected reps, govt staff and media, while other involves elected reps in Selangor and also includes public in addition.

- One is covering whole nation (imagine MP Bagan Serai balik kampung after parliament sitting) while the other is covering Selangor state. Probably the number of Hindus involved is very small (even the Selangor state EXCO don’t have Hindus).

- Deepavali eve is important as most Hindus will travel back to hometown. Thaipusam is not necessarily celebrated at hometown as some Hindus make pilgrimage to certain temples while other take opportunity to visit different temples for the celebration. Also, not all temples have chariot procession on the eve.

- Parliament sitting is usually arranged at beginning of the year. The dinner, was probably arranged few weeks ago.

- Deepavali came midweek, thus many other people will be working. Thaipusam this time around is on the end of a long weekend holiday (4 days if Saturday is off day), thus most people would have already made plans to travel elsewhere if they intend to celebrate Thaipusam.  The dinner may not be of consequence to them.

- Note that the last day of CNY would be on 6th February, thus the state could have organised the dinner on 23rd Jan, 24th Jan, 28th Jan, 29th Jan, or 4th Feb (maybe 4 is not lucky number?). 5th is Prophet’s birthday, so that’s definitely a no-no.  Those who are fasting (like for 10 or 30 days) would not be attending, so its likely that whichever day the dinner is organised, you’ll see lesser Hindus.

Similarities:

- both fall on the eve of a religious event.

- both are organised by governments.

- both are considered insensitive due to proximity to religious festival.

For me, even though the function is a non-compulsory “fun” event, the organisers could have chosen another day to do it, as perception of public is important. It would seem like the CNY dinner did not take into consideration participation of Hindus as majority Hindus are not expected to attend. Maybe its just targeted at the Chinese community.

Again, this maybe due to the lack of sensitivities among the officers in state government. Being from the majority race, probably they lack proper exposure to cultures and religious beliefs of others.  None may have thought of asking a fellow Hindu colleague/friend about the suitability of the date.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian, Religion

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Bumiputera Education Fund

February 2nd, 2012
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 This a rather old news (announced on 26th November 2011), but till date I can’t find any info about this Yayasan. Don’t ask me how to apply etc.

So, RM30 million from government for this education fund, and to be supplemented by contribution from GLCs etc to the tune of RM158 million so far. Very huge some indeed.

Wonder if the same can be done for other Malaysians. We also human beings la.

In launching a new strategic roadmap to boost Bumiputera participation in the national economy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today a RM30 million endowment from the government into a new private education trust fund for Malaysia’s largest ethnic community.

The Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera, he said, is aimed to fund 12,000 Bumiputeras in private education all the way through to PhD level.

“Raising the capability is important to ensure the Bumiputera workforce can raise their individual potential income in line with the nation’s objective to achieve high-income status,” the prime minister said in his opening speech.

The trust fund is to start operations early next year, and is targeting to build a RM500 million fund within five years.

Najib (picture) said 21 companies and institutions have pledged a total of RM158 million for the fund to date.

Among a group 10 businesses injected funds of RM10 million each, included CIMB Bank Berhad, Felda Holdings Berhad, Sime Darby Berhad, UEM Group Berhad and Yayasan Al-Bukhary founded  by magnate Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, Malaysia’s richest Bumiputera corporate figure reported to be worth US$1.7 billion (RM5.4 billion).

In his speech, Najib noted the number of registered Bumiputera professionals had risen with the most recent record in 2008 showing there are now 51,306 or 45 per cent out of the entire group of professionals nationwide.

But he said it was not enough.

Najib said the transformation roadmap is a three-pronged approach to push Bumiputera stake of the national economic pie from the existing 21.9 per cent to fulfil the original New Economic Policy goal of 30 per cent.

Apart from setting up an education fund,  the government is looking to grow entrepreneurship by setting up one-stop business centres in every state or economic corridor.

Najib announced the Northern Economic Corridor Region will be the first to open its doors by the first quarter of next year.

He added that the third strategy is to groom large-scale Bumiputera businesses.

He said by setting up such an economic ecosystem where the big companies help the smaller firms, it will ultimately result in more Bumiputera businessmen.

“Among the main steps that will be taken is to encourage company participation through joint-ventures and acquisitions.

“Besides that, the divestment of GLC involvement in non-core [businesses] can create business opportunities for Bumiputera companies,” Najib said.

As an example, he highlighted the recent distribution of 43 per cent of the overall value of the MyMRT project to Bumiputera.

The PM said a separate Bumiputera unit had been set up under MRT Corp to manage the Bumiputera interest in the rail project.

source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-pumps-rm30m-into-new-bumi-education-trust/

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Gerrymandering of election seats

February 2nd, 2012
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I wonder what is the reply from the respective groups on this revelation by a citizen on gerrymandering of election seats. It would be good to see EC come out with some report to rebut or  justify the presentation given below. Just maintaining silence means agreeing to what the presenter revealed.

Its horrifying to note that its possible to gain power to run the country by getting win seats in areas that total up to only 15.4% of voters! would the election reform also cover this issue?

 

A retiree arrested the attention of opposition members at the public hearing by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform, when he told them to forget about marching to Putrajaya under the current electoral system.

ng chak ngoon complain to psc 271111Armed with printouts of his presentation slides, Ng Chak Ngoon (right) who described himself as a retiree, presented the panel with a graph that showed 222 lines with every one being taller than the other as it progressed.

The graph, said Ng at the hearing in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, which saw several others testifying, was plotted against the population size of all the constituencies in ascending order for the 2008 general election.

“All on the left (in blue) are won by BN, on the right (in red) are all won by the opposition. The BN constituencies are very small and the opposition constituencies are very big. So what is happening here?

“It’s not by chance that all the people in big constituencies like the opposition and all those people in the small constituencies like BN. I would think there is a design here for the Election Commission (EC) to sub-divide all the BN areas into smaller areas to increase their number of MPs,” he said.

Ng added that the smallest constituency, BN-held Putrajaya only had 6,008 voters but Opposition-held Kapar had a staggering 112,224 voters, 17 times more than Putrajaya.

‘Kapar can have 17 MPs’

“If we break down Kapar to the size of Putrajaya, you would have 17 MPs from Kapar instead of just one.”

If all the seats are made into equal size, Ng added, the last general election would yield a result where BN and Pakatan Rakyat would only have a difference of seven seats in Parliament as opposed to the actual results of 140 to 82 seats.

He further estimated that if a party relied on all the small seats to win power, it would only require 15.4 percent of the total votes to form a majority in Parliament.

“If the opposition thinks they can march to Putrajaya, forget about it.”

At this point, PSC member Anthony Loke who is DAP’s Rasah MP quipped: “Very demoralising.”

Explaining further, Ng said the smallest constituency in Malaysia was 13 percent of the national average while the largest was 288 percent, in contrast to the UK’s which smallest and largest constituency are 77 percent and 153 percent of the national average respectively.

“If the EC is sincere, it should redraw all the constituencies, this is not gerrymandering, this is outright cheating.”

psc size of constitutencies general election 2008

PSC member Dr Hatta Ramli later concurred, pointing out that the Baling parliamentary constituency, supposedly a rural seat, had an unusually large number of constituents at around 70,000.

“This was because PAS has won the seat before,” said Hatta, who then asked if Ng thought this was ethical.

“Unethical is a mild word, Can I answer outside?” replied Ng in reference to parliamentary rules that require members in the hearing to abide by appropriate language.

State by state breakdown

Ng later proceeded to present similar graphs with a state by state breakdown at which PSC member Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said: “Can you rate Kangar?”, in reference to his own constituency.

“If you have Negeri Sembilan’s, I would like to see my chances of winning,” added Loke.

At this, Ng quipped: “I’ll have to charge you for consultancy.”

When asked by PSC member Fong Chan Onn (right) on how the panel can accommodate the increase of seats for Sabah and Sarawak to meet the Malaysian Federation agreement of 34 percent into his recommendations, Eng replied: “What is your objective?

“To win the election or to have an equitable dispersion of votes? If these are conflicting desires, obviously we cannot come to a compromise. BN has to answer that question, not me, I’m a retired man.”

psc general election bn votes needed to win majority

source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/182546

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Apply for Skim Amanah Rakyat SARA 1Malaysia

February 1st, 2012
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First, some introduction:

Skim Amanah Rakyat 1Malaysia (SARA 1Malaysia) is a special Scheme initiated by the Government of Malaysia aimed at promoting the participation of the low-income group to save and invest; apart from to assist them in managing the impact of the rising current cost of living.

The Scheme will be implemented in collaboration with Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and selected financial institutions.

Through this Scheme, eligible Malaysians will have the opportunity to apply for a RM5,000 loan from participating financial institution to invest in Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS 1Malaysia) managed by Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), and will receive attractive incentive payments on their savings and investments.

About the loan:

  • The loan amount is RM5,000 per household.
  • The loan is for the purchase of 5,000 Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS 1Malaysia)I units.
  • Participation will be opened for one year starting from 30 January 2012* or upon full subscription of the total allocation, whichever is earlier.
  • Participation will be disqualified in the event of:
  1. The participant misses three consecutive monthly payments;
  2. The participant provided false information during application;
  3. The participant is declared a bankrupt; or
  4. The participant dies.

NOTE: there was supposed to be a cash based investment as well (meaning you don’t need to apply for the loan), but latest statement in BERNAMA says only loan-based application will be accepted.

So, what are the benefits?:

If you use your savings to invest, you will get a fixed dividend of RM134 monthly. But, if you choose to reinvest the dividend every month, you will receive RM13,000 at the end of the programme’s five-year lifespan. [but since you can't use cash, so I'm not sure how this will work as nothing is mentioned on the official website].

If you take the loan, repayment is RM84 monthly, leaving RM50 to reinvest and a RM10,000 payout in five years.

Also, surprising to see quota in the allocation. If your aim is to help poor people, why have quota based on race?

1. Are you eligible? Check this out:

  1. Malaysians aged between 18 and 58 years old
  2. Gross household income of between RM500 and RM3,000
  3. Applicants must not be declared bankrupt throughout the loan funding period
  4. Any other terms set by the banks
  5. Applicants and / or spouse must not be a participant or beneficiary of any ASNB-related Government programme:
    • Program Pembangunan Rakyat Termiskin;
    • ASB Sejahtera; and
    • ASW2020-Bandar
  6. Applicants and / or spouse do not have any investments in ASNB unit trust products OR applicants and/or spouse(s) (household) have a combined aggregate investment of less than RM10,000 in all ASNB products
  7. All-clear status for ASNB unit trust account
  8. Application is subject to the distribution of Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS 1Malaysia)I as stipulated and availability:
    • Bumiputera – 50%;
    • Chinese – 30%;
    • Indian – 15%; and
    • Others – 5%
  9. Only one member of the household is eligible to obtain the loan funding
  10. Application is approved for a loan at one bank

DEFINITION OF HOUSEHOLD
Eligible household refers to individuals with gross household monthly income of between RM500 and RM3,000 including the following categories:

  • Married – a combination of gross income of the husband and wife; and
  • Single mothers or fathers – individual gross income.

2. Fill up the Application Form

So, you are qualified? Then get the form: http://www.sara1malaysia.com.my/Borang_SARA1M.pdf

3. What documents to prepare and bring? Prepare the following:

Main Documents

  • Application form to participate in Skim Amanah Rakyat 1Malaysia (BPPSARA1M)
  • Loan Form from the participating financial institutions
  • Registration form of Unit Amanah Akaun Dewasa ASNB P1
  • Additional Investment Form ASNB 21
  • Redemption Form ASNB 31
  • Investment Book Renewal Form BS3
  • Risk Disclosure Statement (RDS)

Supporting Documents

  • Original and 2 copies of Mykad of applicants
  • Original and 1 copy of Mykad of spouses (if applicable)
  • Certified Income document
    • For applicants and/or spouses, please provide original and copies of the latest three months’ Pay Slips or Bank Statements.
    • For applicants who do not have Pay Slip or Bank Statement, the income declaration stated in BPPSARA1M Part C will be applicable.

     

    * BPPSARA1M MUST be signed before a WITNESS – either the Employer/Penghulu/Official at the Department of Orang Asli Development/Government Official in a Managerial Position /Member of State Legislative Assembly/ Member of Parliament

4. Where to go to apply? 

Go to any branches of the following banks: Maybank, RHB, CIMB, BSN. If your application is approved, the bank will inform you.

5. Got questions? Contact them! :

Special Project Unit – SARA 1Malaysia
28th Floor, Menara PNB
201-A Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2057 3065
Fax: 03-2050 5140

Email: saracare@sara1malaysia.com.my
Website: http://www.sara1malaysia.com.my

HOTLINE from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays)

reference: http://www.sara1malaysia.com.my/n_index.php

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Thina Kural latest Tamil newspaper

February 1st, 2012
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 More choices for the community as this is paper number 4, in addition to Malaysia Nanban, Makkal Osai and Tamil Nesan. Anyway, I look forward for their news and articleswhich is claimed “will be for the upliftment of the lives of the Indian community in Malaysia”.

A new Tamil newspaper, Thina Kural (Daily Voice), is to hit the streets on Feb 9.

Its managing director is Aruul Kumar, 29, son of the late A Athikumanan, a former editor-in-chief of Tamil daily Malaysia Nanban, on whose birthday the daily is being launched, said editor-in-chief BR Rajan.

Rajan, 53, who has 34 years of experience in journalism, said the company, located at Batu Complex in Jalan Ipoh, would bring out 31,000 copies daily and 47,000 copies on Sunday for a start.

Thina Kural is aimed at, among other things, contributing to improving the lives of the Malaysian Indian community at all levels, he told Bernama in a telephone interview today.

“News and articles in Thina Kural will be for the upliftment of the lives of the Indian community in Malaysia. We want to play such a role for society, especially for the lower income group,” he said.

Rajan said the fourth Tamil daily in the country is a tribute to Athikumanan, a legend in the Tamil newspaper industry. Apart from Malaysia Nanban, the other two Tamil dailies in the country are Tamil Nesan and Makkal Osai.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/31/nation/20120131185455&sec=nation

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