Malaysia expands screening of visitors to all entry points

The Health Ministry has confirmed that no case of “influenza-like” illness with symptoms of swine flu infection has been found in Malaysia.

However, the Government is not taking chances with the outbreak that is already spreading across Mexico to other countries.

The ministry has already expanded its screening of passengers arriving at international entry points like KL International Airport, which it started on Monday, to the ground.

In Rantau Panjang, which borders Thailand, the health department began randomly screening those coming into Malaysia on foot.

“We are doing it as a precaution,” a doctor on site said. He set up an informal unit with five of his subordinates.

The ministry has taken measures to set up hotlines for the public to call for inquiries in Putrajaya and also started a 24-hour monitoring of the situation. The public can call 03-8881-0200/300 for enquiries.

Police personnel at Malaysia’s borders are on high alert to check any signs of the swine flu outbreak sneaking into the country.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said policemen would assist all border-control agencies to monitor for any signs of the disease at all entry points including airports.

“We are working closely with the Health Ministry to monitor the situation and assist in the screening process,” he told reporters after a visit to Hospital Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the 202nd Police Day yesterday.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Ismaiil Merican confirmed yesterday that no case of influenza-like illness with symptoms of swine flu virus had been reported in Malaysia. He said that based on surveillance of influenza-like illness, there had been no reported case.

He added that health officers at KLIA screened 428 passengers and airline crew flying in from areas with cases of swine flu for signs of the infection. Passengers and airline crew, he said, were also been given health alert cards and health declaration forms to fill.

“The screening at all international entry points continued yesterday. A technical committee meeting involving several agencies will also be held today to discuss other preventive measures and an integrated approach for the control of any infection,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Dr Ismail said that in view of the World Health Organisation’s decision to raise the swine flu alert to Phase 4 from Phase 3, which made the current situation just two levels away from a full pandemic, the ministry would continue to advise Malaysians to stay away from affected regions.

“This is particularly when the travel is unnecessary and they are not feeling well. Those who fall sick during their travel should seek medical treatment,” he warned.

In Kuala Lumpur, Bernama reports that the Foreign Ministry had asked all Malaysian missions abroad to continuously monitor and update the ministry on the swine flu outbreak in relation to Malaysians residing or travelling overseas.

“The 60 registered Malaysians residing in Mexico where the swine flu outbreak was first detected and another five in the accredited Central American countries are reported to be safe and free from the virus,” the ministry said in a statement.

The public is advised to report to the Consular Divison of the Foreign Ministry at 03-8887-4000 if they are aware or informed of any cases by their friends, relatives or colleagues currently overseas.

KURSUS GSPS JABATAN PENERANGAN 22-28 April 2009

PNB tawar 3.33 bilion unit ASM

Pelabur boleh beli hari ini, ASW 2020 mulai 27 April

Datuk Seri Najib Razak semalam mengumumkan Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) menawarkan 3.33 bilion unit tambahan Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) dan dua bilion unit Amanah Saham Wawasan (ASW) 2020. Unit tambahan ASM itu akan dijual mulai hari ini di semua 1,500 ejen dan pejabat Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd di seluruh negara, manakala unit baru ASW 2020 boleh dilanggan mulai 27 April.

Merasmikan Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM) 2009 di padang Plaza Angsana di sini, Perdana Menteri berkata, kedua-dua tawaran itu akan dikenakan had langganan maksimum 20,000 unit seorang supaya lebih ramai pelabur berpeluang melanggannya.

Pelaksanaan had pelaburan maksimum bagi ASM berkuat kuasa sepanjang tempoh tawaran sehingga 27 Julai depan tertakluk kepada unit yang masih ada untuk langganan, manakala ASW 2020 sehingga 6 Mei.

"Untuk golongan miskin tegar yang tidak mampu membuat pelaburan secara terus dalam dana itu, kerajaan memperuntukkan 100 juta unit ASW 2020 seperti yang diumumkan pada Kajian Separuh Penggal Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9)," katanya.

Turut hadir, isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor; Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan isteri, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman; Menteri Besar, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman dan isteri Datin Prof Dr Jemilah Ariffin; Pengerusi PNB, Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif PNB, Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman.

Najib yang juga Menteri Kewangan, berkata penawaran unit tambahan ASM dan ASW 2020 itu adalah ekoran sambutan memberangsangkan terhadap amanah saham dan bagi memenuhi permintaan masyarakat berbilang kaum serta selaras dengan konsep Satu Malaysia.

"Saya bangga kerana masyarakat bukan Bumiputera kini meletakkan keyakinan tinggi kepada PNB untuk menguruskan unit amanah mereka. Ini juga bukti kepercayaan dan sokongan kaum bukan Bumiputera terhadap PNB dan kerajaan," katanya.

Beliau berkata, PNB berjaya menggembleng dana lebih RM87 bilion yang dikumpul daripada lebih 9.3 juta pelabur, iaitu satu pencapaian cemerlang sejak pelancaran dana Amanah Saham Nasional (ASN) 28 tahun lalu yang ketika itu terdapat 840,000 pemegang akaun yang melabur dalam 540 juta unit amanah.

"Setakat ini jumlah pengagihan pendapatan yang dibayar melebihi RM65 bilion.

Saya kira pendapatan sebegini besar banyak membantu meningkatkan taraf sosio ekonomi rakyat. Ini bermakna dana amanah PNB dapat mendidik masyarakat supaya lebih cekap dalam kewangan individu," katanya.

Perdana Menteri berkata, sebelum kemunculan ASN, rakyat khususnya Bumiputera begitu asing terhadap dunia pelaburan tetapi menerusi usaha agresif PNB dan program pendidikan pelaburannya yang semakin rancak dijalankan, industri itu kini sinonim dengan masyarakat. "Malah, tidak keterlaluan jika saya katakan unit amanah PNB ini berjaya membina satu jenama tersendiri dalam industri unit amanah negara dengan meraih sokongan padu masyarakat Bumiputera dan bukan Bumiputera," katanya.

Najib berkata, penguasaan PNB dalam hampir semua sektor strategik negara turut membuka dan menyediakan peluang pekerjaan dalam skala yang agak besar.

SENARAI PENUH KABINET 2009

PERDANA MENTERI: Datuk Seri Najib Razak

TIMBALAN PERDANA MENTERI: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

MENTERI DI JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
1. Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (Hal Ehwal Perpaduan & Pengurusan Prestasi)
2. Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Hal Ehwal Perundangan dan Parlimen)
3. Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Unit Perancang Ekonomi)
4. Mej-Jen (B) Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom (Hal Ehwal Agama Islam)

Timbalan-timbalan Menteri:
1. Datuk Liew Vui Keong
2. Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
3. Datuk S.K. Devamany
4. Ahmad Maslan
5. T.Murugiah

MENTERI KEWANGAN: Datuk Seri Najib Razak
MENTERI KEWANGAN II: DATUK AHMAD HUSNI MOHAMAD HANADZLAH
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Chor Chee Heung
2. Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin

MENTERI PELAJARAN: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong
2. Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi

MENTERI PENGANGKUTAN: Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri
2. Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew

MENTERI PERUSAHAAN, PERLADANGAN DAN KOMODITI: Tan Sri Bernard Dompok Timbalan:
1. Datuk Hamzah Zainudin

MENTERI DALAM NEGERI: Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop
2. Jelaing anak Mersat

MENTERI PENERANGAN, KOMUNIKASI, KESENIAN DAN KEBUDAYAAN:
Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim

Timbalan:
1. Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum
2. Senator Heng Seai Kie

MENTERI TENAGA, TEKNOLOGI HIJAU DAN AIR: Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Timbalan:
Noriah Kasnon

MENTERI KEMAJUAN LUAR BANDAR DAN WILAYAH: Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Hassan Malek
2. Datuk Joseph Entulu anak Belaun

MENTERI PENGAJIAN TINGGI: Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung
2. Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

MENTERI PERDAGANGAN ANTARABANGSA DAN INDUSTRI: Datuk Mustapa Mohamed Timbalan:
1. Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir
2. Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

MENTERI SAINS, TEKNOLOGI DAN INNOVASI: Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Timbalan:
Fadillah Yusof

MENTERI SUMBER ASLI DAN ALAM SEKITAR: Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas

Timbalan: Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

MENTERI PELANCONGAN: Datuk Ng Yen Yen
Timbalan: Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

MENTERI PERTANIAN DAN INDUSTRI ASAS TANI: Datuk Noh Omar
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Johari Baharum
2. Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim

MENTERI PERTAHANAN: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Timbalan: Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

MENTERI KERJA RAYA: Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Timbalan: Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

MENTERI KESIHATAN: Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Timbalan:
Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin

MENTERI BELIA DAN SUKAN: Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Timbalan:
1. Datuk Razali Ibrahim
2. Wee Jeck Seng

MENTERI SUMBER MANUSIA: Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam
Timbalan:
Datuk Maznah Mazlan

MENTERI PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI DAN HAL EHWAL PENGGUNA: Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Timbalan: Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

MENTERI PERUMAHAN DAN KERAJAAN TEMPATAN: Datuk Kong Cho Ha
Timbalan:
Datuk Lajim Ukin

MENTERI PEMBANGUNAN WANITA, KELUARGA DAN MASYARAKAT: Datuk Seri Sharizat Jalil
Timbalan:
Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun

MENTERI LUAR: Datuk Anifah Aman
Timbalan:
1. A.Kohilan Pillay
2. Datuk Lee Chee Leong

MENTERI WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN: Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin
Timbalan:
Datuk M.Saravanan

- Bernama

Malaysian PM announces cabinet shake-up

Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak announce his new cabinet line up at his office at Putrajaya.

Malaysia's new premier Najib Razak unveiled a new-look cabinet Thursday, retaining his control on the finance portfolio and ejecting figures seen as loyal to his predecessor.

The number of cabinet ministers was cut to 28 from 32, and several ministries were amalgamated.

In a wide-ranging shake-up, former trade minister Muhyiddin Yassin who was elected deputy of the ruling party UMNO last week, was promoted to the key post of deputy prime minister and also given the education portfolio.

The trade ministry is now helmed by Mustapa Mohamed, a trained economist who served as agriculture minister in the last administration. His deputy is Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

The defence portfolio goes to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a close ally of Najib and one of the newly appointed vice-presidents of UMNO.

Foreign Minister Rais Yatin was shifted to the newly created ministry of information, communications, arts and culture, and replaced by Anifah Aman, a backbencher from Sabah state on Borneo island.

Several figures seen as loyal to former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who Najib took over from last week, were dropped including Rural Affairs Minister Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar.


The sensitive home affairs portfolio, which handles internal security, is now held by Hishammuddin Hussein, the former education minister who was also made one of UMNO's three vice-presidents last week.

There was a snub for Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, who won the influential post of UMNO youth chief last week. Traditionally the youth chief sits in the cabinet, but he was omitted from Najib's new line-up.

Agence France-Presse - 4/9/2009 8:10 AM GMT

Malaysian policemen to hang for killing Mongolian woman

Two Malaysian policemen were sentenced to death Thursday for the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, in a sensational case the opposition has tried to link with new premier Najib Razak.

Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of the new prime minister who was sworn in last week, had been accused of ordering police to kill his former lover after she came to his family home to harass him for money.

But last year he was acquitted of abetting the 2006 slaying of the 28-year-old model and interpreter -- a case which, with its ingredients of sex, politics and violence, has fascinated the nation.

Altantuya's body was blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing, leaving only shattered bone fragments as evidence.

The two officers found guilty of the murder, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, are from an elite unit that guards top ministers.

"Each of them are blaming the other, they failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case. I convict both of you as charged," said Shah Alam High Court judge Zaki Mohamad Yasin.

"I sentence both of you to death. You will be taken to a place of execution where you will be hanged by your neck until you are dead," he said.

The pair looked calm when the sentence was handed down, and then stepped out of the dock and hugged their lawyers, who later said they would file an appeal.

Sirul has said he was a "scapegoat" and Azilah's fiance, Nur Azila Baharuddin, insisted the pair were not guilty.
"We expected him to be acquitted but the judge has made the decision. We will wait for the next stage," she told reporters. "I really want to marry him, I have been waiting for so long since 2006."

Malaysia's top blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has been charged with sedition after repeatedly linked Najib and his wife to the murder on his popular website Malaysia Today.

Najib has vehemently denied any involvement in the killing and said he never even met Altantuya, but despite any evidence linking him to the case, the allegations persist and the opposition has called for an official inquiry.

Leading opposition figure Lim Kit Siang said Thursday that the mystery surrounding the case was "haunting and hounding" Najib and threatened to damage his administration and the nation's reputation.

"(The) conviction and death sentence have not lessened but intensified public demands and necessity for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into swirling allegations of Najib's involvement," he said in a statement.

Karpal Singh, an opposition politician and leading lawyer who is representing Altantuya's family, also said the verdict would fail to quell speculation over the case.

"You must satisfy the international community. The international community does not accept that only these two are responsible for the murder. It goes beyond these two," he told reporters.
"These two have no motive, they didn't even know her before."

Altantuya's father Setev Shaariibuu was distraught over the acquittal of Abdul Razak Baginda last year, in a case seen as a test of the strength of Malaysia's much-criticised judiciary.

"I am not satisfied. My daughter knows only one Malaysian and it is Razak Baginda. Now my daughter is dead and Baginda is freed... the country has lost credibility in the world," he told reporters at the time.

Setev Shaariibuu was not present in court on Thursday.

Agence France-Presse - 4/9/2009 8:30 AM GMT

GM and Segway plan electric two-wheeler

US automaker General Motors and scooter maker Segway say they are working together to build a new two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle for city use.
Dubbed Puma (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), the vehicle would be powered by lithium-ion batteries and feature a wireless communications network allowing users to avoid traffic and prevent crashes, the companies said in a statement.
The prototype is designed to reach speeds of up to 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour and travel up to 35 miles between recharges. But the groups did not say when the two-wheeler would hit the roads or how much it would cost.
"Imagine small, nimble electric vehicles that know where other moving objects are and avoid running into them," said GM vice president of research and development Larry Burns.
"Now, connect those vehicles in an Internet-like web and you can greatly enhance the ability of people to move through cities, find places to park and connect to their social and business networks."
Segway president and CEO Jim Norrod said the project would "demonstrate a dramatically different approach to urban mobility."
Embattled GM, which has already received 13.4 billion dollars in federal bailout funds, is under pressure from the government to develop more environmentally conscious technology less dependent on oil.
AFP

PKR kekal di Bukit Selambau

Calon Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), S. Manikumar menang dengan majoriti 2,148 undi dalam Pilihan Raya Kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Bukit Selambau hari ini.
Manikumar, 35, memperoleh 12,632 undi mengatasi calon Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk S. Ganesan yang mendapat 10,229 undi dan juga 13 calon Bebas.
Kemenangan beliau diumumkan oleh Pegawai Pengurus Pilihan Raya Kecil DUN Bukit Selambau, Datuk Abdullah Mat Akhir malam ini.
Menurut Abdullah, 13 lagi calon yang bertanding atas tiket Bebas hilang wang pertaruhan selepas mendapat undi tidak melebihi satu perempat daripada mereka yang keluar mengundi.
Mereka ialah R. Loganathan yang mendapat 31 undi manakala Tan Hock Huat (78), Radhi Md. Lazim (25), Mohd. Fadzil Abdul Wahab (83), Abdul Rahim Abu (60), L. Sarala (49), A. Jayagopal (35), S. Moganakumar (46), Khamis Awang (29), Husaini Yaacob (257), M. Vanesan (32), Mejar (B) Anuar Abd. Hamid (528) dan T. Chandrarajan (73).
Terdapat sebanyak 415 undi rosak dan jumlah keluar mengundi ialah 70.28 peratus daripada 35,140 pengundi berdaftar.
Dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12, calon Bebas yang kemudiannya menyertai PKR, V. Arumugam menewaskan calon BN, S. Krishnan dengan majoriti 2,362 undi.
Pilihan raya kecil itu diadakan setelah Arumugam melepaskan jawatannya pada 8 Februari lalu.
Sementara itu, Naib Presiden PKR, Azmin Ali berkata, kemenangan PKR dan Pas di Bukit Selambau dan Pilihan Raya Kecil Parlimen Bukit Gantang memberi mesej kepada Perdana Menteri yang baru, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak bahawa UMNO dan BN perlu berusaha keras untuk memenangi hati rakyat.

Harga ayam naik

Harga ayam hidup naik daripada RM3.30 sekilogram kepada RM3.70 sekilogram, harga borong ayam hidup naik daripada RM4 sekilogram kepada RM4.40 sekilogram.
Harga runcit ayam hidup naik daripada RM4.70 sekilogram kepada RM5.10 sekilogram.
Persekutuan Persatuan Penternak Malaysia dalam kenyataan hari ini berkata harga borong ayam bersih naik kepada RM5.20 daripada RM4.70 sekilogram. Harga runcit ayam bersih (standard) dengan kaki, kepala, hati dan hempedal naik kepada RM6 sekilogram daripada RM5.55 sekilogram.
Harga runcit ayam bersih (super) tanpa kaki, kepala, hati dan hempedal berharga RM6.70 sekilogram.
Menurut kenyataan itu harga runcit ayam bersih dengan sijil Tanda Kesihatan Veterinar (VHM) Super tanpa kaki, kepala, hati dan hempedal berharga RM7.40 sekilogram.
Harga terbaru ayam ini berasaskan pada faktor permintaan dan bekalan semasa.

- BERNAMA

ISA: Utamakan kebebasan awam

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, pentadbirannya tidak akan menggunakan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) secara sewenang-wenangnya tetapi akan mengutamakan prinsip hak asasi manusia dan kebebasan awam.
Perdana Menteri berkata, akta itu sedang dikaji untuk memastikan ia mengandungi beberapa peruntukan yang menegakkan prinsip-prinsip berkenaan.
"Beberapa peruntukan (ISA) akan mencerminkan kehendak kita (kerajaan) untuk menegakkan kebebasan awam dan ada 'check and balance' supaya tidak mudah ada penggunaan ISA secara arbitrari (sewenang-wenang) atau mengikut kehendak pihak berkuasa tanpa melihat kepada hak asasi dan kebebasan awam rakyat Malaysia," katanya kepada sekumpulan wartawan dari Indonesia di pejabatnya di sini hari ini.
Wakil-wakil media Indonesia itu, yang berada di ibu negara bagi menghadiri Majlis Anugerah Kewartawanan Kajai di sini malam tadi, merupakan kumpulan wartawan asing pertama menemubual Najib selepas beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri pada 3 April lepas.
Najib berkata, keputusannya membebaskan 13 tahanan ISA baru-baru ini merupakan suatu isyarat kerajaan yang mementingkan hak asasi dan kebebasan awam dalam masyarakat demokrasi yang moden, matang dan bertamadun.
Semasa temu bual itu Perdana Menteri turut ditanya mengenai gaya pentadbiran beliau, hubungan dua hala Malaysia-Indonesia, keselamatan serantau dan kebebasan akhbar di Malaysia serta peranan dua Perdana Menteri sebelumnya.
Bercakap mengenai slogan One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now (Satu Malaysia. Rakyat Didahulukan. Pencapaian Diutamakan) yang diumumnya sebaik menjadi Perdana Menteri, Najib berkata, ia merupakan falsafah yang memayungi pentadbiran pimpinan beliau.
Katanya, ia menekankan apa yang harus dilakukan sekarang bagi memacu negara ke arah mencapai hasrat dan visi yang ditetapkan oleh dua Perdana Menteri sebelumnya iaitu Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agar rakyat Malaysia menjadi bangsa "Cemerlang, Gemilang dan Terbilang", dan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, supaya Malaysia menjadi negara maju menerusi "Wawasan 2020".
"(Ia adalah) destinasi kita tapi sebelum sampai kepada negara maju Wawasan 2020, saya tekankan apa yang perlu kita lakukan sekarang... Apa prosesnya? Unity (bersatu), People First dan Performance Now," katanya. Menurutnya konsep One Malaysia menekankan rasa saling hormat dan percaya antara semua kumpulan etnik di Malaysia yang beliau sifatkan sebagai tiang seri kepada proses perpaduan nasional.
Katanya, usaha itu mesti dilakukan dengan penuh kesedaran di peringkat kerajaan dan masyarakat dalam semua program yang dilaksanakan.
"Konsep ini mesti diterjemahkan dalam bentuk tindakan, program kerajaan, umpamanya peruntukan untuk sekolah Cina, untuk sekolah Tamil, diberi secara terus kepada lembaga sekolah.
"Tidak ada kelompok atau kumpulan etnik yang harus rasa tertinggal dari segi dasar dan program kerajaan," kata Perdana Menteri.
Najib berkata, golongan Bumiputera juga harus dibantu kerana mereka masih ketinggalan tetapi usaha itu haruslah dilakukan dengan adil, baik kepada bumiputera dan bukan bumiputera.
Mengenai People First, Najib berkata, kerajaan pimpinan beliau mestilah prihatin dan berada dekat di hati rakyat, bukannya kerajaan elit yang dilihat sebagai memihak kepada syarikat besar dan mengamalkan kronisme atau nepotisme.
"Sebab itu saya lakukan walkabout (lawatan turun padang Sabtu lepas) di kawasan Melayu, Cina dan India. Saya mahu tunjuk bahawa pemimpin mesti dekat dengan rakyat. Saya tidak rasa kekok untuk berjumpa rakyat biasa," katanya.
Najib juga berkata gaya pentadbirannya akan menekankan aspek Performance Now supaya rakyat dapat melihat sesuatu yang dirancang benar-benar berlaku.
"Saya akan tekankan supaya tindakan disegerakan sebab rakyat mahu melihat sesuatu itu berlaku. Semua perlu dibuat dengan cepat, pantas dan boleh dilihat oleh rakyat.
"Saya tekankan pencapaian bukan sahaja penghasilan. Ada perbezaan antara penghasilan dan pencapaian.
"Ini akan merupakan stail pentadbiran baru saya... bahawa kita akan memberi keutamaan kepada kepimpinan yang berasaskan pencapaian," katanya.
Najib juga berkata, beliau mahu menjadi Perdana Menteri untuk semua rakyat serta akan berlaku adil dan tidak mahu dilihat sebagai Perdana Menteri memihak mana-mana suku kaum.
Menyentuh persoalan kebebasan dalam sistem demokrasi, Perdana Menteri berkata, Malaysia bersikap liberal tetapi mengamalkan kebebasan secara bertanggungjawab, kerana jika tidak, ia akan mencetuskan anarki.
Ditanya mengenai kebebasan akhbar pula, Najib yang menjadi tetamu kehormat pada Majlis Anugerah Kewartawan Kajai malam tadi, berkata beliau mahu media memainkan peranan menegur kerajaan secara bertanggungjawab agar pemimpin tidak angkuh dan menyalahgunakan kuasa mereka.
"Kalau pemimpin kerajaan tidak boleh ditegur sama sekali, tidak boleh dikritik sama sekali, kami seolah-olah merasakan kami ini kebal, dan kekebalan itu merupakan suatu yang tidak baik sebab, mungkin kita akan salah guna kuasa, mungkin kita akan terlalu angkuh dengan kedudukan," kata Perdana Menteri.
Katanya, beliau berharap dapat mewujudkan kerjasama yang baik dengan media agar saling memahami peranan masing-masing.
"Pihak akhbar mesti ada tanggungjawab, jangan buat serangan peribadi yang tidak berasas dan menggunakan khabar angin sebagai bahan berita seolah-olah berita itu sahih. Akhbar yang bertanggungjawab mesti menjadi sebahagian penting dalam amalan demokrasi yang sihat," katanya.
Mengenai Tun Dr. Mahathir dan Tun Abdullah, Najib berkata, beliau yakin kedua-dua bekas Perdana Menteri itu akan menjadi penyokong kuat kepada beliau sebagai Perdana Menteri yang baru.
Sambil menyatakan beliau mempunyai hubungan baik dengan kedua-duanya, Najib berkata beliau berharap kedua-dua negarawan itu dapat menggunakan kekuatan masing-masing dalam membantu mengukuhkan UMNO dan Barisan Nasional.
"Saya akan cuba, bukan mudah... (tetapi) saya (juga) ada keistimewaan. Saya ada hubungan baik dan akrab dengan kedua-duanya. Saya fikir penting bagi bekas Perdana Menteri Malaysia menyokong dan mendokong Perdana Menteri sekarang untuk meneruskan perjuangan," katanya. - BERNAMA

Malaysian PM resigns in favour of deputy

Malaysia's king Thursday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after six years in office, clearing the way for a smooth transfer of power to deputy Najib Razak.
Abdullah and then Najib met King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin for successive audiences at the palace to seal the long-planned transition.

"PM Abdullah offered his resignation to the king. The king is understood to have accepted it," a senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Government officials Wednesday said the king had agreed that Najib could be sworn in as prime minister at 0200 GMT Friday.

Najib was last Thursday officially declared president of the United Malays National Organisation party, effectively smothing his path to the premiership because of its dominance of the political scene.

He said he would reveal details Friday of the direction he wanted to take Malaysia amid economic crisis and political uncertainty, with the core of his roadmap being a programme aimed at uniting the multi-racial nation.

"I think this new thrust will ensure there will be a fairer distribution of government allocations and assistance to all communities," he said Wednesday.

Analysts say he faces an enormous challenge to rejuvenate his UMNO party, which has floundered since disastrous election results last year, and cushion the country from the worst effects of the global meltdown.

Malaysia, Southeast Asia's third largest economy, has been hit by slumping exports and manufacturing, with more than 26,000 people losing their jobs so far this year.

A slew of economic data for January underlined the scale of the problem.

Industrial output fell 20.2 percent year-on-year, manufacturing sales sank 22.7 percent and exports plunged 27.8 percent to hit their lowest level since 2001.

Najib, who is also finance minister, unveiled a stimulus package worth 16.2 billion dollars earlier this month, but warned that the export-driven economy could shrink by 1.0 percent this year despite the massive spending.

He will face his first big test as prime minister next Tuesday with three by-elections that will be seen as a referendum on his fledgling leadership.

"He will inherit a divided party with trust in the government at its lowest ebb and a strong opposition," political analyst Shahruddin Badaruddin told AFP earlier.

He said Najib's challenge would be "to unite the fractured elements of the party."

Najib has an impeccable pedigree as the son and nephew of two former prime ministers, but he has been dogged by controversy and Shahruddin said he had to stem the allegations against him.
He has repeatedly denied opposition allegations connecting him to the 2006 slaying of the mistress of his close aide -- a Mongolian woman whose body was blown up with military-grade explosives.

"He must end all the rumours and allegations about the Mongolian case once and for all," Shahruddin said.

"It has affected his image locally and internationally," he added. "As long as these rumours persist, it will make it hard for him to do what needs to be done."

UMNO leads the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled Malaysia for more than half a century since the former colony gained independence from Britain in 1957.

However, last year it put up its worst electoral performance for 39 years, leading to calls for Abdullah to step down.

The coalition of race-based parties -- which also represent ethnic Chinese and Indian communities -- were mauled by the opposition led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The opposition seized an unprecedented one third of seats in parliament and now controls four states.

Agence France-Presse - 4/2/2009 4:19 AM GMT

ICT World - How far does it goes

THERE’S much talk in development circles these days about how much Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as computers, the internet and telephones, are contributing to poverty reduction and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

World leaders have declared their common vision of the Information Society where “everyone can create, access, utilise and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving their quality of life”.

To what extent are the residents of Borneo able to enjoy the benefits of this emerging Information Society?

Borneo’s progress towards full and equal participation in the Information Society is unsurprisingly uneven. There are three scenarios;

Kalimantan makes up about one third of Indonesia’s total land mass, but its population of around 9 million people barely makes up 4 per cent of the country’s total. Overall, Indonesia is struggling to connect its population; there are 73 Indonesian internet users per 1,000 people, compared to 435 in Malaysia and 277 in Brunei.

There are only 14 computers for every 1,000 Indonesians, with 197 for every 1,000 Malaysians and 85 for every 1,000 Bruneians. Moreover, of Indonesia’s 70,000 rural villages, over 43,000 still do not have any telephone access.

Government plans to provide a telephone in every Indonesian village have fallen far short of expectations over recent years. So the prospects for an Information Society in Kalimantan remain bleak.

In Malaysia, whilst the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah have in some instances appeared at or close to the bottom of national development tables, the prospects for ICT infrastructure look better.

Sabah has only 7.9 internet users per 100 households, not the lowest among Malaysian states, but not far behind the national average of 10.4. Similarly, with 20.7 computers per 100 households, it fairs better than three other Malaysian states, but slightly short of the national average of 24.2.

It is the same for mobile phones. The picture is better for Sarawak, which averages 12.1 internet users per 100 households, 24.5 computers and 96.3 mobile phones, all above the national state averages.

In Brunei, where the annual GDP per capita for its 370,000 population averages US$25,600, for every 1,000 people there are 85 personal computers, 277 internet users and 847 fixed and mobile phones. This compares to 435, 197 and 943 respectively for Malaysia.

So there seem to be better prospects for a budding Information Society in the west and north of Borneo. However, as can be found everywhere, it is always the urban areas that enjoy access to ICTs first, with the rural areas being left behind.

So, as many Borneo residents live in rural, sometimes remote, locations, is it inevitable that they will continue to be excluded from the Information Society, despite the apparent progress in some places? Possibly not.

Started in 1998, the pioneering e-Bario Telecentre project, implemented by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak with funding from the Canadian and Malaysian governments, has demonstrated that remote communities can make good use of ICTs for their own development purposes.

By installing computers, telephones and internet facilities (via satellite) for public use, and then making good use of them, Bario has become an exemplary leader in rural development with ICTs.

The e-Bario project has won multiple international rewards; the implementing team is regularly called upon by international agencies to share its expertise and it has become a model for telecentre projects throughout Malaysia. When e-Bario began, the Government had no plans to install similar facilities anywhere else.

However, it recently announced its intention to establish a telecentre in every Malaysian mukim, all 927 of them, a process that is now under way in East Malaysia. It will be possible to obtain a first hand understanding of the project’s remarkable achievements by visiting the e-Bario Knowledge Fair in December 2007.

Oil tumbles below US$49 on gloomy economic outlook

Oil prices tumbled below $49 a barrel Monday as unease about the economy - from Asia to America - raised doubts about the global appetite for energy.

Benchmark crude for May delivery fell more than 7.6 percent, or $3.97, to settle at $48.41 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In London, Brent prices fell $3.19 to settle at $47.99 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Gasoline futures plunged more than 10 cents a gallon.

Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consulting group Ritterbusch and Associates, said he expects oil to fall as low as $47 in advance of the U.S. crude inventory report, the monthly unemployment report and a meeting of the Group of 20 world leaders in London, all this week.

"Late in the week, all hell could break loose, but I don't know whether it makes the market go up or down," Ritterbusch said.

Most energy-market analysts found no fundamental reason for a rally this month that pushed oil prices from $40 per barrel to more than $50.

Crude inventories continue to build even with OPEC cutting production and domestic producers suspending oil projects.

Oil prices have moved higher as a spate of positive economic news heartened investors.
Just last week, markets rallied behind word of a new plan to resolve the nation's banking crisis and a report that consumer spending rose in February for a second straight month.

"None of these burned a single hydrocarbon or pulled a single gallon (of gasoline) from storage," the energy consultancy Cameron Hanover said in a note to clients Monday.

"By Friday, it was just too much macroeconomic news and not enough oil fundamental news that had pushed prices higher."

Traders began to sell positions on the final day of the week.

U.S. stock markets got off to a rocky start Monday after the White House rejected turnaround plans from General Motors Corp. and Chrysler.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 300 points in late afternoon trading.
Losses by major corporations, from banking to the industrial sector, have boosted the amount of oil held in storage and weighed on prices.

The U.S. government last week said crude storage facilities were brimming with more oil than they've had in 16 years.

Combined with the strategic petroleum reserve, the nation now has 1.05 billion barrels of oil in storage - enough to fuel roughly 44 million cars for a year.

"You can't swing a cat without hitting a barrel of crude oil in the United States," analyst Stephen Schork said in his daily markets report Monday.

Crude is piling up as airlines, manufacturers, automakers and just about every other sector slow down and millions of workers lose their jobs. U.S. stores of natural gas also rose by 3 billion cubic feet to about 1.65 trillion cubic feet for the week ended March 20.

Natural gas prices have fallen to levels last seen nearly seven years ago as industries cut costs and slow factory production.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has promised to slash production by 4.2 million barrels per day, but analysts are at odds about the level of compliance by OPEC members.

JBC Energy in Vienna cited data from tanker-tracking agency Petrologistics showing that March crude oil production from 11 OPEC nations would total 25.9 million barrels a day, more than 1 million barrels higher than the group's implied output ceiling of 24.845 million barrels a day.

Comments Monday by Qatar's oil minister suggested OPEC members may be facing a new reality because of a widespread recession.

Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said he was "OK" with crude prices around $50 a barrel for 2009 and was "trying to be more pragmatic" regarding the global crisis and its effects on oil prices.

Just two weeks ago as OPEC ministers gathered in Vienna, Austria, there was still talk of $70 oil.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline for April delivery tumbled 10.8 cents to settle at $1.3799 a gallon while heating oil slipped 9.02 cents to settle at $1.3426 a gallon.
Natural gas for May delivery rose less than a penny to settle at $3.739 per 1,000 cubic feet. - AP

Economic crunch hits docs and patients

The economic slowdown is biting hard even in the medical profession, causing keen competition in government clinics, with private practitioners also scrambling to get a share of overtime payments.

Several government clinics are now operating much longer, up to 9.30pm daily, with doctors manning them paid RM80 an hour in overtime payments.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who acknowledged the keen competition going on between government and private doctors for overtime payments, said:
“Many doctors, irrespective of whether they are in the government or private sector, are very keen to earn extra income these days.”

Liow said that to cater to the increasing number of patients seeking treatment at government clinics, the number of clinics providing outpatient treatment would be increased from 16 to 31 soon.

Besides these clinics, he said 59 hospitals were also providing similar treatment after office hours.

Patients pay RM1 each for outpatient treatment at government clinics, which record more than 50 million such visits annually.

With private practitioners charging at least RM15 per visit and with the economic slowdown causing people to tighten their belts, more and more patients are heading to government clinics.
“With more people seeking treatment at government clinics, opening up more such clinics between 5pm and 9.30pm will make it more accessible, especially for those who are working,’’ Liow said in an interview.

The minister said he had received feedback from private doctors on poor business in their clinics due to the economic slowdown.

On allegations that government doctors were being favoured over private practitioners to work overtime in the government clinics, he said:
“The faster approval for government doctors could be due to the fact that their credentials are readily available for checking.”

“As for the private doctors, it may take longer to verify them,’’ he said, adding that all doctors applied for the overtime online.

Tiga ketua sayap baru

Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Khairy Jamaluddin dan Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, masing-masing menang jawatan Ketua Pergerakan Wanita, Pemuda dan Puteri pada pemilihan ketiga-tiga sayap Umno itu, malam tadi. Shahrizat memperoleh 507 undi, jauh mengatasi Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz yang mendapat 280 undi, manakala Khairy memperoleh 304 undi menewaskan Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo (254) dan Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (232). Rosnah pula mendapat 245 undi mengalahkan lima calon lain.

Kerusi Naib Ketua Pemuda dimenangi Datuk Razali Ibrahim yang mendapat 417 undi, menewaskan Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican (373), manakala Shahanim Mohamad Yusoff mendapat 353 undi untuk jawatan Naib Ketua Puteri, menewaskan empat lagi calon. Keputusan pemilihan bagi Wanita Umno diumumkan oleh Pengerusi Tetapnya, Tan Sri Napsiah Omar, kira-kira jam 9.30 malam, manakala Pengerusi Tetap Pemuda Umno, Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah mengumumkan keputusan pemilihan pergerakan itu pada jam 11.20 malam. Pengerusi Tetap Puteri, Rohani Abu Hassan pula mengumumkan keputusan pemilihan sayap termuda Umno itu, jam 10.57 malam.

Napsiah sebelum itu mengekalkan jawatannya tanpa bertanding, manakala Naib Ketua Wanita Umno juga dimenangi tanpa bertanding oleh Exco pergerakan itu, Datuk Kamalia Ibrahim. Pengerusi Tetap Pemuda dimenangi semula Abdul Fattah dengan 460 undi dan Timbalan Pengerusi Tetap, Muhammad Yadzan Mohammad mendapat 202 undi. Exco baru Pemuda dibarisi Mohamed Suffian Awang yang mendapat 657 undi, Shafiqurrahman Shamsuddin (569 undi), Sohaimi Shahadan (541 undi), Mohamad Nazim A Samad (534 undi), Mohd Afandi Yusoff (503 undi), Jamawi Jaafar (471 undi), Wan Amizan Wan Abdul Razak (471 undi), Tengku Azman Tengku Zainol Abidin (455 undi), Ahmad Darus (446 undi), Ahmad Zaki Zahid (446 undi), Ali Mazat Salleh (437 undi), Megat Zulkarnain (436 undi), Zuber Zabidi (419 undi), Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin (410 undi), Lokman Noor Adam (406 undi), Syahrin Md Jamaluddin (404 undi), Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz (402 undi), Muhammad Khairun Aseh (389 undi), Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya (388 undi) dan Mohamad Iruan Zulkefli (387 undi).

Jawatan Exco Wanita pula dimenangi Hasnah Salam yang mendapat 520 undi, Datuk Maznah Abd Hamid (509), Datuk Rosni Zahari (480), Datuk Armani Mahirudin (463), Datuk Norhayati Onn (463), Datuk Norhayati Omar (432), Datuk Rusnah Kasim (430), Marlia Abd Latiff (416) Noriah Mahat (412), Ros Suryati Alang (405), Datuk Jamelah A Bakar (400), Suraya Yaacob (388), Azihani Ali (385), Norliza Abdul Rahim (377), Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain (375), Datuk Maznah Mazlan (374), Datuk Azizah Mohd Dum (371), Datin Paduka Seripah Noli Syed Hussin (367), Norliza Ahmad (347) dan Wan Hazani Wan Mohd Nor (344).

Barisan Exco Puteri antaranya Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (604 undi), Hasrunizah Hassan (514 undi), Azlinda Zubir (510 undi), Zahida Zarik Khan 501 undi, Asmaiza Aahmad (498 undi), Norhasmizah Mat Tahir (482 undi), Fahariyah Md Nordin (474 undi), Wan Salwati Abdullah (465 undi), Maimunah Sidek (453 undi), Isfarina Mohd Ali (444 undi), Wan Zawiyah Wan Halim (433 undi) dan Norsabrina Mohd Noor (426 undi).

Shock Victory in Malaysia -Khairy Jamaluddin win UMNO Top Post

Malaysian PM's son-in-law to head party youth wing

Khairy Jamaluddin -- son-in-law of M'sia's outgoing PM Badawi -- is UMNO Youth's new leader.

Malaysia's ruling party delegates on Wednesday elected the prime minister's son-in-law as the head of their youth wing _ part of an expected reshuffle in the top leadership to boost the party's plunging popularity.

The race for the youth wing's chief _ a training ground for future leaders_ was seen as a proxy fight between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor and most bitter critic, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose son was also contesting the post.

Mahathir accuses Abdullah of inefficiency and nepotism by promoting the Oxford-educated Khairy Jamaulddin, who was found guilty of vote-buying last week by the party's disciplinary committee. He was let off with a warning.

The 33-year-old won a three-way race for chief of the United Malays National Organization's youth wing.

Khairy, who is currently the youth wing's deputy chief, defeated former Mahathir's son, Mukhriz Mahathir, and one other candidate at the start of two-day elections for the party's office bearers.

On Thursday, the party will elect its deputy president, three vice presidents and 25 members of the decision-making supreme council. After the results were announced, Khairy who got 304 of 793 votes cast, hugged Mukhriz, who got 232 votes.
"I am touched by this mandate given to me. ... Some had said that the KJ era is over," said Khairy, referring to himself by his nickname.

Khairy's victory is a consolation for Abdullah, who will step down as party president on Thursday to make way for his deputy, Najib Razak, partly to accept blame for UMNO's disastrous show in the March 2008 general elections. Najib is contesting the post of party president unopposed.
Abdullah is also scheduled to hand over the prime minister's job to Najib next week.

UMNO, as the dominant party in the ruling National Front coalition, has been in power since independence in 1957. But its popularity plummeted in the March 2008 elections when the Front failed to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time in 40 years. It also ceded control of five of Malaysia's 13 states to the opposition.

On Tuesday, Najib called for radical reforms in the party to end deep-rooted corruption and patronage, warning that the party faces total rout in the next elections.

Much of voter anger was directed at UMNO, whose leaders are widely perceived as corrupt, power-hungry and inefficient. The party is accused of subverting the judiciary, the police force and the bureaucracy.

Najib's most radical proposal was to change the way the party elects its leaders. At present they are elected by some 2,600 delegates, while more than 3 million party members have no voice. This has led to a culture of patronage with delegates often taking bribes and other favors in return for their votes.

Yahoo News 26/03/2009

Kelas Tingkatan Enam wajar penjenamaan semula

TINGKATAN Enam semakin tidak popular. Pelbagai program untuk lepasan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) antaranya matrikulasi, kursus asasi dan diploma, prauniversiti serta program persediaan di institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) awam mahupun swasta menjadikan calon yang menduduki Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) berkurangan.

Kemerosotan ini memerlukan perhatian Kementerian Pelajaran kerana dikhuatiri program Tingkatan Enam yang diwujudkan sejak sekian lama untuk calon STPM yang dahulunya dikenali High School Certificate (HSC) sepi ditelan zaman. Laporan Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia mendapati jumlah calon menduduki peperiksaan itu menurun daripada 73,690 pada 2006, kepada 66,048 (2007) dan 53,638 tahun lalu.

Berdasarkan situasi itu perlu ada proses penjenamaan semula supaya ia lebih menarik dan mempunyai nilai komersial bagi memastikan lepasan sekolah yang menyertainya kekal berdaya saing sama ada untuk memasuki pasaran pekerjaan mahupun meneruskan pengajian di IPT.

Cadangan kerajaan mewujudkan kolej Tingkatan Enam seperti diumumkan Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran, Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, adalah langkah terbaik dalam memaksimumkan keupayaan pelajar senior dalam sistem pendidikan negara. Jika di negara jiran, pelajar kategori ini akan mengikuti pengajian di kolej junior sebelum melanjutkan pengajian ke universiti tempatan mahupun luar negara.

Kajian semula perlu memberi penekanan kepada proses pembelajaran ala kampus sebagai persiapan pelajar menyesuaikan diri dengan persekitaran IPT selepas berjaya memperoleh keputusan cemerlang dalam STPM. Pelajar yang rata-ratanya berusia di antara 18 hingga 19 tahun ini mempunyai keistimewaan kerana masing-masing sudah melalui proses pembelajaran secara berperingkat selama 11 tahun bermula Tahun Satu.

Banyak pengetahuan serta pengalaman diperoleh sepanjang tempoh berkenaan hingga menjadikan mereka lebih bersedia berhadapan situasi mengarahkan mereka berdikari mendapatkan bahan bacaan serta rujukan tambahan. Cadangan menyediakan asrama pula relevan kerana pergerakan mereka mudah dipantau kerana golongan ini mudah terjebak dengan unsur negatif, selain dapat mengoptimumkan alam persekolahan mereka dengan mengikuti aktiviti lebih bermakna.

Begitu juga cadangan menyediakan sekolah khas untuk pelajar Tingkatan Enam, ada baiknya hanya satu sekolah dalam sesuatu daerah melaksanakan program itu. Guru dan pelajar diasingkan supaya mereka dapat memberi tumpuan sepenuhnya pada proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran (P&P). Jika mereka berada dalam satu premis dikhuatiri wujud senario tidak kondusif dalam proses pengajaran membabitkan guru biasa dengan guru Tingkatan Enam yang sebahagian mereka memiliki gred lebih tinggi dengan tahap minimum pada DG44 hingga DG54 dan Jusa C bagi pengetua kanan. Walaupun sesetengah pihak menganggap isu ini remeh namun bakal menimbulkan pelbagai konflik yang menyebabkan timbul rasa tidak puas hati di antara guru lama yang masih berada pada gred lebih rendah berbanding rakan baru yang sudah dinaikkan ke gred lebih tinggi.

Lazimnya setiap kali kerajaan melaksanakan proses menaiktaraf pastinya akan ada lantikan baru serta kenaikan gred, keadaan itu menimbulkan reaksi positif dan negatif pelbagai pihak. Penjenamaan semula memerlukan penelitian kerana ia membabitkan banyak pihak dari segi penyelarasan kelas hinggalah lantikan guru oleh Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA).

Penyelarasan serta kajian semula memerlukan nasihat pakar dalam mahupun luar negara termasuk mendapatkan pandangan daripada tokoh pendidik, selain mengadakan perbincangan dengan anggota masyarakat, industri dan IPT. Program pelajaran selama satu tahun setengah itu perlu dipenuhi pelbagai pendidikan serta dilengkapkan dengan aktiviti nilai ditambah bukan hanya memberi tumpuan akademik semata-mata. Pada peringkat ini, pelajar Tingkatan Enam boleh dijurus kemahiran serta pengetahuan kepada aktiviti sampingan menerusi kokurikulum yang dapat memupuk kemahiran kepimpinan.

Ketua Pengarah Pelajaran, Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom, berkata pelajar ini boleh ditugaskan untuk melaksanakan sesuatu projek untuk dimanfaatkan semua pihak antaranya untuk memajukan masyarakat sekitar. Sebagai contoh, beliau berkata, jika sekolah menyarankan pelajar menjalani projek kemasyarakatan serta pembangunan sesuatu kawasan, mereka boleh ditugaskan menyediakan kertas kerja untuk dikemukakan kepada pihak berkuasa untuk tindakan susulan. Tahap pemikiran mereka sudah matang dan mempunyai keupayaan membuat keputusan, selain mempunyai kelebihan berkomunikasi.

"Inilah ciri istimewa yang diharapkan kerajaan kepada generasi muda hari ini, mereka bukan hanya cemerlang dalam bidang akademik tetapi keadaan seimbang termasuk memiliki kemahiran insaniah. "Kami yakin jika pelajar diberi kepercayaan pada peringkat sekolah, masing-masing mudah menyesuaikan diri apabila berada di pusat pengajian tinggi serta mampu menjadi insan lebih peka kepada persekitaran," katanya ketika dihubungi di Kuala Lumpur, semalam. Mengulas hanya guru yang mempunyai gred tertentu mengajar pelajar Tingkatan Enam, Alimuddin berkata, JPA sudah mengeluarkan surat lantikan kepada guru berkenaan.

Pelajar Tingkatan Enam hanya akan diajar guru gred minimum DG44. Guru berkenaan pula hanya mengajar pelajar Tingkatan Enam. Ia bagi memastikan mereka memberi tumpuan sepenuhnya kepada pelajar berkenaan. Sebelumnya, ada guru yang mengajar Tingkatan Enam perlu mengajar pelajar lain menyebabkan masing-masing berhadapan bebanan tugas yang banyak.

Penyelarasan ini memberi peluang guru meningkatkan kemahiran serta mutu pengajaran pelbagai kaedah termasuk menyediakan perbincangan serta perbahasan dalam sesuatu topik yang dikemukakan menerusi proses pembelajaran interaktif.


STPM perlu relevan dengan keperluan pendidikan negara

TAHNIAH kepada 236 pelajar berjaya mencatat keputusan terbaik peperiksaan Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) yang diumumkan Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia (MPM) kelmarin. Namun, jika dilihat secara menyeluruh keputusan itu kurang memberangsangkan, terutama kemerosotan dari segi jumlah calon yang memperoleh prinsipal A, selain prestasi kurang memuaskan di kalangan calon sekolah luar bandar. Daripada 53,638 calon yang mengambil peperiksaan itu, hanya 3,437 calon atau 6.85 peratus lulus penuh lima mata pelajaran, manakala 18,686 calon atau 37.25 peratus lulus empat mata pelajaran. Selebihnya hanya lulus tiga atau dua prinsipal, sekali gus menyukarkan mereka memasuki pusat pengajian tinggi awam. Dalam pada itu, kita melihat arah aliran pelajar memasuki Tingkatan Enam dan mengambil STPM juga semakin merosot iaitu daripada 66,048 calon pada 2007 kepada 58,048 tahun lalu. Jika kedua-dua petunjuk ini dijadikan asas untuk melihat masa depan peperiksaan STPM, ia sesuatu yang membimbangkan dan memerlukan penelitian khusus kerajaan, khususnya Kementerian Pelajaran. Peratus pelajar lepasan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) yang mengambil STPM melalui Tingkatan Enam semakin merosot setiap tahun, khususnya bagi kelas Sains iaitu hanya 9,093 calon tahun lalu berbanding aliran Sastera 44,545 calon. Malah, jika kita melihat daripada 400,000 pelajar yang menduduki SPM setiap tahun, hanya lapan peratus atau sekitar 50,000 saja memasuki kelas Tingkatan Enam dan mengambil peperiksaan STPM, ia sepatutnya membuka mata semua pihak mengenai hala tuju peperiksaan berkenaan.

Sebahagian pelajar lepasan SPM mengelak memasuki Tingkatan Enam atau mengambil STPM, sebaliknya memilih menyertai program diploma di institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) dan swasta (IPTS), kolej matrikulasi atau kolej komuniti di seluruh negara. Sebagai contoh, daripada 442,936 calon SPM tahun lalu yang keputusannya diumumkan hari ini, seramai 130,000 calon memohon ke IPTA melalui online Unit Pusat Universiti. Itu belum dikira pelajar yang memohon mengikuti kursus diploma dan sijil yang dianggarkan berjumlah 28,000, manakala 27,500 lagi akan ditawarkan tempat di kolej matrikulasi. Kini terpulang kepada Kementerian Pelajaran untuk memastikan kelas Tingkatan Enam dan peperiksaan STPM terus relevan sebagai laluan ke IPTA. Ini berikutan terlalu banyak saluran untuk lepasan SPM memasuki IPTA dan IPTS bagi menyambung pelajaran pada masa ini. Sehubungan itu, ura-ura penjenamaan semula peperiksaan STPM, termasuk cadangan penubuhan Kolej Tingkatan Enam dan pemilihan guru berjawatan DG44 untuk mengajar pelajar STPM memang kena pada masanya dan amat dialu-alukan. Dalam pada itu, kita juga mahu MPM mengkaji semula sukatan 23 mata pelajaran yang ditawarkan di Tingkatan Enam supaya selari dengan keperluan pengajaran dan pembelajaran di IPTA. Subjek ditawarkan itu kebanyakannya sudah ketinggalan zaman dan tidak menarik minat pelajar mempelajarinya. Sudah sampai masanya peperiksaan STPM digilap semula supaya menjadi keutamaan pelajar sebagai saluran memasuki universiti, bukan pilihan terakhir seperti tanggapan pelajar pada masa ini.

Pegawai Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) serbu pejabat Kementerian Pelancongan

Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) dijangka memanggil Menteri Pelancongan, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said bagi membantu siasatan berhubung rasuah politik dan salah guna kuasa dalam pengagihan projek kementerian itu. Ini berikutan serbuan pegawai SPRM ke pejabat Kementerian Pelancongan di Tingkat 36, Menara Dato' Onn di sini semalam. Dalam pemeriksaan oleh dua pasukan itu, SPRM turut merampas sejumlah dokumen dan menyoal siasat beberapa pegawai.

Sumber SPRM berkata, dalam serbuan itu, SPRM Wilayah Persekutuan memberi tumpuan kepada kes rasuah politik, manakala pegawai Bahagian Risikan ibu pejabat suruhanjaya itu menyiasat dakwaan penyelewengan pengurusan syarikat milik Tourism Malaysia, Pempena Sdn Bhd (Pempena). "Dalam pemeriksaan hampir tiga jam itu, SPRM turut mengambil keterangan kira-kira 10 pegawai kementerian berkenaan, bagaimanapun menteri terbabit tidak berada di pejabatnya ketika itu. "SPRM dijangka memanggil menteri berkenaan bagi memberi keterangan dalam masa terdekat," katanya ketika dihubungi semalam.

Kementerian Pelancongan, dalam kenyataannya mengesahkan SPRM mengambil keterangan beberapa pegawainya termasuk berhubung siasatan terhadap anak syarikatnya, Pempena yang didakwa terbabit menyalahgunakan dana. "Berhubung beberapa laporan yang mengaitkan seorang pegawai kanan menteri disiasat SPRM baru-baru ini, kementerian mengesahkan beberapa pegawainya diminta memberi keterangan untuk membantu siasatan. "Dalam pada tiada sebarang kesalahan jenayah dilakukan, kementerian dan Tourism Malaysia akan memberi kerjasama penuh bagi membantu siasatan. Kami akan membantu SPRM dan yakin siasatan akan dibuat secara adil," katanya. Sumber SPRM berkata, pemeriksaan itu dijalankan bagi mengesan sebarang bukti berkaitan pengagihan kontrak dan projek kepada perwakilan Umno, baru-baru ini.

"Pemeriksaan juga dilakukan untuk memastikan sama ada kontrak dan projek itu diberikan kepada individu terbabit dengan syarat mereka 'menaja' untuk jentera parti menjelang pemilihan akhir bulan ini," katanya. Jumaat lalu, dua pegawai kanan seorang menteri ditahan SPRM termasuk Setiausaha Politiknya yang bergelar Datuk sebelum dibebaskan selepas keterangan mereka diambil. Ketika ditahan, SPRM menemui RM70,000 dalam kereta Setiausaha Politik itu, dipercayai untuk diagihkan kepada perwakilan Umno Wilayah Persekutuan pada pemilihan parti 24 hingga 28 Mac ini.

Sumber itu berkata, dalam serbuan semalam SPRM turut menyiasat dakwaan penyelewengan pengurusan Pempena berikutan aduan terbaru yang diterima mengaitkan syarikat berkenaan, baru-baru ini. Beliau berkata, walaupun pemeriksaan sebelum ini mendapati tidak wujud masalah dalam syarikat berkenaan, suruhanjaya itu membuka semula kes berkenaan bagi mengesahkan dakwaan terbaru itu.

Sebelum ini, akhbar melaporkan firma audit, PricewaterhouseCoopers akan membentangkan kepada Kementerian Pelancongan bagi menentukan tindakan yang bakal dikenakan terhadap Pempena berhubung dakwaan terbabit dalam projek pelaburan yang diragui.

Senarai terbaru 20 terkaya di dunia

Berikut senarai 20 orang terkaya di dunia 2009yang dikeluarkan Majalah Forbes hari ini:

1. Bill Gates (AS$40 bilion - Microsoft - Amerika Syarikat)
2. Warren Buffett (AS$37 bilion - Berkshire Hathaway - AS)
3. Carlos Slim dan keluarga (AS$35 bilion - Telecoms - Mexico)
4. Lawrence Ellison (AS$22.5 bilion) - Oracle - AS)
5. Ingvar Kamprad dan keluarga (AS$22 bilion - Ikea - Sweden)
6. Karl Albrecht (AS$21.5 bilion) - Aldi - Jerman)
7. Mukesh Ambani (AS$19.5 bilion) - petrokamia - India)
8. Lakshmi Mittal (AS$19.3 bilion) - besi - India
9. Theo Albrecht (AS$18.8 bilion) - Aldi - Trader Joe's - Jerman
10. Amancio Ortega (AS$18.3 bilion) - Zara - Sepanyol)
11. Jim Walton (AS$17.8 bilion) - Wal-Mart, AS)
12. Alice Walton (AS$17.6 bilion) - Wal-Mart - AS)
13. Christy Walton dan keluarga (AS$17.6 bilion) - Wal-Mart, AS)
14. S. Robson Walton (AS$17.6 bilion) - Wal-Mart AS)
15. Bernard Arnault (AS$16.5 bilion) - LVMH - Perancis.
16. Li Ka-shing (AS$16.2 bilion) - Hong Kong.
17. Michael Bloomberg (AS$16 bilion) - Bloomberg, AS)
18. Stefan Persson (AS$14.5 bilion) - Hennes and Mauritz, Sweden)
19. Charles Koch, AS$14 bilion - pembuatan, tenaga - AS)
20 David Koch (AS$14 bilion) - pembuatan, tenaga - AS) - AFP

Rangsangan RM60 bilion

NAJIB ketika membentangkan bajet Mini bagi menghadapi krisis ekonomi global di parlimen

- Peruntukan pakej dilaksana dalam tempoh 2 tahun
- Kerajaan terbit bon tambah pendapatan rakyat

Kerajaan memperuntukkan RM60 bilion dalam pakej kedua bagi merangsang kegiatan ekonomi dan mengelak negara daripada terjejas teruk oleh krisis ekonomi dunia yang disifatkan paling buruk dalam tempoh 70 tahun. Pakej rangsangan menyeluruh, menjangkau lebih banyak sektor dan kumpulan sasaran itu menumpukan kepada empat teras, iaitu mengurangkan pengangguran dan menambah peluang pekerjaan; meringankan beban rakyat; membantu sektor swasta menghadapi krisis ekonomi semasa; dan membina keupayaan masa depan.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ketika membentangkannya di Dewan Rakyat semalam, berkata peruntukan pakej itu, yang bersamaan sembilan peratus nilai Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) dan terbesar dalam sejarah ekonomi negara, akan dilaksanakan dalam tempoh dua tahun.

Daripada jumlah itu, RM15 bilion adalah suntikan fiskal, RM25 bilion dalam bentuk Dana Jaminan; RM10 bilion pelaburan ekuiti, RM7 bilion inisiatif pembiayaan swasta (PFI) dan perbelanjaan luar bajet; serta RM3 bilion dalam bentuk insentif cukai. Bagi agihan berdasarkan teras pula, RM2 bilion diperuntukkan bagi teras pertama, RM10 bilion (teras kedua), RM29 bilion (teras Ketiga), dan RM19 bilion (teras keempat). Najib yang juga Menteri Kewangan berkata, saiz perbelanjaan itu akan meningkatkan defisit Bajet Kerajaan Persekutuan, yang dianggarkan naik kepada 7.6 peratus tahun ini daripada anggaran 4.8 peratus sebelum ini.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, kerajaan yakin dasar fiskal negara mempunyai fleksibiliti dan keupayaan menampung defisit lebih tinggi yang akan dibiayai oleh sumber dalam negara. Beliau menegaskan, pakej rangsangan kedua itu perlu dilaksanakan kerana krisis ekonomi global semasa, bermula daripada krisis kewangan subprima di Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada pertengahan 2007 membawa kesan yang jauh lebih meluas serta mendalam, dan setakat ini masih belum nampak tanda pemulihan.

Malah, katanya, lebih separuh ekonomi utama dunia, terutama di AS, kawasan Eropah serta Jepun, telah mengalami penguncupan ekonomi paling buruk sejak 'Kemelesetan Terburuk' pada 1930-an. Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata, perkembangan ekonomi dunia yang amat negatif itu mula memberikan kesan ke atas ekonomi negara dalam suku keempat tahun lalu dengan eksport dan pengeluaran industri mula merosot dan pelaburan berkurangan, manakala sentimen pengguna juga turut terjejas.

Persekitaran ekonomi global bagi tahun ini dijangkakan lebih sukar dengan AS, iaitu ekonomi dan negara perdagangan terbesar dunia, diramal mengalami pertumbuhan ekonomi negatif 1.6 peratus, sementara United Kingdom negatif 2.8 peratus, dan Jepun negatif 2.6 peratus. Di rantau ini pula, Korea Selatan, Taiwan dan Singapura akan terus mengalami kemelesetan ekonomi, iaitu masing-masing pada negatif 2 peratus. "Malaysia kini berdepan keadaan ekonomi amat mencabar yang memerlukan kerajaan mengkaji semula unjuran pertumbuhan KDNK.

Namun, Kerajaan yakin bajet asal 2009 dengan peruntukkan RM206 bilion serta pakej rangsangan pertama berjumlah RM7 bilion ringgit dan pakej kedua ini mampu mengurangkan kesan penguncupan ekonomi global ke atas ekonomi negara. "Jika usaha ini tidak diambil, ekonomi negara akan mengalami kemelesetan serius. Dengan langkah yang diambil, pertumbuhan KDNK negara dijangka dalam lingkungan -1 peratus hingga satu peratus," katanya.

Sementara itu, di bawah teras pertama iaitu mengurangkan pengangguran dan menambah peluang pekerjaan, kerajaan antara lain akan mewujudkan 163,000 peluang latihan dan penempatan pekerjaan di sektor awam dan swasta, mengisi 63,000 jawatan di pelbagai agensi kerajaan dan memberikan insentif cukai kepada syarikat yang mengambil pekerja yang diberhentikan. Kerajaan juga akan menampung kos yuran pengajian masing-masing sebanyak RM10,000 dan RM20,000 bagi pelajar yang melanjutkan pengajian ke peringkat doktor falsafah dan sarjana serta mengembangkan skop skim Prosper Siswazah.

Bagi teras kedua pula, kerajaan menyediakan peruntukan tambahan RM674 juta sebagai subsidi untuk mengelakkan kenaikan harga bahan makanan harian seperti gula, roti dan tepung, selain RM480 juta supaya kadar tol lebuh raya tidak dinaikkan. Sebanyak RM200 juta pula diperuntukkan sebagai peruntukan tambahan kepada Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd untuk membina rumah mesra rakyat, sementara bagi membantu pembeli rumah, kerajaan akan memberikan pelepasan cukai ke atas faedah pinjaman perumahan sehingga RM10,000 setahun selama tiga tahun.

Bagi menambahkan lagi pendapatan rakyat, kerajaan akan menerbitkan Bon Simpanan Kerajaan berlandaskan Syariah berjumlah RM5 bilion tahun ini dengan kadar pulangan lima peratus setahun. Untuk membantu syarikat termasuk perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) pula, kerajaan antara lain akan menubuhkan Skim Jaminan Modal Kerja dan Skim Dana Jaminan Penstrukturan Semula Industri masing-masing dengan dana RM5 bilion; serta sebuah Institusi Jaminan Kewangan dengan modal awal RM1 bilion.

Bagi menggerakkan sektor automotif, kerajaan bersama dengan Proton dan Perodua mewujudkan skim pelupusan kereta di mana pemilik sebarang jenama kereta yang mahu melupuskan kereta berusia lebih 10 tahun akan diberikan diskaun RM5,000 bagi membeli kereta baru.

Najib turut mengumumkan yang kerajaan akan meningkatkan dana pelaburan Khazanah Nasional sebanyak RM10 bilion yang akan dilaburkan dalam projek impak tinggi dalam tempoh dua tahun akan datang; mengenal pasti projek pelaburan bernilai RM5 bilion yang akan dilaksanakan secara di luar bajet; serta penyediaan dana sebanyak RM2 bilion bagi pelaksanaan projek melalui Inisiatif pembiayaan Swasta (PFI).