Every human being in this world including children, infant, woman...etc are NOT Children of Lesser God. Everyone has the right to be alive same as everyone else in this world. There are only 5 alphabets in "Peace" word yet to obtain it seems like eternity. I do not live in the conflict regions but I can still feel the pain & the waiting from the people from both sides seems like the "gift" they are longing for is yet to be seen...
Hamas: Our people are not children of a lesser God (PIC)
From Khalid Amayreh in Occupied East Jerusalem (3/18/2009)
The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, has held Israel responsible for the breakdown of Egyptian-mediated negotiations over a possible prisoner swap with the apartheid Zionist regime.
Hamas officials described statements by outgoing Israeli premier Ehud Olmert as “theatrical” and “mendacious from A to Z.”
Link
One Hamas official in the Gaza Strip remarked that “Olmert is as mendacious as he is criminal,” adding that “what else would you expect from the killer of thousands of children and civilians?”
On Wednesday, the Israeli government decided to impose a new “set of punishments” against the Gaza Strip.
The Zionist government, which had signaled that a prisoner swap deal with Hamas was within reach, suddenly changed its mind, accusing Hamas of “inflexibility” and “making exaggerated demands.”
Hamas’s demands actually remained unchanged ever since the Shalit affair began more than thirty months ago when Palestinian guerillas captured the Israeli occupation soldier during a cross-border battle with the Israeli army.
Olmert on Tuesday, 17 March, launched a tirade against Hamas, calling the movement a “terrorist group.” Olmert utterly ignored Israel’s own terrorist record of killing and murdering thousands of innocent Palestinians during his reign of power.
In December and January, the Israeli army carried out a huge blitz on the Gaza Strip, killing and maiming more than 5,000 people, including hundreds of children, and utterly destroying the bulk of the coastal enclave's civilian infrastructure.
Similarly, the Israeli army killed and maimed thousands of innocent civilians during the 2006 onslaught on Lebanon and dropped millions of cluster bomblets on the Lebanese countryside.
Israel routinely calls its Arab victims “terrorists” while considering its own superior terror “legitimate self-defense.”
Israel holds as many as 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of them political activists incarcerated without charge or trial.
“We are not a defeated nation”
Trying to justify his government’s refusal to release the leaders of the Palestinian intifada (uprising) from Israeli prisons, Olmert said the release of “bloody terrorists” was a red line which Israel was not ready to cross.
“Israel will not give in to Hamas’s dictates as long as I am prime minister. We will not cease our efforts (to release Shalit from Hamas’ custody), but we have redlines and will not cross them. We are not a defeated nation.”
Israel had offered to release only 350 of the 450 political and resistance leaders imprisoned in Israel in connection with their resistance to the Israeli occupation during the last Palestinian intifada or uprising.
However, Hamas refused to compromise on the release of the remaining 100 prisoners, arguing that “as Shalit has a family, our prisoners also have families that are awaiting them to come home.”
Hamas’s spokesmen in Gaza also dismissed arguments made by Israeli leaders that some Palestinian prisoners were responsible for the death of Israelis.
"Israel has murdered thousands of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese civilians with White Phosphorus shells and cluster bombs. Israel has been murdering Palestinians ever since its creation. Israel itself is the world’s premier murderer, liar and thief," said Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.
Masri told reporters that “it is time Israel realizes that our victims are not children of a lesser God and that Jewish blood is not more precious than Palestinian blood.”
Hamas’s officials involved in the negotiations held Israel fully responsible for the breakdown of the talks.
Osama Mazeini said Hamas was negotiating in good faith, adding that Israel wanted to “dictate on us unacceptable conditions such as which prisoner should be released.”
Israel also demanded that dozens of prisoners be deported to Syria, a concept Hamas described as “virulent and despicable.” Syria refused, with one Syrian official saying “Palestinians have a country, it is called Palestine.”
According to Osama Hamdan, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon, Israel had agreed to “the number” of prisoners to be released but not specifically to those on Hamas’s list and not to how they would be released.
Hamdan said Israel rejected some of the names, thinking that this could bear some fruit in view of the pressure that would be created by Olmert’s imminent departure from office.
He also revealed that Israel wanted Shalit to be released before it released the Palestinian prisoners, which he described as “unacceptable.”
Nazi analogy
Olmert likened the popular Islamic movement to the Third Reich, suggesting that the small and surrounded movement posed a great threat to world democracies.
The utterly corrupt analogy, observers here suggest, reflected Olmert’s frustration by the failure of all Israel’s bullying tactics against Hamas, including the unrelenting harsh blockade of the Gaza Strip, to force the movement to free Shalit in return for a “more modest price” that would allow Israel to save face.
This is what Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin alluded to following the Israeli cabinet session Tuesday.
“Had we agreed to Hamas’s conditions as they insisted on the final day of negotiations, it would have caused serious security damage to Israel.”
Israeli Military Intelligence director Amos Yadlin was more elaborate in explaining why Israel refused to free key Palestinian political and resistance leaders.
“Submitting to Hamas’s demands would have dealt a mortal blow to moderate elements in the Palestinian Authority and the entire Middle East, while extremists would have been greatly strengthened.”
Israeli sources had reported that PA leader Mahmoud Abbas had been warning Israel on several occasions against releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners at this time on the ground that this would phenomenally strengthen Hamas while adversely affecting the western-backed PA regime.
The PA dismissed the Israeli reports as “cheap disinformation.”
Interestingly, neither Israel nor Hamas said they would terminate talks aimed at realizing a prisoner swap in the foreseeable future.
However, it is obvious that Olmert and his outgoing government hope that imminent advent to power of the manifestly right-wing Israeli government, headed by Likud leader Benyamin Netanyahu, will convince Hamas to back down or at least backtrack on its original demands regarding the number prisoners it wants to see freed in exchange for Shalit. Hamas described Israeli hopes to that effect as “wishful thinking.”
Netanyahu himself has been silent on the issue and is not expected to voice his opinion until he is sworn in as Prime Minister, probably by the end of next week.
The would-be premier had hoped that the Olmert government would get Shalit freed before the new government assumes power.
Additional Israeli sanctions against the already tormented Gazans will include further tightening of the blockade and barring the entry into Gaza of more essential items and consumer products.
This would represent a direct challenge to growing American and European calls urging Israel to relax the 3-year-old draconian siege to Gaza.
Read more...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Obama envoy tells Israel U.S. wants Palestinian state (Reuters)
Let's see who will compromise first ....
Obama envoy tells Israel U.S. wants Palestinian state (Reuters)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Washington's visiting Middle East envoy vowed on Thursday to vigorously pursue the creation of a Palestinian state, setting the stage for possible conflict with Israel's new right-leaning government.
Link
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused to commit Israel to restarting statehood talks and told President Barack Obama's envoy George Mitchell his government wanted the Palestinians to first recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
"Israel expects the Palestinians to first recognise Israel as a Jewish state before talking about two states for two peoples," a senior official in Netanyahu's office quoted the prime minister as telling Mitchell at a meeting in Tel Aviv.
Another Israeli official said Netanyahu saw Palestinian acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state as "a crucial element in moving forward with the political dialogue".
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat dismissed Netanyahu's demands as part of an effort by the two-week-old government to dodge commitments made by its predecessor to negotiate thorny issues such as borders, the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.
Palestinians have long rejected such explicit recognition of the Jewish nature of a state where one in five people is Arab.
In back-to-back meetings with Israeli leaders, Mitchell stressed Obama's commitment to the goal of a two-state solution, "in which a Palestinian state is living in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel", to end the decades-old conflict.
"That is our objective. That is what we will pursue vigorously in the coming months," Mitchell said.
Netanyahu has been vague about any future peacemaking with the Palestinians, but ultranationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who met Mitchell earlier in the day, has described negotiations launched at a 2007 conference in Annapolis, Maryland as at a "dead end".
Netanyahu's call for the Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state threw yet another hurdle in the way of U.S. efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
Mitchell, a former U.S. senator who mediated in the Northern Ireland peace process, planned to hold talks on Friday with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
LIEBERMAN, WILD CARD
At a brief public appearance alongside Mitchell, Lieberman made no mention of a Palestinian state, saying only that his meeting with the U.S. envoy was "a great opportunity to exchange some ideas, and we spoke about really close cooperation".
Mitchell said that Lieberman told him about Israel's desire to "make economic improvements" in the West Bank.
Palestinian leaders have rejected any notion of an "economic peace" and have said U.S.-backed talks with Israel cannot resume until Netanyahu makes a commitment to statehood.
Lieberman has stirred controversy in the Arab world with his hawkish rhetoric and Egypt said this week it would not deal with the Israeli foreign minister as long as his positions remained unchanged.
But Lieberman's deputy Danny Ayalon told Israel's Channel Two television on Thursday: "I promise you that not only will there be a visit by minister Lieberman in Egypt, but he will also host senior Egyptians here, and soon."
In addition to pressing Netanyahu to accept a two-state solution, the Obama administration has urged the government to ease its blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
For the first time in over a month, Israel launched an air strike in the Palestinian enclave on Thursday, blowing up what it said was a booby-trapped building near the border fence.
Local residents said no one was hurt in the blast.
(Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem, Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
Read more...
Obama envoy tells Israel U.S. wants Palestinian state (Reuters)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Washington's visiting Middle East envoy vowed on Thursday to vigorously pursue the creation of a Palestinian state, setting the stage for possible conflict with Israel's new right-leaning government.
Link
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused to commit Israel to restarting statehood talks and told President Barack Obama's envoy George Mitchell his government wanted the Palestinians to first recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
"Israel expects the Palestinians to first recognise Israel as a Jewish state before talking about two states for two peoples," a senior official in Netanyahu's office quoted the prime minister as telling Mitchell at a meeting in Tel Aviv.
Another Israeli official said Netanyahu saw Palestinian acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state as "a crucial element in moving forward with the political dialogue".
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat dismissed Netanyahu's demands as part of an effort by the two-week-old government to dodge commitments made by its predecessor to negotiate thorny issues such as borders, the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.
Palestinians have long rejected such explicit recognition of the Jewish nature of a state where one in five people is Arab.
In back-to-back meetings with Israeli leaders, Mitchell stressed Obama's commitment to the goal of a two-state solution, "in which a Palestinian state is living in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel", to end the decades-old conflict.
"That is our objective. That is what we will pursue vigorously in the coming months," Mitchell said.
Netanyahu has been vague about any future peacemaking with the Palestinians, but ultranationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who met Mitchell earlier in the day, has described negotiations launched at a 2007 conference in Annapolis, Maryland as at a "dead end".
Netanyahu's call for the Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state threw yet another hurdle in the way of U.S. efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
Mitchell, a former U.S. senator who mediated in the Northern Ireland peace process, planned to hold talks on Friday with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
LIEBERMAN, WILD CARD
At a brief public appearance alongside Mitchell, Lieberman made no mention of a Palestinian state, saying only that his meeting with the U.S. envoy was "a great opportunity to exchange some ideas, and we spoke about really close cooperation".
Mitchell said that Lieberman told him about Israel's desire to "make economic improvements" in the West Bank.
Palestinian leaders have rejected any notion of an "economic peace" and have said U.S.-backed talks with Israel cannot resume until Netanyahu makes a commitment to statehood.
Lieberman has stirred controversy in the Arab world with his hawkish rhetoric and Egypt said this week it would not deal with the Israeli foreign minister as long as his positions remained unchanged.
But Lieberman's deputy Danny Ayalon told Israel's Channel Two television on Thursday: "I promise you that not only will there be a visit by minister Lieberman in Egypt, but he will also host senior Egyptians here, and soon."
In addition to pressing Netanyahu to accept a two-state solution, the Obama administration has urged the government to ease its blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
For the first time in over a month, Israel launched an air strike in the Palestinian enclave on Thursday, blowing up what it said was a booby-trapped building near the border fence.
Local residents said no one was hurt in the blast.
(Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem, Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
Read more...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Malaysia leader's racial unity campaign hits snag (AP)
Must we recognize each person by its color? It’s race? It’s religion?
Why on earth are we still trapped with ancient thinking?
We are living in the modern age where economics stability & nations prosperity are the ultimate goals ?
Or rather every individual is just a selfish slacks that takes care his/her own pockets…A sad truth!
Malaysia leader's racial unity campaign hits snag (AP)
A campaign by Malaysia's new prime minister to promote racial harmony received a jolt after a pro-ruling party newspaper Wednesday urged the Malay majority to "rise and unite" against demands by ethnic minorities.
In a front-page article, the Utusan Malaysia daily quoted several Malay politicians and activists as saying Malays should put aside their political differences so that they can jointly resist pressure from the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
"The Malays must rise and unite in facing the demands of other races that are now seen as increasingly excessive," the article's opening paragraph said.
Link
It was apparently referring to recent calls by ethnic Indian government politicians for higher Cabinet posts and vocal complaints by minorities against longtime government policies that give majority Malays priority in jobs, education and business opportunities. The government says Malays lag behind minorities economically.
The timing of the article _ when Prime Minister Najib Razak is promoting unity _ reflects anger among many Malay leaders to the increasing boldness of minorities.
The Malay-language Utusan Malaysia is the country's most widely read newspaper and is controlled by the United Malays National Organization party. It dominates the ruling National Front coalition and claims to speak for many of the Malays who form nearly 60 percent of the population. Chinese are a quarter of the population and Indians some 8 percent.
UMNO's partners in the National Front are ethnic Chinese, Indian and other minority parties, which have faced increasing pressure in recent years from their constituents who complain the Malay set-aside programs are unfair.
In an attempt to heal the rifts, Najib started a campaign called "One Malaysia" after taking power earlier this month. Its aim is to propagate mutual trust and respect among races.
On Tuesday, Najib visited a Sikh temple and urged Malaysians to "break down any obstructions between the races and not view each other based on skin color."
Najib has not yet outlined specific measures to achieve the goal, and his slogan has drawn criticism from opposition politicians who have labeled it as vague rhetoric that is too weak to tackle racial disputes that have multiplied in recent years.
The Utusan Malaysia article appeared to have been partly prompted also by Chinese criticism earlier this week of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's recent comments that Chinese voters seemed unappreciative of the government.
Jeff Ooi, an ethnic Chinese opposition member of Parliament, wrote on his popular blog Wednesday that Utusan Malaysia's article illustrated how Najib's "One Malaysia" slogan "is indeed different things to different people until Najib can define it properly."
Read more...
Why on earth are we still trapped with ancient thinking?
We are living in the modern age where economics stability & nations prosperity are the ultimate goals ?
Or rather every individual is just a selfish slacks that takes care his/her own pockets…A sad truth!
Malaysia leader's racial unity campaign hits snag (AP)
A campaign by Malaysia's new prime minister to promote racial harmony received a jolt after a pro-ruling party newspaper Wednesday urged the Malay majority to "rise and unite" against demands by ethnic minorities.
In a front-page article, the Utusan Malaysia daily quoted several Malay politicians and activists as saying Malays should put aside their political differences so that they can jointly resist pressure from the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
"The Malays must rise and unite in facing the demands of other races that are now seen as increasingly excessive," the article's opening paragraph said.
Link
It was apparently referring to recent calls by ethnic Indian government politicians for higher Cabinet posts and vocal complaints by minorities against longtime government policies that give majority Malays priority in jobs, education and business opportunities. The government says Malays lag behind minorities economically.
The timing of the article _ when Prime Minister Najib Razak is promoting unity _ reflects anger among many Malay leaders to the increasing boldness of minorities.
The Malay-language Utusan Malaysia is the country's most widely read newspaper and is controlled by the United Malays National Organization party. It dominates the ruling National Front coalition and claims to speak for many of the Malays who form nearly 60 percent of the population. Chinese are a quarter of the population and Indians some 8 percent.
UMNO's partners in the National Front are ethnic Chinese, Indian and other minority parties, which have faced increasing pressure in recent years from their constituents who complain the Malay set-aside programs are unfair.
In an attempt to heal the rifts, Najib started a campaign called "One Malaysia" after taking power earlier this month. Its aim is to propagate mutual trust and respect among races.
On Tuesday, Najib visited a Sikh temple and urged Malaysians to "break down any obstructions between the races and not view each other based on skin color."
Najib has not yet outlined specific measures to achieve the goal, and his slogan has drawn criticism from opposition politicians who have labeled it as vague rhetoric that is too weak to tackle racial disputes that have multiplied in recent years.
The Utusan Malaysia article appeared to have been partly prompted also by Chinese criticism earlier this week of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's recent comments that Chinese voters seemed unappreciative of the government.
Jeff Ooi, an ethnic Chinese opposition member of Parliament, wrote on his popular blog Wednesday that Utusan Malaysia's article illustrated how Najib's "One Malaysia" slogan "is indeed different things to different people until Najib can define it properly."
Read more...
Gaza Blockade Spurs Minds to Develop Inventions that Impress the World (PIC)
They said "Tough time create tough warrior”…& my take is it does not have to be in tough time.
Creativity does not limit to where you are or when you at…But the invention should beneficial to all mankind.
I do hope that one day, all the country’s leader should strike for Peaceful nation & focus on development regardless of race, culture, religion that created (not sure why) to separate all humans to different categories.
Gaza Blockade Spurs Minds to Develop Inventions that Impress the World (PIC)
Although the Zionist occupation has imposed a suffocating blockade on the Gaza Strip for years, the minds of the besieged Gazans have refused to accept surrender or defeat. They have responded with deep, sophisticated thinking and steadfast patience to create miracles and turn adversity into opportunity.
Link
That’s the nature of Gazans; they’ve lost everything, but they have turned the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” into a tangible reality. Their inventions have impressed the world, bearing eloquent witness to the fact that no matter how bad the siege gets it will not defeat the will of this people or break their resolve.
Life Doesn’t Stop
The Zionist occupation goes out of its way to humiliate the Palestinians wherever they may be, but the intensity with which they have pursued that policy markedly increased when the Palestinian people chose the Islamic resistance movement Hamas to represent their aspirations.
Since then the Israelis have imposed a suffocating siege on the Gaza Strip. They have prevented the entry of the basic necessities of life: medicine, fuel, food, and many other products, allowing in only enough to keep the people from starving to death outright.
The intensification of the blockade has deprived Gaza of the necessary amount of fuel. As a result, many car owners can no longer run their cars, so they remain parked.
It has also increased the general gloom of night, but the Palestinians lit candles to tell the world that Gaza will remain bright and that life will never stop.
However, Gaza’s engineers are thinking and inventing. Engineers Fayez Annan and Wasim Al-Khazindar have developed an innovative response to this challenge by converting a car that runs on gasoline into a car that runs on electricity.
The Seed of the Idea
Engineer Wasim Al-Khazindar told the Palestinian Information Center that the idea was sparked by the transportation crisis which resulted from the fuel crisis brought on by Israeli authorities’ decision to prevent fuel from entering the Gaza Strip.
Al-Khazindar explained that he had developed expertise with batteries and generators in the course of years spent running the biggest store in Gaza that sells those goods. He assembled an array of batteries and cables (and an electric engine) with which he replaced the diesel engine in an experimental car.
Al-Khazindar added that he developed and installed an instrument to control (current flow), a speedometer, and a gauge to indicate how much charge is left in the battery and the remaining driving range.
The Palestinian engineer hopes to get support for his idea so that he can continue to develop and refine it. He indicated that this conversion process is expensive, costing not less than three thousand dollars.
We Will not Submit to the Siege
Al-Khazindar said, “The unjust Israeli siege imposed on us paralyzes our movement and prevents us from a normal life, but we will not succumb to it. We will innovate and continue to upgrade everything in order to reach an advanced stage of development.”
He pointed out that his idea for an electric vehicle is currently being applied to small cars but that plans are under way to apply it to large cars and trucks. He went on to say that the car with an electric generator is working well, runs as strongly as if it were powered by gasoline, is environmentally friendly, and produces no emissions at all.
Al-Khazindar explained that his fellow engineer, Fayez Annan, helped him with the idea of an electronic power control system, and he also helped him install electronic panels. They assembled an AC three-phase alternator, which is a new, advanced idea. It works with batteries and an inverter.
Read more...
Creativity does not limit to where you are or when you at…But the invention should beneficial to all mankind.
I do hope that one day, all the country’s leader should strike for Peaceful nation & focus on development regardless of race, culture, religion that created (not sure why) to separate all humans to different categories.
Gaza Blockade Spurs Minds to Develop Inventions that Impress the World (PIC)
Although the Zionist occupation has imposed a suffocating blockade on the Gaza Strip for years, the minds of the besieged Gazans have refused to accept surrender or defeat. They have responded with deep, sophisticated thinking and steadfast patience to create miracles and turn adversity into opportunity.
Link
That’s the nature of Gazans; they’ve lost everything, but they have turned the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” into a tangible reality. Their inventions have impressed the world, bearing eloquent witness to the fact that no matter how bad the siege gets it will not defeat the will of this people or break their resolve.
Life Doesn’t Stop
The Zionist occupation goes out of its way to humiliate the Palestinians wherever they may be, but the intensity with which they have pursued that policy markedly increased when the Palestinian people chose the Islamic resistance movement Hamas to represent their aspirations.
Since then the Israelis have imposed a suffocating siege on the Gaza Strip. They have prevented the entry of the basic necessities of life: medicine, fuel, food, and many other products, allowing in only enough to keep the people from starving to death outright.
The intensification of the blockade has deprived Gaza of the necessary amount of fuel. As a result, many car owners can no longer run their cars, so they remain parked.
It has also increased the general gloom of night, but the Palestinians lit candles to tell the world that Gaza will remain bright and that life will never stop.
However, Gaza’s engineers are thinking and inventing. Engineers Fayez Annan and Wasim Al-Khazindar have developed an innovative response to this challenge by converting a car that runs on gasoline into a car that runs on electricity.
The Seed of the Idea
Engineer Wasim Al-Khazindar told the Palestinian Information Center that the idea was sparked by the transportation crisis which resulted from the fuel crisis brought on by Israeli authorities’ decision to prevent fuel from entering the Gaza Strip.
Al-Khazindar explained that he had developed expertise with batteries and generators in the course of years spent running the biggest store in Gaza that sells those goods. He assembled an array of batteries and cables (and an electric engine) with which he replaced the diesel engine in an experimental car.
Al-Khazindar added that he developed and installed an instrument to control (current flow), a speedometer, and a gauge to indicate how much charge is left in the battery and the remaining driving range.
The Palestinian engineer hopes to get support for his idea so that he can continue to develop and refine it. He indicated that this conversion process is expensive, costing not less than three thousand dollars.
We Will not Submit to the Siege
Al-Khazindar said, “The unjust Israeli siege imposed on us paralyzes our movement and prevents us from a normal life, but we will not succumb to it. We will innovate and continue to upgrade everything in order to reach an advanced stage of development.”
He pointed out that his idea for an electric vehicle is currently being applied to small cars but that plans are under way to apply it to large cars and trucks. He went on to say that the car with an electric generator is working well, runs as strongly as if it were powered by gasoline, is environmentally friendly, and produces no emissions at all.
Al-Khazindar explained that his fellow engineer, Fayez Annan, helped him with the idea of an electronic power control system, and he also helped him install electronic panels. They assembled an AC three-phase alternator, which is a new, advanced idea. It works with batteries and an inverter.
Read more...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Najib's disappointing start (Bridget Welsh, Guardian UK)
I just realized last week that this blog has been massively “flag” for publishing false information to the web. To those that flagging this post, all the news are just copy and paste from the news website as I enclosed the links.
It was so pathetic to see close minded people acting this way & they can’t even listen & debate issue constructively but rather hide behind curtain & stabbing in the dark.
Worry NOT! This website is pretty much alive & kicking hard...
For this new post, I found it in RPK (those who familiar with Malaysia politics should know him)’s website.
Well…enjoy..
Najib's disappointing start (Bridget Welsh, Guardian UK)
After appointing a lacklustre cabinet, Malaysia's new prime minister refused to answer questions from the media. This poor beginning raises serious questions about his leadership and calls into question his ability to deliver on the reforms that are critical for Malaysia's future.
Link
Malaysia's sixth prime minister, Najib Tun Abdul Razak took office earlier this month, replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In Najib's first week, he failed key tests that show he can be his own man. He lost important by-elections, failed to address persistent scandals and selected a cabinet of lacklustre appointees that has not evoked confidence. He ran away from the press, declining to address basic questions about his government.
This poor beginning raises serious questions about his leadership and calls into question his ability to deliver on the reforms that are critical for Malaysia's future.
Before Najib took office he managed to win a strong mandate from within his own party's polls last month, as loyalists in his cohort rose to party leadership positions. Najib represents a third generation of leaders from the UMNO party that governs Malaysia. The first generation assumed office in independence, the second after the racial riots of 1969.
Najib's generation came into politics after 1969, and has matured under the shadow of Mahathir Mohamad, known for promoting economic progress while simultaneously closing political space and weakening political institutions. Najib's strong party showing was expected to set the stage for the new premier to introduce reforms and step out of the shadow of his predecessors. Early signs were good, as Najib's speeches highlighted reforms and the day after he took office he released 13 political prisoners held under the draconian Internal Security Act. Malaysians were pleasantly surprised with his first moves.
Skepticism reigned, however. After the five years of promise without delivery under Abdullah Badawi, Malaysians want results, not rhetoric. Many are not willing to give Najib the benefit the doubt. Part of this is his association with Abdullah's government, as deputy prime minister.
Another reason has to do with the heavy baggage of scandal that cloud Najib's leadership; his alleged connections with corruption in defence contract deals and links to a Mongolian model who was murdered by staff assigned to his security detail have damaged his reputation.
Last week, the two officers charged with blowing up the model were convicted. The government's response has been to ban the use of the model's name – Altantuya Shariibuu – further raising speculation about the crime and suspicions about Najib's involvement. There is no evidence that Najib was involved in the murder, but the lack of credibility that Najib faces – which is only enhanced when he refuses to answer questions – has hurt him.
An even darker shadow is Mahathir Mohamad. The former prime minister who governed Malaysia for 22 years systematically undermined Abdullah while he was in office. He has played a major role in mentoring the new generation of leaders, including Najib himself, and his values that have promoted Malay rights over those of other communities, undermined political institutions, deepened corruption and created a climate of insecurity among the elite that runs deep.
Najib is seen to be under the thumb of Mahathir. While this gives the former premier too much credit, the reality is that Mahathirism remains a force that must be addressed and Mahathir himself remains a political player in his agenda setting role.
These factors played out in three recent by-elections when more than 100,000 voters went to the polls. Najib's coalition lost two of the three contests. The contest it did win – Batang Ai in rural Sarawak – was the result of massive allocations of patronage (RM70 million in promises for 8,006 voters) and included allegations of ballot box tampering. Voters in West Malaysia in two traditionally strong seats for Najib's government, gave the Pakatan opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim larger majorities.
These results were the product of greater opposition cooperation and the inability of the governing coalition to reach across races. Non-Malays voted in large majorities for the opposition. They were joined by large numbers of Malays who rejected the use of Mahathir for Najib's campaign and were tired of the endemic corruption in the system. Najib stayed away from the campaigns, showing that he is not ready to face the public directly. He received a sharp rebuke.
Najib had the opportunity to stem the tide of negative perceptions through his cabinet selections. Here too, he disappointed. The majority appointees are recycled old faces and Najib loyalists. While many of them are among the cleaner alternatives and his choices in finance and trade show promise, the inclusion of Mahathir's son, and reliance on his close allies who are seen to not make the grade do not build confidence.
This cabinet follows in the Mahathir mould, one that appears to focus on the economy and exclude the need for political reform. It does not include individuals who appear willing to address the albatross on Malaysia's economic competitiveness, the pro-Malay affirmative action policy, the New Economic Policy, that has become a vehicle for corruption. After announcing his list, Najib refused to answer questions.
Najib is running away from addressing the factors that will hamper his government. He lacks public support. He is trapped by the system he inherited, the shadows of Abdullah's unmet reform promises and Mahathir's hardline approach. He faces a stronger and more cohesive opposition. Najib's style is more measured, but in these challenging times and in the light of his public credibility issues, the tepid responses have disappointed.
With each passing day that the new prime minister fails key tests, his tenure is shortened. Najib cannot continue to avoid the fact that his political survival is based on winning over the Malaysian public and bolder measures that deliver reform are essential.
Read more...
It was so pathetic to see close minded people acting this way & they can’t even listen & debate issue constructively but rather hide behind curtain & stabbing in the dark.
Worry NOT! This website is pretty much alive & kicking hard...
For this new post, I found it in RPK (those who familiar with Malaysia politics should know him)’s website.
Well…enjoy..
Najib's disappointing start (Bridget Welsh, Guardian UK)
After appointing a lacklustre cabinet, Malaysia's new prime minister refused to answer questions from the media. This poor beginning raises serious questions about his leadership and calls into question his ability to deliver on the reforms that are critical for Malaysia's future.
Link
Malaysia's sixth prime minister, Najib Tun Abdul Razak took office earlier this month, replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In Najib's first week, he failed key tests that show he can be his own man. He lost important by-elections, failed to address persistent scandals and selected a cabinet of lacklustre appointees that has not evoked confidence. He ran away from the press, declining to address basic questions about his government.
This poor beginning raises serious questions about his leadership and calls into question his ability to deliver on the reforms that are critical for Malaysia's future.
Before Najib took office he managed to win a strong mandate from within his own party's polls last month, as loyalists in his cohort rose to party leadership positions. Najib represents a third generation of leaders from the UMNO party that governs Malaysia. The first generation assumed office in independence, the second after the racial riots of 1969.
Najib's generation came into politics after 1969, and has matured under the shadow of Mahathir Mohamad, known for promoting economic progress while simultaneously closing political space and weakening political institutions. Najib's strong party showing was expected to set the stage for the new premier to introduce reforms and step out of the shadow of his predecessors. Early signs were good, as Najib's speeches highlighted reforms and the day after he took office he released 13 political prisoners held under the draconian Internal Security Act. Malaysians were pleasantly surprised with his first moves.
Skepticism reigned, however. After the five years of promise without delivery under Abdullah Badawi, Malaysians want results, not rhetoric. Many are not willing to give Najib the benefit the doubt. Part of this is his association with Abdullah's government, as deputy prime minister.
Another reason has to do with the heavy baggage of scandal that cloud Najib's leadership; his alleged connections with corruption in defence contract deals and links to a Mongolian model who was murdered by staff assigned to his security detail have damaged his reputation.
Last week, the two officers charged with blowing up the model were convicted. The government's response has been to ban the use of the model's name – Altantuya Shariibuu – further raising speculation about the crime and suspicions about Najib's involvement. There is no evidence that Najib was involved in the murder, but the lack of credibility that Najib faces – which is only enhanced when he refuses to answer questions – has hurt him.
An even darker shadow is Mahathir Mohamad. The former prime minister who governed Malaysia for 22 years systematically undermined Abdullah while he was in office. He has played a major role in mentoring the new generation of leaders, including Najib himself, and his values that have promoted Malay rights over those of other communities, undermined political institutions, deepened corruption and created a climate of insecurity among the elite that runs deep.
Najib is seen to be under the thumb of Mahathir. While this gives the former premier too much credit, the reality is that Mahathirism remains a force that must be addressed and Mahathir himself remains a political player in his agenda setting role.
These factors played out in three recent by-elections when more than 100,000 voters went to the polls. Najib's coalition lost two of the three contests. The contest it did win – Batang Ai in rural Sarawak – was the result of massive allocations of patronage (RM70 million in promises for 8,006 voters) and included allegations of ballot box tampering. Voters in West Malaysia in two traditionally strong seats for Najib's government, gave the Pakatan opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim larger majorities.
These results were the product of greater opposition cooperation and the inability of the governing coalition to reach across races. Non-Malays voted in large majorities for the opposition. They were joined by large numbers of Malays who rejected the use of Mahathir for Najib's campaign and were tired of the endemic corruption in the system. Najib stayed away from the campaigns, showing that he is not ready to face the public directly. He received a sharp rebuke.
Najib had the opportunity to stem the tide of negative perceptions through his cabinet selections. Here too, he disappointed. The majority appointees are recycled old faces and Najib loyalists. While many of them are among the cleaner alternatives and his choices in finance and trade show promise, the inclusion of Mahathir's son, and reliance on his close allies who are seen to not make the grade do not build confidence.
This cabinet follows in the Mahathir mould, one that appears to focus on the economy and exclude the need for political reform. It does not include individuals who appear willing to address the albatross on Malaysia's economic competitiveness, the pro-Malay affirmative action policy, the New Economic Policy, that has become a vehicle for corruption. After announcing his list, Najib refused to answer questions.
Najib is running away from addressing the factors that will hamper his government. He lacks public support. He is trapped by the system he inherited, the shadows of Abdullah's unmet reform promises and Mahathir's hardline approach. He faces a stronger and more cohesive opposition. Najib's style is more measured, but in these challenging times and in the light of his public credibility issues, the tepid responses have disappointed.
With each passing day that the new prime minister fails key tests, his tenure is shortened. Najib cannot continue to avoid the fact that his political survival is based on winning over the Malaysian public and bolder measures that deliver reform are essential.
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