Can't they even sort simple things like this? Btw... I smell some monies trying to be made...

I don't really know what else can I say about this whole sorry incident! The tought of using Barcode tags for babies should never have been a consideration, it should have been implemented ages ago. It doesn't take an idiot to think about this kinds of things.

Securities at public institutions such as hospitals should be improved. CCTV should be put in place!

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Most public institutions under the ruling executives are really in ruins. Each and every corner you turn to, we'll see loads of wrongs. We have public institutions being mis-managed, mis-used, mis-everything.. Thanks to this silly executives of the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional.

The long years with no strong opposition has really taken a huge toll on the governance of a small, but, richly rewarded country of ours.

The ruling executives really have to go away.

Dear friends, have a heart, vote for stronger opposition in Parliament, so that check and balance could be implemented. Stop the rot. Damn MM! Damn all self-serving politicians!

ps: I guess someone connected to the executives will be making some extra money now?

The Star Online > Nation

Friday June 24, 2005
Barcode tags for babies considered

KUALA LUMPUR: Barcode tags for babies may be introduced to prevent babies from being abducted from government hospitals.

Another move being considered is the installation of closed-circuit TV cameras at the hospitals.

“We may have to start using barcodes and install CCTVs like those in shopping malls to stop those who are ‘shopping’ for babies in hospitals,” Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad told reporters after launching a hospital life-support course at Hospital Kuala Lumpur here yesterday.

He was asked to comment on Sunday's abduction of a baby from Sungai Petani Hospital.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Education must be free ... challenge to the government..

Reading Ong’s SMS brings joy to top scorer, does not lightened my days as much as hers.

I feel that public-funded education is a MUST, and not something that everyone has to fight for year after year!

Yeah, words is cheap, but.....

Anyways, to cut all the bulls, I am proposing for free education for all Malaysians, irrespective of religion, faith and race.

How do you get the money from? Come on, if you can't think of this simple fact, resign from the post, and let others run the country, better!

If you still insist on running the country but clueless how to do this 'free-education' thinggy, why don't you seek consultation from me, try mailing me! I'll help out, free of charge, of course!

The Star Online > Nation

Friday June 24, 2005

Ong’s SMS brings joy to top scorer

BY LOONG MENG YEE

SHAH ALAM: Reading the SMS she received two days ago almost made her eyes pop out.

Lee Yan Ying, 17, could not believe that a busy VIP such as MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting would find the time to personally send her a message.

More importantly, the SMS was just the news that she had been hoping for.

It read: “The outcome of the JPA scholarship is positive. You will be informed by JPA later. Regards, MCA president Ong Ka Ting.”

Lee meeting with Ong to personally express her gratitude, after Ong sent her an SMS saying that she had received a PSD scholarship.

Lee, who scored 13 1As in last year's SPM examination, was among hundreds of dejected SPM top scorers who failed to get scholarships.

“When my first attempt to obtain the scholarship failed, I felt as if everything had gone dark and gloomy,” Lee said.

She then sought the help of the MCA.

“I am thankful to Datuk Seri Ong and the MCA for helping me and others facing the same predicament,” said Lee.

And yesterday, Lee got the chance to personally thank Ong, who was attending the groundbreaking ceremony of Chung Hua national-type primary school in Kota Kemuning here.

But Ong's busy schedule made it quite impossible for her to meet him.

Her patience paid off eventually as when the function ended, Lee quickly walked up to Ong and conveyed her gratitude.

“My parents, who are educators, and leaders like Datuk Seri Ong are my role models. I hope to be like them, to lead a meaningful life while serving society,” she said.

At a separate function in Kuala Lumpur, Ong urged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to recruit people with a view of making them business partners later.

“Nowadays, entrepreneurs cannot keep their employees by just raising their salaries and giving bonuses.

“They must be prepared to take them in as partners and expand the business together,” he said at the opening of the Staying Competitive Through Technology Innovation seminar.

---

© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

'Still proud to be a Malaysian?' - ask Rozana Zubir about this!

Reading this article, my heart wept for her.Rozana tidak mungkin dapat bantuan kewangan. Prejudice by Malaysian authority? Or they simply couldn't care-less?

Isn't she Malaysian? Should the government of Malaysia take some initiative to protect her citizen?

Nope. Unless she brings money home, or she's some kind of celebrity a la Jeslina Hashim (remember Zouk), or she's related to any of the Executive, she could be better left rotting in Hell, or in this case, Australian prison!

Sisters in Islam? Woman's aid NGO? Parliament Caucus group? You really made my day, :)!

What do the opposition has to say about this? PAS? Their official paper? DAP? PKR? Their un-official online paper? They're clue-less as well!

Aliran? MalaysiaKini? Jeff Ooi? Too busy with something else? MGG Pillai?

Kasihan Rakyat Marhain Malaysia.......

Latest update:
Jeff Ooi wrote this, Tuesday, June 21, 2005, maybe after I mailed him to the effect.

Original cached text

KUALA LUMPUR 18 Jun - Dasar kerajaan yang tidak bertolak ansur terhadap kes-kes dadah tidak memungkinkan rakyat negara ini, Rozana Zubir yang kini ditahan di Australia kerana disyaki menyeludup candu ke negara itu mendapatkan bantuan kewangan bagi membiayai kos guaman.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad berkata, kerajaan tidak pernah menyediakan peruntukan atau dana khas bagi membantu mereka yang menghadapi tuduhan mahkamah kerana mengedar dadah.

Beliau berkata, dasar kerajaan terhadap kes dadah menyebabkan negara-negara Barat termasuk Australia tidak menyokong pendirian tegas negara ini.

``Kita memang tidak pernah ada peruntukan bagi tujuan itu (membiayai kos khidmat peguam) untuk mereka yang dituduh mengedar dadah.

``Undang-undang di Malaysia ini lain, kita memandang berat terhadap kes dadah dan tidak pernah bersetuju dengannya (dadah),'' katanya kepada Mingguan Malaysia ketika dihubungi di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas kenyataan peguam Rozana, Raj Palany yang meminta jasa baik kerajaan Malaysia untuk tampil dan membantu Rozana menyelesaikan bayaran guamannya.

Rozana memerlukan antara RM300,000 hingga RM360,000 untuk membiayai kos khidmat peguam bela dan peguam cara bagi perbicaraan kesnya di Mahkamah Pusat Sydney.

Radzi bagaimanapun menasihatkan Rozana supaya menulis surat kepada pihak kerajaan untuk memaklumkan mengenai masalah yang sedang dia hadapi.

``Saya nasihatkan dia supaya tulis surat tetapi kita tidak pernah ada peruntukan khas bagi membantu kes seumpama ini,'' katanya.

Menurut Radzi, Malaysia tidak akan mengikut jejak Australia membantu rakyat negaranya, Schapelle Corby, 27, seorang penuntut yang dituduh mengedar dadah jenis kanabis seberat 4.1 kilogram ke Indonesia selepas ditahan di Lapangan Terbang Denpasar, Bali pada Oktober tahun lepas.

Corby yang dijatuhi hukuman mati oleh mahkamah Indonesia menerima bantuan sebanyak RM3 juta untuk membiayai perbicaraan kesnya.

Sementara itu, Palany ketika menghubungi Mingguan Malaysia dari Australia memberitahu, Rozana sangat kecewa dengan keengganan keluarganya menyediakan sejumlah wang seperti yang diperlukan.

``Saya terima sepucuk surat dari Rozana hari ini, surat itu ditulis dalam bahasa Melayu, dia mahu minta bantuan kerajaan dan rakyat Malaysia untuk membantunya,'' kata Palany.

Rozana, seorang jurujual kereta ditahan ketika hendak pulang ke Malaysia melalui Brisbane setelah pihak berkuasa Australia mendapati kepingan berbalut pita pelekat berwarna tar yang ditemui dalam bagasi miliknya adalah candu.

Dia yang berasal dari Perlis berhadapan dengan hukuman mati dan denda sehingga RM2.14 juta mengikut undang-undang Australia jika disabitkan kesalahan.

Rozana akan dihadapkan semula ke Mahkamah Pusat Sydney pada 24 Jun depan.

Closing down under-enrolled schools, isn't there any other options?

Who is this brilliant chap who has proposed for under-enrolled schools to be closed down? Have the government actually made any studies to the effect? I don't think so!

What is his level of inteligence, actually?

Education must be brought about to the masses, which is actually the responsibility of any caring government, and not closing down schools due to economic reasons alone.

As it is, the schools are being built at odd locations, requiring for parents to seek transportation arrangement to ensure the children would be able to reach schools.

In the olden days, people talk about kids walking kms and kms to get themselves to schools to seek knowledge. That was the importance being put upon them, to seek knowledge to improve themselves.

However, these days, this is something of the extra-ordinary. People use own transport to get to schools which is still located far from the people who needs them. Public transportation is so un-reliable and school buses are always said to be the place where children learns new 'un-wanted' knowledge, completing their academic search in schools.

Anyways, the best approach to be taken to resolve this issue is to look at the real requirment of the nation in providing schools, at the proper locations. The reason for under-enrollment and schools lacking the basic facilities have to be considered and investigated. Then a proper solution to be put in place.

I am in the opinion that schools should be provided at any location when=ever there is a need. What simple modification that needs to be made is the way how the academic is being impart into the schoolchildren. For low enrollment schools, most probably we could seek the employment of multi-subjects teachers who could handle few different subjects for different classses, most probably in a revamped class system. Children could be exposed to the subjects properly by student-centred approach rather than teacher-centred regime currently adopted by most schools.

Rural areas with inferior facilities should be continously up-graded to achieve the minimum standard for any government-sponsored teaching institution, if the government have any REAL concern in education of its citizen.

Or, do they really? The Executives main concern is to get as much money possible into their own coffers, isn't it?

ps: Do you really need residential schools even at the lower primary schools? Shouldn't the children need their parents to be around them to provide guidance in life, as what proper families should live as?


The Star Online > Nation

Monday June 13, 2005
Under-enrolled schools to be closed down

KEMAMAN: The Education Ministry plans to close down under-enrolled schools and those lacking basic facilities in rural areas.

And it is proposing that affected students be relocated to newly-built centralised schools with hostels.

Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said such a move required political will from mentris besar and chief ministers as well as elected representatives.

“It is easy to call for the opening of more schools but are elected representatives brave in calling for the closing of schools?” he said after opening the All-Malaysia State Religious Secondary Schools Seminar here on Saturday.

He was elaborating on his statement on Friday that 800 schools in remote areas had no electricity and 1,500 had no running water while 2,260 were under-enrolled.

Hishammuddin said the ministry planned to close down these schools in stages.

If this was not done, he said, enrolments would continue to drop and the situation would worsen.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

'Apa masalah dia sebenarnya', in the first place?

What is actually the reason that those non-bumiputera top scorers failed to secure the scholarship in the first place that it neccesitates the Prime Minister, Abdullah promises to get PSD scholarships for top students?

Make the process transparent, then no more ambiguity and questions can be raised to the issue.

'ISO 9001-ed' the nation Malaysia is one of the positive way forward! The past decade or two, Malaysia's governance and administration is definitely out of order! This ISO execise can definitely help this loved-country of us to achieve standards of quality that are recognized and respected throughout the world. Not the laughing-stock for each and every sane individual, Malaysian or otherwise, think, seeing us as what we are now!

You all know where the blame lies, don't you? I give you a hint. 'Double M', not the company 3M! The 4th P.M. (This ancronym can stand for many things, which are very appropriate for this senile old man!)


The Star Online > Nation

Friday June 10, 2005
Abdullah promises to get PSD scholarships for top students
BY NICK LEONG AND GAVIN GOMEZ

PUTRAJAYA: Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) top scorers denied scholarships by the Public Services Department (PSD) can heave a sigh of relief, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has intervened.

Education Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein also pledged to do his part. Abdullah told reporters yesterday that he would help the students.

“I will work to get scholarships from PSD for the students to further their studies,” he added.

Hishammuddin also showed his determination when he said: “You can tell them that I am fighting for them. You can tell them that their names are embedded in my mind.

“I have asked (Deputy Education Minister) Datuk Hon Choon Kim to get all their particulars.”

Speaking to reporters after chairing the ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting yesterday, the minister said he had read a report on the students’ plight in The Star on Wednesday and decided to help them.

The report highlighted the plight of Ng Ee Liang, Desmond Chee and Teoh Wan Ying, who were among top SPM performers denied PSD scholarships.

Other top students who had their scholarship applications rejected included Pahang’s top student Khaw Chok Tong, who scored 12 1As and Chew Ying Dee who topscored in Perlis with 13 1As.

Hishammuddin, who sympathised with the students, said he would do all he could to help them, although the granting of PSD scholarships did not come under his purview.

PSD public relations officer Hasniah Rashid was reported as saying yesterday that applicants were allotted points based on their academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, family background and performance during interviews.

“Our main constraint, when awarding these scholarships, is the limited number of awards that we give out each year.

“Secondly, there are just too many people applying to do medicine overseas,” she had said.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Feed us well, and guarantee our welfare first!

Gila bab*, is the first word that came up when I read about the proposal to enforce theFine or jail for disrespect to Negaraku to the fullest in order to instill patriotism!

The ruling executives and their cohorts are definitely somewhere else, their foot not on the ground!

Forget about love for the country, stomach comes first. Welfare of citizen is paramount. Ensure these simple necessities, no amount of cohession would be needed for each and every Malaysia to sing their heart out on 'NegaraKu', all the times!

Bod*h punya cabinet member!

The Star Online > Nation

Friday June 10, 2005
Fine or jail for disrespect to Negaraku

KUALA LUMPUR: Anyone who shows disrespect when the Negaraku is played – either by refusing to stand, sing the anthem or cause a disturbance – can be fined RM100 or jailed up to month.

This provision under the National Anthem Act 1965 would, however, be enforced only if there is poor response to an upcoming campaign to instil love and respect for the song, said Deputy Information Minister Datuk Donald Lim.

“The aim of the campaign is to inculcate a sense of patriotism.

“This (the ruling) will be enforced if there are still samseng (rebels),” he said here yesterday.

The Negaraku will be played before the start of all official Government functions or private sector events attended by Government representatives during the Kempen Pembudayaan dan Penghayatan Lagu Negaraku, which is scheduled to be launched in the middle of next month.

Kindergartens, schools and institutes of higher learning were also required to play the national anthem at their weekly assemblies and before their morning or afternoon sessions, said Lim.

Even when Government representatives are not present, organisers of public and private functions are encouraged to play the Negaraku.

On feedback by the public that daily repetition of the anthem could lead to overkill, Lim said such comments should not be made when it comes to the Negaraku.

“Some people may have actually forgotten the words of the Negaraku. If they hear it often, they will remember it after a while,” he said.

In Putrajaya, Information Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said the singing of the national anthem before movie screenings would not be appropriate.

“Negaraku should only be sung at appropriate times and only when the occasion calls for it,” he told reporters.

Backbenchers' Club chairman Datuk Shahrir Samad said he could not see a positive impact of enforcing the Act.

“After 48 years of independence, why are we still so insecure about the loyalty of the rakyat?” he said.


� 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Constructors? Do you have any fren in the cabinet?

Reading Providing cops with good homes, makes my heart weeps again!

Definitely someone will make some extra money at the same time! Who are they? He he he, your guess is as good as mine, :) !

At the same time, as much as I sympaties with the meagre salary earned by policemen compared to the amount of 'rich' kick-backs that they are exposed-to daily, I am still of the opinion that they deserved the bad pay. After all, the entry academic requirement fixed the amount of salary that you get in civil services.

Could you expect to earn loads when you are just a PMR leavers working as constables?

That's also the reason of the irrational behaviours of most policement. They are not that bright, aren't they?

The Star Online > Nation

Thursday June 9, 2005

Providing cops with good homes

BY SA’ODAH ELIAS

PUTRAJAYA: The days of policemen living and working in inferior or rented dwellings is coming to an end as 160 projects to build 25,000 units of houses and office complexes for them are expected to get off the ground soon.

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and the Pension Fund would finance the “build, lease and transfer” projects, which are expected to cost the Government RM2.5bil.

Announcing this, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the investments by the EPF and the Pension Fund would be “money well invested” because the returns were guaranteed by the Government.

Abdullah being greeted by some ex-police personnel upon his arrival for a Patriotic Day dinner in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday.

“This is going to be a very good investment for them because, based on our projection, the returns they will get from this venture will be better than the 3% interest that they get from keeping their funds in fixed deposit.

“There is no fear of losses because the Government is going to pay rent on the houses that we are going to use,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting of a task force to look into the implementation of the recommendations by the Royal Commission of Police.

“And after a certain period, according to the agreement that we will sign with them, the houses will be transferred to the Government,” he added.

Abdullah said the projects would be carried out as soon as the Internal Security Ministry, the Public Works Department and the Treasury work out the details and decide how the contracts would be awarded.

In Kuala Lumpur, WANI MUTHIAH reports that a strong sense of love and loyalty for the country prompted Felda settler Ahmad Mahmud to sign up as a special constable in 1951.

Ahmad, who was 16 at the time, recalled he left his home in Sungai Siput, Perak, to help protect the country during the turbulent Emergency period.

The 70-year-old father of seven was among several hundred retired policemen and former special constables who were at the Ex-Policemen's Patriotic Day 2005 celebrations at the Crowne Plaza Mutiara, which Abdullah graced last night.

In his speech, Abdullah said all Malaysians owed it to the many dedicated individuals who had protected the country during the Emergency.

---

© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Muslim punters? Selective prosecution of the ruling BN government?

Why am I not surprised reading about theseMuslim punters nabbed in raid?

Everybody other than those close to the ruling regime will be caught for any petty crime but not the 'elites'.

My foot!

Hope that they (the ruling autocrats) will burn in Hell, forever!

The Star Online > Nation

Thursday June 9, 2005
Muslim punters nabbed in raid

KUALA TERENGGANU: It was an unlucky day for five Muslim punters here.

They earned the dubious distinction of being the first in the state to be caught for patronising an illegal four-digit shop since the Barisan Nasional came to power in March last year.

A 50-year-old man apologised profusely to the eight-member enforcement team from the state Islamic Religious Department but to no avail.

“I would be severely embarrassed if I were charged in court,” he pleaded with the team which raided the premises at Jalan Petani here yesterday.

Gambling outlets were banned in the state by the former PAS administration after it assumed office in 1999.

State Islam Hadhari Development committee chairman Wan Mohd Wan Hassan said the Muslims, aged between 29 and 55, would be charged in the Syariah Court under Section 22 of the Syariah Criminal Offence Enactment (Takzir) 2001.

If found guilty, they could be fined up to RM3,000 or jailed for two years or both, he added.

He said two workers at the premises were released after their particulars were taken down.

The raiding party, he said, seized a photostat machine, two facsimiles, five calculators and betting slips.

“We believe the outlet has been operating for four years,” he said.

The department was monitoring six other illegal outlets here and in other districts.

He said although the former PAS administration passed the enactment, they had never acted against illegal bookies.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Start first by providing facilities to do research reviews

Government acts to nurture R&D culture

Reading press releases from Education Ministry is indeed surprising, most times.

Anyways, to enhance R&D further, government needs to provide facilities to conduct reviews or back-ground reading first. This is one area which is lacking. Online publications should be made available, at minimal cost, free preferably, so that many people can pursue reading and start researching on anything that they find interesting.

Follow-up to the reading might produce good research work in future!

The Malaysian Research Group’s website – http://mrg-online.org have loads of publications, but alas, it's not free to Malaysian, and registration is also limited to those who are in the UK!


The Star Online > Nation

Tuesday June 7, 2005
Government acts to nurture R&D culture
BY CHOI TUCK WO

MANCHESTER (England): Centres of excellence will be set up in universities across the country as part of the government drive to nurture a research culture among Malaysians.

For a start, nine such centres have been approved in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), with more to follow at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Salleh said the centres would enable Master's and PhD degree holders to continue pursuing their research after completing their studies.

He said research often remained stagnant after scholars were promoted to become professors and took up teaching posts upon obtaining their degrees.

“We want them to plough back their research findings to society, and not let them collect dust,” he said after opening the Malaysian Research Group’s third annual conference here on Saturday.

Dr Shafie also launched the group’s website – http://mrg-online.org – at the conference, which was attended by more than 100 people, mostly post-graduate Malaysian students.

Dr Shafie said he had just approved the nine centres in UPM, which were geared towards agricultural research, including biotechnology.

He said discussions would be held with the Economic Planning Unit on the allocation for the centres under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“We hope to eventually set up such centres in various departments, faculties and institutions in UM, USM and UKM,” he added.

Dr Shafie said the centres would lead to the emergence of research universities, in line with the government aim to inculcate research culture among the people.

He said such universities might even stop issuing Bachelor’s degrees in future, as they gradually moved from teaching to becoming full-fledged research institutions.

Dr Shafie said his ministry planned to collect all the research findings for deliberation at a national conference of Malaysian researchers.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Selangor need to recover cost of building Exco bungalows, so non-tap water users must start paying up!

Non-tap water users must pay

He he he! No, I shouldn't have laughed! I should be mad about this!

:(

Wasting state money on lavish projects and giving out freebies to cronies, now the state wants to penalise other people for it's losses!

Gi*a khinz*r punya pemerintah negeri!

The Star Online > Nation

Monday June 6, 2005
Non-tap water users must pay
BY LOONG MENG YEE

SHAH ALAM: Selangor has started imposing charges on commercial users of underground water since last month – a move that could add RM1mil each year to the state's coffers.

The users have to pay five sen per cubic metre of water abstracted from any source, including rivers and those located underground.

This is apart from the estimated RM12mil annual income obtained from water distribution companies that draw raw water for treatment for domestic and commercial use; such companies pay one sen per cubic metre.

Selangor Waters Management Authority (Luas) principal assistant director Mohd Said Dikon said that water was a state resource and it was the right of the state to generate revenue from its resources.

He said the state had identified three major individual commercial users, all of which are in the steel and paper industries.

There were other commercial users being identified with help from the Geoscience and Mineral Department, he said.

Naturally, the “toll” did not go down well with the commercial users who could not understand why they needed to be charged for something they had obtained free for so long.

“The fact is, they have used the water, and the state can bill them,” said Mohd Said.

He added that this was provided for under the law.

Those who did not comply could be fined up to RM100,000 or jailed two years, or both.

Mohd Said said the revenue gained from the water charges could be re-invested into upgrading Luas or improving the water resources.

Meanwhile, sources said that apart from the water charges, there could be other revenue-generating measures imposed, including licensing the use of water and charging ships or boats cruising through the water sources.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Where could I go to read those 'more books'?

Produce more books, publishers urged

Could someone please direct me to a place where I could do my reading without paying all those exhorbitant prices of books?

Improving reading culture could start with having more public libraries, so people who can't afford to buy could at least have a chance to read them at libraries.

They can invest in some excellent books that they could afford to.

The Star Online > Nation

Monday June 6, 2005

Produce more books, publishers urged

KUALA LUMPUR: Publishing houses should work to provide a greater variety of books to help enhance the reading culture in the country, said Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

He said this was especially true for Chinese-language publishers, as only around 10% of the total number of books currently in the market were Chinese-language books, most of which were imported.

“If you look at our bookshops, the variety of books cannot compare with countries of similar population.

“Thus, to foster a reading habit, the level of publishing houses needs to be enhanced,” the MCA president said in his speech during the opening of the Nanyang Siang Pau Book Fair 2005 at the MidValley Exhibition Hall here yesterday.

Ong said the country should follow the example of Japan, where statistics showed that publishing houses churn out some 704,000 books annually.

LET’S READ: Ong receiving a book from Phoenix satellite television presenter Chen Xiaonan as Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd chairman Tan Sri Wong See Wah (right) looks on at the book fair in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“Their publishing industry is very active, and every Japanese reads around 30 books a year.

“As a result, they have become a forward-thinking and dynamic people,” he added.

Expressing concern that about 48% of Malaysians did not even read one book a year, Ong said:

“Reading adds value and helps us improve our quality of life.”

---

© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Government needs money, traffic offenders are being harassed!

Reading Traffic cops make first Ops Warta IV arrest, reminds me of the olden days tale of thugs employed by the village heads.

These thugs go around collecting money (protection money?) from people living around the villages. The money, and any other forms of payments, e.g. grains of rice, villages produce are then in turn, used by the village head to offset his living expenses as well as his thugs.

Can't really see where the similarity ends with this latest police operation. Perampas Duit Rakyat Malaysia!

---

The Star Online > Nation

Thursday June 2, 2005
Traffic cops make first Ops Warta IV arrest

KUALA LUMPUR: Police restarted their operation yesterday to nab traffic offenders who have not paid up their fines, and at 1.30pm, a salesman with 11 outstanding summonses was arrested at his home.

The 22-year-old, who works in a supermarket here, was caught at Taman Ibu Kota in Setapak, and earned the dubious distinction of being the first traffic offender to be arrested under the second phase of Ops Warta IV.

It is learnt that the man was served with seven warrants of arrest for beating traffic lights.

Earlier, at a press conference in Bukit Aman, Federal traffic police administration department head Supt A. Wahab Rahman said 731,197 warrants of arrest would be issued to motorists during the current second phase of Ops Warta IV. The first phase was from Jan 17 to May 31.

“Our advice to those who have not paid up is to do so. With the warrants of arrest in our hands, we can pick them up anywhere, whether they are at home or office,” said Supt A. Wahab.

He said that during the first phase of Ops Warta IV, 88,269 warrants of arrest were executed.

From 2001 to 2004, police issued 19.8 million summonses, of which over 10.4 million were settled.

If the fines imposed on the offenders were at the maximum amount of RM300 for each sum-

mons, the total collection would be about RM2.8bil.

Supt A. Wahab said those who had not paid up could do so at any police district headquarters, which would be open from 8am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on weekends, but closed on public holidays.

Payment counters had also been set up at six department stores and shopping complexes – at Jaya Jusco in One Utama, Prangin Mall in Penang, Terminal One in Seremban, Giant in Johor Baru and Kepayan in Kota Kinabalu. These would be open from 4pm to 9pm on weekdays and 2pm to 9pm on weekends, but closed on public holidays.

Supt A. Wahab said payments could also be made at the Air Keroh, North Tapah, Tanjung Malim and Temerloh R&R stops along the North-South Expressway at. The counters are open from 2pm to 7pm.
© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

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