MALAYSIA: MALAY NGOS FORM CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL TO DEFEND MALAY RIGHTS, ISLAM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Seventy-six Malay non-governmental organisations Saturday joined forces to form a consultative council, Majlis Perundingan NGO Melayu (MPM), to defend Malays rights and Islam in the country.

Among them were Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Negara (Perkasa), Majlis Bekas Wakil Rakyat Malaysia (Mubarak), Federation of Malay Students Association of Peninsular Malaysia (GPMS), Malay Professional Thinkers Association of Malaysia and Cuepacs, the umbrella union for civil servants.

Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali, who acted as the council’s spokesman, said the council’s role was to act as a shield against those who tried to question Malay rights and privileges, the position of Islam and the institution of the Malay rulers.

“At the same time, we will also be a polite pressure group to the government not to shirk from its responsibility in upholding fundamental matters as enshrined in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution,” he told reporters at the launching ceremony of MPM at the Sultan Sulaiman Club here.

He said MPM members would hold a roundtable on March 7 to discuss the economic direction of the Malays following Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s announcing of the new economic model for the nation.

“We also hope to meet the prime minister before the new economic model is announced because we do not want Malay NGOs to be “making noise” to voice their dissatisfaction over it…we want any policy made by the government to get support from all quarters.

“However, the government should also be proactive to Malay NGOs…meaning there should be give and take…if the government wants the support of NGOs, the government should also give due consideration to our views and feelings,” said the Member of Parliament for Pasir Mas.

In MPM’s statement circulated to media members present, the council asserted that its members must scrutinise each issue that had a bearing on the interest of the Malays, Islam, the Malay rulers and security and harmony in the country irrespective of who raised or questioned them and that they must also highlight matters that are dear to the Malays.

Besides this, MPM said it would also prepare and implement an action plan to counter any provocation on matters that touch on the interests of Malays and Islam if they were construed as efforts by irresponsible parties to spread hatred.

– NNN-BERNAMA

TSUNAMI WARNING LIFTED AS HAWAII “DODGES A BULLET”

HONOLULU (US), Feb 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) on Saturday lifted a tsunami warning for Hawaii which “dodged a bullet” as tsunami waves triggered by a strong earthquake in Chile passed by.

“We clearly had a tsunami in the water and we had to evacuate,” said Gerard Fryer of the center, adding it looks like Hawaii “dodged a bullet” since the worst seems to have passed.

Governor Linda Lingle said Hawaii escaped the tsunami unscathed.

The authorities received no report of damage in any county, said Lingle, calling it “a great day now that it’s over.”

The first waves of tsunami triggered by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile began to affect Hawaii just before noon, reaching the Hilo Bay on the Big Island at about 11:15 a.m. local time (2115 GMT), slightly later than predicted.

The waves became increasingly visible in live television video from the bay. The tidal surges from peak to trough were about five feet, but there was no immediate report of damage.

Other Hawaii islands also saw water fluctuations off beaches.

While there were no reports of injuries and the tsunami threat appears to have abated, emergency officials have repeatedly stated that everyone should be safely away from the water during a warning.

The PTWC said the first wave was followed by a second wave 20 minutes later and more waves could follow.

Experts urged people to remain cautious as the following waves of tsunami may be more powerful than the first ones. Tsunamis are unpredictable and can last for hours and strongly, officials warned.

The PTWC issued a Pacific-wide tsunami warning early Saturday, leading to sirens that shook many residents out of bed.

Residents should remain alert and cautious, Acting Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said.

President Barack Obama issued a statement at the White House, urging people in Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the West Coast to heed the instructions of local authorities about evacuations and other measures.

“We can’t control nature, but we can and must be prepared for disaster when it strikes,” he said.

In California, the specter of tsunami waves hitting Southern California coast seemed to be a washout, as the arrival of tsunami surges came and went with only a small impact observed. — NNN-XINHUA

ASEAN: QUICK RESOLUTIONS TO ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Asean member countries expect quick resolutions to trade and economic issues still pending between and among member states, says an Asean top official.

“There are some difficulties here and there, between and among a few members, issues such as rice between the Philippines and Thailand as well as petroleum products of Vietnam.

“There has been some progress, with six Asean countries bringing down the tariffs on goods to zero at the beginning of this year (with the Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) coming into effect on Jan 1, 2010),” Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan told reporters before the Asean Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat working dinner here Saturday night.

Surin said the ministers will also review the progress of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) besides discussing issues of mutual concern in the areas of trade, goods, services and investment to enable member countries to monitor and move systematically to achieve the one single market by 2015.

He said they will also look into the progress of dialogues held with Asean dialogue partners like China, India and Australia-New Zealand.

“All these things will contribute to our own evolution into one single market which the international community is focusing on very much with interest us we move into a single market with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$1.6 trillion,” he added.

– NNN-BERNAMA

MALAYSIA: PENANG BRIDGE CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

By Yong Soo Heong

PENANG, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — When veteran politician Dr Lim Chong Eu (now Tun) spoke about building a bridge linking Penang Island to Butterworth on the mainland way back in the 1950s and 60s, there were many sceptics then.

They felt that such a massive infrastructural undertaking may not be feasible as no such bridge had been built in the region before.

But Dr Lim, who went on to become Chief Minister of Penang between 1969 and 1990, persevered with the idea of this important linkage.

Finally on April 13, 1985, a 13.5km bridge, with four towers in mid-span and standing 33 metres above water, was completed within four years after the federal government pumped in RM850 million for the project.

Before it was built, people mainly relied on the ferry services to cross the Penang Strait, making the conception of the bridge one of the most important developments in the history of Penang.

The bridge was designed by a Penangite, the late Prof Chin Fung Kee, a well known authority on geotechnical engineering and a former acting Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya. He opted for the cable-stayed concrete girder of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge instead of the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Penang Bridge, which has carried millions of vehicles and passengers since it was officially opened to the public on Sept 14, 1985, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Over the past 25 years, it has contributed significantly to the development of Penang both as a tourist and industrial centre, said a spokesman of Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd, the concessionaire responsible for managing, operating, upgrading and collecting toll from the bridge under a 25-year concession from Aug 15, 1993 to May 31, 2018.

He said that with the expansion on the Penang Bridge’s third lane, which opened in August last year, the bridge can now accommodate 155,000 vehicles a day compared to 120,000 before the expansion project.

“The new lanes are designed to reduce travelling time during peak hours from 20 to 11 minutes,” he said, adding that the entire length of the bridge has three lanes going each way.

The Penang Bridge was extended by an extra 4.8 metres on both sides. There is also a 2.0 metre-wide motorcycle lane.

To ensure smooth traffic flow, 24 toll lanes had been built of which 10 are for motorcycles, taking into cognisance this popular mode of transport in Penang as about 30,000 motorcycles pass through the bridge daily, he said.

Being an iconic symbol for Penang, he said the bridge, which ranks as the longest bridge in Asia and fifth largest in the world, also plays host to the annual Penang Bridge Run, a popular athletics event since its inception.

From a historical and construction perspective, Abdul Razak, Malaysia’s second prime minister, had initiated the idea to set the process moving to build the bridge in the early 1970s.

The bridge was planned during the term of the third prime minister, Hussein Onn, in the late 1970s. In April 1982, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country’s fourth prime minister, sank the first pile to officially kick off the construction of the project.

On Aug 3, 1985, Dr Mahathir drove across the bridge in a red Proton Saga, carrying the national flag to officiate at the opening ceremony. By his side was his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and in the back seat were Dr Lim, then Works Minister S. Samy Vellu and then Proton Chairman, Jamil Jan.

In terms of engineering feats, the total length of piling for the bridge is 648km, equal to the distance from Butterworth to Johor Bahru. It can withstand earthquakes up to 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Of the entire length of 13.5km, 8.4km of the bridge is above water.

True to Penang’s motto of “Penang Leads”, the bridge’s toll plaza operator was the first in Malaysia to obtain MS ISO 9002 certification. It was also the first to introduce toll payment by Contactless Smart Card.

To monitor traffic flow and bridge security, the PBSB spokesman said the company has established the Penang Bridge Communication Centre (PBCC), a comprehensive monitoring centre equipped with 24-hour closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at 24 locations.

The spokesman said Penang Bridge is also equipped with 12 emergency telephones (ET) at 1.2km intervals on bridge lay-bys and the main span. This facility allows communication between ET call box and the control centre at PBCC.

In addition, the 24-hour bridge patrolling vehicles handle minor breakdowns along the 12 lay-bys on the bridge. Beside the 24-hour patrolling and handling minor repairs, the patrol teams are also equipped with towing facilities.

“The tow trucks are being placed on standby at both sides of the bridge during peak hours to expedite the response and evacuation times,” the spokesman said.

Penang Bridge also operates an Online Traffic Information Management System to provide real-time information on the traffic conditions on Penang Bridge via SMS.

“It gives the public the latest information within minutes to help them plan their journey,” he said.

– NNN-BERNAMA

MALAYSIA: NEW ECONOMIC MODEL WILL NEED NATIONAL SUPPORT, SAYS PSD CHIEF

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Building a new economic model will need national efforts as no government, even a strong and united one, can build it alone, says the Director-general of Public Service Department (PSD) Ismail Adam.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is due to soon announce the new economic model which will form the thrust of the country’s economic planning for the future.

As a central agency responsible for human resource management in the public sector, the Public Service Department (PSD) has taken great efforts to ensure the success of the new economic model (NEM) by hiring those with high-level thinking and knowledge, Ismail said.

“Invariably the new economic model will need new good people. For the new economic model to be successful, it must be a combination of efforts from the private sector, the community at large and the public sector that is the public servant.

“We have to facilitate the working of the new economic model and to do so, there’s no other choice but to upgrade our relevancy in terms of knowledge, in terms of skills and we have to give them training,” he told Bernama in an interview here.

The new economic model will be unveiled by Najib following its tabling to the Cabinet.

Several analysts have already expressed concerns on whether the NEM measures would be enough and whether their execution would be embraced by the civil service and government authorities.

On the side of the public sector service, Ismail said entry into certain services now will have stringent criteria as “we want to choose the best.”

For example, getting into the diplomatic service, applicants will have to go through an exam, a process of assessment for few days, and only then the interview, he said.

Then there is development and trainings for all services.

Currently, the practice is that every single civil servant goes through at least seven days of training or equivalent but there are departments undertaking more than that, Ismail said.

They might not be only going for courses but there is also on-the-job training, mentoring, coaching and assignments so that their capabilities are raised to higher levels.

Touching on vacancies in the civil service, the PSD chief said the critical sectors were still medicine, pharmacy, engineering and the sciences.

In the medical services, 50 per cent vacancies are in dentistry and pharmacies side, he said.

He said there was also a need for civil servants with a grasp of more than one discipline, where knowledge of more than one field will be better.

Quoting from “Five Minds for the Future” by Howard Gardner, Ismail said civil servants needed five “minds” to succeed.

First, they must have a disciplined mind, then a mind capable of synthesizing, a mind that can create as well as a respectful mind and finally an ethical mind.

On respect for example, he said the respect of other people’s opinion was important.

As for ethics, he said:

“Whatever you do, you must maintain some code of ethics. It is very relevant.”

Given the effects of globalisation which has made everything borderless, Ismail said he had told the new and old officers to “rejuvenate themselves”.

This is neccessary, as they would have to interact with a lot of people and at the same time the new leaders, political leaders or organisations, he said.

There is a need to be in the “same page” to be confident of success, he said.

– NNN-BERNAMA

NIGER’S JUNTA PROMISE TRANSPARENT ELECTION

NIAMEY, Feb 28 (NNN-AFROLNEWS) — Members of the 10-day-old military junta in Niger will not be allowed to contest the elections.

This has been an assurance given by the military authorities in Niamey following a recommitment to return the country to civilian rule.

However, no clear calendar has been hinted, as to when the elections will be held.

Media reports have quoted a spokesman for military rulers, Colonel Abdoul Karim Goukoye, as also committing to hold transparent and free elections.

Niger?s president, Mamadou Tandja, was overthrown on Feb 18 by the army and has since been reportedly under house arrest, together with several members of his defunct cabinet.

Reports have also surfaced that countries such as Morocco have offered to take Mr Tandja into exile, but the military junta is yet to make a decision on that.

The army has said that its aim for overthrowing the government was the restoration of “an exemplary” democracy and good governance in Niger.

The coup d’état had been a reaction to President Tadja’s unpopular and unconstitutional drive to maintain power in the impoverished country. Despite protests from Niger’s constitutional court, parliament and foreign countries – including West Africa’s regional block ECOWAS – President Tandja forced through a new constitution shortly before scheduled elections that allowed him to run for a third term in office. — NNN-AFROLNEWS

MALAYSIAN PM NAJIB: UTILISE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE BUSINESS

PEKAN, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak wants the people to leverage on the popularity of social media network sites to generate economic activities through online business.

He said social media were growing in popularity and should be used as a business tool and not just a platform for online interaction.

“I encourage you to utilise the Internet and broadband not just for social interaction but also to enhance your economic activities by carrying out online business,” he said at the launching of the Tanjung Agas Real-Time Broadband (TARB) here Saturday.

Present were Tengku Muda of Pahang Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah who is also the Tanjung Agas Technology Sdn Bhd chairman and Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Adnan Yaakob.

Najib said social media websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Friendster could also be used as a platform to carry out research on niche areas for online business. He also said that Malaysians were among the most active social media users in the world.

“In line with this year being the innovation year, the people should be innovative in developing their economic activities and uplifting their standard of living by leveraging on the power of the Internet and taking advantage of the high-speed broadband technology,” he said.

He also reminded Internet users against using the social media to spread lies or defame others.

“Modern infrastructure and services are not sufficient; they should be used properly,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, Najib said the Tanjung Agas Real-Time Broadband facility would enhance confidence among investors in the Tanjung Agas Oil, Gas and Maritime Industry Park near here. “It will also allow for a speedier Internet communication between the people of Pekan and the outside world,” he said.

He also reiterated invitation to 300 Facebook Fans to an evening tea at Seri Perdana in Kuala Lumpur on March 13.

The 300 are among some 100,000 members of Najib’s Facebook Fans which was launched three months ago.

“They will be chosen according to age, gender, background and profession. The selection will be done randomly to ensure a wider participation,” he said.

He said the list of selected fans would be issued shortly.

– NNN-BERNAMA

MALAYSIANS IN CHILE SAFE: DEPUTY MINISTER KOHILAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysians in Chile are safe in the aftermath of the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck the central part of the South American country Saturday, said Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay.

He said according to a Malaysian embassy official in Santiago, embassy staff and family members and Malaysian businessmen in Chile were all safe.

Kohilan told this to Bernama when asked about the situation of Malaysians in Chile, a country of some 17 million people, following the quake.

Carmen Fernandez, the head of Chile’s emergency services, was reported as saying that at least 52 people had died so far and that the quake had caused serious damage in the historic areas in two southern cities.

News reports also said that telephone and power lines were down, making damage assessments difficult in the early morning darkness and that the quake also knocked down buildings besides triggering a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the undersea earthquake struck 56 miles (90 km) northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles (35 km) at 3:34 am local time (0634 hours GMT).

Chilean television and radio stations said several buildings collapsed in the city of Curico and that there was damage to buildings in the historic centre of the capital Santiago, about 200 miles (320 km) north of the epicentre.

The capital’s international airport was forced to close, a highway bridge collapsed and chunks of buildings fell into the street.

– NNN-BERNAMA

FORMER PM TELLS BARBADOS: YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO

BRIDGETOWN (BARBADOS), Feb 28 (NNN-CMC) — Former prime minister Owen Arthur has strongly warned Barbados that it simply ?cannot have its cake and eat it too? when it comes to the vexed matter of creating a Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Delivering a special lecture here entitled ?Transforming the Economy In An Age of Liberalisation?, Arthur sought to press home the significance of the CSME to the local economy, while warning his compatriots that they need to do away with a perceived ?antagonistic attitude? towards their Caribbean neighbours.

The former prime minister, who is a trained economist, pointed out that ?Jamaica can afford to do without the CSME because only two or three per cent of their goods would be affected, but for us, (Barbados) it is 52 per cent?.

Furthermore, Arthur noted that Barbadian service providers were the ones taking advantage of the current single market arrangements, amounting to about BDS$500 million (US$250 million) in business for its distributive sector alone.

?Barbados cannot have its cake and eat it too,? he cautioned, adding that ?the people in St. Vincent, St. Lucia (and), Guyana are imposing the Common External Tariff (CET) on goods coming from the rest of the world to allow them to be able to buy Barbados goods, which we could not sell them without that CET”.

Arthur, who is currently doing a study for CARICOM on integration of small economies under the CSME, further explained that for many small states the only benefit to be derived is the export of skills.

?This used to be Barbados? situation at the turn of the 20th century. 41,000 Barbadians left here and went to Panama and that migration enabled a Barbadian middle class to emerge that gave us the leap forward in the 20th century.

?Other countries now need that leap forward and if we can help them, while they help us keep our people employed, then we should have that win-win situation rather than have this antagonistic attitude for our neighbours,? he said to loud cheers from the crowd gathered at the Errol Barrow Centre at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Arthur, who served as prime minister for 14 years between 1994 to 2008, maintained that Barbados still has the most to gain from the creation of the CSME.

He lamented the slow pace of implementation of the CSME, while stressing the importance of labour mobility to the development of Caribbean enterprises.

At the same time, he was full of praise for moves by the nine member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to forge its own economic union, while warning that Barbados is the only country that stood to pay a price for not being part of that process.

?We are on the same development path as the OECS. We are just another Eastern Caribbean country and if the OECS succeeds in putting its union together it would be a bigger market to start with, have full labour mobility ? and the country that would pay the price for not being part of that process is Barbados,? said Arthur, whose former government had proposed a partnership with the OECS in 1994.

The former prime minister however labeled as “amoral” the current energy arrangement with Venezuela that allows regional states to delay the payment of debt for 25 years.

But he reserved his staunchest criticism on the night for the current administration in Bridgetown, branding many of its policies as “draconian”, even while warning that a “dangerous form of serendipity” is emerging on the island.

He expressed strong concern about the current size of its fiscal deficit, which currently stands at eight per cent of GDP, while suggesting that the David Thompson government is placing too way too much emphasis on social entitlements such as free bus fares and summer camps and constituency councils to the detriment of creating social capital.

In the midst of talk of a wage freeze and stringent remedies supported by agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, Arthur also cautioned that austerity will not lead the island up a path towards economic prosperity. — NNN-CMC

MALAYSIA: RESIDENTS IN SABAH’S EAST COAST TOLD TO AVOID BEACHES

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Feb 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Coastal residents in Sabah’s east coast, including Tawau, Sandakan and Lahad Datu, have been advised to stay away from the beaches as there are likely to occur rough sea conditions and a rise in the sea level from 12pm until 6pm Sunday.

This is due to an earthquake which struck Chile yesterday which triggered tsunami waves across the Pacific Oceans such as Mexico, Tahiti, Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa Islands and New Zealand, the Meteorological Department said in a statement.

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck south-Central Chile at 2.34pm, sending buildings, highways and home crashing down.

Some 200 people were reported dead so far.

– NNN-BERNAMA