Not right to bar Israelis from taking part in World Para Swimming Championships – Tiang

• The Borneo Post
• 21 Jan 2019
• 
  

KUCHING: Malaysia has no right to bar Israelis from taking part in the World Para Swimming Championships hosted by Sarawak from July 29 to Aug 4.

        In pointing this out yesterday, Sarawak United People’s Party ( SUPP) Youth chief Michael Tiang said the Pakatan Harapan ( PH) federal government had abused its role as a host country for the forthcoming global sports event.

He condemned the federal government’s decision to ban Israeli swimmers from competing in the championships organised by the Paralympic Council of Malaysia and Sarawak government.

      “The swimming championships is a world sports event, not a political event. Malaysia, as a mere host to this sports event, has no right to impose political and diplomatic reasons to stop Israeli athletes or any athletes from any countries from participating in this world sports event,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He was commenting on the federal cabinet’s recent decision to impose a blanket ban on all Israelis participating in the World Para Swimming Championships hosted by Sarawak.

        AFP quoted the International Paralympic Committee ( IPC) as saying that it was disappointed with Malaysia’s decision to bar Israeli swimmers from entering the country.

Tiang, who is a political secretary to the chief minister, said the federal government had tarnished the Olympic spirit which promoted friendship, solidarity and fair play by banning Israeli athletes from entering Malaysia.

He feared that such a move would render Malaysia unfit to be a part of any Olympic events.

Because of this, he urged PH leaders to come forward to challenge the federal cabinet’s decision.

“This (the ban) is definitely against our countrymen’s aspirations towards building a ‘ Malaysia Baru’ (new Malaysia) in this new era.”

Since the international sports event is co- organised by the Sarawak government, Tiang called upon the Sarawak government to exercise the state’s immigration autonomy.

        Such immigration autonomy, according to him, is provided in Annex E of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 ( MA63) to allow Israeli athletes to fly directly into Sarawak to participate in the event.

     “Kuching is the host and Sarawak welcomes any athletes from around the world to participate in this Para Swimming Championships,” he asserted.

Tiang opined that the Sarawak government should make a firm stand on this matter to express the state’s dissent to the entry ban decided by the federal government.

He stressed that such ban is totally uncalled for.

     “Since Kuching is the host of the event, Sarawak should show to the world that we uphold the Olympic spirit and that sportsmanship goes beyond politics.

      “And Kuching is a world renowned city of solidarity that welcomes anyone to come to this part of the world,” added Tiang.

My comments:

This is the only leader whom I see has enough courage and sense to voice out what is right.  Unlike other leaders who are so federal-centred, minded, and oriented.  Time will tell whom people will reject in the 2021 Sarawak election.  In the age of advanced internet, most people are not easy to be fooled anymore.  If you still think that those people from ulu-ulu areas are still easy preys to the predators like GPS-crowned / PH-crowned political thugs, you are wrong up to 80%.  

        Once, the people from these ulu-ulu areas had no choice but took the bride and lost the pride, they cast the vote to the sole candidate in their areas.  But now, these people from the ulu-ulu areas have the choice to select the local opposition leaders to counter the very corrupt leaders from the ruling coalition.

        So the 2021 Sarawak election will be the most challenging election for all Sarawakians.  I hope that Sarawakians know how to vote Sarawak out of the Malaysia federation.  Enough means enough.

       

theborneopost.com

Grants by S’wak govt to boost rural devt — Rep

February 20, 2019, Wednesday at 12:02 AM

Paulus (centre) hands over an MRP grant to a recipient.

LIMBANG: Minor rural project (MRP) and rural transformation project (RTP) grants given by the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government will boost rural development.
        Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang pointed out each GPS elected representative has been allocated RM5 million for RTPs and RM2 million for MRPs.
Paulus said the effort to accelerate rural development through MRPs and RTPs began under former Chief Minister Pehin Sri Datuk Patinggi Adenan Satem and have been continued by his successor Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
     “For the Batu Danau constituency, we have listed several projects to be implemented as part of the ongoing efforts to develop the rural areas in this district,” he said when presenting RM480,000 in MRP grants to 86 recipients here yesterday.
        On allegations circling via social media that elected representatives were abusing government grants for personal use, Paulus pointed out there are standard operating procedures to follow.
        In Limbang, he said RTPs are processed by the district office and implementing agencies before being awarded to contractors either by ballot or tender.
        Paulus stressed many areas in Batu Danau are in need of development including social amenities such as community halls and futsal courts, as well as infrastructure such as roads.
        He urged the people to continue supporting the GPS government in implementing development programmes in addition to championing Sarawak’s needs and rights.

My comments:
        Wow, each GPS elected representative has been allocated RM5million for RTPs and RM2 million for MRPs.   I wonder if it is RM7million annually.  If it is RM7 million annually, it is quite a lot of money for each representative to do quite a lot of work in each constituency.  I wonder if there is any special allocation for urban areas.
        I was puzzled when GPS crowned YB Ding Kuong Hiing from appealed the public for donation to build a basketball court (星洲日报 陈冠勋：盼各界解囊  速落实重建蓝球场)。Another case on the same day, it was good deed done by YB Tiong Tai King who paid for the bus shelter for Sacred Heart Chinese Primary School.（沈铭蒨：出资建候车亭  张泰卿善举楷模）
        I believe many, many.......... people like me think that it is so ridiculous and absurd that people are still to shoulder the responsibility of the government for repairing, upgrading, maintenance, rebuilding ..........  .  after paying so many kinds of taxes.  Nowadays, people know so well to be fooled again and again.  Do Japanese, Australians, Singaporeans, Taiwanese, Koreans, Chinese of China, Germany, Finish..... face the same problem?  What a shame!

Sarawak 

Flood forces 13 families in Kanowit to evacuate

February 9, 2019, Saturday at 12:01 AM Peter Boon, reporters@theborneopost.com

Share this

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• 
  

Bomba personnel helping out with the evacuation.

SIBU: Flood caused by heavy rain in the upper region of the Rajang River yesterday forced 13 families of Rumah Ling in Kanowit to evacuate. The flood also affected seven schools in the district.
Sibu Resident Charles Siaw said as it was school holiday yesterday, no children were affected.
      It was reported that 27 people of Rumah Ling were evacuated to higher ground, while 13 residents of houses in the neighbourhood stayed put as their houses were not affected.
  “One evacuation centre at KDC (Kanowit District Council) hall was activated for the evacuees,” Siaw said, adding however that the water level has now gone down.
Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) personnel and the police helped to evacuate the flood victims.
      Kanowit District Education Office (PPD) had reported that the water level at SK Sungai Tuah was expected to rise from 4.35am yesterday.
At SK Ulu Machan, all areas were inundated with one staff quarters damaged.
The suspension bridge connecting the school and a longhouse had also collapsed.
SK Ulu Machan headmaster has alerted the Fire and Rescue Department though flood water was said to be receding.
      Bomba Sungai Merah here has also received a report of flood in SK Kua Ulu.

My comments:
        I hope that floods will waken up the people here and there the need to change the GPS government for good.  I believe in new leadership to quit Sarawak  from the Malaysia federation.  When Sarawak is independent , we will have all the fund for mega flood mitigation project to be carried out.  We need proper development of the drainage system to channel excess water to the reservoirs, tube wells or underground rooms to be kept during wet seasons and release of the water during dry seasons.  Singapore should a good place for us to refer to as they have proper system to store water. 
        Our new leaders will stop indiscriminate logging and the plundering way of development.   Clearing thousands of hectares for palm oil plantations should be stopped.  Sarawak needs good and strong leaders to stop all the bad practices of corruption and collusion.  There is no hope of a better Sarawak if we still rely on this old leaders with all the bad habits and mindsets.

theborneopost.com

Flash floods hit squatter settlement in Bintulu, forces evacuation of 21 residents

February 13, 2019, Wednesday at 12:10 AM

The flood victims prepare to depart for home after the flood has subsided.

BINTULU: Twenty-one people were evacuated shortly past midnight yesterday after hours-long heavy rain triggered flash floods in the squatter settlement at Mile 5 of Jalan Tun Hussein Onn here.
        Sarawak Disaster Management Committee secretariat head Ismail Mahedin said the evacuees were relocated to the civic centre here after their homes were inundated by up to three feet of water.
     “The relief centre was opened at 2.43am to accommodate the four affected families. The centre was closed at 9.01am after the evacuees returned home, once the water level had subsided,” he said.
       Meanwhile, Fire and Rescue Department personnel were deployed to monitor several flood-prone areas at Jalan Tanjung Kidurong, Taman Milenium, Jalan Abang Galau and Jalan Time Square 5 in the aftermath of the downpour.
Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel here were also dispatched to Rumah Tan in Sebungan, Sebauh after three days of continuous rain resulted in flooding at 18 of its 23 doors.
       However, no evacuation was required, with the water level reported to have subsided to about one foot, as at press time yesterday.

My comments:
Flash floods will be the last straw breaking the camel's back.  The frequent flash floods have pushed the people up the wall.  I believe that 2020 Sarawak election will tell the GPS-crowned political clowns properly that they should step down to learn what a good governance is.  I believe in new leadership for a new independent Sarawak.  This is the only way to mend and repair Sarawak for the past 55 over years of abuse and neglect.  I believe that Sarawakians are more or less ready for Sarawak Independence. 

theborneopost.com

Sapa chief says his piece on status of Sabah, Sarawak in MA63

KUCHING: The president of Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspirations (Sapa), Dominique Ng, yesterday commented on what he described as the ‘current confusion over the status of Sabah and Sarawak’ between the Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak.
        Ng said the statement that was allegedly and originally ascribed to Shafie Apdal was that the latter had at the meeting with the Prime Minister brought up ‘the status of Sabah and Sarawak as one territory’, about the restoring of such a status, and that it had been stipulated in the MA63.

Dominique Ng

      Pursuant to that, Masing had expressed a differing opinion – that Sabah and Sarawak are two territories, not one.
       “Today we read of a fellow MA63 activist and champion Zainnal Ajamain coming to the defence of Shafie, and claiming that Masing was incorrect in saying that Sarawak and Sabah were two separate regions in the Federation of Malaysia!
     “Zainnal Ajamain was referring to the MA63 and Annex A Part II Section 1(3) thereof and that it was stated therein that both Borneo states are a territory, and that it was a misconception on the part of Masing about the word ‘territories’ therein,” said Ng.
       Ng, who is also an advocate and solicitor practising in Sarawak, said that when he looked up the section quoted, what he could only find was an Annex A Part II Clause 4(3) which was relevant [and not section 1(3)] and which also referred to a clause 4(2).
      For the sake of clarity, Ng then reproduced the whole section, which reads as follows:
      4. (1) the Federation shall be known, in Malay and in English, by the name Malaysia. (2) The States of the Federation shall be – (a) the States of Malaya, namely Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Trengganu; and (b) the Borneo States, namely Sabah and Sarawak; and (c) the State of Singapore (3)The territories of each of the States mentioned in Clause (2) are the territories comprised therein immediately before Malaysia Day.
Ng stressed that nowhere in the said clauses was there any reference which can be construed as making Sabah and Sarawak a single territory, no doubt they were referred together as ‘the Borneo States’ in Clause 2(b).
       However, he said that it was very clearly stated in Clause (3) that Sabah and Sarawak [and also Singapore for that matter] were two separate territories as they were ‘the territories comprised therein immediately before Malaysia Day’.
Ng emphasised that MA63 and the prime documents related to the formation of Malaysia are very clear about Sabah and Sarawak being territories which came together with the territories of Malaya and Singapore to form Malaysia.
Ng sounded a warning, in that the current and very petty argument seemingly between Sabah and Sarawak over the meaning of ‘territories’, of whether we are one or two territories, we may be missing the wood for the trees!
     “Indeed the definition of the word ‘territory’ usually denotes ‘a geographical area that has been acquired by a particular country but has not been recognised as a full participant in that country’s affairs’. In plain simple English, colonies!
     “And by that definition the word of which has been included in the said Annex A of MA63, could it be argued that Sabah and Sarawak have become, and by default, are still colonies of Malaya? Or more correctly, colonies of the Federation of Malaya?
     “Because the behaviour of the Federal Government so far since those far away Malaysia Formation days of 1963 has always been one of a colonial master over its colonies of Sarawak and Sabah, acquired as a result of MA63,” he said.
Ng reminded all the squabbling parties that September 16, the day Malaysia was formed or otherwise known as Malaysia Day, was totally ignored and relegated to the rubbish bins of history for decades until a decade-long campaign led by some people including he himself managed to have it restored officially and accorded a public holiday status, only in 2013.
       Ng also proposed that it would be more profitable for Sarawakians and Sabahans to employ “our collective time to deciding whether MA63 is still valid, or whether it was void ab initio, or voidable as a result of the numerous breaches thereof.
    “And if so, why are we still squabbling over the tidbits thrown out by Malaya and where we have to scramble over in our haste to fight over them?” he asked.
Ng is leading a team that has expressed its intention to sue the Federal Government over MA63.

My comments:
        I hope that Sabahans and Sarawakians are well-prepared to fight for the independence of Sabah and Sarawak.   Sarawak, especially, should set the good example for Sabahans to follow suit.  Always remember United Nations' Decolonisation Declaration on 14 December, 1960, the 1514 resolution giving the colonised people the rights of "self-determination".
     Britain gave back the power to Sarawakians on 22nd July, 1963 because of United Nations' Decolonisation Declaration on 14th December, 1960.  Who on earth can stop Sarawakians to quit from the Malaysia federation for good?  The rights and power are vested in the hands of Sarawakians.  That's it!

theborneopost.com

Outwardly rich, inwardly poor

Abdul Hakim Bujang, reporters@theborneopost.com

Sarawak top three richest state but has 7 out of 10 poorest districts in M’sia, says economic analyst

Associate Prof Dr Madeline Berma

KUCHING: Sarawak is among the top three richest states in Malaysia but ironically has seven of the 10 poorest districts in the country.
In stating this, economic analyst Associate Prof Dr Madeline Berma revealed that the economic growth of Sarawak is shaped by the performance of commodity-based sector such as agriculture, mining and quarrying.
   “The sharp drop in commodity prices especially oil palm, pepper and rubber has affected the income of the rural populace badly, making poverty eradication in Sarawak not very effective,” she said.
       She said Sarawak is still among the best achievers in Malaysia, standing in third position among the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) producers and fourth place in GDP per capita.
“Sarawak is among the top three richest states in Malaysia, contributing 9.7 per cent of Malaysia’s GDP – behind Selangor (22 per cent) and the Federal Territories (15.6 per cent) in the State Socio-economic Report (SSR) 2017.
“Sarawak’s GDP per capita stood at RM49,327 in 2017, only behind the top three of Kuala Lumpur (RM111,321), Labuan (RM65,949) and Penang (RM49,873). Sarawak’s economic growth is quite fast at 4.2 per cent compared to other states in Malaysia,” she added.
     She admitted that the data on economy and social standing which covers GDP, Consumer Price Index, population, labour force, unemployment and income distribution showed that many areas in Sarawak are lying deep at the bottom of the statistics table.
    “The figure from Department of Statistics, Malaysia shows that seven out of 10 poorest districts in Malaysia are in Sarawak,” she pointed out.
Madeline, who was once commissioned by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development to conduct nationwide research for the National Rural Development Policy, said that sadly, Pakan District topped the nation’s poverty list.
       “Pakan is the poorest district in the country with income per capita of RM2,760.   Other districts in the list from Sarawak are Lubok Antu, Song, Kanowit, Selangau, Simunjan and Daro,” she said.
       Madeline, therefore, suggested that Sarawak government must develop new source of economic growth to create more job opportunities besides diversifying the source of income for its rural populace.
      With government support and correct marketing approach, the abundance of unique longhouses and traditional agriculture activities at naturally attractive villages will definitely draw visitors, she added.
      Madeline was asked to comment on the revelation by Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun during an event on Sunday that Pakan was the poorest district in Malaysia.
      The minister had said that the poor districts, totalling 28, are to be given special attention for the implementation of socio-economic development programmes.
Rina said these included the development of infrastructure, improving their income, education and so on to enable the residents in the area to come out of the clutches of poverty.
      She said among the districts identified were Tumpat in Kelantan, Yan in Kedah besides several others in Sabah and Sarawak, adding her ministry would emphasise on cooperating with other relevant agencies and departments to raise the socio-economic standard of the residents.


My comments:
I strongly believe that Sarawak will improve its economic conditions when it becomes an independent country.  When 100% of oil and gas resources as well as various kinds of taxes are collected solely by the Sarawak government for infrastructure facilities and development. 

Mud road strikes nerves of villagers (Home Pg. 9)

The Borneo Post  (12/2/2019 Tue)

Mud road strikes nerves of villagers  (Home Pg. 9) 

Kanowit:  The poor condition of the road linking Nanga Ngungun and Nanga Bat is touching the nerves of people living in Nanga Bat and its surrounding areas in Sungai Ngemah near here.

        A local 4WD vehicle transporter Jamait Bajai, who communtes the route daily said some stetches along the 8km earth road are often almost impassable especially on rainy days. 

        He said that about two weeks ago, his vehicle stalled in the mud when he was on his way back home to Nanga Bat. 

        “It was getting dark, we had no choice but to leave the vehicle and waited until next morning to gather some longhouse residents to help move the car.”

        “We had voiced out this matter before but it is so frustrating that nothing is being done despite years of waiting,” he lamented.

        According to Jamit,  the road was a logging track built more than 16 years ago by a timber company connecting Nanga Bat to Naga Ngungun and Nanga Ngemah.

        He said that part of the road was tar-sealed by the government – from Nanga Ngemah up Nanga Ngungun – in early 2011.

        “We are wondering why the road to Nanga Bat has been left like it is now.”

        Longhouse resident Dundang Timban from nearby Nanga Nirok also vented his frustration by posting photos of the road condition in the Facebook.

        The photo captioned in Iban showed a four-wheel-drive vehicle being pulled by another car after it had stalled in the mud.

***** I don't know how to copy and paste, so I typed the whole article out.

My comments:

This is the curse of X-BN government.  We should not forget and forgive these X-BN Sarawak leaders or X-BN federal leaders for their abuses of power.   I wonder how X-BN Sarawak leaders in GPS robes now are going to face the questioning of we Sarawakians when we see these appalling conditions everywhere outside the urban areas.

Sarawak is endowed with so many natural resources and yet we are so deprived of endowment.  What a shame!