Namun begitu, ada juga beberapa perkembangan mutakhir yang tidak menyenangkan hati kita sendiri. ... You-Tube yang sudah mulai pergi orang kata, biral (selepas peristiwa apa yang berlaku baru-baru ini,) sikap tidak bertanggugajwab kumpulan Alvin dan Vivian (kalau tak silap saya.) Kes sudah dihadapkan ke mahkamah saya tak boleh buat komen.

Ada lagi satu You-Tube yang terkini yang latar belakang suara takbir tapi gambar anjing dan dia bawak anjing ni basuh tangan macam nak angkat sembahyang. Jadi, hal-hal sebegini agak mula berlaku dalam masyarakat kita yang sepatutnya tidak berlaku.

Walaupun aman tenteram yang disebut awal tadi tapi hal2 sebegini yang menunjukkan tidak ada persefahaman dan pengertian yang mendalam tentang pentingnya keharmonian berasaskan agama dan kaum ini kita pelihara. Mungkin disebabkan oleh perkara-perkara yang berlaku dalam masyarakat kita sama ada politik dan sebagainya? Jadi ini menganggu gugat ketenteraman jiwa masyarakat islam dalam negara kita.

Apakah ini manifestasi daripada tanggapan sesetengah pihak bahawa kita lemah? Maka itu kita mudah diperkotak katikkan ataupun kita tidak tegas dan berani untuk bertindak kepada perkara-perkara yang dilakukan boleh mencemarkan kesucian agama kita atau sengajakah mereka ini orang yang bodoh dan tidak faham tentang nilai agama dan penghormatan pada agama-agama?

Yang berlaku adalah (agama Islam di Malaysia) tidak ada orang Islam yang mempersenda sendakan agama-agama bukan Islam - baik Kristian, Hindu dan sebagainya.  Tetapi yang dihadapi disini yang majoritinya umat Islam ialah memperlekehkan atau mempersendakan agama kita.

Saya setuju sangat yang menghantar teks kepada saya supaya pihak SKMM, KDN, dan pihak berkuasa ambil tindakan cepat supaya hal ini tidak akan berulang tetapi malangnya berulang berlaku. Jadi inilah suatu gejala buruk yang sedang melanda masyarakat kita di malaysia. Kita harap ia tidak sampai ke tahap yang mencetuskan situasi yang berlaku di sesetengah negara Islam lain di dunia.

Mahathir Mohamad awarded the Double Tracking Project to MMC-Gamuda on 21st October 2003, just nine days before he stepped down as Prime Minister. On 1st November 2003, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, fondly known as Pak Lah, took over as Prime Minister. The first thing that Pak Lah did when he took over as Prime Minister was to cancel Mahathir’s pet projects. The Crooked Bridge to Singapore was one and the Double Tracking Project was the other, which Pak Lah shelved the following month in December 2003.

Syed Mokhtar

Mahathir was furious. He had spent more than a year from mid-2002 to late 2003 discussing with Pak Lah as to what he can and cannot do once he took over as Prime Minister. Whether Pak Lah just forgot or whether he did a dirty on Dr Mahathir is not too clear. But the long and short of it, Pak Lah did everything he promised he would not do. And cancelling Mahathir’s pet projects was clearly one of the do-not-does. Actually, Pak Lah had a great dislike for Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary who had shunned him when he was the Deputy Prime Minister. Hence, within just a month of taking over as Prime Minister, Pak Lah did the unthinkable. He cancelled the Double Tracking Project, the Crooked Bridge Project, and all those other projects that Mahathir had given to his cronies. Did anyone not bother to tell Pak Lah that one just does not slaughter sacred cows, in particular Mahathir’s sacred cows?

Pak Lah explained that the government’s ‘poor finances’ did not permit such grandiose projects -- hence the need to cancel them. This caused Mahathir to flip. It gave the impression that Mahathir’s mismanagement has bled the country’s finances dry -- hence there is no more money. It also gave the impression that Mahathir’s projects are a total waste of money -- hence the need to cancel them. In short, Mahathir is a bungling idiot.

Lin Yung Ling

Syed Mokhtar asked the CEO of Gamuda, Lin Yun Ling, to approach Seow Lun Hoo (former President and CEO of Hong Leong Credit) to mastermind the penetration of Pak Lah’s inner circle.

That was how Seow first involved Khairy Jamaludin, Pak Lah’s son-in-law, and later Shah Hakim, the close associate of Kamaluddin, Pak Lah’s son.

And by a wave of the magical wand of Shah Hakim and Kamaluddin Badawi, the project began to be revived.

All these facts have now been revealed in court when Seow and Shah Hakim admitted that they “provided technical expertise and networking capabilities to help revive the once-shelved RM12.4 billion double-tracking railway project …. It was through our efforts that the project was revived.”

The ‘networking capabilities’ and revival efforts included opening doors for Lin to present the revival ideas to then Minister-in-Charge of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Effendi Norwawi.

Effendi initially told Lin that given Pak Lah’s grim description of the country’s finances it would be difficult for the government to be seen as reviving it from government funding. Effendi, the (so-called) Sarawak financial wizard, then created this fanciful term for Lin to use when presenting the proposal to the government as a way in getting the project revived -- Private Finance Initiatives (PFI).

The idea was: the private sector can include all their additional financial costs and risks into the PFI proposal to make the project costs higher. Effendi also advised that after approval has been obtained, the PFI project could then revert to a design-and-build project fully shouldered by the government.

And that was exactly how MMC-Gamuda cheated the Malaysian public into believing that the PFI projects were fully funded by the private sector whereas in the end the taxpayers would be footing the bill.

Effendi and Tiara

For his wonderful advice and support, Effendi also asked Lin to sponsor his new wife’s hobby in extravagant stage productions. That explained how Effendi’s wife, Tiara Jacqueline, could have the finances to mount the most glamorous and expensive Malay stage play to date -- Puteri Gunung Ledang. Lin and Syed Mokhtar were also made to sponsor Pak Lah’s wife’s pet project in the Pride Foundation and Endon Award for Performing Arts Excellence scholarship fund.

You see, Pak Lah, his family, and his friends in the cabinet, wanted to teach Syed Mokhtar and his sidekick, Lin, a good lesson for shunning them during Mahathir’s time. So they were going to make MMC-Gamuda pay for every single one of their whimsical pleasures.

Shah Hakim Zain

Shah Hakim had a deep distrust for Syed Mokhtar. So he had convinced Effendi that the project should be divided into two parts – the Infrastructure Works to be awarded directly to MGJV for RM10 billion and the Systems Work for RM2.38 billion which will be given to a contractor of the government’s choice. The Systems Work was supposed to be sub-contracted by MGJV to NR Sistem.

When Syed Mokhtar realised that the 30% margin that the Shah Hakim group was going to make from the RM2.38 billion System Work contract amounted to RM600 million, Syed Mokhtar got upset. He complained to Mahathir about how Pak Lah had cancelled the project and forced him to use the services of Shah Hakim who will now make RM600 million ‘atas angin’. Mahathir advised Syed Mokhtar to stall signing any contract with NR Sistem for the Systems Work.

.... mean time, Syed Mokhtar directed Lin to force Seow and Shah Hakim to accept a reduced profit margin RM360 million instead of RM600 million.

Khairy, Kamaluddin and Pak Lah (left to right)

This infuriated Shah Hakim and Kamaluddin because they thought they had already agreed to the 30% margin, which was equivalent to RM600 million. That money was needed not just for them personally but also to fund Pak Lah’s 2008 elections campaign. Syed Mokhtar held back the money and refused to give Pak Lah what he needed for the 12th general election campaign. Mahathir had advised Syed Mokhtar to hang on and not to commit to any figure as Mahathir wanted Pak Lah to perform badly in the election and subsequently be ousted. The only way someone can become Prime Minister in this country is by paying huge sums of money to supporters to vote them into the hot seat. Without funds, Pak Lah could not pay for votes and was ousted.

Without enough funds, Mahathir’s plan became a reality. BN and Umno fared poorly in the March 2008 GE ...

Post-March 2008, it was imminent that Pak Lah would have to give way to Najib. Syed Mokhtar, being the shrewd businessman that he is, then directed Lin not to sign anything with Shah Hakim’s NR Sistem – even for the agreed price of RM360 million .....

Syed Mokhtar never intended to pay Kamaluddin and Shah Hakim the RM600 million nor the 33% or RM3.3 billion from the RM10 billion Infrastructure Works. All in all, Syed Mokhtar earned RM3.7 billion from the combined value of RM12.4 billion for the Double Tracking Rail Project.

Nurul Izzah to launch Pak Lah’s book in Singapore

Posted on 7 August 2013 - 10:02pm
Last updated on 8 August 2013 - 12:48pm
Dorothy Cheng
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA (Aug 7, 2013): Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar will launch former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's book "Awakening, the Abdullah Badawi years in Malaysia" in Singapore later this month.

She said she has accepted an invitation to launch the book on Aug 30.

"I believe the Malaysian launch will be presided over by Abdullah himself and (former deputy prime minister) Tun Musa Hitam," she told theSun.

In Abdullah's tell-all book, which will contain more than 35 essays, he defends his tenure as prime minister and accusations that he slept on the job by revealing that he had been suffering from sleep apnea.

During that time, photos were circulated ridiculing him, and even his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had criticised him.

However, in an excerpt from the book, Abdullah claimed Mahathir had known about his condition all along.

"I did tell Mahathir of my condition so for him to say I doze off because I am not interested in the job is most unkind.

"He knew the problem and yet he chose to say all these things," he said.

He has since undergone surgery and no longer suffers from the condition.

Abdullah, 73, was prime minister from 2003 to 2009. He resigned from his post as Umno president and as prime minister after the BN's lacklustre performance in the 2008 election.

Kepada teman2 yang mendapat mesej berantai berhubung Pak Lah menjemput Izzah melancarkan bukunya, isini ada sedikit penjelasan. Harap disebarkan :
 

1) Buku tersebut bukan buku yang Pak Lah tulis
 

2) Ia ditulis oleh ahli akademik dan Pak Lah hanya ditemubual dan menjawab soalan ahli akademik tersebut.
 

3) Memang Pak Lah subject penulis, tetapi ianya bukan buku terbitan Pak Lah
 

4) Justeru yang menjemput Nurul Izzah bukanlah Pak Lah tapi penerbit

Mohon dipanjangkan. Terima kasih.

 

Lokman Noor bin Adam

Exco Pemuda UMNO Msia

Abdullah dismisses assumptions he conspired with opposition over book 

2013-08-12 17:37

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad today dismissed assumptions that he had conspired with the opposition to go against his own party, Umno, through the publication of the book "Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia".

"That is tantamount to twisting the facts and is slanderous. The criticisms given during the interview with me, as contained in the book, were made because I wish to see that Umno continues to have the people's mandate and trust.

"I have never left Umno and, God willing, when the time comes I will breathe my last in this world as an Umno member who loves his motherland," he said in a media statement.

Abdullah said it must be understood that he had neither written the book nor sponsored its publication.

He said he had been interviewed by two academicians, James Chin and Bridget Welsh, on the principle of openness for a balanced debate with regard to all points of view.

Abdullah explained that he was only associated with an interview in 2011, which was more inclined towards replying to questions raised by the writers who had contributed to the book and providing him with an opportunity to clarify several points inserted in the book.

"I did not sponsor or ask for the book to be published. It is the norm for academicians to make an analysis of our country's political history and, definitely, my era did not escape academic research.

"I only agreed to be interviewed so that my views and explanations can be carried in the book," he said.

Abdullah said he did not know of, was not informed about and was not responsible for any invitation to launch or discuss the book.

He said he had no plans to attend the launch of the book for it could be then assumed that he wrote it and sponsored its publication.

"The news that an opposition leader has been invited to launch the book in Singapore, even if it is true, is the decision of the publisher, not mine," he said.

It had been reported that Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah, daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, would launch the book in Singapore on Aug 30

• If he was merely answering questions by the (real) authors, why was only attack on Tun Dr Mahathir was highlighted? It could mean Pak Lah was not shedding light into his past actions but holding a grudge against Dr Mahathir.

• Why didn't Pak Lah just highlighted the fact that he wanted to run the country his way and not resoort to personal revenge against Dr Mahathir?

• If Pak Lah did not sponsor or request for it's publication, why was he willing to be interviewed?

• Why didn't he check the background of the authors/editors and publishers?

• If true that this is merely an academic exercise, why didn't this people right an academic bok on Dr Mahathir? He was a more significant subject matter than the monnow Pak Lah.

• During his administration and retirement, Pak Lah and his media propagandist are protective, and guarded at allowing him to be interviewed by the media and local media to avoid controversies. But, he could vomit out whatever crosses his mind with the two editors?

• Pak Lah asked his answers be the focus of reader's attention and not the speculations behind his actions. It means Pak Lah wants readers to focus on his attack on Dr Mahathir.

• Taken that Pak lah did not write the book, but this book has no value without Pak lah's interview. It could be construed that he actually wanted the book published.

• Why didn't Pak Lah think ahead that this is enemy strategy to destroy UMNO and allow oour wn people to write instead?

• Again, if Pak Lah did not write, why did he provided materials to promote the book which contains personal attack on other and his own party?

• Pak Lah's cooperation showed his liberal side which was never known before he became Prime Minister. Did he realised that his liberal ways was the cause for much the disrespect today and destroyal of the Malays and their leaders?

Taken from APAhere

Is Nurul Izzah being groomed as a future Wanita UMNO leader ? Badawi and KJ with Kalimullah are  putting the plan in operation, three years away, a coup for UMNO before the next election. Anwar won't object as he then has fingers in all parties ie Government and the Opposition.  Very possible with Azmin heading PKR.

Anwar may not become PM but in this scenario he becomes a King Maker. Further this would give KJ the support for his ascendency in UMNO and distances the other factions.

Situation is very possible as they believe Mahathir would not be around long. Even if he does, they are out to hammer his credibility to weaken his standing. This would draw support towards  KJ group to take on Najib or Muhyiddin.  Although 1MDB has its war chest but KNB is a monopoly of Badawi's boys. So can you see the scenario building.

Included in the strategy Pak Lah boys want to keep Dr Mahathir  occupied so as to remove his focus on Najib. A decoy tactic or a tactic to ensure that he has multiple fronts to fight.

Note current mood of young Malays, Chinese and Indians (so called educated group) are not for Dr Mahathir. This is the wave they want to capitalise on as the instrument of change in their campaign as these are the people who have the energyand the vigour.

It would mean that the Pak Lah boys inevitably become indispensable to Najib. A well crafted scenario. This strategy puts KJ in the forefront as Najib's key ally and. clears the way for his ascendency in UMNO. Anwar Ibrahim style of climb in UMNO.

Plausible. A repeat of S46 coming back to the fold.

Possible bro, and we hv to make a stop!

Firstly, remember Khairy delivering passport to Anwar Ibrahim's house upon his release from prison under the pretext of assisting his immediate departure for treatment in Munich.

Anwar's operaion was truly miraculous as he was able to walk hours after the operations when it took us three days after undergoing similar operations. The Alpha Klinik where Anwar went for treatment was reported to be involved in fraud.

Second, Anwar paid a courtesy visit to Pak Lah during his open house in Kepala Batas after he came out of prison.

Thirdly, Anwar and Pak Lah was seen together performing zohor and having lunch at a certain Ismailiyah Sect leader in Hulu Langat in 2009.

The rumour was that Anwar spent three hours with Pak Lah trying to convince him to not resign and vacate the seat to Dato Najib. 

Malaysia 

Pak Lah: I’m not sleeping with the enemy 

By Zurairi AR

August 12, 2013 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — Under fire from pro-Umno bloggers, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied today that the release of a book on his years as prime minister is a conspiracy to attack the Malay nationalist party. 

The contents of the book as well as the choice of PKR lawmaker Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to launch the book in Singapore earlier set tongues wagging online. 

“The principle of openness means that we must be ready to give space for anybody to speak. But do not make an assumption that the book was written by Pak Lah who has conspired with the opposition to attack his own party,” Abdullah (picture) said in a statement here, referring to himself by his popular moniker. 

“Whatever criticism given in my interview in the book was made because I want to see Umno given continued mandate and trust by the people.” 

“Awakening: The Abdullah Years in Malaysia”, a book on his short reign as the prime minister who succeeded Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, features an exclusive interview where the usually quiet man finally speaks out against his detractors. 

In the days following its release, the book dominated headlines in the media with heavy focus given to Pak Lah’s words on Dr Mahathir and what the former prime minister described as “unwarranted attacks” on his person that eventually led to his ouster. 

Pro-Umno bloggers have since accused Abdullah of being a “mouthpiece” of the opposition with the release of the book, painting its editors Prof Bridget Welsh and Prof James Chin as alleged anti-Barisan Nasional (BN) dissenters. 

Today, Abdullah denied he had a hand in the book’s tone or the decision to have Nurul Izzah launch the book in Singapore. 

“Since I am not the publisher, printer, editor not the author of the book, I do not know, am not informed and not responsible for any invitations to launch and discuss the book,” Pak Lah explained. 

“The news of an opposition leader attending the book launch in Singapore — even if it is true — was the decision of the publishers, not me.” 

The Singapore launch has since been cancelled, according to the book’s editors today, who earlier postponed a companion event in Kuala Lumpur due to the growing controversy over the tome. 

On Saturday, the editors decided to postpone the launch here, citing concerns over its “politicisation” and sensationalisation by media organisations in their reportage of certain portions of the book. 

Today, Chin also denied that Nurul Izzah’s scheduled attendance had contributed to the cancellation of the Singapore launch, and repeated the hope that the public will read the book in its entirety before making any comment. 

Abdullah has also clarified that he was not planning on attending the launch event, to dispel any notions that the book was written and endorsed by him, explaining that it was not written under his request or sponsorship. 

On Saturday, Welsh and Chin noted in their open letter that some media outlets had wrongly categorised “Awakening” as “Pak Lah’s book”. 

They pointed out that this was inaccurate as the book was a collection of multiple views from different persons, including politicians across the divide and academic observers.

Despite the postponement of the launch, the duo said the book will remain available at book stores nationwide.

KENYATAAN MEDIA YABHG TUN ABDULLAH HAJI AHMAD BADAWI

Sejak dua tiga hari yang lepas, banyak berita diterbit mengenai 'buku Pak Lah'. Isu ini juga mendapat liputan luas dalam media sosial dengan pelbagai reaksi dan komen.Sebelum saya memberi apa-apa komen, mungkin saya perlu memberi sedikit penjelasan tentang buku tersebut.

Pertamanya, buku tersebut tidak ditulis oleh saya. Buku ini disusun oleh dua ahli akademik, James Chin dan Bridget Welsh, dengan memuatkan beberapa rencana oleh pelbagai penulis yang telah menyumbangkan tulisan masing-masing mengenai pentadbiran saya sebagai Perdana Menteri. Ada yang dikhabarkan positif dan banyak juga yang negatif dan kritikal.

Kedua, saya sendiri hanya terlibat melalui wawancara yang dibuat oleh James Chin dan Bridget Welsh. Wawancara ini lebih kepada menjawab soalan-soalan yang dibangkitkan oleh penulis-penulis yang telah menyumbang kepada buku tersebut dan memberi saya ruang untuk menjelaskan beberapa perkara dari sudut saya sendiri.

Ketiga, saya tidak menaja atau meminta buku tersebut diterbitkan. Sudah menjadi perkara biasa para akademik membuat analisa tentang sejarah politik negara kita dan sudah pasti era saya tidak terlepas dari kajian ilmiah. Saya cuma telah setuju untuk diwawancara agar suara, pendapat serta penjelasan saya dapat dimuatkan didalam buku tersebut.

Keempat, oleh kerana saya bukan penerbit, pencetak, pengarang ataupun penulis buku tersebut, saya tidak tahu, tidak diberitahu dan tidak bertanggungjawab diatas mana-mana jemputan untuk melancarkan atau membincangkan buku tersebut. Berita yang mengatakan pemimpin dari parti pembangkang dijemput untuk melancarkan buku ini di Singapura - kalaupun benar - adalah keputusan penerbit buku, bukan saya.

Kelima, saya tidak merancang untuk menghadiri pelancaran buku tersebut. Ini kerana saya tidak mahu orang membuat andaian yang buku ini ditulis atau ditaja oleh saya. Saya cuma menjawab soalan yang ditanya. Biarlah jawapan-jawapan saya menjadi tumpuan pembaca.

Berlatarbelakangkan fakta-fakta diatas, saya berharap orang awam mendapat gambaran yang lebih jelas tentang 'buku Pak Lah'. Sekali lagi, ini bukan buku yang ditulis atau ditaja oleh saya. Mungkin ada yang bertanya, kenapa Pak Lah setuju untuk diwawancara oleh pengarang-pengarang yang dikatakan selalu menulis rencana yang kritikal? Saya bersetuju diwawancara kerana perlu ada penjelasan saya sendiri didalam kajian ilmiah ini.

Suka atau tidak, setuju atau tidak, saya berpegang kepada prinsip keterbukaan sebagai paksi kepada demokrasi yang matang. Prinsip keterbukaan inilah yang saya amalkan apabila didatangi dengan permohonan oleh para pengarang buku ini untuk diwawancara. Walaupun saya dimaklumkan buku ini bakal memuatkan rencana yang kritis dan 'unflattering' tentang kepimpinan saya, saya masih setuju diwawancara atas semangat keterbukaan demi perdebatan yang seimbang dengan mengambil kira semua sudut pandangan.

Sudah pasti pandangan-pandangan dalam buku ini akan mengundang reaksi-reaksi tertentu. Terpulanglah kepada semua pihak untuk membuat rumusan masing-masing. Prinsip keterbukaan bermaksud kita sedia memberi ruang kepada semua untuk bersuara. Tetapi janganlah pula ada yang membuat andaian bahawa buku ini ditulis oleh Pak Lah yang sudah bersubahat dengan pembangkang untuk menentang partinya sendiri. Itu sudah memesong fakta dan menjadi fitnah.

Apa juga teguran yang diberikan dalam wawancara saya yang dimuatkan dalam buku ini dibuat kerana saya ingin melihat UMNO terus diberikan mandat dan kepercayaan oleh rakyat. Saya tak pernah meninggalkan UMNO dan Insya'Allah bila tiba masanya nanti, saya akan menghembuskan nafas terakhir saya di dunia ini masih lagi sebagai ahli UMNO yang cintakan negaranya.12 Ogos

Kenyataan Ini Saya Terima Dari Pejabat Tun Abdullah Badawi, Mohon disebarkan

There is also this principle that one must always use in politics. When the enemy hates you, you are doing the right thing. But when your political enemy is loving you, then something is indeed wrong. 

Sayang anak pukul-pukulkan, Sayang isteri tinggal-tinggalkan

This old house is falling down around my ears
I'm drowning in a river of my tears
When all my will is gone you hold me sway
I need you at the dimming of the day

You pulled me like the moon
Pulls on the tide
You know just where I keep my better side

What days have come to keep us far apart
A broken promise or a broken heart
Now all the bonny birds have wheeled away
I need you at the dimming of the day

Come the night you're only what I want
Come the night you could be my confidant

I see you on the street and in company
Why don't you come and ease your mind with me
I'm living for the night we steal away
I need you at the dimming of the day
I need you at the dimming of the day 

- Bonnie Raitt (written by John Thompson)

ZestAir’s non-conformance to PCAR and deficiencies affecting its flight operations included the absence of a qualified account manager, failure to check aircraft logs, flight manifests, weather, among others.

Canebo said that none of the airline’s 24 pilots are exceeding the flight time limit of 100 hours a month per pilot amid the findings of CAAP inspectors that the airline has been violating the flight time limit for pilots since January last year.

Zest Airways was established as Asian Spirit in September 1995 by three friends: Antonio "Toti" Turalba, Emmanuel "Noel" Oñate and Archibald Po, who contributed $1 million each to start up the Airline Employees Cooperative (AEC).

They invited 36 of their friends, mostly former Philippine Airlines employees, to run Asian Spirit through a salary-to-equity swap deal. The Po family held the majority of ownership.[2][3][4]

It started operations in April 1996 with two second hand Dash 7 aircraft servicing only one scheduled commercial route with two flights per day from Manila to Malay, serving the fledging resort island of Boracay.

To maximize its aircraft utilization, it introduced new routes to the present-day towns of San Jose, Virac, Daet and Alcantara, and the cities of Cauayan and Masbate, regarded as secondary and tertiary routes by Air Transportation Office, and are not serviced by major airlines.

In 1997, the cooperative changed to a corporate set-up with the establishment of Asian Spirit, Inc., whose registration was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2005.

At the time, Asian Spirit has the distinction of being the first scheduled airline to serve Boracay. Other operators served the airport on a charter basis then. It became the Philippines' fourth flag carrier (after Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines) in 2003.

Transition to Zest Airways

Asian Spirit was sold to AMY Holdings, a holding company controlled by businessman Alfredo M. Yao, in March 2008.[5] After the success of the takeover, Yao expressed interest in merging Asian Spirit with South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR). The two airlines have been in merger talks and were expected to make a decision soon.[6] 

Yao was supposed to purchase a sixty percent stake in SEAIR,[7] although the deal fell through because of a stolid response from SEAIR management.[8] The merger talks failed and both airlines continued to operate independently.

On September 30, 2008, Asian Spirit officially announced that it will be re-branding itself as Zest Airways. Reports say the name switch reflects the Yao's stake in the company, as well as an allusion to the flagship business of AMY Holdings: juicemaker Zest-O. The firm's board approved the name change in August, while the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the switch earlier this month.[9]

The airline wants to fly to three international points to Sandakan (- already stopped), Malaysia from Zamboanga, to Seoul from Kalibo, Laoag, and Davao, and Macau from Angeles City. However these international routings never took off.[10]

It has also intended to commence international expansion to Bangkok and Singapore from Manila in 2009.[11]

On March 12, 2013, Zest Airways signed a share swap agreement with AirAsia Philippines, a domestic airline with foreign interest. The share swap deal involves exchange of shares between the owner of Zest Airways, Filipino shareholders of AirAsia Philippines, Inc. and AirAsia Berhad of Malaysia. [12][13]

As of May 2013, Zest Air suspended its chartered flights between Boracay and Taipei because of the political tensions between the Philippines and Taiwan.[14]

Suspension of Air Operator Certificate

On Aug. 16, 2013, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines suspended Zest Air's Air Operator certificate due to a series of safety breaches.

Among the violations were:[15]

• No qualified Accountable Manager since July 19, 2013
• Failure to check aircraft logs, flight manifest, weather, etc.
• Failure to present to the CAAP the airman license (Aircraft Mechanic License) during ramp inspection
• Series of occurrences that affected several flight operations
• Refueling with passenger on board involving RP-C8989 on August 14, 2013
• Excessive flight duty time case under the enforcement and legal service

Malaysia court overturns police murder convictions

Published August 23, 2013 / AFP

Abdul Razak Baginda (R) pictured with special unit police officers Sirul Azhar Umar (C) and Azilah Hadri (L) on, 29 June 2007. A murder conviction for the two officers was overturned Friday, while Abdul Razak was acquitted in 2008. (AFP/File)

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) –  A Malaysian court Friday overturned a 2009 murder conviction for two police officers in a scandal that fascinated the nation and saw critics try to draw a link to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar were convicted of the 2006 killing of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old model and interpreter at the centre of allegations of huge kickbacks in a government purchase of French submarines.

"Both the accused have been acquitted and discharged. They are free men now," defence lawyer Hazman Ahmad told AFP.

"Based on the evidence, justice has been done."

Prosecutors said the government would appeal the decision.

Government critics have long alleged that the two men, members of an elite police unit that guards top ministers, were the fall guys in the killing to hide the involvement of their masters at the highest levels of government.

The case stems from charges that Abdul Razak Baginda, a former close associate of Najib, arranged the kickbacks in the $1.1-billion purchase of French Scorpene submarines in 2002.

Najib was defence minister at the time.

Altantuya, who was then Abdul Razak's lover, had reportedly been involved in negotiations over the purchase.

Abdul Razak was later charged with abetting her murder by ordering the two officers to kill her after she allegedly harassed him for a cut of the kickbacks.

Abdul Razak, who is no relation to the prime minister, was acquitted in 2008.

The remains of Altantuya's body were found blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing near the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Najib has vehemently denied any involvement in the affair, but the corruption allegations have never been fully probed and whispers over the case have continued to dog him.

It was not immediately clear whether the men would be publicly available to comment in the extremely sensitive matter.

The decision triggered an immediate reaction on Malaysian social media, with many calling it part of a widely suspected conspiracy to free the men in return for their silence.

Sirul Azhar has been previously quoted telling a court that he was being "sacrificed" to protect others. But the men are not known to have implicated anyone else.

Peliwat starting a rumour

25 June 2013| last updated at 12:34AM

Lawyers cite 10 grounds for acquittal of Sirul and Azilah    

PUTRAJAYA: Two former policemen, who were convicted of murdering a Mongolian woman, have called on the Court of Appeal to set aside their conviction on grounds that the trial judge had erred in fact and law.

At the outset of yesterday's proceedings, lawyers for former special action unit personnel Sirul Azhar Omar and ex-chief inspector Azilah Hadri attacked High Court judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Mohd Yassin's judgment as they outlined 10 grounds to secure the freedom of their clients.

Lawyer J. Kuldeep Kumar submitted before a three-man bench headed by Datuk Seri Mohamad Apandi Ali that the mobile phone call log details of Azilah stated that his client was in Pekan Subang at 10.15pm on Oct 19, 2006. However, he said there was also an entry in a police station diary that Azilah was in Bukit Aman during the same period.

"Our argument is that we have raised a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case."

Kuldeep said the trial judge did not direct his mind on the issue of alibi in considering whether Azilah was at the crime scene.

Another lawyer Datuk Azman Ahmad, who is also representing Azif, said his client did not offer information to the police which led investigators to the crime scene.

He said usually a suspect would lead police to the crime scene or to discover incriminating evidence.

Azman said Azilah was also not cautioned before he was taken to the crime scene.

The lawyer said Azilah could not have been in possession of C4 explosives as such explosives were not under the police inventory list. Evidence during trial revealed that the victim was shot and her body was disposed of with C4 explosives.

Sirul's lawyer Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin said there was suppression of evidence when the prosecution failed to call DSP Musa Safri to testify with regard to an affidavit affirmed by political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, the third accused who was acquitted of abetting Azilah and Sirul without his defence being called.

Azilah and Sirul were found guilty in 2009 of murdering Altantuya Shaariibuu at Mukim Bukit Raja in Shah Alam between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006, and 1am on Oct 20, 2006.

Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Tun Majid Tun Hamzah will submit today.

One of the idiots followng peliwat's cue

Published: Friday August 23, 2013 MYT 7:55:00 PM
Updated: Friday August 23, 2013 MYT 8:10:55 PM

Altantuya murder case: More questions than answers

By TASHNY SUKUMARAN, RAHMAH GHAZALI, MICHELLE TAM, QISHIN TARIQ and VICTORIA BROWN

C/Insp Azilah Hadri (left) and Kpl Sirul Azhar Umar during the trial in 2009

PETALING JAYA: Seven years ago, a woman was murdered and her body blown up in an attempt to conceal the evidence.

Today, after a number of high-profile trials and acquittals, the truth behind the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu remains a mystery.

Altantuya Shaariibuu

The acquittal and release of Kpl Sirul Azhar Umar and C/Insp Azilah Hadri, the two former Special Action Unit Personnel members, who were found guilty and sentenced to death in 2009 for her murder, has raised calls for further inquiry into the Altantuya murder case.

"There should be an independent inquiry into the conduct of the prosecution in the Altantuya case," said DAP National Legal Bureau chairman Gobind Singh Deo in a statement.

"The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal of Sirul and Azilah citing, amongst other things, a failure on part of the prosecution to call a material witness, one DSP Musa Safri, a former aide de camp of the Prime Minister," he said.

Gobind claimed that not calling this witness resulted in their case collapsing.

"The Attorney-General and his team ought to have known that he was an important witness. They have vast experience in handling cases like these and they know for a fact that they would run a serious risk of having their case thrown out for failure of calling him," he said.

He said that it raised questions as to whether there had been "proper investigations and a proper presentation of evidence in court".

"We cannot allow these concerns to go unanswered. There must be an independent inquiry by people who are not associated with the AG's chambers to review the investigation papers and to report back as to the propriety of the conduct of the prosecution in this case," said the Puchong MP.

Deputy Solicitor General II Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah who led the prosecution said that they would be appealing the Court of Appeal's judgement.

Another option to seek justice for Altantuya lies in the civil court.

Her father, Dr Setev Shaariibuu will pursue the RM100mil civil suit against the two officers acquitted of her murder, said his counsel Karpal Singh.

Karpal, who is holding a watching brief for Shaariibuu, said he will push for the suit to be heard as soon as the criminal case is settled in the Federal Court.

"I am writing to the Mongolian embassy, to whom I also represent," he said.

"I have not received instructions from Mr Setev. However, he is bound to contact me," said Karpal, added that he was sure Altantuya's father was aware of the outcome of the appeal.

Other news portals reported Setev had asked the Mongolian government to intervene in the matter, however, Bar Council president Christopher Leong believes there is nothing much that it can do.

"This is a criminal matter that is now within the purview of the courts, and there should not be any interference in the judicial process by any quarter," said Leong.

The case is clearly a polarising one, with some political implications.

Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, in charge of legal affairs at the time of prosecution, declined to comment.

Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who was Inspector-General of Police at the time the case came to light, was equally tight-lipped, saying, "It's the court's decision. No comment is needed".

PKR vice-president and Padang Serai MP N.Surendran said the trial of Altantuya's killers "was a charade from the beginning".

"Now no one has been found guilty or punished for Altantuya's murder. Is this justice? It is a national embarrassment and failure of justice," the lawyer told The Star Online.

Azmi Sharom, a law professor, said the public had forgotten about the case but its ghost has risen again.

"There will be all these conspiracy theories coming up saying that the relevant authorities purposely did a bad job so that they can overturn the conviction.

"In a high-profile case like this, a lot of questions will be raised. Issues like why certain things weren't brought up in trial as well as questions about the standards of the prosecutor," he said.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the former Minister in charge of legal affairs, posted several tweets on the acquittal.

One read: "I am disappointed with the Court of Appeal judges. Not for acquittal but for failing to order a retrial #fb".

"In the interest of justice, a balanced retrial would have been appropriate. Now it's not possible," said Zaid when contacted.

He said that if a retrial had been ordered, it would allow both sides to take another look at the case as "witnesses can be called again, to get justice".

"I think the decision to acquit those two puts an end to this case altogether. Under the double jeopardy law, they can't be tried for the same charges again," said Zaid.

According to him, the Court of Appeal in England can order a retrial as the law sets out certain circumstances allowing it.

"I believe the rules in Malaysia are the same. There should not be an acquittal when something seems to suggest that it's not right - in our case, there was a prior conviction," he said.

He said the Court of Appeal itself had pointed out several flaws in the earlier trial: unclear evidence, material discrepancies, and the failure to call key witnesses.

"Obviously, the prosecutor didn't do a proper job. At the same time, I think there was enough evidence to suggest the two were involved in some way. Otherwise, the first judge wouldn't have convicted them," he added.

To Leong, questions have been raised as to the conduct of the police investigations and the prosecution in this case.

"At the moment, it appears that no one is to be held accountable for Altantuya's murder. This case has left many questions unanswered. It begs the further question of 'Who does one turn to for justice in Malaysia when one's child is murdered?", he said.

Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel said the verdict raised more unanswered questions.

"The fundamental questions remain unanswered. No one has paid for her death, no one knows why she was killed and who gave the instruction to kill her," she said when contacted.

Gabriel said the only way for the public seek the truth was through an independent inquiry to determine the circumstances of the death.

Suddenly, Kit Siang is concerned with inflammatory comments that heighten racial tension?

I hereby urge all friends to join with us together to boycott the film Tanda Putera which is clearly promoting racist culture and creating hatred against a certain community.

Let us share together in our respective Wall (in Facebook) so that the whole community boycott this film,

Do not allow this film with racist intonation be watched and get public reception in order to avoid unrest in the community.

The film being given the film Tanda Putera is supposedly to boost the spirit of patriotism among the people. It is supposed to be based on history, but the history adopted was actually modified to meet the political interest of a certain party.

The backdrop of the film based on the 513 story was cunningly manipulated to change the real history of the country and lead to further hatred and racial unrest.

Prior to the last general election, the film was screened informally to community and university students. According to individuals who have watched the film, the Chinese supposedly started the bloody incidents of the Malay people.

One of the deadliest incidents alleged to have occurred was a scene in a cinema in which chinese writings appeared on the screen that reads "chinese people immediately leave the stage" and suddenly, the chinese people flocked to leave the stage. While the Malays, who do not understand the writing did not take a similar action, thus were brutally murdered in the theater.

Four Sabah PKR reps protest

Published on: Monday, August 26, 2013
  
Kota Kinabalu: The appointment of Sabah opposition chief Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin as the State's Parti Keadilan Rakyat chief by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has not gone down well with some party members, particularly four Sabah PKR State Assembly members Matunggong Assemblyman, Jelani Hamdan, said while they respect the decision by Anwar to appoint Lajim, who is believed to have joined the PKR only recently, they are dissatisfied that they were not consulted for their views.

According to him, he and three other PKR elected representatives - Terrence Siambun (Moyog), Jeremy Malajad (Kadamaian) and Christina Liew (Api-Api) - had handed over the proposals to both Anwar and Lajim regarding certain issues.

"If these proposals are not considered, we will not be accepting any positions in any committees or within the party," he said, Sunday.

He also said that they might be emulating the approach by counterpart Assemblyman for Luyang (DAP), Hiew King Cheu, in relinquishing all their current positions in the party.

Although they would not be taking any drastic action such as ditching the party, he said, they would not be involved in any party activities if Anwar and Lajim do not consider their proposals.

The proposals, he said, which have been agreed to by Sabah PKR assemblymen, were given to Anwar during PKR-held Hari Raya Open House in a hotel here last month.

"Lajim knew about the proposals because we also gave him a copy," he said.

Nevertheless, the four elected representatives will wait for the appointment of the Sabah PKR Leaders' Council before making the next move.

"We will wait who Laijm will appoint into the council and also whether he will consider and respect our proposals," said Jelani.

He said Lajim replaced former Sabah PKR chief, Ahmad Thamrin Jaini, following the petition by about 16 or 17 division heads or acting heads for Thamrin to be ousted.

"Probably they wanted a new face (to lead Sabah PKR)," he said.

He voiced concern that there would be "casualty" in Sabah PKR similar to when Lajim was appointed as Sabah opposition chief.

He cited Hiew as the "casualty" for supporting Tamparuli Assemblyman, Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing as the state's opposition chief.

Anwar said Lajim's appointment as Sabah PKR chief has been endorsed by the party's Supreme Council.

Freedom fighters in those years were divided into two groups. One group believed that freedom could only be achieved through revolutionary means, whereas the other group believed in the constitutional process.

British colonialists had two alternatives, namely, either to agree to granting independence to the moderate group or to take firm action in a continuously combative manner in the face of armed struggle.

The British decided to concede to the nationalist group which chose the constitutional path and possessed the basis for compromise with other ethnic communities in this country.

It is true that independence was achieved by the moderate group, but history has also shown that the radical nationalist group also made its contribution towards the achievement of independence."

Sikap Ibrahim ini memang tdak disukai oleh kawan-kawannya. Kepercayan yang diberikan oleh Jepun kepadanya telah menjadikan beliau seorang yang angkuh, autokratik dan suka berpuak-puak. Beliau dikatakan hanya percaya kepada beberapa orang kawan saja ....

Kerjasama Ibrahim dengan Jepun telah menajdikan beliau seorang tokoh yang kontroversi sekali. ... dari tahun 1930an hingga 1940an, kegiatan Ibrahim telah memaparkan imejnya sebagai seorang nasionalis radikal yang berjuang untuk menentang penjajahan British dan golongan pembesar Melayu yang dikatakan menekan bangsa Melayu. Penubuhan KMM menjadi menifestasi kepada kegiatan radikalnya itu. Tindakan KMM sebagai perisik jepun juga dilihat sebagai satu usaha menolak penjajahan British. 

Tetap, ini semua hilang apabila Ibrahim dan KMM menerima tekanan politik Jepun. beliau akur kepada keputusan Jepun untuk mengharamkan KMM dan memberinya kerja dengan kedudukan yang baik. Beliau tidak menentang Jepeun seperti yang dilakukannya semasa penjajahan British. Sikap radikalnya telah hilang, sebaliknya beliau menjadi ahli politik yang berkomprmomi yang nyata. Beliau menjadi seorang pemimpin propenjajah Jepun.

Strategi Ahmad Boestamam dan PKMM tidak berhasil untuk memikat kerajaan British. Dasarnya berbaik-baik dengan kerajaan British dengan menyokong Malayn Union pada bulan Januari 1945 dan telah berjumpa dengan Gabenor Malayan Union untuk menerima kerakyatan jus soli ditentang oleh UMNO, tidak memberi kesan kepadanya. 

Ramai pengkaji berpendapat bahawa perlembagan cadangan PUTERA-AMCJA itu merupakan satu perlembagaan yang terbaik bagi Tanah Melayu daam usaha untuk membentuk sebuah negara yang merdeka. Ini kerana perlembagaan ini mengambil kira kedudukan raja-raja Melayu, bangsa Melayu sebagai bangsa kebangsaan, pembentukan kerajaan sendiri yang dipilih suara ramai dan layanan sama rata kepada semua bangsa yang menjadi rakyat. Prinsip jus soli menjadi dasar kerakyatan. Oleh itu, Ahmad Boestamam dan organisasinya adalah lebih maju daripada UMNO dan kerajaan British. 

Namun, ada satu perkara yang tidak dipertimbangkan, sama ada oleh Ahmad Boestamam atau golongan yang bersimpati dengan kepentingan politik orang Melayu sebagai satu bangsa peribumi dan kerajaan Melayu sebagai kerajaan berdaulat, yang diakui British sebelum Malayan Union diperkenalkan....

Kerjasama itu telah melemahkan Dato Onn dan IMP. Dato' Onn berasa dirinya telah ditipu dalam percaturan politik, sehingga menyebabkan beliau secara terbuka membidas dasar dan sikap polotik pemimpin-pemimpin MCA. Tan Cheng Lok enggan menunjukkan kerjasama yang bersungguh-sungguh dalam memajukan IMP di Melaka. beliau dan anaknya enggan memimpin IMP cawangan Melaka atas alsan sibuk dengan perniagaan. Sikap Tan Cheng Kock itu memang mengecewakan Dato Onn, sehingga beliau meragui keikhlasan orang Cina pada keseluruhannya....

Isu-isu yang ditimbulkan oleh Dato Onn dalam kempen itu berkisar tentang kepentingan orang Melayu. Dalam soal kerakyatan, Dato Onn mengkritik UMNO kerana bersetuju menjalankan dasar jus soli tanpa syarat yang memberi kerakyatan kepada orang asing....

... the inherent weakness of Malay opposition forces in present day Malaysian politics was rooted in its historical development which was plagued by suppression and suppression since colonial days. 

Even when political opposition has little organisational strength it does not serve as an interest articulator bu such means as convening meetings and conferences wherein the needs and aspiration of the general masses are articulated, made known to, and may be acted upon by the governing authorities.

Transformation Work Comes in Two Waves

The Star Online, Monday June 10, 2013

I ALWAYS look at transformation work coming in two “waves” of activities.

The first wave involves a lot of intervention work, which is required to deliver big fast results. I call this the intervention wave.

The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu)'s role is deliberately interventionist in our approach. This includes introducing specific changes in strategy, action programmes and whatever it takes (including changes in processes, procedures, systems, etc) in order to deliver the desired results and outcomes.

Examples of intervention work introduced by Pemandu are the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmaps, labs, Open Days, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Weekly Dashboard and Problem-solving Meetings, National Key Economic Area (NKEA) and National Key Result Area (NKRA) prioritisation, Steering Committees, external and international validation by experts and transparent Annual Reports to the public.

The second is the sustainability wave of activities. This involves building capacity and capability so that the organisation can continue the work without any need for intervention.

This entails instilling the right leadership capability, organisational culture and competence development. Done over a sufficient period of time leveraging on certain processes, then the organisation is truly equipped with the ability to sustain the transformation on its own. No longer will it need “external intervention”.

The organisation will and can adapt, change and re-invent itself in the face of external pressures.

Having spent the first four years on the intervention waves, Malaysia will now be introducing the sustainability waves of transformational activities. This does not mean we stop abruptly the intervention work but rather, we add the sustainability agenda on top of the interventional work. As the sustainability work matures, the intervention work reduces and gradually ceases over a period of time.

Read on here

PEMANDU has done a lot to promote Najib’s Transformation agenda. But what has it really achieved apart from talk and spin by Minister Idris Jala? 

There is a huge gap between rhetoric and reality. ETP is all talk. If  we judge Jala by results, PEMANDU is a failure. It should, therefore, be disbanded. 
 
In the past, we have relied on professionals in the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department, to do the job and they did a very credible job, judging from what was accomplished in terms of economic growth and development.

What can PEMANDU and its external consultants do that the EPU cannot do better in terms of dealing with macro economic challenges we face today?

EPU should be asked to get the job done.