Brunei ruler conned out of RM6.8B

JAKARTA, May 31 - The Brunei Sultan has lost 20 billion rupiah (RM6.8 billion) to a group of Indonesian con men posing as officials from Indonesia’s presidential palace, according to police here.

Commissioner General Susno Duadji, the chief of the National Police criminal investigation unit, put an end to days of speculation by confirming over the weekend that the victim was indeed Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Gen Susno added at the media briefing that the con men did not speak directly to Sultan Bolkiah.

“They talked only with the Sultan’s adjutant, who was called from Jakarta,” he said.

Officials at the Brunei Embassy in Indonesia could not be reached for confirmation, as their offices were closed yesterday.

At least 32 foreign and Indonesian officials fell victim to the gang, said Inspector-General Hadiatmoko, Gen Susno’s deputy.

The local media, including The Jakarta Globe newspaper, said the con men pretended to be presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng and even President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself when they asked for money, ostensibly to help fund election campaigns.

The victims were asked to deposit the funds into various bank accounts opened under the name of the public figures to make the scam look convincing. The funds had been frozen and would be returned to the victims, said Gen Susno.

So far, 13 people had been arrested, but two, including the mastermind, were still on the run. – Straits Times

Police probe Malaysian opposition members

Channel New Asia) - Malaysian police are probing three opposition members for alleged sedition and slander against the prime minister, amid allegations of a mounting crackdown on dissent.

In recent weeks, police have raided the offices of one of the parties in the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance, and arrested more than 160 people for protesting against the government's takeover of northern Perak state.

In the latest move, police questioned the opposition trio, including two lawmakers, over speeches made in the campaign for a by-election in the island state of Penang on Sunday.

"This is definitely another step towards creating a police state. It is clearly an abuse of power," said Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party, who was one of the lawmakers questioned by police.

"The Perak crisis is broadening into a national crisis of confidence where one government institution after another is suffering from a credibility crisis as they have been made to serve the premier's agenda," he said.

Perak has been in limbo since February when the state's sultan ordered the Pakatan Rakyat to cede its control of the state, which it won in elections last year, after defections disrupted the delicate balance of power.

Lim said he was investigated for his criticisms of Prime Minister Najib Razak over the takeover while the two others were being investigated over that issue as well as comments linking Najib to a sensational murder case.

The duo are from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan party.

Najib has vehemently denied any involvement in the killing of 28-year-old Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was murdered in 2006 and whose remains were blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing.

"I questioned in my speech why Najib does not take action against the foreign media which linked him to the murder as a way to clear his name," Keadilan's Badrul Hisham Shaharin told AFP.

State news agency Bernama quoted police officials Saturday as confirming the trio are under investigation

Police probe Malaysian opposition members

Channel New Asia) - Malaysian police are probing three opposition members for alleged sedition and slander against the prime minister, amid allegations of a mounting crackdown on dissent.

In recent weeks, police have raided the offices of one of the parties in the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance, and arrested more than 160 people for protesting against the government's takeover of northern Perak state.

In the latest move, police questioned the opposition trio, including two lawmakers, over speeches made in the campaign for a by-election in the island state of Penang on Sunday.

"This is definitely another step towards creating a police state. It is clearly an abuse of power," said Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party, who was one of the lawmakers questioned by police.

"The Perak crisis is broadening into a national crisis of confidence where one government institution after another is suffering from a credibility crisis as they have been made to serve the premier's agenda," he said.

Perak has been in limbo since February when the state's sultan ordered the Pakatan Rakyat to cede its control of the state, which it won in elections last year, after defections disrupted the delicate balance of power.

Lim said he was investigated for his criticisms of Prime Minister Najib Razak over the takeover while the two others were being investigated over that issue as well as comments linking Najib to a sensational murder case.

The duo are from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan party.

Najib has vehemently denied any involvement in the killing of 28-year-old Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was murdered in 2006 and whose remains were blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing.

"I questioned in my speech why Najib does not take action against the foreign media which linked him to the murder as a way to clear his name," Keadilan's Badrul Hisham Shaharin told AFP.

State news agency Bernama quoted police officials Saturday as confirming the trio are under investigation

Teori Konspirasi Dunia Baru : Dollar Amerika

Kita diberitahu bahawa dunia sedang menghadapi masaalah kecairan – ertinya tidak ada duit dalam pasaran. Lalu kita bertanya ke mana agaknya segala duit-duit yang terkumpul dalam dunia ini pergi.

Negara China, Jepun, Korea, Singapura, Taiwan dan termasuk Malaysia sendiri ada menyimpan duit-duit ini dalam bentuk kertas dolar Amerika. Wang yang tersimpan ini – menjadi wang simpanan negara – adalah hasil kita berjual beli dengan Amerika. China dan Jepun adalah negara yang paling banyak menyimpan kertas dolar.

Kertas dolar telah dipaksakan ke atas dunia ini oleh kuasa imperial Amerika. Permaksaan ini melalui dua cara. Pertama – Amerika telah membuat perjanjian 1972-74 dengan keluarga Saud bahawa semua jual beli minyak wajib menggunakan kertas dolar. Ini kerana bahan bakar petroleum diperlukan oleh semua negara. Manakala Saudi adalah pengeluar utama bahan bakar ini. Untuk gantinya – kuasa imperial Amerika berjanji akan menjaga keselamatan keluarga Saud dari dipukul oleh ombak rakyat.

Cara kedua ialah dengan kekuatan bala tentera. Amerika mendirikan 702 pengkalan tentera di 130 buah negara dalam dunia ini. Tidak ada negara penjual minyak yang berani menjual minyak tanpa menggunakan kertas dolar. Saddam Hussein cuba mengalihkan kertas dolar sebagai mata wang jual beli minyak. Jawapannya Saddam di gantung mati. Iran sedang berusaha untuk beralih dari kertas dolar justeru segala bentuk sekatan sedang dilakukan ke atas Iran.

Dari mana kertas dolar ini datang? Kertas dolar hanyalah kertas yang telah dipaksakan nilainya ke atas warga dunia. Ini dipanggil – fiat money - nilai yang dipaksa. Tanpa paksaan ini dolar hanyalah kertas yang tidak memiliki apa-apa nilai. Justeru kertas dolar adalah satu penipuan yang terunggul dalam sistem ekonomi kapitalis.

Pada awalnya Amerika Syarikat adalah sebuah negara revolusiner yang berdiri untuk menjaga kepentingan warga. Amerika mengeluarkan duit kertas sendiri. Amerika yang merdeka telah membebaskan diri dari para banker yang telah lama bersarang di City of London. Tuan-tuan empunya bank merasa mereka kehilangan bumi permata apabila Amerika menjadi bebas dan merdeka. Lalu para banker menelurkan satu konspirasi untuk memaksa pentadbiran Amerika terus terikat dengan kepentingan para banker.

Pada tahun 1913 setelah beberapa kali pecubaan gagal akhirnya para banker telah berjaya memaksa/menipu Kongres untuk menerima dan meluluskan Akta Federal Reserve 1913. Ramai warga dalam dunia tersilap menyangka bahawa Federal Reserve ini adalah bank milik negara Amerika. Tidak betul. Federal Reserve ini bukan bank milik negara Amerika seperti Bank Negara kita di Jalan Kuching. Federal Reserve adalah bank swasta yang tuan pemiliknya dirahsiakan.

Siapa lembaga-lembaga pengarah Federal Reserve ini juga di rahsiakan. Kongress hanya boleh menerima atau menolak dua nama yang akan di cadangkan oleh Federal Reserve. Justeru dunia hanya mengenali nama Alan Greenspan Pengerusi Federal Reserve yang lalu dan Ben Bernanke Pengerusi yang terkini. Siapa yang lain di belakang tabir Federal Reserve ini tidak akan diketahui umum.

Mengikut Akta 1913 ini pentabiran Amerika tidak lagi dibenarkan mengeluarkan mata wang sendiri. Mata wang untuk kegunaan negara Amerika hanya akan dikeluarkan oleh Federal Reserve. Jika kerajaan Amerika memerlukan dolar maka kerajaan wajib meminjam dari Federal Reserve – sama ada dengan menjual bond atau meminjam dengan bunga yang ditetapkan. Lihat bagaimana liciknya konspirasi para banker ini.

Seperti tulisan minggu lalu – para banker ini mencetak kertas yang dipanggil dolar tanpa apa apa asas. Kertas dolar ini akan dipinjam oleh kerajaan Amerika dari Federal Reserve ini akan dibayar kembali dengan bunga. Duit membayar hutang dan riba ini datang dari tenaga dan titik peluh rakyat Amerika. Melalui kertas kosong para banker ini telah membuat harta Qarun.

Inilah dia punca yang sedang membawa huru hara ke atas dunia hari ini. Mungkin ada yang berhujah – ini di Amerika apa sangkut pautnya dengan harga ikan di Pasar Chow Kit. Sabar dahulu biar saya terangkan sejelas mungkin.

Hari ini perniagan tukaran mata wang dalam dunia ini semuanya diwajibkan menggunakan dolar. Semua simpanan reserve bank-bank negara dalam dunia ini akan bersandarkan dengan kertas dolar. Ini telah dipaksakan oleh sistem kapitalis yang dikepalai oleh pemodal Anglo-Amerika. Para banker dan kaum pemodal ini telah mendirikan lembaga-lembaga kewangan dunia. Bank Dunia dan International Monetary Fund (IMF) ada dua lembaga hitam yang memastikan kertas hijau ini digunakan di seluruh dunia.

Setiap negara akan dinilai kekuatan ekonominya bersandarkan dolar. Perniagaan antarabangsa semuanya menggunakan kertas dolar. Barang yang kita ekspot dan barangan yang kita impot semuanya dinilai dengah kertas hijau ini. Justeru kita sendiri di Malaysia akan melihat rebah bangun ekonomi negara kita melalui perbandingan ringgit dengan kertas dolar.

Jika pembaca memahami apa yang saya tulis ini maka amat jelas kelihatan bahawa umat manusia dalam dunia ini telah diperbodohkan dan ditipu oleh Federal Reserve, Bank Dunia dan IMF. Lalu kita menyoal diri kita sendiri: kenapa tidak dapat dilakukan sesuatu untuk membebaskan diri dari sistem kapitalis global ini?

Pertama: Banyak rakyat Amerika sendiri kurang sedar silap mata dan tipu helah yang dijalankan oleh Federal Reserve ke atas negara mereka. Rakyat dunia juga tidak sedar akan hal yang sama. Kedua: tidak ada sesiapa yang akan dapat memasuki Rumah Puteh yang akan berani membocorkan rahsia ini. Lihat apa terjadi kepada Abraham Lincoln yang menentang para banker dan Central Bank (nama asal Federal Reserve). Presiden Lincoln yang berperang hampir jatuh muflis telah mencetak Lincoln Greenback Dollar tanpa meminjam dari Central Bank. Lihat juga apa yang terjadi kepada John F Kennedy kerana cuba membocorkan konspirasi kaum pemodal ini. Ketiga: tidak ada sesiapa yang akan dapat menjadi ahli Kongres atau masuk ke Dewan Senat Amerika dengan agenda menentang Federal Reserve, menentang para banker dan kaum pemodal ini.

Semenjak tahun 1913 para banker ini telah membuat jaringan, kabal dan kumpulan rahsia untuk memastikan kepentingan mereka dijaga oleh para politikus. Hari ini kabal rahsia para banker-banker ini telah mempengaruhi semua cabang pentabiran di Amerika.

Hasilnya – media tidak pernah dan tidak akan melaporkan ke akar umbi secara radikal rancangan jahat para banker dan kaum pemodal ini. Enam puluh tahun dahulu masih terdapat 86 buah syarikat media yang besar dalam dunia ini. Ketika itu media cetak masih lagi bergerak bebas. Hari ini yang tinggal hanya 6 buah syarikat - ViaCom, General Electric, Disney, NewsCorp, Times Warner dan CBS - yang memiliki pelbagai bentuk media. Syarikat media ini dimiliki oleh para banker-banker ini. Malah jika diselidiki dengan rapi kita akan menemui bahawa modal-modal ini juga telah meresap masuk ke dalam industri media tempatan kita.

Yang menyusun dan merancang semua ini adalah kabal-kabal rahsia seperti – Freemason, Bohemian Grove, Bilderberg Group, Skull and Bones – semuanya terpusat di bawah satu bumbung yang dikuasi oleh pemodal dan banker yang sedang merancang untuk memunculkan New World Order – Satu Dunia Baru. Di belakang semua ini ialah nama-nama seperti Rothschild, Rockefeller and Morgan. Mereka ini berkumpul di bawah payung organisasi yang dipanggil Illuminati. Susuk-susuk yang kaya raya ini tidak pernah muncul menunjukkan muka mereka.

Kabal rahsia ini telah memunculkan muka-muka yang boleh dikenali oleh dunia seperti Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinksi and Lord Carrington. Mereka ini dianggap sebagai jurufikir yang berkumpul di bawah Council of Foreign Relation di Amerika dan Royal Institute of International Affairs di United Kingdom. Lembaga jurufikir seperti NGO ini akan menjemput malaon dari dunia ketiga yang bercita-cita untuk menjadi presiden atau perdana menteri.

Tugas badan pemikir ini ialah mentafsir dan menilai malaon-malaon dari dunia ketiga ini. Penilaian bukan berdasarkan apa yang ada di antara dua telinga maloan-malaon ini tetapi sama ada maloan-maloan ini akan bersedia untuk menjadi barua yang setia untuk menjalankan dasar yang diperlukan oleh kabal rashia ini.

Justeru kita lihat apabila dasar penswastaan dianjurkan maka semua malaon yang telah dilantik menjadi barua di dunia ketiga akan menjalankan dasar yang sama. Apabila dasar globalisasi diperkenalkan maka malaon-maloan ini seperti burung kakaktua akan bersuara sama.

Jika ada malaon ini yang cuba melawan seperti Noriega dari Panama atau Saddam maka dengan sekelip mata mereka akan dilupuskan. Jika maloan ini sudah selesai tugasnya seperti Suharto, Marcos, Lol Nol atau Zia ul haq, – mereka akan diketepikan untuk malaon yang baru naik. Semua ini dirancang. Tidak ada yang berlaku tanpa perancangan.

Hari ini sebenarnya tidak ada masaalah kecairan. Apa yang berlaku ialah peralihan harta dan wang ringgit warga dunia masuk ke tangan para banker ini. Dolar yang terkumpul hari ini melebihi 17 trilion dolar. Dolar, emas dan pelbagai mata wang ini tersimpan di 27 buah negara pulau yang memiliki bank pesisir pantai. Negara seperti Bermuda, Cook Islands, Switzerland, Luxumbourg, Cayman Island dan termasuk Labuan adalah tempat tersoroknya harta ini. Buat ketika ini di sinilah harta kekayan dunia sedang bermastautin.(TT)

BN masih anggap rakyat bodoh, mudah ditipu

Tidak seperti semua pilihan raya kecil yang pernah dialui oleh rakyat Malaysia sejak demokrasi diperkenalkan di negara ini, kawasan Dun Penanti sepi.

Tiada jentera pembinaan yang sibuk di sana sini menurap jalan. Tiada perasmian balai raya, sekolah, masjid dan surau. Tiada menteri dan pemimpin kerajaan Pusat yang turun bagai Santa Claus mengagih pelbagai hadiah untuk rakyat.

Setiap kali berlangsung pilihan raya kecil (sebelum ini) pelbagai projek pembangunan dan bantuan diagihkan untuk rakyat. Apabila pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat mempersoalkan mengapa projek tersebut turun hanya di musim pilihan raya, dengan cengilnya mereka menjawab: "Ini tuduhan liar yang dilemparkan oleh pihak pembangkang. Sebenarnya pembangunan untuk rakyat sentiasa berterusan; sebelum, semasa dan selepas pilihan raya pembangunan tetap ada. Takkanlah haya kerana berlangsung pilihan raya maka rakyat disekat untuk menerima pembangunan? Ini tidak adil." Molek dan muluk sekali bunyinya. Cakap mengalahkan peguam.

Dalam pilihan raya kecil Kuala Terengganu lalu, apabila diajukan persoalan yang sama, jawapan yang diberi oleh seorang pemimpin BN ialah, "Sebenarnya semua projek itu sudah dirancang sejak lama, cuma secara kebetulan ia diadakan sewaktu pilihan raya."

Lucunya, selepas berakhir pilihan raya dan BN tersungkur, semua 'projek kebetulan' itu secara kebetulannya pula berakhir. Nah, sekarang apabila BN tidak sertai pilihan raya kecil Penanti, mana pula projek-projek yang telah dirancang dari awal serta projek-projek 'kebetulan' itu?

Satu perkara yang menyebabkan BN ditolak rakyat ialah sikap pemimpinnya yang tidak pernah berubah. Salah satu perangainya ialah apabila bercakap mereka seolah-olah menganggap semua rakyat bodoh belaka.

Apabila BN diajukan soalan mengapa tak bertanding di Penanti, mereka menjawab kononnya untuk elakkan pembaziran dan tidak mahu terperangkap dengan mainan politik KeADILan. Mereka fikir rakyat tak tahu bahawa sebenarnya mereka takut kalah.

Apabila beberapa pemimpin kaum India dibebaskan dari tahanan ISA sewaktu berlangsung pilihan raya kecil Bukit Selambau dan Bukit Gantang, media tali barut BN menyiarkan komen, terutama dari kaum India, yang memuji muja kerajaan BN kononnya baik hati. Tapi hakikatnya mereka hanya mahu mengambil hati 30 peratus pengundi India di Bukit Selambau.

Adun Kota Alam Shah, Manoharan dibebaskan daripada ISA bersama beberapa pemimpin Hindraf beberapa hari selepas isteri beliau membuat sidang media memaklumkan bahawa Manoharan akan meletakkan jawatan kerana tidak dapat memberi sumbangan untuk rakyat akibat dikurung.

Macam isu sebelumnya, media tali barut BN memuji Najib sebagai seorang pemimpin berjiwa besar kerana sanggup membebaskan musuh-musuh politik BN. Walhal, semua rakyat tahu bahawa BN takut Manoharan benar-benar letak jawatan yang menyebabkan berlaku pilihan raya kecil.

Begitu juga, bekas Timbalan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Fairus Khairudin yang terpalit dengan isu 'rasuah' yang dimainkan oleh BN, tiba-tiba dibersihkan oleh SPRM. Semua tahu bahawa tujuan pembersihan itu ialah supaya Fairus menarik balik surat peletakan jawatannya, demi mengelakkan pilihan raya kecil.

Professor Dr Ahmad Atory Hussain, seorang pensyarah pro-BN menyifatkan kesediaan Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Dato' Nik Abdul Aziz untuk menerima orang bukan Melayu, asalkan dia Islam, untuk menjadi Menteri Besar, adalah satu usaha untuk memikat pengundi bukan Melayu dalam pilihan raya kecil Manik Urai.

Mentang-mentang dia pensyarah, dia ingat boleh tipu orang lain dengan kenyataan tidak logiknya itu. Penduduk bukan Melayu Manek Urai tidak sampai 1 peratus, apa yang nak ditarik?

Dalam 'menjelaskan' isu Perak, pemimpin BN memberitahu bahawa tiga Adun Pakatan Rakyat yang melompat menyokong BN bukan kerana diculik, diugut dan dirasuah tapi atas keikhlasan sendiri. Anehnya mengapa mereka hilang, tak dapat dikesan sampai beberapa hari?

Takkanlah tiga "haprak" tersebut sengaja mencari masalah, dicaci oleh masyarakat serta dihina oleh pengundi. kalau tidak kerana imbuhan tertentu.

Semua episod pembohongan pemimpin BN terhadap rakyat tidak pernah berhenti.

Najib mengisytiharkan bahawa zaman di mana kerajaan (BN) tahu segala-galanya sudah berlalu. Tapi nampaknya zaman di mana kerajaan (BN) menganggap semua rakyat bodoh-bodoh belaka dan boleh ditipu, belum lagi berakhir._

The Return Of Inflation

LONDON, May 30 — Surging oil and commodity prices coupled with a falling dollar are prompting some investors to brace for a return of inflation, which would benefit equities and damage most government bonds. Inflation — which in the short to medium term benefits equities and risky assets because of rising prices — had all but disappeared after the global economy fell into recession and commodity prices sank last year.

However, signs of a global economic recovery — which next week's manufacturing and service sector surveys and other data could reinforce — are leading to a renewed surge in energy and commodities and the outperformance of inflation-protected debt securities over benchmark government bonds.

Oil prices are nearly double their four-year low in December. The Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a global commodities benchmark, has hit a six-month high while the Baltic Dry Index, which tracks rates to ship dry commodities, has risen more than 320 percent since the start of the year.

To exacerbate matters, the dollar is on track for the worst monthly performance since December 2008, which could further fuel buying in dollar-based commodities.

The return of inflationary forces at a time the world is grappling with the threat of deflation, could prompt investors to invest in assets such as stocks because rising prices erode the value of cash. Already struggling government bonds, apart from inflation-linked debt, could come under further pressure.

"We're in a reflation trade. Confidence is off its low from March and asset prices are rising. The beneficial period will continue until we find reasons to be pessimistic again," said David Miller, partner and head of alternative investments at Cheviot Asset Management.

"People are getting out of the dollar, into commodities, into equities... Selectively there are reasons to buy commodities in a portfolio."

Miller said while the commodity supercycle might not materialise, crisis-related factors such as the absence of farmers credit are constraining supply and pressuring prices.

The renewed surge in commodities is boosting related stocks. In Europe, basic resource stocks have risen by 45 per cent this year, compared with a four per cent rise in the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index.

And investor flows support the move. According to fund flow tracker EPFR Global, fresh money found its way into commodity and energy sector funds in the week to May 27, with these funds posting inflows of US$303 million (RM1,060 million) and US$153 million respectively.

Next week's US personal consumption expenditure data — the Federal Reserve's favourite measure of inflation — is likely to show however that price rises remain moderate in the short term.

Purchasing managers surveys in manufacturing and services sectors and US jobs data would be key in offering the state of the global economy. Central banks from Britain, the euro zone, Canada and Australia decide on interest rates.

Government bond markets could become a source of destabilisation for investors next week given rising concerns about burgeoning Western government debt. The US Treasury alone needs to borrow a record US$2 trillion in 2009 to help fund a US$1.8 trillion fiscal deficit.

Falling government bond prices are pushing up yields, which also affects long-term borrowing costs for governments as well as businesses and threatens to choke off an economic recovery.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who visits China next week, is expected to reassure Beijing that the Obama administration will move swiftly to get its debt under control.

Buying by Asian nations, including China, is crucial in maintaining the stability in the US Treasury market. A weakening dollar is a double-edged sword for buyers as it makes Treasuries cheaper in the long term but it erodes the value of their current holdings in the short term.

The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield rose as high as 3.7538 per cent on Thursday, its highest since November.

The 10-year US breakeven rates — the yield gap between inflation-linked bonds over equivalent nominal government bonds — have risen to 1.8760 per cent, compared with around 0.2 per cent at the start of the year, reflecting the view that fears of deflation have subsided.

"Investors are realising that by investing in an inflation-linked product... they are able to mitigate the risk that these anticipated inflationary pressures pose," said Jonathan Gibbs, fund manager at Standard Life Investments.

"The combination of a complex mix of inflationary and deflationary forces at play in the global economy, and the great uncertainty which is likely to prevail, means that diversified risk is more important than ever." — Reuters

World stocks hit new 2009 high, dollar sinks

LONDON, May 29 — World stocks posted a new 2009 high today, hitting levels last seen six months ago, and the dollar sank to a five-month low against major currencies on hopes the global economy has seen the worst of its downturn.

Wall Street looked set to join the rally. Commodity prices also gained, with oil at a six-month high just below US$66 (RM231) a barrel.

“We’re back to the pro-risk theme, as markets continue to anticipate growth to return in the second half of the year,” said Lee Hardman, currency economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.

MSCI’s all-country world stock index was up 1 per cent, having hit 245.40, its highest level since late October. The index has gained nearly 43 per cent since a global stock market rally began in March.

Emerging markets stocks were also at year highs.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 was up 1.1 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei average closed up 0.75 per cent at a more than seven month high.

Stock markets have been rising since March, although there had been some signs recently of an easing off in gains.

Hopes for a second-half recovery in the global economy, however, have been fanning demand for riskier assets and those tied to growth.

The Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a global commodities benchmark, is up 12.3 per cent for the month, on its way to the biggest monthly gain since July 1974.

“Gains in commodities reflect continued recovery of demand outlook from its collapse after Lehman’s bankruptcy triggered concerns of a depression,” said Dariusz Kowalczyk, chief investment strategist with SJS Markets in Hong Kong.

“Medium-term outlook remains positive for commodities and other risky asset classes as we continue to expect that U.S. GDP will start to expand in Q3 and several major Asian economies already in Q2,” he said in a note.

Spot gold was up 1.4 per cent at US$972 an ounce for a near 10 per cent gain on the month.


DOLLAR DOWN

Some of the rise in commodity prices, however, is linked to the fall in the dollar, which hit a five-month low against a basket of currencies.

Signs the global recession may have passed its worst has reignited concern about ballooning U.S. government debt and prompted investors to sell the safe-haven currency.

The euro rose 1 per cent to above US$1.40 and the dollar sank 1 per cent to less than ¥96.

Higher-yielding currencies were big gainers as befits a mood of risk appetite. The New Zealand dollars gained nearly 1.7 per cent against its US counterpart.

Yields on euro zone government bonds fell despite the stock gains.

“Euro zone supply is out of the way ... maybe there’s a bit of a chance of an end of week recovery,” said a trader in London. “There’s a fair bit of data so there’s a danger that US data comes out on the strong side again and knocks things down. – Reuters

Say No To Fear, Say Yes To Freedom

MAY 28 — Fear is something Malaysians know well, even if most of us do not regularly wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat.

For decades, the ISA kept us in fear. Even though only a few of us have ever had to go through the ordeal that is detention without trial, the chilling effect of the law on our society was obvious and far reaching.

Malaysians were successfully kept under the thumb of the Barisan Nasional (BN), as any hint of a threat to the coalition’s grip on power was quickly dispensed with.

Perhaps Malaysians have since grown up politically. Or maybe the repeat indiscriminate use of the law has rendered us desensitised, but our collective fear of the BN regime and its repressive tools like the ISA has waned in recent years.

This is not to belittle the torment the yet-unrepealed law can still inflict on us, but obviously its effect on Malaysian society as a whole is not what it used to be.

There’s no lack of trying on the part of the authorities. The police still go ballistic every time the BN and its interests are remotely threatened. Black clothing, candlelight vigils and lawyers are a bigger menace to society, it seems, than loan sharks who are imprisoning defaulters or bike gangs that terrorise our streets.

If Malaysians are no longer afraid of BN’s might, however, then something else must take its place. Enter Chin Peng and communism.

Cabinet minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim has likened the opinion that Malaysia should be a country of her word and honour its agreement to the 1989 Hat Yai accord as an attempt to raise “positive feelings” about communism.

Fellow minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, on the other hand, is trying to spook Malaysians by alleging, without evidence, that there is an attempt to revive communism in this country. His “ghost story” is almost as ignorant of reality as his belief that exploiting scantily dressed women for political purposes is part of Chinese culture.

Mr McCarthy, I mean, Datuk Seri Zahid, don’t you worry. Malaysians are about as interested in communism today as the government is in developing public transportation.

There’s no doubt that attempts like these to induce fear in the public can be effective. After all, the fear of Islam, of terrorism and of gay marriage kept the incompetent and criminal Bush administration in power for eight years. And fear successfully demonised the Opposition parties in Malaysia for far longer.

PAS equals Islamic State, the non-Muslims were told, while Malays were made to be fearful of the DAP, who were supposedly going to take away the community’s rights.

However, as we have seen, people get tired of being afraid all the time. Malaysians didn’t buy the fear that BN was trying to sell in the last general election, and instead took a risk and went with the unknown. It was a watershed moment in our nation’s history. We finally let go of one of our irrational fears.

Still, there remains a long way to go before we as a society become less driven and defined by what we are afraid of. The powers that be continue to exploit the insecurities of the Malay community by continuing to use other Malaysians as the bogeyman, even though, the reality of demographics and politics in the country obliterates that view.

Non-Malays, on the other hand, are often excessively paranoid about having their culture and identity taken away from them, to the point where wearing a songkok for ceremonial purposes becomes an issue.

What I think is an irrational fear of assimilation is why the debate over vernacular schools are often virulent but short of intellectual honesty.

As Malaysians, our list of fears is a long one. We continue to be frightened by open debate and discussion, as if Malaysians are simply waiting for a reason to go amok. We also have no issue displaying our xenophobic tendencies by blaming crime on migrant workers, not our own government’s failure to run an efficient police force.

One reason why fear is so easily disseminated is because it is often irrational. Harian Metro need not have any proof of its sensational stories of young Malays losing their way to sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. It just needs to put the story out there for conservatives to escalate their paranoia.

Likewise, there need not be any real evidence that communism is making a comeback here. Nor does there need to be any coherent argument why a man in his twilight years is a threat to an entire nation. Just throw out stories of historical violence and hint at the possibility that it could happen again, and the ignorant and easily frightened would immediately toe the line.

Will Malaysians reject this new campaign of fear? I hope so. Franklin Roosevelt most famously said that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. For the many fear merchants around us, however, there is nothing more frightening than a population not easily spooked by their ghost stories. There’s nothing I’d like more than to see them running scared.

Police blasted for not allowing legal representation

KUALA LUMPUR - The police force has received widespread condemnation for not allowing legal representation to eleven candle light vigil participants detained for calling for the state of Perak assembly dissolution here last two nights ago.

Two lawmakers were among those detained and on 20th May called for the Home Ministry to give an explanation over the incident billed as the police being "anti-Constitution" and "anti-civil rights".

Democratic Action Party (DAP) Serdang parliamentary member Teo Nie Ching said the police invoked her Section 28A, subsection 8 of the Criminal Penal Code(CPC) for disallowing her lawyer's presence during the interogation.

In a press conference at the Selangor Chinese Asembly Hall here, Teo however said the special situations which allowed for the police to invoke the provision of the law were not satisfied because there were no "imminent threats" posed by the participants and that the Constitution guaranteed the rights to legal representation.

"If the police kept on invoking Section 28A, subsection 8 (of the CPC) then we might as well have no rights to legal representation," she said noting that the trend for the police to do so is on the increase.

"The Home Minister must explain why were they, (the police) refused to allow us to have legal representation," she said.

State dissolution sought after ruling coalition power grab

Teo said she was "saddened" by the conduct of the police and cited several cases of alleged police misconducts including the recent arrest of lawyers seeking to give their clients their advice.

She said the recent incident only highlighted the need for an "urgent reform" of the police including the formation of the long overdue Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as suggested by a royal commission in 2004.

The candle light vigil - which was to call for for a state assembly dissolution after the ruling coalition National Front power grab in the Pakatan Rakyat controlled state of Perak in February - started at about 7.30pm on 19th. DAP is one of the Pakatan Rakyat three main parties that currently controlled 82 out of Malaysia 222 parliamentary seats.

The police moved in after participants lighted their candles at about 8.15pm. They were later taken to a police station in Brickfield and then sent to two separate police stations after being segregated according to gender.

They were released with bail at about 4am and were asked to report back June 3rd.

DAP Teratai state assemblywoman Jenice Lee who is also present at the press conference said Section 28A, sub-section 8 should only be applicable when a complainant lodged a report over a counter and not during police investigation especially at the time when the Investigation Officer(IO) was taking a statement.- ES_

BN no better than communists, says Nik Aziz

PENANTI, May 28 — PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz joined an all-star ceramah session last night as Pakatan Rakyat stepped up efforts to wrap up the by-election and bag the win.

Nik Aziz went straight for the Barisan Nasional (BN) jugular and mocked prime minister and BN president Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s decision not to allow former communist leader Chin Peng to return to Malaysia, describing it as hypocritical.

“Chin Peng wants to come back and somebody asked me what I thought about it so I said if BN wants to reject the communists, then the same can be said about nationalists,” he said.

The statement was made in reference to his belief and past statement that Umno should replace its nationalist trait with Islam as the main ideology.

Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Aziz speaking at the Ceramah Perdana in Penanti last night. - Picture by Choo Choy May
Nik Aziz, who vehemently opposes the “cooperation with Umno” idea supported by some of his own party members, had stated in the past that the Islamist party will only work together with its rival if the latter discards its nationalist ideology.

But judging by how the charismatic PAS leader pounded BN last night, this “cooperation” is a long way off.

BN was accused of total evil, reigning with treachery, manipulation and corruption. He urged Penanti voters to rise against the BN rule and vote for PKR candidate Mansor Othman this Sunday.

The other big names at the ceramah were Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who also asked voters to send a strong signal to BN.

He also blasted BN for their decision to contest in Manek Urai, slamming the decision as a reflection of their arrogance and hypocrisy.

“When they did not want to contest at Penanti, they said they wanted to focus on improving the country’s economy and not play the political game supposedly created by me.

“But it seems that the economy of the country, in fact the world, has been solved since BN now has the time to contest there,” he said.

The Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan will be the seventh since the March 8 polls. The state seat was vacated following the death of its assemblyman, Ismail Yaakob.

Also present at the ceramah was PKR vice-president Azmin Ali

Bukti Salah Guna Kuasa PDRM

Her full claims, according to the video from Malaysiakini are;

1) When she went to negotiate with the OCPD, he did not bother but asked someone else to push her away

2) When asked to disperse, they wanted to but Police locked the gate, preventing them from doing so, and entrapping them so as to capture them.

3) Some were beaten when arrested.

4) They were denied seeing their families

5) while there is a poster of Detainees Rules of 1953 which shows a right to visit by families and counsel, the police denied her one, saying it is an order from the top

6) She was asked to change in lock-up, which has no door but only grill, with CCTV.

7) Male policemen can go in and out of the female lock-up, of which a group of them chatting in front of the lock-up, issue of changing arises again

8) After arguing, the females are allowed to go inside a room to change into lock-up attire

9) In male lock-up, there is someone who has key open his own lock-up, and another person's lock-up, to beat him up.

10) Many detainees are detained for days without being informed of the reason for being detained.

11) During remand application, the Police's argument is that they need time to investigate them but for the long hours of being detained, no statement is taken, though there is a few of them chi chatting outside Jenice's lock-up. She asked if the detainees should be punished for Police inefficiency and for Police not doing their work.


This blogger felt, all the time, that even if a person is as guilty as hell, there are certain inalienable rights that should be accorded to him/her. Right to be punished up to the severity of his crime, right to dignity (that is need not to change under CCTV or in front of member of another sex, or any person in that matter), right to fair trial, right to be heard etc.

Police in Malaysia however, seems to be living in the grand old time of lawlessness, where they are the law.

The initiative to change however is not present at the moment. The present political climate needs them to be so. If the Police are all fair and serve the citizen without fear or favor, then the administration might be having a torrid time.

Recession Wipe USD$ 5B From Facebook Value

SAN FRANCISCO, May 27 — The Russian investors Digital Sky Technologies (DST) paid US$200 million (RM700 million) for a 2 per cent stake in Facebook yesterday, valuing the social networking site at US$10 billion – or two-thirds of what it was worth 18 months ago.

Facebook, which was founded in 2004 and remains a private company, sold a 1.6 per cent stake to Microsoft in October 2007 for US$240 million. That investment valued the whole company at US$15 billion.

The social networking site, which has more than 200 million users, said last night that DST was also looking to buy US$100 million of stock for existing shareholders. DST will not get a seat on the board.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, said the deal with Microsoft was part of a larger partnership and that it had been signed at the “absolute peak of the market”.

The company said the value of the company had fallen because of “changes in the economy” which was in line with the rest of the market. The move to raise cash is part of a plan to fund growth, and Zuckerberg pointed out that the company did not have to raise the extra money.

Facebook said it had been approached by “a number of firms” over a potential cash injection but had chosen DST, a Russian group that specialises in internet investments, because of its “global perspective”.

Zuckerberg added that the company was not actively looking for any other investments at this time.

DST is based in Moscow and London. It is the largest investor in Russian-speaking and eastern European markets, but the Facebook stake is its most high profile international move.

Zuckerberg, who started Facebook when he was studying at Harvard University, said yesterday that despite the move to sell the almost 2 per cent stake, the company was in “no rush to go public any time soon”. The group turned down a US$1 billion takeover attempt from Yahoo in 2006. Zuckerberg added that the company expects to be “cash flow positive” by next year. — Independent

Rich Brother Rich Sister – A Review

Robert Kiyosaki and his sister Emi have written a book together. That may not sound so unusual until you realize one is a multi-millionaire and the other a Buddhist nun. Both openly and honestly share personal, and often intimate, details about their journey to find inner faith and financial peace.

Rich Brother Rich Sister – A Journal of Self-Discovery

Written almost as a journal of self-discovery Rich Brother Rich Sister by Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad) and his sister Emi Kiyosaki chronicles the years spent trying to build a life in balance and harmony with their personal and professional values and beliefs. Both siblings, on seemingly different career and life paths, were actually searching for the same thing - a higher spiritual purpose.

Robert the Vietnam warrior and Emi the peace activist, as opposite as they may seem are in fact more alike than they are different. Their parents instilled within them a sense of giving back. Robert’s mission evolved into teaching others how to make their way in the world by building self-sufficiency and financial freedom. Emi’s life became devoted to the teaching of Buddhism and working along side His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Rich Brother Rich Sister chronicles a soul-searching inner journey of two siblings looking to find their professional, personal and spiritual place in the world.

The two paths became one when Emi became ill and needed medical attention. Concentrating time and effort on her faith and not on making money, Emi found herself in need of financial help from Robert. Robert concentrating time and effort on being a successful entrepreneur found a need to cultivate a more gentle spiritual side. Together the siblings helped and supported one another in discovering greater inner peace, purpose and spirituality.

Finding Purpose, Spirituality and Self-Sufficiency

Robert’s role as the older brother was to support Emi and her Buddhist beliefs while teaching her how to become more financially self-sufficient. Emi’s role was to help soften Robert’s rough edges and help open his heart to his own deep-seeded spirituality. As Robert put it, “I found more gentleness within myself while talking with my sister.”

You may want to classify this book as self-development but I would recommend you also look at Rich Brother Rich Sister as about financial abundance and finding true personal and professional purpose. Together, Robert and Emi Kiyosaki share an intimate and personal look at how they were able to bring out the “rich” person not only within themselves but also within each other.

National Ahievers Congress 2009 : How The Rich Get Richer

Pada 22-23 Jun 2009 saya telah menghadiri seminar berkaitan pendidikan kewangan (financial education) yg telah diadakan di MIECC (Mines International Exhibition & Convention Centre) dekat Sri Kembangan. Objektif utama seminar ini adalah untuk pendidikan kewangan serta mengenal pasti peluang2 pelaburan yg ada di masa krisis ekonomi global. Selari dengan tema yg digunakan iaitu "bagaimana org kaya jadi semakin kaya dan anda pun blh jadi kaya juga" ramai speaker2 terkenal bertaraf antarabangsa hadir berkongsi ilmu dan pengetahuan berkaitan perniagaan, kewangan dan pelaburan. Antaranya ialah Robert Kiyosaki dan isterinya Kim Kiyosaki, Blair Singer, Kelly Ritchie, Andy Tunner dan ramai lagi. Robert Kiyosaki menjadi speaker utama mengetengahkan konsep2 asas kewangan dan pelaburan seperti yang ditulisnya dalam buku Rich Dad Poor Dad, Rich Dad Guide To Investing dan Rich Dad Prophecy. Anggaran kehadiran peserta seramai lebih 2000 orang yg kebanyakannya rakyat Malaysia pelbagai lapisan umur dan bangsa. Ada pelajar IPT, usahawan, pesara , keja sendiri, kerja makan gai, si kaya, si miskin, si pokai dan lain2. Akan tetapi semuanya mempunyai 1 impian yg sama iaitu untuk menjadi kaya raya. Bayaran masuk ke seminar ini sebanyak rm 2000 untuk tiket biasa dan rm 5000 untuk tiket VIP.
Sebagai speaker utama di majlis ini, Robert Toru Kiyosaki menjadi perhatian ramai memulakan majlis pada pkl 930 pagi. Untuk maklumat umum Robert Kiyosaki adalah seorang penulis, pelabur, speaker, pakar motivasi yg agak terkenal di seluruh dunia. Beliau di lahirkan di India dan dibesarkan di Hawai adalah keturunan Jepun-Amerika generasi ke-4. Bukunya yg amat terkenal Rich Dad Poor Dad telah terjual lebih 27 salinan diseluruh dunia. Selepas tamat sekolah tinggi di Hilo High School, beliau menyambung pelajaran ke U.S Merchant Marine Academy, selepas itu berkhidmat dgn Marines Corp sebagai juruterbang Helikopter bersenjata semasa perang Vietnam. Secara amnya beliau tidak mempunyai tahap pendidikan yang tinggi namun mampu mencapai kekayaan hebat hasil usaha dan kesungguhan serta pemikiran yang diluar kebiasaan ramai. Telah berkahwin dengan Kim Kiyosaki lebih 22 tahun, pasangan suami isteri ini adalah merupakan pasukan yg mantap dari segi pelaburan dan pendidikan kewangan. Robert Kiyosaki mempunyai seorang kakak iaitu Emi Kiyosaki yang merupakan seorang sami buddha.
Dipermulaan seminar Robert Kiyosaki memperkenalkan senarai speaker2 seorang demi seorang, kemudian beliau menerangkan keadaan ekonomi semasa di Amerika Syarikat khasnya dan di seluruh dunia amnya. Beliau mengkritik cara Presiden Obama menguruskan ekonomi walaupun pada mata kasar nampak menyakinkan, namun tahap ekonomi Amerika Syarikat masih membimbangkan, tambahan pula nilai Dollar Amerika yang semakin menyusut akibat cetakan yg terlampau banyak. Semua ini adalah satu krisis yg amat besar semenjak Great Depression pada tahun 30an namun inilah juga peluang yang hebat untuk orang yg tahu untuk mengambil peluang ini membina kekayaan yg banyak pada masa yang singkat. Jadi Robert Kiyosaki mengajak pada peserta mengubah cara pemikiran, berfikir dari perspektif seorang usahawan dan pelabur untuk melihat dan mengambil peluang yg ada di masa kini.
Beliau yang menekankan pelaburan hartanah (real estate) menerangkan mengapa beliau minat dgn pelaburan jenis ini, antaranya ialah pasaran hartanah agak mantap, tangible (blh dilihat), ada insurance, ada pinjaman bank serta kalis inflasi (inflasion proof). Beliau juga menceritakan bagaimana kisah mula2 dia terlibat dgn bidang jualan semasa bekerja dgn Xerox Corporation sebagai seorang jurujual mesin photostat yg hampir dibuang kerja, memulakan perniagaan sendiri secara kecil-kecilan serta memulakan pelaburan hartanah secara kecil-kecilan. Konsep pelaburan yg beliau tekankan lebih kepada aliran tunai (cash flow) berbanding untung modal (capital gain) kerana pelaburan jenis ini lebih mantap, pantas dan berisiko rendah. Kini beliau mempunyai portfolio pelaburan yg hebat seperti telaga minyak, logam berharga, syarikat2, hartanah2 dan lain2. Katanya nilai pelaburannya semakain berkembang tak kira sama ada ekonomi bagus ataupun ekonomi meleset.
Speaker ke-2 yang menyampaikan ceramah ialah kakak kandung Robert Kiyosaki sendiri iaitu Emi Kiyosaki. Ternyata Emi Kiyosaki mempunyai personaliti yg amat berbeza dari Robert Kiyosaki, beliau memilih untuk menjadi seorang sami buddha yg taksub dengan Dalai Lama. Beliau menekankan konsep kekayaan spiritual yg mempunya hubungan dengan kekayaan meterial. Berpakaian seperti seorang sami Buddha beliau menceritakan kisah2 hidup beliau dan bagaimana dia blh menjadi seorang sami Buddha. Pemikiran beliau sewaktu mula2 menjadi seorang sami dan pada masa kini telah byk berubah sejak beliau blajar pendidikan kewangan dgn adiknya Robert Kiyosaki. Walaupun masih menjadi seorang sami, beliau mula memikirkan tentang kewangan, kekayaan dan pelaburan. Tindakannya itu telah mendapat kritikan dari sami2 buddha yang lain. Semua ini ada diceritakan dalam bukunya iaitu Rich Brother Rich Sister

Pada hari ke-2 Robert Kiyosaki menerangkan dgn lebih terperinci sebab2 yg menyebabkan krisis ekonomi global yg bermula di Amerika Syarikat. Beliau mengkritik cara Presiden Obama menangani krisis eknomi dan kewangan Amerika dgn membuat ‘bail out’ terhadap bank2 yang sedang muflis, juga Presiden Obama gagal mengotakan slogan semasa kempen pilihanraya presiden iaitu ‘Change We Can Believe’ , di mana kebanyakan anggota2 pentadbiran baru beliau yang mentadbir kewangan dan ekonomi kebanyakannya dari bekas anggota2 yg berkhidmat dgn Presiden Bill Clinton. Jadi tiada usaha perubahan yg jelas dalam menangani krisis ekonomi global ini. Juga beliau sangsi dgn fungsi Federal Reserve yang bukannya milik kerajaan Amerika, ianya dikuasai oleh individu2 dan syarikat2 persendirian yg kaya serta tamak. Federal Reserve telah menyebabkan berlaku Great Depression pada tahun 1930an dan krisis ekonomi ekonomi global skrg. Federal Reserve mempunyai kuasa yg lebih hebat dari kerajaan Amerika dalam bidang kewangan dan perbankan, ianya mempunyai kuasa untuk mencetak wang yg menyebabkan berlakunya kemerosotan pada nilai Dollar Amerika. Sepatutnya Federal Reserve mesti digantikan dgn bank pusat Amerika yg dimiliki sepenuhnya oleh kerajaan Amerika, barulah setiap tindakan akan lebih beretika, telus dan tiada berkepentingan luar. Antara keluarga kaya raya yg dipercayai mengawal Federal Reserve ialah Rockerfeller dan JP Morgon yg memiliki kekayaan bernilai lebih 1 Trilion USD. Dalam bukunya yang terbaru bertaju Conspiracy Of The Rich, Robert Kiyosaki menerangkan lebih detail berkenaan Federal Reserve, Barrack Obama, system perbankan, dan lain2 lagi. Buku ini blh dibaca secara percuma di laman web :- www.conspiracyoftherich.com

Speaker lain pada hari ke-2 ialah Dr Radha Gopalan yg berasal dari India tetapi menetap di Amerika. Beliau ialah seorang pakar pembedahan jantung. Beliau yg membuat pembedahan jantung Robert Kiyosaki pada thn lepas. Dalam ceramahnya beliau menekankan konsep asas kesihatan adalah sama dgn konsep asas kekayaan. Kita blh tentukan kesihatan pada masa akan datang, kalau kita nak jadi seorang yang sihat maka kita mestilah mempunyai pemikiran yang sihat, fikir cara positif, blh kawal emosi, blh selesaikan mslh dan juga kena amalkan sikap serta perangai yang positif.
Hasil permerhatian beliau, ramai pesakit2 yg menghadapi penyakit2 seperti masalah jantung, buah pinggang, dan juga barah adalah disebabkan oleh cara pemikiran yang tidak sihat seperti mengamalkan perasaan benci, dendam, sedih, tekanan perasaan, kurang inisiatif, kurang motivasi, tidak bersemangat, tidak suka pada kerja seharian, tidak cintakan pasangan, takut hadapi risiko dan masalah, lari dari masalah, rasa bersalah , membuat sesautu yg bertentangan dgn prinsip, bercakap bohong, hidup dalam ketakutan, hidup dalam penafian, menghisap rokok dan hisap serta lain2 lagi gaya hidup yg kurang sihat.
Sebenarnya penyakit bermula di peringkat emosi, jika kita nak hidup dgn sihat maka kita perlu pandai kawal emosi secara berkesan bermula dari usia yang muda. Contoh emosi seseorang ialah seperti cinta, benci, takut, berani, sedih, marah, tak puas hati dan sebagainya. Orang2 yg sihat selalunya mengamalkan pemikiran yg sihat, cara hidup yg sihat dan pemakanan yg sihat. Kekayaan material tanpa kesihatan yg baik tiada gunanya. Kita mesti merayakan kehidupan (live your life to the fullest).

Speaker seterusnya ialah Andy Tanner yg merupakan pakar dalam bidang stock dan option. Beliau menerangkan peluang2 yg ada dalam pasaran saham seluruh dunia semasa krisis ekonomi gobal ini. Pergerakan harga saham yg pantas serta tidak menentu dimasa sekarang menyebabkan seseorang pelabur itu memerlukan perisian yg terkini untuk memantau serta membantu membuat keputusan bila masa yg sesuai untuk masuk dan keluar dari pasaran saham. Teknik lama seperti melabur untuk jangkamasa panjang sudah tidak sesuai lagi pada masa sekarang, segalanya telah berubah, anggaran tempoh pelaburan yg berkesan adalah antara 1 bulan ke 1 tahun sahaja, bergantung kpd analisis fundamental pasaran dan syarikat, dan analisis teknikal. Dengan menggunakan teknologi internet semua orang didunia ini yg mempunyai akses kpd internet blh membuat pelaburan di pasaran saham Amerika, Australia, Hong Kong menerusi internet sahaja.

Speaker2 lain yg tak tak kurang hebat juga adalah seperti Kathy Heasley seorang pakar penjenamaan (branding), Ken McElroy seorang pakar Hartanah, Michael Maloney seorang pakar pelaburan komoditi seperti emas dan gangsa, Kelly Ritchie seorang pakar perniagaan franchise. Segala keseluruhannya seminar ini agak menarik bg sy kerana dapat mengetahui maklumat2 terkini pasaran kewangan, pendapat2 pakar2 dalam bidang pelaburan dan kewangan serta dapat ramai kenalan serta rangkaian baru dalam pelbagai bidang seperti network marketing, hartanah, saham,forex dan banyak lagi...

Students suffer as Govt delays decision

THE Education Ministry will make a decision on the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English within six months (The Star, May 24).

This will take us to November 2009. It means that change, if any, will only be introduced from the 2010 school year.

Apparently, the ministry wants more feedback. It really boggles me as to which truly concerned bodies/parties/organisations that have yet to voice their opinions on the policy, given that one whole year has already been allocated for the said purposes.

Earlier in the year, the ministry announced that it had readied a comprehensive report based on months of deliberations. The report proposed seven options for adoption. One of them recommended a total reversal of the policy.

The report, in the form of a memorandum, was to be circulated to all Cabinet members for a final decision.

The decision sought was said to be not necessarily just a single option but rather a combination of any of the seven options proposed. What has become of that initiative?

One obvious backlash of the delay in decision making is the negative effect it has in classroom teaching in all schools. The teaching medium has become a kind of free-for-all now.

In primary schools, we hear of national school teachers going back to teaching in Malay and vernacular school teachers doing the same in Chinese or Tamil. In secondary schools, it is a mixture of English and Malay. Only teachers proficient in English choose to continue teaching in English.

I am afraid the stalemate in the last one year has set back much of the hard-earned progress we made in the past six years.

The ministry must seriously take note of this development. A decision has to be made and made soon as the clock is ticking and our children and their concerned parents are eagerly waiting.

Perhaps, the ministry is trying too hard to arrive at the right solution, one that can please all parties.

Months of deliberations have made one thing clear. There can be no single, agreed right solution.

We can continue to argue and debate until the cow comes home, but there will still be no agreement on one right solution that would please all or even most parties.

I would like to think that it is the right of the ministry to make that final decision, and back it up with a forceful rationale before presenting it to the Cabinet for approval.

Temporary marriages with Indonesian women on rise

P.K. Abdul Ghafour | Arab News

JEDDAH: A large number of Saudis are engaging in temporary marriages with Indonesian women with the intention of divorcing them.

“Such marriages are likely to increase if Islamic scholars fail to give a clear ruling prohibiting them,” said Khaled Al-Arrak, director of Saudi affairs at the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta.

He said most Saudis were engaged in such marriages without realizing their consequences. “Some poor Indonesians marry off their girls to Saudis hoping it would put an end to their poverty and miseries. If the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars does not ban this type of marriages, things will go out of control,” Al-Arrak warned.

There are so many offices in Indonesia that facilitate such marriages, Al-Watan Arabic daily said. The marriage takes place in the presence of witnesses and a man posing as the father of the bride.

These women do not know that their marriages would end within a few days and that they would have to bear children of people who would abandon them.

Last year, the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta received 82 calls regarding children of Saudis who had married Indonesian women and then abandoned them. “We have received 18 such calls from abandoned Indonesian wives of Saudis and their children this year so far,” Al-Arrak said.

The Saudi Embassy official said that the cases registered with the embassy accounted for only 20 percent of such marriages that have actually taken place.

Aysha Noor, 22, an Indonesian woman from Sikka Bhumi, 160 km east of Jakarta, said her parents married her to a young Saudi man when she was 16, thinking it would be a blessing for the family and end their poverty.

“We in Indonesia consider people of Makkah and Madinah as blessed ones. The man gave me a dowry of six million Indonesian rupiahs (SR2,024). The dowry helped us to solve some of our economic problems. My family did not know that the man was intending to have a temporary marriage.”

She adds: “After a few days he paid us the remaining amount of three million rupiahs (SR1,011) and left the country.” Noor said she later had a similar marriage with another Saudi before finding a job at a nightclub as a singer and dancer.

There are many women in Indonesia who have similar stories to tell. Some of them find it difficult to look after their children from Saudi husbands. The Saudi Embassy in Jakarta registers such Saudi children and helps them travel to the Kingdom to recognize their fathers but many refuse to accept them.

The embassy also receives visa requests for marriages, particularly for people of special needs and elderly who want to marry Indonesian women. These marriages often fail because the Saudi society treats them as maids and they cannot merge with the society primarily because of language barrier. Such marriages cost between SR5,000 and SR10,000.

S.P. Dharmakirty, consul for information at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, confirmed that temporary marriages involving Saudis were taking place in his country.

“Indonesian authorities have taken appropriate measures to curb this practice,” he told Arab News, adding that some people involved in such illegal marriages have been detained.

The consul also pointed out that the marriage of some Indonesian women with elderly and handicapped Saudis was not legal.

“We face many problems because such marriages are not registered and the women coming from Indonesia use visa for maids to come to the Kingdom,” he said. “Some of them later come to consulate to seek advice,” he added

Monster-In-Law

KUALA LUMPUR: Parents-in-law or, more specifically, mother-in-law horror stories are widespread and with good reason as a study by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) shows.

Meddlesome in-laws are the main reason Indian couples divorce but it figures as one of the top reasons for divorce among Chinese and Malay couples, too.

The Malaysia Community and Family Study 2004 showed that the two other factors are incompatibility at 42.3% and infidelity at 12%.

“Interference of in-laws is the main reason why Indians divorce. It is the top ranked reason at 30%,” said LPPKN Director General Datuk Aminah Abdul Rahman when presenting a paper on Malaysia’s family profile and its effects Monday at Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia.

Infidelity is a deal breaker in Malay and Indian marriages but it appears to be tolerated among the Chinese.

“Among Malays, the second most common reason for a divorce is infidelity and a refusal to put up with polygamy (enggan dimadukan),” she said.

“In the Indian community, infidelity is the second highest ranked reason for divorce at 25%,” she said.

However, the Chinese considered infidelity the least crucial reason to demand a divorce. Cheating nestled at the bottom along with health and gambling addiction reasons at 4.2%.

Surprisingly, abuse is not a reason for divorce among the Malays and Chinese, but is a known reason among Indians at 5%.

“Another overall reason that ranked high among the three races at 11.5% is ‘not being responsible’,” she said.

She explained that though the family institution was perceived as quite fragile and divorces rampant, the data showed otherwise.

“According to a population survey in 2000, only a portion of the population at 0.7% is divorced,” she said.

The data showed that divorce is more likely to happen to those in the age group under 25 and above 40.

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

"You get recessions, you have stock market declines. If you don't understand that's going to happen, then you're not ready, you won't do well in the markets."
- Peter Lynch

Is the US dollar driving oil prices or vice versa?

In case you haven’t noticed, oil prices have been on a tear. Since the beginning of the year, the price of “liquid gold” has increased by more than 30% from US$43 (RM150) a barrel in January to an intraday high of US$60 in mid-May. Many factors are driving oil prices higher, including improved growth prospects, speculation and the weakness of the US dollar. In addition, the outlook for economic giants the US and China has improved materially over the past month, leading many people to believe that the worst of the global recession is almost over.

US and Chinese economic data, along with comments from central bankers confirm this rosy outlook. Early this month, US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told the US Congress that the recession is easing and that growth should take place by year-end. Most other central bankers expect their countries to return to positive growth in 2010. Given that oil prices plummeted in the second half of 2008 because of deleveraging and the fear of a deep recession, the promise of a brighter tomorrow is driving oil prices higher.

However, a slower pace of contraction and the prospect of increased demand are not the only reasons oil prices are higher.

Recent US dollar weakness is contributing to the recovery. Of course, many people will argue that the US dollar is weaker because the US economy is doing better, which is true, but the relationship between oil prices and the US dollar’s value is too significant to ignore.

Since the beginning of 2008, the correlation between oil prices and the US-dollar index has been roughly -0.90. In other words, 90% of the time, when the US-dollar index falls, oil prices rise.

The chart shows the tight correlation between the two instruments. The index is inverted to show the correlation more clearly. Although the correlation broke down from the beginning of January 2009 to end February, it picked up again in March and has remained strong throughout this month.

Is it also possible that the rise in oil prices is driving the US dollar lower and not vice versa? Before exploring this question, we should talk about why a move in the US dollar leads to a move in oil.

Why the US dollar drives oil
Oil is priced in US dollars. According to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), the relationship between oil prices and the US dollar is almost mechanical. When the US dollar falls in value, oil prices have to go up in US dollar terms to stay constant in euro terms. Oil producers receive their oil revenues in US dollars and need to be compensated for the fluctuations of the greenback. This does not always hold true of course, otherwise the correlation would not have been broken in the beginning of the year.

Why oil drives the US dollar
Yet, we can also argue that rising crude prices are driving the US dollar lower. A study by the International Monetary Fund in 1996 found that a 10% rise in the real price of oil induces a 2% real depreciation in a typical Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development country’s real exchange rate.

This should not be completely surprising because higher oil prices do result in higher cost of oil imports for the US, leading to a higher current account and trade deficit, which is US-dollar bearish. It also affects growth. When oil prices were nearing US$150 a barrel, gasoline prices in the US went as high as US$4 a gallon or more. It served as a tax on consumers and significantly affected companies.

Remember how airlines had to add fuel surcharges just to stay profitable? These fuel surcharges have since been reversed, but remain fresh in the minds of consumers. Higher oil prices hurt growth, which hurts the outlook of the US economy. Although this is more of a “longer-term” impact, it is one that is worth considering.

Adding to the confusion, central banks’ monetary policies, Opec production levels and speculation all contributed to the previous moves in oil prices. Current and future monetary policies impact both exchange rates and commodity prices because, according to a study done by Professor Jeffrey Frankel of Harvard University in 2006, the rise in oil prices is equal to the long-run real oil price and the real interest rate adjusted by convenience yield (which is the option of having oil).

The relationship between oil prices and the US dollar is both schizophrenic and symbiotic. When oil prices were hitting record highs in July 2008, there is evidence that the price of oil is driving the value of the US dollar because of concerns over the strain it would have on the US economy.

Currently, though, the US dollar appears to be driving the price of oil. The outlook for global demand is not clear and investors are less focused on the impact that higher oil prices can have on trade than its signal of stronger growth

Malaysia sex trade reaping RM3 billion in 2008

Sex trade is illegal in Malaysia but that didn’t stop it from reaping whooping RM3 billion profits last year according to Tenaganita a non-governmental organisation.

Tenaganita estimated that the number of prostitutes in the country at least 150,000 with more than 10,000 operating in the Klang Valley alone.

A prostitute monthly earning easily surpassing that of a minister, university professor or high ranking government officers.

Charging an average of RM150 an hour, eight client per day, working seven-day a week, a prostitute ends up making RM36,000 a month said Aegile Fernandez, Tenaganita anti-human trafficking coordinator.

“Serving an average of eight clients a day, she ends up making RM1,200 daily and possibly RM36,000 a month,” she said.

According to Aegile, syndicates that run brothels usually have up to 100 girls under them.

PDRM Must Change Or Fail

MAY 22 — Criticisms of the PDRM (Polis Di-Raja Malaysia) have lately turned ugly: they have been reduced to what amounts to a hate campaign. I believe this attitude is totally counterproductive because as citizens we deserve the police service we get. In other words, unless we are prepared to work with them, they will not succeed.

That said, PDRM must change with the times, and change what is known all over the world as the police culture of impunity. Police training must naturally cover traditional aspects of policing, but in today’s terms nothing is more important than for our police to understand the issue of human rights and the rights of the individual to police protection without regard to race or colour. Officers at every level of the service must subject themselves and their actions to the closest public scrutiny. Members of the public today are no longer mesmerised by the shiny little badges of rank that elbow for space on their very crowded epaulette.

Members of the Royal Malaysian Police belong to an honourable profession that, in our country, is more than two centuries old. The PDRM is older than the London Metropolitan Police (1829) and the New York City Police Department (1843). They are the inheritors of a long and proud tradition of service to the people of this country. And we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude.

The Malaysian police service is like no other in the world. What little I know of police forces in some parts of the world suggests that in many respects, ours is as good as the best, but as the report of the Royal Commission on the Enhancement of the Management and Operation of PDRM has pointed out, there is a lot of room for improvement so as to bring the standards of policing in Malaysia in line with best international practices.

As a member of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the police service, I despair of the decision of the government to soft pedal on the most important recommendation in the whole report — the creation of an independent oversight body to help protect the police protect itself against unwarranted criticisms. The government, and the police, no less, must accept that no police force in the world has ever succeeded in policing itself, and PDRM is no different. I may be forgiven for concluding that the government has made, in a manner of speaking, a right royal “dog’s breakfast” of much of the report. Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pussyfooted around this recommendation, but let us see whether our self-proclaimed reforming crusader, the current prime minister, has the stomach to force this through.

I can understand why the senior ranks are suspicious of any suggestion that they perceive as “outside interference.” The Knapp Commission (1972) on the New York police had this to say: “Two principal characteristics emerge from this group loyalty: suspicion and loyalty directed at any outside interference with the department. This mixture of hostility and pride has created what the (Knapp) Commission has found to be the most serious roadblock to a rational attack on police corruption: a stubborn refusal at all levels of the department to acknowledge that a serious problem exists.” I spent a year in New York as Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General in 2006, and was able to follow developments in the New York Police Department, and nothing substantial has changed since that report was released in 1972. Let us move from New York to London.

Sir Robert Bunyard, a former Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, describes police culture as follows:

“The culture of police groups has always been particularly strong, partly because the police occupy a unique and ambiguous role in society but also because they feel the need to defend themselves against what is seen as a hostile world.” Not really very different from the way many police officers in PDRM have reacted to the royal commission report.

A common belief or notion, which appears to be deeply embedded in the police psyche, is that of impunity, forgetting that the powers given to them are purely for the purpose of enforcing the rule of law and maintaining public order. Many of them also sometimes forget that they are not above the law, are indeed creatures of the law, and it is their duty to uphold the law, and not subvert it, however great the temptation might be.

Effective policing depends on public support, and public support will be withheld or even withdrawn if there is no confidence in the integrity of the police as a whole. It is important for them to realise that they are an intrinsic part of the society which it is their duty to serve, and all of their actions must be directed towards the public good.

Their distinctive blue uniform sets off very complex emotions and reactions in different people. As police officers they are either respected or feared. Naturally, how they choose to be treated is entirely a matter for them to decide.

The important role they play in our criminal justice system cannot be overemphasised. It is all the more important that they maintain the highest ethical and moral standards, particularly in handling cases that could lead to a possible prosecution.

We often hear complaints about questionable methods used by the police when gathering evidence, methods that will not bear close examination. Nothing is more calculated to alienate the public than the belief, rightly or wrongly, that the police are careless about protecting citizens’ rights. Members of the public are becoming better educated and know their rights under the law. What all this means in practice is that the police must change from a perceived culture of impunity to one grounded in efficiency, transparency, honesty and accountability.

We do expect, I admit, rather a lot of our men and women in blue. We make demands on them that we would never dream of imposing on ourselves. They work under conditions which are far from ideal, often exposed to great hardship and danger, and yet do we ever stop to think about their welfare and that of their families?

I can tell you that nothing much has changed in 50 years as far as their accommodation, for example, is concerned. Instead of living in wooden barracks, they now live in crammed one- or two-bedroom concrete cubicles. Police families tend to be large, and the chances of living with dignity as a family unit are not part of their terms of employment. Domestic pressures under such living conditions defy the imagination, and it was for me, on official visits to many police stations in different states, a humbling experience to talk to police personnel and to see their patience and forbearance of an existence that is not in keeping with today’s minimum expectations.

The nature of police work is such that it would be totally dishonest and disingenuous for anyone to suggest that it is no different from all the other components of the civil service. It is different, dangerous and debilitating of mind and body. The police service should be treated as a separate and distinct service, and the officers, men and women should be paid a rate for the job that reflects the true nature of their work.

Police work is not every one’s idea of fun and games, and in fact I have often said that anyone determined to join the police should have his or her head examined. But for all that, thank God that there are thousands of them who have decided to devote their lives to the care of the citizens of this country so that we can go about our work or business knowing that they are there watching over our security and safety.

I have often heard it said that if the police are paid more, the armed forces might be upset. My remedy for that is for members of the armed forces to join the police and have a taste of police life.

Proposal To Register Bloggers

SHAH ALAM, May 21 — Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the proposal by some quarters for bloggers in Malaysia to be registered required in-depth study.

“The idea is good, but we have to see it from the legal aspects and from the aspect of freedom of Internet use.

“We have to see whether registering bloggers is in line with the provisions of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. We should not be hasty in implementing the proposal,” he said after meeting with Selangor Information Department and Special Affairs Department officers, here, today.

However, he said, bloggers were still subject to existing laws for defamation and sedition.

“We are studying a new Act, the Multimedia Signature Act, which has been in the pipeline the past three years. This Act is expected to support the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said.

At the same time Rais is encouraging his ministry’s officers to be Internet-savvy, including about blogging, to keep up with a changing world.

Rais said if he, who had served under five prime ministers, could learn new things through the Internet, he could not see why the officers should not.

He also said that information officers needed to be close to the people by giving information on government policies not just in their homes and community halls, but also at the coffeeshops and other eateries and at the market place, in order to know their sentiments.

Disseminating information through less formal ways but directly to the people could be more effective for the government, he added.

On the need to locate the Selangor Broadcasting Department closer to the state Information Department, he said the former would be shifted back to the state if there were suitable premises available.

The Selangor Broadcasting Department was ordered to vacate its office at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building last year after Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government from the Barisan Nasional after the last general election on March 8, 2008. – Bernama

Retrenched Malaysians won’t work for less

PETALING JAYA, May 21 — Low wages are the main factor for the government’s training programme for retrenched workers to be unattractive, according to the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

Its vice-president A. Balasubramaniam said those retrenched were mostly middle-aged with 10 to 15 years of experience and were already earning between RM2,000 and RM3,000 per month at the time of their retrenchment.

“So, if you ask this group to go for retraining and pay them RM500 or RM800 allowance, surely they will be reluctant,” he told Bernama today.

Balasubramaniam was commenting on the disappointment expressed by Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam over the poor response to the government’s initiative of providing training for retrenched workers.

The minister was reported to have said that only 1,000 of the 18,000 eligible workers had signed up for the various training programmes since they began two months ago.

Balasubramaniam said the poor response was also due to their financial commitments like paying their housing and vehicle loans and credit card debts.

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Executive Director Shamsuddin Bardan said the nature of the job was also an important consideration for the workers.

Most of the vacancies, he pointed out, were in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector which required them to work odd hours to serve the world at large with different time zones.

“So, it is not surprising that retrenched workers who were used to working from 9am to 5pm find it difficult to adjust to a 11pm-7am shift,” he said.

Shamsuddin said another factor which impeded these workers was their cultural background where they had extended families and were reluctant to be relocated.

As an alternative, Shamsuddin proposed that the government set up a “retrenchment subsidy fund” to subsidise companies planning to retrench workers.

“The subsidy should be given directly to the company to allow it to subsidise the salary of its workers, thus preventing retrenchment,” he said.

“For example, in some countries the government gives a retrenchment subsidy of about 12 per cent of the worker’s salary to a maximum of RM3,500 for about a year.

“May be in Malaysia we can adjust this formula to suit our needs,” he said, adding that the most important thing was to prevent retrenchment in the first place, so that there would no necessity for re-employment or re-training.

Shamsuddin said part of the allocation for training could be utilised to set up the fund.

The government had allocated RM50 million for retraining of retrenched workers.

Meanwhile, L.C. Yong, the general manager of an employment agency here, agreed that Malaysian workers were reluctant to be relocated or change jobs if the salary did not commensurate with the responsibilities and skills.

According to him, Malaysian workers were adaptable and willing to do any job provided “the returns are attractive”.

“The bottom line for these workers is ringgit and sen,” he said. – Bernama

Catitan Perjalanan Ke Sabah - May 2009

Semasa sy sedang menulis blog ini, sy sedang berada di bandar Sandakan, Sabah. Sy smpai ke Kota Kinabalu pada malam 16 May 2009 yg juga tarikh hari lahir sy yg ke 3X. Memang amat pantas masa berlalu, sedar2 umur dah meningkat. Nasib baik tak tua lagi, masih mudah, sihat, mantap, bijak dan kaya. Hahaaa masuk bakul angkat sendiri la ni. Seperti kata Albert Einstein - Time is Relative, Idea Is Infinite. Masa adalah perbandingan, idea pemikiran kita tiada hadnya. Dengan menggunakan masa yg ada, fikirkan idea yg perlu untuk mendapatkan kekayaan dan kejayaan, pasti hidup lebih ceria dan bahagia. Sapa yg kata dia tak de idea bermaksud dia tidak berfikir. Kalau kita tidak berfikir maksudnya kita tidak berkembang, kalau kita tidak berkembang maksudnya kita sedang mati (dying). Juga mari kita rayakan kehidupan dgn semaksimum yg mungkin. Jadilah orang yg bebas, berdikari, dan kaya. Tak perlu kerja sampai mati. Itulah impian setiap orang di dunia ini walaupun ramai yg menafikannya. Selepas menjadi usahawan hampir 10 tahun baru sekarang sy dapat mencapai status kebebasan kewangan, tidak perlu bekerja@berniaga, tak perlu risau pasai duit lagi, semuanye dah beres. Sy telah mencapai tahap sebagai seorang pelabur, dimana duit bekerja utk sy, sy boleh bebas bergerak kemana2, buat yg apa yg sy nak buat, tak perlu fikir pasai kedai, pekerja dan lain2. Seperti yg Robert Kiyasaki terangkan dalam bukunya Cash Flow Quadron, ramai orang yg terperangkap dalam kuadron pekerja (employee), kerja sendiri (self employed). Robert Kiyosaki mencadangkan kepada sesiapa yg hendak mencapai kebebasan kewangan haruslah menjadi usahawan dan seterusnya menjadi seorang pelabur seperti yg telah sy lalui. Walaupun masih belum berstatus jutawan, tapi ianya semakin hampir menjadi kenyataan sekiranya semua perancangan menjadi kenyataan. Nantikanlah kemunculan buku tulisan sy yg akan muncul di pasaran thn depan bertajuk - Minda Jutawan : Bagaimana Untuk Menjadi Kaya Sebelum Umur 30.

Berbalik ke bandar Sandakan, sy smpai ke bandar pelabuhan ini pada pkl 6 ptg menggunakan bas ekspress yg bertolak dari bandar Kota Kinabalu pada pkl 12 tghari dengan tambang rm 35. Perjalanan dari bandar KK ke Sandakan mengambil masa yg agak panjang miskipun jaraknya lebih kurang 330 KM kerana jalan yg agak sempit, berliku2 dan berbukit bukau. Sepanjang perjalanan yg melalui Kinabalu Park, Ranau, Kundasang mempunyai pemandangan yg cantik, pun begitu oleh kerana hujan renyai, keadaan agak berkabut terutamanya disekitar Kinabalu Park yg menyebabkan Gunung Kinabalu tidak dapat kelihatan, semuanya nampak putih saja. Di Sandakan sy menginap di hotel Nak, sebuah hotel antik, berkedudukan tepi laut Sulu, kadar sewa rm 75 semalam, bilik agak luas dan selesa.
Semasa di KK sy menginap di hotel Ist Street, bilik agak kecil, ada Wifi kadar rm 77 semalam. Pada sebelah pagi Ahad (17/5/09) sy pergi ronda2 pasar Jalan Gaya yg memang terkenal di KK diadakan setiap hari ahad, ada macam2 kat situ, apa yg sy tertarik ialah pada arnab2 yg comel2, harga rm 15 sekor, teringin sgt nak beli bg kat anak2, tapi nanti takut problem kat airport pula, so kiv dulu la. Lepas tu sy ke pasar filipina mencari ikan2 kering dan mutiara. Kat situ sy beli ikan terubuk masin 2 ekor, ikan bilis, ikan keropok, ikan Yu kering, rantai mutiara dan krystal sebagai souvenir datang Sabah, nanti blh la bagi kat sedara mara dan kawan2. Harga pun agak murah selepas minta kurang 50%. Pada sebelah petang sy ke pulau manukan, mamutik dan pulau sapi. Pulau2 ni memang terkenal di sabah dan agak dekat dgn KK. Tambang bot laju ke pulau2 ni ialah rm 17 + rm 6(cukai jeti) + rm 3 (byrn masuk ke pulau). Aktiviti sy kat pulau2 ni ialah snorkling, air laut yg agak jernih, pasir pantai yg putik melepak serta byk anak2 ikan cantik2 yg bermain disekitar menjadikan aktiviti snorkling agak terkenal disini. Peralatalan snorking blhj disewa dgn harga rm 10 sehari. Selepas puas snorkling hampir 2 jam , sy bertolak balik ke hotel pada pkl 530 ptg. Kat Sabah pkl 620 dah mula gelap, awai 1 jam berbanding kat semenanjung. So kena balik awal, bangun pun kena awal sbb pkl 630 dah cerah. Pada sebelah malam pula sy ke pasar malam berdekatan pasar filipina. Kat situ byk betul ikan bakar, harga pun murah, macam ikan ada, sy pun try ikan apa pun sy tak kenal pun tapi sedap juga dgn udang bakar skali nasi putih semua skali rm 10 saja. Kat semenanjung mana dapat sebab ikan pun besar juga. Sapa yg teringin nak mai Sabah blh la contact sy utk bg tips.

Trip sy kali ini adalah selama 5 hari, bergerak secara solo, plan awal nak naik gunung kinabalu, tapi disebabkan oleh penginapan yg dah penuh terpaksa dibatalkan dan akan digantikan dengan trip ke Brunei melalui jalan laut menerusi pulau Labuan. Semasa sy berada di KK, masyarakat tempatan sedang giat membuat persiapan untuk hari Pesta Keamatan iaitu pesta menuai bg masyarakat pelbagai etnik di Sabah terutamanya etnik Kadazan-Dusun. Lain2 etnik yg terdapat di Sabah ialah Bajau, Bugis, Bidayuh, Wisayak, melayu sabah, cina dan lain2. Itu pun tak termasuk masyrakat pendatangan halal dan haram seperti orang Filipina, Indonesia dan juga pakistan. Jadi masyarakat Sabah agak pelbagai bangsa, etnik, agama dan makanan. Sy juga dapat mencuba makanan tradisi tempatan seperti tuhau, sago, hinava, noonsom dan lain2 lagi. Dahulunya etnik Kadasan-Dusun merupakan penduduk majoriti kat Sabah, tapi sekarang tidak lagi. Penghijrahan masuk pendatang asing dari Filipina, Indonasia dan Pakistan yang memilik IC telah menjadikan etnik Kadazan-Dusun semakin terpinggir di Sabah. Semua ini adalah disebabkan oleh perancangan UMNO yg ingin menguasai iklim politik di Sabah. Negeri di bawah bayu ingin mempunyai kekayaan semula jadi yg amat banyak, ada balak, minya dan gas, tanah yg subur serta laut yg luas. Jadi tidak hairanlah jikalau Sabah menjadi rebutan negara2 Indonesia dan Filipina di masa lalu. Juga para penduduknya yg cantik2 serta ramah membuatkan anda terpukau bila sampai ke Sabah.

Pada hari ke-2 di Sandakan sy melawat tempat2 menarik kat sini. Yang paling terkenal adalah pusat pemuliharaan Orang Utan kat Sepilok. Sy bergerak ke Sepilok dengan bas mini selepas breakfast percuma kat hotel Nak. Stesen bas ke sana terletak betol2 di depan hotel Nak, tempoh perjalanan ke sana lebih kurang 45 minit dgn tambang rm 3. Bertolak pada pukul 9 pagi dan sampai lebih kurang pukul 950 pagi. Memang timing agak menarik kerana waktu Orang Utan di beri makan harian ialah pada pukul 10 pagi dan 3 petang. Kos tiket untuk masuk ke situ ialah rm 5 sorang untuk warganegara Malaysia dan rm 15 untuk foreigner. Juga rm 10 untuk digital kamera. Sampai jer kat sana ramai betol foreigner yg sedang menanti Orang Utan keluar makan kegemarannya iaitu pisang. Ada 2 org staf pusat berkenaan ditugaskan membawa makanan kepada Orang Utan. Best jugak dapat tengok Orang Utan, species terancam yg juga merupakan nenek moyang manusia mengikut teori evolusi Darwin.
Selepas 1 jam kat Sepilok sy bertolak balik ke bandar Sandakan menaiki bas mini. Sampai ke Sandakan pada pukul 12 sempat ronda2 sekitar bandar sambil ambil gambar2 menarik serta membeli cenderahati. Pukul 1 check out hotel dan naik bas mini menuju ke hentian bas ekspress Sandakan. Naik bas ekspress Sida menuju ke KK pada pukul 1.30 dgn tambang rm 30. Perjalanan balik ke KK mengambil masa lebih 6 jam, sampai kat terminal bas ekspress Inanam pada pukul 830 mlm, terus check in masuk hotel berhadapan stesen bas tu dgn harga rm 75 semalam , tiada WIFI, bilik blh tahan, ada tv, aircon dan air panas. Kemudian kluar makan nasi kat restoran bersebelahan hotel.
Pada hari ke 5 kat Sabah sy bergerak ke bandar KK pada pukul 11 pagi menaiki van (bas mini). Sampai kat KK terus masuk ke Coffee Bean, order cuppicino dgn sufring internet sambil update blog. Sementara menunggu flight balik ke KL pada jam 5 ptg, sy lepak kat Coffee Bean sampai pkl 1 tgh, kemudian bergerak ke restoran Little Italy untuk 'dating' dgn sorang gadis Sabah yg sy kenali menerusi internet. Restoran yg ada class ini memang agak terkenal di KK menyediakan masakan Italy seperti piza, spagetti dan macam2 lagi.
Pkl 1.10tgh sy masuk ke Little Italy, sementara menunggu ‘kawan’ ni sy surfing internet, check stock kat Bursa Malaysia, Singapore & Hong Kong. Dia di jangka tiba pd pukul 1.30, nervous juga nak jumpa dia, ni 1st time nak jumpa, sblm ni slalu ym, email dan tgk gmbr2 dia kat friendster jer. Namanya Fey, sorang gadis etnik kadazan-dusun, beragama islam, kerja cikgu sains kat KK. Dalam pkl 1.50 ptg dia pun smpai, cantik juga, kulit putih melepak, tinggi lebih kurang sy, umur – rahsia, sungguh terpegun juga sy tgk dia, dia ok ramah dan blh sesuaikan diri dgn keadaan. Kemudian 10 minit kemudian adik dia pula smpai, adk lagi pun lagi comel, umur baru 19 thn. So sblm adk dia smpai kami order piza size besar 1 biji, sup ayam dgn minuman. Sambil tu sy pun berkenalan dgn lebih lanjut dgn dia, best juga blh berkenalan dan berjumpa dgn gadis Sabah. Kalau ada jodoh blh buat bini, he2. Pizaa kat situ memang sedap, ada class, sungguh berbeza dgn piza kat Pizza Hut. Kejap saja masa berlalu, dah 1 jam dok kat situ, piza msh blm habis, masing2 control perut biasa la, tak blh tunjuk sgt mkn byk. Maka piza yg lebih 2 keping dibungkuskan supaya dia blh bw balik ke rumah, tak baik membazir. Sy kena ke airport sblm pkl 3.50 ptg sbb flight pkl 5.10 ptg, jadi sy minta tlg dia htr sy ke airport, mula2 dia agak keberatan sbb tak tau jalan, nasib baik adk dia tau jalan, so dia pun htr sy ke airport. Sblm tu sy ajak adk dia ke pejabat pos utk poskan poskad gambar anak Orang Utan yg sy beli kat Sepilok kpd anak perempuan sy yg tersayang – nurfarihah. Lps jelaskan bil sebanyak rm 77 mkn kat situ kami bergerak kluar.
Dalam pkl 330 smpai kat airport KK (terminal 2 – LCCT) , terus check in, jumpa Fey skali lagi, dia datang utk ucapkan slamat jalan romeo. Lepas tu gi solat jamak zohor & asar skali cover subuh yg terlepas pg tadi. Kemudian sambil menunggu di ruang pelepasan antarabanga sy sempat lagi update blog ni. Flight ke KL terlewat 30 minit, disebabkan oleh pesawat dari KL smpai lewat. Biasa la, flight Airasia memang slalu lewat,maklum la tambang pun murah… Tepat jam 5.45 ptg pesawat Airbus A320 AK5109 berlepas ke LCCT, KL membawa sy dgn penumpang2 yg laain meninggal negera dibawah bayu ni..

Sekian..

Ringkasan Perjalanan :-
Destinasi : Sabah
Masa : 5 hari
Bajet : rm 700
Misi : jalan2
Jarak keseluruhan perjalanan dari KL : 5800 KM
Risiko : rendah