Stupid Minister & Scary Cops

KUALA LUMPUR: A police beat base in the Chow Kit area of downtown Kuala Lumpur was closed down because it was in a location that was considered unsafe, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

In a written reply to Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa), Syed Hamid said the beat base was located in a dirty area where there was a possibility of being exposed to contagious diseases.

The presence of criminals also posed a threat to the safety of police officers, he said.

Lo’ Lo’ had asked why the beat base on Jalan Haji Taib was closed considering the high number of vice-related activities in the area, as well as what kind action had been taken by the police to curb such activities.

Syed Hamid said that the police were looking for a new location to build a police beat base that would be able to give “guaranteed and continued service to the public.”

Lo’ Lo’s was the 30th question in the Order Paper and hence did not get a mention in the House during the daily one-hour Question Time. However, Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) managed to raise it when he interjected during Azmin Ali’s (PKR-Gombak) speech during the debate on Budget 2009.

Dr Mohd Hatta said that if the police themselves felt unsafe in a beat base, then it would be even worse for the public.

“The minister has to resign if he is worried about the safety of police in that area. Maybe it would be better to put the beat base in army barracks,” he said.

Dr Mohd Hatta then managed to raise the issue again during his own debate on Budget 2009 saying that Syed Ali’s response was not rational.

“The police are there to make a place safe. If they themselves are scared and run away, then how can we hope for others to want to be there?

“It is embarassing and that is why the criminals will always be there,” he said.

Dr Mohd Hatta said if the place is dirty, then it is up to the police to organise gotong-royong activities to clean it up or if they did not want to then they should move to Putrajaya or Parliament.

“And what is this about contagious diseases on Jalan Haji Taib? The only kind of contagious diseases that are present there are sexually-transmitted ones.

“Is the minister scared that his charges will contract such diseases? That kind of thing is a matter of choice. In any case, if this is what he is worried about then we are worried that the police are not above this.”

Dr Mohd Hatta added that the police had to be brave people and that they were a different breed altogether when facing demonstrators. He said he hoped that the minister would clarify his written answer in the House as this is not the kind of police that the people want.

Teacher kicked, slapped by two Form 2 girls

KANGAR: A 27-year-old tea-cher was allegedly kicked in her belly by a student in class yesterday.


Azhana Ibrahim says she wasn’t hurt but was traumatised

Physics teacher Azhana Ibrahim was assaulted after being involved in an argument with two Form Two students at 10am.

The argument was over a crude word which one of the students had written in a class project report.

The teacher sought an explanation from the students, both 14, which ended in a shouting match.

Azhana and the two students also traded slaps in the incident at Sekolah Menengah Perlis here.

District police chief Superintendent Yusof Mohd Diah said the teacher was kicked in the belly about two to three times during the incident.

"The teacher had advised the students about something that was written in a report which they submitted."

Azhana had no physical injuries, but she was traumatised.

She was accompanied by two other teachers when she lodged a report at the Kangar district police station.

The teacher had taught in Johor for five years before being transferred to Perlis in January.

The case comes in the wake of several disciplinary cases which occurred at the same school since last year.

There was also a case of lewd behaviour last year involving two students.

Just three days before, the school's principal was given a warning by the education authorities concerning a complaint lodged by a group of parents.

Parents of eight Muslim students, who were part of the school's brass band, claimed the school had directed their children to participate in a religious festival organised by a Taoist temple here.

This prompted the state Education Department to issue a warning to the principal, asking him to be more sensitive of the pupils' religious differences.

Meanwhile, a teacher who accompanied Azhana to the police station said the latter was traumatised.

"She was shaken when she came into the teachers' room for help. We then drove her to the police station."

The teacher, who declined to be named, said other students were called in to gang up on the teacher during the incident.

Azhana had apparently asked the two students to submit their physics folio assignment several times, but to no avail.

When the students did submit their reports, they had written gila babi (crazy swine) which was aimed at Azhana.

It is learnt that the words were written at the back cover of the report.

Azhana then questioned the students in front of a Form One class yesterday morning. A fight broke out after the teacher tried to advise the students and the incident was recorded on a student's handphone.

When contacted, state Education Department director Mansor Lat said a full report would be sought from the school.

Malaysia guarantees bank deposits until December 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17, 2008 (AFP) - Malaysia has issued a guarantee for all bank deposits until December 2010 in a measure to maintain the stability of the financial system.

"These measures are pre-emptive and precautionary, since Malaysian financial institutions are well-capitalised with ample liquidity, and confidence of depositors remains intact," the central bank said in a statement.

It said that with immediate effect, the guarantee would cover all ringgit and foreign currency deposits with domestic and locally incorporated foreign banking institutions.

Bank Negara said late Thursday that if there was any further destabilising fallout from the global crisis, it would take additional measures to protect the financial system.

"In addition to ensuring adequate liquidity in the banking system at all times, (it) would also guarantee interbank obligations of banking institutions and facilitate efficient access to capital for banking institutions to maintain capital adequacy at target levels well above the minimum standards."

Singapore to guarantee all bank deposits till end-2010

Singapore on Thursday set aside 150 billion dollars (101 billion US) to guarantee all bank deposits in the city-state until the end of 2010, but insisted the banking system here remains sound.

Authorities said they had taken the move -- which followed similar action in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and several European countries -- to "ensure a level international playing field" for local banks.


The government will "guarantee all Singapore dollar and foreign currency deposits of individual and non-bank customers in banks, finance companies and merchant banks licensed by the MAS," the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the finance ministry said in a joint statement.

They said the guarantee would take immediate effect and will remain in place until December 31, 2010.

Since Singapore's financial sector is "sound and robust", authorities determined a guarantee of up to 150 billion dollars "will be well in excess of possible liabilities arising from the failure of any financial institutions."

Under an existing scheme, deposits were ensured for up to 20,000 dollars.

Singapore, like Hong Kong, is a regional financial centre and one Singapore-based bank, DBS, is Southeast Asia's largest lender.

"The announcement by a few jurisdictions in the region of government guarantees for bank deposits has set off a dynamic that puts pressure on other jurisdictions to respond or else risk disadvantaging and potentially weakening their own financial institutions and financial sectors," the Singapore statement said.

"The government has decided to take precautionary action to avoid an erosion of banks' deposit base and ensure a level international playing field for banks in Singapore."

Hong Kong on Tuesday said it would guarantee all bank deposits and set up an emergency capital fund for the city's banking industry, but insisted the sector remained stable despite global turmoil.

Financial secretary John Tsang said that retail deposits in the Chinese territory would be fully guaranteed until 2010, following similar moves by other governments.

Authorities around the world have been scrambling to shore up public confidence in the global financial system by nationalising banks, guaranteeing deposits and putting together massive bank bailout packages.

European Union nations have already committed more than 1.8 trillion euros (2.4 trillion US dollars) to fighting the crisis by buying bank shares and providing loan guarantees to keep credit markets moving.

The United States has a 700 billion dollar rescue plan, and the Bush administration announced Tuesday that 250 billion dollars from that would be used to take stakes in nine major banks.

"Singapore has not had to undertake similar extraordinary measures, in view of the continuing stability and orderly functioning of the Singapore banking system," the statement said.

Financial institutions in Singapore are required by MAS to have assets exceeding their liabilities by "an appropriate margin" and must meet other stringent regulations, the statement said.

The Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC), one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, has invested billions of dollars in global financial institutions that have fallen victim to the international crisis.

Global Market Sell Down Continue

NEW YORK (AFP) - - Mounting fears of recession in the United States and Europe drove a global market rout Wednesday despite massive government efforts to combat the world financial crisis.

Panic gripped Wall Street after a dismal US retail sales report reminded investors that consumer spending -- which accounts for the bulk of US economic activity -- is declining sharply.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 733.08 points (7.87 percent) to close at 8,577.91 in the worst one-day point loss since last month's record 777-point decline and the steepest percentage drop since 1987.

In an even more brutal decline, the broad-market Standard & Poor's index plunged 9.03 percent to 907.84.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq sank 8.47 percent to 1,628.33 in another violent session for stocks, despite massive rescue efforts for the ailing global banking sector.

"The stock market is buried by recession fears," said Al Goldman at Wachovia Securities.

Markets convulsed around the globe as the London FTSE 100 index of leading shares shed 7.16 percent while in Paris the CAC 40 fell 6.82 percent and the Frankfurt DAX gave up 6.49 percent.

Market action came on news that US retail sales slumped 1.2 percent in September, a sign of deeper troubles for an economy ailing from a financial market firestorm and tight credit.

The drop in sales was the steepest since August 2005 and weaker than market expectations for a 0.7 percent decline.

"The retail sales data highlighted the market's most pressing concern now, which is the direction of the economy," said Gregory Drahuschak at Janney Montgomery Scott.

"The credit market situation remains in flux, but traders in many cases are looking beyond this and wondering how long a slowdown will last and how deep it will be."

In another grim report, the New York Federal Reserve's Empire state index of factory activity in the northeastern region crashed to minus 24.6, its weakest reading ever.

Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said that even if credit flows are restored, the troubles are not over.

"The world economy is still headed into a recession despite the global financial market rescue effort," Weinberg said.

"The decline will be deep and protracted. It has already started. Nowhere is the economic house in greater disorder than Euroland, although some may argue that Japan is a bigger mess."

Most analysts now say that a US recession appears virtually certain as a crippling credit crunch and housing meltdown drags down the rest of the economy despite the 700-billion-dollar rescue plan approved by Congress that will include 250 billion dollars offered to banks to help restore credit flows.

"While the (US) government's steps to restore the health and credibility of the banking system were absolutely essential, we didn't see an immediate big response in the credit markets," said Fred Dickson, analyst at DA Davidson & Co.

"It appears too early to conclude that the banks are starting to lend to each other and the credit crisis is a thing of the past. In the meantime, we continue to believe that the stock market will remain volatile. We don't see investors flocking back to the stock market on the buy-side until they begin to see more tangible signs that the economy is beginning to function more normally," Dickson said.

In Brussels, European Union leaders gathering for a summit warned that the financial crisis was far from over and the real cost to jobs and growth was only now becoming clear.

"We are facing a major threat," said Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, as he entered the talks. "We have to be careful in the coming weeks."

"We are living in unprecedented times and we need an unprecedented level of coordination," the European Union's Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, told reporters before leaders from the 27 EU member states began a closed-door session at which a common aid program was approved.

At the emergency talks in the French capital, the leaders from the countries sharing the euro currency, plus Britain, agreed to prop up the hardest-hit banks through cash injections and underwriting interbank loans.

Russian stock markets shed around nine percent in a selloff driven by growing concerns about sharply falling oil prices as well as the disappointing global economic outlook.

The benchmark index on the dollar-denominated RTS exchange slumped 9.26 percent and its counterpart on the ruble-based MICEX dropped 8.67 percent on a day of multiple trading suspensions.

In Latin America, Brazil's Ibovespa plunged 11.39 percent, Argentina shed 12.14 percent and Venezuela slipped 0.64 percent.

Canada's S&P/TSX index retreated 6.35 percent.

The trading day began with big losses in much of Asia.

Hong Kong lost 5.0 percent, Seoul 2.0 percent and Sydney ended 0.9 percent lower. But Tokyo added 1.06 percent, building on Tuesday's record 14 percent gains

Global Fear Of Recession

WASHINGTON (AFP) 161008 - Growing fears that the financial crisis will morph into a worldwide recession prompted a new bloodbath on stock markets Wednesday as EU leaders pushed for swift moves to overhaul global finance.



"The world economy is still headed into a recession despite the global financial market rescue effort," said Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics.

"The decline will be deep and protracted. It has already started. Nowhere is the economic house in greater disorder than Euroland, although some may argue that Japan is a bigger mess."

With most analysts saying that a US recession appears virtually certain due to the impact of the credit crunch and housing meltdown, the leaders of the 27-nation European Union are struggling to shore up their economies.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced at a summit in Brussels that EU leaders had agreed a common action plan and on the need for a global summit to address the crisis, possibly in November.

"The whole of Europe, without exception, approves the measures adopted on Sunday in Paris" by the 15 nations that make up the single currency eurozone and Britain, he told a press conference.

Leaders from euro countries backed a wide-ranging bank rescue plan on Sunday that included measures to inject new capital into ailing lenders and encourage the flow of credit to consumers and businesses.

"The system must be completely overhauled, an overhaul that must be global," Sarkozy, who will meet this week in the US with President George W. Bush, had earlier told his peers.

"A new capitalism is needed, based on values which put finance at the service of business and citizens, and not vice versa."

Amid further bleak US data that showed retail sales slumped 1.2 percent in September, the sharpest drop since August 2005, New York's Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst percentage drop since 1987.

The index slid 733.08 points (7.87 percent) to close at 8,577.91 in the worst one-day point loss since last month's record 777-point decline.

London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares shed 7.16 percent, while in Paris the CAC 40 fell 6.82 percent and the Frankfurt DAX gave up 6.49 percent.

In Asia, Tokyo added 1.06 percent, building on Tuesday's record 14 percent gain but Hong Kong closed down 5.0 percent.

Late Tuesday, San Francisco Federal Reserve president Janet Yellen became the first US central bank official to acknowledge a recession is probably underway.

She said she expected essentially no growth at all in the third quarter and "an outright contraction" in the fourth quarter.

"Indeed, the US economy appears to be in a recession," she said.

After the US agreed a 700-billion dollar bailout plan of which 250 billion will be injected into banks, Bush said Wednesday that such "extraordinary" government intervention did not threaten free markets.

"It's very important for the American people to know that the program is designed to preserve free enterprise, not replace free enterprise," Bush said.

The leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) major economies pledged in a joint statement to hold a global financial crisis summit "in the near future" with other key countries.

Leaders of the G8, which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, "are united in our commitment to fulfill our shared responsibility to resolve the current crisis," they said.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the number three-economy faces a major test.

"Germany is strong but Germany is going to go through a difficult period," she warned as she urged parliament to pass a 480-billion-euro (655-billion-dollar) bank rescue package.

Governments announced more measures to douse the financial storm.

-- The French Senate approved a 360-billion-euro bank rescue package in response to the global financial crisis, a day after it was passed in the lower house.

-- The European Central Bank (ECB) moved to make it easier and cheaper for eurozone banks to borrow dollars and Swiss francs.

-- The European Commission proposed that minimum state guarantees on bank deposits should be increased within one year to 100,000 euros (136,000 dollars) from a recently agreed 50,000 euros in a new bid to strengthen confidence.

-- Iceland's central bank cut its key interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 12 percent.

Stocks across Latin America also tumbled badly Wednesday, giving up most of the gains recorded in spectacular rallies earlier in the week. Brazil's share market, the biggest in the region, finished down 11.39 percent, while Argentine equities slumped 12.14 percent.

Kabel Putus, Lelong Tanah, Go-Kart

Dah lebih seminggu saya keputusan sambungan internet streamyx di rumah disebabkan oleh kabel sambungan dari tiang ke rumah terputus disebabkan oleh pelepah dauh pokok kelapa jatuh atas kabel. Dah lebih 7 kali saya hubungi pusat bantuan TM tapi masih gagal menyelesaikan masalah yang mudah ni. Inilah yang berlaku sekiranya perniagaan bersifat monopoli serta diuruskan oleh orang yang tidak layak. Masalah yang kecil macam ni pun tak boleh selesai dengan cepat. Akhir sekali petang kemarin saya telah cuba untuk menyelesaikanny sendiri dan berjaya. Rupa-rupanya mudah saja, macam kabel computer juga. Nasib baik saya join trip ke Bangkok selama 4 hari, kalau tidak memang membosankan duduk kat rumah tanpa sambungan internet, banyak kerja yang tergendala.




Pagi tadi saya ke pejabat tanah jitra untuk menyertai lelongan tanah . Tanah yang akan dilelong terletak kat Hosba berdekatan Jitra, seluas 4 ½ relong tanah bendang. Pendaftaran dibuka pada pukul 10 pagi dan ditutup pada pukul 10.45 pagi. Lelongan dimulakan pada pukul 11 pagi. Ada 7 orang pembida berdaftar termasuk saya. Setiap pembida dikehendaki membayar duit deposit rm 5800 iaitu 10% dari hari reserved tanah yang dilelong iaitu rm 58000. Lelongan berjalan lancar selama lebih 30 minit dan akhirnya dimenangi oleh pemilik asal tanah yang dilelong tu dengan nilai rm 61500.

Petang tadi lepas pergi melawat pusat ternakan kambing, saya terus ke UUM . Plan asal nak pi main go-kart dengan main golf serta nak jumpa Mr Shariff yang merupakan seorang warganegara Mesir yang menjalankan perniagaan dalam kampus UUM, nak bincang berkenaan pemasangan CCTV system di kedai dia. Tapi dalam perjalanan ke UUM hujan agak lebat, sampai kat Changloon ada banjir kilat, ada sebuah van dihanyutkan air.




Disebabkan hujan yg lebat di UUM, maka planning main go-kart dan golf terpaksa dibatalkan. Terus saya ke kedai Mr Shariff kat Kolej Maybank bersebelahan university Inn. Sebab utama dia nak pasang pasang CCTV adalah kerana banyak barang2 stok jualan kedai runcitnya hilang, mungkin staff yang rembat , mungkin customer yang curi. Dia ada 2 buah kedai, 1 kedai makan dan 1 lagi kedai runcit yang dibuka 24 jam sehari. Selepas servey keluasan dan cadangan kedudukan kamera yang akan diletakan saya akan email kat dia sebutharga lengkap pagi esok. Selepas selesai urusan dengan Mr Sharif saya terus ke tempat gantung banner berhampiran fakulti perniagaan antara untuk memasang banner program latihan usahawan Team Xpert 2008