PUTRAJAYA, 22 Oct 2008: Consumers can expect a reduction in prices of essential products by Friday, says Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad. The move is in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s call to industries to reduce prices of commodities and oil. Shahrir said his Ministry had held […]
Archives for October 2008
BH reporter barred from K’tan state assembly sitting
KOTA BARU, 22 Oct 2008: A Berita Harian journalist was barred from covering the Kelantan state assembly sitting today because there was no apology in the newspaper over its frontpage report yesterday, which was said to be inaccurate. Assembly Speaker Mohd Nassuruddin Daud said he read the Berita Harian (BH) newspaper today and found that […]
ACA keeps mum on Najib SMS case
By Ng Boon HooiKUALA LUMPUR, 22 Oct 2008: The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) refused to confirm if it is investigating the possible abuse of power brought to light by the alleged exchange of text-messages involving the deputy prime minister. Deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed said the ACA will not make public such information as it would not be […]
Gerakan Wanita chief asked to explain statement
KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Oct 2008: Deputy Information Minister Datuk Tan Lian Hoe was today asked to explain in Parliament her statement on the origins of the races in the country, deemed to smack of racism. The matter came up when she rose to refute the allegation by Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) that Radio Televisyen Malaysia […]
Najib accepts Malaysiakini’s apology
KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Oct 2008: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today accepted the apologies of Internet news portal Malaysiakini over an article alleging that he had issued a manifesto to back his bid for the number one post in Umno. The Umno deputy president said the Malaysiakini journalist, Wong Choon Mei, had acted […]
Press freedom needs level playing field
By Gayathry VenkiteswaranTHANKS to Utusan Malaysia, discussions about press freedom in Malaysia have revived after a lull since the 8 March 2008 elections, when some vague commitments were made by the home ministry to review the licensing provision in the Printing Presses and Publications Act. The Utusan affair, particularly with regard to the defamation suit filed by […]
Can Umno change for the better?
By Wong Chin HuatNajib Razak (Public domain)DATUK Seri Najib Razak said it most aptly: the Barisan Nasional (BN) has to change, or it will be changed. Every component party in the coalition knows it only too well. Except for one. Umno itself. Umno does not need to overhaul its election machinery, media apparatus or selection of candidates. The […]
The disconcerting trend of concert banning
By Zedeck Siew(Band graphic (© Gerald Senger/Dreamstime) EMOTIONS ran high during dangdut artist Inul Daratista’s 2008 Malaysian visit. Inul was first slated to perform in Stadium Larkin, Johor Baru on 19 July, but the concert was cancelled. Inul’s tears and near-fainting during a press conference after this announcement was widely publicised in the Malay-language press. A replacement […]
The social-contract/constitution equivalency
By Tricia YeohFirst Conference of Rulers in Kuala Kangsar, 1897 (Public domain) LAST week, the Conference of Rulers issued a much-publicised statement. The statement reiterated the special position of the Malay rulers, Islam, the Malay language, and the genuine interests of other communities as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. The rulers reminded Malaysians that it is not […]
KL mayor a frequent traveller
By Elizabeth LooiKUALA LUMPUR, 21 Oct 2008: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Mayor Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan spent close to RM1.5million for 11 official trips overseas in 20 months, the Federal Territories Ministry revealed. In a written reply to Tan Kok Wai (DAP-Cheras), Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique said Abdul Hakim made seven trips last year and […]
