Hishammuddin heads to Australia next week to discuss next phase of MH370 search

Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein says it is important to discuss the issue of cost as the next phase will involve a deep-sea search. – The Malaysian Insider pic, April 30, 2014.Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein will fly to Australia next week to discuss the next phase in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the costs involved.

The acting Transport Minister said thus far, Australian authorities have not spoken about the economic cost of the search.

"As it will involve deep-sea searching, it is important to discuss the issue of cost," Hishammuddin told reporters at KLIA2 today.

"The discussions will involve all the relevant stakeholders and revolve around issues such as where the search will be conducted and what assets will be deployed.

"Another important issue is who is going to supply the assets which will be necessary to carry out the search," Hishammuddin said.

On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had said that the next phase in the search for MH370 would be a more intense underwater search.

The underwater operation will involve the use of private contractors and could take months, costing an estimated US$56 million (RM184 million).

Thus far, Bluefin-21, a submersible on contract to the United States Navy, has not been able to locate any sign of the aircraft on the ocean floor.

Further technology, including a number of underwater vehicles, both private and public, could be pressed into service to join the search.

Hishammuddin said the three ministerial committees which had been formed two weeks ago would seek answers to the issues which he had raised above.

The next-of-kin, technical and deployment of assets committees were set up to streamline ongoing efforts to locate flight MH370.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin revealed that the preliminary report on the disappearance of flight MH370 will be made public tomorrow.

"I will be having a press conference tomorrow, and I will answer questions relating to the preliminary report then," he told reporters.

Last week, Hishammuddin had announced that a preliminary report on MH370's disappearance had been handed to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

However, he declined to answer whether the report would be made public for media consumption. This was heavily criticised by the international media.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak later told CNN in an exclusive interview last week that the report would be made public this week.

Meanwhile, AFP reported that the intensive air search for wreckage from flight MH370 officially ended today as the hunt was drastically scaled back.

Ships involved in the search were leaving the Indian Ocean area where the plane is believed to have crashed.

Abbott had said that it was unlikely to find debris on the surface anymore.

Eight nations have been involved in the unprecedented Indian Ocean hunt – Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Britain and China – with more than 300 sorties flown across a vast expanse of water.

But with nothing to show for their efforts to scan more than 4.5 million square kilometres from the air since March 18, the planes have been stood down.

"Most of the aircraft will have left by the end of today," a spokesman for the Australian-led Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) told AFP, although an Australian P-3 Orion would remain on standby in Perth.

The United States, Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia all confirmed that their aircraft were returning to base.

Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang declined to specify whether China's aircraft were being withdrawn. The majority of the passengers on board the missing jet were Chinese.

"I repeatedly said that, in the next phase, the Chinese side will continue to actively support and take an active part in the search operations," he told reporters at a regular briefing.

"We will stay in close communication and coordination with all relevant parties."

As many as 14 ships from Australia, China and Britain were involved in scanning the ocean surface for debris or black box signals but many of these are also pulling out.

"Some need to head back to port and refuel and give the crew a rest, others will go back to doing what they were doing for their respective nations before they joined the search," AFP quoted the JACC spokesman as saying.

"In essence, the surface search has been scaled back. We will keep a few vessels out there and others on standby, but the large-scale air and sea search has ended."

Despite the failure to find wreckage, authorities insist they are looking in the right area and had today dismissed claims by a marine exploration company that material found in the Bay of Bengal could be from the missing flight.

Adelaide-based GeoResonance was quoted in Malaysian and Australian media as saying it had detected possible debris from a plane 5,000 kilometres from the current search zone.

But the JACC played down any link.

"The Australian-led search is relying on information from satellite and other data to determine the missing aircraft's location. The location specified by the GeoResonance report is not within the search arc derived from this data," a spokesman said.

"The joint international team is satisfied that the final resting place of the missing aircraft is in the southerly portion of the search arc."

GeoResonance, which specialises in geophysical surveys to find oil and gas and groundwater, said its research using images from satellites and aircraft had identified elements on the ocean floor consistent with material from a plane.

"We identified chemical elements and materials that make up a Boeing 777... These are aluminium, titanium, copper, steel alloys and other materials," company representative Pavel Kursa told Australia's Channel Seven.

Another company official, David Pope, told the broadcaster: "We're not trying to say that it definitely is MH370. However, it is a lead we feel should be followed up." – April 30, 2014.

Scientists believe they know where MH370 crashed

KUALA LUMPUR: Scientists on Thursday said they believe they know where Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 crashed into the ocean and that the cabin sank in one piece.

The research by the University of Western Australia, using meteorological and ocean-current data alongside the British analysis from data “pings” recorded by UK firm Inmarsat, determined the point of impact and the movements of debris in the weeks following the crash.

A fresh satellite sighting of 300 floating objects ranging in size from seven to 49 feet about 1,680 miles from Perth in the southern Indian Ocean was reported by Thailand yesterday, tallying with previous sightings by French and Chinese satellites. Thai satellite images show objects about 120 miles from a debris field of 122 objects captured by a French satellite on Sunday.

However, developments on Friday saw the search zone for the missing plane shift almost 700 miles north following further analysis of the likely point of impact.

Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, the scientist who oversaw the research, said that a failure to spot buoyant objects that originated inside the plane indicated that the cabin probably remained intact as it sank into the sea. This would improve the chances that the black box survived without significant damage in the depths below the crash site.

“I think the way the plane crashed, a lot of the debris has been kept intact inside the plane,” said Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, from the university’s oceans institute. “If the plane broke up, we should see a lot more debris floating around. We should have seen smaller bits of lifejacket and seats, things which are going to float.”

Prof Pattiaratchi said the debris has been caught in eddies and confined to an area that could easily be surveyed by aircraft.
“They should find it – it will probably be pieces of the wing,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “The sightings are totally consistent.

The debris is trapped in that region about 400 kilometres [249 miles] from the potential crash site. Depending on the weather, we know where the debris is going till the end of the month.”

The multinational air and sea search has failed to spot or retrieve any confirmed wreckage from the Boeing 777, leaving some of the families of the 239 passengers still clinging to hope that some may have survived.

A search by 11 aircraft was cut short at 11.40am yesterday due to thunderstorms and strong winds but seven ships continued to scour the area. Poor weather is set to further hamper searches in the coming days.

-Agencies

Catuan di Selangor tamat esok

SHAH ALAM: Catuan air yang dilaksanakan secara berperingkat di Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, dan Putrajaya sejak Februari lalu akan dihentikan serentak di semua kawasan terlibat mulai esok.

Menurut Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, semua kawasan yang terlibat dengan catuan air akan memperolehi bekalan air seperti  biasa bermula Khamis atau selewat-lewatnya Jumaat bagi kawasan bertekanan rendah.

“Keputusan ini dibuat dalam Mesyuarat Pelan Catuan Bekalan Air Negeri Selangor pada Isnin yang disertai oleh Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN), Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS), Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS), Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) serta syarikat-syarikat konsesi,” katanya sewaktu sidang media di Bangunan Sultan Abdul Aziz di Shah Alam.

Tambah Khalid, kerajaan negeri telah memaklumkan kepada Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (SYABAS) untuk dipatuhi dan memastikan pengguna mendapat bekalan air seperti sediakala.

“Kerajaan negeri berpendapat tidak perlu untuk menunggu empangan mencapai tahap 50 peratus kerana yakin usaha keras yang dilaksanakan seperti mengepam air kolam selain hujan berterusan di kawasan tadahan air akan meningkatkan lagi paras empangan,” ujarnya.

Kata beliau lagi, Kerajaan Negeri dan pihak-pihak yang terlibat seperti LUAS serta JPS akan terus memantau setiap hari perkembangan paras air bagi memastikan paaras air di empangan terus meningkat dan keputusan membatalkan perintah catuan ini akan dikaji dari semasa ke semasa.

Dalam pada masa yang sama, Khalid juga tidak dapat memberi jaminan sekiranya pada masa hadapan, catuan air akan dilakukan semula.

“Saya tidak dapat memberi jaminan bahawa pada masa hadapan bekalan air ini akan mencukupi dan jika perkara ini berlaku semula catuan air akan dilakukan,” katanya.

Bahkan, Khalid turut menolak andaian bahawa keputusan penamatan catuan air ini  ada kaitan dengan Pemilihan PKR 2014 dan juga Penasihat Ekonomi Selangor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Penamatan ini tiada kaitan dengan Pemilihan PKR, kerana keputusan penamatan ini bukan atas keputusan saya seorang tetapi keputusan bersama dan saya menafikan sekiranya keputusan penamatan catuan air ini adalah atas arahan Penasihat Ekonomi Selangor, Anwar Ibrahim,” jelasnya.

Selain itu juga, Khalid juga telah menulis surat kepada Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein pada 29 April lalu bagi mendapatkan sokongan dan kebenaran Kerajaan Malaysia untuk kerajaan negeri menggunakan kepakaran Thailand menjalankan pembenihan awan menggunakan kaedah ‘Ejectable Flare Rack’.

“Berdasarkan maklumat yang diperolehi, terdapat sekatan untuk melakukan teknik ini kerana dipercayai mempunyai unsur-unsur yang mungkin memberi kesan kepada isu keselamatan.” katanya.

Sebelum ini, Khalid turut mengumumkan akan bahawa Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri (MMKN) telah meluluskan peruntukan sebanyak RM10 juta bagi membeli pam dan membina infrastruktur bagi kerja-kerja mengepam air dari bekas lombong atau kolam sekitar lembangan Sungai Selangor ke Sungai Selangor

“Pam-pam ini akan digunakan untuk mengepam air sungai yang berlebihan ke kolam takungan sebagai persiapan awal dan akan dipam semula ke sungai apabila musim kering.

“Dengan kaedah ini, pelepasan air daripada empangan akan lebih terkawal dan tempoh untuk empangan mencapai tahap kritikal dapat dilanjutkan antara 5 hingga 6 bulan,” jelasnya.

Perutusan Hari Pekerja 2014 Menteri Besar Selangor

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, dan Salam Muhibah.

(1) Alhamdulillah, dengan izin Allah, kita berpeluang sekali lagi menjengah tanggal 1 Mei 2014. Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini mengucapkan Selamat Hari Pekerja kepada semua kakitangan sektor awam dan sektor swasta di seluruh Malaysia secara amnya dan di Selangor secara khususnya.

(2) Kita semua maklum, sejak diisytiharkan sebagai cuti umum pada tahun 1973, 1 Mei saban tahun diraikan di Malaysia sebagai tarikh keramat untuk menghargai khidmat, keringat dan penat lelah pekerja di setiap peringkat serta meraikan jasa dan bakti mereka yang tidak terbalas. Hari ini lebih 80 negara lain di seluruh dunia turut merayakan tarikh tersebut. Wajar diakui bahawa setiap pekerja sama ada bergaji bulanan, mingguan atau harian malah berstatus tetap atau sementara berganding bahu berusaha dan menyumbang, banyak mahupun sedikit terhadap pembangunan negeri dan negara menurut kemampuan dan bidang tugas masing-masing, demi kesejahteraan dan kemakmuran bersama.

(3) Tarikh 1 Mei saban tahun juga menzahirkan pelbagai reaksi dan ragam manusia yang berbeza dari satu tahun ke tahun yang lain. Apa yang pasti, saban tahun, rata-rata pekerja harus menempuh beban kerja yang bertambah sedangkan kenaikan upah atau gaji jelas tidak setimpal, jauh ketinggalan di belakang kenaikan harga barangan dan perkhidmatan secara amnya.

(4) Meskipun ada semakan tahunan, nilai gaji atau upah menyusut disebabkan desakan kos sara hidup yang meningkat. Bayangkan jika pendapatan bulanan di bawah RM3,000 hari ini tidak cukup bagi menampung keperluan keluarga bersaiz empat orang terutama di kawasan bandar. Apatah lagi sekiranya pendapatan bulanan isirumah di bawah RM800 iaitu setara dengan paras garis kemiskinan (PGK) nasional sedangkan gaji minimum bulanan yang ditetapkan Kerajaan Persekutuan adalah RM900 bagi tenaga kerja di Semenanjung dan RM800 di Sabah dan Sarawak!

(5) Di samping itu, jaminan pekerjaan atau mata pencarian tetap seumur hidup bukan lagi satu norma dalam pasaran buruh bagi mana-mana negara hari ini. Maka, soal sumber pendapatan tetap yang terjamin sentiasa menguasai benak fikiran semua golongan pekerja sama ada mereka yang berpangkat tinggi atau tidak.

(6) Di kesempatan ini, izinkan saya saya melahirkan rasa simpati yang tidak terperi kepada golongan pekerja berpendapatan rendah. Bukan sahaja mereka perlu berhadapan dengan kos sara hidup yang terus melambung malah nilai wang menyusut atas gaji yang meningkat pada kadar yang sangat perlahan. Walau apa pun, mahu tidak mahu, setiap pekerja terpaksa belajar berjimat-cermat dan berbelanja menurut keperluan dan kemampuan sahaja.

(7) Maka, langkah proaktif Kerajaan Negeri Selangor menggunapakai PGK pada kadar RM1,500 harus dipuji kerana ia bukan sahaja lebih realistik malah membantu memperbetulkan gambaran yang kononnya kemiskinan sudah dibasmi di Malaysia atau hampir tiada rakyat yang hidup melarat atau terbeban akibat rasionalisasi subsidi sebagai punca utama lonjakan inflasi. Dengan PGK lebih tinggi ini, dianggarkan 30% rakyat Selangor hidup di bawah garis kemiskinan. Ini bermakna bilangan penerima bantuan yang layak meningkat di Selangor, sememangnya terkesan akibat kenaikan kos sara hidup, sekaligus memberi impak kepada jumlah peruntukan Kerajaan Negeri bagi program membasmi kemiskinan dan kumpulan sasaran yang diutamakan.

(8) Selaras dengan hasrat Pakatan Rakyat mencapai sasaran pendapatan isirumah minimum sebanyak RM4,000, Kerajaan Negeri Selangor sedang memuktamadkan satu pelan tindakan strategik ke arah mencipta peluang pekerjaan inovatif alaf baharu yang berpendapatan tinggi. Antara lain, pelbagai program latihan teknikal khusus bagi belia luar bandar telah dirangka untuk menjalani kursus dalam bidang perbidanan, perpaipan dan elektrikal di mana terdapat permintaan industri yang tinggi bagi bakat-bakat dalam bidang khusus sebegini dari dalam dan luar negara.

(9) Bagi warga negeri Selangor, syukur Alhamdulillah, golongan pekerja pelbagai peringkat juga dapat menarik nafas lega kerana Kerajaan Negeri memberikan pelbagai bantuan bertujuan membantu meringankan beban rakyat menyara kehidupan diri dan keluarga.

(10) Rakyat Selangor dari usia bayi hingga usia emas, merangkumi kanak-kanak, belia, orang kelainan upaya (OKU), ibu tunggal, pesara atau pekerja, layak menerima pelbagai bantuan kebajikan melalui agenda “Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor” atau MES sejak tahun 2008. Selain diberi air percuma 20 meter padu setiap bulan, golongan rakyat yang layak disediakan bantuan berupa Tabung Anak Selangor (Tawas) dan Hadiah Masuk Universiti.

(11) Rakyat Selangor juga mendapat bantuan tambang bas sekolah, pinjaman tanpa faedah untuk usahawan kecil, pengangkutan percuma di beberapa bandar terpilih, pemeriksaan kesihatan percuma, khairat kematian kepada waris ahli Tawas dan warga usia emas, latihan kemahiran untuk belia, peruntukan belanja membeli belah bagi warga usia emas, dan banyak lagi inisiatif berunsur kebajikan yang ditawarkan menerusi agenda MES.

(12) Menyedari kondisi yang menyedihkan dan tidak kondusif untuk dihuni di kebanyakan projek perumahan rakyat (PPR) di Selangor yang majoritinya didiami oleh golongan pekerja berpendapatan rendah, Kerajaan Negeri bercadang menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa khas di bawah selian EXCO Perumahan, Pengurusan Bangunan dan Peneroka Bandar untuk membuat kajian holistik dan mengenalpasti cara terbaik memberi wajah baru, membaikpulih dan menyelenggara bangunan, fasiliti awam seperti lif, dewan serbaguna, taman permainan, pusat kutipan sampah dan sebagainya serta memelihara persekitaran di kawasan PPR. Ini termasuk kos pelaksanaan inisiatif ini dan bagaimana ianya dibiayai, penglibatan semua pihak berkepentingan terutama penghuni PPR dan pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) serta perkara-perkara berkaitan yang lain. Meskipun Jabatan Perumahan Negara dan Kementerian Kesejahteraan Bandar, Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan merupakan agensi pelaksana utama PPR di seluruh Malaysia, Kerajaan Negeri Selangor berpendapat PBT wajar memainkan peranan memastikan kesejahteraan dan kebajikan penduduk di Selangor di kawasan PPR yang boleh ditakrifkan sebagai “kampung dalam bandar” berdasarkan paras pendapatan dan pendidikan komuniti di situ.

(13) Akhir kata, saya menyeru kepada seluruh warga kerja agar sentiasa berusaha menjadi pekerja yang produktif, berhemah dan berintegriti. Untuk itu, kesihatan badan, jiwa dan minda yang banyak ditentukan oleh pemakanan yang seimbang, kegiatan jasmani yang cukup dan tempat kediaman yang bersih dan selesa, perlu sentiasa dijaga. Apabila ada kesempatan di hujung minggu atau hari cuti umum, pergilah berehat, bersukan atau carilah kedamaian untuk kembali bekerja dengan penuh semangat dan ketekunan yang tinggi.

Sekianlah sahaja. Terima kasih. Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan Selamat Maju Jaya

Presiden KEADILAN seru anggota ke himpunan 1 Mei esok

KUALA LUMPUR 30 APR: Presiden KEADILAN, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail menyeru semua anggota KEADILAN di seluruh negara turun ke Himpunan Himpunan Tindakan Rakyat esok bagi menyatakan bantahan keras terhadap pelaksanaan Cukai Barangan & Perkhidmatan (GST).

“KEADILAN menyatakan komitmen bersama dengan Pas dan DAP dalam Pakatan Rakyat, serta seluruh rakyat yang cintakan keadilan untuk menyertai Himpunan Tindakan Rakyat pada 1 Mei 2014 di Dataran Merdeka.

“Himpunan 1 Mei ini, akan turut disertai puluhan NGO yang akan berarak dan bergabung di Dataran Merdeka daripada KLCC, Sogo, Masjid Negara, Brickfields dan Dataran Maybank, Pudu, bergerak dari semua lokasi mulai jam 2 petang.

“Kita perlu turun bersama-sama untuk mempertahankan rakyat, berhimpun secara aman dalam semangat demokratik yang tinggi,” kata Wan Azizah dalam kenyataannya hari ini.

Tambahnya, KEADILAN yakin orang ramai yang turun menyertai himpunan ini merupakan rakyat yang matang dan sesekali tidak akan menimbulkan provokasi sehingga boleh mendatangkan ketegangan.

Dalam pada itu, polis Kuala Lumpur hari ini membenarkan penganjur himpunan 1 Mei berhimpun di Jalan Raja – jalan besar berhadapan padang dan bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad berhampiran Dataran Merdeka.

Orang ramai yang hadir digalakkan berpakaian tema warna merah, simbolik perjuangan buruh ke semua lokasi yang ditetapkan ebelum bergerak ke Dataran Merdeka tepat jam 2 petang.

Water crisis: Blame the political game

On April 22, the 8pm news reported that in 29 days time the Sungai Selangor dam in Kuala Kubu Baru which supplies water to 60% of the population in KL and Selangor will reach the critical level of 30%. Currently its level is standing at 37%.

Therefore going by the above news report, the folks of KL and Selangor may have a golden opportunity to experience a ‘Water Emergency’ on or before May 22. This scary scenario had surprised many among the 50 people interviewed by this columnist as it was only about three weeks ago when we were informed that it would take about 71 days to reach the critical level which will then only be in June.

Why now May? Why is it that despite having rainfall this month, the situation at the Sungai Selangor dam has not seen any improvement? Is something amiss? Are there thieves stealing water from the dam?

It is thus a great miracle that despite having the presence of rainfall this month, this rain has somehow manage to avoid the Sungai Selangor dam.

It is also illogical that the number of days to reach critical has plunged suddenly from 71 to 29 as this shows that there has been a sudden spike in water consumption.

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim has announced that water ration will only stop when the dam reaches 55%. In earlier days he had given the figure as between 65% to 70%. Sometimes he also gives the figure of 50%.

This columnist’s friend, Ahmad Lutfi Othman who writes in the PAS newsletter, Harakah has this to say: “Fakta berserabut, Kerajaan Selangor lembab dan tidak proaktif”. (Facts are confusing, the Selangor Government is slow to act and not proactive.)

Selangor and KL folks must now get ready for what can be labelled as ‘The Big Ration’. Even those who are not affected by the water ration now will be affected when ‘The Big Ration’ takes place.

This columnist who chanced upon an ex-colleague when paying bills at the post office recently heard him lamenting that “the water ration has caused much hardship because he has five children schooling and as he is holding two jobs and both he and his wife are working, they hardly have much time to store enough water for everyone and all their needs”.

Political game

Everyone who was interviewed said that the water problem boils down to politics. There seems to be no way out of this impasse as the water ration is a created one.

Said a noodle-seller in Kepong, “As long as they want to ration us, we have no choice but to keep quiet and work hard to store water.”

He is of the view that this so-called water shortage problem will go on because it is nothing but a political problem and not a water problem at all.

So far, this columnist’s uncle’s factory located in the Sungai Buloh industrial area has been spared. There are many factories in this area and if they are affected, then the consequences will be dire.

These days people have to take less baths and use water sparingly.

Eating out is a problem but cooking at home is also difficult. One needs to wash vegetables under a running tap, and chicken and fish need to be cleaned thoroughly. One solution is to eat tinned food, chicken nuggets, pre-prepared fish and chips, hash browns and the like.

Everyone has opined that in the worst case scenario, the water ration must stop before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which will begin at the end of June. There should not be any water ration during the months of Ramadan and Syawal (when Hari Raya Aidil Fitri is celebrated for one month).

Thus the rationing must stop at the end of June and discontinued henceforth.

Rakyat’s interest

By the end of June, many would have tolerated this terrible situation for four months. The BN federal government, the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor state government and all the relevant water authorities should think of ‘People First Performance Now’.

By the way, this columnist who in previous articles have predicted that there will be rain in April has been proven right.

The Sungai Selangor dam, according to Chinese metaphycis is located in the north which is a water direction so why does the rain fail to fall into the dam? This is highly illogical when KL and Selangor are having rain regularly.

Those interviewed are getting very angry with the water ration that arises because of the political tussle for power.

This means that Malaysian politics has gone down the drain wherein the political maneuverings of those who are tussling for power has put the rakyat’s interests on the backburner.

The politicians are fighting for power and we the people are suffering – this is the plight of the ordinary rakyat in our nation today.

Selena Tay is a DAP member and a FMT columnist.

Hampir 500 ribu ahli PKR mengundi mulai esok

Oleh Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar

KUALA LUMPUR:   Anggota Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) akan mengundi mulai esok untuk memilih barisan Majlis Pimpinan Pusat (MPP) dan Jawatankuasa Cabang parti bagi penggal 2014-2017.

Pengundian yang diadakan mengikut zon negeri itu akan memilih Timbalan Presiden, empat Naib Presiden, 20 anggota MPP serta kepimpinan di peringkat sayap Angkatan Muda Keadilan dan Wanita Keadilan.

Jawatan Presiden PKR dimenangi Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, yang menang tanpa bertanding, selepas suaminya Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menarik diri daripada bertanding jawatan itu, Selasa lepas.

Seramai 247 calon sah bertanding merebut pelbagai jawatan parti.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pemilihan parti Datuk Johari Abdul (gambar)  dipetik sebagai berkata seramai 496,923 anggota parti layak mengundi barisan kepimpinan parti yang diadakan secara berperingkat mengikut negeri sehingga 11 Mei ini.

Daripada 222 cabang seluruh negara, anggota PKR di Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang dan Sarawak menjadi negeri terawal yang akan mengundi.

Bagi jawatan Timbalan Presiden, empat calon menawarkan diri merebut jawatan itu termasuk penyandangnya Mohamed Azmin Ali. Tiga calon lain ialah Setiausaha Agung Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim dan anggota cabang Hulu Selangor Datuk K. Ramachandran.

Perebutan bagi jawatan nombor dua parti dilihat sengit antara Mohamed Azmin dan Abdul Khalid.

Siapakah yang bakal mengisi kerusi timbalan presiden, dilihat sangat penting bagi menyokong dan membantu presiden dalam menjayakan misi serta visi parti, yang sudah 15 tahun berada dalam arus perdana politik sejak ditubuhkan pada 1999.

Bagi jawatan Naib Presiden, 14 calon layak bertanding termasuk penyandangnya Nurul Izzah Anwar, Fuziah Salleh, Tian Chua dan Datuk Dr Mansor Othman.

Diisi

Jawatan naib presiden yang memperuntukkan secara keseluruhannya tujuh kerusi, empat kerusi diisi oleh mereka yang dipilih menerusi proses pemilihan manakala tiga lagi secara lantikan oleh presiden parti.

Ramai pihak menjangkakan bahawa kesemua penyandang akan menerima saingan sengit apabila persaingan untuk jawatan nombor tiga parti turut ditandingi beberapa pemimpin lama dan mereka yang kian meningkat naik.

Antara mereka yang disebut-sebut ialah Pengarah Strategi Mohd Rafizi Ramli, Pengerusi PKR Perak Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Seri Andalas, Selangor Dr Xavier Jayakumar dan juga N. Surendran, yang sebelum ini adalah naib presiden secara lantikan.

Bagi penggal 2010-2013, dua lagi naib presiden dilantik ialah Pengerusi PKR Johor Datuk Chua Jui Meng dan Datuk John Tenewi Nuek dari Sarawak.

Menurut Fasal 21.7 perlembagaan PKR yang baharu, seorang daripada tiga Naib Presiden yang dilantik mestilah dari Sabah dan Sarawak. Fasal 24.3 pula menyebut Pengerusi Majlis Pimpinan Sabah dan Sarawak secara automatik menjadi ahli biro politik parti.

Meneliti perebutan jawatan naib presiden, agak menarik diperhatikan ialah calon dari Sarawak iaitu Baru Bian turut bertanding jawatan itu meskipun secara dasarnya presiden parti boleh melantiknya sebagai naib presiden apatah lagi beliau adalah Pengerusi PKR Sarawak.

Apakah hasrat Baru Bian bertanding ingin menguji penerimaan dan popularitinya di kalangan anggota akar umbi di Semenanjung?

Baru Bian dilapor sebagai berkata hasratnya menawarkan diri untuk jawatan naib presiden adalah bagi mewakili ‘suara rakyat’ di Sabah dan Sarawak selain meletak harapan tinggi untuk dipilih, memandangkan dalam saingan itu, hanya beliau wakil tunggal Bumi Kenyalang manakala Negeri di Bawah Bayu pula tiada calon.

Pelengkap

Bagi penganalisis politik, kesediaan Baru Bian bertanding memberi isyarat kepada kepimpinan parti bahawa kemasukan wakil dari Sabah dan Sarawak bukanlah hanya pelengkap kepada jumlah keanggotaan parti.

“Baru Bian perlu bertanding bagi menunjukkan pengaruhnya selain sebagai isyarat kepada kepimpinan bahawa mereka bukan hanya tempelan,” kata Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali, Pensyarah Kanan Sains Politik Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Dungun, Terengganu kepada Bernama.

Che Hamdan berkata kewujudan kem-kem tertentu di dalam PKR seperti Saifuddin yang membentuk pasukan bersama Nurul Izzah dan Mohd Rafizi menyajikan elemen kejutan terhadap keputusan pemilihan Mei nanti.

Tidak kurang juga yang memandang sinis pembentukan pasukan tertentu dalam saingan pemilihan parti, dan menganggapnya lebih sebagai usaha mempromosikan kem-kem di dalam parti.

“Untuk jawatan naib presiden, pemimpin muda seperti (Mohd) Rafizi dan Nurul Izzah dilihat mempunyai harapan,” kata Che Hamdan.

Keputusan barisan kepimpinan baharu PKR dijangka diumumkan pada 13 Mei.

- Bernama

Reject Obama’s covert TPPA operations

By Kua Kia Soong

The main purpose of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia is to try and speed the signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) that is so critical to US capitalism in its effort to check the growth of China’s trade relations in the region.

The fact that the contents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership are kept under such tight wraps should make us suspicious of its impact on our lives.

Even members of the Congress are not privy to the text of the draft agreement. This is because the agreement is more than just a trade deal; it also imposes parameters on non-trade policies and even US laws must be altered to conform with these new terms, or trade sanctions can be imposed against American exports.

The agreement, under negotiation since 2008, set new rules for everything from food safety and financial markets to medicine prices and Internet freedom, requiring countries to maintain compatible regulatory regimes; facilitate corporate financial transactions; establish copyright and patent protections to govern intellectual property rights and to safeguard foreign investors.

True to US capitalism, only a privileged class of trade “advisers,” dominated by representatives of big businesses, enjoy access to draft texts and negotiators.

Under the agreement, pharmaceutical companies, which are among those enjoying access to negotiators as “advisers,” could challenge measures to make generic drugs economical by claiming that they undermined their new rights granted by the deal.

The agreement would also water down regulations put in place after the 2008 financial crisis and it would practically forbid bans on risky financial products, including the toxic derivatives that contributed to the crisis in the first place.

The reason the TPPA negotiations are wrapped in secrecy is because Obama wants the agreement to be given fast-track treatment before Congress votes on it. The eventual vote in Congress will be short and swift by all accounts.

Secrecy and good governance

The secrecy of the TPPA negotiation process represents an affront to the principles and practice of democratic governance.

This lack of transparency makes a mockery of Obama’s avowed commitment to open government.

Leaked versions of the TPPA suggest that the United States is promoting Internet policies that Congress specifically rejected in January 2012, when the House killed the Stop Online Piracy Act.

Another leaked draft shows that there is no enforcement of environmental provisions since there are many caveats that effectively allow countries to circumvent these regulations.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has warned that the TPPA presents “grave risks” and it “serves the interests of the wealthiest.”

Organised labour in the United States argues that the trade deal would largely benefit big business at the expense of workers in the manufacturing and service industries.

Noam Chomsky has also warned that the TPPA is “designed to carry forward the neoliberal project to maximize profit and domination, and to set the working people in the world in competition with one another so as to lower wages to increase insecurity.”

Suaram calls on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to put the interests of Malaysians first and to reject Obama’s covert TPPA operations.

Respect ZOPFAN and NAM

In recent years, the US under President Obama has been responsible for carrying out extra-judicial drone attacks against its perceived enemies in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Many casualties in these drone attacks have been civilians. There is no justification for such assassination attempts under international law; all they do is simply provoke revenge in these countries and to turn more people into so-called terrorists.

We call on Prime Minister Najib to convey to the US president our strongest protest against such flagrant incursions against the sovereignty of nations and to halt this US campaign of terror which has not stopped since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

During Obama’s visit to Malaysia, we hope Najib will convey to the US government in no uncertain terms, Malaysia’s commitment to the principles of the Non-Alignment Movement and that the US should respect Asean’s Zone of Peace, Friendship and Neutrality.

In other words, we call on the US to lay off Southeast Asia in its attempts to impose US hegemony in the region.

Kua Kia Soong is a Suaram advisor.

Australia plans to widen fruitless MH370 search

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The Phoenix International AUV Artemis is moved by crane over the side of Ocean Shield in the search for MH370 in the Indian Ocean on April 18, 2014 - by LSIS Bradley Darvill

Mini-submarine Bluefin-21 has scanned 95 percent of its initial search area in the Indian Ocean, far off western Australia, without making any "contacts of interest" the Perth-based search coordination centre said Friday.

"If no contacts of interest are made, Bluefin-21 will continue to examine the areas adjacent" to the current search zone, the statement said.

The unmanned Bluefin's current search area covers a 10-kilometre (six-mile) radius around the point where a signal consistent with those from an airplane black box was detected, the statement added.

- Families vent anger -

"We are currently consulting very closely with our international partners on the best way to continue the search into the future," it said.

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 people aboard disappeared shortly after take-off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

Based on satellite data analysis, it is believed to have veered far off course and crashed into a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean.

Many family members, especially those in China -- two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese -- have for weeks bitterly accused Malaysia of a secretive and incompetent MH370 response.

Dozens of Chinese relatives held an overnight protest outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing, according to a spokesman for relatives.

Tensions had boiled over at a briefing Thursday at a hotel where relatives are staying, after airline representatives said a Malaysian embassy official would not arrive to answer their often extremely combative questions.

"We want somebody from the embassy to come out and tell us why they didn't come," said relative Steven Wang.

He said about 100 people had waited outside the mission overnight into Friday morning.

Wang said on an online messaging forum later Friday that an official from the embassy had taken a protest letter from relatives, but had not met with them. 

He added that the protest had dispersed and the families had returned to their hotel.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Friday that his country urged Malaysia to "take seriously" the families' grievances.

He reiterated that China had been in close communication with Malaysian officials and had made "all-out efforts" to find the Boeing 777 and console passengers' families.

- MH370 report to be released -

Dozens of relatives staged a noisy protest last month at the embassy -- apparently sanctioned by Chinese authorities, who cleared streets for their approach -- decrying Malaysian authorities and the national airline as "murderers".

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has promised that a preliminary report submitted to the UN's aviation body would be released publicly.

"In the name of transparency, we will release the report next week," he told CNN in an interview aired late Thursday.

The UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requires countries to submit within 30 days a factual account of what is known so far in any air crash.

A Malaysian official had said Wednesday it was uncertain whether the government would release the report.

But Najib confirmed Malaysia would make it publicly available after an "internal investigation team" examined it. 

Asked on CNN whether that indicated it contained embarrassing revelations, Najib replied, "No, I don't think so."

Malaysia has pledged that any data eventually recovered from the plane's flight data recorder, known as the "black box", will be publicly released.

It has said it is assembling what officials insist will be an independent international team operating under ICAO guidelines to conduct a comprehensive probe.

Australian and Malaysia authorities insist the search -- estimated to have cost at least $100 million and counting -- will go on, possibly using other assets including more powerful sonar devices.

Najib stressed that his government was not yet prepared to declare MH370's passengers dead, while saying, "it is hard to imagine otherwise".

A relatives' organisation this week denounced a Malaysian official's suggestion that death certificates could soon be issued. The outraged families said that would be premature in the absence of any proof of what happened.

Dr M defends MAS and blames Boeing for MH370’s disappearance

Eileen Ng

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Boeing is to be blamed for MH370's disappearance as the company is responsible for manufacturing the aircraft. – The Malaysian Insider pic, April 26, 2014.Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has blamed aircraft manufacturer Boeing for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 and said the company should explain how it could have produced a plane with communications and tracking systems that were so easily disabled.

In defending the national carrier which had been blamed by upset relatives of the 239 passengers on board, especially those from China, the former prime minister said he was upset that Malaysia Airlines staff were heldfor more than 10 hours in a hotel in Beijing yesterday.

The families in Beijing had expressed dissatisfaction in obtaining details of the missing aircraft, MAS had said.

"I am upset because they are blaming the wrong people. The loss of the plane is due to the makers Boeing.

"MAS is not at fault, lax security or not. MAS flew a plane fully expecting it to perform the task. But the plane has somehow behaved differently. Who is responsible? Not MAS but certainly the makers of the plane – Boeing Aircraft Corporation," Dr Mahathir wrote in his blog chedet.cc.

The country's longest serving premier expressed surprise that with today's array of vast and sophisticated technology to track all passenger planes, no trace of the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft had been found.

"Boeing built this aircraft. Boeing must explain how all these means of tracking the plane can be disabled, can fail. Either Boeing technology is poor or it is not fail-safe.

"I would not like to fly in Boeing aircraft unless Boeing can explain how all its system can fail or be disabled," he said.

He added the onus was now on the company to demonstrate possible ways for the plane's communications system to be disabled, adding that the manufacturer must accept responsibility for building an aircraft that could vanish so completely.

Dr Mahathir said remote control technology was now very sophisticated and powerful and wondered whether Boeing had installed remote control equipment on the aircraft to prevent any hijacking attempts.

"If it did why did it not direct the aircraft to land safely? Is it possible for third parties to take control of the aircraft remotely?"

He also noted that it was a standard practice that when a plane crashes, a team of experts would arrive at the scene soonest to find the cause of the crash, but lamented that Boeing had shown no interest and had continued to keep mum.

"Boeing and the authorities in the manufacturing country should be looking out for the plane. Maybe the plane type should be grounded," he wrote.

In further defending MAS, Dr Mahathir said the carrier had been flying with numerous aircraft, has a good track record and well-trained crew.

"Even if the pilot wants to commit suicide, the co-pilot and the cabin crew would not allow him to do so without trying something. But no one, not even the passengers did anything. Maybe it is because they have been somehow incapacitated," he said.

To date, a multi-nation search for MH370 in the Indian Ocean – where it is believed to have ended – has not yielded anything. – April 26, 2014.

Can Obama make a real impact in Malaysia?

US President Barack Obama's visit to Malaysia presents an opportunity to lay bare and acknowledge the ethnic and religious divisions in the country. – Reuters pic, April 26, 2014.The hype around this weekend’s visit by United States President Barack Obama is that it will put a shine on Malaysia’s efforts to project itself as a role-model Muslim country.

But that may not be the whole story.

The truly important parts may not be in the glamorous photo opportunities the US President has with members of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration, or Obama’s admiration of the national mosque.

The real action could happen away from the public eye when senior US and Malaysian officials barter for policies that are important to each of their bosses.

At the same time, Obama’s visit presents an opportunity to lay bare and acknowledge the ethnic and religious divisions that have divided Malaysian society ever since the 13th general election last year.

Or if Obama and his administration choose to ignore those rifts, it would give the extremist forces of Malaysian society the licence to continue to pull the country apart.

International relations experts mostly agree that headline-grabbing diplomatic visits are essentially about each government’s domestic priorities.

More so if the world’s top superpower decides to visit a middle-tier country such as Malaysia.

"Malaysia is a soft ally to the US,” said international and strategic studies academic Dr Balakrishnan RK Suppiah, making a comparison with the Philippines and Singapore.

The latter two countries are more important to the US. America has treaties with and military bases on each of them, making visits to these two island nations bigger priorities for any US president. 

Balakrishnan, of Universiti Malaya, said Obama’s visit is the culmination of Najib’s tireless efforts at forging closer relations with the US after years of partial neglect by his predecessors.

“On all fronts, economic and political, it is positive for Malaysia but more so for Najib’s standing,” said Balakrishnan.

Aside from giving Najib something to boast about, Malaysia is also looking to get US help in its campaign for one of five non-permanent seats on the prestigious United Nations Security Council.

Countries aiming for a non-permanent seat need to get elected by the UN General Assembly. These seats are typically allocated according to region, with Asia Pacific getting one seat.

According to a report in The Star quoting Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Malaysia is aiming for the Asia Pacific seat.

Obama’s administration, on the other hand, is expected to give an extra push to get Malaysia on board the controversial supra-trade treaty, the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Negotiations between the US and Malaysia (and several other countries) have stalled since late last year after the latter did not agree to certain sections such as on government procurement and intellectual property.

No one expects the TPPA to be signed over the weekend but Obama can make a compelling case for it to Najib.

“Obama hopes to build momentum (ahead of his Malaysia visit) if he is able to convince Japan,” said Klang MP Charles Santiago who has closely followed the TPPA’s negotiations.

“If he is able to convince Japan, it will help him pressure Malaysia.”

According to reports on US news site The Huffington Post, the TPPA is an important plank in Obama’s Asia Pacific policy and his larger trade agenda, which includes a similar trade pact with Western Europe countries.

“It would bolster Obama’s credentials if he got the TPPA going again,” said Santiago, an economist.

In its current form, the TPPA would likely do more harm than good, according to a coalition of Malaysian business groups and NGOs.

An April 24, report on Huffington Post also claimed that some US trade groups, environmentalists, labour unions and a significant portion of the US public are against it.

But even if the US can’t offer more significant trade, it can still offer political legitimacy.

Not just for Najib, but for local groups who hope that America can lend its weight and speak up about the downward spiral in communal tensions and civil liberties under the prime minister.

According to Bar Council member Andrew Khoo, this includes policies that bar Christians from using the term Allah and persecute Shia Muslims.

“(President Obama) would do well to note the sorry state of (Malaysia’s) human rights and call for greater respect for civil liberties,” Khoo wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

According to an AFP report yesterday, Obama is scheduled to meet representatives from the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih), moderate Muslim groups, the council of churches and the Malaysian Human Rights Commission.

Activists are hoping that the meeting will persuade the US to nudge the Najib administration into owning up to and dealing with these issues.

“President Obama needs to deftly use his public appearances and statements to demonstrate concern about what is happening in Malaysia.

“And to say what many Malaysians fearfully cannot. The usual mantra of moderation can no longer conceal the escalation of extremism and repression,” Khoo wrote.

If that were to happen, Obama’s visit could then be justifiably described as truly positive.

If not, the ruling BN administration gets an endorsement from one of the world’s most vocal human rights champions.

An endorsement that allows the administration to continue ignoring abuses at home while parading itself overseas as a beacon of democratic Muslim moderation.

And that can’t be positive for either Malaysia or the US. – April 26, 2014.