2007 Budget - A budget meant for all ?
2007 Budget
BUDGET 2007 contains a bag of goodies that very few can complain about. Almost every sector of society, from the rakyat to corporations, walked away with incentives.
The lower income group enjoys some of the best perks in the form of scholarships, bonuses for civil servants, housing, school allowances, a RM4bil poverty eradication programme and others.
Considerable focus is on education, which should be a source of delight for school-goers and parents.
An allocation of RM33.4bil has been set aside for education and training which is in line with the government’s vision of a caring society and development of a skilled labour force. So is the provision of incentives for the purchase of computers and books...(read more)
However Lim Kit Siang has two disappointments :
1. that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) had not been announced although mention was made about the importance of “ensuring public safety” with RM4.9 billion allocated to enhance Police efficiency, installation of CCTV in crime-prone areas and the deployment of an additional 2,000 police patrol cars – ignoring the grave situation where crime and the fear of crime had become major preoccupations of Malaysians regardless of race, religion or politics.
2. Not a word of mention on the problem of corruption, reflecting the steep fall of the importance of the anti-corruption campaign in the Abdullah administration, when it should be its centreplank and top priority.
Lets give him your views, suggestions, criticisms and responses to the 2007 Budget, some of which he might be able to raise in Parliament in his speech on Monday.
Submit report, Pak Lah tells Scomi
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said some people had told him he had lied in the TV3 interview regarding Scomi.
He said in a press conference that he has asked Scomi to submit a report and added that he has never asked his son to report to him on what his company was doing.
He said that if he was wrong in the interview, he would apologise to everybody.
Hisham: Leaders who make racial comments will not last long
KUALA LUMPUR: Young leaders who make racial and religious statements to be popular with a particular community will not go far in a multiracial and multicultural Malaysia, said Barisan Nasional Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
Anyone could make popular statements to gain popularity from a particular race or to gain support from their delegates, but their popularity would be short-lived, he said.
“They must be far-sighted because when it is time for them to be selected as ministers or party presidents, they must not only be smart, they have to be wise too,” he said.
He noted that the top leadership was mature enough to know who was sincere, honest and had held to the Barisan principle of multiracialism.
“The top leadership will not forget – and in a multiracial Malaysia the people will also not forget – those who have taken advantage to be popular for short-term gains,” he said after attending the opening of the 19th Gerakan Youth and Wanita national delegates conference yesterday.
Hishammuddin, who is also Education Minister, said the top leadership would not select those who fought for only one race.
“Their future will be tainted, and that applies to all young leaders who have aspirations to be national leaders,” he said.
Regarding the ongoing unhappiness over the statement made by his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin, who had reportedly said other communities would take advantage of the situation by making demands if Umno was weak, Hishammuddin said: “When the temperature lowers, it is incumbent for my deputy to explain the misunderstanding.”
No one should exploit or gain from cheap publicity, he added.
(Source:Star)
China trials show danger of dissent
In just a few days China's leaders have shown once again that they will not tolerate dissent on issues they consider sensitive or embarrassing.
Earlier in the week blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
The self-taught lawyer was well known in China for his outspoken campaigns to help poor rural farmers and the disabled.
But he gained international attention when he publicised claims that Chinese officials in the eastern province of Shandong were enforcing late-term abortions and sterilisations - in an attempt to control population growth.
That angered the Chinese authorities and Mr Chen was arrested and charged with destroying public property and disturbing social order. His supporters have always claimed the charges were fabricated.
Other Chinese rights activists who have campaigned for Mr Chen's release have been put under house arrest in Beijing, deported from there to distant cities, or gone into hiding.
Mr Chen's wife, Yuan, said officials restrict her movements to around her home village.
'State secrets'
Mr Chen's case has not been the only one to make the headlines this week. On Friday, a court in Beijing sentenced New York Times researcher Zhao Yan to three years in prison for fraud.
A more serious charge of revealing state secrets - which would have carried a much longer sentence - was dismissed.
Zhao Yan was arrested in 2004 after the New York Times correctly reported that China's former president, Jiang Zemin, was going to resign his last official position as head of the country's armed forces.
The United States and some human rights groups have repeatedly called for the release of Zhao Yan and Chen Guangcheng, claiming that their trials were politically motivated.
But China has ignored those calls - in fact these latest verdicts appear to be part of a growing clampdown by the Chinese authorities.
One of the most high profile cases is that of Hong Kong based journalist Ching Cheong, who reported on China for the Singapore-based Straits Times newspaper.
Earlier this year he was arrested while in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
Mr Ching's wife said he had travelled there to collect secret papers linked to the former Chinese leader, Zhao Ziyang.
Mr Zhao was ousted for opposing the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Beijing considered him an extremely controversial figure and he was still under house arrest at the time of his death in January 2005.
The Chinese authorities charged Ching Cheong with espionage and he was recently put on trial, although a verdict has yet to be announced.
Severe penalties
These cases are all reminders that while China may have experienced dramatic economic change in the past three decades, political reform is not on the government's agenda.
The government does not allow any challenge to its authority and keeps a tight rein on the media.
Beijing censors newspapers and television and has also invested considerable resources in trying to control what Chinese people see and read on the internet.
The authorities here regularly block access to material on the web that they consider pornographic or politically subversive.
And this week has been a stark reminder that for those who do cross the line the penalties are severe.
Jailed China journalist to appeal
The wife of a Hong Kong journalist jailed in mainland China for spying says her husband is to appeal.
Ching Cheong, the chief China correspondent for Singapore's Straits Times, was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison.
Mary Lau said her husband had sent her a message calling his conviction unfair and vowing to appeal against it.
Her comments come amid criticism in Hong Kong over the sentence, and calls for Ching's release.
Chinese media reported that Ching was found guilty of buying information and passing it to Taiwan's intelligence services over a period of five years from mid-2000 to March 2005.
State news agency Xinhua said Ching had confessed to the charges, a statement both his family and employers reject.
They say he was in Guangzhou to collect secret papers linked to the former Chinese leader, Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted for opposing the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
'Very unfair'
Mary Lau said her husband told her in a message sent via his lawyers that the judge only heard prosecution evidence at the one-day trial.
"He believes himself innocent, and that the verdict was very unfair to him," she said.
Ms Lau said an appeal would be filed within the 10-day time limit.
The case has sparked criticism in Hong Kong, with a number of newspapers questioning the legitimacy of the legal proceedings.
The Straits Times has appealed to China for leniency for Ching, asking for a sentence reduction.
"We urge that you take into consideration his professional record as a journalist for the Straits Times, and the fact that he is in poor health," Reuters news agency quoted a letter from editor Han Fook Kwang as saying.
Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, meanwhile, called the sentence "appalling".
"Ching was tried in an unacceptable way on baseless charges," the organisation said in a statement.
More than 80 journalists and "cyber-dissidents" are currently imprisoned in China, the organisation said.
Guilty verdict shows China not ready for world stage
Human Right Community Condemns PRC’s Guilty Verdict and Spy Accusation of Straits Times Correspondent
(Los Angeles) The Visual Artists Guild joins human rights supporters to condemn PRC’s prison sentence of five years - and charges of espionage - for Hong-Kong based Ching Cheong, a foreign correspondent for Singapore’s Straits Times.
Ann Lau, Chair of the Visual Artists Guild stated: “Just one day after the New York Times reported how the United States is busy encouraging China to become more active in its role with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China’s crackdown on journalists is undermining any trust the international trading community could possible have with the PRC. How can PRC official think they will build pre-Olympics relations with the international community while their paranoia against Taiwan and international reporters is unceasing? Not only does this verdict send a chill throughout everyone in the journalist community, but throughout all researchers in any kind of discipline. It will certainly put a cloud over any future academic exchanges.”
The Visual Artists Guild joins those who wonder how Ching Cheong, who worked for a Taiwanese think tank which has maintained close contact with high level PRC party members and scholars inside China, could be considered a spy for that organization while their other contacts remain unscrutininzed.
When Mr. Ching Cheong, tried to obtain a manuscript more than one year ago by the late Zhao Ziyang, an opponent of the PRC’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre of students, he was arrested and remained in prison uncharged for 16 months. After his trial two weeks ago, the Beijing Intermediate People's Court No. 2 sentenced him to five years in prison for selling “top secrets” to Taiwan. He was also fined him HK$300,000.
Ching Cheong is the second journalist employed by a foreign news organization to receive a prison sentence during this past week, and the third major sentencing story from China this month. Last week, Zhao Yan, a researcher for the New York Times was accused of revealing "state secrets" and was given three year sentence for fraud charges. On August 24, 2006, Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after recording complaints of PRC’s brutal forced abortion policy in Shandong province.
The Visual Artist Guild reminds democracies throughout the world – including the United States – that while many permit and encourage greater involvement for economic development and partnership with China, time after time we are shown how any unfavorable inquiry about the PRC by any journalist can result in jail and imprisonment. The Visual Artists Guild will continue to monitor this situation and attacks on journalists as the 2008 Olympics approaches.
Five years for Straits Times correspondent as harsh line continues on journalists working for foreign media
Reporters Without Borders voiced dismay on learning that a Beijing court today sentenced Ching Cheong, the Hong Kong-based correspondent of Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper, to five years in prison for spying. He is the second journalist employed by a foreign news organisation to receive a prison sentence in the past week.
“This sentence is appalling,” the press freedom organisation said. “Ching was tried in an unacceptable way on baseless charges. This crackdown on journalists employed by foreign media bodes ill for the Beijing Olympic Games that are now less than two years away and deserves strong condemnation by the International Olympic Committee and the countries taking part.”
A British passport holder, Ching was sentenced by the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court No. 2, which also ordered the seizure of 300,000 yuan (29 000 euros) of his assets. Arrested on 22 April 2005, he had been tried behind closed doors on 15 August, in a hearing that last just a few hours.
He is alleged to have sold “top secret” documents to Taiwanese intelligence agencies. His wife, Mary Lau, denied that he ever sold confidential information and said he had always lived modestly. It seems his real crime in the eyes of the Chinese authorities was to have tried to obtain a manuscript of the former reformist leader Zhao Ziyang, the victim of a purge within the Communist Party. The shadow of the Beijing Spring still hangs over journalists who, like Ching, criticised the brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.
Ching’s family will appeal against his conviction.
Ching’s prison sentence was issued just a week after New York Times researcher Zhao Yan received a three-year prison sentence. More than 80 journalists and cyber-dissidents are currently imprisoned in China.
Malaysia Ahmad Badawi Human Rights Watch Freedom Speech Budget 2007 Ching Cheong Human Right Community
BUDGET 2007 contains a bag of goodies that very few can complain about. Almost every sector of society, from the rakyat to corporations, walked away with incentives.
The lower income group enjoys some of the best perks in the form of scholarships, bonuses for civil servants, housing, school allowances, a RM4bil poverty eradication programme and others.
Considerable focus is on education, which should be a source of delight for school-goers and parents.
An allocation of RM33.4bil has been set aside for education and training which is in line with the government’s vision of a caring society and development of a skilled labour force. So is the provision of incentives for the purchase of computers and books...(read more)
However Lim Kit Siang has two disappointments :
1. that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) had not been announced although mention was made about the importance of “ensuring public safety” with RM4.9 billion allocated to enhance Police efficiency, installation of CCTV in crime-prone areas and the deployment of an additional 2,000 police patrol cars – ignoring the grave situation where crime and the fear of crime had become major preoccupations of Malaysians regardless of race, religion or politics.
2. Not a word of mention on the problem of corruption, reflecting the steep fall of the importance of the anti-corruption campaign in the Abdullah administration, when it should be its centreplank and top priority.
Lets give him your views, suggestions, criticisms and responses to the 2007 Budget, some of which he might be able to raise in Parliament in his speech on Monday.
Submit report, Pak Lah tells Scomi
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said some people had told him he had lied in the TV3 interview regarding Scomi.
He said in a press conference that he has asked Scomi to submit a report and added that he has never asked his son to report to him on what his company was doing.
He said that if he was wrong in the interview, he would apologise to everybody.
*********
Hisham: Leaders who make racial comments will not last long
KUALA LUMPUR: Young leaders who make racial and religious statements to be popular with a particular community will not go far in a multiracial and multicultural Malaysia, said Barisan Nasional Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
Anyone could make popular statements to gain popularity from a particular race or to gain support from their delegates, but their popularity would be short-lived, he said.
“They must be far-sighted because when it is time for them to be selected as ministers or party presidents, they must not only be smart, they have to be wise too,” he said.
He noted that the top leadership was mature enough to know who was sincere, honest and had held to the Barisan principle of multiracialism.
“The top leadership will not forget – and in a multiracial Malaysia the people will also not forget – those who have taken advantage to be popular for short-term gains,” he said after attending the opening of the 19th Gerakan Youth and Wanita national delegates conference yesterday.
Hishammuddin, who is also Education Minister, said the top leadership would not select those who fought for only one race.
“Their future will be tainted, and that applies to all young leaders who have aspirations to be national leaders,” he said.
Regarding the ongoing unhappiness over the statement made by his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin, who had reportedly said other communities would take advantage of the situation by making demands if Umno was weak, Hishammuddin said: “When the temperature lowers, it is incumbent for my deputy to explain the misunderstanding.”
No one should exploit or gain from cheap publicity, he added.
(Source:Star)
**********
China trials show danger of dissent
In just a few days China's leaders have shown once again that they will not tolerate dissent on issues they consider sensitive or embarrassing.
Earlier in the week blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
The self-taught lawyer was well known in China for his outspoken campaigns to help poor rural farmers and the disabled.
But he gained international attention when he publicised claims that Chinese officials in the eastern province of Shandong were enforcing late-term abortions and sterilisations - in an attempt to control population growth.
That angered the Chinese authorities and Mr Chen was arrested and charged with destroying public property and disturbing social order. His supporters have always claimed the charges were fabricated.
Other Chinese rights activists who have campaigned for Mr Chen's release have been put under house arrest in Beijing, deported from there to distant cities, or gone into hiding.
Mr Chen's wife, Yuan, said officials restrict her movements to around her home village.
'State secrets'
Mr Chen's case has not been the only one to make the headlines this week. On Friday, a court in Beijing sentenced New York Times researcher Zhao Yan to three years in prison for fraud.
A more serious charge of revealing state secrets - which would have carried a much longer sentence - was dismissed.
Zhao Yan was arrested in 2004 after the New York Times correctly reported that China's former president, Jiang Zemin, was going to resign his last official position as head of the country's armed forces.
The United States and some human rights groups have repeatedly called for the release of Zhao Yan and Chen Guangcheng, claiming that their trials were politically motivated.
But China has ignored those calls - in fact these latest verdicts appear to be part of a growing clampdown by the Chinese authorities.
One of the most high profile cases is that of Hong Kong based journalist Ching Cheong, who reported on China for the Singapore-based Straits Times newspaper.
Earlier this year he was arrested while in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
Mr Ching's wife said he had travelled there to collect secret papers linked to the former Chinese leader, Zhao Ziyang.
Mr Zhao was ousted for opposing the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Beijing considered him an extremely controversial figure and he was still under house arrest at the time of his death in January 2005.
The Chinese authorities charged Ching Cheong with espionage and he was recently put on trial, although a verdict has yet to be announced.
Severe penalties
These cases are all reminders that while China may have experienced dramatic economic change in the past three decades, political reform is not on the government's agenda.
The government does not allow any challenge to its authority and keeps a tight rein on the media.
Beijing censors newspapers and television and has also invested considerable resources in trying to control what Chinese people see and read on the internet.
The authorities here regularly block access to material on the web that they consider pornographic or politically subversive.
And this week has been a stark reminder that for those who do cross the line the penalties are severe.
Jailed China journalist to appeal
The wife of a Hong Kong journalist jailed in mainland China for spying says her husband is to appeal.
Ching Cheong, the chief China correspondent for Singapore's Straits Times, was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison.
Mary Lau said her husband had sent her a message calling his conviction unfair and vowing to appeal against it.
Her comments come amid criticism in Hong Kong over the sentence, and calls for Ching's release.
Chinese media reported that Ching was found guilty of buying information and passing it to Taiwan's intelligence services over a period of five years from mid-2000 to March 2005.
State news agency Xinhua said Ching had confessed to the charges, a statement both his family and employers reject.
They say he was in Guangzhou to collect secret papers linked to the former Chinese leader, Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted for opposing the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
'Very unfair'
Mary Lau said her husband told her in a message sent via his lawyers that the judge only heard prosecution evidence at the one-day trial.
"He believes himself innocent, and that the verdict was very unfair to him," she said.
Ms Lau said an appeal would be filed within the 10-day time limit.
The case has sparked criticism in Hong Kong, with a number of newspapers questioning the legitimacy of the legal proceedings.
The Straits Times has appealed to China for leniency for Ching, asking for a sentence reduction.
"We urge that you take into consideration his professional record as a journalist for the Straits Times, and the fact that he is in poor health," Reuters news agency quoted a letter from editor Han Fook Kwang as saying.
Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, meanwhile, called the sentence "appalling".
"Ching was tried in an unacceptable way on baseless charges," the organisation said in a statement.
More than 80 journalists and "cyber-dissidents" are currently imprisoned in China, the organisation said.
**********
Guilty verdict shows China not ready for world stage
Human Right Community Condemns PRC’s Guilty Verdict and Spy Accusation of Straits Times Correspondent
(Los Angeles) The Visual Artists Guild joins human rights supporters to condemn PRC’s prison sentence of five years - and charges of espionage - for Hong-Kong based Ching Cheong, a foreign correspondent for Singapore’s Straits Times.
Ann Lau, Chair of the Visual Artists Guild stated: “Just one day after the New York Times reported how the United States is busy encouraging China to become more active in its role with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China’s crackdown on journalists is undermining any trust the international trading community could possible have with the PRC. How can PRC official think they will build pre-Olympics relations with the international community while their paranoia against Taiwan and international reporters is unceasing? Not only does this verdict send a chill throughout everyone in the journalist community, but throughout all researchers in any kind of discipline. It will certainly put a cloud over any future academic exchanges.”
The Visual Artists Guild joins those who wonder how Ching Cheong, who worked for a Taiwanese think tank which has maintained close contact with high level PRC party members and scholars inside China, could be considered a spy for that organization while their other contacts remain unscrutininzed.
When Mr. Ching Cheong, tried to obtain a manuscript more than one year ago by the late Zhao Ziyang, an opponent of the PRC’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre of students, he was arrested and remained in prison uncharged for 16 months. After his trial two weeks ago, the Beijing Intermediate People's Court No. 2 sentenced him to five years in prison for selling “top secrets” to Taiwan. He was also fined him HK$300,000.
Ching Cheong is the second journalist employed by a foreign news organization to receive a prison sentence during this past week, and the third major sentencing story from China this month. Last week, Zhao Yan, a researcher for the New York Times was accused of revealing "state secrets" and was given three year sentence for fraud charges. On August 24, 2006, Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after recording complaints of PRC’s brutal forced abortion policy in Shandong province.
The Visual Artist Guild reminds democracies throughout the world – including the United States – that while many permit and encourage greater involvement for economic development and partnership with China, time after time we are shown how any unfavorable inquiry about the PRC by any journalist can result in jail and imprisonment. The Visual Artists Guild will continue to monitor this situation and attacks on journalists as the 2008 Olympics approaches.
Five years for Straits Times correspondent as harsh line continues on journalists working for foreign media
Reporters Without Borders voiced dismay on learning that a Beijing court today sentenced Ching Cheong, the Hong Kong-based correspondent of Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper, to five years in prison for spying. He is the second journalist employed by a foreign news organisation to receive a prison sentence in the past week.
“This sentence is appalling,” the press freedom organisation said. “Ching was tried in an unacceptable way on baseless charges. This crackdown on journalists employed by foreign media bodes ill for the Beijing Olympic Games that are now less than two years away and deserves strong condemnation by the International Olympic Committee and the countries taking part.”
A British passport holder, Ching was sentenced by the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court No. 2, which also ordered the seizure of 300,000 yuan (29 000 euros) of his assets. Arrested on 22 April 2005, he had been tried behind closed doors on 15 August, in a hearing that last just a few hours.
He is alleged to have sold “top secret” documents to Taiwanese intelligence agencies. His wife, Mary Lau, denied that he ever sold confidential information and said he had always lived modestly. It seems his real crime in the eyes of the Chinese authorities was to have tried to obtain a manuscript of the former reformist leader Zhao Ziyang, the victim of a purge within the Communist Party. The shadow of the Beijing Spring still hangs over journalists who, like Ching, criticised the brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.
Ching’s family will appeal against his conviction.
Ching’s prison sentence was issued just a week after New York Times researcher Zhao Yan received a three-year prison sentence. More than 80 journalists and cyber-dissidents are currently imprisoned in China.
Malaysia Ahmad Badawi Human Rights Watch Freedom Speech Budget 2007 Ching Cheong Human Right Community
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