SELAMAT HARI GAWAI 2009

School holidays will be here soon and the Gawai Dayak festival too.. The year 2009 is already half way through. I am getting older... sighhh....
Anyway...with this great opportunity, BGB would like to wish all the Dayaks "Selamat Hari Gawai". Enjoy the festival, have fun with your friends and families but please do take care of yourselves. Plan your journey back to your longhouses and homes so that you will reach your destinations safely. Doulble-checked and make sure everything is okay before you leave you house to start your journey. Drive safely for those who are driving.

I am not going anywhere this year since my house is just about 30 minutes from my kampung (village). I will be off on the 31st May to attend our Gawai dinner at our kampung and also will do the coverage of our Gawai Dayak programmes starting from the 1st day of Gawai. Hopefully, I will be able to do all that and share the moments with everyone here in BGB.

LASTLY... SELAMAT HARI GAWAI ONCE AGAIN. GAYU GURU GERAI NYAMAI.

Sarawakians 4 Sarawak!

MY NEW BLOG

Well, I have started my other blog called "CapturingBeauties". What blog?? Well, you just have to find out for yourself. Go...go...have a look at it. Just click on this link; http://capturingbeauties.blogspot.com

BIG BULLIES IN SARAWAK!

Just who are the biggies?

Not funny that there is no typical signboard of “Project Kerajaan Barisan Nasional” can be seen anywhere though. Perhaps it can’t be there now because the dam is being built by a China company while the majority of workers are migrants. Then top it all, the Malaysian Rakyat is the pay master.

READ MORE HERE: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/%e2%80%9cbig-eat-small-in-sarawak%e2%80%9d/#comment-397

BGB'S COMMENT: BRAVO HORNBILL, SIR! A PIECE THAT SHOULD BE READ BY MANY, A COMPULSORY IF I MAY ADD. THOSE AFFECTED PEOPLE MIGHT BE SO "SMALL" AND HOPELESS AT THIS VERY MOMENT BUT COME THE NEXT GE, THESE PEOPLE MIGHT BECOME "MONSTERS" AND POWERFUL BECAUSE THEIR VOTES WILL BRING THE PRESENT "MONSTERS" DOWN TO THEIR KNEES!

PHOTOGRAPHY ANYONE?

Many people love to see photos or pictures but not many are able to take good photos or pictures of someone or sceneries or anything. I think that it takes more than just a good talent to be a good photographer. To me, just like in other job or profession, the love and passion for the job must be in one's heart before he or she can be a good at what he or she is doing.

As for myself, I have been fascinated by what a camera could do ever since I was a little kid. Until now, I always spend some time looking and admiring good photos and pictures. I own a Canon 400D Digital SLR camera and with that thing, I am able to capture some good photos for my own collection. I am thinking of having a blog just for showing and sharing my collections with those who share the same interest as mine. But for now, I just wanna share only a few.

Btw, I stumbled up a site which is own by a person by the name of Steven Lee whom I assumed a pro photographer. He was recently in Sarawak according to his blog. For those who are into serious photography, you can take a look at his work at http://explorenation.blogspot.com/

THE OTHER SIDE OF ME

I have quite a number of interests. One of them is photography. With my Canon 400D Digital SLR camera, I am always ready to shoot at anything that catches my attention. I took some photos yesterday and I want to share them with you all. Check them out below.

ANOTHER SHOCKING NEWS OF THE DAY

I have posted a report earlier where I mentioned about the temporary logging camp. Well, while we were at the hospital this evening, some local folks (friends actually) from that particular area also came to see our unfortunate staffs. I took the opportunity to ask about that logging camp. As I have suspected, that camp was illegal! They have made a police report at the Serian PD. However, I do not know about the next action taken by the police. We'll see what happens next. Check out the photos below which I took while driving pass that place.

MAY GOD BLESS BE WITH YOU, MY FRIENDS!

It's Friday evening and I was just arrived home from work. Then I got a call from a friend and he told me a shocking news. "Our friend and his wife had an accident!" he said. Short but enough to make my knees shaking. After getting more info from him, I rushed to the Serian General Hospital. Some of our own staffs were already there and some were still at the place of accident. Actually, I was the first person leaving the office and followed by our other staffs. It never occured to me that something terrible would happen to our friends, Mr Edmund Amis and Mdm Bernadette Jack. They were just an hour or so behind me!

Anyway, I was told that my friend's car lost control while going down a hilly corner and collided with a lorry which came from the opposite direction. Take a look at these photos and one can imagine how terrible it was for my friend and his wife. He broke his left hand and suffers other serious injuries on his head and face. He was reffered to the SwakGH after a few hours at Serian GH. His wife was a bit lucky to have escaped with minor injuries but still in a state of shock.

Please stay strong my friends. Our prayers are with you.

URGENT! Logging activities in progress!

May 14, Local residents were surprised to see a number of people setting up a temporary camp near a small hill just by the side of Jalan Terbat-Mapu in Tebakang. It was found out later that they were all workers of a logging company. However, it is not known if the logging company is legal or illegal.

Legal or not, this coming logging activities will surely destroy the beauty of the affected areas, the rivers and lots more. River water will turn from crystal clear to muddy. The already damaged Jalan Terbat-Mapu will surely turn into god knows what. Jalan Mongkos too will also be damaged! The safety of the local residents is also in question. With timber trucks going through the heart of some villages, terrible accidents can easily happen.

Now, can anybody out there help to find out more about this issue and let everybody knows about it?

DOWNLOAD MP3 FOR FREE!

I was looking for free mp3 a few weeks back and I stumbled upon this wonderful site. Now I have lots of mp3 to listen to. Check it out! It's free and you can try downloading songs that you love to have.

Log on to: http://www.downloads.nl

Projek Naik Taraf Jalan Kampung Bhg 2

Gambar-gambar di atas menunjuk keadaan yang tidak selamat di beberapa bahagian sepanjang jalan masuk ke Kampung Engkeroh, Serian. Jambatan lama yang sudah sangat usang keadaannya amat membahayakan keselamatan penduduk-penduduk kampung tersebut serta pengguna-pengguna lain. Ketika hujan, jambatan tersebut ditenggelami air dan memburukkan lagi keadaannya yang memang sudah sangat usang. Selain itu, keadaan jalannya juga sudah semakin teruk dengan lubang besar dan keretakan di sana sini.

Kampung Engkeroh terletak di Jalan Tebakang-Mongkos, kira-kira 30 minit perjalanan dari Bandar Serian. Ia juga terletak di dalam konstituensi Kedup yang juga dibawah jagaan YB Federick Bayoi Manggie. BGB amat berharap agar pihak yang bertanggungjawab dapat melakukan tindakan susulan segera sebelum apa-apa kejadian yang tidak diingini berlaku di tempat tersebut.

AKAN ADA KAH 2 LAGI PRK?

SUMBER: http://www.sabahdaily.com/2009/04/prk-kepala-batas-usukan-serentak/

PERLETAKAN jawatan Mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pada 2 April lalu akan diikuti dengan persaraannya sebagai Ahli Parlimen Kepala Batas yang diwakilinya selama lapan penggal atau 30 tahun.

Sabahkini.net menerima maklumat daripada sumber dalaman Umno, berhubung ura-ura Tun Abdullah akan mengumumkan perletakan jawatannya sebagai Ahli Parlimen selewatnya pada awal Jun 2009 iaitu menjelang sidang Dewan Rakyat.

“Pada rancangan awal beliau sepatutnya meletakkan jawatan Ahli Parlimen Kepala Batas ketika melepaskan jawatan Perdana Menteri. Agak ganjil juga jika beliau yang berpangkat Tun duduk bersama-sama dengan Ahli Parlimen lain di DEwan Rakyat,” kata sumber tersebut memaklumkan Sabahkini.net.

Sumber tersebut juga menyebut, pilihanraya kecil (jika kerusi diistiharkan kosong) akan diadakan serentak dengan Kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri Usukan kerana desakan daripada pelbagai pihak agar Japlin meletakkan jawatan sebaik sahaja didakwa di mahkamah setelah diikat jamin sebanyak RM100,000 kerana terlibat dengan politik wang.

Bagaimanapun sumber tersebut tidak menyatakan tarikh tepat Kerusi Usukan akan dikosongkan kerana BN yakin tidak mempunyai masalah untuk mempertahankan kubu kuat UMNO berkenaan.

“Kita masih menunggu pengesahan daripada Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) dan Setiausaha Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah,” ujar sumber tersebut yang mengakui Japlin tidak dapat diterima umum sebagai usaha untuk membersihkan rasuah di dalam era Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.

Mengikut sejarah, Pak Lah mula menjadi Ahli Parlimen Kepala Batas sejak tahun 1978 menjadikannya antara Ahli Dewan Rakyat paling lama berkhidmat iaitu selama lapan penggal berturut-turut.

Pak Lah pernah digugurkan daripada Kabinet mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pada 1987 walaupun memenangi jawatan Naib Presiden Umno kerana beliau mewakili Team B yang diketuai oleh Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah namun beliau tidak menyertai Semangat 46.

Karier Pak Lah melepasi zaman gerhana selepas memenangi pertandingan Naib Presiden Umno pada 1990 menyebabkan Tun Dr Mahathir tiada pilihan dan terpaksa melantik beliau ke Kabinet sebagai Menteri Luar.

Sejak daripada itu bintang beliau terus bersinar sehingga akhirnya dilantik ke jawatan tertinggi negara sebagai Perdana Menteri pada Oktober 2003 selama lima tahun, lima bulan dan tiga hari.

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BGB'S COMMENT: PRK lagi? Maka bertambah sibuklah para bloggers nampak gayanya lepas ni.

Hope Over Fear…. Finally Sarawak Government Defeated over NCR… Rakyat Gawai Gift

Source: http://dayakbaru.com/weblog08/?p=3899

Posted by Cobbold@dayaknation.com

Finally the Sarawak Government was defeated today, as the federal Court has upheld the concept of NCR to Natives, to include not only Temuda (cultivated Land) but also also Pulau (communal forest) and pemakai Menoa (territorial Domain). In case initiated by local Malay Madehi Salleh to claim his NCR rights over former Sarawak Shell Concessions land in Miri. A new Hope for the Dayak people to claim back their NCR lands that has been taken by the BN Sarawak. Dayak Nation would like to thank Makanda Singh Shandu and his son Sathinda that represented Madeli. Taib and the rest of BN Sarawak must return back NCR land to the natives now. More news in Malaysinkini. Please spread the Goodnews to all Natives of Sarawak.

Original Text;

S’wak gov’t defeated in landmark NCR ruling
Malaysiakini Tony Thien May 5, 09 7:16pm

The Federal Court has upheld the concept of native customary rights (NCR) to land as including not only one class of such land called temuda (cultivated land), but also pulau (communal forest) and pemakai menua (territorial domain).

The apex court delivered its ruling today in Kuching, in an application by the Sarawak government in a case initiated by local Malay Madehi Salleh to claim NCR rights over former Shell concession land in Miri.

Lawyers dealing in NCR cases were quick to point out the implications of the decision for some 200 land cases filed to date against the state government and companies that have obtained leases mainly for plantation and logging activities.

So long as NCR claimants can provide sufficient evidence to support their claims, logging and plantation companies may now find themselves in a quandary unless they are prepared to negotiate.

Madehi had taken the state government to court in 2007 over his rights to 6.6 acres of land and won the case.

However, the state government successfully appealed the decision in the Court of Appeal, following which Madehi turned to the Federal Court and won his case in October 2007.

The court recognised the pre-existence of NCR before the coming into force of any statue or legislation, in particular the Rajah Order of 1921. It said the reservation of the land under the Rajah’s Order for Sarawak Oilfields Ltd (SOL) did not have the effect of extinguishing NCR to the land.

There was no provision whatsoever in the Rajah’s Order that extinguished Madeli’s NCR to his tract of land, the judges said, noting that all it did was to reserve the land for SOL.

Furthermore, the Federal Court said native rights to occupy untitled land in accordance with customary laws subsisted in an area reserved for operation of SOL. Individual rights of natives were the same as communal rights, it added.

Application dismissed

The Sarawak government, unhappy with the decision, then applied to the Federal Court to review its own decision.

Today, however, the court disagreed that the applicants had met the threshold requirement and dismissed the review application with costs.

The Federal Court’s quorum comprised the Chief Justice of Sarawak and Sabah Richard Malanjun, Hashim Yusuf and Zulkifli Ahmad Makinudin.

Appearing for the applicants (Sarawak government) were State Legal Counsel JC Fong and his assistant Safri Ali. Miri-based lawyer Mekanda Singh Sandhu and his son Sathinda represented Madehi.

Sathinda told Malaysiakini later that the judgment can now be applied to all NCR land cases after this.

Millions of hectares of land have been leased out over the past 20 years to many companies and state agencies.

The Federal Court ruling re-affirmed a similar landmark finding in the Nor Nyawai & Others v Borneo Pulp and Plantation case in Bintulu in 2001

SIDANG MEDIA DS IR NIZAR

IPOH, 7 Mei (Hari Gelita) : Satu sidang media telah diadakan di Pejabat Badan Perhubungan PAS Negeri Perak, di Ipoh Raya petang tadi. Sidang yang diadakan berkenaan perkembangan persidangan DUN Perak telah disampaikan oleh YAB Dato' Seri Haji Mohamad Nizar, YB Drs. Khalil Idham Lim serta pimpinan lain seperti Ustaz Ahmad Awang, YB Dr. Hatta Ramli, YB Dr. Lo' Lo' Dato' Ghazali, YB Salahuddin Ayub serta Dr. Khairuddin.

Antara isi sidang media ialah :

Pihak Pakatan Rakyat tidak mengiktiraf Speaker Haram, Ganeson

PR akan terus berusaha melalui Sultan Perak memohon agar DUN Perak dibubarkan

Kira-kira 400 orang polis telah masuk ke dalam dewan melakukan keganasan di dalam dewan yang mulia

Kebanyakan ADUN Pakatan Rakyat telah dikasari dan dizalimi

ADUN Aulong, seorang OKU tidak ketinggalan diangkat oleh anggota polis secara kasar

Ada ADUN yang telah dipijak perut dan sebagainya kerana mempertahankan speaker Sivakumar

Peranan jahat SUK memasukkan SB-SB ke dalam dewan yang mulia

Pimpinan PR akan segera turun ke kawasan memberi penerangan kepada rakyat tentang isu ini

Speaker Sivakumar telah diheret dan dikurung di dalam stor bangunan dewan selama satu jam

Titah ucapan Raja Nazrin menyentuh aspek rangsangan ekonomi dan langsung tidak menyentuh isu politik Perak

SUMBER: http://zulmamakpng.blogspot.com/2009/05/sidang-media-ds-ir-nizar-malaysiakini.html

BIG BULLIES IN SARAWAK!

The road leading from Jalan Puncak Borneo into Kampong Bengoh, about 1 hour’s drive away from Kuching used to be a good road. It was tar-sealed and serving the villagers well with their mainly cars.
In case you wonder where it is, Kampong Bengoh is also where the infamous water reservoir dam is being constructed to supply water to Kuching until 2030. Bengoh Dam will flood three villages – Kampong Sait, Bojong Pain and Rejoi – but all four villages, plus Kampong Semban, will be wiped out of the map before the dam is built. But only if the villagers allowed that to be. Their hundreds of years of Bidayuh history (together with the heritage or cultural value, if we care) will be gone if they were uprooted to the proposed Medan Tun Razak Resettlement Scheme few kilometers away from where they are now.
In addition to these kampongs, the road also serves Kampong Danu, another Bidayuh village. However, the section from Kampong Bengoh to Kampong Danu was still a gravel road.

With the construction work beginning late 2008, heavy machineries and trucks began plying this basically rural feeder road. What is puzzling is not the road being damaged severely – tar-sealed road now resembles war zones with two sections narrowed when the road foundation literally slides due to the weight of the trucks passing by while the gravel-section of the road between Kampong Bengoh and Kampong Danu is now a muddy road after a downpour – but how it is being left at such devastating state for so many months and with no government intervention.

There is a primary school serving the Bengoh and Danu folks while the once peaceful Bengoh village has since been overwhelmed by outsiders. Danu is physically out of sight of the dam-building area. The dam sub-contractor has their mainland China workers living in the area while their exploited Bangladeshi and Indonesian cheap labor are grouped onto site-accommodation.
The outsider is huge while the villagers are tiny indeed!

Read more here: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/%e2%80%9cbig-eat-small-in-sarawak%e2%80%9d/#comment-397

RAMPASAN KUASA DI PERAK.

Saya sejak dari awal pagi tadi sudah mengadap laptop. Apalagi kalau bukan mengikuti liputan terus dari DUN Perak. Saya rasa memang ramai yang ingin mengetahui dengan lebih lanjut tentang perkembangan perjalanan persidangan di dewan itu.

Untuk meringkaskannya, ADUN-ADUN BN berjaya menyingkirkan speaker dewan Pakatan Rakyat dan menggantikan beliau dengan speaker baru pilihan mereka. Bukan dengan cara yang mengikut perlembagaan tetapi dengan MENYERET beliau keluar dari dewan setelah beliau enggan keluar.

Saya bukan ahli politik dan bukan juga penyokong mana-mana parti politik tetapi saya tetap juga mengikuti sedikit sebanyak perkembangan politik tanahair. Pada saya, memang amat memalukan apabila seorang speaker dewan yang masih lagi sah di dewan diheret keluar sedemikian rupa. Tidak pernah dalam sejarah negara dan negara-negara komanwel seorang speaker diperlakukan begitu. Seluruh dunia sedang melihat negara kita dan ini yang dipertontonkan kepada dunia! Amat memalukan.

Hati saya memang tersentuh bila melihat foto-foto kekecohan di negeri Perak apatah lagi bila melihat seorang speaker dewan diperlakukan sedemikian rupa. Mudah-mudahan kita di Sarawak tidak akan berlaku hal-hal yang begitu.

THIS IS VERY INHUMAN!

Pulau Ketam, 2nd May 2009: Man-Made Tragedy. According to local fishermen, the starving animals resorted to cannibalism. They ate the carcasses of the fellow castaways who didn't survive. They were so desperate that they swam to nearby kelongs only to be chased away. Many weaker ones died in the water. We enlisted the help of a couple of Indonesian workers from a nearby kelong. They will also try to feed and trap the remaining dogs where possible. I am still formulating a proper method of delivering food to selected spots on this treacherous island. I hope to be able to engage a local mangrove expert to enter the interior of the island to estimate the number of remaining survivors and to identify the places to land. Because the island is relatively remote, the rescue mission is a logistical nightmare.

The residents of Pulau Ketam sent some 300 stray dogs to exile on a remote island where the harsh conditions almost certainly guarantee a horrible death. Of the 300 dogs sent there, more than three-quarters are presumed to be already dead. I traveled to the island with Sabrina Yeap of Furry Friends Farm and managed to save only one dog on this reconnaissance trip. We did see several other starving and dying dogs along the mangrove shore.I am mounting an urgent rescue mission to capture and transport the remaining survivors back to Sabrina's Furry Friends Farm animal shelter. But time is running out and there might be only skeletons and carcasses left to collect on our next trip.

Boat hire is expensive there. It is a tourist area and it has already cost me a few hundred ringgit for boat hire alone, so far. The rescued dogs cannot be transported on the regular ferries.Almost nobody will lift a finger to help without a fee. This is understandable. The locals are already shaking their heads in disbelief that there are outsiders who want to save the animals they so casually discarded. Instead of pointing fingers and antagonising them, we need their co-operation to help save the unfortunate creatures. In the process, we also hope to educate the islanders on better treatment of animals. It would be an impossible mission if we didn't win their hearts.If you are unable to help directly, please help by forwarding this appeal to other compassionate folks who you feel might be able to make some monetary contributions.

Apart from boat hire, we need money to buy cages, to pay people to help catch them, to hire land transport to send the rescued animals to veterinary clinics, pay for vet fees, send the recovered ones to the shelter and to feed and house them for life. I can go on!To donate or help, e-mail TV Smith at tvsmith@mycen.com.my or Sabrina Yeap at yeapwen@yahoo.comFellow bloggers, you can also help by publicizing the desperate plight of these hapless canines. Embed a poster from here and link to http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue .We are aware it is a monumental task and appreciate all forms of support, assistance, suggestions, encouragement and your prayers.Thank you and don't forget to view the pictures of the dogs in order to appreciate their plight.Visit also Furry Friends Farm's Blog / Website

TV Smith3 May 2009

NOTE: TV Smith is a well-known photographer, videographer and man-about-town. An old friend of mine, TV Smith is a one-in-a-million kind of guy and I salute his noble efforts on behalf of these unfortunate canines who have been left to die a slow and hellish death by people who have yet to understand the meaning of compassion - and yet claim to be worshipers of Kwan Yin, goddess of mercy!

To read and know more, please go to: http://www.mycen.com.my/sightings/sightings030509_pulau_ketam_dogs.html

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BGB's comment: How can those people claim to be humans when their acts were very inhuman. We say "Boycott Pulau Ketam"! Let no one or visitors come to the island. Let see if those inhuman humans can survive or not.

AN IMPORTANT HISTORY LESSON FOR US TO REMEMBER

How many of us, the new generation of Bidayuh are aware of the "20-point and 18-point Agreement". Well, I think not many of us really know about the agreement. Now, what does the agreement really about then?

The 20-point agreement, or the 20-point memorandum, is an agreement made between the state of Sabah (then North Borneo) with what would be the federal government of Malaysia prior to the formation of Malaysia in September 16, 1963. A similar agreement was made between the state of Sarawak and the federal government but with certain differences in their 18-point agreement.

The agreement was written for the main purpose of safeguarding the interests, rights, and the autonomy of the people of Sabah upon entering the federation of Malaysia. It was originally envisaged that Sabah be one of the four entities in the federation, the others being Malaya, Singapore, and Sarawak. However as times passed, Sabah and Sarawak has ended up being merely one of the 13 states in the federation.


Point 1: Religion

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo

Point 2: Language

• a. Malay should be the national language of the Federation
• b. English should continue to be used for a period of 10 years after Malaysia Day
• c. English should be an official language of North Borneo for all purposes, State or Federal, without limitation of time.

Point 3: Constitution

Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the light of a free association of states and should not be a series of amendments to a Constitution drafted and agreed by different states in totally different circumstances. A new Constitution for North Borneo (Sabah) was of course essential.

Point 4: Head of Federation

The Head of State in North Borneo should not be eligible for election as Head of the Federation

Point 5: Name of Federation

“Malaysia” but not “Melayu Raya”

Point 6: Immigration

Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should rest with the Central Government but entry into North Borneo should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into North Borneo for State Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. North Borneo should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia into North Borneo.

Point 7: Right of Secession

There should be no right to secede from the Federation

Point 8: Borneanisation

Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible.

Point 9: British Officers

Every effort should be made to encourage British Officers to remain in the public service until their places can be taken by suitably qualified people from North Borneo

Point 10: Citizenship

The recommendation in paragraph 148(k) of the Report of the Cobbold Commission should govern the citizenship rights in the Federation of North Borneo subject to the following amendments:

• a) sub-paragraph (i) should not contain the proviso as to five years residence
• b) in order to tie up with our law, sub-paragraph (ii)(a) should read “7 out of 10 years” instead of “8 out of 10 years”
• c) sub-paragraph (iii) should not contain any restriction tied to the citizenship of parents – a person born in North Borneo after Malaysia must be federal citizen.

Point 11: Tariffs and Finance

North Borneo should retain control of its own finance, development and tariff, and should have the right to work up its own taxation and to raise loans on its own credit.

Point 12: Special position of indigenous races

In principle, the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy special rights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but the present Malays’ formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo

Point 13: State Government

• a) the Prime Minister should be elected by unofficial members of Legislative Council
• b) There should be a proper Ministerial system in North Borneo

Point 14: Transitional period

This should be seven years and during such period legislative power must be left with the State of North Borneo by the Constitution and not be merely delegated to the State Government by the Federal Government

Point 15: Education

The existing educational system of North Borneo should be maintained and for this reason it should be under state control

Point 16: Constitutional safeguards

No amendment modification or withdrawal of any special safeguard granted to North Borneo should be made by the Central Government without the positive concurrence of the Government of the State of North Borneo

The power of amending the Constitution of the State of North Borneo should belong exclusively to the people in the state. (Note: The United Party, The Democratic Party and the Pasok Momogun Party considered that a three-fourth majority would be required in order to effect any amendment to the Federal and State Constitutions whereas the UNKO and USNO considered a two-thirds majority would be sufficient)

Point 17: Representation in Federal Parliament

This should take account not only of the population of North Borneo but also of its seize and potentialities and in any case should not be less than that of Singapore

Point 18: Name of Head of State

Yang di-Pertua Negara

Point 19: Name of State

Sabah

Point 20: Land, Forests, Local Government, etc.

The provisions in the Constitution of the Federation in respect of the powers of the National Land Council should not apply in North Borneo. Likewise, the National Council for Local Government should not apply in North Borneo.

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BGB's note: The above is the 20-point agreement for the state of Sabah. I have tried to search for the 18-point agreement for Sarawak but I couldn't find them. If any of you knows where to look for them, please kindly let me know.

POOR SARAWAKIANS..THAT'S INCLUDING ME!

RESOURCE: http://sarawakheadhunter.blogspot.com/2009/03/sarawakians-heres-where-some-of-money.html

Sarawakians! Here's where some of the money stolen from you went!
ROCKCLIFFE "PALACE" OTTWA'S NO.2 HOME

New house valued at $9,609,000, 2nd only to Cowpland mansion

By Michael Prentice, The Ottawa Citizen January 19, 2009

The handsome new home of Ottawa developer Sean Murray and his wife, Jamilah Taib, has shot to No. 2 among Ottawa's most expensive private residences, as measured by the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. (MPAC).

The couple's house at 688 Manor Ave. in Rockcliffe Park, completed late last year, is worth $9,609,000, assessors have decided. That puts it second only to that of neighbours Marlen and Michael Cowpland. The Cowplands' modern mansion at 234 Perley Crt. has an updated assessment value of $12,535,000.

The Cowpland residence has been controversial because of its ultra-modern look, which some traditionalists have grumbled is out of place in Rockcliffe Park, where many of Ottawa's most expensive homes are located.

The new home of Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib has a more traditional look, which blends in with older, and much smaller, houses nearby. Its construction has been the talk of Rockcliffe for months.

Well-heeled neighbours were impressed when the couple showed off their new home at a recent house-warming and Christmas party.

"It's incredible," one guest said. "It is not so much a house as a mansion. A lot of the guests were likening it to an old English manor. But it is a very new English manor."

The guest, who asked not to be identified, added: "There is marble and the colour of gold everywhere, and there must be 20 chandeliers on the ground floor. It's like a palace, really."

The home's proud owners also offered dinner for 14 at their residence in a recent auction in aid of nearby Ashbury College. The catalogue described the house as a "magnificent home gleaming with marble and gold." The prize went for $3,000.

The Murray-Taib home has cathedral ceilings throughout the ground floor, and about 12,500 square feet of living space. It takes up much of the lot size of less than one acre. It was designed by the architectural firm of Nicholas Caragianis.

MPAC's assessments are used to determine property taxes, meaning Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib will have a property tax bill of about $100,000. The Cowplands will pay about $130,000.

Like many home owners, both couples will get a bit of a break on their property taxes this year and the next two because the new assessments are being phased in over four years.

Assessors decided a home like that of Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib would have increased in value by about 14 per cent between January 2005, when assessments were last done, and January 2008, when the latest assessments took effect.

The Murray-Taib home took over the No. 2 spot from the home of Beata and Philip Garel-Jones at 120 Lansdowne Rd., also in Rockcliffe Park. Their home was assessed at $9,325,000. The couple bought it from technology multimillionaire Antoine Paquin for $8.25 million several years ago.

Michael Potter and Terence Matthews, two other technology multimillionaires, are fourth and fifth on the list, compiled by the Citizen from property rolls. Mr. Potter's property was assessed to be worth $8,443,000, about $3 million of which was in the value of land he acquired from his back-fence neighbour, the U.S. ambassador.

Mr. Matthews' home in Kanata was one of only four from outside Rockcliffe in the top 25 assessments.

The most valuable homes in Ottawa are owned by either property developers or high-tech moguls. The sole exception is Daniel Bellemare, one of the owners of Farm Boy fruit and vegetable stores. His renovation and expansion of a traditional Rockcliffe home has earned praise from residents who deplore a trend to demolish old homes in the village and replace them with much larger new houses.

Ottawa Senators hockey star Jason Spezza's new home did not make the top 25 on assessed value, even though he paid $3.75 million for the modern house on Mayfair Avenue, off Island Park Drive. The house had been listed for $6 million. The house's assessed value for 2008 is $2,316,000. That means Mr. Spezza will be getting a good deal on his property taxes, or the purchase price was high, or a combination of the two.

PENGHORMATAN DIBERI, BUKAN DIMINTA-MINTA

Dipetik daripada: http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/103454 Anak muda tidak tergila-gilakan Raja

Hishamuddin Rais Mar 6, 09 3:02pm

Penghormatan diberi, bukan boleh diminta-minta. Individu dihormati bukan kerana paksaan undang-undang atau akta kejam. Kalau ada sesiapa tidak ingin menghormati tuan, mandor, ketua pejabat, cikgu atau raja - tidak ada apa-apa yang boleh dilakukan. Menangkap, merotan atau memenjarakan seseorang tidak akan melahirkan apa-apa penghormatan. Che Guevera dihormati anak-anak muda di seluruh dunia bukan kerana ada undang-undang daripada Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu atau ada arahan daripada IMF atau Mahkamah Dunia. Che diberi penghormatan kerana hati naluri anak-anak muda mahu menghormatinya. Che Guevera tidak pernah meminta-minta penghormatan ini kerana dia telah lama mati. Penghormatan yang ditimbulkan melalui undang-undang, kuasa atau pangkat bukan penghormatan sebenar; ini semua penghormatan yang pura-pura. Dr Mahathir Mohamad satu ketika dahulu dihormati kerana dapat memberi habuan kontrak. Malah Mahathir sendiri sedar hingga dia membebel sesudah kalah untuk menjadi delegasi Kubang Pasu ke perhimpunan United Malays National Organisation pada 2006 dahulu. Dia membebel kerana tidak ada lagi orang yang datang mencium tangannya. Lihat pula Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Belum pun tamat tempohnya sebagai perdana menteri – kerana tandatangannya tidak lagi laku dan tidak mendatangkan kontrak – tidak ramai menteri dan para pembodek berhari raya di Kepala Batas tahun lalu. Berilah apa sahaja nama dan darjah penghormatan – Tun, Tan atau Tin – ia hanya tin-tin yang kosong dan tidak membawa apa-apa pengertian. Pakaikan baju kuning, merah atau kelabu, pasangkanlah tanjak tujuh tingkat, semuanya tidak ada makna. Rasa hormat datang daripada hati. Pada 1964 Jean Paul Sartre dianugerah Hadiah Nobel Sastera. Dia tidak datang mengambil hadiah ini. Malah Sartre langsung tidak ambil peduli. Dia menolak penghormatan yang mengada-ada. Tetapi idea dan falsafah Sartre masih menggegarkan dunia. Idea dan falsafah inilah yang dinobatkan untuk dihormati, daripada segala bentuk penghormatan yang pura-pura. Bagitu juga Le Duc Tho yang mendapat Hadiah Nobel Keamanan pada 1973. Dia juga tidak pergi ke Stockholm untuk mengambilnya. Hingga ke hari ini Duc Tho masih dihormati dan diingati sebagai patriot Vietnam yang merangka dan membuka jalan damai untuk negaranya pada 1972. Justeru apabila ada gerombolan yang meloncat mengambur meminta dan memaksa orang ramai agar menghormati raja, maka permintaan ini kelihatan sebagai lawak bodoh. Meminta dihormati, memaksa dihormati - atau melembagakan penghormatan - bukan penghormatan namanya. Penghormatan datang secara sukarela dari hati suci yang ikhlas dan jujur. Penghormatan yang suci bukan kerana upah, paksaan, atau janji pangkat dan kontrak. Kalau seorang anak sekolah ditarik telinga dan dipaksa menghormati guru besarnya, maka untuk beberapa saat (ketika telinganya sakit) mungkin anak sekolah ini akan berkata bahawa dia menghormati si guru besar. Terlepas sahaja telinganya daripada pulasan, anak sekolah ini bukan sahaja tidak akan menghormati si guru besar, malah besar kemungkinan si guru besar akan dibaling dengan najis. Ini hakikat. Apabila saya menulis artikel, awal Mac, cerita-cerita karut tentang daulat raja, tulah raja, jampi raja – semuanya tidak dipercayai lagi. Anak-anak muda hari ini tidak lagi gempaq dengan daulat raja – mereka gempaq dengan penyanyi rock n roll. Anak muda hari ini akan gempaq dengan pemain bola, pemusik, pelakon, penggodam internet atau pembawa counter-culture yang melawan arus. Ini hakikat bukan sahaja di Malaysia, malah inilah jalur pemikiran anak muda di seluruh dunia. Pergi lawati bilik anak muda – tidak mungkin ditemui gambar Sultan, Raja atau Shah di dinding bilik mereka. Besar kemungkinan akan ditemui gambar sebuah kugiran rock, wajah seorang bintang rock atau mungkin poster Che Guevera. Belum pernah ada dalam dunia ini seorang anak muda yang akan bergadai-bergolok untuk mendapatkan baju T gambar seorang raja – tetapi mereka sanggup ke e-bay untuk membida baju arwah John Lennon yang ori. Ini hakikat rasa hormat dan cinta kerana kerana kita telah sampai ke tahun 2009. Raja Maghribi, Ratu Elizebeth, Sultan Brunei, Raja Abdullah al-Saud atau Sultan Perak - jika tidak kerana protokol – jika pegawai-pegawai kerajaan tidak diarahkan, jika anak-anak sekolah tidak di paksa - dewan akan kosong. Tidak akan ada ramai orang yang datang memenuhi dewan untuk mendengar susuk-susuk ini berucap. Sampai kiamat pun anak-anak muda tidak akan membayar harga tiket RM200 untuk mendengar mereka membebel. Tetapi anak-anak muda sanggup turun ke Singapura atau naik ke Bangkok untuk mendengar sebuah rock band datang bermain. Raja Gopal, Raja Kapoor atau Raja Perak harus sedar diri. Pada hari ini tidak ramai lagi orang yang ambil pot kerana nama mereka bermula dengan raja. Inilah hakikat tahun 2009. Masyarakat kota tidak lagi mencari makan daripada hasil tanah. Mereka memburuh. Mereka membanting tulang di kilang dan di pabrik. Apabila mereka meninggalkan tanah, berhijrah ke bandar bererti mereka telah memutuskan hubungan dengan budaya feudal. Masyarakat kota melahirkan budaya mereka sendiri – budaya dan gaya hidup yang tidak lagi bergantung kepada raja atau sultan. Dalam budaya urban, sistem feudal tidak memainkan peranan. Memang ada wujud kumpulan-kumpulan yang masih menganggap kaum feudal itu wajib dihormati kerana darah keturunan mereka. Kumpulan ini mereka yang ingin menahan gerak dan arus pembudayaan dunia moden hari ini. Malah di Perancis, sebuah negara republik, masih ada warga yang cuba membawa kembali sistem beraja. Mereka bernostalgia terhadap zaman feudal yang telah terkambus masa. Di Tanah Melayu juga masih ada kumpulan dan gerombolan yang percaya dengan "daulat" raja. Sebenarnya, usaha ini wujud kerana kepentingan ekonomi mereka bergayut dengan kaum feudal. Mereka ingin memastikan yang kepentingan ekonomi mereka akan dapat dipayungi oleh kaum feudal. Justeru, mereka sanggup membeli derajat kebesaran agar mereka dapat juga dilihat "besar". Hakikanya - kumpulan dan gerombolan pro-feudal ini dari sehari ke sehari semakin berkurangan. Pengurangan kumpulan dan gerombolan ini bukan dirancang. Pengurangan ini muncul dengan sendiri kerana asas ekonomi telah berubah. Dalam konteks asas ekonomi kapitalis moden, keupayaan individu dinobatkan bukan kerana darah keturunan. Barack Obama, Micheal Jackson atau Colin Powell berada di tempat mereka hari ini bukan kerana mereka cucu kepada Raja Buganda dari Afrika tetapi kerana fikrah dan keilmuan mereka. Inilah hakikatnya. Kenyataan ini bukan bermakna kita tidak menghormati Raja Gopal, Raja Kapoor atau Raja Perak. Sebagai sesama insan, kita wajib menghormati satu sama lain. Kita juga wajib beradab dan bersopan terhadap mereka. Penghormatan, adab sopan yang kita tunjukkan kepada mereka bukan kerana mereka raja. Mereka berhak menerima penghormatan daripada kita jika mereka memiliki tingkat keintelektualan dan fikrah yang unggul. Penghormatan yang ikhlas dan sukarela tidak berpenghujung dan tidak bernoktah. Seperti Che Guevera, zaman berzaman susuk ini akan terus dimuliakan walau telah lama mati. Tidak seperti Mahathir yang terpaksa membebel untuk dihormati. Atau seperti Ghazali Shafie atau Muhamad Rahmat yang seperti tunggul, pergi tersepak dan pulang terlanggar.

A Dayak View on 1 Malaysia

Resoucre: http://dayakbaru.com/weblog08/2009/05/01/3838/

Posted by: Anek Uren

New PM - New CONCEPT

If you give a space I want to comment on the 1Malaysia, new concept by our new PM. Of course the so-called new concept is nothing new in it. It is merely a re-coining of the word just to signify there is a new guy on the block: Najib is the Prime Minister.

His predecessor, Mahathir came up with Vision 2020, Badawi came up with “Gemilang, Cermelang dan Terbilang” The past had come and gone with those respective promotors of those slogans.

1 Malaysia has been - since 16.09.1963

But 1Malaysia, at least to me, has always been since Malaysia came into being 16.09.1963. The statistic of population: Malays, Chinese, Indians, and the Indegenous tribes in Sarawak and Sabah, has never changed in its ratio, and will never be.

My point is this: apart from the May 13th, 1969 incident which happened in Kuala Lumpur only, and it happened because of the result of the then just concluded election which certain quarters might have thought was not favourable to them, inter-racial relation wise has always been good. Tolerance of one another has been very good, for the most.

Tolerance

And the recent Hindraf issue, I think if there is a little bit of tolerance prevailing on the part of those in power, it could have been resolved without the use of such harsh tactics and even ISA.
And if the issues behind the May 13th incident, and the recent Hindraf matter, the real issues are economic disparity between the various groups in our society. People set up groups and indentify themselves as in their groups of one or the other for the reason that they want to express their dissatisfaction over what they perceive as “they are left behind”.

Poverty Level Line

The Dayaks in Sarawak, for the majority of us, if the yardsstick often used by the statements issued from the Ministry of Finance - those households having income monthly which is below RM750. 00 they are considered poor (hardcore poor, then indeed the majority of the Dayaks are in that category: getting less than RM750.00 a month of income. Of course one could then ask, how do these Dayaks survive?

Dayak Survival

Survival is assured of them by the environment in which they live: they plant padi, fish in the nearby rivers, setting traps for games in the jungle, and going after wild pigs for that matter, rearing some chicken and ducks which they fed with tapoica planted during padi planting seasons. Yes they survive in term of having some basic food to eat. But when schooling of their children comes into the equation, it is here the crunch comes into play.

Money for Education

They don’t have the money to send their children to schools and to better themselves. Agreed primary and secondary education are free, but beyond that, like the uniforms, school bags, shoes, writing books, and text book for bringing home which is disallowed, and when they go for tertiary education the problems are compounded into manifold.

Yes there is the Higher Education Fund but to get that one must have a guarrantor that must have know and established income or other asset. And even if that is obtainable, it is not given straightaway but after the student has landed at the college or uni. and enrolled there. The fund needed to get to the college or uni. is also hugely burdensome.

Dayak in Business

Talking of business, one can forget it because the Dayaks have no asset. Awang Tengah recently in Bintulu “Land Seminar” said that the native “have got a lot of land yet they remain very poor. He is telling the truth in saying that Natives remain very poor. But he is telling lies when he said about native have got a lot of land. As a government minister he knows that NCR is government land, and these lands are no asset to the Dayaks.

NCR Land

These NCR lands cannot be developed at will unless one has got money from other sources. Compared with the big investors who are mostly those who have gained so much profit over their exploitation of timber resources of this State, when those lands, former timber concession, are issued to them, leashold of 60 years are given and thse lands become great asset, and the mor e they get the bigger land bank they established.

Banks may lend them money based on these land leases as collateral. So for these people money makes more money for them. But the Dayaks because the so-called “their lands” is being used for pleasing only, these lands do not benefit the Dayaks. And for that reason they remain poor.

Can Land be given to Dayak

MP Nyallau recently, before Batang Ai polling, said that land titles cannot be given to Dayaks because they might sell them off. And he gave an example by asking people to look at the record at the Land & Survey Department to prove his point.

Dayak will remain the same - even after Najib

Now coming back to 1Malaysia, to me, the Dayaks will pass through this phase under Najib and after najib the situation for us will remain the same. The concept of 1Malaysia is not for change but for re-stating the status quo.

Why?

I say this because for the Dayaks, unless the NCR land of each is given him his title to it, there is no case of the community will ever become economically viable, but will remain mere squattors. The Chinese are very rich in Malaysia because they buy up solid asset - land land land, either in the form of property: buildings and the like and land for plantation after they harvested timber in it. And with the capital built up, they expand deeper and deeper into the interior.

Dayak land now belong to Chinese

For instance, let’s look at Tapah, Sioburan and Beratok, established during the communist insurgency time by the time of Datuk Kalong Ningkan “short” government, those land belonged to Dayaks then are now all belong to Chinese. And the queer thing about it is that under the Dayaks they were NCR and when Chinese occupied them titles were issued.

Change We MUST

Lastly, you blogger, my friend, I agree with the need to change and move forward, and get rid of those stereo-typed “pensioner”. But at the same time we must focus on exposing the bluff in the 1Malaysia concept by Najib, i.e. by concentrating on asking for our right to the land be recognized beyond what is provided in s.5(1) and (2) of our Land Code.

This we must before we from squattors become nothing! For 1Malaysia to really work we must call on Najib to address NCR problem first. Of course that can only happen when current CM goes, but will he go, and soon, remain a very big question mark if recent Batang Ai result is anything to by?

“Nadai nyawa kitai Dayak”