TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent A few years ago, Minister Mah Bow Tan who was the Secretary of the Football Association of Singapore set the ambitious target of the Singapore football team reaching the finals of the World Cup in 2010. The dream is now in tatters and it appears that Singapore football fans may not even get to watch the World Cup matches live if there are no renewed bids from either SingTel or Starhub, the two giant telecommunication companies in Singapore. A joint press statement from the duo today announced that a joint bid has failed to secure them the rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup. "In an attempt to reach a value that is acceptable to Fifa to bring World Cup to Singapore, the price offered to Fifa would sacrifice all World Cup margins for both SingTel and StarHub while keeping the price affordable for consumers...... However, we have yet to reach an agreement with Fifa," it added. Neither SingTel or Starhub revealed how much the offer was made to Fifa and how it would affect their profit margin. They did not state if they are going to make another improved bid. The Straits Times still has the audacity to console soccer fans with a "silver lining in the cloud" that Fifa will make the four most important matches free-to-air. If both telcos, which are government-linked companies decide not to go ahead with any more bids, it will mark the first time in history that Singaporeans will not get to watch live World Cup matches on TV. Perhaps Singaporeans should start preparing for a trip across the causeway next year June to catch World Cup 2010 on Malaysian channels. Copyright © The Temasek Review, 2009    Read More →

作者:雷风雨 鉴往应该可以知来。“冷静日”让我想起几段史实： 1）1990年大马大选，四六精神党领袖东姑拉沙里造访东马沙巴州，沙巴团结党和卡达山族在接待时为他戴上卡达山帽，帽上绣有十字架图案。政府控制的主流媒体炒翻了天，投票日前夕（当天？）电视老出现拉沙里 (Razaleigh) 头上的十字架高帽。姑里出身国阵重投国阵，想必知道这是合法的新闻报道，即使在“冷静日”和投票日也是合法的。 2）某届大选，詹时中的最后一场群众大会结束后，人群无视车群，胡乱越过马路，场面有点乱，貌似足球赛的散场人潮。投票日，电视不时播放这段“暴动”场面，吓坏 不少无知选民。气得詹时中在险胜后大声疾呼：“PAP是危险的！” 詹时中你要冷静，这是合法的新闻报道，即使在“冷静日”和投票日也是合法的。 3）1997年大选，静山选情告急，总理吴作栋先生及两位副总理陈庆炎博士和李显龙先生于投票日进入静山集选区投票站。他们都不是该区的候选人或选民。 根据国会选举法第82（1）条下的条文，除获授权者如选举官员、候选人、警务人员以及欲进入投票站投票者之外，任何人皆不可于投票日在任何投票站外等候。任何人皆不可于投票日在任何投票站的200米半径范围内的任何街道或公众场所徘徊。 选后静山候选人惹耶勒南就此可能违法的行为向警方投诉。 当时的总检察长陈锡强认为，上述人民行动党的候选人并无任何违法行为，决定不予起诉，理由是：此条文不适用于在投票站内等候/徘徊者。这几位人民行动领袖是处身于投票站内，那些进入或已经进入投票站者不算“在外头等候”。根据此条文，只有在投票站外等候方属犯法。 总检察长这么阐释，200米半径的范围应从投票站周界开始算起，投票站本身是个“地方”，但不是“街道或公众场所”。因此“在街道或公众场所徘徊”不可能包括“在投票站内徘徊”。 此条文的原意是为预防选民受到影响或胁迫。在投票站内，由于选举官员等在场，影响或胁迫选民的机会极微，故不受此条文约束。 因此，总检察长总结说，根据此法令，那些投票日在投票站内等候或徘徊的未授权人士并未违法。 有人问，如果不在200米半径范围内现身，如何现身投票站内？难道是空投？当选情告急时，法令可以有多种解释。外行人不懂，总检察长说这是合法的，即使根据“投票日法令”也是合法的！ 来源：大马论坛  Read More →

Bernama, 15 December 2009 Malaysians, especially the Malays, need to take up Mandarin as it has become an important language since China is now a world economic superpower, said Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Najib said learning another language would also enable a person to know better other individuals from different backgrounds, thus enabling them to respect each other more. “Only when we respect and honour one another, we will become truly Malaysian,” he said at the Chong Hwa Independent High School’s 90th anniversary grand dinner here. He said by learning Mandarin, the other races — especially the Malays — would be able to understand the Chinese better. “It may be too late for me to learn Mandarin, but I hope to see more Malays learn the language in the future. “My youngest son, Norashman Razak, who is currently studying at Georgetown University in the United States, is also taking Mandarin classes,” he said, adding that he was told his son would only be able to speak Mandarin fluently in four years’ time. “Maybe one day, I may invite him to give a speech in Mandarin.” On Chinese independent schools in the country, Najib said the provisions in the Education Act 1996, formulated when he was education minister, guarantee the existence and growth of Chinese schools in the country. Therefore, the community needed not worry, he added. He said the government’s liberal policy towards education since independence was the main factor for the growth of Chinese independent schools, with Malaysia being the country in the region with the most number of Chinese schools and many of its people having a Chinese education. “The existence and growth of schools using the students’ mother tongue as the medium of instruction is also the country’s strength and diversity. “This shows that the Barian Nasional-led government is always liberal in weighing its policies; that outside China, Malaysia had the biggest number of Chinese-educated citizens.” He said although the issue of whether Malaysia should have single or multi-stream education system was always debated, he believed the multi-stream was good in creating a society in diversity, where diversity was a strength and asset for the country. Commending the success of Chong Hwa Independent School, Najib said the fact that Chinese parents were sending their children to the school showed that the community was committed and put high priority on education. He said to date, there were 60 Chinese independent schools in the country. Also present at the dinner were MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, treasurer-general Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng, vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, party Youth chief Datuk Wee Ka Siong and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, who is also Gerakan president. — Bernama Republished from Bernama on 15 December 2009  Read More →