‘crab mentality’

– The Borneo Post Online – http://www.theborneopost.com – Monday, March 31st, 2008

Dayak ego battlegrounds By Lucas Jalong Bato Dayak bodies become battlegrounds of egos as envious members undermine leaders they elected: Mawan MIRI: The so-called ‘crab mentality’ prevalent among members of Dayak and Dayak-based associations have turned the organisations into ‘battlegrounds of egos’, the Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation Dato Sri William Mawan observed. “When we elect individuals to lead an association, no matter how noble its objectives and good the intentions of the elected leaders, the association is doomed to fail if the members do not support the committee,” he said. “The ordinary members have the obligation to support the elected leaders. But sad to say, this is not the case. We have the tendency to find fault with those already elected, always having the mentality that we can do a better job than them.” There is no need to go into high intellectual discourse on ‘crab mentality’ because no one actually knows the mentality of crabs. The phrase was simply coined by local people who have observed the collective behaviour of crabs when placed in a confined space such as a basket. In their efforts to get up the sides of the basket they tend to crawl over one another and in the process weigh down the ones at the top. Unable to carry the weight and the constant struggle below, the top crabs eventually lose their grip and fall. “Because of this crab mentality, we become envious of those leaders we ourselves elected to office, and we undermine their leadership with the intention of bringing them down,” said Mawan. He spoke during the installation of the supreme executive council members of Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) and dinner on Saturday. Its president Mengga Mikui and organising chairman Dr John Brian Anthony were among those present. Regarding SDNU which was formed in 1956 with the aim of uniting the Dayaks in the state under one umbrella, Mawan said its next 50 years would be more challenging than the last 50 years. “The challenges will be varied and challenging. Our community will live in an entirely different environment from what we are experiencing now,” he said. Mawan said due to the dynamism within the association, the Dayak Iban played a prominent and dominant role in the association resulting in other Dayak communities like the Orang Ulu and Bidayuh staying away and eventually forming their own associations. “The challenge before the SDNU present leadership is to find a unity of purpose, to get that cohesiveness so as to be able to draw the other Dayak communities into the association to give it greater leverage. To the members of the supreme council, Mawan has this to say: “Victory goes to those who know which rivers not to cross, which roads not to travel and which walls not to climb.”

My deepest condolences to bro Sheih..

Innalillahi wainna Ilaihirajiun.
So sorry to hear about your mother. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat keatas rohnya and memberi kekuatan dan kesabaran to you and your family.

Al-Fathihah.

update: Rocky, Elviza, Zorro, Nuraina, Sheih

Seven Days for PKR to apologise to DAP founding member…

Ng given seven days to apologise

By Lim How Pim

DAP founding member demands apology and compensation from state PKR chief

KUCHING: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak founder Chong Siew Chiang is demanding Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) state chairman Dominique Ng apologise within a week and compensate accordingly, failing which he will sue Ng for defamation.

Two Penan girls who share a common dream

28 March, 2008

KUCHING: The two girls sitting beside each other in front of a large crowd were as different as night and day. One was a city girl, all poised and confident while the other was shy and clearly not used to the limelight.But they had one thing in common: Masliza David, 16, and 14-year-old Yulanda Samson were both Penan and were there in Long Bedian to receive Petronas minor scholarships.

Here the rest of the story

Will Raja Petra be RM2 million poorer?

Raja Petra ordered to pay RM2 million libel damages to UUM VC

By Tan Chew Chin

26 March, 2008

The High Court here has ordered Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin to pay RM2 million to Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi in general damages over a libellous article he posted on his website ‘Malaysia Today’ two years ago. In the landmark case against a blogger, Deputy High Court Registrar Priscilla Gengadaran also ordered Raja Petra to pay RM2 million, also in general damages, to the university over the article which appeared in his website on Dec 16, 2006. Nordin, the first plaintiff and UUM, the second plaintiff, filed the suit against Raja Petra, the first defendant and three others – Parti Keadilan Rakyat (second defendant), chief editor of the opposition party’s organ, Suara Keadilan (third defendant) and editor of the bulletin (fourth defendant) – on Feb 25 last year.

In his statement of claim against the four, Nordin and UUM had claimed that Raja Petra and the three defendants had published the libellous article against him and the university with the intention to tarnish his and UUM’s good name and integrity.

The article, ‘Dato’ Dr Nordin Kardi Ciplak Karya Saya? Mohon Penjelasan…(Dato’ Dr Nordin Kardi plagiarises my works? Please Explain..) was first published in Raja Petra’s website, ‘Malaysia Today’, on Dec 16, 2006.

The article, authored by one Muhtar Suhaili, had claimed his works, ‘Mahasiswa dan Tanggujawab Menguruskan Kejayaan (Graduands and the Responsibility in Managing Success) was plagiarised by a person which had used the name Dato’ Nordin Kardi.

As it turned out, Raja Petra had picked up the article which was posted on a website, http://muhtarsuhaili.tripod.com The article was subsequently published in ‘Suara Keadilan’ on Dec 27, 2006.

In her judgement, Priscilla also ordered the Raja Petra to pay RM2 million to UUM. She also ordered the chief editor and editor of ‘Suara Keadilan’, to each pay Nordin RM1 million for publishing the article. She also ordered the third and fourth defendants to each pay UUM RM500,000 over the article.

Priscilla issued her judgment after Raja Petra, the third and fourth defendants did not defend themselves and had also failed to appoint counsel over the defamation suit. Nordin and UUM were represented by Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz.

Priscilla, however, has yet to fix a trial date for PKR, which was represented by R. Sivarasa.

Meanwhile, Nordin described the judgment as a landmark decision against cyber misconduct. “I hope others who might have been defamed by cyber misconduct would consider legal action against the wrongdoers. I also hope the High court decision would serve as a deterent against any attempt to invade the integrity of an individual or an institution,” he said.

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© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

Anti-hopping law is already in S’wak

Anti-hopping law is there
By Churchill Edward

Sarawak passed law to prevent crossovers after amending Article 17 of state constitution in November 1994

KUCHING: All the debate about the need for a law to prohibit party hopping in Sarawak is unnecessary because the state already has its own.

Abdullah in new showdown as royals flex political muscle

Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)

KUALA LUMPUR

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was locked in a showdown yesterday with the country’s largely ceremonial king over who will lead the oil-rich northeastern state of Terengganu.

Malaysia’s royalty is posing its biggest challenge to the government since the powers of the hereditary rulers were clipped 25 years ago, and comes when Abdullah’s authority has been wounded following elections that handed unprecedented gains to the opposition

The confrontation goes beyond the division of powers between figurehead rulers and the elected government and is also about the cosy relationships between business and politics in Malaysia, analysts say.

“This is not just politics,” said political analyst Rustam Sani. “I think financial interests have to do with it. They (the sultans) are not happy since the politicians are having a free hand in business.”

Some of the nine royal families are involved in business.

Malaysia has nine sultans who take turns ruling for five years as king. Their mostly ceremonial duties include appointing the chief ministers of their states. The current king is the 46-year-old Terengganu ruler, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

Other rulers have also begun to speak out on issues of governance. The Sultan of Selangor state last year reprimanded a town councillor for building a house without required permits. The rulers, whose powers were sharply curtailed in 1983 by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, are seeking to reclaim a stake in politics along with a resurgent opposition in a more robust parliament.

In the watershed election, Abdullah’s National Front coalition was ousted in five of Malaysia’s 13 states and lost the two-thirds majority in parliament it had held for nearly four decades at the elections.

The coalition retained power in Terengganu, but the sultan there refused to swear in incumbent chief minister Idris Jusoh, whom Abdullah said had the support of the majority of the state’s assemblymen.

On Sunday, the palace appointed its own candidate, only to be snubbed by the prime minister, who said that appointing anyone but Idris was unconstitutional.

Malaysia’s law minister was quoted as saying yesterday that everyone, including the monarch, should respect the law.

“The discretion of the monarch in appointing the chief minister is not an absolute personal discretion,” Zaid Ibrahim told the New Straits Times.

Analysts said there were other reasons why Idris fell out of favour with the sultan, including allegations he had been disrespectful to the ruler and his family.

The sultans have reasserted themselves in other states, too. In the state of Perlis, the sultan overruled Abdullah’s nominee for chief minister and appointed his own candidate.

The sultans are meant to represent Malay Muslim sovereignty and at one time were a powerful counterweight to the elected government. But in amendments to the constitution in 1983, the king’s veto power was abolished and the monarch could no longer block bills in parliament.

Another amendment in 1993 took away the immunity from prosecution the nine sultans once enjoyed.

“After a decline of power and influence between 1983 and 1994, the spirals of history are in motion again,” said constitution expert Shad Saleem Faruqi. “The last few years have seen a discernible upsurge in popular perception that the rulers constitute a vital check and balance mechanism of the constitution,” he said. Reuters

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Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/asia_news/2008/03/25/abdullah_in_new_showdown_as_royals_flex_political_muscle

Here comes millionaire Dr Sh*t

 

Posted By Web Master On 23rd June 2007 @ 00:00 In Local

South African has made his millions leaving a salaried job to clean the “world’s toilets”

SIBU: You can become a millionaire by cleaning toilets.

BN MPs offered cabinet posts by PKR: Fadillah

 

Posted By rajlira On 23rd March 2008 @ 00:03 In Local

KUCHING: It was revealed yesterday that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had offered minister and deputy minister’s posts to lure Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) members of parliament to cross over.

Gonna have more chipmore of Flip-Flop in the comming

Serian MP not quitting: Yap

window.document.getElementById(‘post-32937’).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Riot told Dr Chan he will meet PM to reassure him of his loyalty to BN, says SUPP publicity and information secretary SERIAN: Serian Member of Parliament Datuk Richard Riot Jaem is to make an appointment to see Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to quash rumours that he was quitting the Barisan Nasional (BN Mas Gading MP denies jumping ship window.document.getElementById(‘post-32933’).parentNode.className += ‘ adhesive_post’;Dr Tiki says he has met PM and DPM to assure them of his loyalty to BN KUCHING: Mas Gading member of parliament Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe yesterday denied that he was defecting to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after he was dropped from the new federal cabinet line-up