Nov 19, 2008
5 stat boards' investments
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_304115.html
THE Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) - Singapore's central bank and financial regulator - was among five statutory boards that invested in complicated credit-linked notes.
But none of the statutory boards - including the MAS - invested in notes that have now become worthless, such as DBS High Notes 5 and Merrill Lynch Jubilee Series 3 LinkEarner Notes.
The central bank had invested only 0.1 per cent of its portfolio in such investments, which in fact made a net gain over the past year.
A Ministry of Finance (MOF) spokesman, who revealed this to The Straits Times yesterday, did not give the actual size of the investment.
He was responding to queries after Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told Parliament that five statutory boards had invested in credit-linked notes, but only named four: Singapore Civil Service College, Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Professional Engineers Board.
Mr Tharman had emphasised in Parliament that the four boards had invested in credit-linked notes, but not the ones which have gone into default or suffered credit events that have caused their value to plummet to zero and triggered early redemption.
The notes that have suffered this fate include Lehman Minibonds, Merrill Lynch Jubilee Series 3 LinkEarner Notes, DBS High Notes 5 and Morgan Stanley Pinnacle Series 9 and 10 Notes.
Although he did not provide the actual amount invested by each of the four named statutory boards, he said that the exposure as a percentage of their total combined investment portfolio was only about 0.05 per cent.
These investments are currently suffering paper losses of about 14 per cent over the past year, he added.
'On a mark-to-market basis, these credit-linked notes held by the four statutory boards have not performed very differently from the performance of global markets generally this year,' he said.
'The four statutory boards are nevertheless monitoring the situation on all their investments, and will take the necessary steps to minimise any losses in these investments.'
MOF later told The Straits Times that the four statutory boards have had positive returns on their overall investment portfolios this year, averaging about 2 per cent.
And for the past three years, the average annual return on their investment portfolios had averaged 3 per cent.
Mr Tharman was responding in Parliament yesterday to questions from Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim, who asked whether statutory boards had invested in risky structured products which were linked to bankrupt United States investment bank Lehman Brothers.
Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong also wanted to know if those investments were linked to collateralised debt obligations (CDO) or credit default swaps (CDS), which are both complex investment products at the centre of the global credit crunch.
It was in response to Mr Siew's question that Mr Tharman revealed a fifth unnamed statutory board had financial products linked to CDOs and CDS, aside from credit-linked notes.
'These products comprise around 0.1 per cent of the statutory board's portfolio, and have in fact made a net gain over the year,' he added.
On how and why these statutory boards invest, Mr Tharman explained that all of them keep some surpluses for 'future capital expenditures and as a buffer against unanticipated spending needs or budget shortfalls'.
'They manage and invest these funds in financial assets to earn an appropriate return within acceptable risk limits, after taking into account their cashflow and liquidity needs,' he added.
According to Mr Tharman, statutory boards also have to ensure they have appropriate investment management structures for proper oversight of its financial investments with prudent risk management.
Blogger Raja Petra freed
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/2396279/Article/index_html
By : Rita Jong
8 Nov
SHAH ALAM: The High Court yesterday ordered the immediate release of Raja Petra Kamarudin from his two-year detention under the Internal Security Act.
This followed the decision of judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad to allow the Malaysia Today editor's habeas corpus application, which was filed on Sept 31.
Syed Ahmad held that the home minister had issued the order outside the scope of Section 8(1) of the Internal Security Act 1960.
He also allowed the application by Raja Petra's counsel, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, to order that he (Raja Petra) be brought from the Kamunting detention centre to the Shah Alam court before 4pm for his release.
Syed Ahmad said he found there was no merit for the applicant's counsel to state that Section 8 was unconstitutional, as it fell within the ambit of Article 149 of the Federal Constitution.
(Article 149 allows action to be taken against anyone who threatens national security even if it violates his fundamental liberties.)
"But in issuing the order, the minister can only do so based on grounds provided under the ambit of the act. The minister cannot simply detain someone. He must be confined to the circumstances stated."
He said based on the grounds given by the minister for the detention, "I found that it did not fall within the scope of Section 8 (1) of the ISA."
On the grounds that the order was made in bad faith, he said that this was not a matter for review by the court as "mala fide is not procedural and non-compliant."
Raja Petra was arrested on Sept 12 as he was deemed a threat to national security and the order to detain him under the ISA was issued on Sept 22.
He was detained on the grounds that he:
- owns and operates the Malaysia Today website;
- intentionally and recklessly published his articles as well as readers' comments on Malaysia Today that were critical of and insulted Muslims, the purity of Islam and the personality of Prophet Muhammad; and,
- that he published his articles concerning national leaders that were defamatory and false with the intention of undermining confidence and inciting public hatred against the government, which could affect public order and prejudice national security.
In filing the habeas corpus application, Raja Petra named the home minister as the respondent.
Senior federal counsel Abdul Wahab Mohamad and Dusuki Mokhtar appeared on behalf of the minister. Malik Imtiaz was assisted by Azhar Azizan Harun, Ashok Kandiah, J. Chandra, Sreekant Pillai and H.K. Neoh.
After Syed Ahmad delivered his decision, Raja Petra's supporters clapped with joy, only to be ticked off by the judge who reminded them that they were in a court of law.
Raja Petra's wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, and their two daughters, Suraya and Sarah, were in tears.
Later, Marina said: "No words can describe how I am feeling right now. I am just glad everything went the way I hoped. This is fantastic."
Raja Petra arrived at the court in a white van, escorted by five warders, at 3.15pm to a hero's welcome.
When he got out of the van, the blogger, clad in a brown T-shirt and jeans and looking tired, gave the thumbs-up sign as some 100 supporters chanted "RPK! RPK!" He hugged and kissed his wife.
He was then led into the courtroom and Syed Ahmad ordered his release at 3.20pm.
After the court stood down, a supporter placed a garland on him.
"I am quite surprised that I am released.
"Not many people who challenged the ISA detention succeeded. So I didn't give it too much hope."
He added that the fight to abolish the ISA must continue.
Raja Petra had to jostle his way past some 50 photographers to get into a maroon-coloured Rolls Royce with Marina, before leaving the court compound at 3.35pm.
~~Thursday September 18, 2008
New Media more than blogs
Wikimedia
By OON YEOH
The Internet has become such a key component in the political battleground that any party which ignores its importance is likely to find itself handicapped.
RIGHT after the March general election, there was a sense of urgency amongst Barisan Nasional politicians to get aboard the New Media bandwagon.
There was talk of requiring current and aspiring MPs to set up their own blogs.
But harnessing the power of New Media takes more than just setting up blogs. It requires a sound understanding of how public opinion is shaped through online means and how political news and views are disseminated in cyberspace.
“The Barisan’s attitude towards bloggers, blogging and the blogosphere has been reactionary, erratic and inconsistent,” says political analyst Ong Kian Ming, who recently did a study comparing the use of New Media by Barisan and Pakatan Rakyat.
Barisan did get off on the right footing after the election, Ong notes. Information Minister Shabery Cheek declared that the Government would engage with bloggers and he even went as far as to invite some bloggers to appear on a TV interview show.
One of the first online personalities on this programme was none other than Raja Petra Kamarudin, whose website, Malaysia Today, was subsequently banned and then later reinstated.
Currently, he’s being detained under the dreaded ISA for stuff found on his website. “RPK’s case demonstrates the schizophrenic nature of the Barisan Government’s attitude towards bloggers,” says Ong.
Six months after the election, how much have the Barisan representatives responded to the call to set up their own blogs?
Not much, says Ong who found that of the 85 Barisan MPs in Peninsular Malaysia, only 13 of them currently have their own blogs (15%).
In contrast, 59 out of the 79 Pakatan MPs from the peninsula (almost three quarters of them) have their own blogs.
Note that he did not include independent MP Ibrahim Ali in his survey as he is neither with Barisan nor Pakatan.
Nor did he include East Malaysian MPs in his survey because blogs are not so important there.
In the past, the Barisan could rely on the mainstream media not to report or under-report any offensive remarks that may have been made by a Barisan politician.
Now, it is likely that such remarks would be picked up by online news sites or observant bloggers. Once such news leaks into cyberspace, the fallout is instantaneous.
And the mainstream media, which has already been emboldened since the election, will pick it up too. We’ve seen this phenomenon of blog scoops trickling into mainstream news happen in the United States and now it’s starting to happen here.
The Barisan is not used to playing the role of the underdog in the political sphere. But it is clearly outmanned and outgunned in cyberspace.
The number of independent blogs which can be categorised as anti-Barisan significantly outnumber the blogs which are supportive of the Barisan, says Ong, who adds: “It’s hard to name a single influential blogger who can be categorised as pro-Barisan.”
Barisan cannot overcome this disadvantage in cyberspace by throwing money at the problem. Even if it paid a whole army of bloggers to set up pro-Barisan blogs, it wouldn’t work as their credibility would be suspect straight away.
Mercenary bloggers just can’t match the passion of the ones who do it as a labour of love, who do it as a matter of personal commitment.
This is not to say that New Media is a lost cause for the Barisan. Even if it can’t get the blogosphere to support it immediately, it can set a good example by having its MPs and senior leaders maintain good websites or blogs.
They can start by emulating DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang who began embracing the Internet in the mid-90s.
He even bothered to learn HTML just so his party could have its own website and was one of the key drivers in continuously upgrading the party website, publishing the press statements and also encouraging its MPs to start blogs of their own.
Anwar Ibrahim’s website is very comprehensive and it has sections where one can make financial contributions, request Anwar to speak at events and view his past speeches and op-eds.
He also has a blog which has his public schedule, YouTube videos, related news items as well as press releases.
Even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has joined the blogosphere with over six million visits to date, a remarkable achievement by any standards.
In stark contrast, no senior Barisan leader can claim to have the same kind of Internet presence or traffic.
The most vilified person in the Malaysian blogosphere, Khairy Jamaluddin, does have his own website and it includes a blog.
It will take more than having his own online presence to counter all the negative postings about him but Khairy did garner some attention recently when he criticised the MCMC’s decision to block access to RPK’s website.
Perhaps other Barisan MPs can follow his lead and be willing to express their views frankly and openly through blogs.
The online advantage that Pakatan enjoys does not guarantee them electoral success.
There is no replacing the ‘offline’ activities that are part and parcel of what political parties and politicians need to do – the constituency servicing, the face-to-face meetings, the ceramahs, and so on, says Ong.
“But the Internet has become such a key component of the political battleground that any party that ignores its importance is likely to find itself handicapped,” he adds.
HK, Singapore voted having best judicial systems in Asia
Posted: 15 September 2008 0334 hrs
SINGAPORE: Regional financial centres Hong Kong and Singapore have the best judicial systems in Asia, with Indonesia and Vietnam the worst, a survey of expatriate business executives showed.
The judiciary "is one of Indonesia's weakest and most controversial institutions, and many consider the poor enforcement of laws to be the country's number one problem," said the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).
Some court rulings in Indonesia have been "so controversial that they have seriously hurt confidence of foreign companies," said PERC, without giving specific examples.
In the PERC survey, Hong Kong's judicial system topped the vote with a score of 1.45 on a scale that has zero representing the best performance and 10 the worst.
Regional rival Singapore was in second place with a grade of 1.92, followed by Japan (3.50), South Korea (4.62), Taiwan (4.93) and the Philippines (6.10).
Malaysia was in seventh place with a grade of 6.47, followed by India (6.50), Thailand (7.00) and China (7.25). Indonesia got the worst score of 8.26 after Vietnam's 8.10.
The Hong Kong-based consultancy said 1,537 corporate executives working in Asia were asked to rate the judicial systems in the countries where they reside, using such variables as the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and corruption.
Transparency, enforcement of laws, freedom from political interference and the experience and educational standards of lawyers and judges were also considered.
"Year after year our perception surveys show a close correlation between how expatriates rate judicial systems and how they rate the openness of a particular economy," PERC said.
"Better judicial systems are associated with better IPR protection, lower corruption and wealthier economies."
The less favourable perception of China's and Vietnam's judicial systems are rooted in political interference, PERC said, adding that the Communist Party "is above the law in both countries."
Despite India and the Philippines being democracies, expatriates did not look favourably on their judicial systems because of corruption, PERC added.
Malaysia's judicial system has suffered a "serious reputation damage due to political interference", while expatriates in Thailand "have serious doubts" that moves to expand the judiciary's powers will be good for the country, it said.
PERC noted the survey involved expatriate business executives, not political activists, so criteria like contracts and IPR protection were given more weightage. - AFP/de
"This bias is possibly most obvious in Singapore," it said, noting that the city-state's top rating in the survey is not shared by political activists, who have criticised the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) for using the judiciary to silence critics.Source: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080914/afp/080914181252business.html
"In Singapore, the general perception of expatriates is that local politics has not compromised the way commercial and criminal law is conducted," PERC said.
Why WP didn't get permit for event
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_276601.html
I REFER to last Thursday’s letter by Mr Tan Ghee Gay, ‘Why ‘no’ and ‘yes’?', regarding police decisions with respect to the Workers’ Party’s (WP) proposed mass cycling event last year, and the carnival on Aug 31.
Police do not issue permits for outdoor political events in public places due to the potential for disorder and unruly behaviour. This applies to events organised by all political parties. For this reason, police rejected WP’s application to hold a mass cycling activity in East Coast Park, to commemorate its 50th anniversary in September last year.
The event on Aug 31 was very different. The permit was issued after taking into account the organiser and the nature of the event. It was organised by the PAP Community Foundation, which is a registered charity and not a political party. The event was not assessed to have the potential for disorder and unruly behaviour. It was a carnival that involved children and families from various kindergartens and educational institutions. The Prime Minister, as guest of honour, and a few other guests, made their entrance by cycling a short distance. During the event, a sum of $664,000 (which had been raised earlier) was distributed to 17 charities, including Beyond Social Services, Children’s Aid Society and Chung Hwa Medical Institution.
DSP Paul Tay
Assistant Director (Media Relations)
Singapore Police Force
Singaporeans can demonstrate at Speakers' Corner from Sep 1
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 25 August 2008 1411 hrs
SINGAPORE: Banners, placards and effigies will be allowed at the Speakers' Corner when the site is opened for public demonstrations from September 1.
For Singapore citizens, there is no longer a need to apply for a police permit.
The new rules came about as the government seeks to open up the space for political engagement and activism in the country.
It is Singapore's version of London's Hyde Park. Hong Lim Park in central Singapore was designated as a site for public speaking on September 2000, but interest has waned over the years. However, with the new rules, things may change.
From September 1, Singapore citizens can organise demonstrations at the Speakers' Corner without a police permit.
All they need to do is register online at the National Parks Board website at www.nparks.gov.sg, which takes over the management of the Speakers' Corner from the Police.
Anyone who registers can immediately carry out his demonstration. Online registration begins on August 30.
Singapore Permanent Residents, though, will require a police permit to organise demonstrations.
But citizens and PRs can participate in assemblies without having to register.
Current rules for foreigners remain and they have to apply for a police permit for any activity there.
And all groups, even those that run counter to the establishment, will be allowed to demonstrate. These include gay rights groups and even the Falungong.
Other changes include self-powered amplification devices like loud hailers, which will be allowed in the area between 9am and 10.30pm. Police said the restriction is to minimise noise pollution in the area.
Activities can also be carried out at any time of the day. Currently, activities are restricted to between 7am and 7pm.
However, basic rules will still remain. Topics cannot touch on issues like race and religion. Content that promotes violence or are lewd in nature will also not be allowed.
Even with a light touch approach, there will still be some police presence at the Speaker's Corner.
Wong Hong Kuan, Director, Operations, Singapore Police Force, said: "Generally if there are no issues of concern, there won't be any overt police presence there all the time and we will manage it just like other places in Singapore."
NParks said that demonstrators are free to do what they want as long as they do not damage surrounding trees and property. There will not be any cosmetic changes to the site, even though some have asked for more benches and shelter.
Dr Leong Chee Chiew, chief operating officer, National Parks Board, said: "If we were to plant more trees, you actually have less space. So there's a trade-off."
Work is underway to build a mound, so speakers do not have to bring their own soapboxes to speak and be seen. - CNA/vm
Singapore to ease ban on political videos, public demonstrations
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE: Political engagement in Singapore is set to change with the advent of new media.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged this as much and said the government will have to adapt, get used to it, and turn it to positive effect.
Hence, the government will ease up on the ban on political videos and outdoor public demonstrations, he said at his National Day Rally on Sunday night.
The new-generation Singaporeans, weaned on the likes of Facebook and YouTube, are getting news off websites and discussing issues online.
"By the next GE (General Election), 5 years will have passed. Cyber years are like dog years. One year in cyberspace equals to 7 years in real life," Mr Lee said. "That's the pace at which things change. So 5 years times 7 means 35 years in the real world."
Mr Lee even conceded that his National Day Rally has become a multi-media event.
To show this, he took out a mobile phone and proceeded to film the audience before him in the auditorium. Behind him, on a giant screen, the audience saw themselves featured on the Web page of the Prime Minister's Office - live.
"There you are, simple as that. I've just made our first non-political video," he said to laughter from the audience.
And since anyone can do this anytime, anywhere, Mr Lee said an outright ban on party political films is no longer sensible.
But there will still be safeguards.
"Some things are obviously alright - factual footage, documentaries, recordings of live events. But I think some things should still be off limits... (for instance) if you made a political commercial so that it's purely made-up material, partisan stuff, footage distorted to create a slanted impression," he said.
Unlike the last General Election, podcasts, videocasts and election materials will be allowed. But those who upload such material online will have to maintain accountability and responsibility.
The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society - led by former Singapore Press Holdings editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng - will set out its recommendations on these issues later this month.
The restriction remains for outdoor demonstrations, but Mr Lee said the government needs to find ways to allow Singaporeans to express themselves safely.
He said Singapore will allow outdoor public demonstrations at the Speakers' Corner, a public space for free speeches. This is as long as the demonstrators adhere to basic rules of law and order, and stay away from issues of race, language or religion.
The government will manage the liberalisation with a light touch, said Mr Lee. So there is no need for the Police to be involved. In fact, the NParks will manage the Speakers' Corner, instead.
Mr Lee said: "The overall thrust of all these changes is to liberalise our society, to widen space for expression and participation. We encourage more citizens to engage in debate, to participate in building our shared future.
"We will progressively open up our system even more. If you compare today with 5 years ago, 10 years ago, it's much more open today."
Even then, Singapore cannot progress just by copying others. Mr Lee said the country must find the right path for itself. - CNA/ir
July 22, 2008
Govt property vacant for years
Auditor-General's annual report raps agencies for not 'maximising usage' of state-owned buildings
By Liaw Wy-Cin
GOVERNMENT chalets left to go to seed and unleased for over 14 years and other buildings and tracts of land left empty for years on end - these have come to light in the Auditor-General's annual report.
Mr Lim Soo Ping has taken to task some ministries and statutory boards for letting this happen to properties under their charge.
In his latest report released yesterday, he urged these agencies to manage their properties better 'to maximise their usage for the public good'.
He also recommended a review of how government properties pending development are allocated and reserved.
'This is to minimise the opportunity cost arising from unnecessarily long holding and reservation,' he said.
Among the buildings his office found under-utilised were staff apartments belonging to statutory boards, left vacant for four to 10 years. Some had vacancy rates as high as 80 per cent.
In his report, Mr Lim also took the Singapore Tourism Board to task for spending $1.51 million over seven years on feasibility studies, maintenance and reinstatement works to turn Capitol Theatre into a performing arts venue, only to find that it was not a viable project.
The building stood vacant until it was returned to the Singapore Land Authority last year. Mr Lim reckoned the rental revenue foregone to exceed $280,000 a year.
The report also highlighted the lack of transparency in the calls for tender bids and irregularities in payment.
One such irregularity was serious enough to have been referred to the police for investigation.
Acting on an anonymous tip-off alleging favouritism in the awarding of contracts to redevelop the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC), the Auditor-General's Office found irregularities in 92 per cent of the contracts awarded to one contractor and another company with links to the contractor.
As the SDC - which promotes national education here - is related to the Ministry of Defence, Mindef referred the matter to the police in April.
Contacted last night, Mindef said investigations were still underway.
Asked to comment on the loss of rental revenue from buildings left standing empty, director of research and consultancy at real estate company Knight Frank, Mr Nicholas Mak, said that if the vacancy rate is high, the agency overseeing the building should consider marketing it better 'or maybe it should relook at whether it really still needs the apartments'.
But Mr Mak said the solution was less clear-cut in the case of redeveloping a building for commercial use, such as the Capitol Theatre.
'If you are talking about renting it out, sometimes, you have to wait for the right time to enter the market. Or you have to do a lot of upgrading first to redevelop it,' he added.
wycin@sph.com.sg
Last year, charitable donations to non-profit organisations (Institutions of Public Character) increased by more than 50 per cent to S$280 million.
CHARITIES here pulled in a record $820 million last year - a jump of more than 50 per cent from 2006…………… Despite some charity scandals in recent years, Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) - or charities authorised to receive tax-deductible donations such as the NKF - received $820 million last year.
June 26, 2008
MM LEE ON FREAK POLL RESULTS
5 Years all it takes to ruin Singapore'I know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it,'
he says
By Lydia Lim
ONE freak election result is all it will take to wipe out Singapore's
success in building up the city state, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew warned last
night.
This could happen if voters became bored and decided to give the
'vociferous opposition' a chance - out of 'light-heartedness, fickleness or
sheer madness'.
'In five years, you can ruin this place and it's very difficult to pick up
the pieces,' he told 650 participants of a dinner forum at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Mr Lee was responding to a Bangladesh delegate who asked if Singapore would continue to thrive in his absence. The delegate also expressed sorrow at the news of Mrs Lee's illness, and Mr Lee thanked him.
In his reply, Mr Lee returned to themes he has spoken on often - the need for a system to ensure good leaders emerge, and the danger that voters plumping for more opposition MPs might end up with an unintended change of government.
Larger countries rich in resources can survive such a freak outcome, but not Singapore, he said.'When you're Singapore and your existence depends on performance - extraordinary performance, better than your competitors - when that performance disappears because the system on which it's been based becomes eroded, then you've lost everything,' he said.
'I try to tell the younger generation that and they say the old man is playing the same record, we've heard it all before. I happen to know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it.'
He said a country needed three elements to succeed.First, a government that people have confidence in and will trust when tough decisions need to be taken.
Second, leaders who are above board, who make decisions based on necessity, not how they will personally benefit. He said Singaporeans know they have such leaders because, over the years, 'we have not got richer, Singapore has'.
Third and most importantly, a country needs able men in charge.
The problem with popular democracy, he said, is that during elections, candidates are not judged on how well they can govern, but on their persuasive power.
The forum, chaired by Mr Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, was a highlight of the first World Cities Summit and International ater Week.In his opening remarks, Mr Lee spoke for 20 minutes off the cuff, recounting his 40 years of striving to build up Singapore's independent water supply. He was determined because as long as Singapore was totally reliant on its neighbours for water, it would remain a 'satellite'.
During a 30-minute question-and-answer session, participants from around the world probed him about water management and political leadership.
He also presented the first Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize to Dr Andrew Benedek, a pioneer in the field of membrane technology for water treatment.
A key outcome of several sessions held yesterday was the setting up of an informal network of 16 countries - comprising the Asean 10, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand - to share ideas and expertise on how to go about pursuing sustainable development.And the World Bank announced plans to set up in Singapore a regional hub for training urban planners, which will draw on the Republic's success in city development.
lydia@sph.com.sg
Monday June 23, 2008
137 MPs to reject no-confidence motion against PM
MINGGUAN Malaysia has claimed that 137 Members of Parliament have pledged
to reject any attempt to table a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister.
Deputy Backbenchers’ Club president Datuk Bung Moktar Radin said he had also directed its members to get ready and arm themselves with “facts” to defend the Prime Minister if ever such a motion saw the light of day at the Dewan.
“However, as of now, we have not received any information about the tabling of such motion. Tomorrow’s (Monday’s) proceedings will go on peacefully and there will be no extraordinary event,” he said.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee had on Friday
announced that its supreme council had endorsed a no-confidence motion against
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister.
2008 will be remembered as the year of the great escapes.
We have had the MSK Toilet Escape, the Moroccon Prison Escape, the Taliban Prison Escape, and now we have 7 illegal immigrants escaping from a dention centre in the UK.
While not of the same magnitude of escaped terrorists, the damage to image and egos is very evident. First world, developing world, under developed world.... we all make mistakes, so lets not pretend we are infallable.
For those keeping score: Asia - 1, Mideast - 1, Africa - 1, Europe - 1
Escape blunder as Jacqui Smith launches immigration crackdown
By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent Last updated: 8:37 PM
BST 19/06/2008
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, faced embarrassment today after seven illegal immigrants broke out of a detention centre on the day she unveiled a new crackdown on immigration.
Miss Smith revealed a "tough" strategy for tackling offenders and launched it by meeting with police officers carrying out dawn raids on alleged bent solicitors and bogus colleges.
But within hours, news had emerged of a security breach at the Campsfield detention centre in Oxfordshire. Three men who were facing deportation are on the run tonight
Opposition leaders hit out at repeated, "unacceptable" blunders at Campsfield and said the timing of the incident, coinciding with the new policy launch, was "sadly appropriate".
In a raft of new measures, Miss Smith announced that the UK Border Agency would "name and shame" employers who hire illegal immigrants, that those who were convicted and sentenced to a year or more faced "automatic deportation", and launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants obtaining British driving licences.
In the London raids, police arrested at least eight men and women linked with companies they believe helped illegal immigrants to settle in the UK.
Officials believe the firm of solicitors at the centre of the inquiry was issuing false education certificates to them, which they would then use to "enrol" at one of four bogus colleges across London and fraudulently apply for student visas.
Only later did the break-out emerge. Four of the escapees were recaptured by police shortly after the alarm was raised at 4 am, including one, a Libyan with a criminal record, who was found eating tomatoes at the Botanical Gardens in Oxford. The other three remain on the run, Thames Valley Police said.
The break-out happened just five days after a fire at the 215-man Campsfield detention centre, during which around 20 detainees staged a rooftop protest.
There was a riot at the centre last December and 26 detainees escaped from the centre in a mass break-out months before.
Dominic Grieve, Shadow Home Secretary, said: "It is sadly appropriate that a serious and dangerous incident at an immigration detention centre should coincide with the Government's latest attempt at talking tough on immigration. "
Announcing yet another reorganisation of the UK Borders Agency and putting names on a website is no substitute for real action. Naming and shaming is no substitute for catching and convicting.
"All of this shows why we need an integrated Border Police Force bringing together the police with immigration and customs, to make our borders safer and the immigration system less chaotic."
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "This is the fifth major disturbance at Campsfield in little over a year and the second in a week. It raises serious questions about the wisdom of mixing foreign national ex-prisoners with immigration detainees.
"The frequency of fires and escapes suggests there are significant problems with either the Home Office system or the management of Campsfield itself."
Story from Telegraph
FairPrice cuts housebrand prices, a sign of rice getting cheaper?
Loh Chee Kong cheekong@mediacorp.com.sg
AFTER three months of soaring rice prices, consumers can afford to breathe
a little easier for now.
From today, the prices of eight types of NTUC FairPrice’s housebrand rice will be reduced by between 5 and 12 per cent, Singapore’s largest supermarket chain announced yesterday. This marks the first time FairPrice is cutting the prices of its housebrands since rice prices shot up in March.
A 5kg bag of its Thai Fragrant White Rice will cost $7.45, down from $8.50,
while its Thai White Rice (picture) — the cheapest type — will be sold at $6.95
for a 5kg bag, instead of $7.50. Although global rice prices peaked about three weeks ago, the price of rice had been expected to fall in recent months, as major producers in South-east Asia braced themselves for harvesting bumper crops.
But CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun was circumspect on whether the price of
rice would continue to drop across the board, pointing out that the initial spike was triggered by unpredictable factors such as inclement weather and panic-buying.
“At least for now, there is more stability for rice, a staple food here,” he said. “But having said that, the price of rice is still significantly higher than that of a year ago.”
On Wednesday, a survey by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) provided the first indications of a respite for consumers when it revealed that the prices for a handful of imported rice brands, such as Golden Peony and Royal Umbrella, had dipped. But the survey also showed that prices of housebrands had risen in the last month.
FairPrice group chief executive Tan Kian Chew added that the company was “still clearing the existing stock of rice bought at a higher price”.
Mr Tan said: “Due to our prudent buying strategy, we have managed to secure new shipments of rice at a lower price. Although the new shipments will arrive only in end July ... FairPrice is committed to pass on the anticipated savings to our customers.”
Today was unable to reach the other supermarket chains at press time, but Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said that FairPrice’s competitors might
follow suit “if they were concerned with competition”.
Still, Mr Seah added: “In the short run, there would be price rigidity and prices might not go down as much as consumers want to see. But the prices shouldn’t be going up.”
