Outsourcing Pollution to Malaysia?

Taiwan outsourcing Pollution to Malaysia?

A long-running saga has come to the end for a US$12.8 billion attempt by the Kuokuang petrochemical company , which is owned by Taiwan's 43 oercebt state-controlled CPC Group, to build a refinery for the production of petrochemical products such as ethylene, benzene, toluene and xylene. It is the victim of environmental protest. The government instead is now seeking to export its environmental problem to Malaysia.


In early July, the state-run oil refiner CPC Corp, without fanfare, signed an investment agreement with Malaysia's Johor state government to build the integrated refinery and petrochemical plant in the village of Pengerang, Johor. Preceding the move was close to a decade of fierce environmental protest in Taiwan, forcing the island's government to choose between major business interests on the one side and nature and health on the other.


In April 2011, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou opted for the latter, and last month an obviously upbeat Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced that an undisclosed Taiwan-based petrochemicals firm had agreed to invest in a new integrated complex in the south of the country.


But for Taiwan's manufacturing industries, which need the plant to ensure smooth supply for the production chain, the Malaysia twist augurs the emergence of an acceptable solution. But it may be another case for Malaysia, where equally fierce environmental protest has stalled a US$850 million rare earth processing plant being built by Australia’s Lynas Corp. near the east coast city of Kuantan and made the plant a potent political issue.

There is little doubt that Kuokuang's implementation would help drive the Malaysian economy and aid in Najib’s effort to build a regional petrochemical hub in its quest to compete with Singapore.  However, the Taiwanese must ask themselves whether their economy can cope with the precedent of environmentalists driving out a major infrastructure operation that is clearly needed by the rest of the island’s business community. 


According to interviews with analysts in Taipei, confidence is the prevailing mood, along with a certain amount of satisfaction at having cleaned up what was previously one of Asia’s most polluted environments.Ta


“It won't hurt. Taiwan is now still a developing country but is well on its way to becoming like a member state of the EU,” said Winston Dang, former minister of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). “Taiwan must invest in the people's brains in this transitional period, not in high-polluting industries.” Read more.

Judge: Ban on SIS book ‘outrageous’, ‘irrational’

The Court of Appeal today upheld a high court decision to lift a Home Ministry ban of a book entitled “Muslim Women and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism” by Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum (Malaysia).

Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail, who chaired a three-member panel, held that the book was not prejudicial to public order.

“The former home minister’s satisfaction that the book was prejudicial to public order, in absence of any clear evidence of any prejudicial events occurring, was in outrageous defiance of logic, and falls squarely within the realm of unreasonableness and irrationality,” said Abdul Wahab.

He said High Court judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof confined himself properly to his duty in the judicial review brought by SIS Forum, and the judge was correct in finding objectively that the book was not prejudicial to public order.

In dismissing the appeal brought by former home minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar against the High Court’s decision to lift the ban on the book, Abdul Wahab said whether or not the book was against the Islamic Advancement Department’s (Jakim) guideline, was irrelevant to whether the book was prejudicial to public order.

Abdul Wahab said it was the duty of the court to interfere if a decision maker misdirected himself in law, or had taken into consideration irrelevant facts, or did not consider relevant facts.

He said the court must see if there was an abuse or misuse of administrative discretion, whether the discretion was used for the purpose it was given and whether it was fairly and justly exercised.

The unanimous decision was made by the panel comprising Abdul Wahab, Court of Appeal judge Datuk Clement Allan Skinner and High Court judge Mah Weng Kwai.

However, the decision was pronounced by Abdul Wahab in the absence of Skinner who is away in Kota Kinabalu to attend another hearing there.

The court ordered Syed Hamid (i.e the government) to pay RM20,000 in legal costs.

Syed Hamid was named respondent in the judicial review application brought by SIS Forum, which challenged his order to ban the book.Read more.

The World's Shrewdest Con-man

He conned the whole Western world. Abandoned his country and live the high life in exile while his people suffered under China's draconian rule.This guy is no Ghandi, Mandela or Aung San Suu Kyi, he is a coward. The whole world can disagree with me.... do I care? No, he is the world's biggest con-man. (Hantu Laut).



VIENNA - The Dalai Lama's recent visit to Indian-administered Kashmir has aroused much controversy. While the spiritual leader met with Tibetan Muslim refugees settled in the valley, it was his pleas for non-violent resistance in the region that angered separatists.

Arriving on July 12 for a six-day visit that was his first to Kashmir in 24 years, the Dalai Lama called for negotiations between Delhi and insurgents leading a more than two-decade-old anti-Indian rebellion.

"Kashmiri people should live peacefully and if there is any problem, dialogue is the only way [to resolve issues]. Violence is in nobody's interest. A peaceful way is essential," he said in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar.

in nobody's interest. A peaceful way is essential," he said in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar

 in nobody's interest. A peaceful way is essential," he said in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar.

Kashmiri separatist leaders have said that the spiritual leader allowed this visit to be hijacked by the Indian government, as he overlooked the grim reality of human-rights abuses in the region.

"We respect the Dalai Lama ... However, peace cannot prevail till justice is done," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference political front, told a local news agency. Faroog said that the spiritual leader's failure to meet local civil society members and mention Kashmiris killed by Indian security forces was a disappointment to many.

"He did not interact with people, neither did he meet civil society members, rights workers or different shades of political leadership. He did not talk about injustice, killings and human-rights violations," said Faroog.

Another Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Gilani, said the Dalai Lama was being used as a tool by the Indian government. "He should have cleared the very basics about Kashmir and then talked to different sections of society. He is appeasing New Delhi. He should have cleared the very basics about Kashmir and then talked to different sections of society. He is appeasing New Delhi by his utterances."

Armed resistance to Indian rule began in the Kashmir valley in 1989, with some groups calling for independence and others urging union with Pakistan. Although recent years have been relatively peaceful, for the past three summers the valley has been rocked by violent protests, and over 100 Kashmiris were killed in anti-India protests in streets of the Kashmir valley in summer 2010.Read more.

Takuron Bangad - Sabah Froggy Politics

Hantu Laut


Tukaron bangkad, in Dusunic language means "changing shirts".


In Sabah, when a politician do the froggy thing, hopped to another political party to continue fleecing the state to feed his insatiable greed for position, money and power, the polite kampong folks would say he is only "changing shirt"  as the old shirt has become soiled, old and tattered. Kampong people are simple folks and knew no better.They get cheated by sweet talking politicians.


This kind of politician would plead to his constituents that what he did are in the interest of his people and that the present government has failed to take care of the interests of his constituents, so he needs to "takuron bangad" to care for his constituents. 


Jefery Kitingan is one man who cares about Sabah and its people, long suppressed by those colonialist West Malaysians he said.He blamed the West Malaysians for everything wrong with Sabah. He and other Kadazan leaders raised the issues of illegal immigrants and NCR lands when it was those Kadazan leaders in PBS the biggest culprits in selling NCR lands to plantation giants from Peninsula Malaysia during PBS rule. Today most of these big plantations are owned by West Malaysian companies, a legacy left by PBS leaders. Most have joined BN for obvious reason, to continue the legacy of not Sabah for Sabahans but Sabah for themselves.


More often than not, poor Sabahans bought the story and found themselves getting poorer and poorer and these corrupt politicians getting richer and richer. They squandered millions of ill-gotten gains they acquired during their tenure and turned to becoming frogs when they have no more money and position.


This curse on Sabah and its people reverberated everytime the general elections comes around and greedy politicians that have exhausted the largesse in their party would look for excuse to jump ship. 


In the 2008 General Election I wrote this article for Asia Sentinel on Sabah. The elections' result came close to what I wrote, that the BN in Sabah would not lose its majority.


In recent days, two Sabah politicians have announced leaving the BN and courting the opposition without naming any party of choice. Leaving their option open, I suppose........for Najib to persuade them to stay, of course hoping for sweeteners from the Prime Minister. 


Lajim Ukin of UMNO and Wilfred Bamburing of UPKO have tendered their resignations from all party positions but have not resigned from the party for obvious reason.

The two, have in recent months, been critical of the government and party leadership and have upped the ante to rattle Prime Minister Najib, whom they deemed in a precarious position hoping that Najib would persuade them to stay thus giving them the bargaining chip.They are using their kampong cunningness of not resigning from the party first but threatened the party leadership. Lajim is still keeping his minister's position in BN, waiting to be sacked he said. Pigeon-hearted threat that will eventually force them to quit.


Their threats have not moved the seemingly weak Najib who refused to submit to political blackmail, particularly, from political lightweight the likes of Lajim and Bamburing whose grassroots, if any, are confined to the kampong they came from.


Rumours have been circulating that Anwar Ibrahim has offered Lajim the Sabah chief ministership if he joins PKR and if Pakatan win the elections.What he promised Bamburing we don't know yet.He will be attending Bamburing's function this Saturday. 


Anwar would also be breaking fast with Lajim on the same day. This is his last chance, his final fling to be "Malaysia's Next Prime Minister", so anything goes. The man have absolutely no principle. As the Malay idiom "Cakap tak serupa bikin" that's the real Anwar Ibrahim.


Does he care of his payola of corrupt UMNO politicians that he constantly attack, accusing them of massive corruptions.Isn't Lajim an UMNO man that come from the corrupt regime?


Lajim, was also rumored to be Shafie Apdal's man to destabilise Musa Aman. Shafie, aspiring to be Sabah next Chief Minister, reputedly, had given Lajim RM90 million project from his Ministry of Rural Development allocation.


Here, Lajim says his meeting with Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz was in his official capacity as Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister and not as a "frogger". How comes he never visited Nik Aziz before this.


It makes one wonder how Malaysians, particularly, Sabahans give their time of day to listen to the cock and bull stories of these good-for-nothing politicians who should have been sent to the rubbish bin of history long time ago.