RM200m private hospital in KK!

Published on Daily Express: Saturday, January 29, 2011

Kota Kinabalu: A new 200-bed private hospital costing RM200 million will be built this year beside the Sutera Harbour Resort, here, that will further boost Sabah's medical tourism potential. Jesselton Wellness and Parkway Holdings Limited on Friday signed a Master Collaboration Agreement to build the premium hospital named Gleneagles Medical Centre, Kota Kinabalu.
It would be positioned as a premium tertiary care hospital under ParkwayHealth - a brand synonymous with quality patient care and excellent clinical outcomes in the region.
The hospital would be equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities and the latest medical technology to deliver quality patient care and comprehensive healthcare services that are of international standards.
In addition to inpatient, radiology, ancillary and ambulatory services, the hospital would offer specialities such as obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, general surgery, heart and vascular as well as internal medicines.
The groundbreaking ceremony is due in the middle of the year while construction is slated for completion by early 2014. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman witnessed the signing ceremony.
Jesselton Wellness was represented by Warisan Harta Chairman Datuk Ramlee Marhaban while Parkway by its CEO-cum-Managing Director, Dr Tan See Leng.
Under the terms of the agreement, Parkway would lease as well as operate the completed hospital building owned by Jesselton Wellness.
The entire development has an approximate gross development value (GDV) in excess of RM500 million.
"The hospital will be financed through a proposed RM200 million bond. "Danajamin Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's first financial guarantee insurer, has made an offer to guarantee the bonds.
"With this guarantee, the proposed bonds will be wrapped by Danajamin's AAA rating when issued," he said.
He said the medical landscape in Sabah right now is still limited in both options and capabilities. Hence, the Gleneagles Centre he is a critical move to address the urgently rising demand and needs of the population in Sabah.
He said Parkway was the right partner, being one of Asia's leading private healthcare providers with a strong pan-Asian presence and solid industry fundamentals that Sabah can leverage on.
"The successful completion of this project will be another step towards the benchmarks our visionary Chief Minister is setting to develop Sabah.
And with his support, this project has become a reality," he said.
Dr Tan on the other hand said with 40 years of experience and track record in providing hospital management services, clinical expertise and healthcare technology solutions, Gleneagles would continue to work closely with its partners in Sabah to contribute to development of the healthcare sector.
Parkway Holdings Limited has a network of 16 hospitals with more than 3,400 beds throughout Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, India and China.
In Malaysia, it has 12 branches such as in in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh and Klang.

Karamunsing Complex not safe?

Kota Kinabalu: Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) should engage another professional engineer to study the whole structure of the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of Block C Tower, Karamunsing Shopping and Office Complex, here, to satisfy public concerns.
A serious study is warranted to ensure the safety of the occupants and the public.
This was among the recommendations jointly made to DBKK by three professional bodies, namely the Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM), Sabah branch, Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Sabah Branch, and Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) Sabah Chapter, after a series of discussions.
Daily Express reliably learnt that the recommendations were jointly signed by representatives of the three bodies concerned and dated Jan. 24, 2011 and despatched to DBKK on Jan. 25, 2011. The move followed the meeting of the High-Risk Development Technical Committee held on Jan. 3, 2011 and chaired by DBKK. Representatives from the bodies concerned also attended the meeting.
"The first professional engineer had already submitted his detailed report on the matter to DBKK, in which he concluded that the flat slab floor structures are not safe for occupancy. He came up with a comprehensive report after a two-week study.
"So, the second recommendation is that the Mayor must make known this report to the owners of lots in the affected building," the sources said.
Thirdly, it is incumbent upon the Mayor to advise the owners of the lots to conduct their own investigations if they are not satisfied with the report from the first professional engineer.
"It is up to the owners to engage professional engineers to carry out a structural assessment of their respective units."
Fourthly, the sources said, in view of the fact that the Block C Tower and Shopping Complex were built by the same developer, it is advisable for the Mayor ask the main owner of the shopping complex to engage an independent, professional engineer for a similar study.
"Given the existing renovations and ongoing extensions within the shopping complex, this (study) is necessary in the interest of public concern and safety. The public have a right to know whether the shopping complex is safe or otherwise," they pointed out, adding that no piling works were noted.
The sources also said it would be interesting to know who engaged a consultant to do a preliminary investigation on the Block C Tower as reported in the media.
They were commenting on the Mayor's statement that a preliminary investigation by a consultant showed no immediate danger of structural risk to the floor slabs for the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of the Block C Tower.
Meanwhile, a senior Suria Capital official, when contacted, declined comment on the reason/s for deciding to move out of the complex.

Sabahan SPARTA - Next Pit Stop

Sabahan SPARTA

Sabahan SPARTA

Baby Laugh

Joseph Pairin Kitingan

Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan (born August 17, 1940), is a Malaysian politician and was the seventh Chief Minister of Sabah, a state in Malaysia. He held the post from April 1985 to March 1994. Currently, he is the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Rural Development of Sabah and has held the post since March 2004. He is the founder and President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (Sabah United Party).
Pairin was born in Papar. He attended La Salle Secondary School, an all-boys school, located in Kota Kinabalu.^[1] He won a Colombo Plan scholarship and went on to read law at the University of Adelaide and upon completing his study, he came back to Sabah to work as a State Counsel with the Sabah Legal Department and was later made Deputy Public Prosecutor. Subsequently, he practised law with a local legal firm.
Joseph Pairin Kitingan is a Catholic, married to Genevieve Lee, a retired teacher. They have two sons, Alexander and Daniel, who are both trained lawyers.
His brother Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan is also a politician, a former vice-president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after being former member of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Parti Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat (AKAR Bersatu), and United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) and finally Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after the rejection of his application to join United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

The 20 point agreement / 18 point agreement is between made between TWO countries ( Malaya and Sabah / Malaya and Sarawak).

Written by Dr. John Brian Anthony

For further information in regards to the related article, kindly refer to Wikipedia.

Dayakbaru:

Such being the case, no changes can be made on the agreement without the consent of the other. In the case, they seemed to be effort by the Federal Government to put aside this agreement or even ignore this agreement as it gets their way of integrating Sabah and sarawak according to West malaysia UMNO point of views and political agenda.

Sabah and sarawak must NEVER give up on this agreement as it provides us with more autonomy. The founding fathers has the foresight to see the greed of West Malaysian and sadly for Sabah since UMNO has come in and rule Sabah it has lost most of its autonomy. sarawak should continue to fight to uphold the 18 points agreement. While working with PKR those leaders from sarawak MUST insist that Pakatan Rakyat respect and enforce the 18 point agreement when they do come into power.

Monitor and review the implementation of the agreement

The government of Sarawak may like to consider setting a monitoring and reviewing committee to consolidate the implementation status and audit the programme that has been set to comply with the agreement. That will help Sarawak Malaysian to understand how much has been done in respect to the 18 point agreement.

Probably it would be good initiative to trace this document back in the UK to find more detail on the intent, spirit, process and even minutes of discussion leading to the signing of these agreement.

A memorandum for House of Lord in UK

Where is the Cobbold commission report now – probably in UK too. Malaya would never want to show it because the result is 33% want Malaysia, 33% do not want Malaysia and 33% undecided. How they concluded that Sabah and Sarawak should join Malaysia based on the statistics only “Allah” know. The British has some explaining to do to both Sarawak and sabah. Maybe a memorandum should be sent to the House of Lord to ask for explanation on the matter.

What is the agreement all about?

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

Point 1: Religion

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah), and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) was of course essential.

Point 4: Head of Federation

The Head of State in Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) for State Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah).

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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah)

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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) after Malaysia must be federal citizen.

Point 11: Tariffs and Finance

Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo(Sarawak & Sabah)

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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah)

Point 14: Transitional period

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

Point 15: Education

The existing educational system of Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) 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

Sarawak or 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 Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah). Likewise, the National Council for Local Government should not apply in Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah).

*Merger

In 1961, when the Malayan government began discussing a possible merger with neighbouring Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei, problems of ethnic power relations arose again. The “Malaysia” proposal sans Sabah and Sarawak went back more than a decade; earlier negotiations had proved fruitless. The Singaporeans themselves were not anxious to be ruled by what they considered a Malay government. By 1961, however, Singapore had grown receptive to the idea of joining Malaysia, largely because of the prevailing idea at the time that industrial Singapore could not survive without access to Malayan markets.

Singapore Chinese population is a threat to Malaya

The Malayan government was not keen on having the Chinese Singaporean population push the Malays into a minority position in the new Malaysia. Many Malays felt that upsetting the Malay-dominated nature of the armed forces and police might place them in a dangerous situation. It was also argued that the inferior economic position of the Malays would be emphasised by the entry of even more rich Chinese, setting the stage for major discontent.

Malaya get Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia to make use of their native population numbers

The Malayans decided to resolve this by merging with Sabah and Sarawak; both British colonies had large native populations whom the government considered “Malay”. Under Article 160 of the Constitution, most of them were not Malay; the natives were mainly animists or Christians instead of Muslims as required. To resolve this issue, the government expanded its informal definition of “Malay” to include these people.

*The natives of Sarawak and Sabah are to be considered ‘Malays’ by the malayan union to solve their problems.. the ibans, the kenyahs, the bidayus, and etcs… My question is – is this true today or we from Sabah and sarawak being con / cheated by UMNO Malaya?

Floodlights expected to be ready for Sabah's first home match

Published on Daily Express: Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Kota Kinabalu: Repair works on the floodlights at the Likas Stadium are coming along smoothly and will be 100 percent complete in time for Sabah's first home match against Kedah on February 12.
Sabah Sports Board General Manager, Mahmood Kalong said that the repair works, which is being conducted by Philips Lighting, is still under way but is nearing completion.
"At the moment the works is about 60 percent complete and we are confident that it will be fully done by February 7, in time for the inspection by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
"The important thing is that we can meet the lux (luminescent) measure requirement specified by FAM," said Mahmood.
He told reporters this at a media briefing after chairing a meeting with the Sabah Football Association on the progress of the floodlights repairs at the Likas Stadium here, yesterday.
Also present was Sabah Sports Board Deputy General Manager-cum-Engineer, Christopher Lean and Sabah FA Referee Development Officer, Junaidi Ahmad Fauzi.
The repairs, which is believed to cost in excess of RM500,000, involved the purchase of 288 light bulbs, copper cables and various necessary fittings.
Mahmood said the repair works, which began on January 17, would be completed on time and possibly ahead of schedule if weather conditions permit.
"We cannot conduct the works in rainy weather or when it's windy because the risk would be too high.
"Therefore we hope the weather would lighten up so we can complete the works earlier," he said.
The floodlights were built in 1990 and have not been replaced until now.
A total of 102 light bulbs were found faulty during the repair works.
Each of the four poles comprises 72 light bulbs.

Aid for Penampang landslide victims

Published on Daily Express: Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Penampang: Moyog Assemblyman Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin and the Rotary Club of Penampang paid a visit to the victims of the recent landslide at Kg Kebidaan Kibabaig here, Monday, to provide them with aid. According to Donald, he has also requested the relevant departments to assist in whatever way possible.
"The District Council has already deployed excavators to clear the landslide and after this, we will ask geologists to come in to look at the stability of the area.
"In terms of aid, each affected family has been provided with RM2,000 in cash and RM1,000 in food supplies.
Donald also thanked the Rotary Club of Penampang for helping to the affected families.
"The most important thing now is to ensure that the water gets out and a proper drainage to stabilise the area. I will ask the engineers from the Public Works Department (JKR) on what can be done.
Perhaps they can also arrange a road to be built to the area," he said.
Meanwhile, Rotary Club of Penampang member Datuk George Anthony Ginibun said the Club only found out about the disaster after reading about it in the local papers and decided to lend a helping hand by providing aid to the victims.
"One of the duties of the Rotary Clubs is to give assistance to those in need, especially during times of disaster.
"There are currently seven Rotary Clubs in Sabah, so in case there are future disasters and people need assistance, they can contact any of the clubs to assist them, " he said.

Impact of the hike in oil price!

Expert says that the increased in fuel price in Malaysia is unnecessary as Malaysia is not importing but exporting oil to other Countries. Even without subsidy, the profit gained by Petronas from the export of oil could sustain our oil price to just below RM2.00 per liter.

Why then our country still increasing oil price little by little and claiming that Government could no longer able to subsidize oil price in the future.

What do you all think? Do comment ya.

KARAMUSING SHOPPING COMPLEX - 7th 8th an 9th floor Block C Tower

An email in circulation pertaining to KARAMUNSING SHOPPING COMPLEX. 

HOW FAR IS IT TRUE, BELOW IS THE EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM THE UNKNOWN SOURCE. 

It was reported during the last ACEM excom meeting 
that there were some issues at the above captioned building/place:
The report declared the 3 floors - 7th, 8th and 9th floor, Tower 
Block C, Karamunsing Shopping Complex as unsafe. 

At this point in time, no copy of the report as it 
is the property of Suria Capital Sdn Bhd (SCHB).
It was reported that  SCHB had moved out to Menara Jubilee as a 
result of the findings.

The user of 7th 8th and 9th floor was Suria Capital Sdn Bhd (SCHB):
There were serious vibration reported on the above mentioned 3 floors.

The investigation revealed that the design was proper and adequate 
except the workmanship during construction. It was reported that 
the concrete strength was also adequate, however there were deflection 
as much as 3" or more on all the 3 floors. Certain crucial reinforcement 
were apparently not in the correct position resulting in very short 
lever-arm and hence structurally inadequate. With age and the effect 
of creeps, the deflection can only get worst. The 3 floors were reported 
to be in a "plastic" stage, and it was declared unsafe.

DBKK had issue letters to owners of the affected property to carry out 

investigation on their own properties. It was reported that the property 

owners especially those who rented out their premises will not comply as 

it has serious implication on the value of their "investment" and as to 

who is going to pay for the investigation and so on? This economic 

considerationis understandable,but as professionals and in a situation 

where the public safety/lives is at stake, we cannot be seen to be sitting

back and doing nothing.
One obvious thing we must understand is that a sudden collapse of 
a building will  result in heavy toll on the lost of lives and properties.

Subsequently, it is going to have a serious repercussion on the 

engineering profession. 

PBS expects KDM to be named next KK Mayor

Published on Daily Express: Sunday, January 23, 2011

Kota Kinabalu: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Secretary-General Datuk Henrynus Amin is confident that top Kadazandusun and Murut civil servants, including those categorised as Sino-Natives, Muslim or Non Muslim, would also be considered for the post of Mayor of Kota Kinabalu.
He said late last year, PBS had given its views in writing to the top Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership on the general issue of power sharing within BN to reflect the multi-ethnic character of the State.
Henrynus refuted opposition accusations that PBS had not been vocal on the issue of power sharing or that the BN Government was not listening to the people's grievances.
"PBS is a responsible member of the State BN coalition government and would not fall into the opposition trap of politicising the mayor's appointment," he said Saturday.
He said Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman, who is also State BN Chairman, had assured PBS of his firm commitment to listen to the grievances of component political parties.
Meanwhile, Henrynus commended the current Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim over a job well done during his tenure. His term is due to end next month.
The Chinese community has also been lobbying for one from its community to be named for the post.
Upko has also voiced support for a KDM Mayor while opposition DAP said the choice should fall on a non-Muslim native.

'Rubber price soars but Sabah tappers not smiling'

Published on Daily Express: Sunday, January 23, 2011

Kota Kinabalu: The price of rubber has soared but rubber tappers in Sabah are not smiling because they are getting late payments from the Sabah Rubber Industries Board (SRIB).
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) took SRIB and the Government especially, to task for delaying payments to the rubber tappers up to more than a week.
Its Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah, said most of the rubber tappers are villagers who depend on the sales of their rubber to make ends meet.
"But, we received information that the SRIB has delayed the payments after collecting rubber sheets from the kampung people.
"The price of rubber has increased to RM8.90 per kilo but these kampung people are not really benefiting from it," he said in a statement, Saturday.
Chong said he also received information that some of the rubber tappers even had to use the "payment vouchers" from SRIB as a collateral to borrow money from loan sharks.
"This is saddening. Does the Government ever consider the hardship that these people have to endure?
"They wake up early in the morning to tap rubber and despite putting up with the mosquito bites, among others, their effort is not appreciated.
"The Government instead owe the poor people. Why can't the payments be released early?
The price of rubber is so good but the rubber tappers in Sabah are not smiling," he said.
"SAPP believes the so-called 'People First, Performance Now' slogan of the Barisan Nasional is merely a tool to hoodwink the people," he said.

Burnt D'ggongon market to be demolished, rebuilt

Published on Daily Express: Sunday, January 23, 2011

Penampang: The district market, which was partly destroyed by fire in the middle of last year, will be demolished and rebuilt.
District Council Chairman William Sampil told reporters this while accompanying Penampang MP Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Kapayan Assemblyman Datuk Edward Khoo and Moyog Assemblyman Datuk Donald Mojuntin on a Chinese New Year round at Donggongon, Saturday.
During the round, they also took time to visit the burnt market.
"The conceptual architecture drawing will be submitted to us next week and the reconstruction of the new market will start as soon as possible once everything is ready," he said, thanking all, particularly the open stall operators, for being patient.
The other market (opposite the burnt market) which houses the wet section is currently being renovated, he said.
The burnt market, which housed the vegetable, meat and food stall sections, has become a subject of complaint among the affected traders and been turned into a political issue by the opposition.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had announced an immediate rebuilding of the gutted building.
On the landslide at Kg Kebidaan in Kibabaig, here, William said they have already cleared the debris.
He said the Thursday morning incident affected only two houses located at the foothill, while another two homes on the hill had their road access cut off.
An earth drain will also be built in the said area to smoothen water outflow, he said, adding the Welfare Services Department had also come in to give assistance to the affected families.

Snapshot using Canon 1000D

Snapshot at one corner in 1 Borneo!

Very cute dog

I happened to attend my friend's engagement and saw this cute dog.

What do you think? Cute?

One of the finest Drink! CORDON BLEU

I may say that this is one of my favourite drink. Value for money:)

How about you?

Teacher runs amok with sword

Published on Daily Express: Thursday, January 20, 2011

Kudat: A group of teachers ran helter-skelter and hid in a mangrove swamp for about 10 hours after one of their colleagues went berserk and threatened them with a Samurai sword in the middle of the night.
The man, in his 30s, went over to the teachers' quarters and flayed his sword on the wall, rousing the startled teachers from sleep.
The incident took place at about midnight Sunday at Kg Sabur in Banggi Island, off here, where he and the group of teachers taught at SK Sabur.
It was learnt that one of the teachers opened the door and saw him brandishing the sword, waving it threateningly at them and striking it on the wall.
Fearing for their lives, the 14 teachers dashed out of their quarters and into the swamp to hide, emerging only after they heard the police turn up at about 10am Monday.
District Police Chief DSP Dawi Ossen on Wednesday said police who were alerted by one of the teachers could not get there sooner owing to strong winds and stormy conditions in the sea.
Explaining that they had to call for help from the police air wing, he said a helicopter and boat finally got to the island where police lost no time in arresting the man.
It was learnt that the teacher from Ranau is married to a local and has also been teaching in the school for eight years.
Dawi said police nabbed him near his house not far from the school at about 10am.
"During the arrest, he did not struggle and we also confiscated the weapon used from him.
However, police are still investigating the cause of his behaviour."
He said the suspect remained quiet when questioned by police and that they had also spoken to his wife who is traumatised and at a loss as to why her husband behaved in such a manner.
He added that the teacher would be remanded for four days from Wednesday under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation which is punishable by a prison term of up to two years or with a fine or both.

RM3 Billion Crocker Range tunnel awaits nod

Published on Daily Express: Thursday, January 20, 2011

Keningau: The district will be developed into a leading tourist destination in Malaysia with the construction of a RM3 billion tunnel penetrating the Crocker Range in the near future, if approved.
Assistant Rural Development Minister, Datuk Hj Sairin Karno, said the proposed 54km tunnel will begin in Apin-Apin, Keningau and end in Kinarut, Papar.
Proposal for construction of the tunnel has been forwarded to Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan and the Public Works Department, he said.
"Three months ago the Government approved construction of a bridge built over 78km from Kedah and Perak to the added cost of RM1.3 billion, while a recent project as far as 68km in Negeri Sembilan, costing RM700 million were also approved.
"Therefore, it won't be too much if the tunnel project in Keningau is approved by the Government, considering the fact that Sabah remains a 'Fixed Deposit' to the Barisan Nasional," said Sairin.
With the tunnel, there will be another significant landmark for tourist attraction in the country, and should there be water shortage in Kota Kinabalu, Keningau can supply water from the Pegalan river through the tunnel, he said again.
"It depends on the creativity of PWD to undertake construction of the tunnel because, although the construction cost is rather expensive, the results will benefit and profit the country greatly," he said.
Sairin, who is also Liawan Assemblyman, urged PWD to improve road conditions along Keningau-Kimanis as it is an important way of communication between Keningau and other West Coast areas.
"In meetings with the Deputy Chief Minister and also the PWD recently, we have recommended for the Keningau-Kimanis road to be upgraded so it is no longer so high and steep," he said.
Meanwhile, Sairin said the 10th Malaysia Plan will see a lot of development occur in this area including the construction of a UiTM in Sook, a UMS in Apin-Apin, a new hospital worth RM200 million and a religious boarding school worth RM55 million.
"Therefore, we will continue to be optimistic for the authorities to improve infrastructure in this area, especially electricity, in order for people in all areas may experience the life in a free country.
"I have often urged the Government to expedite the process of expanding the electricity supply to areas such as the 16th mile Keningau-Kimanis road because this area has high potential in attracting tourists to come here," said Sairin.

Paddy Field View, Penampang

Paddy field view right after grass clearing. Melayu bilang...lepas kena radu bah.

Once upon a time in Manila

My visit to Manila in 2010. Crowded city but surprisingly the level of tolerance among drivers is amazing. I wish such behavior exists in Malaysia.

 

Lokawi Zoo, Sabah

If you all plan to visit Sabah, do not forget to visit this mini zoo in Lokawi Sabah. It is not that big as Zoo Negara but it is worth a visit.

Motivational Theme

"LOVE IS THE VOICE UNDER ALL SILENCES."
                                                       E.E CUMMINGS

View of Kota Kinabalu City from Signal Hill

Kota Kinabalu is the capital city of Sabah. These pictures were taken from Signal Hill observation tower. The development of this city is so rapid for the past few years. Enjoy the view.

Land Slides on 20th January 2011 at Kg Kibabaig, Penampang Sabah

Act of God such as natural disaster could not be controlled by a mere human being. Its impact and timing of occurrence no one will be able to predicts. This was what happened on 20th January 2011 at Kibabaig Village in the District of Penampang. Luckly no one was killed but unfortunately lots of properties were damaged. It is hope that the relevant authorities would speed up the aids to the victims.

History Subject is to be made compulsory in SPM!

Once again, the Malaysia Ministry of Education made a decision to make History Subject a compulsory pass in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. The big question was on whether all the relevant facts were being included in the History Subjet, especially on the Formation of Malaysia. This is to ensure that all significant facts pertaining to Sabah and Sarawak have been properly reflected in the subject so all Malaysian are learning the correct and transparent history subject. For example, the 20 points* need to be highlighted in the subject in detail.

Failure to incorporate these facts would mean History Subject is not complete.


Note: *20 points - Points to be agreed upon between Sabah & Federal on Sabah joining Malaysia.