Lim Guan Eng says Penang should find out how it lost out despite the advantage it has as a regional tech hub. GEORGE TOWN: Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow has been urged to explain how the state has lost a multi-million ringgit integrated circuit (IC) design project to Selangor. His predecessor Lim Guan Eng said Penang should find out how it has lost the game despite the advantage it has as a regional tech hub. “Penang should have vied for the project in the first place,” Lim said. In response, Chow said Penang is still committed to boosting its economy through strategic investment ..read more

  Feeling cheated by the “empty” promises of politicians, voters from five estates in the Kuala Kubu Baharu state constituency have set a condition for candidates vying for their votes in the upcoming by-election. According to the group’s representative Vasudevan Raja Manickam, candidates who want their votes must sign a statutory declaration (SD) promising to fulfil all their election promises. Vasudevan said this is because the estate dwellers are “tired” of being repeatedly “conned” by elected representatives. “We don’t want to get cheated again by empty promises ..read more

The introduction of the Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) Account 3 or Flexible Account is seen as one of the institution’s alternatives to meeting the emergency needs and funds of its contributors in tackling life’s challenges before retiring. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad Economics and Social Finance head Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said EPF has mapped out a perfect distribution since Account 1 or the Retirement Account still represents the largest proportion in the account hierarchy of its members. “This means more than two-thirds of EPF savings in Account 3 will give a lot of space to cont ..read more

The proposed third account of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is an epic flaw because it does not focus on increasing retirement benefits or future investments but provides an avenue to withdraw at any time up to 10 percent of contributions from May. The government wants to palm this off as a superior savings plan which is better than that of the banks as the EPF dividend rates are typically much higher. The trouble is that the principal is carved out of funds intended for retirement, reducing them. It will result in extra EPF withdrawals from members, leading to a poorer quality of life l ..read more

  Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which translates into People’s Justice Party, held a convention on April 21 to celebrate its Silver Jubilee, where members reflected on the past and discussed the future of the party. The party was formed on April 4, 1999 largely to save Anwar Ibrahim – who had been sacked as deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president and was then on trial for offences which many believed were trumped up. The party was also formed to rid national politics of corruption, cronyism and nepotism. Its “reformasi” cry resonated with his followers and civil society organisati ..read more

  Peace is a state of non-suffering as well as a celebration of life. We now know from many spiritual teachers that we can make a choice to live in peace within our own hearts, that we can actually choose not to suffer and choose instead to live in gratitude and love. Not only that, but we are also learning that finding and claiming that peace within us is essential to creating a world at peace. Because all of life is interconnected, our fear, hatred and anger decrease the peace in the world, whereas our love, joy and gratitude increase the peace. Why is peace important? Without it, the ..read more

  ALL academic programmes associated with US academician Bruce Gilley have been cancelled in University Malaya (UM). Recently, the professor of political science at Portland State University in the US spoke on the topic of Malaysia as a rising middle power. In his speech, Gilley said it would be difficult for Malaysia to aspire for middle power given the country’s low level of relationship with the US. Furthermore, he noted that Malaysia cannot aspire to be one when it is “pushing for a second holocaust against the Jews in the state of Israel”. While it was certainly alright for Gilley ..read more

  ONE wonders if UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh should have refrained himself from overly ‘wielding’ his populist/nationalist stance by praising as “brave” the action of an immigration officer who prevented an elderly mother of a man in Penang from renewing her passport because she could not speak Malay. After all, such untimely behaviour can be detrimental to the chances of the Pakatan Harapan -Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance which already has a mountain to climb in its quest to defend the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) state constituency in the upcoming by-election slated for May ..read more

  Seramai 40,226 pemilih layak mengundi pada PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu termasuk pengundi Orang Asli yang mewakili kelompok kecil. (Gambar Bernama) PETALING JAYA: Penyertaan Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (Asli) pada PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu dijangka hanya akan mengecilkan 4,119 undi majoriti dinikmati Pakatan Harapan (PH) pada PRN tahun lalu, kata penganalisis. Kelmarin, FMT melaporkan Asli akan mempertaruhkan seorang ahli perniagaan muda yang juga anak orang Asli Selangor sebagai calon pada PRK 11 Mei itu. Azmi Hassan dari Akademi Nusantara berkata walaupun Kuala Kubu Baharu menjadi medan pertama A ..read more

  Zaid Ibrahim said it is challenging for Perikatan Nasional to gain a foothold among Chinese voters. PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said while Perikatan Nasional could mount a credible campaign in the run-up to the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, it will not be able to attract sizeable non-Malay support. Zaid, a former PKR and DAP member, said PN should refrain from displaying “extreme tendencies” or making fiery speeches. PN must also present itself as a responsible party ready to take over the reins of government, he said. “But there lies the problem. PN will not be ab ..read more