IT is the biggest island in Malaysia, and yet Pulau Banggi, located on the northern tip of Sabah, is virtually unknown to most Malaysians, especially those from the peninsula.  

It would not be wrong to describe Pulau Banggi, just an hour’s boat ride from Kudat, 190km north of Kota Kinabalu, as the country’s most forgotten island.  

Obviously neglected by the state's politicians, the 440 sq kilometre island has one of the highest poverty rates in the country.  

I had the opportunity of making a trip to this island a few years ago. Spending a night in a hotel located above a Chinese coffeeshop in Kudat, I flew to the island by helicopter.  

The then Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee told me that semenanjung journalists had to open their eyes to see why rural development was important.  

I have never forgotten what I saw on that island. The majority of the people had no access to basic amenities like electricity and piped water supply and fixed-line telephone.  

It was a shock for me to see Malaysians walking around the villages wearing just loincloth. 

But that was 10 years ago. I believe there has been much improvement since then but it's still not enough. 

I remember telling myself that their representative, Datuk Amirkahar Tun Mustapha, whom the people kept returning to the constituency, had not done much to improve the place.  

The 56-year-old politician was first voted to the Banggi seat in 1985 as an Usno candidate and remained as one to this day. In the 2004 polls, he won with a narrow 392-vote majority against an independent candidate and another from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.  

He has been lucky. To put it mildly, he needs to do a “quantum leap” for his faithful constituents if he still wants to represent them. 

The chaotic politics in Sabah then, where voters lose track of the elected representatives' political affiliation, also meant that development in their areas remained on the backburner.  

The visit not only opened my eyes but also stirred me. The images of the people there remained until today.  

Next week, the Prime Minister will travel to this island to launch a programme to help these 20,000 people, who comprise the smallest group of the indigenous people of Malaysia.  

Among the largest ethnic groups are the Bonggis who speak Molbog, a language of the southern Palawans in the Philippines, and the Orang Sama, who are known as the Sea Gypsies.  

Under the Government’s High Impact Rural Development Programme, via the agropolitan concept, 2,600ha have been set aside by Felcra Bhd for rubber planting and fishing cultivation.  

The majority of the islanders are fishermen but Felcra has plans to turn them into settlers by employing them as rubber-tappers for a start.  

The settlers may eventually generate an income of between RM900 and RM1,200 a month, which will be a quantum leap for them. 

About 300,000 rubber seedlings will be brought in from the peninsula and planted on the island, where 3,000 people are regarded as the hardcore poor.  

The Government has also planned to set up a hybrid solar system to provide them electricity supply on a 24-hour basis. 

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein Onn had made a trip to Pulau Banggi recently. At present, the children there often have only four days of schooling as the teachers, all from the peninsula, stay on the mainland.  

Many of the children walk to school with no shoes on, according to Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Aziz Shamsuddin, who has a strong understanding of the problem in Sabah.  

“Many (of the local people) had never seen RM500 in their entire lives, and when they got their salaries, many bought shoes for their children, who had to walk to school without shoes daily,” he said.  

A government official said some of the Felcra participants of Pulau Banggi had never left their home before although Kudat was just an hour away.  

When a workshop was held in Kudat recently, several of them had to be taught how to turn on the tap at the hotel while others used the lift for the first time.  

There is much to be done and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must be commended for remembering the people of Pulau Banggi.  

He has decided to change the lives of these people and every effort must be made to ensure the success of this project after the fanfare of the launch is over.  

Security needs to be beefed up to ensure that illegal immigrants, who have long been a thorny problem on the island, do not get the slice of the cake.  

There was a plan to log 4,000ha of timber land involving powerful Sabah businessmen and South Koreans but this was stalled following protests by the islanders.  

Give the people of Pulau Banggi, who have long been loyal voters of the Barisan Nasional, a chance. The electoral code for Banggi is N1 but unfortunately, it has remained neglected. 

However, now that the Prime Minister has given his personal attention to the place, the politicians in Sabah have better sit up. 

IT was merely a news item in a newspaper known more for its sensational news on crime and celebrities. Most Malaysians probably did not even know about the controversy as it was ignored by major dailies, but it did make its way around the world. 

From the United States to Down Under, the call by the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students to ban Gwen Stefani’s concert in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 21 was given coverage. 

The student group claiming to have 10,000 members achieved notoriety with a statement by its vice-president Abdul Muntaqim who purportedly said that the singer’s performance and attire were not suitable for Malaysian culture. 

He reportedly said “it promotes a certain degree of obscenity and will encourage youths to emulate the Western lifestyle”.  

Union president Mohamed Hilmi Ramli warned that the concert be cancelled, “failing which we will ask the authorities to intervene”. 

Fuyoh! I am not sure whether Abdul Muntaqim and Mohamed Hilmi have watched Stefani’s videos but, seriously, my friend, no MTV fan can agree with you that flat-chested Stefani would fall under the sexy category. 

Like many Malaysians, I am deeply troubled by the perception of these students.  

The American singer, who is a mother of one, does not have an image problem and neither is she a frequent rehabilitation visitor, like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan. If we look at our own shores, we have Jamal Abdillah. I don’t recall the union pressing for a ban of his shows. 

Yes, we can expect the diva, who has sold over tens of millions of albums worldwide, to kick up a storm with her Harajuku Girls, the four back-up singer-dancers from Japan, but certainly none of us would suffer moral decay, as the paranoid students fear.  

The students are of course entitled to their views although I am surprised that they even deserve a space in that newspaper or that a reporter could have called them up for reaction to spice up the story and create controversy. 

But how we wish that these students would speak up with the same passion against corruption, racism and abuse of power, which their predecessors had done at Universiti Malaya. 

As an undergraduate from 1968 to 1971, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the president of the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students and his cause then was rural poverty and hunger. It certainly was not pop concerts! 

We have also not seen any statement from them to protest against the cruelty of the Talibans, which Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar has spoken against. Shame on them that they have to pick on a trivial matter like Stefani’s concert. 

This is not the first time. I remember during the 1980s, when I was a student at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, that these PAS-inclined students demonstrated against the Alleycats’ concert in campus. 

Here was a group of non-Malay singers performing Bahasa Malaysia songs to a packed audience of racially-mixed students and just outside were the demonstrators. Around the same time, another group of students staged a protest against Sheila Majid at Universiti Malaya. 

PAS, for example, used to protest against pop concerts, using the same argument. But even the Kelantan state government has loosened up a bit by allowing concerts by Malay singers, never mind if the audience at these shows are gender segregated. 

Realising the need to win young voters and shed its ultra-conservative image, the party leadership has attempted to take a more moderate view, even acknowledging that entertainment is acceptable.  

Presumably, younger leaders like Datuk Husam Musa and Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar have managed to re-brand PAS to be more palatable.  

PAS leaders like Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat used to argue differently, but for the sake of political expediency, different views are now being put up. 

Still, there are rumblings from certain sections of the party against TV3’s successful Jom Heboh series of concert-trade promotion shows, supposedly because of the free mingling of sexes. It is hardly convincing but there are enough PAS supporters who hold this view.  

Despite the huge publicity given to the student body’s statement by newspapers and websites abroad, including one headlined Malaysia says no to Gwen Stefani show, and an introductory paragraph in Music, a popular American pop music site, that said “Those crazy Malaysians are at it again – citing indecency and provocativeness, the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students has called Gwen Stefani obscene and offensive,” the fact is that it does not speak for the rest of Malaysians.  

Some of us lucky ones are going to Stadium Putra to party to Stefani’s music and have fun!  

It has taken decades but better late than never – our ministers, their deputies and parliamentary secretaries have been ordered to quit their positions in sports associations with immediate effect. 

The mentris besar and chief ministers have been spared but seriously, there is no basis why these state executives should be excluded. They should just follow suit.  

The mentris besar of Kedah, Selangor and Negri Sembilan readily said they would give up their sports positions but Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon insisted on staying on as the Football Association of Penang president, claiming “there is still so much to do.” 

Tan Sri, it is an old political cliché. Even the ordinary voters have grown tired of such talk, what more the thousands of football fans who generally feel that our politicians have let them down in the development of sports, especially football.  

Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, besides being the state football chief, has the reputation of being the busiest administrator as he helms three national bodies – the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union, the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia and the Kabbaddi Association of Malaysia. 

For that matter, even the members of royalty should emulate the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin who has decided to step down as the chairman of the KL World Endurance (Equestrian) Cup. On July 15, the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, resigned as deputy president of the Football Association of Malaysia.  

From politicians to royalty, many have served in the top positions of the various sports associations for years. Despite clinging on to these posts, the standards of the sports that they claimed to be committed to have certainly not improved, if not, worsened. 

The management of the various state teams, to put it mildly, is in a shambles. Players regularly complain that they have not been paid while there is fierce politicking for posts in these associations. 

One reason why politicians began to appear in the sports scene was that they realised that sports had a big impact on Malaysians. There is a huge following, particularly in football, and the high profile clearly appealed to politicians, who thrive on publicity.  

At the international level, sports officials are courted and given the red carpet welcome, whenever there is a bid to host a particular international event such as the Olympics and the World Cup. The lobbying is fierce, as the economic benefits to the host cities are tremendous and these officials know their votes matter. 

Reports of allegations of corruption in the Federation of International Football and the International Olympic Council have long been documented. 

We are not suggesting that our sports officials are corrupt. In fact, politicians have been roped in to help sports associations financially. Their political clout certainly helped secure sponsorships. 

Getting training grounds, including state stadiums, is also made easier when someone with the political muscle calls.  

It is not something new. The late Datuk Harun Idris, the former Selangor Mentri Besar, was actively involved in football and helped produced legendary Malaysian players like Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh and R. Arumugam. As MB from 1964 to 1976, he was also the Selangor Football Association president. 

The colourful Umno strongman got his players jobs, and sometimes, lorry permits.  

But it is doubtful whether politicians these days have the skill, the time and the patience to do an effective job in sports associations. If they really feel strongly about helping these sports bodies, there is nothing to stop them from being advisers on an unofficial basis.  

So who will fill the vacuum left by them? There is no reason why retired sportsmen and sportswomen cannot hold such positions. They have the experience and technical expertise.  

They may not have the political skills sometimes required to steer their associations through choppy waters but given the support, these retired sports persons can also develop these qualities. 

There is also nothing to stop corporate figures, top policemen and civil servants from heading sports associations. With their networking, they, too, can help build their sports teams.  

The problem is that if you are a Cabinet minister, mentri besar, chief minister or a member of royalty, our culture is such that there would be a reluctance to openly let them know their failures. 

Malaysians have a reverence for people in authority, especially royalty, and for government servants, they would even be less willing to speak up against their superiors. .  

It is certainly a big step towards the development of sports in Malaysia. For those who still do not understand, the writing is on the wall.  

IT WAS a loaded statement by Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan – that he was framed by his own men resulting in him being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency. 

Certain parties within the police force, the country’s top cop said, had fixed him and he warned his colleagues not to abuse their powers. 

On the same day Musa made his remarks to a newspaper, two packages containing 12-gauge shotgun cartridges were found, addressed to him. 

The parcels, which also contained a threatening note, were discovered by workers at the Bintulu post office.  

Coincidentally, it was in this Sarawak town that he recently ordered operations against gangs in the area. 

That was not all. Musa also found corruption allegations against him on the Internet through the postings of bloggers, particularly Malaysia Today’s Raja Petra Kamaruddin. 

There is a strong suspicion that powerful figures are involved and those familiar with the functions of the force have followed closely its developments, if not, with some concerns that there is disunity within the top brass of the force. 

The IGP’s feud with Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum is well publicised and, until today, conflicting statements continue to come out from both sides. 

Within the force, there is discontent over the transfer of certain senior officials, the result of Musa's fight against corruption.  

The sentiment is that Musa has been overzealous in his task while others said it would be impossible for him to make radical changes overnight, especially when certain problems are entrenched. 

Since he took over as IGP, he has made it compulsory for all policemen to declare their assets every six months. The lifestyles of his officers have also come under his scrutiny. If they were to buy or sell property, Musa has ordered them to update their records and declare them. 

He has also made his mobile phone numbers known to most members of the force, even constables, to keep him updated on the feelings of the rank and file. 

Musa has also been credited with giving non-Malays and women a bigger role in the police leadership. 

His appointments include Commissioner Datuk Christopher Wan (CID director), Deputy Commissioner Datuk Koh Hong Sun (Penang CPO), SAC I Datuk Wee Beng Ghee (deputy narcotics director), SAC I Datuk Robiah Abdul Gani (Pahang deputy CPO), SAC I Zubaidah Md Ismail (deputy director of logistics) and SAC II A. Thaivegan (head of management, Sarawak). 

But some of his quick-fix solutions, said to be not well received, has hurt him as well as affected the morale of the force.  

Strongly-worded letters, it is said, have been sent to him by his senior colleagues. 

At the same time, there is a public outcry at the number of high-profile crimes nationwide, especially in Johor Baru.  

The police have produced figures to rebut claims of increasing crime rates but these statistics mean nothing to ordinary Malaysians who feel the force have not done their job effectively. 

In short, Musa’s hands are full as he takes his battle on all fronts. From fighting criminals to saboteurs within the force, Musa’s job has become harder. 

The IGP’s seat has always been a hot one, but while Musa has plenty of detractors the lanky policeman also has many backers who support what he is doing. 

To many top political leaders and the media, he is regarded as a clean policeman. A clean policeman, if that is the perception, would surely have a difficult job to handle because mud, whether real or imaginary, would be hurled at him. It would also be difficult to find a man like Musa, especially when powerful forces would want to see him out. 

From gaining the respect of his men to the company that he keeps, Musa must understand that he needs to be above board. He must be sensitive to what people say, in fact. 

It is important to note that his tenure has been extended by the Prime Minister, which is a clear endorsement by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.  

Talk that the Prime Minister’s recommendation was rejected by the Council of Rulers was pure humbug as the matter was never discussed at all. After all, the Rulers know that is the prerogative of the Executive. 

Last week, Abdullah said he wanted to put a stop to comments about graft claims on Musa and former Anti-Corruption Agency chief Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor as they have been cleared of allegations of corruption and criminal misconduct or abuse of power. 

Musa stays in a single-storey house in Petaling Jaya and is not known for any extravagance but even with his squeaky-clean image, as the top policeman, he has come under scrutiny by his men and politicians, and the public at large.  

He has to accept the fact that in any organisation, whether private or public, there would always be resentment, jealousy and envy.  

That comes along with the perks, Tan Sri.  

IT’S always easy to point fingers at someone for a screw-up. In this case, it’s Senator Tajulurus Mohd Zain of the Merbok Umno division who demanded the sacking of Malaysia Airlines managing director Datuk Idris Jala for a series of flight delays and cancellations recently.  

Some politicians, who assume they are very important, are fuming because they have been affected by these delays and the person they hold responsible is the MAS chief executive officer. 

There is no doubt that there are internal problems in the national airline, probably much more than what has been admitted by Idris himself. But the man must be credited for doing his job – to cut losses, make profits for MAS and retain the airline’s brand name. 

He has introduced the private sector culture into the once ailing airline including having the appraisal system for its 19,500 staff. This has never been done since the airline was set up but it is a common, if not mandatory practice, in private companies.  

There has to be some yardstick to measure a worker’s productivity and performance but word is that there is resistance. Needless to say, an automatic increment or promotion will affect the operating costs of the airline. 

Last week, Tajulurus, who is a member of the Senators’ Club, called for Idris’ dismissal to prevent a further “sliding of services” by the national carrier. 

MAS, he said, was fast losing its credibility and its services was regressing from “bad to worse,” adding that Idris should leave and MAS was bogged down with internal problems.  

Tajulurus has chosen to overlook some basic facts – Idris has only been on the helm for a little over one-and-a-half years, taking a job which nobody wanted as the balance sheet of the company read like a horror book.  

Inheriting a mountain of problems, Idris has slowly built up the airline. The task has been difficult, particularly when politicians interfere, but to his credit, Idris has chosen to be forward-looking, refusing to answer questions from reporters who often attempt to dig for information about the company’s scandalous past. 

From flying to unprofitable destinations, in the name of South-South co-operation, to overpriced nasi lemak, to some members of the royalty who refused to pay for their tickets and overweight baggage, Idris has tried to reduce the obstacles one by one, fully aware that he is stepping on sensitive areas. 

In just a year after Idris took over, MAS returned a first-quarter 2007 profit of RM133mil. It’s a feat, really. 

Tajulurus may be unhappy but OSK Investment Research, for example, retained its “buy” call for MAS on July 17 despite the bad press involving delays blamed on technical glitches, bad weather and problems with a new computer system. 

In short, Idris has tried to avoid political and commercial turbulences, which Malaysians are familiar with, and at the same time, show other CEOs he can make MAS fly again, yielding positive results. 

Malaysians are also looking forward to its low-cost subsidiary, Firefly, which is expected to begin operate flights from Subang and Senai to Ipoh. 

OSK also reported that “we maintain our buy call on expectations of a code-sharing agreement with a Chinese airline which will help bolster connectivity starting in 2008,” it said. 

There are challenges ahead for MAS – by Jan 1, 2009, Asean would have opened up its skies, making the airline industry highly deregulated – that means more traffic rights to airlines with the possibility of supply outstripping demand.  

Already, there are 400 new planes this year and another 500 new ones next year from Middle East and India, based on Boeing and Airbus’ order bookings. 

Idris has no choice except to drive towards a more performance-based culture, as he said in a recent interview. He has been given the mandate and he should use it well, never mind what the politicians want to say. 

But Idris also needs to manage its switch-over to the new IT system better as no passenger would want to stand at the check-in counter for 30 minutes to get a boarding pass and then wait for another two hours before flying off because of a delay.  

Worse, there have been cases of passengers being stranded for days. 

More importantly, he must take seriously the talk of an “unofficial go-slow” involving alleged discontent over its shares option and bonuses. His hands are clearly full as he has 14 unions to deal with, a nightmare no other CEO has to tackle. 

Clearly, MAS cannot afford flight delays, irrespective of the causes, or purported cases of over-booking, which can be regarded as an economic sabotage to the Government’s Visit Malaysia 2007. 

Still, it is no surprise that MAS won the “World’s Best Cabin Staff” award at the World Airlines Award 2007, which involved an 11-month survey. 

The smiles of our MAS crew and the nasi lemak that awaits Malaysians after being away from home have long made the national carrier a winner.  

For Jala and his staff, it also means keeping the company profitable and more important, to fly on time. 

The series of actions, they claimed, was another attempt to stifle dissent in Malaysia, and they alleged that it was an infringement of human and civil rights and the freedom of speech.  

On the other side, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has come out charging against bloggers, declaring that “the time for talk is over, now is the time to act”.  

He warned that three laws could be used against offending bloggers: the Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act and Section 121b of the Penal Code (which deals with offences against the King, Ruler or Yang DiPertua Negeri and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison).  

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government was “deeply troubled” by the growth of “irresponsible” alternative media, adding that “in the name of freedom, these websites allow the broadcast of slander, lies and swearing, use of harsh, degrading language and racial slurs without regard for the reader or those concerned”.  

The Government, he also said, had been tolerant of anti-government positions and criticisms on the Internet but was now “very concerned about statements that insult religion and reek of racism”.  

Let’s take a step back and look at the larger picture. The fact is that there is some truth, as much as some of us would be reluctant to admit, in the arguments of both sides.  

For the Government, there is a sense of frustration that much of what is written by bloggers are untruths or half-truths, often spiced up with lots of imagination to increase the number of eyeballs for their websites. With it reluctance to reply to these allegations, either by posting comments or rebuttals through pro-government bloggers, these allegations remain unchallenged.  

Worse, after a while, and egged on by anti-government postings from readers, they dangerously become the gospel truth. Worse still, not many question the credibility or political biasness, even ambitions, of these bloggers.  

A prominent blogger alleged last week that the Rulers Conference had rejected the extension of the Inspector-General of Police’s tenure by the Prime Minister. The fact is that the issue was not even brought up by the Rulers.  

On another issue, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was criticised for supposedly making too many overseas trips. Wisma Putra, however, has yet to defend the Prime Minister against such allegations.  

But it could have, for example, explained Pak Lah’s visit to Russia. This is one of Malaysia’s biggest trading partners and Petronas is also making inroads into the oil and gas industry there.  

So surely the meeting between Abdullah and Russian President Vladimir Putin was crucial, especially after it had been put off three times. 

Information like this, if effectively used, would neutralise the lies or mistakes on the blogs and could also discredit irresponsible bloggers.  

The fact is blogsphere is here to stay. All the laws will be ineffective in the end because the New Media can be operated anywhere without any censorship. We have to embrace the Internet and the Government simply needs to learn to use the new medium to its advantage.  

It would be worse if critical bloggers decide to hide their identities and therefore frustrate any attempt by the Government to act against them.  

The impression, rightly or wrongly, given to the young by our leaders is that they lack the knowledge and skills of the Internet. This perception is created from statements made by the leaders.  

It is the battle of the hearts and minds. You could say it is a psychological war between the dissenters and the Government and the latter has to take on its critics. It can do so by recruiting pro-government bloggers – there’s a whole battalion of them out there.  

On the flipside, our bloggers cannot deny that not many of them bother to check or verify the statements they make. Even Malaysia Today’s Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who was questioned by the police last week, has called for caution in the postings by readers.  

It cannot be denied that many of the postings, even though these are not articles by the bloggers, are inflammatory. Many are downright racist, slanderous and libellous.  

The use of four-letter words has been allowed to go through without any moderator to delete them. Bloggers cannot criticise our Members of Parliament for using unparliamentary language when they themselves allow such obscenities on their blogs.  

Bloggers must admit that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to slander or to libel. If civil suits are taken against them, it is simply because others have been offended, if not emotionally or financially affected, by their words.  

Their victims have rights too, and bloggers should not assume that they have the monopoly over civil rights.  

Like print and electronic journalists, they must live by the same rules when it comes to defamation, libel and other laws relating to national security. But there is a difference: they don’t need to answer to the Internal Security Ministry for a printing permit.  

The question is: has our Government also over-reacted – to the point of making police reports and threatening tough laws, including the ISA – against our bloggers? There are probably only a handful of active and loud dissenting voices among the thousands of Malaysian bloggers.  

The rest, including children and grandchildren of our leaders, are more interested in writing about their personal lives, music, fashion, and probably about their teachers.  

In a country of about 25 million people, there are about 3.7 million Internet subscribers but there are no official estimates on the page views of our political blogs.  

However, they may get a million page views a day when there is a hot issue. Online versions of newspapers have up to 40 million page views a month. So really, it is the mainstream newspapers that continue to garner the most attention.  

The good news, according to the World Association of Newspapers in a study, is that the young have not given up on newspapers.  

But the bad news is that family and friends are trusted more than traditional media.  

The study also said the usage of new media, such as computers, mobile phones, the Internet and MP3 players, is increasingly taking up time that would otherwise be spent on traditional media.  

Politics is also not the most important issue to most Malaysians, especially the young. A cursory check of the online versions of newspapers would show that crime, celebrity gossip and sports remain the most-read items.  

It’s a blow to their ego but, really, our bloggers are not as powerful as they think they are, or as the Government makes them out to be.  

Issues are being created because some of our politicians simply shoot themselves in the foot; for example, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin and Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof over the “bocor” issue. 

If politicians like them get rapped, they should not blame anyone, whether bloggers or print journalists, for their fallacies. Neither should they fall back on the arguments of race, religion or political affiliation to get out of the mud.  

Should some politicians have a credibility problem, especially among the urban young, they just have to work on their image. The use of threats will not work in the long run as the new generation turns more and more to the Net.  

Worse, any form of action could lead to suspicion that those in authority cannot tolerate criticism because they fear their positions would be challenged.  

The Government has to face the harsh reality: It no longer has control over media technology and mainstream media is being challenged by an alternative media that answers to no one.  

Cyberspace is a new political frontier and the fact is the rules of the game have changed. 

HE had just completed his Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination when I met him at Kajang Prison, where he was being detained for the murder of his tuition teacher’s daughter. 

The boy, then only 15, had started serving his sentence for the murder of the 11-year-old girl. But unlike other convicts who knew the duration of their prison sentence, the boy killer was to be detained in prison at the pleasure of the King. 

In short, he could be kept in prison for a long time simply because he was a juvenile. If he had been an adult, he would have been sent to the gallows as Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the mandatory death sentence for murder. 

The Child Act 2001 states that the death sentence shall not be passed on a juvenile but the flipside is that pardons are rare. Never mind if they are juveniles who are first-time offenders with no previous criminal records. 

On July 12, the Court of Appeal ruled that detaining the boy at the King’s pleasure was unconstitutional. On Wednesday, the appellate court freed him as there was no law that prescribed a sentence for a child convicted of murder. 

It was near noon when I was brought by the prison warders to meet him two years ago. He was shy but I remember his smile and politeness. 

The warders appeared to be fond of him, even sympathetic. Their main concern for the boy, who will turn 18 next month, was the lack of tuition and books for him. 

Sharing the cell-like room with him were eight other juveniles, who were Form Five students of Sek Agama Dato Mana Petra Maamor in Ampangan, Seremban, Negri Sembilan. 

They were in jail for the murder of their schoolmate Muhammad Farid Ibrahim in the school dormitory. Like the boy, they were detained at the pleasure of the King – in this case, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan as the offence was committed in the state. In an interview last year, the boys said the first thing they would do after their release would be to visit Muhammad Farid’s grave to seek forgiveness. 

These boys were placed in the same cell, away from adult convicts, but it was obvious that deprived of proper learning facilities, their chances of passing their exams were near impossible. 

Peering through the grilles in the classroom, I could see hundreds of squatting prisoners in red T-shirts in the huge compound of the prison. They were all drug offenders – this was the daily view for the kids. 

Classes were merely a way of passing time and perhaps to learn a bit whenever volunteer teachers showed up. Except for volunteers from Shelter Home, led by Pastor James Nayagam, the reality is that there are not many teachers who would take time away from school and tuition for these kids.  

One by one, these kids showed their drawings to me. They patiently explained to me what their drawings symbolised, giving me the impression that they had not given up hope. I wasn’t sure whether they were putting up a brave front for me but I hoped that they would remain determined. 

The warders also took me to talk to one of two sisters who had been charged with the murder of their Australian businessman stepfather in Subang Jaya, Selangor, in 2003. 

The sisters were acquitted by the High Court last year without their defence being called but their two boyfriends were sentenced to 10 years’ jail, the maximum penalty for manslaughter. 

The girl, who was studying for her SPM exam when I visited her, was another sad case. Her sister was also in the same prison. Their mother, who had returned to Sarawak to start a new life, rarely visited them. 

Very much left to themselves, they still had dreams and gladly shared with me what they wanted to do when they walked out of prison. 

But the reality is that while there may be sympathy for these juvenile prisoners, the families of victims would be less forgiving. 

For example, the mother of the girl murdered by the boy said that freeing him was unacceptable. She described the court decision as “unfair” to her daughter and family members. Their anger is understandable given the nature of the killing. 

Still, our overcrowded prisons are no place for juvenile convicts. The Sungai Buloh prison, for example, has over 5,100 prisoners, with 263 of them being below the age of 20. There isn’t much that prison staff can do to constructively motivate or counsel the young prisoners. 

The maximum capacity of the prison is 2,500 prisoners but it only has 500 warders who handle duties which include manning security and driving prisoners to court. Ten of them have even doubled up as counsellors. 

These youngsters are restless, energetic and short-sighted, and it doesn’t help when they feel their situation is hopeless and that no family members want to see them.  

In short, he could be kept in prison for a long time simply because he was a juvenile. If he had been an adult, he would have been sent to the gallows as Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the mandatory death sentence for murder.

The Child Act 2001 states that the death sentence shall not be passed on a juvenile but the flipside is that pardons are rare. Never mind if they are juveniles who are first-time offenders with no previous criminal records.

On July 12, the Court of Appeal ruled that detaining the boy at the King’s pleasure was unconstitutional. On Wednesday, the appellate court freed him as there was no law that prescribed a sentence for a child convicted of murder.

It was near noon when I was brought by the prison warders to meet him two years ago. He was shy but I remember his smile and politeness.

The warders appeared to be fond of him, even sympathetic. Their main concern for the boy, who will turn 18 next month, was the lack of tuition and books for him.

Sharing the cell-like room with him were eight other juveniles, who were Form Five students of Sek Agama Dato Mana Petra Maamor in Ampangan, Seremban, Negri Sembilan.

They were in jail for the murder of their schoolmate Muhammad Farid Ibrahim in the school dormitory. Like the boy, they were detained at the pleasure of the King – in this case, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan as the offence was committed in the state. In an interview last year, the boys said the first thing they would do after their release would be to visit Muhammad Farid’s grave to seek forgiveness.

These boys were placed in the same cell, away from adult convicts, but it was obvious that deprived of proper learning facilities, their chances of passing their exams were near impossible.

Peering through the grilles in the classroom, I could see hundreds of squatting prisoners in red T-shirts in the huge compound of the prison. They were all drug offenders – this was the daily view for the kids.

Classes were merely a way of passing time and perhaps to learn a bit whenever volunteer teachers showed up. Except for volunteers from Shelter Home, led by Pastor James Nayagam, the reality is that there are not many teachers who would take time away from school and tuition for these kids.

One by one, these kids showed their drawings to me. They patiently explained to me what their drawings symbolised, giving me the impression that they had not given up hope. I wasn’t sure whether they were putting up a brave front for me but I hoped that they would remain determined.

The warders also took me to talk to one of two sisters who had been charged with the murder of their Australian businessman stepfather in Subang Jaya, Selangor, in 2003.

The sisters were acquitted by the High Court last year without their defence being called but their two boyfriends were sentenced to 10 years’ jail, the maximum penalty for manslaughter.

The girl, who was studying for her SPM exam when I visited her, was another sad case. Her sister was also in the same prison. Their mother, who had returned to Sarawak to start a new life, rarely visited them.

Very much left to themselves, they still had dreams and gladly shared with me what they wanted to do when they walked out of prison.

But the reality is that while there may be sympathy for these juvenile prisoners, the families of victims would be less forgiving.

For example, the mother of the girl murdered by the boy said that freeing him was unacceptable. She described the court decision as “unfair” to her daughter and family members. Their anger is understandable given the nature of the killing.

Still, our overcrowded prisons are no place for juvenile convicts. The Sungai Buloh prison, for example, has over 5,100 prisoners, with 263 of them being below the age of 20. There isn’t much that prison staff can do to constructively motivate or counsel the young prisoners.

The maximum capacity of the prison is 2,500 prisoners but it only has 500 warders who handle duties which include manning security and driving prisoners to court. Ten of them have even doubled up as counsellors.

These youngsters are restless, energetic and short-sighted, and it doesn’t help when they feel their situation is hopeless and that no family members want to see them.

No political party, whether Barisan Nasional or the Opposition, can confidently claim they are in a position to go to the polls now. As far as most political analysts know, only preliminary preparations have been conducted. 

In some parties, several new faces have been identified to contest in certain constituencies while some veterans have been told, through third parties, that they could be dropped. 

Last week, the Election Commission said it would only be ready to conduct the general election after September. Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the Government had asked the commission when it would be ready but did not indicate when the election would be called. 

He added that by the end of September, the EC would have trained 200,000 election workers and procured all the equipment needed for the polls, including see-through ballot boxes and special punchers to be distributed to the country’s 25,000 polling districts. 

Rashid also said the EC had budgeted RM220mil for the general election but might have to ask for RM100mil more for the new equipment. 

Most analysts have ruled out the holding of elections this year because, over the next few months, the national leaders would have their hands full. 

Preparations for next month’s 50th National Day are peaking. Celebrations have been planned nation-wide for a month, which would certainly have an impact on the “feel-good” factor, which is essential in the run-up to the polls. 

In fact, on July 30 and 31, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is expected to announce a slew of projects in Kedah, Perlis, Penang and Perak as part of the Northern Corridor Economic Region project. 

From modern agricultural practices involving harvesting padi three times a year to the construction of Penang’s second bridge, the projects are expected to fire up voters in these four states. 

For sure, it would put a serious dent on Parti Keadilan Rakyat-DAP plans to capture Penang this time. 

Despite the seemingly anti-establishment sentiments among urban voters at this point, the predominantly middle-class Penangites have always been more concerned with bread-and-butter issues. 

Barisan campaigners are so confident in the mood swing that many want to take on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the polls. 

The bridge, together with plans to turn Penang into a regional transportation hub, will surely bring spillover benefits to the various sectors. In short, Penangites can look forward to a better standard of living over the coming years. 

Abdullah and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak have a tight schedule ahead of them in September. The Budget, which many expect will be “an election budget”, is to be tabled in Parliament on Sept 7. 

Abdullah is scheduled to fly off to Sydney the next day for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Then he has to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York in the third week of September, which is during the fasting month. 

We can rule out the possibility of the elections being held during the fasting month or Hari Raya (Oct 13-14). 

The feel-good factor is expected to continue with the likelihood of more national celebrations – the first Malaysian would be in space by then. 

By November, Abdullah has two important dates on his diary. First is the Asean Summit in Singapore, where his presence is regarded as crucial, as the Asean leaders deliberate over adopting the Asean Charter. 

Equally important for Pak Lah is the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda, to be held around the same time as Malaysia lobbies for the election of Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim to be the secretary-general, which would make him the first Malaysian to hold the post. 

At home, the two-month school holidays would have started and the monsoon season would have set in by then in the east coast. 

But by November and December, the drumbeat for the elections will become louder. Politicians can forget about taking a long break with their families at this time because election preparations would be in full swing. 

For the Chinese, the year 2008 is a prosperous year. In Cantonese, 2008 rhymes with “yee teng teng fatt” or “sure to prosper”. Perhaps it’s also a good time for elections. 

How did Malaysia manage to secure such a huge loan with low interest? It had plenty to do with the friendship between Malaysia and China. 

We were the first among the Asean countries to have formal ties with China.  

Not only that. As Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop put it, that special relationship began during the days of the Malacca Sultanate and, therefore, doing business between the two countries “is in our DNA”. 

The friendship factor is also important, especially the personal ties between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. 

The two leaders have met formally and informally on numerous occasions over a decade, particularly when Abdullah was Foreign Minister, and that special relationship is of tremendous help. 

In many ways, the two men share similarities in their demeanour. Both are modest, popular and approachable. 

Regarded as a fourth generation Chinese leader, the 65-year-old Wen is popular with the people. He has been credited with China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation, a move that has turned his country into an economic powerhouse. 

According to sources involved in putting the loan deal together, Abdullah wrote to Wen last year, inviting the Chinese to take part in building the 24km-long bridge, which will be the longest in South-East Asia. 

The island’s second bridge will help ease traffic congestion in the state and is vital to meeting the Government’s objective of turning Penang into a regional transportation hub. 

The bridge is designed to resemble a pearl and will have a four-lane carriageway with two observation platforms at the central span. 

The Japanese, it seems, also lobbied for the job after getting wind of plans to build the second bridge. But Malaysia’s expensive experience with the Japanese, particularly with loans when the yen appreciated, put the Japanese in a disadvantageous position. 

China is only asking for 3% interest when the market rate is at least 5% to 6%. 

However, the special loan for Malaysia has put China in a somewhat difficult situation. Chinese officials have privately expressed concern that other countries, including those from Africa and South America, will make similar demands. After all, Malaysia is not in the category of poor, under-developed countries. 

The low-interest loan, said the officials, was unusual and certainly unprecedented – with orders from the top Chinese leadership to act immediately. 

Wen responded quickly after he and Abdullah met in Nanning last year. The bilateral meeting was held during the Chinese-Asean Commemorative Summit to mark the 15th anniversary of establishing dialogue relationship between China and Asean. 

Wen, a trained geologist and engineer, expressed interest in taking part in the second bridge project and a directive was issued to Minister of Commerce Bo Xi Lai to handle the financing. 

Last week, Bo came to witness the signing of the loan agreement between state-run Exim Bank of China and Bank Pembangunan Malaysia. 

The presence of Bo itself is an honour for Malaysia because he is regarded as a rising political star in China. 

Bo, 52, is the son of Bo Yibo, a legendary Chinese revolutionary leader regarded as one of China’s modern Eight Immortal Leaders who are likened to a group of mythical heroes with supernatural powers of the Tang and Song dynasties. 

Bo is a former mayor of Dalian in China’s coastal economic hub. He worked in Dalian for 17 years, making him the longest-serving Chinese official in any single region in the country. 

Dalian, regarded as one of the cleanest cities in China, also has strong economic ties with Malaysian companies. 

With a long resume of constructing some of the best highways and projects in Dalian – including the Shenyang-Dalian Expressway, the first expressway in China – Bo threw a challenge at the signing ceremony. 

He wanted to return to Malaysia by Nov 1, 2010, to witness the opening of the second bridge – a year ahead of schedule. 

It’s a challenge put forward not just to the China Harbour Engineering Company that will build the bridge but also to its Malaysian partner, UEM Construction, and our officials. 

The second bridge, which is the signature project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, will not just be an iconic project. It will stand proud as a symbol of friendship between Malaysia and China.  

* The story on the bridge loan was an exclusive in The Star on July 11.