Future directions of Low Cost Airlines

This article is interesting but let me share my recent experiences
with Air Asia(Low Cost) and MAS(Normal).

On our trip to Penang, my old mother who has difficulty in walking had
to endure the up and down the stairs in Air Asia despite paying for
the Wheel Chair, so I decided to by our own Transit/Transport Chair in
our trip to Kuching. The ticket was more expensive as MAS(MHlow) at
about RM700 for the return trip, excluding wheel chair and food.

On our trip to Kuching, despite paying in advance of up to 2 months,
MAS tickets was cheaper as well to Kuching. We decided to split our
groups into 2, one Air Asia, the other MAS. This is how we discovered
that MAS can be cheaper even 2 weeks before a flight.
On top of that, those on Air Asia has to endure flight changes fro 2
pm to 6.45 am. We had to wake up early in the morning.
My brother also lost a luggage(ikan terubuk masin) while waiting for
the check in. During MAS flights, this is very rare because their
passengers tend to be well-to-do.

So always keep your ears and eyes open. Never assume that Air Asia is
always cheaper.

Spirit Airlines' $45 carry-on fee meets resistance
Updated 6h 48m ago | Comments 208 | Recommend 7 E-mail | Save |
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Plans to start charging for putting bags in overhead compartments have
some federal officials talking about taking action on unfair "hidden"
feees.
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By Dan Reed, USA TODAY
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and a U.S. senator are threatening
to halt a move by Spirit Airlines to charge passengers for stowing
bags in the overhead bins on its planes.
LaHood vowed over the weekend that his agency would address Spirit's
new charge, which could cost customers up to $45 to carry on a bag,
along with what he calls other unfair or hidden fees.

"We're gonna hold the airline's feet to the fire on this," LaHood said
in an interview published on the Elliott.org travel site. "I think
it's a bit outrageous that an airline is going to charge someone to
carry on a bag and put it in the overhead. And I've told our people to
try and figure out a way to mitigate that."

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday he'd propose legislation
declaring carry-on bags to be "reasonably necessary" to air
transportation unless the Treasury Department reverses its recent
ruling that carry-on bags aren't necessary. That would make such fees
subject to federal taxes the same as fares.

Schumer said passengers "have always had the right to bring a carry-on
bag without having to worry about getting nickel and dimed."

TODAY IN THE SKY: Spirit CEO: Sen. Schumer 'seems to have spoken
without knowing all the facts'
The threats come as airlines here and overseas increasingly impose new
fees and increase others on services that used to be an amenity or
even a necessity and included in the price of a plane ticket.

Ryanair, the leader in Europe in imposing what the airlines call "a la
carte" fees, hasn't abandoned the idea of putting pay toilets on the
airline's Boeing 737s. Stephen McNamara, Ryanair's spokesman, said
that Boeing hasn't gotten back yet on his airline's request to see
whether the toilets are feasible.

TODAY IN THE SKY: Ryanair pushes ahead with plan for toilet fee
Such a move isn't likely soon, though, because it could require
extensive and expensive modifications to existing planes and raise
questions by regulators.

Here in the U.S., threats by the government to step in to halt fees —
even Spirit's — are raising questions.

"This industry is still deregulated," said Terry Trippler, the veteran
travel agent and commentator. "Spirit Airlines has the right to run
their business the way they see fit. If customers don't like it, they
will fly someone else."

The fees help prop up U.S. airlines' ledgers, which have posted $60
billion in losses the last 10 years.

Consultant Jay Sorensen, who has championed a la carte pricing, said
consumers like the low fares fees help underwrite.

"I don't know if anyone likes the idea of fees," he said. "But people
like the low fares charged by the airlines that are associated with
these fees."

Bala vs Anwar

Bala claimed that he was offered RM5 million for retracting his
declaration that Najib is connected to the Altantuya's murder but
then, retracted his declaration again.
Maybe Bala was not paid as much as what he had hoped for, or Anwar
counter offered the RM5million. Is Anwar that much richer and more
powerful than the government of Malaysia?

If Bala rescinded the first SD for RM5million, how much could he be
offered in the first SD. Certainly much less than RM5 million. How
about the 3rd retraction? Can Anwar afford more than RM5 million?

Bala could just be an honest person trying to tell the truth but
feared for his life but he has to run away in order to safeguard his
life. If the Anwar was the person threatening him, why didn't he talk
to even his family after making the 2nd SD.

Why did he disappear forever, even from police and interpol despite
breaking the laws in retracting SDs and these SDs concern the lives of
people that are accused of Murder?

Just imagine the difficulties of anyone in trying to provide evidence
against the ruling party. Just imagine what Anwar had to go through
even now and yet Anwar had been doing it for more than 30 years.

http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=45438

Najib's brother quizzed by MACC over Bala's SD
By Giam Say Khoon

Datuk Seri Mohd
Nazri Abdul Aziz

KUALA LUMPUR (April 12, 2010): Minister in the Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz today said that two key witnesses,
including the prime minister's younger brother, implicated in private
investigator P. Balasubramaniam's statutory declaration (SD) on the
murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu have already been questioned.
Disclosing this during a press conference in the parliament lobby
today, Mohd Nazri said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
had questioned Datuk Mohammad Nazim Razak and businessman Deepak
Jaikishan who were implicated in Balasubramaniam's SD last year.

"We have (interrogated Mohammad Nazim and Deepak). That's it," he said
when asked for confirmation.

Earlier, in a written reply to Tian Chua (PKR-Batu), Mohd Nazri
informed Parliament that the case was still open and investigations
are at a standstill because the MACC is unable to secure a testimony
from Balasubramaniam.

Tian Chua had asked about the status of investigation into
Balasubramaniam's allegations.

"We are trying to get his (Balasubramaniam's) statement from his
lawyer who is not telling where he is for his safety," said Nazri.

Last November, Balasubramaniam alleged in his SD that Deepak had urged
him to withdraw his declaration made on July 2, 2008 which linked
Mongolian model Altantuya's death to Najib. He also claimed that
Mohammad Nazim, an architect, had offered him RM5 million to retract
his declaration.

Najib has repeatedly denied speculations that he is in any way
connected to Altantuya's death. -- theSun

Malayans, not Malaysians are obese because of late night eating

I have just come back from Penang and Kuching and observe their eating
habits.

In Penang, they eat even late at night. I used to observe it in KL
more than 10 years ago where people have dinner at midnight.

In Sabah and Sarawak, most restaurants are closed before midnight.
Even the seafood restaurant that we visited in Kuching already closed
before 8 pm. In fact were the last customer.
Unlike in Penang. The restaurant at Seberang Perai, only open at 5pm
and closes at 3am. Even at 1 am, it was so crowded.

Sabah and Sarawak makes up 60% of the area of Malaysia and much more
obvious in the map of Malaysia, and population wise it makes up a
quarter of Malaysia and growing more rapidly.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/11/nation/6034589&sec=nation

Sunday April 11, 2010

Malaysians getting obese - by eating too heavily at night
By FLORENCE A. SAMY
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: More Malaysians are keeping awake till late to indulge
in what is becoming a top national pastime – tucking it in at 24-hour
eating joints.

Yes, we are practically eating round-the-clock. If you are still not
convinced, take a look at the goings-on at mamak shops close to and
way past midnight.

These shops have sprouted up all over the country to satisfy the
cravings of Malaysians who are gorging on calorie-packed late night
meals with hardly a care – and getting obese in the process.

Statistics show that the prevalence of obesity among Malaysian adults
increased by a staggering 250% over a 10-year period from 1996 while
the number of overweight has increased by 70%.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 showed that two out
of every five adults or 43%, were either overweight or obese and an
alarming situation where the number of obese adults had more than
tripled over a decade, from 4% in 1996 to 14% in 2006.

Besides that, about 38% of youngsters aged between 12 and 18 were
classified as overweight.

A recent survey involving 10,000 students showed that 24% of those
aged between six and 12 were either overweight or obese.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is obviously a very worried
man, with more Malaysians at risk of being seriously ill due to
uncontrollable eating.

"It has to change ... an unbalanced diet and eating late at night,''
he cautioned. "In the past, we used to have two meals. These days, we
are eating five to six times daily with late-night suppers at mamak
stalls,'' he said after launching the Malaysian Council for Obesity
Prevention (MCOM) here yesterday.

MCOM, which comprises 13 professional bodies and NGOs, was set up to
help the government counter the problem of obesity in the country.

The minister, an avowed vegetarian, spoke of another worrying trend –
meat is fast becoming a staple-diet here. A diet rich in red meat
causes high cholesterol which leads to cardio-vascular disease.

"Available data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity indicates
that the problem we face may be more serious than those in other
countries of the region," he added.

Being overweight and obese, he said, would lead to chronic diseases
such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even cancer.

According to statistics, 14.9% and 43% of Malaysians aged above 30
suffer from diabetes and hypertension respectively, with 20.7% of
adults over 18 suffering from high cholesterol.

Liow said 300 nutritionists would be employed to serve at government
clinics nationwide to help tackle obesity problems by creating
awareness on the dangers of unhealthy eating.

Malaysian Council for Obesity Prevention (MCOM) president Jong Koi
Chong echoed the minister's concerns, saying the unhealthy eating
trend was becoming a major problem.

"Our metabolic rate is very low at night making it easy for fat to
accumulate in the body.

"Most 24-hour restaurants serve food that is high in fat, calories and
cholesterol. Sadly, more of our young are picking up bad eating habits
from adults,'' he added.

Musa Aman wants to shut down Sabah State Government

By saying that Sabah does not need additional oil royalty because the
Federal Government already allocates billions of ringgit for Sabah
means that Musa does not need a single cent of oil revenue or whatever
revenue generated from the state because the Federal Government can
give to Sabah.

Since Sabah has no more money, better shut down the state government
of Sabah and surrender everything to the Federal Government like
Labuan. This is the ultimate aim of the UMNO in Sabah. To turn Sabah
into Labuan, for the sake of development and peace.

Is the development worth it? Just look at Labuan. Who benefits the
most from the so called Labuan development?

Is that what Malaysia was all about?

April 06, 2010 17:29 PM
Sabah CM: Federal Government Has Always Been Generous To Sabah
KOTA KINABALU, April 6 (Bernama) -- The federal government has always
been generous to Sabah and has provided billions of allocation to spur
the state's development, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said.

It was therefore important to keep this in mind when talking about
petroleum royalty, he said, stressing that the federal government had
done a lot to accommodate Sabah's needs over the years.

"What is important now is not only talking about (an increase in) oil
royalty but how much money the federal government has kept on pouring
to Sabah in terms of development.

"We are very grateful because the federal government normally approves
our requests. As far as the state government is concerned, we are very
happy with the way Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has been
treating us," he told reporters after launching the k@Borneo Portal
here, Tuesday.

The portal, which can be accessed at www.kborneo.com, is a
collaborative effort of three nations, namely Malaysia, Indonesia and
Brunei to identify, preserve and store information materials regarding
Borneo online.

Musa was asked to comment on former Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh
Hamzah's statement that it was up to the people of Sabah to call on
the state government to re-negotiate the oil royalty, which is
currently at five per cent, with the federal government and Petronas.

Musa said Sabah received billions of funding for every Malaysia Plan,
and also through Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) projects and
injection of fund under the economic stimulus package.

"It's not a matter of pursuing (the increase of oil royalty), it is
our money.

"But even if they (federal government) decide not to increase the
percentage, they have given more money to the state; so, it's the
same," he said, adding that Sabah was allocated more than RM20 billion
for the current Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

-- BERNAMA

Judges can be sued

This is very interesting indeed.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/128506

Law of contempt review may be necessary
M Ramalingam
Apr 7, 10
1:01pm
I refer to the Malaysiakini report Matthias Chang admitted to
hospital.

The law of contempt is entrenched in our justice system so that the
course of justice is not deflected or interfered with.

However, it should be used as a last resort and should be most
jealously and carefully guarded and exercised lest it becomes totally
arbitrary and unlimited.

I feel sorry for Mathias Chang. The right to criticism is a part of a
birthright of all subjects but that right cannot and must not be
stretched to the indignity of the court.

Contempt of court is an offence of a criminal character. A judge has
the inherent jurisdiction to severally reprimand the person or indeed
jail him if it can be satisfactorily proved that he has brought the
court into disrepute.

In this case, the judge has been judicious enough to grant the person
a chance to apologise for bringing the course of justice into
disrepute. However the power of the judge is institutionally
safeguarded and it is indeed rare for a judge to be cited for
contempt.

There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether a judge acting
contrary to the law can also be liable for contempt in his own court.
There is a special provision in India's Contempt of Court Act 1971,
dealing with contempt by a Judge.

Section 16: Contempt by Judge, Magistrate or other person acting
judicially

(1) Subject to the provisions of any law for the time being in force,
a judge, magistrate or any other person acting judicially shall also
be liable for contempt of his own court or of any other court in the
same manner as any other individual is liable and the provisions of
this Act shall, so far as may be, apply accordingly.

This is one area of law that should be further researched although in
Malaysia, too, we have other provisions that recognise this, ie,
Chapter XI of the Penal Code under the heading Offences Against Public
Justice, for example:

Section 219: 'Whoever being a public servant, corruptly or maliciously
makes or pronounces in any stage of a judicial proceeding, any report,
order, verdict, or decision which he knows to be contrary to law shall
be punished with a term of imprisonment for a term which may extend to
seven years or with fine, or with both.'

Section 218 deals with a public servant framing an incorrect record or
writing with intent to save a person from punishment or property from
forfeiture. Section 204 deals with destruction of document to prevent
its production as evidence.

Section 19 states that the word 'judge' denotes not only every person
who is officially designated as a judge but also every person who is
empowered by law to give, in any legal proceeding, civil or criminal a
judgment.

It is interesting to research as to whether judges in his Majesty's
Court in Malaysia have ever been cited for contempt.

It is not uncommon for judges themselves to sometimes abuse or misuse
their powers. If they do so knowingly, they themselves would be guilty
of a misuse of power and thereby can be cited for contempt. The
provisions stated herein above would give legitimacy for a judge,
prosecutor or any public servant to be cited for contempt if a case of
such action is brought before the court.

As a matter of fact, Section 21 defines public servant to include
every judge. A review of the law of contempt may be necessary so that
Justice could be tempered with mercy.

A case in point is that of Adorona Properties and Boonsum Boonyanit.
The highest court of the land has confirmed the perverse judgment of
the unjust judges. Can those judges be cited for contempt? Can there
be any hope of a recourse for those who have lost their land in this
way?

The writer is past regional vice-president, Commonwealth Magistrates
and Judges Association, London.

Will APCO ever admit that it has links with Israel?

Even if APCO were to have links with Israel, will it ever admit?
I doubt it but it is just too coincidental that 1Israel comes at about
the same time as 1Malaysia.
And APCO was also in Israel at about the same time.

Although I am a muslim, I have no grudge against APCO for proposing
the 1Israel and now the 1Malaysia, as long as the idea is reasonable.
If 1Israel entails cooperation with Palestinians in supporting their
rights, all for the better but if it were to deny Palestinian their
rights, it is another matter. I am beginning to wonder if 1Malaysia
has any hidden agenda.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Israel
One Israel was formed by Labor leader Ehud Barak in the run-up to the
1999 elections ....

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/58124-apco-did-work-for-israel-in-the-90s
APCO did work for Israel in the 90s
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — APCO's denial that it ever did any work for
the Israeli government has proven untrue as a Straits Times report
revealed that filings with the US Justice Department show otherwise.

The international public relations firm "entered into an agreement in
1992 to provide services for the Jewish state.

"In written queries about the State Department filing, APCO said it
worked with another associate company on a project for the Israel
government at the time."

APCO's deputy managing director B. Jay Cooper said, "The work, which
was primarily in the media area, involved acquiring US government
money for Russian immigrants' housing in Israel."

Cooper went on to explain that APCO "was then owned by Grey Global
Group."

"In 2004, APCO did a management buy-out and cut all ownership ties
with the Grey Global Group," he said. "APCO Worldwide, with new
ownership, is today's company."

APCO's own public relations nightmare began when Opposition Leader
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) alleged that the prime minister's 1
Malaysia campaign was APCO's idea and closely mirrors former Israeli
prime minister Ehud Barak's One Israel campaign.

Anwar had suggested that One Israel was conceived by APCO.

The link, while tenuous, could weaken Malay support for Datuk Seri
Najib Razak's administration.

So far, APCO and senior government officials have denied that it has
any links with Israel.

But Anwar, speaking in Parliament yesterday, dropped another bombshell
when he said that APCO's link with the Malaysian government began well
before 1 Malaysia.

Anwar also zeroed in on Asero Worldwide, an APCO associate, that
specialises in homeland security and is headed by Israeli security
experts.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/58721-anwar-is-scared-says-nazri
Anwar is scared, says Nazri
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (left) claimed today
that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was "panicking" after
he dared the government to suspend him from Parliament if it planned
to continue its support for Zionist Israel.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department said that Anwar's
claims were outrageous and showed that the Permatang Pauh MP was
scared.

"Why is he panicking? Who said that this matter is an Israeli matter?
We want him to retract that is all. If he does not retract then we
will go ahead. Anyway I don't know what is going to happen to him, I
am just referring him to the disciplinary committee? Why is he scared?
Coward," he told reporters in Parliament.

Last night, Anwar condemned the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration
for its willingness to seek advice from a company linked to "the
murder of the Muslims in Palestine".

The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leader is currently facing the possibility of
suspension over his attack on the government's link with Apco and his
claim that the company was also the brains behind Ehud Barak's One
Israel campaign.

The government will to refer Anwar to the parliamentary Rights and
Privileges Committee over his inability to provide concrete evidence
to support his allegation that 1 Malaysia was taken from One Israel.

APCO has denied its link with Barak's One Israel and said that the 1
Malaysia initiative was conceived prior to the company's appointment.

However, Singapore's The Straits Times has revealed that filings with
the US Justice Department showed that the international public
relations firm had entered into an agreement to provide services for
Israel in 1992.

The motion to refer Anwar to the Rights and Privileges Committee will
be tabled before the parliament on April 22.

NEM want to retain workers through low wages

http://www.neac.gov.my/sites/default/files/Chapter%206%20-%20How%20do%20we%20get%20there.pdf
page 116

NEM suggest that income is only what is paid by employers but
Malaysian employers pay below poverty line.
Why should brilliant Malaysian workers work in Malaysia if they are
paid more overseas????

NEM claims that labour is the most important resource and yet do not
support high wages to retain them.

Just as NEM claims that it wants a high-income economy and yet do not
support high wages for workers, insisting that
income be determined by employers based on the skills of the workers.

Wake up from your stupidity. Facts point out clearly that for the same
skills, workers are paid much lower in Malaysia.
A nurse in Malaysia is paid 5 times lower than in Singapore. Similarly
for unskilled workers.

High income
emanates from skilled people applying
their talents to successfully meet the
economic challenges faced by society.
Malaysia cannot miss the opportunity to
put its most valuable resource to work.
Therefore, Malaysia must remove barriers
preventing its brightest people from gaining
skills, while enticing these gifted people
to remain within its borders.