MISJUDGMENT CAUSED BN LOST THE CYBER WAR

The price paid for the serious misjudgment and ignore cyber-campaigning on the Internet is too high. It caused the powerful Barisan Nasional coalition suffered its worst-ever results in March 8 polls that left five states and a third of parliamentary seats in opposition hands.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today said his "biggest mistake" in disastrous elections was to ignore cyber-campaigning on the Internet which was seized by the opposition.

"We certainly lost the Internet war, the cyber-war," Abdullah said in a speech to an investment conference.

"It was a serious misjudgment. We made the biggest mistake in thinking that it was not important," he said.

"We thought that the newspapers, the print media, the television was supposed to be important, but the young people were looking at SMS and blogs."

"It was painful ... but it came at the right time, not too late," he said.

The foreign analysis observed that the opposition, which was largely ignored by government-linked mainstream media, instead waged an enormously successful online campaign using blogs, news websites and SMS text messages.

The comments are a major about-face for the government, which had vilified bloggers, calling them liars and threatening them with detention without trial under draconian internal security laws.

The mainstream media are "often compelled to ignore or to play down" opposition events.

KABINET BARU 2008

Perdana Menteri : Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Timbalan Perdana Menteri: Datuk Seri Najib Razak

JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI Menteri : Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Menteri : Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz
Menteri : Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Menteri : Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (senator)
Menteri : Datuk Amirsham A Aziz (senator)
Timbalan : Datuk Johari Baharum
Timbalan : Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim (senator)
Timbalan : S K Devamany
Timbalan : Datuk Hasan Malek

KEMENTERIAN DALAM NEGERI
Menteri : Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Timbalan : Datuk Chor Chee Heung
Timbalan : Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh (senator)

KEMENTERIAN KEWANGAN
Menteri : Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Menteri II : Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Timbalan : Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah
Timbalan : Datuk Kong Cho Ha

KEMENTERIAN PENGANGKUTAN
Menteri : Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Timbalan : Datuk Anifah Aman

KEMENTERIAN KERJA RAYA
Menteri : Datuk Ir. Mohd Zin Mohamed
Timbalan : Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

KEMENTERIAN PERUSAHAAN PERLADANGAN DAN KOMODITI
Menteri : Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Timbalan : A Kohilan Pillay (senator)

KEMENTERIAN TENAGA, AIR DAN KOMUNIKASI
Menteri : Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Timbalan : Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN ANTARABANGSA DAN INDUSTRI
Menteri : Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Timbalan : Datuk Liew Vui Keong
Timbalan : Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

KEMENTERIAN PERTANIAN DAN INDUSTRI ASAS TANI
Menteri : Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Timbalan : Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim

KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI DAN HAL EHWAL PENGGUNA
Menteri : Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad
Timbalan : Jelaing anak Mersat

KEMENTERIAN PELAJARAN
Menteri : Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein
Timbalan : Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong
Timbalan : Datuk Razali Ismail

KEMENTERIAN PENERANGAN
Menteri : Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Timbalan : Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

KEMENTERIAN PERPADUAN, KEBUDAYAAN, KESENIAN DAN WARISAN
Menteri : Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal
Timbalan : Teng Boon Soon

KEMENTERIAN SUMBER MANUSIA
Menteri : Datuk Dr S Subramaniam
Timbalan : Datuk Noraini Ahmad

KEMENTERIAN SAINS TEKNOLOGI DAN INOVASI
Menteri : Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Timbalan : Fadillah Yusof

KEMENTERIAN PERUMAHAN DAN KERAJAAN TEMPATAN
Menteri : Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Timbalan : Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew
Timbalan : Datuk Hamzah Zainudin

KEMENTERIAN PERTAHANAN
Menteri : Datuk Seri Najib Razak
Timbalan : Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

KEMENTERIAN KEMAJUAN LUAR BANDAR DAN WILAYAH
Menteri : Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Timbalan : Tan Sri Joseph Kurup
Timbalan : Joseph Entulu Belaun

KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI
Menteri : Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Timbalan : Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar

KEMENTERIAN BELIA DAN SUKAN
Menteri : Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Timbalan : Wee Jeck Seng

KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN
Menteri : Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Timbalan : Datuk Dr. Abdul Latiff Ahmad

KEMENTERIAN PEMBANGUNAN USAHAWAN DAN KOPERASI
Menteri : Datuk Noh Omar
Timbalan : Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

KEMENTERIAN PEMBANGUNAN WANITA,KELUARGA DAN MASYARAKAT
Menteri : Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Timbalan : Noriah Kasnon

KEMENTERIAN PELANCONGAN
Menteri : Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said
Timbalan Menteri : Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

KEMENTERIAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN
Menteri : Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique
Timbalan Menteri : Datuk M Saravanan

KEMENTERIAN PENGAJIAN TINGGI
Menteri : Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin
Timbalan Menteri : Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung
Timbalan Menteri : Datuk Idris Haron

KEMENTERIAN SUMBER ASLI DAN ALAM SEKITAR
Menteri : Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas
Timbalan Menteri : Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh

BABY GIRL BORN WITH TWO FACES IN INDIA

A baby girl was born with two faces and four eyes in Gautam Budh Nagar hospital in the suburbs of Delhi, India on Monday, March 10, 2008

A patient was admitted to our hospital around 0600 hrs IST in the morning. An unusual girl child was delivered normally with two faces and four eyes. Both mother and the child are healthy and doing fine," Dr Aas Mohammad of Saifai Hospital said.

Doctor attending the baby said she is otherwise healthy.

Born to Vinod Singh and Sushma at Saifai Hospital in Dadri, the baby is being worshipped by the residents of the area who say she is an incarnation of god.

Neighbours of the couple are offering money and seeking blessings from the baby girl.

Vinod and wife are hoping the government will help with medical treatments needed for their baby girl in the future.

Bernama apologises to Lim for false May 13 attribution

Read The New Straits Times news

Bernama apologises to Lim for false May 13 attribution

By : Melisa Darlyne Chow

GEORGE TOWN, Sat: Bernama has apologised to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for the “sloppy editing” in its news story on March 12 which mistakenly quoted Lim as commenting on the May 13 incident.

The issue of the Penang government marginalizing anybody in the state does not arise following the apology letter issued by Bernama on Friday that stated that the news agency had mistakenly quoted Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said as commenting on the May 13, 1969 tragedy.

"I consider the issue closed, as the issue of DAP marginalizing Penangites did not arise at all in the first place, Lim told a press conference after opening the Artistic Malaysia Gallery here today. "Until now, the state government has not implemented any policies that were not profitable to Penangites, except for one company. Even that is not a Bumiputera company.”

Bernama editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong said upon a thorough review, the inclusion of the fact along with Lim's quote was deemed inappropriate. Yong noted the inclusion of the fact was intended to give background on the establishment of the NEP in 1971.

It was earlier reported that the new state government had outlined several reforms it plans to undertake in the state administration, starting with doing away with the practices under the NEP. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had warned Lim not to make statements, which could stoke racial tension, which the latter later refuted.

Some 1,000 Penang Umno members and supporters had held demonstrations at Komtar on Friday in protest over Lim's move to abolish the NEP.

Lim said the state government had only wanted all government procurement and contracts be done through the open tender system. Even this was made into an issue, then there was nothing he could do about it.

"We have to move forward. Let us move on to an era where there is transparency and integrity, to ensure the state's resources can be shared among everyone. The Prime Minister has also given his assurance that federal government projects here will go on as usual. We cannot allow certain quarters to make an issue out of this. Penang Umno must respect the people's wishes.

"Let us carry on with the task of leading the state, which has been entrusted to us by the people," he said. “The state government has not discriminated anybody.”

Lim said he did not want to prolong the matter further and the state government would move on from here to implement policies that were beneficial to all Penangites.

POLITICAL VANDALISM IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia Election Commission Chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman’s double-storey bungalow was splashed with red paint by three unidentified men early yesterday morning, ruining his front gate and one of his vehicles.

The attack can be classified as a simple piece of political vandalism. It is believed that the main cause for the red paint attack is due to the last-minute move by the Election Commission to scrap the use of indelible ink that was announced on Tuesday, following legal advice and looking at the issue of public order and security.

Legally, Election Commission had to scrap the indelible ink unless the Election Regulations 1981 are amended, as the right to vote cannot be made conditional on the marking of voters' fingers.

A lot of criticisms have been thrown to EC for the decision, and some political party supporters even have taken this aversely. Ironically, the decision is tough and difficult, but it ought to be done.

Isn't the idea that this is such a just cause, while painful, is worth the price?

OIL HITS RECORD HIGH $103.95 PER BARREL

World oil price hits another record high $ 103.95 per barrel will cause the Malaysian government to increase the subsidy if if no price hike. Ironically, the profit of PETRONAS will be increase too.

The question remains: Are the government going to increase the petrol price immediately after winning the 12th General Election which will be held on the March 8, 2008?

The gravity-defying price of oil shot through another barrier March 3, 2008 by briefly touching $103.95 a barrel in New York trading, the highest cost ever for black gold even after adjusting for inflation.

Chakib Khelil, president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, said the 13-nation cartel is shying away from boosting production because of the U.S. economic slowdown, political turmoil in the Middle East and expectations of slackening global demand for crude.

CHICKEN EGGS CHEAPER NOW

It is a good news that chicken eggs drop in price? It is due to general election? By the way, the real questions remain:Are other things like public transport, TOL, electricity bills, telephone and daily goods will follow to drop their prices?

The price drop was reportd by all the media. Read the news : The prices of chicken eggs dropped by between one sen and two-and-a-half sen effective today.

The price of Grade AA eggs is 28.5 sen (30 sen previously), Grade A 28 sen (29.5 sen), Grade B 27.5 sen (29 sen), Grade C 27 sen (28.5 sen), Grade D 26.5 sen (28 sen) and Grade E 25.5 sen (27 sen), according to a statement from the Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM).

The new prices were based on the market demand and supply, the statement said.