Soccer or sex? Thai teens prefer soccer over sex! ;)

@ World News on msnbc.com

Soccer or sex? Thai teens ponder puzzling choice

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/19/11284979-soccer-or-sex-thai-teens-ponder-puzzling-choice

Merdeka Centre poll: Two-thirds of Malaysians against Warisan Merdeka!!

A survey by independent pollster Merdeka Centre has revealed that almost two-thirds of Malaysians are against the federal government's plans to build the Warisan Merdeka 100-storey tower.

The survey involving 1,005 respondents from peninsular Malaysia saw 65 percent of them disagreeing with the plans while only 25 percent of the respondents were supportive.

Amongst those who disagreed, ethnic Chinese respondents constituted the highest , at 75 percent, followed by ethnic Malays (60 percent) and Indians (58 percent).

Prime Minister Najib Razak had announced the controversial project during his budget speech in October and the announcement drew immediate fire from both opposition members and the public alike, sparking an anti-tower Facebook project to protest the plans.

Is having one sexual partner 'safe sex'? Not if either one partner is unfaithful

This poll in The Star Online has been running for quite sometime now.

 

Even practicing safe sex always does not always protect one from being infected with HIV.

When we violate the divine principle, the principle of monogamy, we inevitably face the consequences.

Only 9pc of Chinese like Soi Lek, poll shows: I like Chua for diverting votes to PR! Keep it up!

By Clara Chooi

August 17, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s recent attempts to embolden the MCA appears to have failed to recapture the confidence of the Chinese community as a recent poll here found that only nine per cent of the electorate regard him as a capable leader.

Many believe that the veteran politician’s tainted past would hamper his ability to serve as an effective party president while some even think that he is an embarrassment to the Chinese community.

The survey, carried out between June 27 and July 25, found that although the former health minister’s popularity among the party’s grassroots had secured him the president’s chair during the party polls in March, the common Chinese voter still finds it hard to look past his 2007 sex scandal.

Instead, the voters were more in favour of his predecessor Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to lead the second largest component party in the Barisan Nasional (BN).

Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon scored even lower than his BN counterpart and was named by only one per cent of voters as a capable leader to represent the Chinese.

Both the leaders’ lack of support from the Chinese electorate was further expounded in a general sentiment among voters that the MCA and Gerakan, as Chinese-based parties, were becoming increasingly irrelevant.

Many people believe Dr Chua’s tainted past would hamper his ability to serve well, according to the findings of a recent poll. — File pic

A synopsis of the survey obtained by The Malaysian Insider showed that 62 per cent of voters were dissatisfied with the MCA’s performance, only 24 per cent were satisfied and only one per cent was very satisfied. Only 27 per cent felt that the MCA represented the interests of the Chinese community.

A similar pattern was shown for Gerakan, with 39 per cent of respondents expressing dissatisfaction while 19 per cent claimed otherwise.

The survey, conducted by a Malaysian research house, polled the opinions of 590 Chinese and 413 Malay respondents and included five focus group discussions with Chinese voters in several locations in Peninsular Malaysia.

The research also revealed that there were three main grouses about the MCA — that leaders were self-centred, that the party was subservient to Umno and that the party was marred by too many internal conflicts.

Indeed, the party’s polls in March were held amid internal strife which eventually led to a three-pronged tussle for the president’s chair among the incumbent Tee Keat, former president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting and Dr Chua.

When Dr Chua took on the presidency, he immediately moved to wipe up the milk spilled by his predecessors, which had inadvertently led to the party’s dismal performance in Election 2008.

In recent days, the outspoken leader was reported to have made several bold statements, seen by some as the MCA’s ploy to remove the perception of its subservience to Umno.

Yesterday, the outspoken leader boldly said the party would not hesitate to side with its political foe DAP, if it was for the general good of the public.

He even moved to discredit Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein for calling on the MCA to remember the BN’s struggles in its fight for the Chinese community, saying that “some BN leaders” would be the eventual cause of the MCA’s doom.

However, while voters were discontented with the MCA and Gerakan, a significant number still felt that both parties should remain in the BN in order to retain multi-ethnic representation in the government, according to the results of the survey.

They also felt that although the parties had failed to speak out in the interest of the Chinese community, they still wielded more power than the opposition.

Several voters in the more rural areas also believed that MCA elected representatives would still be helpful in solving local issues, particularly matters that involved government applications.

The poll also found that the Chinese voters’ grouses did not just end with the MCA and Gerakan.

Results showed that a mere 12 per cent of the community were satisfied with Umno while 55 per cent were dissatisfied.

According to the synopsis of the survey obtained by The Malaysian Insider, one-third of the respondents chose to refrain from answering the question, believed to be out of fear.

This could ultimately mean that the Chinese voters’ distrust of Umno could likely be stronger than what the 55 per cent suggested.

The focus group discussions found that the most common reasons for the lack of support in the ruling party were that Umno was “unfair” to the non-Malays, its party leaders were “high-handed” and “autocratic” and that they were “extreme” in their ethnic rhetoric and policies.

On a whole, the poll found that the Chinese electorate no longer believed in the BN’s feasibility as a sound coalition that represented the views of all Malaysians.

In fact, the poll found that only 15 per cent of Chinese voters were willing to place their trust in the BN to safeguard their interests.

They also believed that the BN’s power-sharing model of community representation via ethnic-based parties like Umno, the MCA, MIC and Gerakan was no longer effective.

A total of 55 per cent of the Chinese respondents polled agreed with this view. They even felt that multi-ethnic parties would be more effective in representing their interests in comparison with ethnic exclusive parties and expressed interest in seeing national leaders working to that effect.

Focus group participants revealed that this was because Umno was too domineering while its other counterparts in the coalition were merely junior partners and held little clout.

They also believed that MCA and MIC leaders cared more for their own welfare than that of the communities they represented.

Should maternity leave be increased to 90 days from the current 60 days?

@ The Star Online: Polls

What I'm hoping for this Chinese New Year - 48% say 'Good health'

REMEMBERING UNLAWFUL PERAK GRAB

Flashback:
Dr M says Perak grab unlawful

Click on image to read Pakatan could win Perak again, but...

92% want PKR and Anwar to get rid of this trash

@ The People's Parliament
An Ultimatum to PKR and Anwar: Choose between the rakyat and Zul Nordin

What is your view on rapper Namewee's video, which pokes fun at TNB?

@ The Star Online: Polls

Personally, I dislike his style of presentation but I think he is only making a point!

Survey: Najib's popularity drops

UPDATED 6.05PM Najib who has stressed on the importance for political leaders to be popular is now seeing his own appeal fading.

A survey conducted by Merdeka Centre, an independent pollster showed that the number of Malaysians satisfied with Najib's performance fell to 56 percent from 65 percent in mid-June.

PAS: Voters back fresh Perak polls in new survey

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Despite giving Datuk Seri Najib Razak a high approval rating as the country’s new prime minister, Malaysians appeared to view the continuing political tussle in Perak as a major black mark for the new administration.

The results from a survey by the independent Merdeka Center shows that 44 per cent of Malaysians polled backed the call for fresh elections as the way to resolve the crisis.

Those who feel the best resolution is to “persuade the people to accept the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government” accounted for just 18 per cent of those polled.

Another 18 per cent want fresh elections in the three seats belonging to the three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) defectors. The three defections had helped tip the balance in favour of BN and sparked an unprecedented political and constitutional crisis.

A striking result of the poll showed that a majority of Malay voters also backed fresh elections.

A total of 38 per cent of Malays agreed that the state assembly should be dissolved, with 15 per cent calling for polls in the three affected seats. Some 30 per cent of Malays backed the BN government.

Among the Chinese polled, 54 per cent wanted fresh elections, 20 per cent wanted polls in the three seats while just 8 per cent backed the BN government.

For the Indian community, 46 per cent wanted fresh elections, 24 per cent called for polls in the three seats, and only 15 per cent supported the BN government.

Voters back fresh Perak polls in new survey

Ousted Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) said the poll vindicated his stand of fighting for the state assembly to be dissolved.

“They should call for fresh elections in Perak. Najib is behind the power grab and drama there and if he wants to save BN, he should dissolve the state assembly and I would believe that he would be encouraged to dissolve it to ride on the momentum of his popular support,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Some 1,060 selected registered voters were surveyed between June 19 and July 1.

They were asked a range of questions to gauge the PM’s performance, sentiment on the country and economy and measures to liberalise the economy.

The margin of error is about +/- 3 per cent. The survey was jointly commissioned by Merdeka Center and a research house. Najib’s approval rating was 65 per cent, a spike from the tepid 46 per cent in mid-May and 42 per cent just before he became the country’s sixth leader.

Twenty-two per cent are dissatisfied with his performance while 13 per cent were undecided.

“I would think that Najib should capitalise on the encouraging survey which shows that he is popular because of his policies and call for a state election in Perak.

“Najib is on the rising wave and he can ride it further on a sustained basis if responds to the aspiration of the people,” said Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam from the Centre for Public Policy Studies.

The survey appeared to show that there is broad appeal for Najib’s economic reforms.

But BN’s power-grab in Perak, which happened in February before Najib took office, is seen as an affair which has left a bad taste in the mouth for Malaysians.

The power grab, masterminded by Najib, has resulted in continuing political unstability with countless court battles and even two farcical state assembly sittings.

Nizar is still challenging the legitimacy of Datuk Dr Zambry Kadir’s appointment as mentri besar.

Tomorrow, the Federal Court in Putrajaya will hear Nizar’s final appeal.

Berani Najib sahut cabaran Kit Siang selepas Umno undur diri di Penanti?

Vote of confidence dare for 'sour grapes' Najib

• Is the PM afraid of seeking a vote of confidence in case he is unable to secure 100 percent support from Umno and BN MPs? asks Kit Siang.MORE

• 	Hussein Onn and Pak Lah did it
  	45% approval rating 'shocking'

The Internet is abuzz with news of YB Lim Kit Siang's challenge to Najib to seek a vote of confidence as the first item when Parliament reconvenes on June 15.

His challenge is 'charged' by Najib's comment that Mansor Othman’s win was “not exciting” as well as the fact that Najib could only muster the approval of 45 per cent of Malaysians polled recently in a Merdeka Centre survey. Click here to read LKS' blog posting.

Only 45 percent satisfied with Umno-appointed PM, whither 1Malaysia after Penanti?

In analysing the survey, the Merdeka Centre said voters' concerns were not so much on politics but rather on the management of the economy.MORE

Indians more satisfied than Malays, Chinese

Poll: Should IGP Musa Hassan's contract be extended?

Just when I thought Haris Ibrahim of The People's Parliament has been quiet of late, he came out with this poll yesterday.

Of course, I cast my vote.

Results after my vote. Obviously, it falls under the 99% category.


Click here to vote now!

Time to repeal the ISA is NOW

Much has been said (and blogged!) about the ISA.

Today, The Sunday Star Spotlight is 'Time to repeal the ISA'.

There is no justification for the continued use of this draconian law to detain politicians and activists engaged in legitimate dissent or even passport forgers.

DRACONIAN, inhumane and authoritarian. These are among the labels human rights champions have pinned on the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA).

For its proponents though, the ISA is a necessary evil to keep the country safe.

Fresh debate: Najib’s announcement of the release of 13 ISA detainees recently has renewed calls for a review and eventual repeal of the draconian Act.

Arguments for and against it have been debated time and time again and the issue has resurfaced with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s pledge that the Government will conduct a comprehensive review of the ISA.

It is significant that he said this while announcing the release of 13 detainees in his maiden speech as Prime Minister.

The statement was welcomed by most, including political parties in the Barisan Nasional that are for the Act to be abolished or reviewed.

Detention without trial

Since its inception until 2005, 10,662 people have been arrested under the ISA. A total of 4,139 were issued with formal detention orders while 2,066 were served with restriction orders governing their activities and where they live.

Currently, there are 27 people still detained under the ISA.

The biggest argument against the ISA is the fact that it constitutes “detention without trial” which goes against the basic tenets of human rights.

Under the ISA, a person is detained without trial or being charged. This means the person is not given an opportunity to be heard in court but is kept behind bars although he has not been found guilty of any offence. A person may be held by the police for up to 60 days without trial for acts which allegedly threaten the security of the country.

After the 60 days, the Home Ministry may release a detainee on restrictive orders, or order further detention without trial for a term of two years.

If a two-year detention order is signed, the detainee is taken to the Kamunting Detention Centre to serve the term. The law allows for the Home Minister to renew the two-year detentions indefinitely.

Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan says the act goes against the basic principle of “innocent until proven guilty”.

“It is unfair because the ministers come out and make all kinds of statements in public about the accused without any evidence being presented. The accused is not given a chance to rebut the allegations,” he says.

Section 8(1) of the ISA gives the Home Minister arbitrary power to detain anyone for a period up to two years “if the minister is satisfied” that the person is a threat to national security, public order etc.

“I have met many detainees in Kamunting and they are in the dark over the allegations. They have no right to defend themselves and there is an uncertainty of what’s going to happen.

“If you are guilty and handed a prison sentence, at least there is light at the end of the tunnel,” says Ragunath, adding that there have been cases of people being detained for up to even 15 years.

He says courts are reluctant to review any matters relating to “national security” and only willing to review the technical aspects of the detention.

“At the moment, it is very technical although they can actually go into substantive issues. It seems that the minister has unfettered powers to detain anyone. The investigations are purportedly carried out but it is not tested in an open court,” says Ragunath.

He says the courts are generally conservative in their approach although the High Court last year found Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s two-year detention order under the ISA unlawful. Raja Petra was released after 56 days.

To curb the communist threat

Essentially, the ISA was enacted in 1960 to curb the so-called communist threat but it has been misused to detain students, activists, political dissidents, Opposition MPs, trade unionists, journalists and passport forgers among others.

Ragunath says its use evolved from communists to issues of race and religion after 1969 and to religious extremism after 9/11. He adds that many others were victimised under the guise of race and religion.

Even the author of the ISA, Reginald Hugh Hickling who had formulated the law to detain communist insurgents, did not foresee that the law could be arbitrarily used to detain suspects.

“I could not imagine then that the time would come when the power of detention, carefully and deliberately interlocked with Article 149 of the Constitution, would be used against political opponents, welfare workers and others dedicated to non-violent, peaceful activities,” he was quoted as saying 20 years ago.

One of the biggest spate of arrests happened during Operasi Lalang in 1987 when politicians, social activists and NGO leaders where detained.

Among them were then Opposition leader and DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang, then Aliran president Chandra Muzaffar, then DAP deputy chairman Karpal Singh, MCA vice-president and Perak chief Chan Kit Chee, PAS Youth chief Halim Arshat, then Umno MP for Pasir Mas, Ibrahim Ali, and Umno Youth education chairman Mohamed Fahmi Ibrahim.

“Primarily the reason was political in the guise of inciting racial hatred. The politicians were arrested and released.

“The fact that they are elected to the Parliament and State Assembly meant they could not have espoused racist sentiments. If not, they would have been rejected by the people,” says Ragunath.

The Bar Council chairman says the definition of national security as it stands, is too wide.

“If it is defined by the minister, then forgery, counterfeiting, being a politician and speaking against the Government seem to be a threat to national security,” he says.

Last September, Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng, Raja Petra and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok were detained for allegedly being a threat to security, peace and public order.

Tan was released within 18 hours, the shortest detention in history. Former Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said she was detained for her safety, a reason slammed as ridiculous, to say the least. Kok, meanwhile, was released within two weeks of her detention.

Ragunath points to these examples to justify the huge change in public perception over the ISA.

“There would not have been that kind of outcry 20 years ago. The use of the ISA can now backfire on politicians, the police and the ruling party. It can’t be used as a political tool anymore,” says Ragunath.

A survey by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research showed that 70% of 3,600 Malaysians did not believe it is “necessary to detain people without trial to safeguard national security.’’

So, while people generally disagreed with the past few detentions, wasn’t the use of the ISA to combat communists also against the principles of human rights too?

“Yes. What we are saying is there is no situation to justify the use of ISA at all,” says Ragunath.

Social problems and abuse

Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, chairman for the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) says that people lose their normal lives after being detained.

“Families have been broken, with wives asking for divorce. Children have suffered from mental trauma and have had to receive psychiatric treatment,” he says.

Furthermore, he claims, detainees are also abused while in detention. He gives the example of ex-ISA detainee Abdul Malik Hussein who was awarded RM2.5mil in damages for being unlawfully arrested, detained and beaten up while in police custody in 1998.

Another detainee Sanjeev Kumar, who was said to have been a foreign intelligence agent was left paralysed waist down.

“They will say that it serves the country and helps alleviate security issues, but where is the proof?” asks Syed Ibrahim.

Shaari Sungib, assemblyman for Hulu Kelang says the ISA goes against the teachings of Islam. He presented his research to a few muftis.

“Only one of them defended the use of the ISA,” says Shaari who wrote eight books about the subject while he was in detention.

The former president of the Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) was detained for 16 days and two years respectively in 1998 and 2001 for involvement in the Reformasi movement.

“I was said to be radical and anti-government,” says Shaari who adds that his case earned a lot of international coverage.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the former de-facto Law Minister who resigned from the Cabinet over the detentions of Tan, Raja Petra and Kok says that it would be best to repeal the whole act instead of reviewing it.

“It is too complicated to review. It is a very old piece of legislation,” he says.

Zaid adds that if there was a need for a law for internal security (such as Britain’s Anti-Terrorist Act) a new legislation could be drafted.

“The new act, however, should be limited, clear, not ambiguous and could not be abused by anyone. As long as it is objective and the court has power to ascertain (the legality of the detention),” he says.

Ragunath is also for repealing the ISA as it would be difficult to amend or review.

“We would be happy to fall back on the Penal Code. We have the laws on terrorism,” he says.

Ragunath would also like the Emergency (Public Order and Crime Prevention) Ordinance (EO) to be repealed.

Similar to the ISA in nature, the Emergency Ordinance is usually used to detain suspected criminals indefinitely without being charged or put on trial, at the Simpang Renggam Behavioural Rehabilitation Centre. Detainees are often re-arrested upon court-ordered release.There are actually more people detained under this Act compared to the ISA.

“The ISA is given more prominence because politicians are involved. The EO involves more ordinary people, but it should also be repealed,” says Ragunath.

Slack investigations

There are also cases where people have been detained under the ISA for passport forgery and counterfeiting money – which are offences under the Penal Code.

“If it’s a serious problem, investigations should be carried out. Shutting them off doesn’t solve anything. The best option is to take them to court and subject them to criminal laws. There will be more public scrutiny of the issue and greater awareness of the problems faced,” says Ragunath.

If laws such as the Emergency Ordinance and the ISA are repealed, it doesn’t give the police a chance to slack in their investigations.

“If there is insufficient evidence or if the investigation is not thorough, police have an easy way out by sending them to Kamunting or Simpang Renggam.

“This only encourages slackness in police investigations. But if there is a duty to bring to court, prosecute and to convict the suspect, the burden is much higher on the police,” he says.

POPULARITY POLL: PAK LAH BEATS NAJIB

I first read about the poll result here at Malaysiakini - Dr M's blue-eyed boy fails to shine

Despite this, Najib's popularity has taken a beating, especially since he was linked to the murder of Mongolian national Altantunya Shaariibuu.

The incoming premier has firmly denied any involvement in the case and there is no evidence to tie him to the death either.

His popularity rating also stands at just 41 percent, according to a recent poll by independent pollster the Merdeka Centre, and that is lower than the 46 percent enjoyed by Abdullah.

Strangely so, the Merdeka Centre, www.merderka.org, seems to be down at the time of this post. ;)

PM: Nevermind-lah. Najib?

When asked to comment on his approval rating as suggested by an opinion poll conducted by the Merdeka Centre recently, Pak Lah said, 'Nevermind-lah...' (Read here in The Star Online)

The Malaysian Insider's 'Poll: Najib won't be good as PM' highlighted that only 34 per cent of those polled thought Najib would make a good prime minister.

Najib, any comment on the 66 per cent?

Probably, he'll say, 'The 66 per cent is not important. It is merely the personal view of the 66 per cent of the people.'
HAHAHAHA