Proliferating 4D scam worries Miri folk

Proliferating 4D scam worries Miri folk
Man suspects underage ‘runwaway’ daughter raped
Mawan has no doubt of a BN win in Balingian
Kuchingnites urged to take part in Earth Hour
A homecoming that’s set to consolidate SPDP’s strength
Yussibnosh enjoying ‘feel good’ vibes

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:44 PM PDT

MIRI: Members of the public are worried over the sprouting of fortune-telling services here of late offering 4D numbers.

A complainant at Vista Perdana said she had received the same flyer for such services several times, and believed it is a scam.

The flyers were printed on A4 size papers. It is written in Bahasa Malaysia, and it has the name, address and contact number of the 'organisation' offering the service.

"I'm really sick to receive this kind of flyer regularly in my postbox. My friends told me they were also getting these flyers on their vehicles' windscreens."

She hoped the authority concerned could nip this problem in the bud to prevent gullible people from being cheated.

Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang also believed it to be a scam.

He said he was surprised the 'organisation' had shared the story of a Malay businessman who managed to get his 'failing' business back on track with the help of the 'tok guru' (master).

According to the flyer, the businessman had followed all conditions set by the master and prayed to alter his fortune. The 'tok guru' then gave him a 4D number, he strike first prize and donated 15 per cent of his winnings to the organisation's temple.

"Fortune telling and gambling are prohibited in Islam. This is totally wrong as the story would only mislead Muslims," he said when contacted yesterday.

Ahmad Lai reminded Muslims, particularly the youths, not to be jaundiced by such get-rich-quick scams.

"If they (Muslim businessmen) are facing financial and business problem, there are proper channels to settle their problems. The government even has programmes to help those who wanted to start their business or are facing financial problems in their business."

Ahmad Lai said what worried him most was that those who were duped by the scam had to SMS their personal particulars to the 'organisation'.

"Do not expose your personal particulars to strangers. It is dangerous to do so as you will never know what the recipient will do with your personal information."

Man suspects underage ‘runwaway’ daughter raped

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:43 PM PDT

KUCHING: A Padawan resident claimed statutory rape yesterday after he managed to locate his underage daughter who ran away from home two weeks ago with a male friend.

The man told police his 16-year-old daughter met the boy during a co-curricular activity in school and began communicating with him via text messages using her mother's mobile phone.

He said he knew of the relationship as he had seen the messages on his wife's phone, but did not think much of it until his daughter disappeared from their home about two weeks ago.

The family only managed to find her on Thursday loitering at the Kuching Waterfront, where she was in the company of a female friend, and immediately brought her home.

The teen was said to have admitted to being with her male friend, but claimed she was forcibly confined in a house and had only just managed to escape before being found by her family.

Suspecting his daughter might have sexual intercourse with her friend, her father decided to lodge a police report as she was underage.

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Mawan has no doubt of a BN win in Balingian

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:42 PM PDT

by Jeremy Veno, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 22, 2014, Saturday

KUCHING: SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan is optimistic that the BN will retain the Balingian state seat on March 29.

He said the state and federal BN component parties had sent their own election machinery to the ground.

"This is a move that is thorough and decisive, which will leave no stones unturned. Issues that are not brought up to the attention of the government will now be listened to and brought up in the open," said Mawan to reporters at his office here yesterday.

He said that SPDP men were also hard at work in Balingian campaigning for BN's Yussibnosh Balo, who is up against Abdul Jalil Bujang from PKR.

"During nomination day, SPDP flags seem to outnumber other BN component parties'. Our committees are already there, except for me personally," said Mawan, adding that his absence during the Balingian nomination day and at Parliament sittings was due to him being under the weather.

He snubbed criticisms from certain parties who alleged that the BN were merely fishing for votes during the by-election by granting the people's 'wishes'.

"These are among the risks. Nevertheless, we are in the position to give as long as it is consistent with the rules of an election."

He said that the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced an allocation of RM79 million to build a secondary school in the Balingian sub-district and rebuild the primary school at Kampung Tellian in Mukah on Sunday.

"If it is not him (Muhyiddin) giving and improving the schools then who else?"

Meanwhile, Mawan said the meet-the-people session that was scheduled on Thursday in Balingian was postponed to today. He would be visiting several areas.

Kuchingnites urged to take part in Earth Hour

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:41 PM PDT

KUCHING: Kuchingnites are urged to participate in two important events on March 29 with the celebration of Earth Hour and the 'Let's Share the Road' campaign organised by the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU).

The event, to be officiated at by State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani among others will feature side events such as aerobics, telematch, colouring and traditional games contests and 3R fashion show in the morning.

This was revealed by Kuching North City Datuk Bandar Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Julai in a press conference at DBKU headquarters at Bukit Siol yesterday.

To be held at the compound of Padang Merdeka and Plaza Merdeka, the event continues to the night with events such as the Earth Hour Walk, VIP cycling performances by eco band, busking performances by local act and 'Bermukun'.

"Organised by DBKU for the third time, Earth Hour, an initiative started in Sydney back in 2007 is a noble effort to educate the public on the importance of saving electricity and to be aware of the issues in relation to energy and environment," said Abdul Wahap.

He urged other business premises in the city to shut down or dim the lights of their premises just for one hour on March 29 in support of the campaign.

Abdul Wahap added that cyclists on the other hand were invited to participate in the Let's Share The Road-folding bike and fixie bike race which involves routes along the city.

"We are expecting around 1,000 participants for both categories which involve a total distance of 28km," said Abdul Wahap who added that the flagging off will be held in front of Plaza Merdeka at 4.30pm.

Abdul Wahap urged motorists to observe the traffic on that day and to give way to cyclists.

Among those present at the event were DBKU director Dr Saadiah Abdul Samat and KOOCH chairman Gabriel Hii.

For more information about the event, contact the Community Development and Communications Department of DBKU at 082-446688 ext 131/132.

A homecoming that’s set to consolidate SPDP’s strength

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:40 PM PDT

by Toman Mamora. Posted on March 22, 2014, Saturday

IT wasn't the usual bear hug that would escape the attention of the average reader or get a cursory glance.

When SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom and party dissident Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, decided to throw caution to the winds and hug each other at the end of the last cabinet meeting chaired by former Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, the sudden display of the goodwill gesture surprised many.

It was more than a theatrical act to please the top leadership or for media consumption.

It was a historic political embrace that brought two opposing forces together, which sent shock waves almost immediately across the BN political landscape in Sarawak.

The hug was as symbolic as it was real; it marked the beginning of the end to what had hitherto been a stalemate of more than five years, which saw the dissident group of five sacked by the party and ending up in the political doldrums.

Whether the goodwill act occurred spontaneously or was prompted at the cabinet meeting is anybody's guess.

In politics, where the stakes in the wheeling and dealing are high, politicians tend to avoid making spontaneous decisions on critical issues based on impulse due to the risks.

Hence, talks to resolve the SPDP issue must have taken place behind closed doors involving the top leadership prior to the last cabinet meeting chaired by Taib.

On hindsight, it was an admirable peace plot that was well-scripted and hidden from the prowling eyes and ears of the political critics until the rightful moment arrived.

Obviously, central to the peace agenda was the desire to bring down the wall separating the party and the dissidents and to seek an amicable route for the latter to return to the SPDP fold.

In all this,the major points of agreement must have been strong enough to support the course of reconciliation.

Homecoming augurs well for Adenan's leadership

Less than a month later, the reconciliation pact was sealed and the former dissidents are back again as members of SPDP.

The reconciliatory move couldn't have come at a better time for Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem after having assumed office as Chief Minister of Sarawak a month ago.

It bodes well for the stability of the state Barisan Nasional and puts Adenan in a respectable position of leadership as he steers the ruling party and its components away from past intrigues and petty squabbles, to set its sights on facing the challenging political days ahead on a consolidated platform.

The group, which was made up of five dissidents, is now reduced to four after Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, who stood as an independent against a BN candidate in the last parliamentary election, has been disqualified from rejoining BN or SPDP in a decision made by the Chief Minister.

One thing followed another and things seem to have fallen in place favourably for SPDP's top leadership and the party's former dissidents, following the first breaking news that front-paged all local media.

Another strongman of the former dissident group, Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie, wasted little time in abandoning his 'old cause', when he decided to join the fray and affirm his stance to support the reconciliation and eventual return to SPDP.

For Nansian, the bitter dispute of more than four years between his group and SPDP is now history and no longer an issue. Homecoming for them is the answer.

Defining factors shift

What remains of the group's earlier claim that they had burned the bridge behind them and crossed the Rubicon is a past mist that is vanishing in the winds of today.

This is to be expected in politics, when the defining factors change and the epicentre shifts leaving the dissidents with hardly any option but to return home to SPDP. Homecoming is imminent.

But it will be a humbling return to the party they once bitterly criticised and left.

Unlike the parable of the prodigal son who was welcomed home with a grand family feast, no fanfare awaits the returning four.

And they are aware of it.

The four are now admitted into SPDP without conditions attached and although they will be invited to sit in the party supreme council by virtue of their position as elected assemblymen, they wield no party hierarchical power at the divisional and branch levels.

Nonetheless, the reinstatement of their membership will increase the strength of SPDP in the State Legislative Assembly from one (Meluan assemblyman Wong Judat resigned from the party and is now an SWP vice-president) to five, putting them at almost equal strength with SUPP in the state government.

With SPDP reinstating its strength in the State Legislative Assembly, Mawan's position as a BN component party leader in the government will also be enhanced.

Mediated intervention

To the SPDP leadership, the return of the former party dissidents will put an end to many years of bickering and intrigue plaguing the party and pave the way for it to bounce back and reconsolidate its unity and political strength.

From the broader perspective, the homecoming augurs well for the stability and unity of the state Barisan Nasional and points positively to the politics of the state BN under Adenan.

To the discerning political observer, the move is part of a mediated political discourse in what is seen as a response to the challenging times ahead.

It lends credence to Murphy's Law that left to themselves, things would always go from bad to worse.

Therefore, mediated intervention by a higher authority has to be engaged as a necessary process, as in the case of dealing with the SPDP dissidents, to resolve the impasse and streamline the passage of reconciliation.

For many of the party members, the wounds inflicted by the dissidents would take time to heal. For some, the memory still hurts.

Among them, some harbour ambition to run as SPDP candidates in the next state election to replace those from the breakaway group and they have done extensive groundwork to build their base and support network, and utilised huge amounts of resources.

Such fears are understandable during the transition period but they should also take solace in the fact that there is no guarantee that the former four dissidents would also be nominated to defend their respective seats.

Conversely, the new political aspirants as well as the four who have just returned home to SPDP should rise above their personal interests and pursue a more united and progressive cause for the party.

And as a new roadmap is being configured to meet the challenging demands of an expanding political terrain, some sacrifices may have to be made by all quarters while loyalty to the party must remain unwavering.

At the end of the day, the party must emerge as the winner for all.

Enlightening the unenlightened

On the thousands of loyal party members who stood by the president throughout the previous crisis, Mawan acknowledges that they are just as important as the returning four, if not more important.

For now, the spotlight is on the four who have just been readmitted into SPDP and who will be a subject of the media blitz in the next few days, while thousands of other members watch the homecoming as a big booster to consolidating and strengthening the party.

For some, who will take time to come to terms with the dynamics of reconciliation, they, too, will soon accept this new development as part and parcel of the reality of politics.

When the game of power comes into play in a political equation, the art of politics, and not the dogma, often matters more in shaping and influencing the passage of power politics for the masses.

If the president could brave the odds during the long-drawn crisis and hold the party together even in its darkest moment until the return of the prodigal four, he should have more than enough artful experience of navigation and negotiation in politics to bring the unenlightened among his
loyal supporters into his confidence and accommodate them within the bigger scheme of things.

Yussibnosh enjoying ‘feel good’ vibes

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 12:39 PM PDT

by Lian Cheng and Peter Sibon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 22, 2014, Saturday

MUKAH: Into the fifth day of campaigning, BN candidate Yussibnosh Balo is confident of winning the Balingian by-election.

"I feel confident that I can win the election," said the former Dalat district officer when meeting voters at Kampung Penakub Cina yesterday.

He said his confidence stemmed from the positive responses he received when moving on the ground to meet the people.

"We used to stay in Kampung Suyong, moved to Kampung Jebungan, and then we moved to Kampung Tellian," said Yussibnosh, who had spent much time in Kampung Penakub Cina upon invitations of friends and relatives in the old days.

He said because he had stayed in different part of Balingian, he knew many people in the constituency, and wherever he went he was bound to bump into relatives, friends, colleagues and former neighbours.

Yussibnosh said he had met half of the voters after visiting two major longhouses at Temesu, three major Melanau villages – Sg Jebungan, Kampung Penakub and Kampung Tellian – as well as Balingian sub-district, which included Kampung Suyong and the town area.

He said he would try his best to campaign efficiently so that he could meet up with his voters at least twice before polling.

On the seven wishes of Balingian constituents that were highlighted by The Borneo Post recently, Yussibnosh said he would try his best to fulfil them.

These seven wishes included the setting up of a new secondary school at Balingian sub-dstrict, rebuilding of SK Kpg Tellian, an additional petrol station in Mukah, the building of new Mukah Airport, rebuilding or repair of Kampung Baru Bridge, clean water for Balingian sub-district including Kuala Balingian, and bringing development to Balingian sub-district.

"I was a district officer before. I know what to do. I know how to allocate government funds."

While campaign at Kamping Jebungan and Kampung Penakub Cina, Yussibnosh called on the people to vote for him so that he could continue with the BN government's development plan that had been taking place in Balingian constituency.

Meanwhile, Kampung Penakub Cina Kapitan Tay Aik Seng said the Chinese in the village would definitely support Yussibnosh because the village, though high in Chinese population, had good ties with the BN.

"We always have a good relationship with the BN government because this government has been listening to us. We will not be swayed by the rhetoric of the opposition or accept their candidate. We have always been supporters of BN," said Tay, when met yesterday at a meet-the-people session led by Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

Citing the example of the bitumen road from Mukah to the village, Tay, 63, said whatever the village folk requested, the government would oblige.

"Before the building of the road, we had to use waterway to reach Mukah and that journey took an hour. Now, with the road, we can reach Mukah by road in a short time."

As the villagers are loyal supporters of BN, he believed the government would also help the village to rebuild Ek Hua Chinese Primary School, which was built 50 years ago. The school has been subjected to wear and tear over the years.

"Recently, the government gave us RM150,000 to upgrade our school," said Tay.

His other wish was for the government to grant financial help to more than 10 Chinese and Melanau families in the village so that they could cope with life better.

Tay said he knew Yussibnosh's father personally, and as Yussibnosh had spent much of his younger days in the village, he was confident in Yussibnosh's leadership.

"I saw him growing up. He was always with us in our village. I used to buy sago from his father. I have confidence in him (Yussibnosh)."

Kampung Penakub Cina is made up of about 70 Chinese and Melanau families. It has about 150 eligible voters.