Archive - 24 December 2002

The leadership crisis in MTUC looks set to worsen as Zainal Rampak's deputy, Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal, is expected to reveal the alleged corrupt practices of the president at a press conference on Sunday.

In the absence of clarification as to how former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim fell ill recently, his family intends to pursue complaints lodged with the home and health ministries.

The government will not make any decision affecting the ringgit peg based on IMF's input, says Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, adding that IMF should "keep their opinions to themselves".

Come March, signboards advertising non-alcoholic food and beverage businesses in Selangor can no longer display beer logos. The move will not go down well, particularly with the Chinese who consider it a taboo to change signboards.

Amnesty International urges the government to free five reformasi activists held under detention law after a rare recommendation for their release by the ISA review board.

Raja- raja selaku ketua agama negeri masing-masing mempunyai kuasa dalam hal pentadbiran dan pengurusan sekolah agama rakyat (SAR). Namun begitu, keputusan kerajaan pusat untuk menyerapkan SAR ke sekolah kebangsaan, tidak pernah dirujuk kepada Majlis Raja-Raja.

The 'anti-establishment' group retained its stronghold in Universiti Malaya by winning 34 out of the 39 seats contested in the campus election.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) is finally acting on the problem of street children in Sabah following the accidental detention and deportation of a 13-year-old Malaysian girl to the Philippines earlier this year.

Next year will be an important one for the political parties in the country, especially with the general election expected to be held by the end of the year. Questions then rise if senior leaders of other BN coalition partners follow Dr Mahathir's steps in retiring from politics, or on how PAS' new president Abdul Hadi prepares to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.

Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai promises to help Indonesian police investigate the Bali bombing.

Kegiatan ceti haram subur akibat keengganan pihak bank memberi pinjaman kepada peniaga kecil walaupun dananya disediakan kerajaan. Kenapa tiada tindakan diambil terhadap bank-bank yang lebih suka 'memberi hutang besar kepada syarikat besar' saja? LEE BAN CHEN menganalisa permasalahan ini.

DAP chief Lim Kit Siang wants the foreign minister to explain why Malaysia abstained from voting for a new anti-torture treaty which grants experts access to places of detention.

Presiden George W Bush diberitahu mengenai peristiwa Sept 11 semasa melawat sebuah sekolah rendah di Florida. Tetapi anehnya, Bush meneruskan lawatannya dan masuk ke kelas untuk mendengar seorang murid bercerita mengenai kambing kesayangannya!

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has criticised Singapore for construction work on a disputed island, a report said today.