Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha tabled on Thursday the Supplementary Supply Bill 2009 or the mini budget for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.

Kong said the Bill, which touched on the second economic stimulus package, will be tabled by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak next Tuesday (March 10).

Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee also asked the MPs not to reveal the details of the Bill until after Najib presents it in the House.

“Until the Bill is presented on Tuesday, I wish to inform you that it’s not appropriate to reveal the information contained in the Bill to other parties until it is presented to the House next Tuesday,” he said.

The mini budget, the second economic stimulus package mooted by the government after the RM7bil package announced last November, comprises RM5bil in development funds and RM5bil in operating funds.

Three days have been scheduled for the debate and winding up of the Bill.

The mini budget will encompass fiscal, monetary and other measures to boost the national economy.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had earlier said that the mini budget was aimed at spurring national economic growth in the wake of turbulence in the global economy.

The mini budget will have to facilitate commerce and the preservation of jobs, he added.

He also said it would be a comprehensive one taking into account of feedback from the business community.

With the current global economic meltdown, many countries have taken measures by introducing stimulus plans. Malaysia, which is also affected by the economic meltdown. Thus this mini budget is a hopeful one as many people would benefit from this stimulus.

Many Malaysians had lost their jobs and this stimulus plan would surely help many Malaysians suffering from this downturn.

Hoping that Najib's ideas and vision's would be accomplished from this plan. It will also improve the reputation of the deputy who has been stuttering since the constitutional crisis in Perak.

Democracy taken away!!!

On the 27th of February 2009, V. Sivakumar who is still the legitimate speaker for the Perak Assembly has called for an emergency sitting of the Assembly on the 3rd of March 2009 to vote on two motions, the first motion being the affirmation of Nizar Jamaluddin as the legitimate Chief Minister and the second is the call for fresh polls in the state. Although Sivakumar has acted within his power as the Perak assembly speaker to call for the Assembly meeting, the Perak legal advisor, Ahmad Kamal Mohd Shahid has tried to block the notification of the emergency sitting. Ngeh who is one of the ex-exco member of the Perak government before the BN took over the Perak government early February says that this obstruction is in “contempt of the house” and is liable for punishment under house rules.

Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar said that a statement made by the state assembly secretary was made without his knowledge and permission and that the secretary has no powers to interpret Standing Orders. He cited the legislature's Standing Orders 89 as giving him final say in any interpretation of the state assembly's Standing Orders.On March 2, 2009 the Perak state secretary’s office issued a directive to lock the gates to the state assembly building ahead of an emergency sitting of the state assembly. On March 2, 2009 Perak State Assembly Speaker V Sivakumar announced that he was suspending the assembly's secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri with immediate effect and that the emergency meeting of the assembly scheduled for March 3 would go ahead as planned. The suspension action was taken because of Abdullah's failure to carry out his duties professionally.

Lawyers representing Datuk Dr Zambry Kadir and his executive council have also filed for an injunction at the High Court in Ipoh in an attempt to lift the suspension orders preventing them from attending the state assembly. Zambry claimed that the emergency sitting is illegal without the consent of the Sultan. He cited Articles 8, 11 and 36 of the state constitution. However, a check with the Perak constitution confirms that Articles 8 and 11 cited by Zambry were not related whatsoever with what he argued. Articles 8 and 11 are in relation to the state seal, and the executive action of the authority being conducted in the Sultan’s name, respectively.

Based on the information above, we can be clarified that every politician has his or her agenda to benefit themselves and their party. Since BN was declared the party to rule Perak by Sultan Azlan Shah, they were grouses aired by many 'Perakians'. Many complained that they were rigged of their democracy. Since the emergency state assembly was announced by V. Sivakumar, i was sure that there would be some 'hanky-panky' stuff happening. Indeed the opposition were not allowed to the state secretariat and they had to do it under a raintree now famously called the 'Pokok Demokrasi'. This developments would surely irk many people and i am sure people would be demanding for by-elections.

I hope this developments would not affect the progress of the 'Silver State'. I am sure the Sultan would realise the fact the state is in need of fresh elections. If this persist, we might see the fall of Perak. We don't want that to happen. Whether it is Barisan or Pakatan, people don't want their
rights to be taken away.

Malaysia is a democratic country......So, why take away people rights. Democracy shall live on and we as Malaysians should fight for it!!!!

What can stop this root?

1970's till 1980's it was the heydays of Malaysian football. We qualified for the Olympics twice but due to unforseen circumstances, the Malaysian football team did not take part in the '5 Ring'
comprtition. We were once force to be reckoned with. Being one of the best Asian teams, we managed to beat countries like The United States of America and South Korea. Tournaments like the SEA games and The 'Once Famous' Merdeka Tournament used to be Malaysia's famous playground.

During this time, many talented players have emerged. We had players who were master's in their respective positions. Footballing legend and goalkeeping marvel, the late 'Spiderman' R.Arumugam used to be feared by many strikers in Asia. Striking legend, the late Mokhtar Dahari used to be called as 'Maradona of South East Asia' and was sought after by many European clubs. Other players such as Dato Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh and Serbegeth Singh( Shebby ) were players revered by many of our people. Their skills, determination and passion to represent their country were of examplery.

1990's and 2000's? Many of our football enthusiast had a lot expectations. The change from a semi- professional league to a professional league and the exposure of few of our talents in Europe raised the expectations of many people. Many expected our current national football team to emulate the 70's and 80's but it happened otherwise. The National team form started to dip and in 1994 the corruption case among football players in Malaysia. Last year, our National team bowed out of the Asian Cup in a humilating manner losing big to China and Uzbekistan. Now, the '1994 incident' is being repeated all over again. What has happened?
How did all this happen?

Those days, FAM was runned by the Sultan and assisted by few people who have experience in handling footballing issues. However, this time around they are assisted by politicians such as Khairy Jamaluddin, Rembau MP and the son-in-law of Y.A.B. Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Many people thought with him coming, they might be changes. It is still the same! The only good thing is that he manages to get a lot of corporate figures to sponsor them financially. Those money will not help, Mr.Khairy. Many politicians lack the understanding of football. Look at South Korea and Japan, their associations are runned by people who have technical and tactical knowledge on football. Those days we used to beat them but now losing respectably to them will be an achievement for us.

The league? We have one of the most 'weirdest' league in Asia. Every season there will be format changes. Look at Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, they have a very improved league system and many of their clubs have done well in continental tournaments. For example, BEC Tero Sasana were the runners-up of the first edition AFC Champions League. Singapore clubs such as SAFFC and Home United have performed well in the AFC cup this season. What about our clubs? This year's representatives for Malaysia, Perak and Kedah were humiliated by both the Singaporean clubs. Plus, Perak was thrashed at home. The league has not helped the development of our football. The constant change of format will only affect the national squad development. People have also realised that our league are not up to par. They prefer other leagues. Those days, people would fill up the seats in stadium to watch league games but now many stadiums are empty. The publicity have also been bad. The current corruption saga have tarnished the reputation of this league. Will there be change on the cards? I am sure there will be another change in format. It will not help if you change it everytime!

Many football enthusiast around Asia have said that Malaysian players those days were passionate when donning their national colours. Players would play their hearts out to make sure they would carve a win. South Korea have followed this suit and look at their National squad now. Now, what happened to our players?. The Asian cup debacle was one good example. We thought with home support they would cause some shocks but it happen otherwise. This really irks me, as we had players who had stints in Europe but not being able to perform. Why did this happen. This days professional players play football not for the beauty of it but for the money they earned. Players will always demand incraese in pay and bonus but they do not perform. Ego among players is a another contributing factor. There a players who think that they are superstars and expect them to be treated the right way. They expect people to worship them. I am sorry this will never ever happen if this current sorry state of football continues. People say understanding among people is very important in carving out success. We do not see this in our national team. Lack of harmony and misunderstanding on and off pitch affect players performances and the match outcome will surely be dissapointing.

Those days the sports ministry would usually give their fullest support in developing football. This time around, football has been neglected. Sports such as Badminton, Lawn Bowl, Bowling and Squash are given emphasis. Yes, the government have aided the development of football in our country but it is not enough. It needs more. The FAM should not shoulder the whole responsibility, the Ministry should also have some responsibility. While the Sports Ministry have not been taking much reponsibility, the Education Ministry have decided to have academies and leagues for young aspiring players. The sports Ministry should be ashamed of themself! Private sectors have also taken steps to improve our football. TV3 for example have searched many aspiring footballers in their reality show 'MY TEAM' and 'Soccer Kids'. The ministry should follow this kind of examples and improve the current state of football.

Will this current sorry state of football end. I hope so. We hope to see the next 'Santokh', 'Mokhtar' and 'Chin Aun' in the future. The FAM, public, players and The Sports Ministry should realised the fact that our football have been on the downfall for the past few years. We should stop this? Preventive measures should be taken before 'rice becomes a porridge'.

We need a 'Obama' in our football!!

Another drubbing!!!! What on earth is happening to Malaysian football? Many football enthusiasts will be dreading about the current situation of our football. Certain quarters are blaming it on Sathia for causing this ‘ruckus’. However, it is not only him to be blamed. FAM, YOU ARE TO BE BLAMED!!!!!! You promised changes but what have we seen…’More results to be proud of!!!!!’ Look, we are not moving forward. WE NEED DRASTIC CHANGES!!!!

Firstly, our league needs to be refurbished. Super League………What Super League? This league should be known as ‘THE JAMBAN LEAGUE’. Sorry for the harsh words but this is the fact. Malaysian coach, Sathianathan might have a point. Malaysian League is certainly not football. It does not meet the requirements for international standards. That’s why we see our players stuttering against international teams. Many changes will be needed. The fixtures, requirements, rules and financial aspects should be reviewed and changed. Look at Leagues in Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea and even India. They are much better than our league. These leagues have produced worthy players for international games. In our league we see constant changes in fixtures, the sudden abolishment of foreign players and teams not being able to pay players. Please pass this league to the professionals not politicians!!!!! What has Khairy done? He promised changes but it is otherwise. CHANGE SHOULD COME AT ALL COST!!!! AND IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!

Secondly, please pass the baton, Sultan! FAM should be runned by professionals not politicians or royalties. Look, in a decade what have we achieved. The South East Asian Cup is out of our grasp several times, debacle in SEA games, Asian cup humiliation, corruption in football and recently the UAE whitewash at our own soil. Look at other footballing associations, they are moving forward. One very good example is Singapore. Naturalising foreign players, led by footballing professionals and a very consistent and competitive league, change has come for them. When will it reach our soil? FAM should make changes in the committee, bring in corporate figures to help sustain financially and collaborating with other footballing associations for our own benefit. To raise the standard of our football, FAM should not rely on politicians or royalties. The public should have a hand on improving the footballing standards of our nation. We see many people are giving their thoughts on FAM. This might be a helping hand for FAM.

I’ve been watching and analyzing football since I was seven. I was fascinated with leagues from other countries but not ours. The only thing that I was impressed was the during the Mokhtar Dahari and R.Arumugam days. Teams used to fear us. My dad said the Malaysian team in the 70’s and 80’s were dominant and were handled well by FAM. What happened now? This question will always be asked by Malaysians in the years to come.

Certainly we as Malaysians, would love to see our national team improve and able to face bigger footballing nations. These problems should be overcome immediately if we are to see changes. We don’t want to see another whitewash, corruption rearing its ugly head and State FA’s not being able to sustain financially. Drastic changes are vital in improving the conditions of our football. We should live up to the spirit of ‘Malaysia Boleh’ not ‘Malaysia boleh boleh la’! CHANGE SHOULD COME AT ALL COST!!!!!!!!

Politics, the dreaded word!

Elizabeth Wong alleged to be involved in a nude picture scandal, Khir Toyo being questioned by police and the party hopping in Perak. What is happening? Do we want this to persist. We vote for this people and end up listening to this stories. This surely is a bleak moment in Malaysian Politics. Long gone the Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad days. The current leadership have seen many bittersweet incidents in politics.

No doubt, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is a credible leader, but with the current situation in our country, he would surely live the post with a lot of problems. His replacement, Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak has already weaved his magic by luring three pakatan politicians to join his clan and take over the Perak Leadership with the Sultan's consent. Our rights had been taken. We as the people of perak would have preferred snap polls but the otherwise happened. For sure, people would be dissapointed with the verdict but we have to respect the decisions made by the Ruler.

So, the point of discusion here is, what is happening to our politics? . Currently, many people's perception about politicians in our country is that their unreliable and not able to fight for them. We have seen many promises made during the campaigns made by politicians in our country. After the elections , we have seen many things happening. From scandals to party-hopping, the current politics in our country is in tatters. What caused this root?

Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim plan to take over the leadership and Barisan denial of their of members jumping ship to other parties summed up 2008. We were so eager to see Anwar's promise for changes and taking over the leadership of our country. None happened. Empty promises and another debacle by Anwar. Barisan prevailed. Due to these incidents, the rakyat were ignored. Political stability for Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat were far more important than the rakyat. So utterly dissapointing. We voted for you guys to voice our thoughts and grouses but we end up with nothing.

In 2009, we see changes in state politics. Perak taken over by Barisan Nasional! Dissapointment for the rakyat. We wanted to see changes by voting for pakatan rakyat but we end up being robbed by Barisan Nasional. Rather than concentrating for the rakyat, both parties decided to fight for the leadership in which barisan prevailed nad Pakatan seeking legal action against barisan governmnet led by Pangkor MP, Zambry for wrongdoing of the constitution. Whoever takes over, please face this fact. Rakyat first, other issues second. Please polticians, we vote for you to fight for us not yourself or your party.

Look at our education system and other systems. As a rakyat i am very disappointed to see all these things happening. We don't want our future generation to see all this this things happening in the future. Many of our peole are migrating to other countries to escape from these issues and lead a better life in other countries. We don't our future generations to follow this suit. Whoever who is ruling this country, please care for us and not your own agenda.

We want to see changes and not empty promises made during campaign round. We need someone like 'Obama', 'Rudd' and 'Merkel' figure. We as Malaysians would want to see our country to prosper and be one of the leading nations of the world in every aspect. With the current situation, we would not be able to achieve these statuses. Changes are needed! We are desperate for changes. We hope that the next leadership would be able to bring prosperity towards our country.

We want to live to our billing 'Malaysia Boleh' not 'Malaysia boleh boleh la'!!!!