This handsome fella is the 'ultimate' icon/ambassador for 'Barang Naik'; barang sentiasa naik 24-jam! Photo courtesy of KK, Sabah-based award-winning photographer Mr CV Chong.
Of late, "BN" has become an increasingly popular acronym for "Barang Naik" - thanks to the Govt's recent decision to cut subsidies (a politically-correct term), which in a way confirmed Minister in the PM's Department, Datuk Idirs Jala's concern & projection of the nation's dire financial position, to be true.
In Msia, the word 'barang' also generally refers to male genital organ; hence "Barang Naik" could also mean an ERECTION besides price hike (a politically-incorrect term at this point of time). Therefore, BN is truly a controversial acronym that brings a mixed feelings to the masses, depending on how & where it is used, whether in the bed, or in the supermarket.
Umno is against any form of racism and does not support Perkasa said Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
“We should get rid of Perkasa,” said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department on Tuesday in the Parliament lobby when reporters asked for his response to MCA vice-president Datuk Donald Lim’s suggestion that the Chinese should form their version of Perkasa.
"What's the point of having another extremist body? We want to get rid of Perkasa,” he said.
He said that Umno was seeking to distance itself from Perkasa but acknowledged that no action could be taken against people who proposed such extremist bodies unless a police report was lodged against them.
Will Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) be represented by its youth chief Sih Hua Tong to contest the Batu Lintang seat during the coming state election?
Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng said that he was confident with this even though the matter has not been confirmed yet.
“To me it’s confirmed, but it still has to go through the usual system – to be reviewed by the state Barisan Nasional (BN).
“Sih’s name is in the list of candidates to contest the Batu Lintang seat,” Yong told reporters after the closing ceremony of ‘Program Mesra Rakyat’ at RPR Batu Kawa Phase 1 here yesterday.
He said the final decision would be announced by BN at a later time.
“Election is very unpredictable. Today it may be different, but tomorrow it would be another thing. We cannot predict anything, but generally the people’s support for the BN government in Batu Lintang is ‘boleh tahan’,” he added.
Yong, who is SUPP vice president, was clarifying the issue after he spoke about it briefly during his speech at the closing ceremony.
He had then said Sih might be one of the candidates to contest the Batu Lintang seat.
Meanwhile, Sih said the decision to put him up as a candidate was up to SUPP and BN.
“We SUPP Batu Lintang branch, despite losing the seat during the 2006 state election, still serve the area and the people, and go to the ground often.
“We will continue to serve the people the best we can,” he stressed.
SUPP lost the Batu Lintang seat to DAP’s Voon Lee Shan during the 2006 state election.
Apart from that, SUPP also lost the Padungan, Pending and Kota Sentosa seats in Kuching Division to the opposition.
On another note, Yong when asked on his opinion on the newly established Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB), said he did not know much about the party.
“I only heard about it when I was at the Parliament meeting. The only detail I know is they want to contest 71 seats in the state,” he said.
Dalat assemblywoman Datin Fatimah Abdullah is not surprised that Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB) protem president Salleh Mahali plans to contest in Dalat.
“It is no surprise to me because he had intended to do so for quite a while,” she told reporters after officiating at the SMK Sungai Maong Open Day here yesterday.
“We know him. The people know him. Let the people judge for themselves. Let the voters decide. After all, this is a democratic country,” added Fatimah.
Salleh stated his intention in a press conference yesterday, saying that he would contest for the Dalat seat in the state election which must be called by July next year.
Fatimah revealed that during the last election in 2006, Salleh was suspected of supporting an independent, and had tried to contest against Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud in Mukah.
Of course, added Fatimah, he denied it. She said the people by now should know Salleh’s character and record in the party.
On another note, Fatimah was also asked about PERSB’s call to limit the term of Chief Minister and cabinet ministers to a maximum of two terms.
“It is unreasonable because it shows that they (PERSB) do not know the administration processes. For a state like Sarawak, which is big and has many segregated rural populations, it is not easy.
“It takes a lot of time,” she said, while pointing out that it took Taib more than two terms to turn Sarawak into what it was now.
“It is not easy. It takes a lot of political will, experience, innovation and creativity to be able to do what Pehin Sri has achieved now.
“For them to suggest that two terms is enough, it shows that they don’t really understand the process of running the state, let alone develop it.
“What Sarawak has now is not mere hard work for 10 years or two terms. It is based on so many years of hardwork and high commitment, as well as creativity and innovation,” she said.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said it was up to the people to decide on the duration for the Chief Minister’s post.
He said to limit a leader’s length of service would be waste of one’s ability, adding that the state needed a highly capable Chief Minister like Taib to plan and carry out development projects.
“If we limit those who have the quality, most likely programmes that had been planned will not be carried out,” he said.
In any case, Daud, who is also the vice president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), said it was too early for PERSB to voice out its dream as they were not even approved by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) yet.
The PERSB sponsorship committee, led by Salleh Mahali, was launched on Friday. Among its aims was to impose a limit on how long an individual could serve as a Chief minister, deputy chief Minister and state cabinet member.
According to PERSB, this was to avoid abuse of power.
Salleh Mahali is currently the party pro-tem president Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB).
Salleh Mahali, who is former information chief of the Dalat branch of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), said the presence of the party is solely to fight for the interests of the rakyat.
Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB) aims to limit the tenure of the Chief Minister to only two terms if the party wins the coming state election.
The two-term rule will also be applied to the post of deputy chief ministers, ministers as well as all other political appointments in the state.
Party pro-tem president Salleh Mahali said this was one of the points spelt out in the party’s manifesto for the coming state election.
He said this during a press conference held at a local hotel here yesterday.
Salleh, who is former information chief of the Dalat branch of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), said the presence of the party is solely to fight for the interests of the rakyat.
“The formation of the party is to fight for the rakyat, especially those in the rural areas who are being oppressed and are suffering in their own homeland,” he said, adding the party is not being sponsored by any political party. He said the party is self-sufficient because it receives its monies from Koperasi Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Berhad (KERSB), which is in the jatropha plantation business.
He also disclosed that the party’s candidates for the coming election have signed letters declaring that they would not jump to other parties should they win the election or involve themselves in activities that go against Projek Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak (PERS) – which is connected to the party. Meanwhile, the party’s pro-tem secretary Mohammad Noh Bakeri said the party had re-submitted its application to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on April 20 after its earlier submission on January 21 was rejected by the Registrar due to certain reasons.
“We hope that our party’s application would be approved as soon as possible, which ROS has no reason to reject because the formation of PERSB is solely to give democratic rights to the rakyat in determining the state’s leadership in the future,” he said.
