Broad opposition bloc most important thing now, says Saifuddin.

 Pakatan Harapan chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah said that the most important issue, following yesterday's announcement of a new party, is the need for a wide platform that would be able to unite anyone who is against BN.

This, he said, should be the main takeaway from the meeting yesterday between opposition leaders, former Umno leaders and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"The real shape of the platform can be borne in several ways. What should be prioritised is creating a huge opposition bloc that is united and strong so that we can achieve what the rakyat wants, which is one-on-one fights between the opposition and BN," Saifuddin said in a statement today.

Those who are against BN are many, such as Pakatan Harapan, other opposition parties like PAS, PSM and Saksama, NGOs as well as individuals like former Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir and former Umno vice-president Mohd Shafie Apdal, he said.

Saifuddin also noted that even though Pakatan Harapan had hoped that "certain individuals who are now without a party" would join them, they also understood that a new party might be needed due to certain dynamics.

Citing the example of Sabah which has a political dynamic which is unique, he said they would understand if Shafie, who is from Sabah, wanted to form a new party.
"What is important is that Pakatan Harapan work together with him (Shafie) in Sabah," he added.
Saifuddin also stressed that yesterday's meeting was not a statement or attack against any opposition party.

"This is the kind of spirit that's important.

"Opposition parties do not necessarily have to agree today to form a new coalition or expand Pakatan Harapan.

"Let's stop attacking each other first. Let us discuss to (our) heart's content," he said.

Saifuddin also noted that the main goal – a broad opposition bloc that is united and strong – does not necessarily have to exist formally.

It could also, he said, be in the form of "Pakatan Harapan consists of more than just the three parties", "Pakatan Harapan Plus", "Pakatan Harapan & Co" or others.

Yesterday, after the meeting, Mahathir had confirmed there are talks to form a new party to be part of the Save Malaysia movement where he will be "first among equals", though not necessarily the president, arguing that this is necessary as existing opposition parties are "sometimes not attractive" to others.

[Source: Mkini]

Please stop saying the Nice attacks have nothing to do with Islam (by Maajid Nawaz)

In the wake of the Nice attacks people are already saying: "But the terrorist wasn't pious. See! It has nothing to do with Islam."

Please stop.

Your good intentions towards us Muslims are only making the problem worse. This is as dangerous as saying it is everything to do with Islam.

Read full article HERE.

Turkey army group announces takeover on TV. Does this signal the return to secularism?

An army group in Turkey says it has taken over the country, with soldiers at strategic points in Istanbul and jets flying low in the capital, Ankara.

A statement read on TV said a "peace council" now ran the country and there was a curfew and martial law.

It is unclear who the group is or its level of support. Some top army officials are said to be detained.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would overcome what he called an uprising by a minority.
He told CNN Turk by mobile phone the action was by a "parallel structure" that would bring the necessary response. He has used this term in the past to refer to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric he accuses of fomenting unrest.

Mr Erdogan called on people to take to the streets to oppose the uprising.

He said: "I urge the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports. I never believed in a power higher than the power of the people."

Mr Erdogan said he was on his way to Ankara and those involved in the action would pay a heavy price. His office said he was in a secure location.

For rest of new report, read HERE.

Will UMNO hold fast or relent?

This kind of blackmail is typical of how UMNO is afraid of losing support so they bend backwards to help even if they don't deserve it or did nothing to resolve their own shortcomings. Always threatening to withdraw support if they don't get their way. So damn childish. If I'm not mistaken this government is a pleaser to be assured of retaining power. In a real sense they are held to ransom by groups who don't deserve any sympathy or aid. The government is more respected if they stand firm to what are legally and morally binding in the interest of the rest of law abiding population.

See video HERE. Allow Uber, lose votes from taxi drivers, government warned.

Meet our new LAW MINISTER ...

This is not good, not good at all.

Over 3,000 job cuts likely as Seagate and Western Digital leave Penang.
 
The common technology affecting Seagate and Western Digital is that of hard disk manufacturing which is being obsoleted by flash drives without moving parts, smaller and faster although cost per gigabyte storage is much higher but the gap is closing. You don't see hard disks on hand held gadgets and smartphones. Even notebooks are opting for flash drives which are lighter and more durable due to no moving mechanical parts. On top of this the trend of storing personal data on clouds services like Google Drive and Dropbox is gaining popularity as they are accessible anywhere in the world where there's Internet connection.

Malaysia must no longer depend on FDI which invest in businesses relying on fast obsoleting technologies. We must seriously reintroduce food production on larger scales to create new jobs and sustainable employments beside secure self reliance.

 

 

Read full report HERE.

Over 3,000 job cuts likely as Seagate, Western Digital leave Penang

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/158437/over-3000-job-cuts-likely-seagate-western-digital-leave-penang

Over 3,000 job cuts likely as Seagate, Western Digital leave Penang

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/158437/over-3000-job-cuts-likely-seagate-western-digital-leave-penang

Malaysia is likely to experience job cuts in the wake of a move by two American investors who are pulling out a major portion of their operations here. Penang is set to be the largest casualty as hard disk maker Seagate Technology Plc and computer data storage firm Western Digital Corp (WD), said to be relocating the bulk of their operations to Thailand. Business Times has learnt that Seagate will exit from Penang and Negri Sembilan. The Penang facility is said to have over 3,000 Malaysian staff. The company is also said to be putting up its Bayan Lepas facility for sale, along with a 16.4ha land in Batu Kawan on mainland Penang where it had announced two years, of its expansion . WD meanwhile, is expected to lay off 400 Malaysian staff and 800 foreign workers from its Penang manufacturing site. “Seagate’s operations in Senai, Johor, will remain for now,” an industry source said. Sources also said WD will begin to ramp down its slider operations from August as it prepares to move to Thailand. Seagate is expected to wind up and transfer its operations to Korat in Thailand in the fourth quarter of next year. In a statement earlier this week, forecasting financials for its fiscal fourth quarter of this year (ended last month), Seagate had said it would be cutting 6,500 jobs by the end of the next fiscal year, which wouldbe roughly 14 per cent of its global workforce. Foreign media reports had stated that the newly announced job cuts will mainly affect employees involved in production. The company’s main manufacturing facilities are based in Malaysia and China, with some in the United States and the United Kingdom. Seagate’s investment history in Malaysia dates to 1988 and the largest layoff the company underwent in Penang was over a decade ago when some 4,000 people were laid off. The company has 52,000 people on its global payroll.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/158437/over-3000-job-cuts-likely-seagate-western-digital-leave-penang

Malaysia is likely to experience job cuts in the wake of a move by two American investors who are pulling out a major portion of their operations here. Penang is set to be the largest casualty as hard disk maker Seagate Technology Plc and computer data storage firm Western Digital Corp (WD), said to be relocating the bulk of their operations to Thailand. Business Times has learnt that Seagate will exit from Penang and Negri Sembilan. The Penang facility is said to have over 3,000 Malaysian staff. The company is also said to be putting up its Bayan Lepas facility for sale, along with a 16.4ha land in Batu Kawan on mainland Penang where it had announced two years, of its expansion . WD meanwhile, is expected to lay off 400 Malaysian staff and 800 foreign workers from its Penang manufacturing site. “Seagate’s operations in Senai, Johor, will remain for now,” an industry source said. Sources also said WD will begin to ramp down its slider operations from August as it prepares to move to Thailand. Seagate is expected to wind up and transfer its operations to Korat in Thailand in the fourth quarter of next year. In a statement earlier this week, forecasting financials for its fiscal fourth quarter of this year (ended last month), Seagate had said it would be cutting 6,500 jobs by the end of the next fiscal year, which wouldbe roughly 14 per cent of its global workforce. Foreign media reports had stated that the newly announced job cuts will mainly affect employees involved in production. The company’s main manufacturing facilities are based in Malaysia and China, with some in the United States and the United Kingdom. Seagate’s investment history in Malaysia dates to 1988 and the largest layoff the company underwent in Penang was over a decade ago when some 4,000 people were laid off. The company has 52,000 people on its global payroll.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/158437/over-3000-job-cuts-likely-seagate-western-digital-leave-penang

Is our security situation getting better or is it getting from bad to worse?

A Bomb Was Found Next To Railway Tracks In Sentul, Sabotage Suspected

A water bottle filled with black powder, glass shards and ball bearings, was found by a member of the public at Lorong Kolam Air 9 in Sentul about 4pm yesterday.

Resembling a crudely made IED (improvised explosive device), the device was located near the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) railway track as it neared peak commute hours on Wednesday, English news daily NST reports.

Police were notified at 4:35 and a bomb squad dispatched to investigate the suspicious object, a mineral water bottle wrapped in a plastic and newspaper which investigators later discovered contained gunpowder, ball bearings and glass shrapnel wrapped in a cylinder-shaped cardboard paper and plastic.

A police source said the top part of the bottle was covered with a cone-shaped polyvinyl chloride pipe and contained gunpowder similar to that used for fireworks, local news portal malaymailonline.com reports.

“It was an explosive. Sentul police immediately contacted Special Branch when they saw the contents in the bottle,” the source informed the local news portal.

Bukit Aman Special Branch director Datuk Seri Fuzi Harun was quoted by media reports as confirming the incident and said the case was being investigated as “sabotage”.

According to media reports, two trains have passed by the area within minutes before the bomb was discovered. The trains were from Sentul and Segambut stations heading to Putra station.

A KTMB spokesman had spoken to reporters at the scene about earlier warnings from the police to step up security.

“Special Branch has not informed us the outcome of its investigations. We are happy to assist in anyway possible.

“None of our auxiliary police personnel were allowed to go on Raya leave and it is thanks to their watchful eyes that they found the explosive,” he added.

At present, the police have not suggested indications of links to international terrorists and revealed that the IED was found where two heavily used KTMB lines run through, the Batu Caves-Tampin Komuter line and the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang line.

- mD