From: jit@slic.cellbio.duke.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asean
Subject: Malaysia news Oct 13
Date: 14 Oct 92 03:01:13 GMT
Originator: jit@slic.cellbio.duke.edu

The Straits Times, Sat. Oct 10

Govt agencies to get less funds next year: Anwar
Spending on reearch and science not affected

Kuala Lumpur - Finance Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim
has indicated that he would cut funding to government agencies next
year to gighten spending and cushion any economic slowdown.
[....]
============================================================
Pirates 'threw 27 from grounded Indonesian ship to sea'

Kuala Lumpur - 
[.....] more than 50 armed men sailed alongside the 3000-ton ship and
took control of the vessel [Banowati] but no serious injuries were
reported.

============================================================
Stop depdnding on govt aid, PM tells bumi contractors

Bangi (Selangor) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad 
yesterday told bumiputra building contrators to stop depending
on government aid, and instead compete against others in the private
sector with deternation, honesty and trust.
  He was disappointed that even after 35 years of Malaysia's independence,
bumiputra contractors still lacked the confidence to do so.
  [.....]
  The Prime Minister likened a contractor with negative attributes with
a hysically-handcapped person who had to depend on crutches to move about.
  "The government will not forever provide these crutches because it does not 
seem to be helping them to progress but only to regres," he said
  Dr Mahathir said bumiputra contractors should not progress as quickly as
others.
  [....]
  He was convinced that the bumiputra contractors could be as successful as
their counterparts from the other communities as they were not physically
handicapped.
  He also advised them to settle their debts even if they suffered losses.
  "The integrity of bumiputras as a whole will be tarnished by a few who fail
to keep to their pledge to settle their debts," he said. - Bernama.
============================================================
Many PBS leaders 'seek reconciliation with National Front'

Kota Kinabalu - Several Parti Bersatu Sabah leaders have realised that 
party president and Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan's decision to
pull out from the National Front was a mistake, according to Information
Minister Datuk Mohamed Rahmat.
  [.....]
  The PBS withdrew from the NF coalition shortly after nomination day
in Malaysia's 1990 general election.
  Top NF leaders had called it a "stab in the back".
  On the call by UMNO Youth leader Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to
review the powers of the Sabah and Sarawak governments, including
their autonomy over immigration, Datuk Mohamed said such a review
was long overdue.
  "The review was supposed to have been done 10 years after Malaysia
was formed; now Sabah and Sarawak have already been in Malaysia
for 29 years," he said.
  Meanwhile, a PBS leader said in a statement here yesterday that if there 
was to be a review of the powers of the Sabah governemtn, especially
its autonomy on immigration, it should take into account the wishes
of the Sabah people.
  PBS vice-president Datuk Zaki Haji Gusmiah, who is Assitant Minister
to Datuk Kitingan, was commnting on Datuk Najib's call last week that
the federal government review the powers of Sabah and Sarawak.
  Datuk Najib had said the review was necessary for national 
integration. -- NST, Bernama.
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The Straits Times, Monday, Oct 12
============================================================
============================================================
I ordered RTM ban on nude actress, says minister

Information Minister Datuk Mohammed Rahmat said he had personally
ordered the ban on Zarina Zainuddin appearing on Radio Tv Malaysia's
programmes following the sale of the actress' nude photographs in 
Kuala Lumpur.
  According to the New Sunday Times, he said the ruling applied not
only to to Zarina, but also to other aritistes wholse conduct was
considered morally questionable.
  Datuk Mohamed ssaid he would also haul up RTM personnel for
disciplinary action for allowing Zarina to participate in the 
programme, Hiburan Minggu Ini, despite knowing that she been
photographed in a daring pose.
  [........]
   Between sobs, the actress told the paper in a telephone interview
on Saturday in KL that she could no longer stay in Malaysia because
of public criticisms and social rejection.
  She said even film and TV programme producers did not want to hire her.
  " I am finished, how will I live ?  What's more depressing is that my 
boyfriend has broken off our relationship, saying he had to because his
family will not  accept me. My heart's shattered," she added.
  When asked by the paper where planned to go, she replied,
"Abroad, wherever...the road leads me."
============================================================
Malay chamber 'was invited to Chinese economic meeting'.

Kuala Lumpur -- The Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry was
invited to attend an important Chinese economic meeting here
recently, conrary to claims that it was not, a Chinese leader
said yesterday.
  Datuk Soong Siew Hoong, secretary-general of the Asso. Chinese
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), siad there were
ever speakers from the Malay chamber at the two-day meeting.
  The 2nd Malaysian Chinese Economic Congress was opened by PM Datuk
Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed on Aug 18.
  UMNO Youth chief Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Saturday criticised
Chinese businessmen for not being sincere in wanting to create genuine
Chinese-Malay partnerships.He claimed that the Malays were not invited
to take part in the proceedings during the congress. 
   "maybe he was not aware," said Datuk Soong, who was deputy chairman
of the ACCCIM-orgranised congress.
   He added that while it was true that the invitation was not extended 
to UMNO Youth, the congress did invite Malays from the business 
community as well as representatives from the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
  Datuk Soong said the ACCIM would seek a meetig with Datuk Najib, who
is also the Defence Minister, to explain the matter.
  On Datuk Najib's regret that the congress had angered the Malays when 
it resolved to call on the government to abolish the distinction between
bumiputras and non-bumiputras, Datuk said the resolution was made with a 
positive intention.
  He said it was in line with the need to establish a united
"bangsa Malaysia" (Malaysian race), regarded as the first of nine
challenges by Dr. Mahathir in his paper, The Way Forward, to make
Malaysia a developed nation by 2020.
  Datuk Soong said the congress, with the theme Naional Development 
Towards 2020, passed 10 other resolutios, including one calling for the 
Chinese-Malay business partnerships to be stepped up.
  ACCIM would forrm a committee to implement all the resolutions at
its annual general meeting in Batu Pahat, Johor, on Nov 8, he said.
  There was no question of withdrawing any of the resolutions as they
had been passed by the congress.  A memorandum on the resolutions would
be drafted for the government to consider, he said.  -- Bernama

============================================================
Johor Baru to ban foreigners from buying cheaper houses
Purchases above M$250,000 not affected, says Menteri Besar
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

[...]
He said a study by the state government had shown that more and more
foreigners were buying houses in Johor Baru, preventing locals from
owning houses.
[....]
============================================================
Students report seeing strange cloud fromations

Shah Alam (Selangor) -- Two hundred students ad a teacher at a religious
school in Klang, Selangor, have reported seeing strange cloud formations
on a night in July.
  The sighting in the sky above the Hishamuddin Secondary school on July26
was confirmed as true by the Mufti of Selangor, Datuk Haji Ishak Baharom.
  [...]
   Among the images they reportedly saw wre the word Allah in the Jawi
script, followed by a foetus in a womb, women with their aurat (parts
of their body) exposed, and two corpses -- one small and the other large.
  [....]
   
  After discussing the issue, the officials decided on Thursday to make
a public statement that the sighting had actually taken place, he added.
  Datuk Haji Ishak said the purpose of his announcement was to prevent
Muslims from interpreting the event in a negative manner so that would not
be cheated by unscrupulous people.
   Some of these people werer selling photostat copies of sketches of the
images at exorbitant prices, he added.
  They were also collecting money to build a boat because many of their
victims believed the cloud formations to be a sign from God that
Klang would be hit by a great flood.
  the department had identified the culprits and action would be taken
against them, he said. -- Bernama.
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