Wisma Putra confirms oil blocks to be jointly developed

By Adib Zalkapli

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today confirmed that a disputed oil rich area would be jointly developed by Malaysia and Brunei following an agreement reached in March 2009.

In a statement, Wisma Putra also confirmed that the areas known as Block L and Block M are recognised to be within the Brunei borders under the agreement or exchange of letters signed by the then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi (right).

“Malaysia’s oil concession Blocks L and M which coincided with Brunei Darussalam’s Blocks J and K are recognised under the Exchange of Letters as being situated within Brunei Darussalam’s maritime areas, over which Brunei Darussalam is entitled to exercise sovereign rights under the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982),” said Wisma Putra in the unsigned statement.

It added that the agreement also covers the establishment of a Commercial Arrangement Area (CAA) for oil and gas and steps to establish permanent land maritime borders with Brunei.

“The establishment of the CAA incorporating these Blocks provides for a sharing of revenues from the exploitation of oil and gas in the CAA between the two States,” said the ministry.

“The termination of the Production Sharing Contracts covering Blocks L and M which were awarded by Petronas to Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and Murphy Oil in 2003 is in accordance with the establishment of the CAA as provided for in the Exchange of Letters,” it added.

Late last week both former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang demanded an explanation from Abdullah after news reports emerged suggesting Malaysia had signed away its oil rights.

Murphy Oil, which had entered a production-sharing contract with national oil company Petronas, for Block L and Block M offshore of Limbang, announced last month that it was ceasing operations because “it was no longer part of Malaysia.”

Abdullah denied that he had surrendered the oil rich areas with potential oil earning worth RM320 billion to Brunei saying that it would be jointly developed by the two countries for a period of 40 years.

Dr Mahathir accused Abdullah of surrendering the two blocks ????, just three weeks before his departure in exchange for Brunei dropping its claim over Limbang in Sarawak.

The fifth prime minister explained that the agreement with Brunei aimed at solving long standing border dispute, was signed with prior approval from the Cabinet.

Petronas wants it ALL , wants Murphy Oil OUT ! that's my take !

Hisham tells MCA to prove it's still relevant

RAUB - Umno vice president Hishammuddin Hussein (right) said Sunday MCA must prove that the party is still relevant to the Chinese community in the country.

He said though the support from Chinese voters during the recent Hulu Selangor Parliamentary by-election showed a decline, it may not necessarily mean the Chinese community had lost confidence in MCA.

"They (MCA) must prove that they can recapture the support of the Chinese," he told reporters after the general assembly of 30 Umno branches in Cameron Highlands, Sungai Koyan, near here.

Hishammuddin said Umno, as the main component party in BN, remains confident of MCA's capabilities to regain the confidence of the Chinese community, towards the party.

"Umno itself had gone through a difficult period and did some soul searching to adopt changes and remain relevant in the new political landscape. Being a component party of BN, Umno will continue to fully support MCA," he said.

Hishammuddin said what was important was the need for a holistic change to attract the Chinese community's confidence towards MCA.

Made major changes

Asked about the small percentage of Chinese voters who voted for the BN candidate during the Hulu Selangor by-election, Hishammuddin said Umno itself was rejected in a number of by-elections before.

"In this matter, there are many reasons, of it is also related to the question leadership, ( tainted leadership ? ) but what is important is to place the party's struggle before anything else and continue to place the needs of the people above everything else. It is a process we must go through," he said.

He added that Umno had made major changes to regain the confidence of the Malays: "So, component parties in BN must also make changes."

"Do not point fingers at others. Parties under BN must sit together to discuss the best way forward," he said. - Bernama

Mr and Mrs Guan Eng are DAP Melaka reject

Mr and Mrs Guan Eng are DAP Melaka reject

Rejected by Malaccans so is the Alien who is now in cahoots with the senile old man . High time Penangites send them back to Malacca . I also hope Perakians will send the Ipoh Timor Alien back to Malacca .

Guan Eng and wife voted out of Malacca DAP committee

The Star, Dec. 19, 2005

MALACCA: Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and his assemblywoman wife Betty Chew were dealt a severe blow when they were unexpectedly voted out of the Malacca DAP committee.

While the reasons for the shocking and unprecedented outcome are not very clear, party insiders say it could be the culmination of “years” of rivalry between former state chief Sim Tong Him and Lim whose political differences were open secrets.

One leader said this could also have been a signal of protest from supporters of former DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock, who lost the party’s stronghold of Kota Melaka in the 2004 general election.

The purported feud between Kerk and Lim had been partly attributed to the defeat. “The result only goes to show that Malacca DAP is deeply split and also that the influence of Kerk and Sim is still there,” he said.

He added the result would have an affect on DAP at the national level as Lim’s father, Kit Siang, is a party strongman.

Bandar Hilir state assemblyman Goh Leong San is the new state chairman, taking over from his mentor and Lim’s adversary Sim Tong Him, who stepped down without contesting after holding the post for 15 years.

In the state election yesterday, Goh secured 83 votes, the highest polled by the 17 people vying for one of 15 elected places in the state committee.


















Lim and Chew, who is Kota Laksamana assemblywoman, garnered 27 and 33 votes respectively, putting them at the bottom of the lot.

Under the party constitution, Lim, as secretary-general, is automatically included in the state committee. Chew, who is state Wanita chief, does not qualify for automatic inclusion.

When contacted, Lim said he supported Goh but declined to comment on the results. “Goh is the best person to ask,” he said. Goh described the election as “simple and straightforward” but declined to comment on Lim’s situation.

Sim said he did not contest so as to make way for younger leaders. He was later appointed to the state committee. A total of 91 party members attended the DAP state annual general meeting and election yesterday.

When contacted by The Star at around 9.30pm last night, DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin said: “You are the first one to tell me about this. No comments until I see the results.”Yet he is appointed as DAP Secretary General.

Kit Siang in cahoots with the senile old man slams Najib, Pak Lah for ‘evading’ Limbang, oil blocks issue

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Lim Kit Siang today accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of “evading” the issue on the sovereignty of Limbang as well as two disputed oil blocks off Borneo.

The DAP parliamentary chief said Najib and Abdullah had clearly avoided addressing the central issue and demanded a straight-forward explanation from the two leaders.

“Najib and Abdullah are evading the central issue which is the sovereignty of Limbang in exchange for the joint commercial exploitation of two oil blocks, Blocks L and M,” Lim (picture) told The Malaysian Insider. read more here

That's what he is good for making noises , like they said empty vessels makes most noise . Now that he has tied up with the senile old man , maybe its high time to send him back to Malacca .

Perkasa demands royal panel on Limbang, oil blocks dispute

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Perkasa wants the Najib administration to set up a royal commission to investigate the current dispute over offshore oil blocks, which were allegedly given to Brunei in exchange for Limbang in Sarawak. read more here .

I thought only the Alien would call for a RCI , now he has given that title to the Ee Bra Him of Perkosa . Maybe they are the mouth pieces of the Mamakutty .

1725 - lucky or bad omen?

	Shah A Dadameah Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:55

NOMINATION day for the Hulu Selangor by-election was April 17 and voting was on April 25.

By sheer coincidence the two dates came together when the results were announced - Barisan Nasional candidate P Kamalanathan won by a majority of 1,725 votes over PKR rival Zaid Ibrahim.

In a 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not' fashion, the two crucial dates for the parliamentary by-election had somehow indicated that the winner of the contest would lead by that many votes.

It had been a close fight right up to the finishing line between the two parties and it was only towards the end of tallying the votes that it dawned on the Barisan it had been successful in taking back the seat it lost in 2008.

As those familiar with horses know, a thoroughbred never looks at others when on the course, it just concentrates on running the fastest race it can.

To their credit, the two sides had worked equally hard through the grueling course and both were thoroughbred material but it was the younger Barisan stallion that eventually outpaced the experienced and over-confident PKR horse.

Given the Chinese penchant for punting on numbers, one wonders if there would be a rush among them to the betting shops this weekend to put their money on those four digits.

Then again, the majority of the Chinese voters in Hulu Selangor had snubbed the Barisan and now that their 'horse' had lost, they may not be in the mood to party.

Lucky or ban omen?

Anyway, the PKR flag bearer had yet to concede defeat to the political novice as Zaid intends to file an election petition to declare the Hulu Selangor results null and void.

So, we wait for the signs to show if there would be yet another by-election in the parliamentary seat.

The coincidence regarding the dates and the vote-majority was first spotted by blogger Faisal Robhan and repeated on the 'Brick In The Wall' and other blogs, which asked whether the figure 1,725 spells lucky for Kamalanathan and the Barisan or is it a bad omen of an impending nightmare for them?

To recap, the Barisan candidate – nicknamed Kamal Alan Nathan, the 1Malaysia man – had been a last-minute choice after Muhyiddin Yassin, the coalition's deputy chief and by-election director rejected earlier names submitted by Umno and the MIC.

The Barisan had actually wasted much time sorting out the names and selecting the 'right candidate' whereas the PKR had been sure from the start that it wanted Zaid, the only prominent supreme council member who has yet to be a state assemblyman, MP or senator.

And just as the Barisan camp appeared to be splitting over the issue, Muhyiddin made a bold decision to sideline veteran politician G Palanivel and to give the responsibility to 'rookie' Kamalanathan.

Palanivel, who would be sworn in as a Senator and subsequently reinstated as a deputy minister, conceded that Kamalanathan came into the race without 'excess baggage' and that he had met the Barisan's expectations of a young, non-controversial IT–savvy candidate for the by-election.

In the meantime, the PKR was bathing in the glory of street polls that repeatedly said Zaid was leading the race and likely to romp home as the winner.

However, along the way, the PKR campaign faltered when disclosures were made of his flamboyant secular lifestyles.

The PKR quickly went into 'damage control' mode but despite rebranding him as a 'Haji' and getting PAS spiritual advisor Nik Aziz Nik Mat to persuade Malay voters to back the former Cabinet minister, only the Chinese electorate steadfastly stood by Zaid.

The Malay and Indian voters, in droves, gave their support to the Barisan.

Chinese voters with Zaid

The MCA, still reeling from its tense general assembly, did not perform up to expectations to woo the Chinese voters and one of the first thing that party president Dr Chua Soi Lek did after the by-election results were known was to fire a missile at Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali.

Chua accused the Pasir Mas MP as being the culprit behind the MCA's losses as Ibrahim had allegedly incited the Malays to hate the Chinese and had also told the Government to not give too much attention to Chinese interests.

There were also other factors that contributed to the loss of Chinese votes, according to the party's preliminary post-mortem, one of which was that Zaid had a higher profile than new face Kamalanathan.

Zaid was also considered 'liberal-minded' and a hero among young Chinese voters despite attempts to discredit the PKR candidate as a drinker and gambler.

Another factor, said Chua, was the leadership differences between former Hulu Selangor MCA chairman Ch'ng Toh Eng and the incumbent, so there could be elements of sabotage.

The third factor was the sensitive statements made by certain political leaders about the Chinese, such as they should be grateful for being given citizenship and that they were "pendatang" (immigrants).

Dr Chua said the death of Selangor political aide Teoh Beng Hock under mysterious circumstances and the Chinese community's greater awareness of national issues were among other contributing factors.

Some observers, however, feel that Chua may not be telling the whole story about the Chinese snub of the Barisan.
For instance, he said, in the areas where former party president Ong Tee Keat was leading the campaign, the Chinese voters came out to give their support.

"He turned around what used to be a 'black area' where the Barisan previously lost 600 votes but won by 17 votes in the recent by-election.

"Serendah polling area, where Ong went four times to canvass, recorded an increase of Chinese voters who voted for BN from 69 in the last general election to 626.

"This is the only Chinese area that saw an increase in Chinese voters voting for BN," he said, adding that in all other areas where MCA bigwigs campaigned, the Barisan lost heavily.

Asked his thoughts about this matter, Ong told reporters in Putrajayaon Tuesday: "What we want to know is the heart and soul of the people when they make certain decisions...there must be some reasons behind (their decisions).

"Is it because of certain misgivings, fear, founded or unfounded? I think all these need to be studied."

Asked whether MCA lost the Chinese votes because of the rift in the party, he replied: "I think he (Chua) should know better when he had his walkabout, how the people or the community received him."

One observer is worried that in rejecting the Barisan, the Chinese community risks being alienated from power.

"The Barisan can govern with the sole support of Indians and Malays, as reflected in the result of Hulu Selangor.

"If the Chinese wants to have a say in national policies, please wake up. If the Chinese do not support Barisan be prepared to lose all political influence in the new Malaysia," he said.

Caught in a time wrap

Many blogs continued to discuss the by-election and also questioned the future of Chinese vote in the the country's electoral process.

One posting said the power shift within the Chinese community has moved to the head of clans and Chinese associations, no more with political heads.

Commenting on the Barisan machinery, a positing on the 'Brick In The Wall' blog said it is caught in a time warp and has yet to understand campaigning in the new environment, even in poor Internet access Hulu Selangor.

"Central command and control does not work. Preplanning does not work.

Everything is about speed and distribution - speed of respond, speed of attack, surprises and speedy responses, and staying current.

"Party machinery was lazy, calculative and strategically near inoperable.

"Party leaders, including some ministers, were more interested in campaigning for themselves and politicking than campaigning. BN election machinery remain dependent on Government machineries and unofficial "component parties". They can't afford to continue that way."

SHAH A DADAMEAH is senior editor with the Malaysian Mirror.

'Worry not, God will provide'

SUNDAY HUMOUR A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man.

The father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk.

"So what do you do for a living?" the father asked the young man.

"I am a biblical scholar," he replied.

"A Biblical scholar. Hmm........" , the father said. "Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?"

"I will study," the young man replied, "and God will provide for us."

"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?" asked the father.

"I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replied, "God will provide for us."

"And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?"

"Don't worry Sir, God will provide," replied the fiancé.

The conversation proceeded like this and each time the father questioned, the young idealist insisted that God would provide.

Later, the mother asked, "How did it go Honey?"

The father answered, "He has no job, no plans and he thinks I'm God!!"

Here's another one ! Happy reading .

A young man goes into a pharmacy and says to the pharmacist. "Hello, could you give me condom ......I'm going to my girlfriend's for dinner and I think I may be in with a chance!"
The pharmacist gives him the condom and as the young man is going out, he returns and says, "Give me another condom because my girlfriend's sister is very cute too. She always crosses her legs in a provocative manner when she sees me and I think I might strike it lucky there too." The pharmacist gives him a second condom and as the boy is leaving he turns back and says. "Go on, give me one more condom because my girlfriend's mum is still pretty cute and when she sees me she always makes eyes and, since She invited me for dinner I think she is expecting me to make a move!
During dinner, the young man is sitting with his girlfriend on his left, the sister on his right and the mum facing him. When the dad gets there, the boy lowers his head and starts praying, "Dear Lord, bless this dinner and thank you for all you give us". A minute later the boy is still praying; "Thank you Lord for your kindness."
Ten minutes go by and the boy is still praying, keeping his head down. The others look at each other surprised and his girlfriend is even more surprised than the others. She gets close to the boy and says in his ear, "I didn't know you were so religious." The boy replies, "I didn't know your dad is a pharmacist!"

Pak Lah gets flak from the Alien and the Predator over RM320b oil giveaway

UPDATED

By Leslie Lau

Executive Editor

Abdullah allegedly gave up the oil rights to resolve the Limbang dispute with Brunei. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is alleged to have allowed Malaysia to sign away up to RM320 billion in potential oil earnings, in return for Brunei dropping its claim over Limbang in Sarawak.

Both former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang demanded an explanation today from the country’s previous PM, after news reports emerged last week suggesting Malaysia had signed away its oil rights.

Murphy Oil, which had entered a production-sharing contract with national oil company, Petronas, for Block L and Block M offshore of Limbang, announced last week that it was ceasing operations because “it was no longer part of Malaysia.”

“It would seem that the loss of a huge oil producing area that had apparently belonged to Malaysia is okay,” said Dr Mahathir today in a posting on his blog.

Separately, Lim said Abdullah should explain whether he had indeed signed off US$100 billion (RM320 billion) worth of oil rights to resolve Brunei’s claims to Limbang a month before he stepped down as prime minister in March last year and if so, why.

Pak Lah denies giving away oil rights

By Adib Zalkapli

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied today that he signed away oil rights to Brunei after a scathing attack from his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The former prime minister issued a statement today denying Dr Mahathir’s accusation that he had given up RM320 billion in potential oil earnings in return for Brunei dropping its claim over Limbang in Sarawak.

Dr Mahathir had claimed Abdullah had given away Malaysia’s claim to oil offshore of Limbang following a trip to Bandar Seri Begawan in the waning days of his administration last year.

Abdullah said today that the areas known as Block L and Block M would be jointly developed by the two countries for a period of 40 years.

“The financial and operational modalities for giving effect to this arrangement will be further discussed by the two sides. This means that in so far as the oil and gas resources are concerned, the agreement is not a loss for Malaysia,” said Abdullah in his statement.

The country’s fifth prime minister clarified that his visit to Brunei which was made three weeks before his departure was aimed at solving a long standing border dispute “without any disadvantage for Malaysia.”

The visit resulted in an agreement between the two countries to establish a permanent land and sea boundary.

“This agreement serves to settle certain overlapping claims which existed in the past which included the area of the concession blocks known before as Block L and Block M. Sovereign rights to the resources in this area now belongs to Brunei.

“However, for this area the agreement includes a commercial arrangement under which Malaysia will be allowed to participate, on a commercial basis, to jointly develop the oil and gas resources in this area for a period of 40 years,” said Abdullah.

He added that he signed the agreement to solve a border dispute with Brunei with prior approval from the Cabinet.

“In my capacity as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, I signed the Exchange of Letters with the Sultan of Brunei after the Malaysian Cabinet approved the deal on 11 February 2009,” said Abdullah.

Earlier today both former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang demanded an explanation from Abdullah after news reports emerged last week suggesting Malaysia had signed away its oil rights.

Sunny days ahead for Ringgit

2010-04-23 17:01

The Ringgit has been soaring rapidly in recent weeks. Everyone in business is talking about it. Perhaps you should do some homework and find out why.

Another question: Is it good or bad for the Ringgit to keep rising this way? And can the uptrend be sustained?

Your politically correct question has not come at a more appropriate time. I like you!

What I'm trying to say is that the weather is very hot these days, and the scorching heat might have burned some brain cells. When tension is high, it is not a bad idea to calm down and look into the more pertinent financial problems.

Talking about the Ringgit, the local unit has risen to a high of 3.19 over the past two days, and has become the fastest appreciating currency in the region over the last three months.

The Ringgit finally has its day!

In March, Bank Negara governor Zeti was always seen with a smiling face. Behind the smiling face we could see the Ringgit fluttering upward.

There are a number of reasons for this, it has been moving alongside the regional big brother: Chinese Renminbi.

Recently, Renminbi comes under mounting pressure from the States. US secretary of the treasury Timothy Geithner made a surprise visit to Beijing lately, but he was not in the Chinese capital for a tea rendezvous with president Hu Jintao.

Even as Beijing said it would remain firm in its position soon after Geithner left, the Chinese currency has started to show signs of easing up.

Yes, with the Renminbi inching up, can the Ringgit stay put?

2. Malaysia's economic data have been pretty impressive of late, and this year's GDP growth, earlier predicted to be in the region of 5%, may look forward to even 6 or 7% according to some foreign bankers.

The first quarter growth has breached the 7% mark, and with exports going robust, we can easily see why Taiwanese investors are complaining of labour crunch.

With economy back on the growth track, interest rates rising in tandem, and foreign funds flooding in to grab the local currency, there aren't reasons for the Ringgit not to rise.

3. The New Economic Model unveiled by the prime minister has set the priority to make Malaysia a high-income country.

In a country where its currency is undervalued, the people's income couldn't go a lot higher. The appreciating Ringgit will be instantly reflected on the per capita income.

As for whether it is good to have a strong Ringgit, a strengthening currency will inevitably perk up export costs, eroding our export competitiveness.

But, if all regional currencies appreciate at the same rate, especially with Renminbi taking the lead, then Malaysia will not be disadvantaged.

At the same time, an appreciating Ringgit will make imported products cheaper, which will benefit businesses who need to acquire imported raw materials, machinery as well as consumer products.

A stronger Ringgit should also be good for those with children studying abroad.

In general, currency appreciation is a good thing for most Malaysians, and should have a catalytic effect on the government's effort to increase the national income and enhance the competitiveness of local businesses.

The facts that Bank Negara has not stepped in to check the rising exchange rate and that Zeti is recently seen with a brilliant smile should serve to reassure all that the latest spike is not just momentary but can be sustained for some time.