Malaysians spent the new year eve at petro station!

(八打灵再也31日讯) 即将跨入2008年之际，公众除了忙着参与倒数活动，随着“燃油1月1日起价”的传言不径而走，油站今天的生意也特别兴旺！

民众纷纷接获短讯，指燃油将在1月1日涨价，每公升汽油将调整40仙，隆市多家油站因此出现车龙。 尽管很多民众都抱着半信半疑的态度前往油站添油，不过，至今没有人证实燃油涨价的消息是否属实。

多个政府机构和相关单位一致否认这项消息。 他们也促请民众不要轻信谣言，并直言政府不会在1月1日调整汽油价格。 一些读者也致电报馆指出，蕉赖一带的油站也一度出现汽油供应短缺问题。不过，民众依然耐心排队，等候添油。

A New Year Eve at the petrol station
The above Chinese news was in most of the Chinese dailies, many lined up in the petrol stations until almost mid-night last night as news that there will be a petrol price hike of RM0.20 per lite on the first day of the new year 2008.

In Sibu, as i was returning home at around 10:40 pm last night, i saw a long queue along Pedada road that were almost 150 meters long and thought it was either a major accident or police check-point holding up the traffic. But as i got nearer to the petronas gas station, i realized it was the queue to pump up their vehicles out of the fear on the price hike.

The rumour of the petrol prices hike was circulated in Sibu at around noon as i also received sms from the general public about the rumour. My reply to one of them was "unless the BN is over confident of the coming election or else the petrol prices hike would only comes after the general election which is speculated to be held at around March." But peoples were rather line-up even on the eve of the new year just to "save" that extra RM 10-15. The BN government had in late last year announced that the prices of petrol and diesel would not be increased in 2007, this was an open announcement that they will be increased in 2008!

The DPM, Najib told the country that Malaysia government would be bankrupted with the current subsidy on petrol and diesel prices. That was a very strong indication that the government intended to call for the hike of petrol soon and thus the rumour was actually driven by the DPM, just before we welcome the new year of 2008.

The above Malaysians are constantly living in a state of fear, the fear that their economic and financial situations would get worst in 2008 as prices of all kinds of commodities and services have been increased by some 10-35%. Housewives who have to manage their families' budget were worst hit as there simply isn't enough to spread over with the reducing purchasing power.

The BN government has no measure to ease the fear and worry of Malaysian of their hardships with the news that it will cut back the fuel prices subsidy soon. Heavy inflation in the country is affecting almost every sector of the society except the ruling elites and their cronies. In the August House of Sarawak DUN, there were some BN's YBs who declared that the inflation rate is only 2%, they were either blind or deaf to be able to talk such "rubbish".

The sight of the peoples' scrambling to buy petrol before the new year eve was disturbing to say the least. It showed the peoples' fear of the price hike and also indicated the peoples' lack of confident that 2008 would be a better year. But doesn't it also revealed the fact the BN would not dare to increase the prices of fuels before the election?

So to those who scrambled to the gas station last night, it was simply a warm-up to the real episode after the general election, and that would be a real RM0.50 per liter price hike. Fellow Malaysian, get ready to rumble!

Happy New Year!
David Wong
DAP Sarawak publicity sec.,
1st of January 2008

黄培根：助人民度难关 政府应觅策解决通膨

黄培根：助人民度难关 政府应觅策解决通膨

（本报诗巫16日讯）针对近来百物涨价，砂民主行动党宣传秘书黄培根今日促请政府应该多关心民情，寻求解决方法，协助人民度过难关。　　他是今早在该党例行召开的新闻发布会上表示，该党近来在市区各地走动，发现本地物价全面涨价，且涨幅已达到离谱的地步，包括面包、面条、面粉及食油等都已涨价。

百物涨价生意难做　　 “面对着百物涨价，业者本身也非常忧愁如何做生意，如面包从1令吉50仙涨至1令吉80仙，更甚的是，面包还会再涨价。” 　　据他这几日在市区跑动的结果，他指出，各面摊并没有统一价格，干盘面的售价由2令吉至2令吉40仙不等、叻沙的价格介于3令吉至3令吉50仙，而一些地区的面食价格则完全没有变动，令消费者无所适从。　　在这种情况下，业者说涨价是逼不得已，消费者则认为涨得离谱。

就此，黄培根强调，问题到底出在那里，根本没有人去关心及了解，尤其是政府领袖对此事似乎一无所知。　　他续说，涨风一直吹，而煤气桶预料又将涨价5令吉至12令吉，局势已失去控制，人民已开始失去信心，甚至有者担心如何度过2008年。对于这种情形，黄培根指出，政府于今年7月为公务员加薪25％至35％是一小部份造成涨价的因素，最大的帮凶是政府于2005年将油价调涨30仙.黄培根称，人民要听的不是政府一直说涨价是因为国际原料上涨所造成，而是要看到政府如何带领人民度过此难关。

人联注重党争忽略人民　　
对于百物涨价一事，他认为，人联党已与人民脱节，因为他们现今只注意党内的斗争问题，并没有去关心及聆听民情。　　他表示，人联党的斗争与人民的权益并无丝毫关系，作为砂州第二大执政党，他们应该多关心民情，而不是一直关注内部斗争。　　他希望在11月召开的州立法议会里，人联党议员可就此事好好表现，为人民争取应得权益。　　

他非常赞同世界张氏公会主席拿督斯里张晓卿曾说：“政党应争取自已族群的权益，而不是默默被边缘化”，同时，他希望人联党领袖可以听到这句话。　　此外，黄培根也促请各公会，如咖啡酒餐商公会应召开会议，针对饮料及面食类价格作出决定，并统一所有价格，为业者及人民的权益作出保障。　　 “若不能的话，深具代表性的华团也应适时的站出来，发挥带头的效用。” 　　至于贸消部虽然只能控管统制品价格，但他表示，该部门可与各公会一起商量，在人民及业者扮演一个平衡角色。　　他说，消费者协会也可以发挥其效用，毕竟他们的支持力量来自人民。他强调，面对百物涨价，节约并不是一个可行的解决方法，因为若不消费就会造成经济阻滞，届时就会产生连锁效应，情形会更糟糕。

THERE IT GOES AGAIN!

On the left is the Emblem of the SUPP and the split within the party could very well send this into the history book soon.

Below are news cuttings from the Borneo Post (english) and International Times (Chinese) regarding the continue internal strife within the SUPP.

DAP is deeply disappointed that the SUPP is interested in the internal struggle only and totally ignored the problems and grivances of the people. The SUPP has channelled all its energy and resources to the internal strife since the latter part of 2006 and in the process has lost the will and the ability to serve. After less than 8 months of calm, the leaders are seen jostling for positions at the branch level again in the run-up to its 2008 general assembly which will decide the Presidency of the party.

There are many pressing issues facing the people and yet the SUPP has totally ignored them because it has been totally absolved by the internal strife. Not only are the people complaining, its own members have been very vocal about their disillusion about the party's leaders and the future of the party.

While the SUPP leaders were busy politicising, the DAP leaders in Sibu were busy visiting the people and businesses to find out their problems and plights, most of the people are very angry at the government for the continuing price hike of the essential items and the high cost of living and the wide-spread corruption among politicians and civil servants . The pay-rise of the civil servants have been deeply criticized by the general public especially after the 2006 Auditor-report revealed how rampant were malpractises in government's ministries which ran into tens of billions of Ringgit. How could the country prospers and how could the rakyat be rich under such an adminstration.

Pak Lah has to answer to the people and so do all the SUPP leaders. Pak Lah's credibility is under serious doubt and he and the BN would not be able to project him as "Justice Pao" in the coming election. Like the old Chinese proverb says "Zhi Bao Bu Zhu Huo (You can't cover fire with paper)", the BN will be made answerable in the coming election.

David Wong

DAP Sarawak publicity sec.,

16-10-2007

Let CWC act: Wong Soon Koh

SIBU: SUPP Sibu branch will submit six resolutions to the party central working committee (CWC) on the controversy surrounding Dudong branch whose formation has been approved by the Registrar of Societies.

Announcing this last night after the meeting of party leaders here at their branch headquarters, SUPP Sibu chairman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said they would ask the CWC to take the appropriate action to resolve the matter.
Despite being pressed by reporters to reveal what the resolutions were, Wong refused to comment, only saying that they would do so after they had submitted them to the CWC “as a sign of respect”.
“The party’s secretary general Datuk Sim Kheng Hui has issued a letter to declare the formation of Dudong branch as premature, and a seven-man committee has been formed to look into ways to resolve the dispute,” he said.

On whether SUPP Sibu had included in the six resolutions a request to take down the Dudong branch signboard that was put up yesterday afternoon, Wong said they would ask the CWC to deal with it.
Pressed further, Wong still refused to say whether there was a request in the resolutions to call for disciplinary action against the people who had contradicted the party regulations in as far as Dudong branch was concerned.
Wong once again repeated, “in the spirit of the statement released by Datuk Sim, we shall ask the committee to take the appropriate action”.
He said he was also taking the advice of the party president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan to remain cool and calm.


【人联党都东支部成立再掀风波】人联党都东支部纷争风起云涌，是否再掀党争令人瞩目
　　

（古晋15日讯）人联党都东支部纷争正风起云涌！将会有怎样的演变？是否会导致另一轮的党争？格外令人瞩目！
　　随着都东区州议员拿督孙春德医生于本月12日宣布都东支部正式获得社团注册局批准注册成立後，今天又据原定计划，把都东支部的招牌高高挂起。
　　挂招牌的仪式是在今天下午1时举行，约有300余人出席了这项仪式。
　　而另一这厢，一项原定在今天中午于诗巫支部举行的聚会则临时宣告取消，由于取消聚会的决定无法及时传达予所有受通知与会者，因此仍有整百人赶到诗巫支部，抵步後才知道聚会已取消。
　　这项聚会相信是与都东支部事件有关！对这项聚会，有人说是紧急会议，也有人说是聚会！据探悉的消息指出，聚会是在本月12日开始召集，原定的目标是要招搅千人与会。
　　虽然如此，诗巫支部将会展开怎样的反击行动？也同样令人关注。