这些津贴金本来是人民纳税金，为何要为难人民乞讨

巫行动党备有表格 供公众申请津贴白米

砂拉越新闻 - 中砂

卢增国律师（左起）、刘会文和黄培根展示津贴白米礼券申请表格。 （本 报诗巫17日讯）砂拉越民主行动党诗巫支部办事处备有津贴白米礼券申请表格，公众可于办公时间内前来索取。 填妥后的表格须交到位于诗巫达板路（旧长途巴士总站）的农民协进局。 民众也可以点击联邦农业与基本工业部网页，以下载申请表格。网址是http://www.moa.gov.my。 该党宣教秘书黄培根今早在例周新闻发布会上，评击是项措施为难社会中下层家庭，他们须向政府部门或代议士乞讨发放给人民的白米津贴。 为难中下层人民 “这些津贴金本来是人民纳税金，为何要为难人民乞讨。” 申请津贴金公开给收入低下1500令吉的家庭，黄培根置疑此准线无法实际反映出申请者的经济负担情况。 同时，他置疑审核申请作业透明度，以及其中存在的舞弊现象。 另一方面，黄培根今早也针对陈耔橞在州议会非议代议士睡觉一事说，代议士应该于任职期间的每天都认真为民服务，才能不辜负选民委托。 他认为，在州议会上打盹不是重点，反而平时不做工的代议士才是真正“睡觉”议员。 “我也会疲累” 吴春祥坦承闭目养神 砂拉越新闻 - 中砂 （本报诗巫17日讯）柏拉旺区州议员吴春祥坦承在这次州议会召开期间，他曾闭目养神，惟那是要走更长远的路，同时也趁此机会思考事情，想办法做得更好，尤 其是对于柏拉旺区的选民。 “事实上，我和大家一样，都是有血有肉的人，也会疲累，需要休息，以及大家的鼓励与支持。” 他说，前天下午我出席幸运村幸福堂落成奉献典礼，现场神圣的气氛让他心灵一片静谧与安宁，过去发生的纷纷扰扰都被一一净化，内心亦有许多感触，也让他感觉 到政治工作的不易为。” 因而．对于政治上无意义的纷扰感到疲惫，他认为，人民代议士需把精神放注在改善人民的生活水平上。 他强调，既然受到了柏拉旺区选民包括拉让花园地区广大家长们的委托，就应该责无旁贷，勇往直前。 他在拉让花园幼稚园的结业典礼上陈述这番内心的感言。 在尽力而为的当儿，他强调，倘若做得不够好，做得不够快，或是方式做得不尽正确，有愧于选民付托的话，他要向选民致歉，并希望选民不时的加以指正，以及大 家携手迈步，共同创造更美好的未来。 他也说，在这次州议会中，他谈话假如引起任何人的误解或作出不适当的诠释，或被刻意曲解，他感到遗憾，那实非其本意。

Back to the 60s?

The following news reposted from Sin Chew revealed the acute rice shortage faced by the country. If the basic staple food of the country is in short supply and the fact reveals that we are indeed in short supply, then the inflation spiral would bring the country back to the 60s where the people can't even afford to put rice on the table just like the era of the Japanese occupation.

The world is facing a food shortage crisis and many underdeveloped nation are facing unrest and riots because of the price hike of rice and food grains. Our PM agreed that the food/rice shortage could topple the government but that is as far as it goes. The PM should explain to the people why the county of only 23 million are facing rice shortage when our neighbour, Thailand, is one of the biggest exporters of rice. The BN government privatisation of the rice supply in the 70s whereby the LPN passed the rice distribution rights to the Bernas was questioned by certain quarters for the recent rice shoratge. Furthermore, the Malaysian government has ordered some 500,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand and that revealed the seriousness of the rice shortages in Malaysia and proven that we do not have a food security mechanism at the moment. If Malaysia is hit by the natural disaster like the one in Mymmar or China, then what would be the consequences on the people.

Many Malaysian have been mislead by the authorities that there is ample supply of rice when the country's stock can last 2-3 weeks only. A few days back, i heard a conversation between some woman shoppers and one of them said " the newspapers photos show that there are sufficent stock in the supermarket, so there is no truth in the rumour that there is rice shortage". What a sad news, the ignorant of the people is a far more serious crisis than the shortage itself!

David Wong
18-05-2008



米價漲無法負擔‧逾百人抗議通膨壓力
北馬 2008-05-19 10:53

農民穿米袋，手拿木薯，抗議米價、草藥和肥料高漲。（圖：星洲日報）
（吉打‧居林）約百名商家、農民和民眾抗議通貨膨脹，尤其是米價高漲。他們申訴漲幅已讓貧窮百姓無法負擔。

週日（18日）下午3時左右，來自巴東色海的這批人在魯乃路展開抗議行動。

他們分別穿上米袋，用馬來西亞文和華文書寫大字報，表達他們的生活在物價高漲下深受影響，促請政府當局關注。

農民不滿農藥肥料高高漲

農民在抗議活動上不滿農藥和肥料漲幅過高，加重耕種成本。

抗議活動召集人之一莫念瑪丁說，如今物價高漲，讓窮人的生活雪上加霜，人民不滿物價高漲，希望促請政府控制物價。

他希望國會議員嚴正看待此事，他們受人民委託，應該替人民反映心聲，而不是在國會上吵架。

他說，如果米價再不受控，窮人都要沒有米飯可吃，只能以木薯填肚了。

Thailand says Malaysia rice stockpile to last 15 days

The rice shortage in Malaysia is getting worst as the news broadcasted by national
TV which showed the shortage of rice in the "rice bowl state" of Kedah and Kelantan. The farmers complaint that the millers pay them only 65 sen per kilo for the padi while thety have to pay RM3.80per kilo for the rice grains from the supermarket.

I have spoken out that we are facing an acute shortage of stockpile of "core rice" in the run up to the March 8 general election. "core rice" means the 15% broken rice that is a control item that is meant to protect the poorer sector of the society. But the situation worsened off as the food grains shortage became a global crisis and where many exporting nations put a ban on exporting the food grains.

The crisis could catch Malaysian by surprise as the government sent out the misleading signals that we have sufficient rice in the country. But now Thailand says Malaysia rice stockpile could last only 15 days, is that not a crisis? A healthy stockpile of 3 months is necessary in the interest of national security. It is as important as keeping sufficient medicines and may be more. the BN government would be held responsible for its mismanagement if the rice shortage turns into a noational crisis.

David Wong
09-05-2008

Below is reposted from Malaysiakini for your reading pleasure and reference.

Thailand says Malaysia rice stockpile to last 15 days
May 8, 08 4:55pm
Thailand said today it would provide 500,000 tonnes of rice to Malaysia in an emergency purchase as the latter's national stockpile had enough supplies to last only 15 days.

Government spokesman Wichainchot Sukchotrat said Malaysian agriculture minister Mustapa Mohamed met with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej today to discuss the deal.

"Malaysia seeks an emergency purchase as a precaution to avert a rice shortage," Wichainchot told reporters. "Thailand will help by sending at least 100,000 tonnes or up to half the requested amount by today."

The rest will be sent within the next three days, he said, adding that Thailand would sell the rice at market price.

Rice crisis to push inflation up to 8% in Philippines

"In the Philippines, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rice component is more closely related to available daily price data for Manila--which suggests CPI inflation rates close to 8 percent in coming months," UBS said, adding that the headline inflation for the Philippines is likely to exceed 6 percent on average for the year 2008.

In the Southeast Asia, the Philippines has the highest food share in its consumption basket, pegged at 50.03 out of 100 price index basket weights, the report says.

UPS said the CPI inflation is expected to take a steep rise as the government cannot dictate the commercial retail rice price.

As one of the world's top rice importers, the Philippines expected to buy not less than 2.2 million metric tons of foreign rice in 2008. It has purchased about 1.2 million metric tons so far but failed to secure another 500,000 metric tons for April-June delivery on a Thursday's bidding.

Only 325,750 metric tons of rice were offered at prices ranging from 872.5 U.S. dollars to 1,220 U.S. dollars per metric ton, more than double the price at this January's bidding.

To ensure rice remains affordable to almost 3 million poverty-stricken Filipinos, the government has invested a swelling amount to keep the subsidized rice be sold at an unchanged price of 18.25pesos per kilogram (0.45 U.S. dollars). Commercial rice sold at free market have seen prices rising up to around 40 pesos (0.97 U.S. dollars per kilogram.

UBS said the cost for the Philippine government to buy higher prices of foreign rice and insist selling it at lower prices domestically would potentially cost not less than 43 billion pesos(1.05 billion U.S. dollars), or 0.6 percent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Products) for this year.


The effects on trade


So many countries of the developing world import a large percentage of the foodstuffs necessary to feed their populations. Rising prices means problems grow quickly. Even for food exporters, rising prices has touched a nerve. In Korea, one of the world’s most prolific rice producers, a Netizen argues that rice should be withheld from free trade talks, allowing the country to do as it seems fit with its strategic commodity.


Sometimes protectionism won’t be enough, however. As the price of rice has increased throughout Southeast Asia’s rice growing nations, governments were forced to plea for calm and pray that domestic prices would soon begin to fall. The situation is doubly bad for rice importers like the Philippines, where the poor have felt the brunt of the price increase. Indonesia, another importer, has canceled its imports due to high prices. Cambodia and Vietnam have abandoned exports. Bloggers in Malaysia report rumors of rice shortages. The Government of Brunei could move to subsidize food staples like cooking oil, flour, milk, eggs and chicken.


For decades food prices in Japan have been in stasis, which is strange for a country that imports almost every staple other than rice. Not any longer. Price increased for the first time in more than two decades. The same goes for milk products, which consumers been paying for at the same rate for three decades. Beer, cooking oil, and soy sauce also experienced increases.


A silent killer


In Bangladesh, where people spend as much as 80% of their salaries on food, high prices for rice have hit the middle class. It’s much worse for the poor, as media reports confirm several hunger deaths. The country’s military chief raised the ire of many when he suggested people replace rice by eating potatoes.


In Tajikistan, where people already faced a winter-long energy shortage, it looks like more than 260,000 people are in need of immediate food assistance. Worries persist that this number could grow to 2 million by winter.


Talk about globalization. In Yemen, the prices of staples have risenwhile the cost of certain electronic goods have dropped. Kuwait has also seen price increases, no thanks to the falling U.S. dollar.


In Burkina Faso, where people felt the government sat on its hands as prices in some sectors increased more than 40% since the beginning of the year, riots sparked in several cities throughout the country in late February, resulting in plenty of property damage and more than 300 arrests.


At about the same time in Cameroon, anger over rising prices and falling wages sparked three days of violent confrontation with the military. Anger was also fed by President Paul Biya's attempt to change the constitution so he could sit for a third term.

Food crisis might to lead to instability in many countries, some even warned of war!

In a garbage dump in Port-au-Prince, people recently scavenged for food (photo left).

‘Scandalous Storm’
“This is a perfect storm,” President Elías Antonio Saca of El Salvador said Wednesday at the World Economic Forum on Latin America in Cancún, Mexico. “How long can we withstand the situation? We have to feed our people, and commodities are becoming scarce. This scandalous storm might become a hurricane that could upset not only our economies but also the stability of our countries.”
In Asia, if Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia steps down, which is looking increasingly likely amid postelection turmoil within his party, he may be that region’s first high- profile political casualty of fuel and food price inflation.
In Indonesia, fearing protests, the government recently revised its 2008 budget, increasing the amount it will spend on food subsidies by about $280 million.
“The biggest concern is food riots,” said H.S. Dillon, a former adviser to Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture. Referring to small but widespread protests touched off by a rise in soybean prices in January, he said, “It has happened in the past and can happen again.”
Last month in Senegal, one of Africa’s oldest and most stable democracies, police in riot gear beat and used tear gas against people protesting high food prices and later raided a television station that broadcast images of the event. Many Senegalese have expressed anger at President Abdoulaye Wade for spending lavishly on roads and five-star hotels for an Islamic summit meeting last month while many people are unable to afford rice or fish.
“Why are these riots happening?” asked Arif Husain, senior food security analyst at the World Food Program, which has issued urgent appeals for donations. “The human instinct is to survive, and people are going to do no matter what to survive. And if you’re hungry you get angry quicker.”
Worst crisis in 30 years-UN special adviser

“It’s the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years,” said Jeffrey D. Sachs, the economist and special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. “It’s a big deal and it’s obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there’s more political fallout to come.”

Many rich nations are less affected while the under-developed and developing nations are suffering the worst crisis ever and the rising prices and shortages would see millions die form hunger and malnutirtion.