Dari Harakah Daily
By Asian Sentinel

The governments of Southeast Asia, already fertile ground for defence companies, have embarked on a round of buying submarines, the utility, safety and strategic value of which looks doubtful. In fact, they may actually increase tensions in the region as their lurking menace could swiftly turn a naval encounter from an incident into a crisis.

Singapore started it in 1995 by buying a surplus Swedish navy boat, with a further three ordered in 1997, perhaps with designs to manufacture them on license rather than for defense. The first was commissioned in mid-2000 and further orders have since been made as the original boats have been retired.

Malaysia ordered two new Scorpene-class submarines from the Franco-Spanish DCNS/ Navantia consortium in 2002, with the first just having arrived in the country this year.

In late 2009 Vietnam ordered six Kilo-class submarines from a Russian yard, with the first delivery due by 2012. The governments of Indonesia and Thailand are also both considering acquiring new submarines.

However, the growing use of unmanned underwater vehicles, in line with the better-known unmanned aerial ‘drones,’ is eroding the submarines’ raison d’être – particularly as defense budgets are squeezed and technology offers less costly but comparable results.

The economic and technical metrics of operating manned submarines make them among the most expensive weapon in any national arsenal. There are no accurate figures tabulating the capital and recurring costs of submarine programs in Singapore, Malaysia and now Vietnam, including bases and crew training. But in order to keep one submarine operational a minimum of two boats, but preferably three, are needed. Each boat requires two full crews – plus support personnel and facilities.

Rough figures for the three navies make acquisition costs alone well in excess of US$3 billion, with combined annual running costs unlikely to fall much below US$1 billion by 2015, to marginally enhance deterrence of an enemy that is unlikely to materialize. (more…)

Dari TVSelangor

Penyertaan golongan agamawan dalam gagasan Umno-Barisan Nasional hanya akan menjejaskan integriti institusi ulama tanahair.

Ahli Parlimen Gombak, Azmin Ali berkata rakyat tidak mungkin menerima persekongkolan golongan cerdik pandai dan agamawan dengan parti yang mempertahankan politik rasis, rasuah dan judi sukan sebagai gaya hidup.

Beliau berkata demikian mengulas spekulasi adanya usaha untuk menarik bekas Mufti Perlis Dr Asri Zainul Abdin ke dalam Umno.

“Ianya tidak menjejaskan Pakatan Rakyat, sebenarnya ia akan menjejaskan institusi ulamak dan tokoh-tokoh agama itu sendiri sebab persepsi umum khususnya termasuk orang-orang Melayu, kita tidak memahami bagaimana tokoh agama boleh menyertai sebuah parti yang sudah rosak yang bergelumang dengan rasuah dan penyelewengan,” katanya. (more…)

From www.theglobeandmail.com
By John Ibbitson and Tara Perkins

Paul Martin sat in Lawrence Summers’ spacious office in the Greek-columned U.S. Treasury building in Washington, searching in vain for a piece of paper. With none in sight, the two men grabbed a brown manila envelope, put it on the table between them, and began sketching the framework of a new world order.

It was April 27, 1999. For the past five years, the global economy had shuddered under a string of massive debt defaults – first in Mexico, and then in Southeast Asia and Russia.

In each case, Western leaders and bankers responded by prescribing harsh fixes, throwing one developing economy after another into recession.

As crisis followed crisis, Mr. Martin, then Canada’s finance minister, became convinced that major developing nations had to be given a voice – not just an ultimatum – when it came to discussing their place in the global economy. But in the capitals of Europe and the corridors of Washington, the answer was always the same: It’s our club, and there are no vacancies.

Or at least it was the same answer until that April day when Mr. Martin visited Mr. Summers, then Bill Clinton’s nominee for treasury secretary, to press his case. He argued that they couldn’t keep imposing solutions on developing countries. The G7 had to be expanded – at least at the finance-ministers’ level. (more…)

KENYATAAN AKHBAR

23 JUN 2010

Cadangan pembangunan semula Kampung Baru yang akan dikemukakan oleh Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim adalah altenatif yang baik kepada penduduk untuk menikmati pembangunan dan pada masa sama kekal sebagai pemilik tanah.

Cadangan tersebut mengambil kira semua isu yang terlibat terutama hak milik kekal orang Melayu, masalah pembahagian tanah, serta membina pembangunan yang setaraf dengan kawasan yang berdekatan.

Cadangan tersebut, yang dibuat 15 tahun lalu atas permintaan Kerajaan Pusat ketika itu, akan dibentangkan semula pada forum dengan penduduk pada tarikh yang akan ditetapkan nanti.

Penduduk Kampung Baru dan wakil mereka termasuklah Lembaga Pentadbiran Petempatan Pertanian Melayu (MAS) boleh memberi memberi maklum balas dan pandangan mereka terhadap cadangan pembangunan tersebut.

Perlu dinyatakan disini sebarang laporan yang menyatakan bahawa Menteri Besar tidak akan mengambil kira pandangan MAS dalam isu pembangunan Kampung Baru adalah tidak benar sama sekali.

Perbincangan akan diadakan dengan Ahli Parlimen Titiwangsa, Dr Lo’ Lo Ghazali untuk menetapkan tarikh bagi diadakan perjumpaan dengan penduduk Kampung Baru untuk membolehkan cadangan ini dibentangkan kepada mereka.

Pelbagai pihak yang terlibat dengan pembangunan ini akan dijemput termasuk PKNS sebagai pemaju yang mewakili kerajaan negeri.

“Walaupun Kampung Baru bukan di bawah Selangor tetapi kampung itu mempunyai kaitan rapat dengan sejarah Selangor.

“Sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor , saya tidak boleh berdiam diri atau menutup mata ketika penduduk Kampung Baru memerlukan bantuan dan berada di persimpangan untuk membuat keputusan,” kata Menteri Besar.

Cadangan pembangunan itu akan mengutamakan prinsip pentadbiran Kerajaan Selangor yang mengutamakan ketelusan dan kebertanggungjawaban.

SEKRETARIAT AKHBAR

PEJABAT MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR