Bernama

TAIPING, Aug 18 (Bernama) — Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak says the nation can lose its independence if the people’s spirit to serve the country fades away.

He also says, without noble leadership principles, the spirit to serve the nation will become thin and when it happens, the country’s independence will crumble.

“History shows that the collapse of big empires was due to their leaderships losing their genuine spirit to serve the nation,” he said when launching Sekolah Menengah Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah’s 25th anniversary celebration here today.

Therefore, he urged for attention be given to the students’ personality development besides academic achievement to produce quality human capital.

He said producing high academic achievers gives no meaning for the country and nation if they are untrustworthy, irresponsible, dishonest and unfair. A situation like this will lead to tyranny and injustice out of greed, he added.

Present at the function were the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Bainun, Perak Menteri Besar Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali and Education Ministry Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang.

The latest animation movie is in town. Ratatouille (pronounced rat.a.too.ee) is about a rat who dreams to be a chef in Paris, went against all odds to prove that anyone can cook.

Synopsis:

Ratatouille is about a lovable rat - Remy - who constantly risks his life in an expensive French restaurant because of his love for good food, as well as a burning desire to become a gourmet chef. Obviously, this is rather far-fetched for a rat but opportunity knocks when a young boy, who desperately needs to keep his job at the restaurant despite not being able to cook to save his life, makes Remy a partner. The two of them learn to avoid the insane head chef, bring the rest of Remy’s family up to his culinary standards, win the boy a girlfriend, and of course, produce the finest ratatouille in all of France!

(Source: Buena Vista Columbia Tristar Films)

This is a must watch for children, teenagers and adults. Catch it while it is still on the big screen. And remember, support original!

And by the way, Ratatouille is actually a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish. The dish, originating in Nice, is fully named ratatouille niçoise.

The Star

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Police have arrested seven men, believed to be members of an illegal money lending syndicate which humiliated loan defaulters by forcing them into a dog cage.

Their activity came to light when a 49-year-old businessman lodged a police report that he was punched, kicked and forced into the cage for two hours over a loan he had not settled.

Central Seberang Prai Deputy OCPD Supt Mohan Singh told a press conference that the seven, aged between 27 and 42, were picked up on Wednesday after the businessman from Taman Bagan, Butterworth, made a police report.

He said the businessman had received an SMS last Friday enquiring if he wanted a loan of RM2, 000.

“He accepted the offer and the following day, three men took him in a car to an office in Padang Lallang. In the car, he realised that one of the men was an illegal moneylender to whom he owed some money,” he said.

Supt Mohan said that when the businessman later asked for six days to settle the loan, he was punched and kicked by the illegal moneylender and thrown into the dog cage for two hours.

The illegal moneylender also took from the businessman, among others, a RM100, ring, spectacles and cellphone, he said.

“Following a report lodged on Monday night, a police team raided a house in Taman Jambu Mawar here at 12.50am on Wednesday and detained the seven suspects,” he said.

He said the raiding party also seized RM5, 000, calculators, several documents, stationery, mobile phones and other paraphernalia related to their activities.

Police also seized several weapons including parangs, a samurai sword, canes, baseball bats and steel chains.

They also seized the cage, which police believed was used to confine borrowers who failed to settle their loans on time.

“The suspects were remanded at the magistrate’s court until Tuesday,” said Supt Mohan.

Note:
It is sad to see all sorts of things happening in this country today, when Malaysia is gearing up towards the 50th Merdeka celebrations.

Selamatkan Malaysia!

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Note:
I wonder why some people like the fcuk brand name! You see them wearing clothes with the word fcuk.

Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) — For a country to practise a system of good governance, there must be transparency and openness, and a free flow and easy access to information must be encouraged, the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, said today.

He said people are were well-informed are in a better position to make informed decisions and those who are badly informed will rely on half-truths and lies. They will have to depend on non-credible sources of information or they may have to remain ignorant.

“This can cause attention to be directed to frivolous matters, while positive and commendable efforts on the part of the government go unseen, nullifying those efforts,” he said in his keynote address at the international conference on “The Challenges of Democratisation and Good Governance in the Malaysian Public Sector” here.

Outlining several points in realising a system of good governance, Raja Nazrin said there was a need to continuously move towards an increasingly open system of governance.

“Eradicating red tape and convoluted bureaucratic procedures will help stave off high economic costs and inhibit any opportunity for illicit payment. The amount of regulation, permits and licences must be reduced,” he said.

Raja Nazrin said tendering processes needed to be made more competitive and transparent and “whistle blowers” should be protected against retaliation from those complained about.

“These measures will help towards reducing the opportunities for corruption,” he said, commenting the government’s move in setting up the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) early this year, a collaborative project between the public and private sectors which aims to simplify operations and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the public delivery system.

He said that besides according fully with the rule of law and the spirit of law, a system of good governance was “palpably at odds with unprincipled, immoral and unethical behaviour and it cannot exist where there is lack of integrity.”

Attitudes and behaviour based on the principles of integrity were arguably the most important element in good governance, and the absence of it could undermine the legitimacy of public institutions and disrupt policy goals, he said.

“Governance systems cannot rise to become good until and unless the people who are involved rise as well,” he said.