Mama's 31st Birthday

We celebrated Mama's 31st birthday on 28 May 2008. Yup, a little late I would say updating the blog.Nevertheless, my wife enjoyed her day. Above pic, lowing 31 candles at RH Grand Palace Rest. Some of our friends attended though last minute invitation.

Early in the morning, my wife gets her presents from the kids and myself. Both Izkey and Sophie gave her a big and small picture frame respectively. I bought for her a glass with a bell ringer (like bicycle thingy), which states 'I'll ring when i'm horny'...hehehehee

The End Game

This is our moment......Change.....We believe....(Barack Obama)

Potentially the first African-American President of the United States, Obama has magically cross the nomination line of 2118 delegates to clinch Democrat Party candidate come November General Election. Latest wire news, Hillary has conceded and eyeing for the VP post. I remember couple of weeks ago when Hillary offered Obama the VP post as though she's in control and ahead of delegates count despite Obama's leading by 100 over delegates. Now, she has to eat her words then. Thats karma Hillary!!!! I hope she's not in denial mode as some politician in my country.

Malaysian embassies going 'overboard' for VIP wives?

Both Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Foreign Minister Rais Yatim rejected the allegations that there were improprieties in the way VIP wives are treated at Malaysian embassies abroad.

Mohd Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) raised this issue at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday with emphasise on the DPM's spouse, Rosmah Mansor who was allegedly going on luxury shopping sprees, and whose large purchases were transported back home at the expense of the Malaysian embassy in London and national carrier MAS.The overseas missions apparently were required to go overboard in ‘helping' cabinet ministers and their wives. In defence of Rosmah, both the ministers re-emphasised that the claim was untrue.Najib added that Azmin was being ‘petty and frivolous'.The issue began during the Supplementary Supply Bill debate, when Azmin (left) highlighted reports he received."The complaint that we have received is that many of the officers at the embassies abroad are ordered to receive these pembesar (VIPs) and their wives even when they are holidaying," he said."Certain personalities among the wives of cabinet ministers spend huge sums, go on shopping sprees for luxuries, refuse to pay taxes at the airport or to (Malaysian Airline System) MAS, and the foreign affairs ministry has to bear the said expenses," he added.This, he summed up, made the embassy neglect their official obligations.

To a question from Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat), Azmin said he has proof of his claims from the embassy in London itself.Ibrahim Ali (Independent-Pasir Mas) agreed with Azmin and mentioned he knew of embassy staff who were made to accompany VIPs to karaoke joints and entertainment centres.Speedy responseIn his winding up speech, Rais informed Parliament that he had just received a fax from the Malaysian ambassador in London denying Azmin's allegations.

The fax, according to Rais, explained that the ambassador only helped with Rosmah's arrival and departure."They did not pay anything for her and with this explanation, it is up to Azmin to accept it as something that he needs to explain for later," said Rais."This matter does not need to be extended because there are bigger things to discuss. Our embassies will give help to Malaysians abroad but to claim this, the ministry says it is not true," he stressed.Azmin then interjected to say that while he had nothing against embassies helping Malaysians in difficulty, however the issue at hand was the special treatment that certain Malaysians receive."I think you should be sincere in this. Not every Malaysian gets the same welcome when they go overseas," said Azmin, citing the treatment faced by students involved with opposition party functions and PKR officials when overseas.

Azmin also expressed surprise at the efficiency and speed of the investigation into the matter."If the minister says he received a fax from the ambassador, I congratulate the ambassador for responding in a few hours.""It is impossible that in that short time frame, that the minister can carry out investigations," he claimed.At a press conference held later, Najib reiterated his denial of Azmin's enquiry into his wife's actions."It's not true anyway," he added.

From Malaysiakini

I dunno about the shopping spree or the High Commission officials 'helping' VIPs wives but I do know this, no VIPs came to Papua New Guinea for visit since I first posted here. So I wouldn't know whether its true or not.Nevertheless, one of the responsibility of Embassy's officials is to assist our Malaysian VIPs when they are in the country and officials' wives or Perwakilan is tasked to accompany VIPs wives for sightseeing or shopping spree and give advise on do's and dont's in the host country.

Raitman

We had our first game in the Division 2 of the Papua New Guinea Soccer League against Apex team. I scored one goal as we won the game 3-2.Our next game versus Los Negros we lost 3-2. Our third game held last weekend again Raitman lost 2-1.

Warm up before a game

To the battle (I hope the captain has ordered me a new jersey.The current seems like I am going for a swimming competition...hehehehe)

yeah...


Our strong supporters for each game we played.

Camping in our backyard

Wendy, Goru, Bonny setting up the tent, while Izkey become the 'mandur'

Wendy and Izkey in the tent bought by Wendy when she was in Malaysia

The brady bunch in the tent

We had our first family camping in our backyard last Saturday (24 May 2008), though we never slept in it...hehehehe.Only Izkey fell asleep in the tent and I had to carry him all the way from the backyard to our bedroom upstairs.It's not easy though....he's weight surpasses 20kg now. Anyway, we had a good short camping and took pictures to prove that we indeed had camping in Papua New Guinea.

Why we lost Pulau Batu Putih

No Entry!!!Bye-Bye Pulau Batu Putih

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial organ of the United Nations, today rendered its Judgment in the case concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore). In its Judgment, which is final, binding and without appeal, the Court

⎯ finds by twelve votes to four that sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh belongs to the Republic of Singapore;
⎯ finds by fifteen votes to one that sovereignty over Middle Rocks belongs to Malaysia;
⎯ finds by fifteen votes to one that sovereignty over South Ledge belongs to the State in the territorial waters of which it is located.

Reasoning of the Court
The Court first explains that the dispute between Malaysia and Singapore concerns sovereignty over three maritime features in the Straits of Singapore: Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh (a granite island on which Horsburgh lighthouse stands), Middle Rocks (consisting of some rocks that are permanently above water) and South Ledge (a low-tide elevation).

Having described the historical background of the case, the Court notes that the dispute as to sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh crystallized on 14 February 1980, when Singapore protested against the publication in 1979 by Malaysia of a map depicting the island as lying within Malaysia’s territorial waters. It further observes that the dispute as to sovereignty over Middle Rocks and South Ledge crystallized on 6 February 1993, when Singapore referred to the two features in the context of its claim to Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh during bilateral negotiations.

Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh
Malaysia contends that it has an original title to Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh (dating back from the time of its predecessor, the Sultanate of Johor) and that it continues to hold this title, while Singapore claims that the island was terra nullius in the mid-1800s when the United Kingdom (its predecessor) took lawful possession of the island in order to construct a lighthouse.

Having reviewed the evidence submitted by the Parties, the Court finds that the territorial domain of the Sultanate of Johor did cover in principle all the islands and islets within the Straits of Singapore and did thus include Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh. It establishes that this possession of the islands by the Sultanate was never challenged by any other Power in the region; and that it therefore satisfies the condition of "continuous and peaceful display of territorial sovereignty". The Court thus concludes that the Sultanate of Johor had original title to Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh. It adds that this ancient title is confirmed by the nature and degree of the Sultan of Johor’s authority exercised over the Orang Laut ("the people of the sea", who inhabited or visited the islands in the Straits of Singapore, including Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh and made this maritime area their habitat).

The Court then looks at whether this title was affected by developments in the period between 1824 and the 1840s. In March 1824, the colonial Powers in the region, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, signed a Treaty which had the practical effect of broadly establishing the spheres of influence of the two Powers in the East Indies. As a consequence, one part of the Sultanate of Johor (under Sultan Hussein) fell within the British sphere of influence while the other (under Sultan Abdul Rahman, Sultan Hussein’s brother) fell within a Dutch sphere of influence. In August 1824, Sultan Hussein ceded the island of Singapore, together with its adjacent seas, straits, and islets to the extent of 10 geographical miles from the coast of Singapore to the English East India Company in the so-called Crawfurd Treaty. Finally, in a letter of 25 June 1825, Sultan Abdul Rahman "donated" certain territories, which were already within the British sphere of influence, to his brother, thereby confirming the division of the "old" Sultanate of Johor. After careful consideration of the legal effects of these developments, the Court finds that none of them brought any change to the original title.

The Court turns next to the legal status of Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh after the 1840s to determine whether Malaysia and its predecessor retained sovereignty over the island. It observes that in order to do so, it needs to assess the relevant facts, consisting mainly of the conduct of the Parties (and of their predecessors) during the period under review.

The Court examines the events surrounding the selection process of the site of the lighthouse and the construction of the latter, as well as the conduct of the Parties’ predecessors between 1852 and 1952 (in particular with respect to the British and Singapore legislation relating to Horsburgh lighthouse and in the context of the Straits lights system; constitutional developments of Singapore and Malaysia; and Johor regulation of fisheries in the 1860s), but is unable to draw any conclusions for the purposes of the case.

The Court notes that in a letter written on 12 June 1953 to the British Adviser to the Sultan of Johor, the Colonial Secretary of Singapore asked for information about the status of Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh in the context of determining the boundaries of the "Colony’s territorial waters". In a letter dated 21 September 1953, the Acting State Secretary of Johor replied that the "Johore Government [did] not claim ownership" of the island. The Court considers that this correspondence and its interpretation are of central importance "for determining the developing understanding of the two Parties about sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh" and finds that the Johor’s reply shows that as of 1953 Johor understood that it did not have sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh.

The Court finally examines the conduct of the Parties after 1953 with respect to the island. Having reviewed all arguments submitted to it, it finds that certain acts, inter alia the investigation of shipwrecks by Singapore within the island’s territorial waters and the permission granted or not granted by Singapore to Malaysian officials to survey the waters surrounding the island, may be seen as conduct à titre de souverain. The Court also considers that some weight can be given to the conduct of the Parties in support of Singapore’s claim (i.e., the absence of reaction from Malaysia to the flying of the Singapore ensign on the island, the installation by Singapore of military communications equipment on the island in 1977, and the proposed reclamation plans by Singapore to extend the island, as well as a few specific publications and maps).

The Court concludes, especially by reference to the conduct of Singapore and its predecessors à titre de souverain, taken together with the conduct of Malaysia and its predecessors including their failure to respond to the conduct of Singapore and its predecessors, that by 1980 (when the dispute crystallized) sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh had passed to Singapore. The Court thus concludes that sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh belongs to Singapore.

Sovereignty over Middle Rocks and South Ledge
Malaysia claims that the two maritime features have always been under Johor/Malaysian sovereignty while Singapore’s position is that sovereignty over the features goes together with sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh. With respect to Middle Rocks, the Court observes that the particular circumstances which led it to find that sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh rests with Singapore clearly do not apply to Middle Rocks. It therefore finds that original title to Middle Rocks should remain with Malaysia as the successor to the Sultanate of Johor.

As for South Ledge, the Court notes that this low-tide elevation falls within the apparently overlapping territorial waters generated by Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh and by Middle Rocks. Recalling that it has not been mandated by the Parties to draw the line of delimitation with respect to their territorial waters in the area, the Court concludes that sovereignty over South Ledge belongs to the State in the territorial waters of which it is located.

(excerpt from ICJ's press release)

The first hour makes me excited as the judgement seems in favour for Malaysia and have full sovereignty over PBB. However, once the judge touched on the 1953 letter by the Secretary of Johor State and explained the significant of the letter to the case, my heart was beating fast as I suspects this would be our downfall.Nevertheless, we won a consolation prize for Middle Rocks.As Minister Rais said it is a 'win-win' situation. My personal view, we lost!!

Tun Mahathir quits UMNO

Second political tsunami on the way???

Pengumuman Keluar Dari UMNO

Hari ini, Mei 19, 2008 saya mengumumkan keputusan saya untuk keluar daripada UMNO. Isteri saya turut bersama.Keputusan ini dibuat kerana UMNO yang ada sekarang bukan lagi UMNO yang ditubuh 62 tahun dahulu yang berjuang untuk bangsa Melayu, Agama Islam dan Negara Malaysia (Malaya); UMNO yang menggagalkan Malayan Union, memperjuangkan kemerdekaan Malaya dan Malaysia dan membangunkan Malaysia sehingga menjadi Negara yang termaju di antara Negara membangun di dunia.UMNO yang ada sekarang hanya wujud untuk menyokong Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, keluarganya dan tindakan serta dasar yang tidak secocok dengan kepentingan bangsa, agama dan negara.Kepimpinan Dato Seri Abdullah jelas membawa kekalahan dan bencana kepada Barisan Nasional, UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan dan PPP.

Kemenangan UMNO di Sabah dan BN di Sarawak bukan kerana kepimpinan Dato Seri Abdullah.Saya akan jelas satu persatu dasar-dasar dan tindakan Dato Seri Abdullah yang menjadikan Kerajaan pimpinannya dan parti BN dibenci oleh ahli-ahli parti komponen sendiri.Walaupun sebelum perisytiharan ini saya adalah ahli UMNO tetapi sebenarnya selepas saya letak jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri saya tidak dilayan sebagai ahli UMNO.Saya tidak dibenarkan berjumpa ahli UMNO dan ahli UMNO tidak dibenarkan hadir apa-apa perhimpunan di mana saya dijemput sebagai jurucakap atau penyampai ucapan.Menteri-Menteri yang dahulu berada dalam Kabinet saya tidak dibenarkan atau tidak berani atau tidak mahu jumpa saya lagi.Jemputan oleh UMNO dan bukan UMNO kepada saya diarah ditarik balik oleh Mneteri Besar dan Polis.

Ramai pemimpin UMNO melepaskan kata-kata kesat kepada saya dan ada yang menyuruh saya keluar daripada UMNO walaupun mereka baru sahaja masuk UMNO. Tidak ada pemimpin UMNO yang pertahankan saya secara terbuka.Wakil ke Perhimpunan Agong tidak dibenarkan menyuara pendapat mereka. Mulut semua orang ditutup.Yang didengar hanyalah media arus perdana yang memuji Dato Seri Abdullah sehingga dia percaya dia begitu popular dan akan sapu bersih parti lawan dalam pilihanraya umum ke-12.Hasilnya ialah kekalahan yang teruk bagi Barisan Nasional. Malangnya mesej yang hendak disampaikan oleh pengundi dan penyokong BN tidak dapat difahami oleh Dato Seri Abdullah.

Dia masih berkata dia menang. Ini sukar diterima oleh orang Kedah, orang Pulau Pinang, orang Perak, Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan.Oleh kerana Dato Seri Abdullah buta mata dan pekak telinga dan tidak faham mesej ahli BN, oleh kerana ahli UMNO pun turut bersama, oleh kerana proses demokrasi tidak berjalan, oleh kerana UMNO yang ada sekarang bukan lagi UMNO yang ditubuhkan 62 tahun dahulu, saya berpendapat penyertaan saya sebagai ahli UMNO tidak bermakna dan tidak berguna lagi.Justeru itu saya ingin umumkan bahawa saya sudah keluar daripada UMNO.

Saya ingin tegaskan bahawa saya bebas dan tidak menyokong mana-mana parti lawan.Saya akan pohon untuk masuk UMNO apabila Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sudah berhenti daripada menjadi Presiden UMNO, Pengerusi BN dan Perdana Menteri Malaysia.

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (bekas ahli UMNO No 1)

Dr Siti Hasmah binti Mohd Ali (bekas ahli UMNO No 2)

Sources : http://www.chedet.com/