Retired judges may be roped in to clear backlog

Retired judges may be roped in to clear the backlog of cases.

Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said several judges at the three-day judges conference held here had touched on the solution used in New South Wales, Australia, where retired judges were called up on an ad hoc basis to preside over cases.

Chief Justice of New South Wales J.J. Spigelman, who had presented a paper on case management at the conference, said on Tuesday that the use of retired judges was introduced to clear the backlog of cases.

He said the move worked very well since the retired judges could work for a few months in a year.

Bringing in retired judges would not be a financial burden to the Government as it would be more cost effective compared with appointing new judges.

Ahmad Fairuz said if the measure was implemented, an amendment to the Federal Constitution would be necessary, including increasing the retirement age.

He added that the judiciary would introduce a civil procedure code that would be easily understood by the layman by the end of the year.

The new “people-friendly” uniform code will be a merger of the current Subordinate Court Rules and Rules of the High Court.

He said a working committee had completed about 80% of the procedure to achieve expeditious disposal of cases.

“We are trying to create a procedure that is user-friendly and the language used in these rules will be understood by the layman. We are making it so that the layman can come to court without counsel,'' he said.

Ahmad Fairuz added that once the working committee had completed its task, a special judges conference would be held where the rules would be distributed for discussion.

The rules will then be tendered to the Rules Committee comprising representatives from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Bar Council, the Bar Association of Sabah and Sarawak as well as judges of the High Court and Sessions Court.

The Chief Justice said the rules would also include a new provision for mediation or alternate dispute resolution.

US: Asean must do more to push Myanmar toward democracy

The U.S. trade chief said a trade pact to be signed with Southeast Asian nations this week will boost economic ties, but urged the Asian countries to do more to push Myanmar toward democracy.

U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said Wednesday the Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement, or TIFA, with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will help broaden and deepen relations - previously hindered by Myanmar's poor human rights records.

"The U.S. is still very uncomfortable with policies of that government relating to treatment of its own citizens. That said, we do not want our concerns of Burma to jeopardize our broader relations with ASEAN,'' Schwab said. Myanmar is also called Burma.

"It has been our hope and expectations that ASEAN will always be doing more to push Burma to move toward democracy and to have a better human rights record,'' she said.

Schwab and the 10 ASEAN ministers were due to sign the TIFA, which sets the stage for a full-fledged free trade agreement, on Friday.

U.S. President George W. Bush this month renewed sanctions against military-ruled Myanmar following its refusal to speed up democratic reforms and free political prisoners, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Asean has a policy of not interfering in member countries' affairs, but has shown rising frustration over Myanmar's slow pace of reforms.

However, Aasean officials insist continued sanctions by the European Union and the United States may not help the military move toward democracy.

Schwab acknowledged that the TIFA has been scaled down, from a binding formal agreement to a nonbinding framework arrangement, to overcome Myanmar sensitivities in Washington.

However, she said, "we don't believe we have in any way, watered down the substance of the potential of the TIFA.''

Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz said earlier Wednesday that Myanmar's political and human rights situations have not hindered its participation in Asean's economic activities. - AP

State-of-the-art toilets for Kuala Lumpur

PAYING RM1 to use an air-conditioned fully-automated street toilet (AST) for 15 minutes is set to be a new experience for Malaysians and tourists soon.

Twenty of the hi-tech toilets made by GBH Bhd will be placed at various parts of Kuala Lumpur soon, two of them in the Jalan Bukit Bintang area by the end of this month.

The automatic street toilet measures 2.25m x 6.2m and is 2.6m high and weighs about 3.5 tonnes.

Users will need to slot in coins, amounting to RM1, to use the toilet.

However, users should take note that the automatic door will open by itself once the 15 minutes are up.

GBH group general manager Tan Ah Cheun said a pre-recorded verbal warning would be given at the 14th minute.

“Any user who needs to stay longer than 15 minutes will have to come out of the cubicle and pay another RM1, provided there are no users waiting to get in.

“Otherwise, common courtesy will need to prevail and it might be a matter of who needs it more urgently,” said Tan.

He said Kuala Lumpur City Hall has ordered 20 units of the AST and the first two would be located at the Jalan Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur.

Tan said the sitting pan has an automatic seat cleaner that would wash, scrub and dry the pan after every use.

The same cleansing will be applied to the squatting pan while the floor of the entire toilet would be automatically washed after every five users.

Each cubicle comes with a seated toilet and a squat toilet and is also disabled friendly and big enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

Users with children up to six years old could enter the cubicle at the same time, said Tan, adding that the cubicle also included a baby nappy changing station and a juvenile waiting seat with a strap-on seat belt.

Tan said GBH has recommended to the authorities that every AST be manned by a janitor.

“Each cubicle is equipped with an emer- gency button and the user will be able to communicate with the janitor upon activating the button.

“Every assistance, including opening the door from the outside, will then be provided,” explained Tan.

He said GBH has recommended that the standard operating hours for each AST to be between 7.30am and 11.30pm with provisions for extension.

Dr Mahathir: Time to change education system

The time has come for the country to amend the education system as the present one does not infuse the acquisition of knowledge with the application of the knowledge gained, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

“We have to change the system. The present system of acquiring knowledge alone is not enough. We need people to acquire knowledge and know how to apply this knowledge,” he said.

“We need a system which would be a marriage of the two. We have to seriously think about this if we want to progress further.”

He said this in his keynote address at the four-day 35th World Conference and Exhibition 2006 on Training and Development organised by the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO), at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here yesterday.

He said the British education system followed by Malaysia placed emphasis on gaining knowledge, while other education systems such as those practised in Japan and Germany not only stressed knowledge gain but also its application.

He said that in the early 1980s, the Government decided to start the “Look East” policy, emulating ideas from Japan but this policy was not widened to Malaysia's education system.

“The Japanese system not only teaches you about science and technology, it also tells you how to apply it,” he said.

“We have to ask ourselves, do we want to continue using the British system or do we follow in the steps of countries like Japan and Germany.” – Bernama

China liquefied natural gas(LNG) deal in the works

Malaysia is still in the running for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply contract with Shanghai, according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib, who was replying to a question from the floor after opening the Malaysia China Economic Conference 2006 here, said energy security was very important to China and that Malaysia would be in the position to provide it.

The question posed was whether the Government would support flagship projects between Malaysia and China to boost economic relations.

“This project would be an example of an iconic project. We already lost one to Australia in the bid to supply LNG to Guangdong,” Najib said.

“The Government is hoping that China will decide soon. We can supply energy to Shanghai,” Najib added.

According to recent news reports, the Chinese government, through the National Development and Reform Commission, is considering approving a 25-year supply agreement for LNG with Petronas.

The reports said the agreement would see Petronas supply the Shanghai LNG terminal at a contract price of US$5-US$6 (RM18-RM22) per million British thermal units when the terminal opens in 2008.

Designed to receive six million tonnes of LNG annually, China’s third LNG terminal in Shanghai is being built in two phases.

The first phase will be completed in 2008 when it will be able to process three million tonnes of LNG and supply four billion cubic metres of natural gas annually to the Shanghai municipality.

Najib added that the Government would also fully support private initiatives to develop joint marketing companies between China and Malaysia to market goods from both countries in the global market.

Earlier, in his keynote address, Najib said relations between the two countries would be improved further; and the recent multiple-entry visa for Chinese nationals was a clear indication that the Chinese were truly welcome.

“Bilateral trade between Malaysia and China has expanded by 21 times between 1990 and 2004. In 2005 alone, bilateral trade was worth US$23bil (RM84.4bil),” he said.

Decision on London sports centre next month

The fate of the proposed high performance sports centre in Brickendonbury, London will be decided next month.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman said in Parliament today that the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development had in principle agreed on the proposal to build the centre at Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre in Brickendonbury during its meeting on Oct 3, 2005, but had yet to determine and approve the total cost.

She said the expenditure incurred would depend on a feasibility study carried out by the National Sports Council, which would be tabled during the committee meeting in September.

“Even if it is approved by the committee, we are confident that the cost will not go beyond RM490mil as claimed by Yang Berhormat Ipoh Timur before this,” she told Lim Kit Siang (DAP - Ipoh Timur).

Siti Nurhaliza's akad nikah captures much attention

The live telecast of the “Wedding of the Year” between Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk Khalid Mohamad Jiwa on Monday caught the attention of many here.

Wherever television sets were switched on, people stopped to watch the akad nikah of Malaysia’s pop princess and her Datuk K. They included shoppers at the Tanjung Rambutan wet market and those at the magistrate’s court here.

Even a group of cleaners, busy making sure that the lobby of the Ipoh City Council was spotlessly clean, stopped in their tracks when a glamorous Siti, dressed in her stunning all-white kebaya, appeared on the large plasma television screen there.

Although not a fan, Ooi Bee Teck, the council’s Chinese language interpreter stationed at the information counter, thought the wedding was special.

“It’s not like everyone’s wedding is shown on television, let alone broadcasted live,” she said.

Those at the council’s Public Relations Department also managed to sneak glimpses of the wedding while carrying out their duties.

Computer graphics intern Arni Hasliza Abdul Aziz, a self-confessed diehard fan of Siti, could hardly contain her admiration for the 27-year-old artiste.

“She was so beautiful and radiant. She looked like a princess. No bride has ever dressed in all-white like her before and the style in which she wore her tudung was so glamorous.

“I’m so sure she is going to start a new trend,” said Arni Hasliza, 24.

Assistant public relations officer Mohd Syahrizal Azmi, 30, exclaimed: “It was indeed the wedding of the year!

The fact that it had been telecast live, he added, meant that Siti had made her fans very happy.

Amir Shah Kamaruddin, 30, a dancer with the council’s entertainment troupe, felt that the couple’s akad nikah ceremony was a grand affair.

“I must confess I’m not a Siti fan but I just couldn’t miss out on watching it.

“Following the akad nikah ceremony, I’m sure people can’t wait till Aug 28 to witness the wedding reception, which is going to be even grander,” he said.

Abdullah brushes off talk of early general election

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has scoffed at talk that Barisan Nasional might call for an early general election to derive political gains from the implementation of the 9th Malaysia Plan.

He said the coalition had received a thumping mandate from the people in the last general election.

“The mandate is for a five-year term. So why must we unnecessarily call for an election in the second or third year?” he told newsmen after handing over transitional aid to tobacco growers here yesterday.

Summing up his two-day visit to Kelantan, Abdullah said he could sense a major change of attitude among the people as well as among state Umno leaders.

The people, he said, were responding well to the RM7.6bil worth of development projects to be implemented in the state under the 9th Plan.

“I have made an effort to gauge their feedback during the speeches and it was good,” he said.

Abdullah said he was encouraged by the strong unity among Umno leaders here.

“If there are any problems, they should thrash it out in the sprit of consensus,” he said.

“When the party is strong, the people will give their support.”

Malaysia wants the Jimmy Choos to come home

Come home – that is message the Government wants to send out to those who have ventured abroad and made names for themselves internationally in designing, modelling, singing and acting.

Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said there were many such Malaysians.

“There are many with the experience in Broadway. We have Malaysians who are top models in New York and London. We have people with the experience in fashion designing,” he said.

He noted that these people were experts in their fields and that the country would benefit by having them back.

“We should attract them back because they bring a good name to Malaysia,” he said yesterday at the 11th Civil Service Conference.

Dr Fong said that under a programme to bring experts back to the country, the word “expert” had been defined a little too rigidly in the past to mean professionals and those with tertiary educational qualifications, like scientists, doctors, accountants and bankers.

“But we want to attract not only the scientists and medical experts. If we want to attract people like (internationally-acclaimed shoe designer Datuk) Jimmy Choo, how do we do it?” he added.

Hence the Government had decided to be more flexible and would try to attract these talented people to come back, he said.

“They are innovators, the benchmarkers. They are the ones who inspire others,” he noted.

Dr Fong said Malaysia had hoped to attract thousands of experts back to the country when it introduced the programme in 2001 but only 300 experts had came back so far, mostly those in medicine and financial services.

He said the poor response was due to the difference between salaries offered here and overseas.

“We can only offer incentives but the major change that we want to put in place is beyond us. The salary level is dependent on the employers,” he added.

Dr Fong also noted that a number of electronics firms that had relocated operations to China were slowly coming back to Malaysia because it had the infrastructure for best practices in the sector.

“We want this to be transmitted to all other sectors,” he said.

MiTV Corp to roll out 3G service for mobile subscribers

MiTV Corp Sdn Bhd is expected to roll out its third generation (3G) services for mobile subscribers by the first half of next year, said executive director Kenneth Chang.

"The 3G platform will be ready by end of this year but we won't be going to the market immediately. It is a complicated process - we need the service platform and the handsets to be ready," he told reporters after the signing ceremony between MiTV and Ericsson (M) Sdn Bhd on Monday.

He said the company, which was one of the two companies that were awarded the second round of 3G spectrums earlier this year, planned to invest RM1.2bil in the next five years as capital expenditure (capex) for 3G.

The capex could be funded via shareholders, bank borrowings and equity, he said.

Pop darling Siti Nurhaliza weds Datuk K

Malaysian Pop diva Siti Nurhaliza and businessman Datuk Khalid Mohd Jiwa tied the knot at the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan in Jalan Duta here Monday morning.

The couple earlier held their engagement, also at the mosque, where thousands of Siti Nurhaliza’s fans from all over Asia turned up at the highly-anticipated event.

For the engagement, Khalid presented five trays of gifts – all in gold and pink – while Siti reciprocated with seven trays.

For the wedding, Datuk K offered seven trays of bridal gifts as his hantaran while Siti presented five trays – all in silver and green.

A big screen was set up in a separate hall at the mosque for the press and public to watch the ceremony.

ASEAN expects foreign investment to keep growing

ASEAN expect foreign investment in Southeast Asia to keep growing after it surged 48 percent in 2005 to a new record, but the region must redouble efforts to catch up with China, officials said Monday.

Foreign direct investment into the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations rose to US$38 billion (euro31.7 billion) last year, surpassing levels last seen before the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, Malaysia's Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz said.

Foreign investment into ASEAN rose to US$34 billion (euro28 billion) in 1997, but declined sharply after the Asian financial crisis threw regional economies into disarray.

"We have been in the doldrums. There have been so many uncertainties and internal problems for some countries.

"Economically, there is global dislocation, hike in petroleum prices and the dollar has weakened,'' Rafidah told reporters after chairing an ASEAN investment council meeting.

"In spite of that, we were able to see a positive growth in our FDI and that is a good sign,'' she said.

"We expect it to increase.'' - AP

Discounts for one million Malaysia Airlines domestic tickets

Malaysia Airlines is offering up to 60% discount for one million domestic flight tickets via online booking.

The online bookings for attractive rates starts from next month to July 31, next year.

Its managing director Idris Jala said the new fare structure was on a one-way basis, adding that the discounts were between 10% and 60%.

Malaysia Airlines’ revised one-way economy class online fares starting from as low as RM59 for travel within East Malaysia, RM69 for travel within Peninsula Malaysia and RM99 for travel between Peninsula and East Malaysia.

Better pay for public university lecturers

The new starting salary for lecturers at public universities will be implemented by the end of this year.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the ministry was in the midst of discussing with the Public Services Department on the new salary and also promotions.

“We hope that the new salary will attract fresh graduates to become lecturers,” he told newsmen after opening the Pendang Umno division meeting yesterday.

Mustapa was asked for comments on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's statement on more promotions for academics.

Najib was quoted as saying that the Cabinet had agreed to create more posts in public universities and that the decision was made following demands for more autonomy for these institutions.

New lecturers (with a minimum of a Master’s degree) at public universities are currently paid RM3,500 a month. Those lecturing in medical and engineering fields earn a bit more because of their professional allowances.

Mustapa said the promotions allowed the lecturers to climb the ladder, including obtaining the Premier Grade Officer (JUSA) status that was a special grade for public servants.

He said so far, only 18 lecturers of the 20,000 lecturers working at public universities nationwide were in the JUSA grade.

“Our aim is to get more lecturers to continue working at public universities,” he said.

Mustapa said it would be a loss for the nation if good lecturers switched to the private sector just for better income.

All set for Siti Nurhaliza’s fairytale wedding

The date for the “Wedding of the Year” between pop princess Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk Khalid Mohd Jiwa (better known as Datuk K) is just days away.

At 11am tomorrow, the two lovebirds will hold their akad nikah (solemnisation of marriage) at the Federal Territory Central Mosque in Jalan Duta here.

On Aug 28, the couple will throw a lavish wedding reception at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) where 2,200 guests, including dignitaries and royalty, will be present.

In a fairytale setting sure to please her fans, Siti and her Prince Charming will parade in a horse-drawn carriage to the KLCC entrance.

They will then hold a reception at the bride’s hometown in Kuala Lipis on Sept 3. Another reception will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept 10.

Malaysia has fair share of suckers

To date, no Malaysian has been arrested for masterminding an Internet scam.

Though tricks like the black money hoax, Internet lottery rip-off, “e-mail con of deposed autocrat looking for help to smuggle his money out of the country, and more recently, the SMS scam and the cow vaccine swindle are not unheard of here. Most of the scams are believed to be perpetrated by Nigerian, Eastern European and, increasingly, Chinese cartels.

Going by the number of police reports lodged though, and perhaps more tellingly, by the number of police reports not lodged, it is fair to assume that there are suckers aplenty in Malaysia.

After all, it was barely a year ago that a story surfaced about how an experienced lawyer fell prey to Nigerian fraudsters who told her that she had won more than RM3mil in the El Gordo Spanish Lottery.

Instead of basking in her winnings, she was taken to the cleaners and wound up losing close to RM100,000.

These scam artistes use all sorts of software and spyware to obtain details of e-mail accounts from all over the world and send out their “con mail” by the tens of thousands.

According to police statistics, 1,243 commercial crimes related to computers and cheating were reported from January to March this year.