The White House has released its latest salary list for its employees which adds up to US$39 million per year. Now if the White House can do that in the interest of accountability and transparency, how about the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department?
See Upshot report here.
And you can find a list of the salaries for each White House employee on the White House website here with an accompany note that reads:
Bujang Valley, one of several Indianised kingdoms in Southeast Asia, existed long before neighbouring empires such as Majapahit (1200 AD) and Sri Vijaya (700 AD).
The early Bujang Valley civilisation between the first and the fifth century (earlier than previously thought) was probably based on animism before coming under Hindu and Buddhist influence from the fifth to the fourteenth century.
Now, here’s the strange thing: most Malaysians and visitors know about Malacca and Penang as historical sites, but few have even heard of the Bujang Valley. (Today is actually George Town World Heritage City Day, a holiday in Penang from this year.) In fact, very few residents of Penang and Kedah know about the fascinating archaeological museum amidst reconstructed Hindu and Buddhist temple foundations, discovered in the valley and relocated to the museum grounds, near a gurgling stream on a lush hill-slope in Merbok in Kedah. The museum is worth visiting if you are interested in the Hindu and Buddhist figurines and other artefacts discovered during excavation.
Archaeological interest covers sites spanning a thousand square kilometre region from Merbok in the north to Bukit Mertajam on mainland Penang in the south. Gunung Jerai, at 1,200 metres the highest peak in Kedah, was the most visible landmark for sea farers heading to the region.
Time to re-write our school history text books, don’t you think?
These are the substantial shareholders of Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd, according to the firm’s 2009 Annual Report.
The analysis as at 22 March 2010:
Substantial Shareholders as per Register of Substantial Shareholders, excluding nominee companies
Name of Substantial Shareholders – Direct – Indirect – % of Issued1. Datin Hanifah Hajar Taib (daughter) (Direct) 705,000 (Indirect) 44,925,102 – 13.85%
2. Datuk Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree (son-in-law) – (Indirect) 45,630,102 13.85%
3. Majaharta Sdn. Bhd. (family concern) (Direct) 44,925,102 – 13.64%
4. Jamilah Hamidah Taib (daughter) (Indirect) 44,925,102 1 – 13.64%
5. Lejla Taib (late wife) (Direct) 37,000,000 – 11.23%
6. YB Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib (son) (Direct) 29,465,085 – 8.94%
7. Dato Sri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib (son) (Direct) 29,400,085 – 8.92%
8. Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (Direct) 26,965,360 – 8.19%
The closing price on 5 July was RM2.30 per share. You do the maths to find out how much the Taib Mahmud family is worth in CMS shares alone.
It pays to be humble at all times, even for footballers on the World Cup stage.
After England were trounced 4-1 by Germany, and before the Argentina vs Germany game last night, Argentina’s centreback Martin Demichelis took a dig at England defender John Terry.
The livelihood of native communities in Limbang, Sarawak, is being threatened by a politically well-connected timber company. It’s really the last stand for Along Sega, a much-respected local Penan leader and the local communities.
The Long Sebayang timber camp in Upper Limbang
Activists and one media report say the company involved in this area is Lee Ling, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Concrete. Among the directors is Raziah @ Rodiah Mahmud, sister of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. She has a 2.03 per cent direct stake in Quality Concrete.
It’s not just Canada that certain property investors are flocking to.
The US property market has received considerable attention as well.
It looks as if the Penang government is still keen on the Penang International Convention Centre (PICC), going by a Bernama report.
The state should think again whether this is really a prudent use of our precious – and limited – financial resources. Even during colonial rule in early 19th-century Penang, the island’s British administrators experienced difficulty in raising funds. Little has changed now, with the BN federal government denying the state its rightful allocations and even by-passing the Penang state government by channelling funds through Finance Ministry-owned entities and parallel federally-overseen state development offices.
The way I look at it, the PICC is a luxury (or white elephant) we cannot afford especially when other privately built convention centres are already in the pipeline in Penang. Penang has so many other more pressing needs requiring the use of public funds e.g. the upgrading of public markets and a new computer system for the MPPP.
A second Scorpene submarine, the KD Tun Razak, has arrived in Malaysian waters.