PM: 30% Bumi quota for 27 sub-sectors scrapped

Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat, (Miti) Secretary general said Malaysia's liberalisation plan may boost exports by 10 per cent by removing the 30% Bumiputera quota. He also said ' small- and medium-sized enterprises will benefit from the liberalisation as they can leverage on international companies in their areas of strength such as ICT, logistics, and tourism. ' Removed quota, stimulate domestic demand and compete with international. Move Forward Malaysia!

Written by Chan Kok Leong

Wednesday, 22 April 2009 16:46

PUTRAJAYA: The government has removed the 30% bumiputera equity requirement for the 27 services sub-sectors with immediate effect in line with the Asean trade liberalisation and efforts to boost the services sector.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak said on April 22 the sub-sectors covered health and social services, tourism services, transport services, business services and computer and related services.

“There will be no more 30% bumiputera equity requirement for these sub-sectors,” he said at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office.

The move to liberalise the services sector, which was first announced during the presentation of the Second Stimulus Package on March 10, was also expected to attract more investments, bring in more professionals and technology and strengthen the competitiveness of the sector.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the government was intensifying its efforts, with the hope that the services sector will increase its contribution to the GDP to 60%.

The services sector contributed 55% to the gross domestic product in 2008, of which 47.6% came from non-government services. The sector also accounts for 57% of the total employment in Malaysia.

“Recognising the growth potential in the services sector, the government has decided to immediately liberalise 27 services sub-sectors, with no equity conditions imposed,” said Najib.

Prior to this, companies in the services sector must offer 30% of its equity to Bumiputera.

However, Najib did not include the financial services. When asked, he explained that the financial services liberation plan will be announced next week.

The government was confident these initiatives would not adversely affect the domestic services industry.

To help support the industry in capacity building and opening up of the export markets, a development fund of RM100 million was established under the First Economic Stimulus Package.

The fund will be run by Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida). To facilitate investments in the services sector, a national committee for approval of investments has been created under Mida.

“This committee will act as a focal point to receive and process applications of investments in the services sector excluding financial services, air travel, utilities, economic development corridors, multimedia super corridor and Bionexus status companies and distributive trade,” said Najib.

According to him RM50.1 billion of investments in the services sector was approved in 2008, with foreign investments totaling 11%. For exports in 2008, RM102.1 billion was recorded while imported services amounted to RM99.8 billion.

“Malaysia recorded its first surplus in this sector in 2007. And according to WTO, Malaysia is among the 30 leading global exporters of services,” said Najib.

“The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) has also been tasked to coordinate and spearhead all export promotion initiatives.”

To help develop Malaysia as an international Islamic finance hub, said Najib, the legal profession will be liberalised to allow up to five top international law firms with expertise in international Islamic finance to practise in Malaysia.

However, these firms will only be allowed to offer legal services in international Islamic finance. --- The Edge

SERVICES SUB-SECTORS FOR LIBERALISATION

Computer and relater services

1. Consultancy services related to installation of computer hardware
2. Software implementation services – systems and software consulting services; systems analysis services; systems design services; programming services and systems maintenance services
3. Data processing services – input preparation servies; data processing and tabulation services; time sharing servies and other data processing services
4. Database services
5. Maintenance and repair services of computers
6. Other services – data preparation services; training services; data recovery services; and development of creative content

Health and social services

1. All veterinary services
2. Welfare services delivered through residential institutions to old person and the handicapped
3. Welfare services delivered through residential institutions to children
4. Child day-care services including day-care services for the handicapped
5. Vocational rehabilitation services for the handicapped

Tourism services

1. Theme park
2. Convention and exhibition centre
3. Travel agencies and tour operators services (for inbound travel only)
4. Hotel and restaurant services (for 4 and 5 star hotels only)
5. Food serving services (for 4 and 5 star hotels only)
6. Beverage serving services for consumption on the services (for 4 and 5 star hotels only)

Transport services

1. Class C freight transportation (Private carrier license – to transport own goods)

Sporting and other recreational services

1. Sporting services (promotion and organization services)

Business services

1. Regional distribution centre
2. International procurement centre
3. Technical testing and analysis services – composition and purity testing and analysis services, testing and analysis services of physical properties, testing and analysis services of integrated mechanical and electrical systems and technical inspection services
4. Management consulting services – general, financial (excluding business tax), marketing, human resources production and public relations services

Rental/Leasing services without operators

1. Rental/leasing services of ships that excludes cabotage and offshore trades
2. Rental of cargo vessels without crew (Bareboat Charter) for international shipping

Supporting and Auxiliary Transport Services

1. Maritime agency services
2. Vessel salvage and refloating services

YTL in RM3b broadband push

YTL e-Solutions Bhd (YTLE) (0009), a subsidiary of YTL Corp Bhd, plans to pump in almost RM3 billion to set up a wireless broadband network in Peninsular Malaysia over the next five years.

It will spend one-third of that in the next 12 months as it seeks to play catch-up. Out of the four firms licensed to provide high-speed wireless Internet access, it is the only one that has yet to launch its service commercially in a big way.

YTLE, which will spend RM2.5 billion on the network, is tying up with South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co.

The company will use its own money for the investment, managing director Tan Sri Francis Yeoh said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"We will start rolling out (the wireless infrastructure) immediately. We have identified 2,000 sites. We have mapped it. We know where we are going to put all the base stations already," he added.
Unlike its rivals which have launched their wireless services in geographical stages, YTL will commercially launch its wireless services, comprising voice and data, only when it has nationwide coverage.

"If you do it in stages, it won't work and it's not fair. This kind of technology doesn't work like that. It just won't work. Not enough equipment maker is going to support you. Not enough network people are going to support.

"And then you are killing yourself. How many people are going to have this experience? For example, I go out of Kuala Lumpur. I cannot use (the service) already. Who are you kidding? Just KL for KL? It's not right to me," Yeoh said.

When the government awarded the WiMAX licences, the four companies were expected to expand their network to cover 25 per cent of the population by end-March this year.

However, it is unclear if any of them met the target.

"At the end of the day, it's about achieving the national broadband objectives. Actually, our programme is ahead of the government's programme in terms of nationwide coverage," Yeoh said.

In 14 months, YTLE will launch its wireless broadband services nationwide covering 70 per cent of the population.

Yeoh was speaking to the media after the signing ceremony between YTLE and Samsung Electronics. Samsung has agreed to supply network equipment and handsets to YTLE.

YTLE is one of the four companies awarded the licence to offer wireless broadband services using WiMAX technology. The others are Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd (a unit of Green Packet), REDtone International Bhd and Asiaspace Sdn Bhd.

WiMAX, short for worldwide interoperability for microwave access, is a telecommunications technology that provides transmission of data. It works like the current popular WiFi technology.

A WiFi hotspot can cover a radius of tens of metres. In contrast, a WiMAX base station can cover several kilometres. The technology also promises the ability to surf the Internet from laptops while in a park, on a bus during a traffic jam, or anywhere in a residential neighbourhood. --- Business Times

Britains Got Talent 2009 - Susan Bolye

' Yes ' definitely to Susan Boyle , 47 of age. The latest star born from a village in Britain.

The phenomenal popularity of Susan Boyle has led to dozens of websites being set up by fans and cybersquatters looking to cash in on the global interest in the Britain's Got Talent star.

Since Boyle appeared on the launch show of the ITV1 talent search series on 11 April more than 30 websites have sprung up that use her name to try attract web users looking for the video of her performance and more information about her.

Boyle, an unemployed 47-year-old Scottish charity worker, has become an unlikely star after her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Misérables became a global YouTube hit and attracted the attention of broadcasters, websites and newspapers around the world.

While Boyle does not have an official web presence herself, according to research conducted by web domain company Sedo, fans and cybersquatters have registered websites in her name across Europe and the US and in seemingly unlikely countries such as Turkey.

The domain name SusanBoyle.co.uk was registered on 10 April and put together quickly as a fan site.

"Every time a new star like Susan Boyle is born there is always a huge surge in new registration activity," said Nora Nanayakkara, the director of business development at Sedo.

"While the new domains offer overwhelming support for the new star ... fan sites should be careful not to overstep the lines between a fan site and a money-making site."

An unlikely beneficiary of the global interest in the Britain's Got Talent star has been Texas-based artist Susan K Boyle, owner of the SusanBoyle.com domain, who has seen a huge increase in visits in the past couple of weeks.

"I can only hope there are one or two art lovers/buyers among them," Boyle said in an email to a tech website late last week. -- guardian.co.uk

Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 - Saturday 11th April >>Watch in Youtube<<

22 April , Earth Day 2009

Earth Day, now in its 39th years !!

Earth Day is celebrated annually on the 22nd April all over the world. For one day, citizens of the world come together and participate in an initiative to promote sustainable environment. The first Earth Day in 1970 marked a beginning of a modern environmental movement. Raising concern about the environmental crisis, Earth Day is a day of observance of environmental problems. Different environmental groups such as those who has been fighting over oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife band together to share a common goal to protest against the deterioration of the environment.


This year, organizers of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network is spearheading a campaign called the Green Generation campaign. It is a 2-year initiative which will culminate in the 40th year anniversary of Earth Hour in 2010. The focus of this campaign is towards renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal to preserve the resources for the future generation.


As part of its initiative to create awareness and put the pressure for a more healthy and sustainable environment, the KL Bar Environmental & Humanities Committee (“EHC”) is organizing a collection for old-newspapers and used papers on 22nd April 2009 in conjunction with Earth Day. We invite all members to donate your old newspaper and used papers. Members are encourage to drop their old newspapers and used paper at the KL Bar Secretariat building between 10am-3pm. Members of the EHC aka the eco-warriors will be there to supervise the collection of the papers and speak to you on ways to green your lifestyle. Speak for the trees for they cannot speak for themselves. Recycle those papers! --- by Seira Sacha Binti Abu Bakar

Earth Day 2009, April 22, will mark the beginning of The Green Generation Campaign^TM which will also be the focus of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. With negotiations for a new global climate agreement coming up in December, Earth Day 2009 must be a day of action and civic participation, to defend The Green Generation^TM’s core principles:

• A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.

• An individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable consumption.

• Creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.
  
  Related post
  >>Earth Day Network<<

Less exam-oriented education under new UPSR curriculum

The concept of new UPSR curriculum system may be good in terms of the pupils will no longer be evaluated by their performance in the three days of UPSR examination.

There are some drawbacks on the new system. They do not mention about the details other than just the concept. How to ensure that teachers in each school are integrated with the new system? Does school implement a fair system where not take sides with the pupils in order to archieve a good ranking?

Always, you need an accurate input and complete process to determine a good education system . Otherwise, it is not going to generate a good output to you.

The government use 3 to 5 years to consider on this new concept, but those students have to bear impact for their whole life.


KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty per cent of the Primary School Assessment Test (UPSR) will account for a child’s results when a new curriculum is introduced for Year One pupils from next year.

The remaining 70% will be based on several approaches, including psychometric tests, school-based assessments and achievements in extra-curricular activities and sports throughout the six years of study.

“By the time the pupils sit for the UPSR in 2016, they would have been assessed from Year One in these other areas which will make up 70% of their marks with 30% from the (UPSR) examination itself,” Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said.

He said that Year One pupils in 50 schools nationwide had been using the new curriculum under a pilot project last year. It was extended to 500 schools this year.

“The pilot project is ongoing at the moment. A final decision will be made by the end of the year to determine the weightage of the UPSR marks,” he told reporters after representing Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Kuala Kumpur International Book Fair at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.

Dr Wee said feedback from the pilot project had been positive and the ministry would consider other views before making the final decision on the weightage.

“We have to introduce this new curriculum at Year One as we can’t start from the middle,” he said. At present, 100% of pupils’ assessment in Year Six comes from the UPSR.

Former education minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had said that the new curriculum would replace the existing primary school integrated curriculum first introduced in 1983 and reviewed in 2000.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said the new curriculum would not test pupils only on what they have learnt in a centralised examination.

“Parents have complained that the system is too examination-oriented so we are trying to make it more holistic and fun for pupils,” he said, adding that school-based assessments should not be a burden for teachers as they were already assessing their pupils through weekly and monthly tests as well as mid and year-end examinations.

By doing this, Alimuddin said that if pupils fell ill during the exam and did badly, the ministry could still take into account their overall school assessment rather than depend solely on their UPSR results.

“If the pupils still get A in their UPSR, this means the marks are not derived solely from their brains but having taken into account other approaches such as attitudes, extra-curricular activities and school-based assessments,” he said.

As for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations, he said there were proposed weightages of 50% and 70% respectively. -- The Star

Australian authors fight American language infiltration

OUT goes "tap" and in comes "faucet". And perhaps worst of all, "Mom" will replace "Mum".

This is what Australian children's book readers can expect if restrictions on parallel importation 'are lifted, according to a group of Queensland authors.


Writers including James Maloney, Michael Bauer and Sheryl Gwyther who gathered in Brisbane City yesterday said if restrictions on the parallel importation of books were lifted, we risked losing Australian stories.


Protest organiser Ms Gwyther said authors were worried about the whole book industry.


"We would see American language in our books, Australian authors would find it difficult to get published and new authors wouldn't be taken on," Ms Gwyther said.


"And it would wipe out hundreds of jobs in the publishing industry."


Mr Maloney said the move was being pushed by a group calling itself the Coalition For Cheaper Books.


But he said there was a broader issue about protecting Australian culture.


"We're under threat all the time from films, fast-food outlets - all these kinds of things - now it's turned to books," he said.


The Productivity Commission is reviewing laws that prevent booksellers from importing titles from overseas markets.


The restrictions mean overseas publishers cannot immediately sell in Australia to the Australian market - local publishers are offered the chance to publish the book first. -- Couriermail.com.au

New Proton MPV Exora

A truly Malaysian MPV is launched today. Some says the new Proton MPV looks like Toyota wish . Are there look alike?

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd’s first multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the Exora, was unveiled to the public in a gala event here yesterday.

Launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the 1.6-litre Exora has already received orders of 2,500 units, even before its launch

The seven-seater - Proton’s most important model for the year - also marks the company’s entry into the MPV market, which is growing domestically and regionally.

It also represents the Proton management’s response to market needs and consumer demands.

The Exora’s interior is more spacious than other MPVs in its engine class. It also has separate air-conditioner blowers with ceiling mounted vents for the second and third row passengers.

Large doors allow for easy entry and exit, while the second and third row seats can be folded for a flat floor layout when carrying bulky items.

The vehicle has safety features like dual front airbags, pretensioner seatbelts and anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution.

The Exora, which is powered by a 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine, was the result of an investment of RM450mil and 18 months of intense in-house research and development.

The MPV is available in four-speed automatic version, in trim levels of Mid-Line and Hi-Line.

The Mid-Line Exora costs RM69,998 and the Hi-Line variant, RM75,998 (prices quoted here are for metallic colours only)

Proton Exora Crash Testing Video >>Click Here for details<<

YouTube Symphony Orchestra

The You Tube Symphony Orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Wednesday night. ---The New York Times

A symphony orchestra composed of 96 musicians from 33 countries chosen online via YouTube has won applause in New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall.

They ranged in age from 15 to 55 years old and came from as far as Australia, South Korea, Russia, Sweden, Israel and Cuba - with the notable exception of Muslim and African countries.

More than 3,000 musicians from 70 countries auditioned through the video sharing website.

The chosen 96 won a plane ticket and a three-day stay in New York to participate in various gatherings at the Juilliard School of Music and in the Carnegie Hall concert, directed by San Francisco Symphony Orchestra's Michael Tilson Thomas.

"This is at the same time a classical concert, a summit, a scout jamboree and a speed date," Tilson Thomas said.

Colombian trombonist John Wilson Gonzalez, 27, told AFP the concert was a "marvellous experience."

"It was unimaginable that I could get to play in Carnegie Hall, a mythical theatre where only the great musicians play," added Gonzalez, the principal trombonist of the symphony orchestra of Caldas, Colombia.

At his side, 30-year-old Manuel Ramos - a Mexican from Monterrey - shared Gonzalez's enthusiasm.

"I am a professional violinist but I do not play classical music, but rather jazz, gypsy music. But there was an opportunity to participate in the contest and here I am," he said.

"It's impressive what you can do when people get together like this. It's lovely," he added.

The concert program included works by Bach, Mozart, Villa Lobos, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Lou Harrison, John Cage, and contemporary Chinese composer Tan Dun's Internet Symphony Number One Eroica, which was created especially for the occasion.

"From the first rehearsal on Monday the orchestra sounded really good," said Pierre Charles, a 27-year-old French cellist, who also studies physics at Jussieu University in Paris.

"I was astonished because I thought it would take a lot longer to get ready," he said.

"The sound was right straight away."

Koichi Osada, an amateur oboist from the Japanese city of Yokohama, said: "This event will help people to become more familiar with classical music, even people who have not been interested in classical music."

"I hope all the people will listen to the video created after the concert," he added. - AFP

Related Links:

• Youtube Symphony Orchestra >>click here<<
• Carnegie Hall >>click here<<
  

Malaysia Airlines ‘stimulus package’ to spur ticket sales

Kuala Lumpur, April 15 — In order to offer best value in air travel, Malaysia Airlines has launched its “MAS Stimulus Package” today which has nine deals covering first, business and economy class travel.

It’s for domestic, Asean and international travel.

The deals include gems like matching previous fares paid to other airlines on same international routes; east-west Malaysia travel for only RM99; and pay economy to travel business class options.

The airline’s chief executive officer Datuk Seri Idris Jala said, “This is the best time for the public to travel as such incredible offers are given only during a downturn! Customers are the ones to truly benefit during this time as we are looking for innovative ways to boost load factors and revenue.

“Never waste a good crisis. While we cannot control the operating environment, we can control the way we run our business. These deals have been tailored to meet what the customers want and stimulate travel demand.

“Based on the public’s support to us during our travel promotions, we can see that if they are given a choice to fly with us, they will definitely do so as we offer the best value for their money.”

Two of the nine deals on offer, Grab-A- Deal and Balik Kampung have already been offer since March.

“In just slightly over a month, sales for Grab-A- Deal and Balik Kampung have hit more than RM17.5 million – RM12 million for Grab-A- Deal, and more than RM5.5 million for Balik Kampung. That’s incredible considering the economic situation we are in. This shows that if you give the public what they want — they will travel,” Jala said.

The other deals in the “MAS stimulus package” launched today are Premium Match, Business Companion, Economy +, Weekend Getaway, Kids Fly Free, MHFlex 1+1 and 80 per cent discount domestic/Asean.

Just like the “Everyday Low Fare” programme they launched last May, the nine deals are expected by Jala to offer something to everyone. -- The Malaysian Insider

Other than that, Firefly , a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysian Airline System Berhard, provide a new route from Ipoh to Singapore. This means that Ipoh airport is going to reopen on July with an international route between Ipoh and Singapore. Hope that this can stimulate the state economy.

Kami Pun Faham Bahasa Melayu

APRIL 14 — It is an old and tired formula of Malaysian politicians, both from Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition, to say different things to different audiences.

Chinese political leaders have in the past frequently given interviews to Chinese language newspapers in which they would make certain remarks which could be deemed by their Malay colleagues to be sensitive in nature.

So when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister and Umno No 2, gave an interview to Mingguan Malaysia which was published two days ago, he may have thought he was only addressing a Malay audience.

One of the questions posed to him, reproduced verbatim here was this: “Tetapi bukankah setiap kali pilihan raya kecil, permintaan kaum bukan Melayu dipenuhi, malah di Bukit Gantang walaupun peruntukan RM1juta diberikan tetapi kaum Cina tidak juga menyokong BN?”

His answer, among other things, was this: “Ya, kadang-kadang kita berasa terpedaya juga kerana zahirnya nampak macam ‘ok’, sambutan dengan tepukan gemuruh tetapi mungkin sudah ada tertanam dalam hati iaitu sesuatu tidak mudah hendak berubah, pokoknya masalah isu Perak terutamanya di kalangan masyarakat Cina yang mungkin telah dipengaruhi dengan sentimen simpati kepada Datuk Seri Ir.Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, kononnya dia ‘dijatuhkan’, lepas itu kononnya dasar memberi pegangan tanah selama 99 tahun dilihat dasar yang menguntungkan.

“Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi.

“Pada waktu itu, kita pun tidak berharap sokongan kaum Cina akan meningkat 40 peratus dan sebagainya cuma kita berharap ada peningkatan sedikit tetapi apa yang berlaku ia mencatatkan penurunan, macam tidak ada penghargaan terhadap apa yang kita lakukan.”

Today, the DPM blamed the Chinese media for wrongly translating his remarks.

The offending remark which appears to have drawn the ire of the Chinese community, including leaders from BN, is this: “Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi.

Translated, without being pedantic, the last four words would mean “they should be grateful”.

Muhyiddin is not doing himself or his boss Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak any favours by continuing to defend the remarks.

The prime minister most certainly would not have wanted such a disastrous start to his tenure.

Najib has committed himself to project an image of being a leader of all Malaysians.

His deputy has now succeeded in alienating the Chinese community.

While it is true that Chinese voters have thrown their lot behind Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties, such remarks will not help BN recapture the votes.

Muhyiddin claimed today that what he meant was the Chinese appeared unappreciative. He denied saying the Chinese were ungrateful. But the damage is already done.

Perhaps all political leaders should learn a lesson from Muhyiddin’s experience.

It is probably safe to say assume that nearly all Malaysians have at least a rudimentary command of the national language. Since the national language was made the medium of instruction in schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s, all Malaysians who have gone to school would have a fair to excellent command of the language.

But the lesson is not just limited to the national language.

Up to 10 per cent of the 600,000 children enrolled in Chinese primary schools, where the medium of instruction is Mandarin, are non-Chinese.

A majority of the non-Chinese pupils are Malay.

This means Chinese leaders also cannot go around making racist remarks in Mandarin.

Jadi Tan Sri sepatutnya tahu bahawa kami pun faham Bahasa Melayu.

---Leslie Lau is Consultant Editor for The Malaysian Insider

I Am Grateful That I Understand Malay Language

PUTRAJAYA (April 14, 2009) : Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today his statements over the coalition's loss in Bukit Gantang had been twisted and misrepresented by some vernacular newspapers, causing him to be criticised by various quarters.

Speaking to reporters after taking office as the new education minister today, Muhyiddin denied saying that Chinese voters were ungrateful to the Barisan Nasional

He lashed out at the irresponsible reporting, saying: “If they don’t understand the Malay language, then we can send them back to school.”

Muhyiddin said all he meant was why the Chinese voters looked as if they did not appreciate BN and vote for the ruling coalition in the recent Bukit Gantang by-election, as it was his sincere desire to know what happened.

He added that he wanted to analyse the situation (on the defeat) and not as reported in the media.
“I did not call the Chinese ungrateful,” he said.

“My statements were twisted and (I was) misquoted,” he added, referring to the newspapers who published several follow-up articles based on Muhyiddin’s interview with Mingguan Malaysa last week.

Muhyiddin said he had only wanted to know why the Chinese community’s confidence (in BN) was not shown in the ballot boxes and he had said it only within the confines of the by-election’s result.

It was reported in the media early this week that Muhyiddin said the Chinese voters were ungrateful by not voting for BN even though the government had assisted the community in many ways.

The statements drew sharp responses from the Chinese community, particularly from Gerakan and MCA.

Gerakan’s deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn was quoted in the media as disagreeing with Muhyiddin while MCA’s response was to list down a list of issues that could have caused the Chinese community to turn away from the BN. --- Sun2Surf


Compare with the original text from Utusan Malaysia titled ' Kuasa Penentu Melayu Hilang Jika Terus Berpecah ' : -

Tetapi bukankah setiap kali pilihan raya kecil, permintaan kaum bukan Melayu dipenuhi, malah di Bukit Gantang walaupun peruntukan RM1juta diberikan tetapi kaum Cina tidak juga menyokong BN?

MUHYIDDIN: Ya, kadang-kadang kita berasa terpedaya juga kerana zahirnya nampak macam 'ok', sambutan dengan tepukan gemuruh tetapi mungkin sudah ada tertanam dalam hati iaitu sesuatu tidak mudah hendak berubah, pokoknya masalah isu Perak terutamanya di kalangan masyarakat Cina yang mungkin telah dipengaruhi dengan sentimen simpati kepada Datuk Seri Ir.Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, kononnya dia 'dijatuhkan', lepas itu kononnya dasar memberi pegangan tanah selama 99 tahun dilihat dasar yang menguntungkan.

Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi. Pada waktu itu, kita pun tidak berharap sokongan kaum Cina akan meningkat 40 peratus dan sebagainya cuma kita berharap ada peningkatan sedikit tetapi apa yang berlaku ia mencatatkan penurunan, macam tidak ada penghargaan terhadap apa yang kita lakukan.

Oleh itu kita kena kaji psikologi apa yang menyebabkan masyarakat Cina tidak bersedia untuk berubah, pada zaman dahulu tidak begitu. --- Utusan Malaysia

Whenever there are someone criticized on the leader, the first thing they do is not review on their own problem. Besides, they will try to blame the media. Chinese media is the first one who suffer. No matter MCA leader or UMNO leader. Both also blame them for twisting their words. Is the quality of our chinese media really that bad?　Or people just like to make excuses by blaming the media ?

This time, is the turn for our deputy prime minister -- Muhyiddin. He denied that he did not call Chinese ungrateful. So, ' macam tidak ada penghargaan ' maksud 'seolah-olah tidak menghargai' does not mean 'tidak menghargai'. Macam 'macam' is the only word that Muhyiddin trying to emphasize?

When you try to blame the chinese media, please beware that , among all the chinese community and some of the Malay friends and Indian friends they have study Mandarin. They can understand what you says which has recorded and broadcast on the TV. All of us will judge on what did you said in the first and early stage. It is no need to denied or argue with where all of us know the 'truth' . It is not the first time they denied on the remarks they made earlier and i don't think it would be the last time.

Kebijaksanaan kaum Cina berpolitik

Kekalahan BN dalam pilihan raya kecil Bukit Gantang dan Bukit Selambau pada 7 April lalu, tidaklah mengejutkan.

Sentimen menolak BN sememangnya sudah terlalu kuat. Biarpun berlaku peralihan kepimpinan negara pada 3 April lalu dan kempen saat-saat akhir mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, ia tidak dapat membawa kemenangan.

Banyak faktor yang menyumbang kepada kekalahan BN antaranya calon, isu setempat dan sentimen kebencian yang dimainkan oleh kempen pembangkang termasuk fitnah dan serangan peribadi.

Di peringkat BN, kempen parti komponen seperti MCA dan Gerakan tidak agresif sebagaimana DAP. Misalnya, bilik gerakan ditutup pukul 11 malam sedangkan parti pesaing beroperasi sehingga awal pagi.

Bukanlah kita mahu menuding jari kepada mana-mana pihak tetapi itulah realitinya dan ia menuntut post mortem yang berani.

UMNO memang perlu berubah tetapi parti komponen yang lain juga perlu berubah. MIC sudah tentu memerlukan perubahan lebih besar terutama kepimpinannya.

Dengan prestasi hambar itu maka MCA, Gerakan dan MIC tidak berhak untuk membuat pelbagai tuntutan apatah lagi bagi jawatan Timbalan Perdana Menteri kedua.

Sebarang pendirian parti komponen untuk mengasak UMNO bagi memenuhi semua kehendak politik bukan Melayu kononnya atas nama pembaharuan, tidak akan membantu sama sekali kebangkitan BN. Jika ia terus dilakukan atas andaian UMNO makin lemah, itu adalah percaturan yang silap. Walaupun UMNO berdepan dengan banyak tekanan dan kekangan, parti itu belum hilang kekuatan.

Ternyata trend undi masyarakat Melayu kepada BN meningkat termasuk dalam pilihan raya kecil terbaharu sedangkan undi bukan Melayu menyusut. Para pengundi bukan Melayu seperti biasa akan membuat banyak tuntutan pada musim kempen tetapi undi mereka tetap kepada pembangkang.

Ini termasuk peti-peti undi yang paling banyak menerima peruntukan yang ditagih oleh pelbagai pihak mewakili pengundi antaranya RM1 juta untuk sekolah Cina, RM400,000 sekolah Tamil, tuntutan tanah rizab dan puluhan lagi.

Apa makna ini semua? Bukankah ia menampakkan BN terus dipermainkan oleh pengundi bukan Melayu. Pada Awang, keputusan kedua-dua pilihan raya kecil itu dan beberapa yang lain sebelum ini adalah isyarat jelas kepada BN supaya jangan lagi terperangkap dengan muslihat sedemikian.

Usahlah mengharapkan sangat perubahan sokongan bukan Melayu. Inilah kesan pendekatan politik pemimpin PKR, Anwar Ibrahim yang berjaya menggugat kuasa politik Melayu. Anwar membuka laluan dan Pas membantu.

Sebab itu, pengundi Cina dan India sanggup memakai logo dan mengibarkan bendera Pas yang diterjemahkan menerusi peti undi. Ia bagi menjayakan agenda DAP dan PKR yang lebih dominan dalam pakatan pembangkang terutama dalam senario politik Perak.

Realitinya sampai hari ini masyarakat Cina tetap menolak agenda Pas untuk mewujudkan negara Islam. Pas bukan pilihan sebenar sebagaimana DAP dan PKR yang mempunyai gagasan termasuk Malaysian Malaysia yang lebih memikat. Begitulah kekuatan dan kebijaksanaan masyarakat Cina berpolitik, yang kemuncaknya nanti mahu dicapai pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13. Mereka bersatu dalam percaturan. Jadi siapa yang tertipu?

BISIK-BISIK AWANG SELAMAT　　－－ Utusan Online


Very sad to read this rencana posted in Utusan Online. Now i know why Anwar says he disgusted TV3 and Utusan Malaysia because they insult Malays wisdom. As a Malaysian , we do not want 'tuntutan' , we do not need special treatment. We just want fair and justice.

Do the last minute work in Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang by-election. BN says fight for a 10 years TOL for those residents, but they have been living there more than 50 years without water and power supply. BN give a lot of empty hopes to the residents. Every 5 year, they give promise. During election, everything also OK . After that, everything also FORGET. Siapa yang tertipu?

Residents are not only non-Malay. They also included Malays. For the example in Bukit Gantang, there are 63.5% Malay voters. If without their votes , do you think Pakatan Rakyat can win the election with supporters from other racial ? Why they never do a self-review before blaming others? These are the attitude where people disgusted.

To be a conscience speaking, after so many years without changes, Do you still aspect them to support you ? Because of thanks giving the free buffet during election campaign? Beacause of hot dance by the spice girls ? GOSH! Don't insult our intelligence.

Malaysian Cabinet Minister Lead by Najib

There is not much surprise from the new cabinet. The only thing is , Khairy may insomnia tonight. Energy , Green Tech & Water ... sounds like Malaysia want to go green like what Australia did???

The New Cabinet Line Up:-


Prime Minister and Finance Minister 1: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Deputy PM and Education Minister: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

Ministers in Prime Minister’s Department
Unity and Performance Management: Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon
Law and Parliament: Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz
Religious Affairs: Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Datuk Jamil Khir Baharum
Economic Planning Unit: Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop

Deputies: Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Senator Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim, Datuk SK Devamany, Ahmad Maslan, Senator T. Murugiah

Finance
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Finance Minister II: Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah
Deputies: Datuk Chor Chee Heung, Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein

Education
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies: Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Puad Zarkashi

Transport
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat
Deputies: Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri, Datuk Robert Lau

Home
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies: Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop, Jelaing Mersat

Information, Culture, Arts and Communications
Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputies: Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, Senator Heng Seai Kie

Energy, Green Technology & Water
Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy: Noriah Kasnon

Plantation Industries and Commodities
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Deputy: Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Rural and Regional Development
Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal
Deputies: Datuk Hassan Malek, Datuk Joseph Entulu

Higher Education
Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin
Deputies: Dr Hou Kok Chung, Saifuddin Abdullah

International Trade and Industry
Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputies: Datuk Muhkriz Mahathir, Datuk Jacob Dungau

Science, Technology and Innovation
Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy: Fadillah Yusof

Natural Resources and Environment
Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas
Deputy: Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

Tourism
Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy: Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

Agriculture and Agro-based Industries
Datuk Noh Omar
Deputies: Johari Baharum, Rohani Abdul Karim

Defence
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Deputy: Datuk Dr Abdul Latif

Works
Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy: Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Health
Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy: Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shilin

Youth and Sports
Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputies: Datuk Razali Ibrahim, Wee Jeck Seng

Human Resources
Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam
Deputy: Datuk Maznah Mazlan

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri
Deputy: Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Housing and Local Government
Datuk Kong Cho Ha
Deputy: Lajim Ukin

Women, Family and Community Development
Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
Deputy: Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun

Foreign Affairs
Datuk Anifah Aman
Deputies: Datuk Lee Chee Leong, Senator A. Kohilan Pillai

Federal Territories
Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin
Deputy: Datuk M. Saravanan

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a 28-member Cabinet with 25 ministries that saw eight ministers dropped and seven new faces appointed.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who won the Umno deputy presidency in last month’s party elections, was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister.

Najib, who took his oath of office as the new prime minister on April 3, also retained the finance portfolio which he has held since Sept 19 last year following the portfolio swap between him and former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at that time.

Najib’s Cabinet is slightly smaller than his predecessor’s 32 ministers and 27 ministries.

Najib said that the new members of the administration were highly spirited and ready to serve.

“I am confident that all of them share the same commitment to spur the nation towards excellence.

“This is our lineup and our team which reflects Malaysia’s plural society,“ he said when announcing the list at the Prime Minister’s Department, carried live on national television.

The new Cabinet also a reflection of the slogan “One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” adopted by Najib’s administration.

The eight dropped are Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar (Home), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (Tourism), Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib (Rural and Regional Development), Senator Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz (Prime Minister’s Department), Datuk Ong Ka Chuan (Housing and Local Government), Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed (Works), Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique (Federal Territories) and Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs) who had resigned.

The new faces includes Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who is appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Unity and Performance Management.

Najib was at Istana Terengganu in Kuala Lumpur at about 10:57am where he had a 30-min audience with the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan, before leaving for Putrajaya where he announced the new line-up at 3pm.

The premier had spent the last five days juggling names and positions to take into consideration the requests and views of various Barisan Nasional component parties.

The new ministers and deputy ministers will take their oath of office at Istana Negara at 9.30am Friday. --- The Star

Death for Azilah and Sirul

ALTANTUYA MURDER TRIAL It's death for Azilah and Sirul

By : Rita Jong

Chief Insp Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were sentenced to death after the Shah Alam High Court found them guilty of murdering Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin said the defence failed to create a reasonable doubt in the prosecution case.

Azilah, 32 and Sirul, 37, were charged with murdering Altantuya at Mukim Bukit Raja between 9.54pm on Oct 18, 2006, and 9.45pm the next day. --- The New Straits Times

Dr Mahathir In Taiping

TAIPING: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has openly given his stamp of approval to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak’s administration, saying that the current government was truly “the people’s government.”

The former premier said his confidence in Najib grew following his willingness to get up close and personal with the people by meeting them on the ground in his second day as prime minister.

“I have full confidence that Datuk Seri Najib can correct the problems currently plaguing the country, and also confident that he would bring Malaysia to new heights to benefit all the races in the country,” he told a crowd of thousands at Dataran PPP near here Monday.

Later, he said he would not accept a senior minister’s post in the Cabinet if offered, but was willing to advise the Government in an unofficial capacity.

Najib is widely expected to unveil his new Cabinet line-up on Wednesday.

Dr Mahathir was in Bukit Gantang at the invitation of Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is heading the Barisan Nasional machinery for the three by-elections -- Bukit Gantang here in Perak, Bukit Selambau in Kedah and Batang Ai in Sarawak.

This is the first time in the nearly six years since he left office that the premier of 22 years has hit the campaign trail.

Mahathir, who rejoined Umno on Saturday, expressed his hope that the many members who had left the party would also return to its fold.

“Times have changed. The government today is truly for the people. So I am urging those who had left Umno, please come back,” he said, adding that he was confident that the current administration would be taking steps to address people’s unhappiness.

He also said that street demonstrations were not part of Malaysian culture and were a waste of time.

“What do we get by demonstrating on the streets, except to cause damage? Dialogue is the best way to resolve unhappiness and differences. If we are still unhappy with the government, then show it through the ballot boxes,” he added.

He also expressed his appreciation to the thousands of people who had gathered at the field an hour before his arrival at 10am.

“I feel I am truly back in Umno. Thank you for the welcome, although some people had told me to be prepared for spoilt eggs,” he said to thunderous applause.

Dr Mahathir was truly in his element when campaigning for Barisan, always referring to the Opposition as “the other side” with his trademark dry wit.

He is scheduled to hit the campaign trail in Bukit Selambau later Monday.--- (Source: The Star)

This is a strange situation in Bukit Gantang. Most of the non Malay votes run off to Pakatan Rakyat even though the candidate is from PAS. Whereas, the Malays are more conservative and they express reluctance to change by supporting Barisan National. Some said that the return of Dr. M to UMNO and his speech during the finale campaign at Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang may help BN to increase the number of Malay supporters. However, all will have to depend on the results tomorrow.

I watch the speech given by Dr.M from TV this evening. I puzzled when he apologize for what he did was wrong to the people last time. He said he is not Malaikat, he could make mistakes... He knows he is old but he is not elderly confused... After that , he shows his truly support and fully confidence to our new prime minister Najib ...but he also mentioned that he is willing to be Najib's informal adviser. It is pretty contradictory idea when you said you are confidence to the leader but you still want to advise him. If you understand that time have changed, you should know the old ways are not effective for current and future situations. Then why do you still want to campur tangan on it? There are more reflect on his hegonomism and not confidence to Najib at all. I respect the contributions made by Dr. M but a retired elderly who always think he has not retired yet, it just make the thing getting worse and worst.

Hot Dance Chinese Culture

" Menghayati, Zahid menjamu selera didepan penari separuh bogel itu "


[Menurut sumber, gara-gara kenyataan Zahid ini majoriti kaum Tionghua di Bukit Gantang akan memberi undi kepada MB Nizar. Tambahan pula UMNO dan BN menggunakan isu pemberian tanah oleh Nizar kepada kaum Cina yang kononnya menyalahi akta padahal mereka telah mendiami Kg.Baru Cina itu sudah lebih dari 50 tahun sebenarnya. Maka menjadi hak sebagai rakyat untuk mendapat geran dari Kerajaan Negeri Perak. Nizar menjadi juara isu itu, maka UMNO mencari jalan untuk "cover" semula kononnya mereka membela orang Cina tetapi dibelakang mereka melaga-lagakan pula. Mereka jaja cerita Nizar talibarut DAP (Cina), dan kini siapakan yang harus dipersalahkan. Zahid kini terperangkap dengan isu yang dipermainkan oleh UMNO dalam usaha memenangi hati rakyat].


This is exactly what written in a blog called ' Pahang Daily Online ' . Tolong, open up your eyes! Can't you see they are wearing cloth! They are not half naked! I understand that people try to against Barisan National , some like to demagogy, but do you think this is fair to the three dancers?



I also dislike the way where Zahid answer the reporter 'he knows Chinese culture has hot dance' . Feel very sorry to him that he as a vice president of UMNO, as a Malaysian, not even know what is Malaysian's culture. Zahid simply shows his ignorance to non-malay. Besides, compared to PR, the election campaign activities for BN are full of entertainment. Whereas their political speech are hollow. Deeply disappointed to BN.

Malaysia's sixth prime minister

Thank You Pak Lah for 6 years of leadership as the 5th Prime Minister Malaysia. Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak takes the oath as Malaysia's sixth prime minister before the king this morning.

Abdullah and Jeanne made Tun.

PM Najib's maiden speech: 'One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.'

1.On behalf of all Malaysians, I would like to thank YABhg. Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his 31 years of exemplary public service to our country, his commitment to strengthening the institutions and fabric of our democracy and for his graceful example as our leader.

2.I am grateful to YABhg. Tun for his confidence in proposing my name as Prime Minister to Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and I am honoured that His Majesty has consented to my appointment with this morning’s swearing-in ceremony. I feel a deep sense of humility at the opportunity to serve as your Prime Minister at an important time in our nation’s history. My life has been dedicated to public service. Growing up, I was inspired by the positive impact of public service in the example of my late father. Four decades on, I remain committed to the goals of tackling poverty; of restructuring our society; of expanding access to quality education for all; and of inspiring a new generation of young Malaysians to work on behalf of this great country. My own service in government has always been about getting results: to ensure a better deal for teachers, to improve conditions for our brave soldiers, and to strengthen our economy in defence of the people of Malaysia, as we deal with the outbreak of a global recession.

3.In the coming weeks, I will be consulting with people around our country, as I begin to reshape the leadership and priorities of the Government. I am mindful that we should build on the successes and lessons of the past. It must be a government with new approaches for new times – a government that places a priority on performance, because the people must come first.

4. We must reach out to all parts of Malaysia - to all our diverse communities. In our national discourse and in pursuing our national agenda, we must never leave anyone behind. We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left confused by political games, deceit and showmanship.

We must draw on talented people across our nation, regardless of their position or background, to re-energize a passion for public service. We must sow the seeds of goodwill and understanding in every corner of this land, so that we continue to harvest the fruits of progress and prosperity for all Malaysians.

We must seek to include and unlock the potential of our young people who will be the next generation of leaders, businesspeople, engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. We must give them wings to fly.

5.And so today, I pledge that I will work tirelessly to serve all of you.

6.In this spirit, I would like to announce that the government has decided with immediate effect, to remove the temporary ban on TWO news publications, release 13 detainees from ISA detention, and conduct a comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act. Additional details will be announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs shortly.

7.These decisions are timely as we move to enhance the confidence of our citizens in those entrusted with maintaining peace, law and order, while recognizing the need to remain vigilant of the very real security threats we continue to face as a young nation.

8.I know that for every citizen, these are hard times and I remain focused in providing strong leadership to lead us out of this economic crisis and unleash our full potential as a nation. I will be steadfast in my commitment to meet the needs, aspirations and concerns of all Malaysians.

9.So, today I ask you to join me in this task of renewing Malaysia. I urge us to rise to the challenge of building a One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.

10.Let us begin this great journey together.

**Najib urged Malaysians to visit his blog for updates : www.1Malaysia.com.my

April Fools Virus 2009

Asia, Europe, S. America Biggest Conficker Targets

It's still not clear what, if anything, millions of Microsoft Windows systems infected with the much-hyped Conficker worm will do in the next 12 hours, when the systems are expected to seek out new instructions from the worm's author(s). If anything significant does happen, however, it will disproportionately affect PCs and networks in Asia, Europe and South America, and comparatively few systems in North America, new research suggests.

Researchers at IBM's Internet Security Systems say they found a way to decode the encryption that masks the data shared by peer-to-peer communications software planted on all systems infected by Conficker.C. As a result, ISS has been able to begin charting the location of infected systems across the globe.

According to ISS, only 6 percent of the known infections are located in North America, let alone the United States. In contrast, nearly 45 percent of infections are in Asia, while Europe accounts for 32 percent of infected systems. PCs in South America make up about 14 percent of the Conficker.C botnet, the researchers estimate.

Already in parts of the world, Conficker.C systems are polling a random 500 out of some 50,000 pseudo-random domain names in search of software updates or new instructions from the worm's author(s). Security Fix will have additional updates as more information becomes available as to what the Conficker botnet is doing.

The P2P communications method is a new feature not present in the first two versions of the Conficker worm, and it may serve as a backup mechanism by which the worm authors update infected systems, should the security community succeed in its efforts to prevent the registration of those 50,000 domains (the list of Web site names changes daily).

For the past several months, the so-called "Conficker Cabal" -- a group of security researchers, academics and policy makers -- have banded together to prevent infected systems from downloading additional components or instructions. So far, nobody has observed spam or any other typical cyber crime activity emanating from any Conficker-infected systems, and to date the hope has been that this is because the Cabal has succeeded in preventing Conficker A & B systems from not only downloading software updates, but also from updating themselves to the latest version of Conficker, which includes the P2P communications capability. Only machines infected with Conficker.C are in danger as part of the April 1 threat.

Holly Stewart, threat response manager for X-Force, ISS's research arm, said the company isn't ready to release estimates of the number of systems infected with Conficker.C because it is still gathering data on that front (researchers have estimated that at least 12 million PCs have been infected with the first two versions of the worm). But she said there are signs that at least some percentage of Conficker A & B systems were successfully updated to this latest version.

"Conficker A & B versions used any method they could to spread to as many machines as fast as possible, but we're not seeing much activity at all from those systems anymore" Stewart said. Conficker.C systems don't appear to be spreading either, Stewart said, but they are quite chatty with one another via the P2P mechanism.

"For now [the Conficker.C botnet] is just holding the fort and keeping the lines of communications open," Stewart said.

By Brian Krebs | March 31, 2009; 4:50 PM ET Fraud

"Hackers spend 24 hours a day perfecting their craft," Whale said. "People don't even spend an hour a week securing their computers." ---(quoted from Computer worm is no April Fool's Joke)

REMOVAL TOOLS

One thing to note: Conficker blocks infected machines from running removal tools with "Conficker" in the name. So users might have to change the name of the file (one you've saved the tool to your desktop, right-click on it and select "rename") before running it. The program's instructions will let you know if you need to do this. Many antivirus vendors have already changed the names in their removal tools — in some cases calling the file a misspelled variant of "Conficker" — to trick the worm into letting the program run.

Businesses have a bigger challenge, because Conficker has yet another method for evading detection. Once the worm is inside a machine, it applies its own version of the Microsoft patch that fixes the vulnerability Conficker exploited in the first place. So a business running a standard network scan, looking for unpatched machines, might come up empty-handed, even though some computers on the network are infected.

The scans need to take a deeper dive into the machines on the network — something an antivirus vendor's service should enable. For government agencies, contractors and operators of critical infrastructure, the Department of Homeland Security also has released a network-detection tool for Conficker. ---( quoted from : bultimoresun.com)

List of Conficker removal programs:

http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=ANY.RepairTools

Homeland Security's announcement of its detection tool:

http://tinyurl.com/c3petb