UMNO quietly making inroad into Sarawak?

In Miri UMNO signplates have been put up at some buildings. Quite a daring move by certain underground leaders (if you wish, you may call them pioneers).

Daring because it is an open challenge to our law and and the PBB (Sarawak-based bumiputra political party). UMNO has not been granted a licence to branch in Sarawak yet, so it is illegal to erect UMNO signboard here. Openly exhibiting Umno signplates is some sort of a blow on PBB since the latter already represents the bumiputra interests in Sarawak.

Is it a show of no confidence or an outburst of dissatisfaction? I think something must be brewing in the state politics.

As it usually goes: if there is no fire, there is no smoke!

Hot beverage prices to remain in Sibu

The Sibu Coffee Merchant Association has decided to hike only canned drink prices and keep hot beverage prices untouched. This is good news to Sibu folks, especially for those on middle to lower level.

Coffee-shops are almost a daily going for most Sibu people. They chat, gossip and blab over a cup of coffee and a plate of kampua ( a plain Foochow noodle, boiled to cook and mixed with lard, MSG, fried onion and topped with sliced pork).

In short, coffee-shops-going has long become a daily life style for the folks here.

A lot of hot news is spread from coffee-shops. A lot of Sibuyians (Sibu people) go there not to drink coffee, but to get updated news.

Think of Sibu, think of coffee-shops!

Debacle of proposed Dudong branch

Dudong constituency has come into the centre stage of SUPP power play . It is just a tactic to pull in the constituency to shake the balance of power.

Tan Sri Dr. George Chan said the party would resolve the debacle of the proposed formation within one month. It looks like he is under increasing pressure from the top since the next parliamentary elections are drawing near. The BN does not want a shattered SUPP to affect the election results.

If Dudong deadlock is settled in a trade-off deal, then it would be of interest to see who would be traded away.

Let's wait and see!

A Hefty Fine

Recently a coffee-shop owner was fined by thr Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumers' Affairs a whopping RM22,500 for charging exorbitantly for milo drink at RM1.80 per glass.

The penalty may seem to be severe and not justifiable, but I am of the opinion that it is high time for the authority to clamp on pricing abuses on consumer items.

I recall a few cases of cut-throat charging for foods by strategically located eateries (later on branded as "black shops"). Just imagine if our dear tourists fall victims to these unscrupulous profiteers, how much harm it would do to our efforts to promote Malaysia as a tourist destination.

Let's give a big hand to the Ministry!

News blackout in Sibu

The press people in Sibu lately have a pretty strained relationship with the police. As such, access to news relating to crimes has become a tedious job for the reporters. Public at large in Sibu have been deprived of rights to news of great concern to them. These days Sibu appears to be quiet and peaceful, but,alas this is only on the face of it. There is growing thirst for Sibu people to know more.

Take the example of "step-on-foot" pickpocket gang which hit Sibu just recently. If the case was reported in dailies right from the start, people would have been more cautious and less would have fallen victims to these pickpocketers.

It doesn't take too much wisdom to see how crucially important is police news to Sibu folks.