Back To Sibu - A Big Cheer To Steve Ling

It was our regular weekly tea session at Meng Lei's (www.mengleiwong.blogspot.com ) office, but it turned out to be a de facto welcome tea party for Steve Ling (www.stevelinglt.blogspot.com ) who has just returned to Sibu for good.

Yes, welcome in its truest sense. Steve had been a veteran journalist with See Hua Daily News loyally for several years. In a restructuring exercise a few years back, he was posted to Kuching.

A truly Sibuian with strong sentimental attachments to Rajang Basin, Steve decided to call it a day after years of acting like a lone ranger in Kuching. Last week, he packed up and headed homewards.

Steve is a senior journalist with extensive exposure and a penchant for photography which he excels. I just learned that he is taking up a new assignment in United Daily, a post that will continue to keep him active in journalism.

Steve takes fascinating photos. Pictures speak louder than words - just go to visit his blog to see for yourself. By the way, he is also a popular blogger with lots of engrossing pictures.

It was a nice time chatting together over issues ranging from the global financial crisis to the rampant land scams in Malaysia.

Liong (www.thesibu.blogspot.com ) volunteered to snap for the group. A big thumb up to him.

The picture shows the group giving a loud cheer to Steve (3rd from right).

Lim Guan Eng and Others - Flying In With An Air of Change!

The weekend on October 4-5 was quite eventful for Sibu, though the functions were completely blacked out by the local English dailies. In sharp contrast was the local Chinese dailies which took up to extensively and prominently cover the DAP's events.

DAP's heavyweight leaders from West Malaysia flew in to partake of DAP Sarawak's 30th anniversary celebration dinner at Sibu Trade & Exhibition Centre on Oct. 4. A total of 220 tables were sold out, making the grand evening a glittering occasion. I learned from See Hua Daily News that Lim Guan Eng, Dato' Ngeia Koo Ham and the others delivered high-powered speeches during the evening function. Besides touching on some heated issues, they also dwelt on their experiences of governing the five PR-states. Some participants told me it was a refreshing evening.

On the following day, there was a New Land Policy Forum organised by DAP Sibu in response to the latest spiky land renewal fees. The thorny issue casts a chill over agricultural land owners who are required to fork out sizable sums to renew their soon-to-expire agricultural land. This issue looks like pretty sticky and I don't expect it to be resolved with ease.

The English readers in Sarawak have been deprived of an opportunity to have access to the news which is of equal concern and importance to them as to the Chinese readers.

Coxsackie - Make Crucial Information Available!

This is really an age of explosive information.

All Malaysians have constitutional rights to have access to crucial information such as those relating to the outbreak of coxsackie disease in Sibu. The earlier the public at large is informed of the dreaded attack, the better it is since sufficient precautionary can be taken in time to safeguard the children against the fearful disease.

It is outrageous to say that such nature of public information might stir up public fear and unrest! This sort of mentality does not fit in well with the present era.

I recall in the previous outbreak in 1997, The Star stationed a full-time reporter in Sibu for a period of two weeks to extensively cover the news for the benefit of the whole nation. She was put up in Premier Hotel and I had had wonderful opportunities to catch up with her on her assignments here. She grumbled a few times about blacking out of news which only made her reporting duties so very frustrating.

Sibuians deserve to be well informed of the latest outbreak!

Coxsackie - Coming Back Here In Sibu After 11 Years!

I read with deep concern about a much feared outbreak of the scary Coxsackie disease in Eastern Times.

According to the news, the suspected E71 has thus far claimed one life - a boy aged four years died at the sibu General Hospital last Tuesday, apparently a victim of the dreaded coxsackie disease. The true cause is still held in suspense pending further detailed analysis.

Even before the medical report is out, political parties are already at work, slurring at each other and trying to capitalise on this outbreak.

Their intent is noble and meant good for Sibu. Sibuians deserve to have full access to the information relating to the outbreak of the fearful disease.

This reminds me of the furious spread of Coxsackie disease way back in March, 1997 which was perhaps one of the most nightmarish periods I had ever gone through. During that time, Sidney, Allen and Pauline were still within the vulnerable age range. Practically Yian and I had to tread along the nerve-racking days with excessive mental strain. We could easily wake up several times in a night to pop over to check on the kids' body temperature. The coxsackie outbreak really kept us in suspense for a whole of two months.

Even worse was the near black-out of news during the onslaught by the disease. Practically all releases had to be filtered by MOH.

Agricultural Land Lease Renewal Fees - It Is A Non-Issue!

The exorbitant fees on agricultural land lease renewal blew up into a hot issue recently, drawing SUPP, DAP and UCA Sibu into the picture. All the concerned parties have their respective interests to pursue, with a common objective to assist the disgruntled land owners.

The agricultural land lease renewal fees at RM200 per acre are positively cheap.

So the affected land owners better pay up the fees at RM10,000 per acre before the due date. It is already a non-issue!

The fee issue has been politicised by certain unscrupulous parties.

Hey, you people out there, you better shut up!

The whole issue is as a result of some gross misunderstanding of the new scheme.

So just organise a briefing session to put the issue to a stop.

Ha! How nice if things could be so simple!

Global Financial Crisis

The global watch is now all on the US$700 billion rescue package which the government of President Bush is working towards getting it passed in the House with top urgency to restore the confidence in the financial system.

Ultimately the House has to vote it through to salvage the States from a collapse.

Although the rescue package of 700 billion is far from sufficient, it is at least good enough to hold the market together, without which the system would melt down.

This gigantic sum is a strong dose of confidence to the global market. The Bush administration is going to put it to another vote today, hoping it would slip through. We just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Positively we are going through a hard time. The torn-apart global finance has made investors panicky, but nonetheless, it has also created excellent opportunities.

The global finance can be put together again. So don't be over-pessimistic. Don't let the global opportunities slip by, as one prominent entrepreneur in Sibu put it.

(A powerful Wall Street rally on Tuesday helped lift global markets a day after a near-meltdown as investor hopes grew on the prospects for a new U.S. financial rescue to erase the crisis.)

Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2008

Malaysia is submerged in a sea of joyous Hari Raya Aidilfitri mood today. All races join hands together to usher in this great festival, casting aside the concern for the gloomy economic outlook for the time being.

As usual, we set out to pay visits to Muslim colleagues, friends and business associates. It was a wonderful time wishing them festive joy and chatting over current issues. Their views reflected the present political scenario in our nation.

I wish all Malaysians a happy Hari Raya break.