The Kuala Lumpur Traveler

Malaysian scuba diving fraternity will have a chance to gather and meet other diving enthusiasts at the upcoming Malaysia International Dive Expo (MIDE) 2009, which will be held at the Putra World Trade Center from 3rd to 5th July 2009.

MIDE, the largest dive show in Malaysia, is endorsed and supported by Tourism Malaysia, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Eraman Duty Free, Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), National Art Gallery Malaysia, Maritime Malaysia, Sabah Tourism Board, Malaysian Amateur Radio Emergency Services (MARES) and Tioman Mega Dive.

Admission to the expo is free, so why not bring your family to explore what MIDE 2009 has to offer this weekend.

Click here for location map.

Image credit: MIDE

Perakians, or Malaysian in general, need not wait too long to see the real characters of Zambry Abdul Kadir, the non-people-elected Perak Chief Minister.

When Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir took his office in February, he was reported as saying that BN would continue the people-friendly policies implemented during Pakatan’s 10-month rule.

However, this turned out to be a broken promise as about nine people-friendly policies have either been scrapped or put on the back-burner.

• 3,000 applications from residents of new and planned villages to convert their land titles from leasehold to freehold cancelled.
• 817 elected village headmen had their term of office terminated. The village chiefs have since filed a suit in the Ipoh High Court to be reinstated.
• The proposal to change the octagon Yak Tack Seng market along Jalan Osbone into a tourist centre scrapped.
• The uniform one-coupon parking system for vehicles, and at a discounted rate from April, for the whole state did not see daylight.
• The proposed RM38 million new bus terminal at Meru Raya in Jelapang grounded.
• The open-tender policy for approving government contracts, land and logging concessions reverted to the old system of closed tenders.
• The giving state land to religious schools and Chinese independent schools also scrapped.
• The policy of giving RM1,000 to the dependents of senior citizens who die too has been buried.
• The process of legalising the 134 new villages put on hold.

Source: Malaysiakini

The people of Perak will surely revolt in the next whatever election. In the mean time, maybe Manek Urai folks wants to convey their displeasure towards the BN in the up coming Manek Urai by-election?

Image credit: Sheih

Thanks to my blogger friend Pak Zawi, who blogs at Life As I See It, I got this interesting piece of news about my home state Kelantan.

The Kelantan State Government had launched Kelantan Gateway, a state’s official Tourism, Culture and Heritage Magazine. The magazine was launched on 3rd June 2009 by none other than Kelantan Chief Minister Tuan Guru Hj Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat who was accompanied by two State Executive Councillors, YB. Dato’ Takiyuddin Hassan and YB. Dato’ Mohd Amar.

Image credit: Pak Zawi

The launching ceremony was done at Hoover Restoran in the town center of Kota Bharu. This restaurant is very popular for its Nasi Padang dishes and if you happened to be in Kota Bharu, you should not miss to have lunch at this unique restaurant when it comes to how your bill is calculated.

Instead of using a calculator or a piece of paper to add the figures all up, the cashier will visit your table and do the calculation verbally…. very interesting and unique. The food there is nice too.

Read more at Sheih Kickdefella and LAISI.
You can download the soft copy of the colorful magazine at the Kelantan Tourist Information Centre website or click here.
Hoover Restaurant can be contacted at +609-7481439.

April 2009, AirAsia was voted “The World’s Best Low Cost Airline” by London-based Skytrax. Today, it gets even better. Tony Fernandes just announced the abolishment of administration fee from AirAsia’s already low fare, giving more saving to its customers. November last year, AirAsia removed fuel surcharges from its fare.

Malaysian budget airline AirAsia on Wednesday abolished administrative fees on all its flights in a move to reduce fares and bolster sales amid the global slowdown.

AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said scrapping the fee creates further savings for passengers as they will now pay only the fare and airport tax.

AirAsia removed fuel surcharges in November last year.

The fee ranged from 22.5 ringgit ($6.40) to a maximum of around 43 ringgit per ticket and removing it will cost the airline 400 million ringgit ($113 million) a year.

Source: Star Online

Archidex09, the 10th Malaysia Architecture, Interior Design and Building Exhibition will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center from 2nd to 5th July 2009. Dubbed as the region’s annual premier exhibition for the architecture, interior design and building industry, Archidex09 will also feature two other main highlights, the DATUM: KL 09 (International Architectural Design Conference) and KLDF 09 (Kuala Lumpur Design Forum 09).

This is one exhibition where local and international renowned architects and interior designers rub shoulders so if you are in the industry, you may not want to miss this event. For those wanting to attend this yearly event, you can register online here.

Contact :
C.I.S NETWORK SDN BHD
9-1-6 Jalan 3/109F Danau Business Centre,
Danau Desa, Off Jalan Kelang Lama,
58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Telephone : +603 7982 4668
Facsimile : +603 7982 1648
Email : info@archidex.com.my

Image credit: Archidex09

Malaysiakini reported:

PAS today told Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak that it will hold unity talks with Umno only if its Pakatan Rakyat partners - PKR and DAP - are included in the talks.

The condition was set by new PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali today.

Questions to Mustafa Ali,

1. You yourself issued a directive to cease all talks on unity government, but now you yourself break your own directive… Why?
2. On whose instruction you are issuing this statement and setting this condition?
3. Did you consult PKR auithority on this?
4. Did you consult DAP authority on this?
5. The whole world knows that the unity government is NOT PAS’s stand and yet you issued the latest call as PAS’s statement… why?
6. Why are you not listening to majority of PAS leaders (especially TGNA) and grassroots members who are against unity government?

Maybe, you should also join Nasharuddin who had been asked by TGNA to join UMNO? Maybe TGNA wouldn’t mind if Hj Hadi also do the same?

PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat has asked party deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa to quit the party and join Umno over his continued stand in forging alliance with the rival party.

This remark made by the most senior party leader in Kota Bahru today indicated that the party was clearly heading towards an open rift over the issue of holding unity talks with Umno.

Source: Malaysiakini

Who would have thought, a prison next to a hotel in Kuala Lumpur would co-exist harmoniously. In 1996, Pudu Prison had been converted to Old Pudu Museum so it’s existence next to Berjaya Times Square right at the heart of Kuala Lumpur works like charm.

Unfortunately, the museum business did not last long for whatever reason, so in 2005, Pudu Prison had been re-born, to continue housing the worst of criminals.

Nevertheless, Berjaya Times Square Hotel continue to thrive despite the contradictory odd.

No wonder, as this is how Pudu Prison complex looks like when viewed from Berjays Time Square tower.

The hotel’s occupancy rate rose higher than ever and many guests are now asking for rooms with a view of the prison instead of Kuala Lumpur’s city centre and its dazzling twin towers.

“We used to sell those rooms only after we were filled,” said Julian Arthur, a guest relations officer. “Now they’re in demand. People always seem to want something different, something they can go home and talk about.”
Source: The Province

Berjaya Times Square Hotel & Convention Center
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
No 1 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel : (603) 2117 8000
Fax : (603) 2143 3352

Image credit: Berjaya Times Square Hotel and Wikipedia

After leaving UMNO Baru, there was never any doubt that Zaid Ibrahim would one day join an opposition party. It was just a matter of time and deciding which opposition party he would jump to.

Zaid Ibrahim, who had recently started his own blog Dari Lensa ZI, is now officially a PKR member. The announcement of his PKR membership was made by Anwar Ibrahim at the PKR extraordinary congress in Bangi, Selangor today.

Zaid, who was present, said that he hoped to help strengthen the party leadership.

“I’m confident in the party’s cause… I believe I have an opportunity to assist Anwar and PKR.”

Anwar said Zaid will soon be appointed as a member in the party’s powerful supreme council and its political bureau, pending approval from PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Source : Malaysiakini

Most Malaysians are all dying for changes in every aspect of state and federal governance. Let us all hope that the combination of two Ibrahims will bring more strength to PKR and PR to institute more sought after changes to 1Malaysia.

In the interest of PAS and its loyal members, including those from the PAS Supporters Clubs whose branches in Kuala Selangor alone are reportedly more than the PAS branches itself, it could be worthwhile for Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz or PAS Kelantan and top federal PAS leadership to consider leaving out those PAS leaders who are pro-unity government talk from campaigning in Manek Urai.

By now, it should have been very clear that what is said to be PAS’s open door policy towards unity government is just an aspiration of a few select PAS leaders.

By not getting these few pro-unity government PAS leaders from Manek Urai by election campaigns, PAS and Pakatan Rakyat would have a better chance of focusing on the real by-elections issues against its political rival UMNO Baru/BN and retain the Manek Urai seat that had been one of PAS forte in Kelantan.

PAS should not risk being manipulated by UMNO Baru/BN through its mainstream media if any of these PAS leaders would stand up on the center stage and still harboring their thoughts of a possibility of forming a PAS-UMNO Baru/BN unity government.

PAS should respect its pledge to PR coalition especially when none of these coalition members had not turned against PAS in any certain term of discarding or shunning PAS from the PR coalition.

Most importantly, PAS should listen to what its members want and not bow to what certain PAS leaders have in their own mind which is opened to all kind of speculations that can be dangerously manipulated by rivals within UMNO Baru/BN factions.

Read also:

1. An open letter to PAS Deputy President Nasharuddin Mat Isa
2. Adakah Nasharudin Mat Isa “TROJAN HORSE” (Kuda Trojan) diPasang UMNO dalam PAS?
3. Keratan Akhbar: Erdogan Beri Kelebihan Kepada Pas
4. Bagaimana Dahsyatnya Fitnah Pemimpin UMNO Keatas Kerajaan Pimpinan Tok Guru

PAS leaders do not ever forget… they were there because of grassroots members supports in the first place. The grassroots PAS members are not in favour of any cooperation with UMNO Baru/BN when it comes to power sharing for obvious reasons.

Tuan Guru Hj Nik Abdul Aziz had also made it very clear that there should not be any talk on unity government with the UMNO Baru/BN because the latter had in so many occasions proven themselves as not trustworthy partner, not to mention the hostility towards Islam. We have not talked about dozens other issues relating to abuse of power, judiciary, financial scandals and what not that gives Malaysia a bad name.

[...]“We will not talk to them on forming a government but discussions on other matters are okay,” he said.

[....]Nik Aziz’s stand on the unity talks with Umno is not new. He has been a strigent opponent to such talks. He had previously said that he did not trust Umno after the failed experience of cooperation in 1970s when PAS was briefly part of Barisan Nasional.

Source: Malaysiakini

If there are certain leaders in PAS who are so fond of forming unity government with UMNO Baru/BN, there is only one solution to avoid mass splits within the party so many Malaysians have come to love. Please leave PAS and join UMNO Baru/BN. Let PAS be PAS for UMNO Baru/BN will always be UMNO Baru/BN.