Dr Neilson's Comments on UMNO Assembly 2012

November 23, 2012

Eyes of all parties will be focused on gathering

THE 2012 Umno general assembly will set the pace for all political parties ahead of the next general election.

Barisan Nasional component parties and the opposition will look to the assembly to gauge themselves and each other.
Unity and loyalty among party members will be two key elements that will weigh on the coalition partners and the opposition.
Political analyst Dr Arnold Puyok said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would use the assembly to drum up support from the Malays.
Puyok, a political science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Sabah campus, said unity among Malays would be vital.
"It is his (Najib's) last chance to unite the Malays before the election, but I expect he will do it in a manner that will not sideline non-Malays."
Puyok said the Umno president would need to lend credence to his 1Malaysia policy which had been a key element in his leadership since 2009.
This is where the component parties will strive to fit in the play and the opposition would try to take advantage of any weakness.
Another analyst, Associate Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said Umno under Najib in the last three years had "opened up".
"The transformation process which Najib put in place has strengthened BN as a political family and has positioned him as a role model.
"Now, it is a matter of the component parties emulating what he has been doing and leaving little room for the opposition to criticise them."
Sivamurugan, who is USM School of Social Sciences deputy dean, said the assembly would put everyone in a confident election mode.
"Umno needs to motivate its members and component parties which lost ground in the 2008 general election.
"There will be many issues raised in the assembly but what matters most would be how they are translated into action once the election race starts."
Dr Neilson Ilan Mersat, of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak's Social Science Faculty, said component parties would be banking on Umno to stay at the forefront of the election.
Sarawak will only be having the parliamentary election as the state election was held last year but Mersat said the federal race would be just as intense.
"That is why this assembly will be closely watched by all, including the opposition."

 

 

 

Hyperthyroidism

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Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. The condition is often referred to as an "overactive thyroid."

Causes

The thyroid gland is an important organ of the endocrine system. It is located in the front of the neck just below the voice box. The gland produces the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which control the way every cell in the body uses energy. This process is called metabolism.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid releases too much of its hormones over a short (acute) or long (chronic) period of time.

 

Common Symptoms and Signs of Hyperthyroidism

• Palpitations
• Heat intolerance
• Nervousness
• Insomnia
• Breathlessness
• Increased bowel movements
• Light or absent menstrual periods
• Fatigue
• Fast heart rate
• Trembling hands
• Weight loss
• Muscle weakness
• Warm moist skin
• Hair loss
• Staring gaze

Serapi 9 November 2012

Kebun Selepong 2011

Simposium Iban with Ex-YB Jimmy

Ming Court 1987 Equals CORUS Hotel (3-7 Nov 2012)

Golf main-main

James Brooke Bistro, Kuching.

Fort Alice, Sri Aman.

 

Saturday January 23, 2010

Fort Alice left to ruin

Story and photo by PHILIP HII

metrose@thestar.com.my

SRI AMAN (Sarawak): Every visitor to Sri Aman town, 200km from the state capital of Kuching, will leave the historical town in puzzlement as to why an old fort is left to ruin.

The once glorious Fort Alice is now a public eyesore and an embarassment for the authorities supposed to care for this Brooke-era building. It was a fort and administrative building in the past.

LEFT ALONE: Fort Alice in Sri Aman with many walls on the main building missing.

“It is a building of great historical and cultural significance. I don’t understand why the state does not feel an urgency to protect or restore it,” a Chinese community leader in Sri Aman lamented.

Sri Aman businessman Stanley Lau said the fort was left to rot and could pose a safety hazard.

“Although there is a sign at the gates leading to the fort to warn people against going into the building, there will be curious visitors who will venture in.

“Also, one side of the wooden gate has been torn down,” he said.

A quick peek inside reveals a desolate condition. Much of the ceiling has collapsed, so has the floor. Some of the walls are missing, either collapsed or due to vandalism.

A few cement tanks outside the fort are collecting water and can become mosquito breeding grounds.

“The authorities do not take matters in a small town like Sri Aman seriously.

“The fort could have attracted many tourists if it had been properly maintained or restored,” said a hotel owner who did not want to be named.

She said that many Malaysian and foreign tourists coming to Sri Aman town always enquired about the old fort.

A senior government officer in Sri Aman who wished to remain anonymous said it was heart-breaking to see an important and beautiful historical building abandoned for so long.

Fort Alice is one of the few forts built in Sarawak by the Brooke regime which ruled the state for over 100 years.

It is located atop a small hill overlooking Lupar River and just 200m from the town centre.

Built in 1864, the 145-year-old structure is rectangular with an open centre courtyard, a drawbridge and a lookout tower at each corner of the building.

The whole building is protected by a spiked iron perimeter fence.

This typical Brooke era fort was built almost entirely of belian timber, with thick walls to withstand attacks.

It also served to prevent the Skrang Dayaks from going down the river to join the Saribas Dayaks in their attacks on coastal areas, an activity prevalent in the head-hunting days.

It was originally built as Fort James by Rajah Charles Brooke, but he renamed it after his wife Ranee Margaret Alice Lili in 1870.

In 1971, the fort was gazetted as a historical monument under the care of Sarawak Museum.

In peaceful times, it served as a police station, prisons department and community welfare department offices.

It is understood that the fort’s deteriorating condition had forced out all its tenants.

According to government sources, the state was anxious to commence full restoration work on the dilapidated building under the 9th Malaysia Plan.

However, due to the lack of funds, work has not started.

Sri Aman Resident Abang Shamshudin Abang Seruji, whose office is opposite the fort, hoped that funding would be available under the 10th Malaysia Plan so that there would be no further delay to the restoration work.

He suggested turning the fort into a museum-cum-cultural centre after it was restored.

Attempts to contact officials at Sarawak Museum in Kuching for comment were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, on the hillside facing the river, construction and beautification work on an esplanade and benak (tidal bore) observation centre have been completed.

The benak is unique to Lupar River and seen daily during high tide when the tidal bore fills up the river rapidly, creating waves two to three metres high in the process.

The annual Benak Festival held between April and May attracts thousands of visitors.