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Entertainment » Daniel Craig: The incredible hunk pg18
ORIENTAL DAILYPIX
June date stays
by Karen Arukesamy
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
UALA LUMPUR: Wanita Umno’s
K
power transition from Tan Sri Rafidah
Aziz to her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat
Abdul Jalil will take place in June
as earlier agreed, despite sections of the
grassroots pushing for a March handover.
This was the stand taken by the wing’s
27-member executive council after a four-
hour-long meeting yesterday.
In a joint press conference with Shahrizat,
an animated Rafidah (pix) said the exco
agreed with the June transition and decided
there should be no contest for the top two
posts at the party elections in March. Rafidah
has received 118 nominations to defend her
post which she has held for two decades,
while Shahrizat got 72 despite her decision to
not challenge her boss.
On Sunday, Shahrizat called on Rafidah
to consider bringing forward the date of the
power transfer to March, in line with the
revised power transition plan between Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
Rafidah said the exco’s decision was made
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to preserve unity and strengthen the party.
“It is only a short while. The exco has given
their stand that when Shahrizat takes over,
they will all give their support,” she said.
“I know when I need to go. I just turned
65, and I am at the prime of my life and want
to spend this time moving back.”
Shahrizat explained that she took into
account the views of the grassroots when she
released her statement on Sunday, although
she still respected the transition plan
announced in August. She said the matter of
an earlier transition was discussed openly
at the exco meeting, and the exco members
wanted the original plan to remain.
“I have heard the grassroots; I have heard
the exco and I respect Tan Sri. We also
have decided to discuss with Datuk Kamilia
Ibrahim (who has been nominated to contest
the deputy Wanita chief post),” she said.
(Kamilia is the wing’s exco member, and
is seen as Shahrizat’s running mate. She has
also received enough nominations to contest
the number two post. However, she did not
attend the meeting yesterday).
Shahrizat said she was confident that the
three of them will be able to solve the issues
“calmly and respectfully”. Asked why she did
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November 11, 2008
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not wait for the exco meeting before issuing
her statement, she said she wanted to share
her thoughts after listening to the grassroots
and that if it was good for the party, it should
be accepted.
She explained that after she agreed with
the plan when it was first announced, there
were changes in reactions from divisions
and grassroots later, as seen in the number of
nominations for her to contest the top post.
“If we do not give space for the grassroots
to voice out, we will receive a backlash
like what happened to Umno generally,”
Shahrizat said.
“I respect all my leaders and at the same
time I also respect all my grassroots. I must
say that at one point in time, I felt real foolish
(to say that she wanted the transition plan).”
Asked about criticisms that she is a
coward (pengecut) by deciding not to take
on Rafidah, she did not get a chance to reply
as Rafidah cut in to say that she also was
criticised for calling for the transition before
her term ended, and that some members like
to instigate trouble.
Later, Shahrizat approached some
reporters and said her reply to that question
would have been: “You’ll be surprised.”
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EPU pulls plug
on Malaysia
Kitchen project
by Terence Fernandez
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The Economic Planning Unit
(EPU) has ordered Tourism Ministry subsidi-
ary Pempena Sdn Bhd to stop all activities on
Malaysia Kitchen.
Sources said this is to facilitate investigations
by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), which is
expected to embark on a wide probe. “Malaysia
Kitchen can no longer operate until this whole
issue is sorted out,” said the source.
The project was set up to promote Malaysia
abroad by opening restaurants in major cities
around the world. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri
Azalina Othman Said, who took over from Datuk
Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor in March, had
said that RM30 million was given to Pempena
for this purpose, over a four-year period, with
nothing to show.
“Up till Oct 15, RM9.1 million had been spent
while the remaining RM900,000 would be spent
till the end of the year. The ministry has set aside
RM20 million for the next two years,” she had
told Parliament last week.
The source added: “Till today, Malaysia
Kitchen has nothing to show in terms of ROI
(return on investment), which is why the EPU
wants to pore over this venture’s viability.” He
said the EPU was studying the PriceWaterHouse
audit on Malaysia Kitchen and other Pempena
firms, saying the audit report raised concerns.
Restaurants listed on the Malaysia Kitchen
website include Awana Chelsea and Champor
Champor in London; Bunga Raya in Weisbaden,
Germany; Banana Leaf in Helsinki; Malakka in
Rotterdam; and China Garden in Moscow.
Pempena came into the limelight following
allegations in a memorandum by disgruntled
staff who alleged irregularities and accused
senior officials of corruption and criminal breach
of trust. This includes RM11 million spent on
Pempena Executive Taxi (PETS) limousine taxis.
The vehicles are being repossessed by Public
Bank Berhad.
The memorandum claimed that kickbacks
were paid to Pempena officials to facilitate refi-
nancing of the 70-odd vehicles. Dalammasa Sdn
Bhd, which operates the taxi services for PETS,
has not made any profit for Pempena which
gave it RM160,000 to pay drivers.