JP\/6\/OTHS6<\/p>\n
Setting standards<\/p>\n
To keep Malaysia's growth engines going, the country needs
\nabout a million foreign workers. To this end, MoUs have been
\nsigned with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and
\nThailand to recruit workers.<\/p>\n
In addition to the workers we've been getting from Indonesia
\nand the Philippines, Malaysia is likely to see a wider cross-
\nsection of Asians working in our midst. The benefits are enormous
\nbut we should also prepare for possible social problems that can
\naccompany such workers.<\/p>\n
For instance, earlier this week, police in Miri had to confine
\nIndonesian workers in their respective factories for several days
\nafter violent clashes involving the Madurese, Sambas and Javanese
\ntook place in Bintulu and Miri.<\/p>\n
Of course, not all foreign workers will cause trouble but if
\ntheir basic requirements are not met or even understood by us --
\nbecause of language problems -- we are not likely to benefit from
\nmore foreign workers in this country. Conversely, they may be
\nexploited by unscrupulous employers if they do not know the basic
\nlaws of the country pertaining to their rights.<\/p>\n
As such, the mandatory two-week training program for foreign
\nworkers announced by Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn will
\nbe most useful. To begin in January next year, the program for
\nfirsttime workers will help establish standards, weed out the
\nuncertain ones and will help both the workers and their employers
\nto understand each other's requirements and expectations.<\/p>\n
-- New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
On the continuing threat of AIDS<\/p>\n
Advances in medicine have cut into the deadly nature of AIDS
\nand people with HIV, but those advances are part of the reason
\nwhy more education is necessary.<\/p>\n
Experts say that new HIV cases continue to increase. And a
\nmajority of the new cases are coming from a younger segment of
\nthe population. Part of the reason, they say, is because
\nyoungsters see cases of superstars who have developed AIDS living
\nlonger, more productive lives, and they begin to think that the
\ndisease isn't the killer it once was.<\/p>\n
They are wrong.<\/p>\n
That is scarier for people if they are not in monogamous
\nrelationships.<\/p>\n
Trouble is, you probably won't know if your date is HIV
\npositive unless he or she tells you, and there is a good chance
\nthat your partner may not even know.<\/p>\n
The state and nation have made considerable progress in the
\nfight against HIV and AIDS. But the battle is far from over.<\/p>\n
-- Carroll County Times, Westminster, Md.<\/p>\n
Stepping up the war on graft<\/p>\n
Although Malaysia is ranked 33rd out of 102 countries in the
\nCorruption Perception Index compiled by Transparency
\nInternational, this is not a level which the country should be
\ncomfortable with. The Prime Minister has made the war on graft a
\ntop priority since his first day in office, and has backed his
\nstrong words with specific actions in a short space of time from
\nthe announcement of the formation of a National Institute for
\nPublic Ethics and the development of a National Integrity Plan to
\nthe recent anti-corruption academy.<\/p>\n
As a signatory to the UN anticorruption convention, Malaysia
\nis committing itself to the international standards of integrity
\nand good governance that it sets. Steps are also being taken to
\ndevelop the capacity of the Anti-Corruption Agency so that it can
\ndo its work more effectively.<\/p>\n
According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers report, the key reason
\nfor failure in the fight against corruption in East Africa has
\nbeen the lack of political will. Transparency International has
\ncited a strong resolve by governments as the critical factor
\nbehind the success of the anti-graft battle in countries such as
\nHong Kong. The firmness of purpose shown by the Prime Minister
\nindicates that such a political will is not lacking. However, no
\nsingle individual or government can wipe out corruption without
\nthe commitment and support from all sectors of society.
\nCorruption is not just an ethical issue.<\/p>\n
As the Prime Minister said, it also \"interferes with the
\nsmooth running of the Government, interferes with the
\nimplementation of things we want to do, and creates problems in
\nthe public delivery system. It creates a bad name for the
\nGovernment and for Malaysia and it just makes life difficult.\"
\nThis is why all Malaysians need to join the Prime Minister in his
\nfight against corruption. The consequences of losing this war
\nwould be too heavy to bear.<\/p>\n
-- New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
HIV\/AIDS drug plans<\/p>\n
The anti-retroviral plan for HIV\/AIDS sufferers is at last
\nbeginning to emerge from the sleight of hand maze that has too
\noften characterized South Africa's official response to the
\nepidemic. However, there are a number of consequences that need
\nto be considered to balance the euphoria.<\/p>\n
Although one of the legs of the plan is stepping up
\nprevention, there is a huge danger that in the popular
\nimagination what is no more than a palliative is being perceived
\nas a cure, and that this will undo much of the excellent work
\ndone by existing HIV\/AIDS awareness programs, particularly by
\nagencies such as Soul City and loveLife.<\/p>\n
Although the two programs differ in approach, both are
\ncontributing to the revitalization of a positive youth culture in
\nSouth Africa. The health authorities -- and the media -- should
\ntake great care to ensure that the right message concerning the
\nanti-retroviral plan is consistently delivered. The impression
\nmust never be created that the popping of a few pills is a
\nrealistic alternative to the painstaking prevention work that is
\nbeginning to lead an otherwise deflated post-struggle generation
\ninto a new era of self-belief and hope in the future, of mutual
\nrespect between the genders and of responsible sexual behavior.<\/p>\n
-- The Star, Johannesburg, South Africa<\/p>\n
Donald Rumsfeld<\/p>\n
Donald Rumsfeld can be criticized for a lot of things. But the
\nU.S. defense secretary's use of English is not one of them. The
\nPlain English Campaign has shot itself in the foot this week by
\ngiving Rumsfeld its annual Foot in Mouth award for this comment,
\ndelivered at a press conference earlier in the year:<\/p>\n
\"Reports that say something hasn't happened are always
\ninteresting to me,\" Rumsfeld said, \"because, as we know, there
\nare known knowns, there are things we know we know. We also know
\nthere are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some
\nthings we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the
\nones we don't know we don't know.\"<\/p>\n
This is indeed a complex, almost Kantian, thought. It needs a
\nlittle concentration to follow it. Yet it is anything but
\nfoolish. It is also perfectly clear. It is expressed in admirably
\nplain English, with not a word of jargon or gobbledygook in it. A
\nCambridge literary theorist, U.S. Air Force war gamer or Treasury
\ntax law draftsman would be sacked for producing such a useful
\nthought so simply expressed in good Anglo-Saxon words. So let
\nRummy be. The Plain English Campaign should find itself a more
\ndeserving target for its misplaced mockery.<\/p>\n
-- The Guardian, London<\/p>\n
President Bush's visit to Iraq<\/p>\n
The American troops were pleasantly surprised, of course, to
\nsee their Commander in Chief suddenly in their midst. There is
\nlittle doubt that the visit will serve as a morale booster for
\nthem in a battlefield where their mission is still far from being
\naccomplished.<\/p>\n
For the Iraqis, however, the visit will carry a mixed message.
\nThat the first American president ever to visit their country
\nshould have done so under the cover of darkness and left
\nhurriedly to avoid the thugs and assassins to whom he referred in
\nhis speech, merely underscored the abnormality of the scene in
\nIraq. Arguably, it can be said to have become worse considering
\nthat no such secrecy shrouded the earlier visits of Secretary of
\nState Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Even as
\nBush flitted in and out of Iraq, Democratic Party Senator Hillary
\nClinton was in Afghanistan, another terrorist hot spot, in a
\nwell-publicized visit.<\/p>\n
If Bush's visit to Great Britain was meant to show that the
\nU.S. was not without friends in the world, the objective of the
\nIraq visit apart from demonstrating his own commitment was to
\nthank the soldiers, many of whom may be wondering what they are
\ndoing in a faraway country. Unless the conditions improve,
\nhowever, the visit will be no more than a flash in the pan.<\/p>\n
-- The Hindustan Times, Delhi, India<\/p>\n
Pakistan-India cease-fire<\/p>\n
When Pakistan made the cease-fire offer on the occasion of Eid
\nAl-Fitr and India responded positively to it, we thought that the
\ndevelopments augured well for peace negotiations.<\/p>\n
However, Wednesday's rejection of the cease-fire by the rebel
\ngroup, Hizbul Mujahedin, is bound to thwart progress toward
\nrestoration of normalcy in Kashmir, especially in the tense
\nborder areas.<\/p>\n
What is necessary is nothing less than major surgery. The
\nHizbul says that the situation inside Indian-administered Kashmir
\nis \"tense and the struggle will continue with full force.\" One
\nreason for the groups frustration could be the security fence
\nbeing built by the Indians along the Line of Control, which will
\nseparate relatives and friends in an already divided province.<\/p>\n
But no matter how well founded the apprehensions of the
\nfence's critics, the rebels and their political backers who
\noppose the cease-fire should give the deal a chance. For, above
\nall, the cease-fire benefits ordinary Kashmiris, who can now more
\nfreely venture out of their homes, whether to visit relatives and
\nfriends or to pray. In short, it has given them a taste of normal
\nlife after years of continual tension and bloodshed.<\/p>\n
-- Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates<\/p>\n
U.S. trade barriers<\/p>\n
U.S. trade actions are sending the wrong message. If the
\nUnited States continues its present trade policy, it will become
\neven more isolated in its diplomatic and security policy, and the
\naim of containing terror that the international community seeks
\nwill recede further into the background.<\/p>\n
The United States maintains that imports of steel products
\nthreaten the domestic industry. But the real problem lies with
\nthe American steel industry, where many manufacturers operate
\nobsolete plants and machinery and have little competitive edge in
\neither domestic or foreign markets. Even in the United States,
\nmany viewed the safeguard measure as purely a vote-getting
\nexpedient in the run-up to the midterm election in the fall of
\n2002 and said it went against the principle of free trade.<\/p>\n
The United States should lift its restrictions on imports. It
\nmust decide to either have uncompetitive businesses make a
\ngraceful exit from the market or grope for ways to revive them
\nunder recognized international ground rules -- which is what the
\nUnited States has always advocated.<\/p>\n
-- The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo<\/p>\n
---------------------------------------------<\/p>\n
Erie Times-News, Erie, Pennsylvania, on steel tariffs:<\/p>\n
The Bush administration has apparently decided to repeal most
\nof its 20-month-old tariffs on imported steel. Pennsylvania
\nindustry welcomed those tariffs and will regret seeing them
\nvanish. But the political reality is, Bush has no choice. And
\npolitics will dictate that the administration disguise this
\ndefeat for the Rust Belt states as a victory for industry
\n\"restructuring.\" ...<\/p>\n
The World Trade Organization had declared the tariffs illegal
\nunder U.S. commercial treaties. That cleared the way for a trade
\nwar. European nations threatened to retaliate against American
\nproducts if Bush did not drop the steel tariffs. Japan joined the
\nEuropean chorus. The Europeans and Japanese targeted $2.2 billion
\nin American products carefully -- the states Bush will need to
\nwin the presidency in 2004 produce them. They include citrus
\nproducts, motorcycles, farm machinery, textiles, shoes and nuts.
\nCalifornia and Florida would have suffered severely. Bush could
\nuse the electoral votes of both states, especially Florida's.
\nBush lost Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2000. The repeal will hurt
\nhim in Pennsylvania, but help him in Michigan.<\/p>\n
Bush's aides \"agonized\" over the choice. It is easy to see
\nwhy. Whatever he does, Bush risks offending critical voter blocs.
\nHe stands to gain more than he loses if he ends the tariffs. ...<\/p>\n
Politics is shot through this story. The imposition of the
\ntariffs, the exemptions granted from them, the tactics adopted by
\nthe Europeans and Japanese, and the tariff repeal have been
\ndictated by politics. Indeed, they have been dictated by
\nelectoral politics.<\/p>\n
That is nothing new, but politics has short-term goals. But
\nthe problems of the Rust Belt and indeed America's future demand
\nthinking beyond the next election cycle.
\n---<\/p>\n
News Chief, Winter Haven, Florida, on the release of detainees in Guantanamo:<\/p>\n
The Bush administration is finally beginning to resolve the
\nfate of the prisoners held in legal limbo at Guantanamo Bay,
\nCuba. It is overdue.<\/p>\n
Published accounts say that more than 100 -- one account says
\n140 -- will be released in December and January to their home
\ncountries. ...<\/p>\n
The administration has insisted that neither U.S. laws nor
\ninternational treaties, such as those governing prisoners of war,
\napply to the detainees, and it has asserted its right to hold
\nthem indefinitely and largely incommunicado.<\/p>\n
That assertion has outraged world opinion and badly damaged
\nthe United States' reputation as an upholder of the rule of law
\nand a champion of due process. Many of the prisoners, most of
\nthem captured in Afghanistan, have been in custody since January
\n2002...<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court just recently agreed to hear an appeal on
\nbehalf of 16 of the detainees- two Britons, two Australians and
\n12 Kuwaitis- seeking the right to challenge their imprisonment in
\nU.S. courts. If the court finds for the detainees, the
\nadministration will lose its rationale for running Guantanamo as
\nit does.
\n---
\nThe Daily Leader, Brookhaven, Mississippi, on President Bush in Iraq:<\/p>\n
It was so secret that even his parents did not find out until
\nhe failed to show up for Thanksgiving dinner. President George
\nBush's surprise visit to Baghdad Thursday morning caught the
\nworld by surprise.<\/p>\n
Considering that just days ago a cargo plane flying into
\nBaghdad was struck by a shoulder-fired missile, it was a gutsy
\nmove by the President and one that should lift the spirits of a
\nnation beginning to have second thoughts about a war being fought
\nhalf-a-world away.<\/p>\n
A calculated risk, the President flew for eight hours, landed
\nat Baghdad International Airport and spent two and a half hours
\nserving food and mixing with troops before returning home.<\/p>\n
Surprised soldiers gave praise to Bush.<\/p>\n
\"It was a display of confidence in our ability to protect not
\njust us, but him,\" said one soldier.<\/p>\n
\"My morale had kind of sputtered, now I'm good for another two
\nmonths,\" said another.<\/p>\n
When times get tough, a good leader takes risk and rallies the
\ntroops.<\/p>\n
While his opponents will undoubtedly call it a political
\nstunt, in reality he was doing what he has done all along --
\nprovide good strong leadership.
\n---<\/p>\n
GetAP 1.00 -- DEC 5, 2003 01:41:03
\n;AP;
\nANPA ..r..
\nNA-GEN--Editorial Roundup
\nBy The Associated Press=
\nJP\/<\/p>\n
By The Associated Press=
\nA selection of excerpts from editorials in newspapers worldwide:
\n---<\/p>\n
---<\/p>\n
---
\n---<\/p>\n
---<\/p>\n
Irish Independent, Dublin, Ireland, on elections in Northern
\nIreland:<\/p>\n
Last week's results in the Assembly elections show how far
\nNorthern Ireland has come since the bleak days of the mid-
\nEighties, when the IRA was engaged in its murderous campaign to
\nachieve Irish unity through violent means. ... The change,
\nhowever, is disappointing, disturbing and ominous.<\/p>\n
Disappointing because those who risked most (the SDLP and the
\nUUP) to make a success of the Agreement have little to show from
\nthese results but a measure of public contempt for their heroic
\nefforts.<\/p>\n
Disturbing because those who have gained most in last week's
\nelection have given least in ensuring the success of the Good
\nFriday accord. The DUP opposed the Agreement, but accepted
\nministerial office in the Executive. ...<\/p>\n
Above all, the result is ominous because it has produced a
\ndangerous political stalemate, one which will not be easily
\nresolved. ...<\/p>\n
The two parties least capable of political compromise have
\nbecome the dominant parties of unionism and nationalism in
\nNorthern Ireland. Much of what the Good Friday Agreement was
\ndesigned to prevent, the polarization of politics, has just
\nhappened.
\n---
\nMORE[<\/p>\n
GetAP 1.00 -- DEC 5, 2003 01:40:57<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp6oths6-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }