A report on findings of the studies conducted by Malaysia’s first space traveller, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor at the International Space Station (ISS) will be presented to the cabinet by end of August. The report would be studied by the cabinet first before it is announced to the public. [via Bernama]
Although the second space traveller programme had not yet been decided on, Malaysia would still send Major Dr Faiz Khaleed to undergo training to ensure continuity of Malaysia’s space programme… now, this is what I call a waste of money.
The first Angkasawan programme is dubious, but there are rooms for debates whether the project will benefit our country in future or not. However, what’s the point of sending the second man for training when it’s still uncertain if there is any continuity with the programme?
Stop wasting our money.
UMNO Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin said during the UMNO General Assembly about our subsidy system…
“Why should we give subsidised petrol to the already rich, who drive luxurious cars with high capacity engines? It should be meant only for the man riding a kapcai (low-cc motorcycle).”
He added that billions of ringgit could be saved and the money used instead to develop village roads, build more public infrastructure and construct schools.
His statement is half true. Malaysians have been pampered with all kind of subsidies all these years… perhaps it’s time to let the petrol price roamed freely and save the money for other benefits, to help the poor for example.
I would applaud if the billions Ringgit saved could be used to develop our villages… but I am afraid that we might use it for something else… paying for a crook bridge (that was never built), spending on new toys or sending a traveller to space. Who can guarantee that the money saved from the cut subsidy would be well spent?
In my words…
“Why should we spent money to send a man to space, who rides on a billion dollar spaceship with super capacity engines? It should be meant only for the men riding on wheels.”
Prime Minister and UMNO president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi opened the UMNO General Assembly on Wednesday (Nov 7) at the Putra World Trade Centre. The following is the full text of his opening address [TheStar]…
STRENGTHENING CONFIDENCE – VENTURING INTO A NEW ERA
Alhamdulillah, with God’s will, we are convene for the 58th UMNO General Assembly.
2. Our assembly this year takes place in the glow of the 50th Merdeka celebrations. This is also our first assembly for the next 50 years. Beginning the first national elections, UMNO, as part of the Alliance and subsequently Barisan Nasional, has formed the national government based on the principle of power sharing. It also spearheaded the drive towards independence.
3. The Malayan Government, considered to be lacking in experience, faced myriad challenges. Twelve years after independence, the nation was riven by racial riots that threatened its survival. Thanks to mutual understanding and a strong spirit of cooperation, we overcame this test. That dark time in our history became a valuable lesson that taught us the need to strengthen our unity.
4. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the Government introduced three major measures. First, the Rukun Negara was introduced as a national ideology to ensure national unity and safeguard the integrity of the nation. Second, the New Economic Policy was designed to develop our economy based on fair and equitable growth. Finally, the Barisan Nasional was introduced as an effective and inclusive political vehicle. The implementation of these three measures has brought success, guaranteed our survival and brought us the prosperity that we enjoy to this day.
Read the rest of this post »
I read a news yesterday, about a 9-year-old Indian girl being sexually assaulted and murdered… I actually wrote something about that, but deleted it, because I was not sure what to write…
It’s simply unimaginable what kind of human could do that to young children. With Nurin’s tragedy still ringing in our mind, here it comes another brutal fatality… it is saddening, and horrifying.
I want to think that the police are doing their best to solve these cases. I don’t want to blame the cops too much because I believe that there are genuine officers in Malaysia that are fighting crimes to their best… but their best is not enough at the moment.
I am not sure what can we do to prevent these cases from happening again. Parents should obviously pay more attention to children safety, but I am not sure if it is enough. I am feeling really pessimistic about our rising crime rate.
The government should think of something… forget about multimillion projects, forget about sending man to space. What’s the point of these achievements if we can’t even keep our streets safe?
Hope that the victim could rest in peace; my condolence for her parents and family.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis is very excited of having our first man in space… so excited that he already have plans to send our back-up candidate, Faiz Khaleed, to become the next Malaysian in space. [AFP]
“Captain doctor Faiz Khaleed will be the primary angkasawan and the next mission, probably in 2008 or 2009, should have him doing more challenging tasks,”
“This could involve him doing a space walk or conducting repairs to the spacecraft.”
Jarjis is acting like a 5-year-old kid with a new toy… Najib surprisingly shows more sense indicating that a review of Muszaphar’s mission would take place before any decision on future space exploration.
One angkasawan is more than enough. If Malaysia want to send someone to space again… build a rocket and send it ourselves… I might feel really proud then.
Malaysia’s first “angkasawan” (space traveller) will be recognised as a cosmonaut by the Russian space authorities, said Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis. [Bernama]
“Some countries might question this, but to me, it is not important. What matters is that the candidate was selected and trained by Russia and the country recognises him as a true cosmonaut,” said Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Jamaludin Jarjis.
He was commenting on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) referring to Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, one of two Malaysians eligible to make an expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian Soyuz rocket on Oct 10, as “space flight participant” on its website.
It’s funny that Bernama is still translating Angkasawan as space traveller instead of cosmonaut.
Cosmonaut, astronaut, can-naut, roti-naut, whatever… Malaysia will have a man in space pretty soon, that’s the fact. I would prefer to call him a space traveller though, nothing wrong with the name, I don’t see anything defaming with it.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor is set to become the first Malaysian to travel into space.
Sheikh Muszaphar will blast off aboard a Russian-built Soyuz space craft en route to the international space station along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and US astronaut Peggy Whitson. They blast off from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on October 10.
I have mix feeling about this… it’s a good thing that Malaysia is sending someone into the space finally, but I don’t really applaud on how it is (going to be) done. I mean, what have Malaysian contributed towards the space project besides funding it? Does Malaysia really benefit anything significant besides having a colourful page in our record book?
In fact I have problems calling Muszaphar an astronaut; for me he is merely a government sponsored space traveller… does that make him an astronaut? I am not sure… I always think astronaut is something special.
Regardless, Sheikh Muszaphar is going to be in Malaysia record book for his achievement. I don’t have any problem with this man in person; the government offered an opportunity, he went for it and got it… kudos for that. I wish him all the best.
I just hope that years after this event, the Angkasawan project could meet its objective of spurring the interest of younger generations into science and technology development, and prove that it is not a money wasting idea.