'King: Uphold Constitution'

In his opening speech for the fourth session of the 12th Parliament on Monday (March 7, 2011), Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin urge all quarters to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
The King said: Rights enshrined in the Constitution should not be questioned or politicised.
Tuanku Mizan also urged non-government organizations (NGOs), in the course of carrying out of their activities and programmes, to refrain from touching on the sensitivities and issues which could jeopardise public harmony and countary’s image.
In the words of Iain McLean, constitution is ‘the set of fundamental rules governing the politics of a nation or subnational body.
The word was first used in this sense after the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 in Britain, when the deposed king, James II, was accused of having violated the ‘fundamental constitution of the kingdom’.
The rule of law is recognized as one of the very important characteristics of the Malaysian Constitution. Every action of the government must be authorized by law, passed by Parliament.
According to A.C. Kapur : “The ‘rule of law’ is the product of centuries of struggle of the people for the recognition of their inherent rights”.
His Majesty said the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers, position of Islam as the religion of the federation, special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate rights of the other races encompassing citizenship and fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, should not be questioned so as to avert disunity.
Tuanku Mizan urged the people to always maintain harmony and preserve the country’s dignity, saying they should be good, responsible citizens, and not be easily influenced by slander and accucations made by irresponsible parties.
Slander is the defamation in the form of spoken statement while libel in the form of published or written statements.
According to Cutlip & Center (1994:187), in order for a statement to be considered legally libelous, the statement must ‘hurt someone’s reputation : be defamatory’.

AirAsia helping Malaysia achieve tourist target

theSun on Friday (March 4, 2011) quoted former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as saying that AirAsia is capable of helping Malaysia achieve its targeted ratio of one tourist per head of population.
He said AirAsia has contributed a lot towards the growth of KL International Airport and drawing visitors to Malaysia.
“Our target has always been one tourist per head of population. The population now is between 27 and 28 million.
“We have now reached about 22 million tourists a year. We are doing quite well. AirAsia will help us to achieve this target in a short time,” he said after a tour of AirAsia’s office and AirAsia Academy, in Sepang, on Thurday.
In the words of Tun Dr Mahathir : AirAsia is interested in lowering its prices by benefiting from its efficient management and incurring very little expenditure.
Dr Mahathir accompanied by AirAsia chief executive Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, deputy group chief executive Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and chairman Datuk Aziz Bakar.
To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia. Multiculturalism has not only made Malaysia a gastronomical paradise, it has also made Malaysia home to hundreds of colourful festivals. One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme contrasts. Towering skyscrapers look down upon wooden houses built on stilts, and five-star hotels sit several metres away from ancient reefs.
For the year 2010 alone, Malaysia generated RM56.5 bilion from the arrival of about 24.6 milion of tourists.
The country’s target is to build the second satellite building for the KLIA when it reaches more than 35 million passengers a year.
But now, according to Tun Dr Mahathir, “it has more than that because of AirAsia”.