MERDEKA REVISITED: [Malaysia Today] 'CUTI' dijadikan umpan / Festival causes million Ringgit losses to businessmen

'CUTI' dijadikan umpan

Timbang Thaipusam cuti umum â€" Abdullah
Utusan Meloya

KUALA LUMPUR 19 Jan. - Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berjanji untuk menimbang kemungkinan menjadikan perayaan Thaipusam sebagai cuti umum di seluruh negara.

Beliau berkata, langkah itu akan dilaksanakan selepas perkara tersebut dibincang dan mendapat persetujuan daripada Jemaah Menteri.

â€˜â€˜Thaipusam sudah dekat, rakyat muafakat. Pak Lah kena mesyuarat, lepas itu baru nak cakap,â€ katanya dalam bentuk pantun empat kerat berbunyi:

Minum pagi kopi pekat,
bersarapan sebuku roti,
Sambutan Thaipusam semakin dekat,
warga menanti pengumuman cuti.

Perdana Menteri berkata demikian ketika berucap merasmikan Pesta Ponggal anjuran Barisan Nasional (BN) Bukit Bintang di Jalan Masjid India yang dihadiri 5,000 orang di sini, malam ini.

Thaipusam yang merupakan satu lagi perayaan kaum India hanya dijadikan cuti umum di Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Johor, Pulau Pinang dan Perak.

Dalam pada itu, Abdullah turut melahirkan kegembiraan kerana Pesta Ponggal yang disambut oleh masyarakat petani kaum India kini turut dirayakan penduduk berbilang kaum.

No2unmO - Hati mana yang tidak Gundah Gulana apabila melihatkan kaum India semakin hilang di hati, jauh di mata. Beri wang takut tak sampai tangan, maka diberikan cuit. Kononnya Kaum India dahagakan cuti yang sejak dahulu dipohon tetapi baru sekarang nak dipertimbangkan. Haiii .... Siapa lah yang terbeli dengan sogokan cuti dari kerajaan yang semakin terdesak, binggung, bimbang di pinggirkan.

KP - Entri terbaru mengenai perkara sama boleh dibaca di No2umno

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Malaysia Today

Badawi's Ponggal Festival causes million Ringgit losses to businessmen

Posted by Raja Petra
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Kumaresan The Malaysian economy is slowing down. The MIER projected our economic growth for 2008 to be less than 5% (if the recession in the US worsens). Despite Government denials and cover ups, inflation is escalating. The price of food, chicken and fish has increased by at least 15% since 2007. Consumers do not have as much spending power. Retail and wholesale businesses are also facing difficult conditions. Many face slower sales and losses because while costs of doing business have gone up, sales have not increased as much. On Saturday 19 January 2008, retailers and businessmen in the Jalan Masjid India got a rude shock when the busy shopping street was shut down completely beginning from 9 am in the morning until midnight. Saturday is the busiest shopping day in this area. But as the picture shows the Jalan Masjid India was deserted, there were few shoppers. Businessmen have lost millions of Ringgit in sales because of this road closure. The reason for the road closure of Jalan Masjid India was because the PM were attending a Ponggal Festival organized by the â€˜Barisan Nasional Bukit Bintangâ€™. Few of the traders in Jalan Masjid India knew about this road closure or the fact that a Ponggal Festival was being organized in their area. Some traders are also confused why â€˜Pesta Ponggal Bukit Bintangâ€™ is being held in Jalan Masjid India and not in Jalan Bukit Bintang or elsewhere? A few banners announcing the event were put up on Thursday 17th January but none of the traders were consulted or informed where or how the Ponggal Festival was to be held. There is some mystery. Other than â€˜Barisan Nasional Bukit Bintangâ€™ no one knew who were the real organizers behind this Ponggal Festival. The MIC was not involved. But the mystery was later solved. The Malaysian Hindu Sangam, the organisers behind the Hindraf protests are the same people behind this Ponggal Festival. The picture here shows Hindu Sangam written in white all over Jalan Masjid India. No one expected the closure of this main shopping street from the morning till night. The PM was expected to attend at 8 pm but as usual the PM was late. The Hindu Sangam brought in their supporters to fill up the crowd but the traders will still suffered big losses in sales. Many traders, especially members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce are very angry with the road closure and the losses they have suffered and have said that they will not vote for the Barisan Nasional this time.