AFC Should Respect Tunku's Noble Intentions - Sultan Ahmad Shah

KUANTAN, Oct 21-- Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) President Sultan Ahmad Shah says the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) should give due respect to the noble efforts of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, 40 years ago, by retaining the AFC House here.

The Sultan said the AFC had over the years achieved tremendous success since its inception here more than 40 years ago and the AFC House in Bukit Jalil had been well accepted due the availability of very good facilities.

Sultan Ahmad Shah who is the immediate past president of the AFC added that since Malaysia was located in the epicenter of the Asian continent, it was a convenient and ideal location with excellent air, ground travel plus very efficient telecommunication facilities and infrastructure.

"If AFC wants to shift to any other location, it is their prerogative...but they (AFC) must respect what Tunku Abdul Rahman had done more than 40 years ago to see the AFC continue to progress," he said after a briefing on the flood conditions in Pahang, here today.

The Sultan was responding to efforts by the AFC to shift its headquarters from Bukit Jalil, by calling for bids from its 46-member countries.

The AFC secretariat which started functioning from Hong Kong after the formation of the governing body in Manila, Philippines, on May 8, 1954, moved to Penang, Malaysia, in 1965 after Koe Ewe Tek took over as its General Secretary.

The secretariat moved again 10 years later, this time to Ipoh when Datuk Teoh Chye Hin became the general secretary while Datuk Peter Velappan who took over the reins in 1978 set up the office in Kuala Lumpur and 22 years later, in 2000, the AFC got its own building in Bukit Jalil.

Many leaders, including Peter had claimed that AFC was what it is today due to the leadership, hard work and contributions of Malaysian leaders and the support from the government.

Tunku who was Malaysia's first Prime Minister had served as its president for 24 years, followed by Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah for 16 years and Sultan Ahmad Shah for eight years before Mohamed Hammam took over in 2000.

-- BERNAMA

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PM dept blames employers for excessive foreign workers in the country

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 -- Employers taking the easy way out by preferring to hire foreigners rather than locals is the reason why the nation is deluged with foreign workers, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator T. Murugiah.

Murugiah said that although foreign workers caused a variety of problems like shirking their responsibilities, playing truant or absconding altogether, employers still gave priority to them than locals.

"I do not see any initiative on the part of them, like advertising vacancies, holding job fairs or going to the kampungs to hire more Malaysians.

"Instead, they prefer the easy way and go to the Home Ministry to solve their labour needs," he told reporters at Parliament's lobby today.

Murugiah said this in commenting on a news report in Utusan Malaysia today that said one in five workers in Malaysia now was a foreigner.

He added that the low wage factor was the primary reason why employers opted for foreign workers and hoped the Human Resources Ministry would take the necessary action to ensure Malaysian workers got a fair deal.

-- BERNAMA

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Rais -It's hard to get rid of money politics in UMNO

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim who is eyeing the post of party vice president, said today that it was difficult to rid Umno of money politics.

Money politics, he said, had become an Umno culture for a long time but not many were willing to admit it.

"It is better if we admit it and the people can then judge us so that they will in the end see this political party is clean.

"I feel that if there is no end to money politics, it's better if Umno were to hold an open tender -- those with the highest bid become leaders," he said.

Rais who is Foreign Minister said, it was not impossible to wipe out money politics but the main obstacle was getting the evidence and Umno did not have sufficient resources to closely monitor the practice.

"The best way probably we can see in our friends from MCA and Gerakan. They do not impose strict conditions (on eligibility to vie for posts) but generally, they are free from all these practices.

"I may be wrong but I believe transparency is the best teacher and we should learn from past experiences especially when the past experience we had gone through tasted bitter," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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