Today, Malaysians got a glimpse of the best and worst of what their Members of Parliament can offer.
Both elected representatives who were in the limelight were from Sabah but their performance was as different as night and day.
In the best tradition of standing up to the drivel from the front bench was Kalabakan MP Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh. Usually, the BN backbenchers go easy on their ministers and deputy ministers from the ruling coalition but Abdul Ghapur threw away that convention after hearing Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar give a tepid, and frankly ridiculous explanation on why the Malaysian government was slow to react to the invasion by Sulu fighters into Sabah.
Since the intruders were from Philippines, the government had to consult Manila in the spirit of Asean, said the deputy minister.
"We needed to cooperate with them before doing anything, " he said, not expecting what was to happen next.
SAD REFLECTIONS: Norazarina (centre) with her sons and relatives at the burial
The difficult part in handling her husband's sudden death was breaking the heartbreaking news to her two young sons.
"Mak, kenapa orang panggil babah 'hero'?" (Mom, why does everyone call dad a hero?)
This was the question that Norazarina Jaafar had to answer to her eight-year-old son on the day his father, Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, was buried at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Muslim cemetery in Serdang.
Noramfaizul, the Bernama TV cameraman killed while covering a humanitarian aid mission led by Putera 1Malaysia Club to Somalia on Sept 2, was laid to rest two days later.
Humanitarian aid organisation Mercy Malaysia is set to send a team to Somalia for relief work, stressing that small teams are normally deployed when dealing with conflict regions.
"As reference, especially in conflict areas, we rarely send more than five to seven people," said Mercy Malaysia president Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus.
"We will ensure the number is optimum enough for them to perform their duties but also optimum enough to ensure that they are mobile," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
Ahmad Faizal was responding to a question on the composition of his organisation's team to Somalia.
He said the number has been determined, but may be reduced for security reasons - the final number will only be disclosed after the review.
In bad shape: Cemetery resembles more of a 'battleground' than a pristine resting place
THEY gave their lives in defence of the country against Communist insurgents.
However, the final resting place of those who died defending the Bukit Kepong police station on Feb 23,
1950, in Muar, Johor, resembled more a rubble-strewn field than a warriors' burial ground.
Even worse, family members of the slain policemen claim they were prevented from upkeeping the graves,
as it was "government property".Information was informed that family members and relatives of the fallen policemen were upset to find part of the cemetery wall collapsed when they visited the Bukit Kepong Muslim graveyard during last week's Hari Raya celebrations.
The kin of the Batang Kali massacre victims who filed a judicial review claim at the High Court in Britain have been granted legal aid funding of almost RM1 million.
The decision was made last month by the Special Costs Control Review Panel, which is the highest appeal body within the UK Legal Service Commission.
The families had in February filed a judicial review to challenge the decision of the British government not to conduct a public inquiry into the incident which occurred in 1948.
However, the Special Case Unit of the UK Legal Service Commission on March 8 refused to grant legal aid representation to the claimants.
The European-made Scorpene submarine is the first of two commissioned for a combined total of $961 mln
Malaysia's first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman docked at Port Klang after its arrival this morning.
Malaysia's first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman docked at Port Klang after its arrival this morning.
Malaysia's first ever submarine was delivered Thursday to colourful fanfare and a royal visitor, in an acquisition that the government said "completes" the country's navy.
The European-made Scorpene submarine is the first of two commissioned from French contractor DCNS and Spain's Navantia for a combined total of 3.4 billion ringgit (961 million dollars).
The second submarine is scheduled for delivery in late 2009.
The KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, named after the nation's first prime minister, sailed into a grand reception at the navy's deepwater Pulau Indah base in Port Klang, an hour's drive from the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was given a tour of the submarine, which set sail 54 days ago from the French port of Toulon, where the vessel was built.
Naval officials said the submarine would be based in Sabah state, on Borneo island, where it will undergo fine-tuning before it is deployed in search and rescue and military exercises.
The two submarines have long attracted controversy since the deal was signed in 2002.
Malaysia's opposition claims that a 540-million-ringgit commission was paid to a close associate of now-Premier Najib Razak in brokering the deal.
The prime minister, who also attended Thursday's ceremony, has denied there was any corruption in the deal, which was made when he was defence minister.
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The first submarine, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, is named after Malaysia's first prime minister.
Both submarines can undertake a wide range of missions, including naval blockades, information-gathering and landing or retrieval of commandos.
They can operate alone or in combination with air and sea forces.
The new generation diesel-powered Scorpene has been hailed as a benchmark in the world conventional submarine market.
It is capable of operating in coastal waters and the high seas. It is armed with wire-guided torpedoes and Exocet SM39 sub-launched, anti-surface-ship missiles.
Malaysia is the second customer for the vessel after Chile, while India is acquiring it under a slightly different deal since it is building it in its own dockyard under licence.
