4 œ theSun | MONDAY MARCH 16 2009

news without borders

Millions to switch off lights for Earth Hour

by S. Tamarai Chelvi
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Millions all over the world
will switch off their lights for Earth Hour at
8.30pm on March 28 in support of action on
climate change.
From Chatham Islands to the Arctic
Sea, people will turn off their lights to cast
their vote for action on global warming for
one hour that day. Millions are expected
to gather in parks, streets, town squares
and homes around the world to witness
the lights going out on iconic landmarks
and city skylines.
With two weeks to go, the number of
cities and towns that have signed up to par-
ticipate in Earth Hour has already exceeded
the target of 1,000 set by the organisers.
Earth Hour executive director Andy Rid-
ley said Earth Hour is more than just a call
for action on climate change.
“Earth Hour is an opportunity for the
global community to speak in one voice on
the issue of climate change, while at the
same time coming together in celebration
of the one thing every single person on the
planet has in common – the planet,” he said
in a press statement.
“Whether it’s joining your community in
a town square to watch the city lights go
dark or hosting a lights out party in your
home, I encourage everybody across the
world to be a part of this historic occasion.
Turn off your lights, celebrate the planet,
enjoy the moment and cast your vote for
Earth.”
Earth Hour is a global WWF climate
change initiative. People are invited to
turn out their lights for one hour to show
their support for action on climate change.
The event began in Sydney in 2007, when
some two million people switched off their
lights.
Last year, more than 50 million people
around the globe participated.
This year, Earth Hour aims to reach out to
one billion people in 1,000 cities.
In Sydney, all the ferries in the harbour
will sound their horns at precisely 8.30pm to
herald the of Earth Hour in Australia, while
in Melbourne a people-pedal-powered
concert will be held at Federation Square.
On the other side of the world, a host of
concerts and parties are being planned in
cities across Europe, including a “circle of
percussion” in Athens, where people will
be given percussion instruments to play,
led by a conductor as the lights go out on
the Acropolis.
In Oslo, members of the public will take
up the challenge of pedal-powered light
bulbs while residents in Lisbon will sit
down to an evening of outdoor candle-lit
dining as they watch the skyline go dark.
In Kuala Lumpur, the corporate sector
have announced their participation in the
campaign.

Mais to sue Bar Council

over Allah poll
SHAH ALAM: The Selan-
gor Islamic Religious Council
(Mais) is planning legal ac-
tion against the Bar Council
over its poll on the use of the
word Allah in non-Muslim
publications.
Its chairman, Datuk
Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa,
said they are consulting their
lawyers on the next course of
action.
The Bar Council was
warned against carrying out
the online poll and was asked
to comply with the provisions
of the Non-Muslim Religious
Enactment 1988.
Mohamad Adzib said Mais
is of the opinion that the word
Allah is exclusive to Muslims
and its use has been gazetted
under the same enactment as
words that cannot be used by
non-Muslims.
He said the word Allah
is one of the main pillars of
Islam and others are not al-
lowed to use it.
The Bar Council’s poll
seeks people’s opinions on
whether any one race has
exclusive rights to the use of
the word Allah and whether
The Herald and other reli-
gious publications should be
allowed to use the term.
To date, more than 1,000
people have voted with the
majority saying there is no
exclusive right and that any
publication should be allowed
to use the word.
Mohamad Adzib said the
ban is to prevent confusion
among Muslims on the con-
cept of one God, as Allah in
other religions does not mean
a single God.
Unions: No reason for
low EPF dividends
by Maria J. Dass and
Humayun Kabir
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Workers’ un-
ions are furious at speculation that
the Employees Provident Fund may
declare a dividend for last year of
only 4.5%.
National Union of Bank Employ-
ees secretary-general J. Solomon,
when commenting on a report in a
news website, said: “EPF is a cash-
rich entity. There is something
wrong if there are no reasonable
and acceptable dividends being
paid out to workers.
“This has been going on for
years, where the monies from EPF
have been used to fund govern-
ment projects and to bail out ailing
companies which later rake in
huge profits with CEOs and man-
agements enjoying fat bonuses of
between 20 and 30 months.
“But what about the poor
workers in the private sector
whose money were used for these
bailouts? What are they getting?”
he asked, adding their civil service
counterparts are getting a better
deal with cost-of-living allowances
(Cola) and other perks.
“We have also, time and again,
questioned EPF’s investment deci-
sions in certain companies. The
scrutiny of the EPF board of direc-
tors is questionable as the majority
of its members are government
officers and there are only a few
workers’ representatives.”
MTUC executive council
member A. Sivananthan said the
economic downturn “is not a good
enough excuse for paying low divi-
dends because the global downturn
only struck in late 2008”.
Abdullah in Brunei for working visit
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi arrived here last night for a
two-day working visit to formalise
a solution to the Malaysia-Brunei
boundary issues.
Abdullah, accompanied by wife
Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, was re-
ceived on arrival by Brunei Education
Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela
Sivananthan said a dividend
of more than 5% would be a fair
amount, while Solomon said a
dividend of about 8% to 10% would
be the amount due to the workers if
all the leakages are plugged.
In Ipoh, Deputy Finance
Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha said
the public should not speculate on
the dividend but wait for the official
announcement.
“EPF’s dividend rate is always
higher than the bank rates. The
dividend rate may fluctuate due
to the domestic market as EPF has
invested in a lot of government
treasury bills.”
Datuk Seri Setia Abdul Rahman Datuk
Setia Mohamed Taib who acts as the
minister-in-attendance at the Brunei
International Airport.
Today, Abdullah will have a four-
eye meeting with Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah and thereafter sign Letters
of Exchange to mark an end to the
territorial dispute between the two
countries. – Bernama