'Ketumpulan' Ali senjata PAS di Merlimau

'Ketumpulan' Ali senjata PAS di Merlimau

Elissa Helmy
Feb 17, 11
3:42pm

Pakatan Rakyat dilihat tidak banyak memainkan isu tempatan dalam menghadapi pilihan raya kecil di DUN Merlimau yang berbaki hanya dua minggu sahaja lagi.

Sehingga kini belum ada isu besar berkaitan masalah tempatan dimainkan Pakatan sebagai senjata ampuh untuk menawan kawasan kubu kuat BN itu.

Cuma yang disentuh soal kebangkitan rakyat seperti mana yang berlaku di Mesir dan Tunisia sehingga menimbulkan kekacauan.

Itulah isu wajib yang sering disuarakan penceramahnya setiap kali mengalunkan kempen mereka di Merlimau.

Bagaimanapun, pemerhati politik berpendapat, suasana di Mesir dan Tunisia amat berbeza dengan Merlimau. Di kedua-dua negara berkenaan rakyat bangkit berikutan timbul rasa tidak puas hati terhadap perhatian serta kebajikan mereka.

Tetapi, di sini, belum pun penamaan calon pada 26 Februari ini, rakyat di DUN Merlimau yang disandang pemimpin BN awal-awal sudah mencurahkan apa yang dianggap rezeki bagi mereka.

Biarpun boleh dianggap sebagai umpan untuk menarik perhatian pengundi, apa yang penting, bagi lebih 10,000 rakyat di DUN Merlimau, ia adalah pembangunan fizikal dan kemudahan infrastruktur yang serba lengkap.

Sejak berlangsungnya dua pilihan raya umum juga, masyarakat Merlimau dianugerahkan dua pusat pengajian tunggi iaitu Politeknik Merlimau dan Kolej Komuniti Jasin.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yang turun ke Merlimau baru-baru ini juga yakin tiada isu tempatan yang boleh diutarakan berikutan Merlimau dilabel sebagai kawasan pembangunan.

Tiada kelompok miskin

Merlimau juga menurut Muhyiddin, tiada lagi kelompok rakyat miskin. Malah, katanya, kerajaan negeri sentiasa memikirkan usaha bagaimana untuk meningkatkan pendapatan penduduk.

Terbaru, sebanyak RM500,000 diluluskan menerusi Dana Satu Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) bagi menampung projek membaik pulih rumah rakyat kurang berkemampuan di seluruh DUN Merlimau sudah cukup mengembirakan rakyat Merlimau.

Masyarakat nelayan juga merasakan mereka tidak terpinggir apabila Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak meluluskan peruntukkan sebanyak RM5.6 juta bagi menaik taraf jeti nelayan ketika melakukan lawatan ke Jeti Pengkalan Samak baru-baru ini.

Malah mereka juga bakal meraih pendapatan tambahan dengan terlaksananya perancangan kerajaan negeri untuk pembinaan jeti berbumbung, sekali gus bakal menukar persepsi penduduk daripada jeti termundur di Melaka kepada jeti tercanggih di Melaka.

Pakatan setakat ini hanya menegur tindakan BN yang didakwa terus menggunakan kemudahan awam untuk program kepentingan politik mereka.

PAS dilaporkan kesal apabila Dewan Politeknik Merlimau digunakan untuk program suai kenal bapa angkat dengan jawatankuasa peti undi Merlimau, yang turut melibatkan Pengerusi Perhubungan Umno Negeri, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

Selain itu, politeknik berkenaan turut pernah digunakan untuk perasmian jentera pilihan raya BN dan perjumpaan dengan jawatankuasa Umno cawangan dan kawasan DUN itu.

Bagi PAS, perkara itu tidak wajar kerana ianya jelas mengheret institusi pendidikan ke kancah politik. Rasa tidak puas hati PAS juga tidak berakhir dengan masalah tersebut.

Rencah kempen

Terbaru, akhbar web parti Islam itu Harakahdaily memetik sebuah blog yang mendakwa BN menggunakan nama Jabatan Pendidikan Daerah Jasin bagi menganjurkan majlis perasmian Bangunan Tambahan SKJ (C) Merlimau.

Laporan itu juga memetik, guru yang hadir dianggap 'kuda tunggangan' setelah majlis yang dihadiri Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin itu langsung tiada agenda perasmian bangunan tambahan seperti dalam surat jemputan.

Sebaliknya kain rentang majlis pada malam itu terpampang 'Majlis Makan Malam Rakyat Bersama Timbalan Perdana Menteri' sehingga ramai guru yang hadir pada malam itu kesal dan berasa tertipu kerana terang-terang ia adalah majlis kempen supaya guru-guru menyokong BN.

Bagaimanapun PAS dijangka akan terus menggunakan topik apa yang didakwa mereka sebagai 'kelemahan' pentadbiran Mohd Ali.

Ia termasuklah isu 'pembaziran' dengan pembinaan jam bunga di hadapan bangunan Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah (MBMB) yang didakwa menelan belanja RM500,000; lapangan terbang yang didakwa bernilai ratusan juta ringgit tetapi tiada pesawat beroperasi dan projek 'Eye On Malaysia' yang terpaksa ditutup.

Di samping itu juga, ada banyak lagi isu kelemahan kerajaan yang ditadbir Mohd Ali Rustam dijangka bakal menjadi rencah Pakatan untuk menyedapkan kempen di Merlimau nanti.

Bagaimanapun, bagi menjawab segala persoalan, ketua menteri Melaka itu dikatakan bersetuju untuk berdebat dengan sesiapa sahaja pemimpin Pakatan bagi menjawab segala persoalan berkenaan.

Pilihan raya kecil Merlimau diadakan setelah kematian penyandangnya, Allahyarham Mohd Hidhir Abu Hassan akibat serangan jantung pada 20 Januari lalu.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/156287

Nik Aziz: Allah maha besar, bukan Melayu, Cina, India

Nik Aziz: Allah maha besar, bukan Melayu, Cina, India

Jimadie Shah Othman
Feb 17, 11
11:48am

Penganjuran simposium bertemakan dilema Melayu pada Sabtu lalu yang ucap utamanya disampaikan bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mengundang kritikan keras daripada seteru lamanya, mursyidul am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Menurut menteri besar Kelantan itu, isu dilema Melayu atau dilema mana-mana kaum tidak timbul apabila persoalan bangsa dan perjuangan kaum itu berteraskan ajaran Islam.

"Apa yang penting diamalkan ialah kita semua menjadi hamba abdi kepada Allah SWT.

"Sebagaimana seruan azan memanggil solat, disebutkan “Allahu Akbar”, maka yang Maha Besar ialah Allah bukannya Melayu atau Cina atau India," kata Nik Abdul Aziz (kiri).

Menurutnya lagi, dalam bacaan tahyat dan salam ketika solat juga terangkum maksud memuliakan Nabi Ibrahim, Nabi Muhammad serta ucapan selamat kepada seluruh bangsa di dunia ini.

Dalam simposium di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) lalu, Dr Mahathir antaranya dilaporkan berkata, orang Melayu kini berhadapan dengan dilema besar apabila tidak lagi boleh berkata tentang bangsa sendiri kerana akan dilabelkan sebagai rasis.

Katanya, dilema ini bukan disebabkan oleh orang lain tetapi orang Melayu sendiri kerana mereka tidak mampu untuk mempertahankan diri sendiri dan sentiasa mengalah serta mengundur diri apabila berlaku sesuatu krisis.

Sambil menggesa Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) diteruskan, Dr Mahathir dilaporkan berkata jika orang Melayu bijak menggunakan peluang yang diwujudkan, mereka akan mendapat lebih 30 peratus kekayaan negara.

"Maknanya bila diutamakan kepentingan orang Melayu, sudah tentu orang Cina dan India akan berdendam, kerana inginkan kepentingan yang sama," kata Nik Aziz.

Sementara itu, mengulas tentang DEB, pemimpin popular PAS itu berkata mendakwa "kegagalan" dasar itu sudah tercatat dalam sejarah dan menyebabkan bumiputera tidak ke mana.

"Kenapaa gagal? Dr Mahathir selaku perdana menteri masa itu ada jawapan sebenar. Habis kenapa Dr Mahathir sembunyi punca?" soal Nik Aziz.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/156239

Ong dapat sokongan Abdul Ghani di Pandan

Ong dapat sokongan Abdul Ghani di Pandan

Kuek Ser Keng Kuang
Feb 17, 11
3:06pm

Walaupun kehilangan sokongan dari bahagian partinya sendiri, namun bekas presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat mendapat sokongan ketua Umno bahagian Pandan yang digantung serta ketua bahagian Gerakan, dalam usahanya mempertahankan kerusi parlimen Pandan yang diwakilinya, dalam pilihanraya umum akan datang.

Pencalonan Ong dipersoalkan oleh timbalan ketua Umno bahagian Pandan, Iszeham A Hamid, yang kini menjadi pemangku ketua, tetapi ketua bahagian yang digantung, Datuk Abdul Ghani Ismail memberikan sokongan kepada Ong.

"Beliau turun padang. Ia akan menjadi satu kerugian kepada BN jika beliau tidak dicalonkan," kata Abdul Ghani ketika dihubungi semalam.

Abdul Ghani digantung daripada jawatan ketua bahagian selepas beliau didakwa atas tuduhan rasuah. Perbicaraan kes tersebut masih berjalan.

Bagaimanapun, beliau kekal sebagai penyelaras BN Chempaka, iaitu salah satu daripada dua kerusi negeri dalam parlimen Pandan.

"Saya tidak peduli sama ada ianya Umno, MCA atau Gerakan (bertanding kerusi tersebut), asalnya calonnya boleh menang.

"Masih ramai yang boleh menerima Ong (sebagai ahli parlimen mereka). Beliau masih mendapat sokongan," katanya.

Beliau membidas pengkritik Ong dengan berkata, "jika anda tidak bekerja dan tidak turun padang, tutup mulut".

Ditanya mengenai saranan Iszeham kepada Perdana Menteri yang juga pengerusi BN, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Sabtu lalu, dengan menawarkan 'penyelesaian' bagi menangani isu calon di Pandan, Abdul Ghani berkata pesara pegawai tentera itu tidak faham akar umbi.

"Apa yang dia tahu? Dia adalah seorang veteran. Ia sangat mudah. Jika Umno boleh buat lebih baik daripada Ong, silakan (untuk mendapatkan kerusi tersebut)."

Abdul Ghani berkata 'penyelesaian' yang disebut itu, hanya merupakan pandangan peribadi Iszeham yang disifatkannya sebagai "syok Sendiri".

[Baca berita penuh]

http://malaysiakini.com/news/156274

Operasi NGO misteri, 1Malaysia dikesan di KL

Operasi NGO misteri, 1Malaysia dikesan di KL

Regina Lee
Feb 17, 11
12:44pm

Pejabat atau gudang NGO misteri yang beroperasi atas nama 1Malaysia dan hanya muncul semasa pilihan raya kecil untuk mengagihkan barangan keperluan telah dikesan di Kuala Lumpur.

Berikutan maklumat, Malaysiakini baru-baru ini terjumpa tempat operasinya di Plaza Mont Kiara yang dipercayai menjadi markas atau gudang NGO berkenaan.

Pejabat tersebut dikatakan telah diduduki sejak pertengahan tahun lalu dan menjadi tempat pembungkusan barangan keperluan seperti teh, susu, Milo dan juga set alat tulis yang diisi dalam sebuah beg oren sebelum diedarkan.

Pemeriksaan juga mendapati pejabat berkenaan didaftarkan di bawah nama sebuah syarikat bernama Solar Shine Sdn Bhd tanpa kelihatan sebarang papan tanda nama yang lain.

Hanya terpampang di pintu pejabat ini adalah surat keizinan melakukan kerja-kerja pengubah-suaian yang tertera nama syarikat itu.

Sementara itu, semakan dengan Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia tidak menunjukkan sebarang perkara yang luar biasa mengenai syarikat berkenaan. Nama yang tidak dikenali seperti Muhammad Zaki Ilias, Ramli Ag Karim dan Chin Sin Yuet disenaraikan sebagai pengarah.

Syarikat itu hanya memiliki modal RM2 (jumlah minimum untuk menubuhkan sebuah syarikat sendirian berhad).

Aktiviti 1Malaysia yang dikendalikan oleh Solar Shine dikesan hanya aktif beberapa minggu sebelum kempen pilihan raya kecil.

Malah, Isnin lalu, kelihatan beberapa pekerjanya yang kebanyakan mereka berbangsa Cina sibuk membungkus barangan di pejabat itu sebelum membawanya ke sebuah lori yang menunggu di luar pejabat.

NGO 1Malaysia ini pertama kali muncul pada kempen pilihan raya kecil di Galas, pada akhir tahun lalu dengan sejumlah sukarelawannya mengagihkan beg barangan itu kepada pengundi, khususnya di kawasan yang ramai pengundi berbangsa Cina.

Dengan memakai kemeja T dengan logo 1Malaysia tertera dengan jelas di belakang, mereka membanjiri sesuatu kawasan - seolah-olah satu kempen penjenamaan sesuatu projek ataupun barangan.

Keadaan yang sama juga disaksikan pada pilihan raya kecil Tenang pada bulan lalu.

Beberapa ahli politik pembangkang mendakwa usaha sedemikian sebagai pembelian undi dan berkata ia berkesan memancing undi di kalangan penduduk luar bandar bagi menyokong BN.

[Baca berita penuh]

http://malaysiakini.com/news/156247

Tol PJ Selatan di NPE dikurangkan

Tol PJ Selatan di NPE dikurangkan

Feb 17, 11 1:36pm

Kadar tol Petaling Jaya Selatan (PJS) 2 di Lebuh Raya Pantai Baru (NPE), Kuala Lumpur akan dikurangkan daripada RM1.60 kepada RM1.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yang mengumumkan perkara itu berkata, kadar baru tol berdekatan Taman Medan dan menghala ke Bandar Sunway itu akan mula berkuat kuasa selepas pukul 12 tengah malam ini.

"Saya sudah janji bahawa kita akan buat terbaik untuk rakyat dan ini adalah contoh apa yang kita buat adalah demi rakyat," katanya semasa berucap pada Pesta Chap Goh Meh anjuran BN Selangor.

Menurut Najib lagi, pengurangan kadar tol ini merupakan salah satu daripada contoh usaha gigih kerajaan, yang sejajar dengan konsep 1Malaysia.

"Ini satu lagi contoh bahawa kerajaan akan buat yang terbaik untuk rakyat Selangor dan Malaysia," katanya dan disambut dengan tepukan gemuruh kira-kira 2,500 hadiran.

Pada Februari 2009, kerajaan mengumumkan bahawa kutipan tol di Plaza Tol PJS 2 lebuhraya itu, arah ke Kuala Lumpur dimansuhkan.

Lebuhraya Baru Pantai sepanjang 19.5 kilomteer dibuka sejak 30 April 2004.

Ia bernilai RM1.2 bilion dan dikendalikan oleh syarikat konsesi New Pantai Express Way Sdn Bhd.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/156256

Persamaan Malaysia dan Mesir adalah sistemnya - Anwar

Harakahdaily

GOMBAK, 17 Feb: Malaysia dan Mesir mempunyai persamaan yang jelas dari segi sistem walaupun dari segi ekonominya agak berbeza, kata Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Kalau di Mesir, sistem satu parti yang berkuasa yang menyebabkan isteri Husni Mubarak iaitu Susan dan anaknya, Gamal, menjadi kaya raya.

Di Malaysia juga, kata Anwar, mempunyai sistem yang sama iaitu satu parti yang kekal berkuasa mengkayakan sanak saudara kepada pemimpin negara yang ada.

"Dari segi ekonomi tak sama tetapi sistemnya sama. Satu parti yang berkuasa, sombong dan angkuh, kayakan anak isteri. Siapakah paling kaya di Mesir, Mubarak. Kemudian Susan isteri dia kemudian anak dia Gamal.

"Di sini, di kalangan umat Melayu beragama Islam, siapa paling kaya...anak Mahathir, Mokhzani. Yang kedua, adik Najib, Nazir
yang ketiga Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar," kata Anwar ketika melancarkan gelombang kedua Kempen Bantah Saman Ekor (KASE) di Gombak malam tadi.

Akhbar Umno, Utusan hari ini menyiarkan di muka depan 10 orang terkaya di Malaysia. Menurut Malaysian Busines sebelum ini, antara yang terkaya di Malaysia adalah Mokhzani Mahathir iaitu di tempat ke 20 terkaya di Malaysia.

Adik Perdana Menteri, Nazir Razak pula di tempat ke 40 terkaya di Malaysia.

Menurut Anwar, di Mesir sekarang, ketika melarikan diri, Mubarak bersama isterinya Susan dan anaknya Gamal membawa 40 - 70 bilion Dolar Amerika.

Di Tunisia pula, apabila Presidennya, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali lari meninggalkan negara itu bersama isterinya, Lella mereka membawa bersama 20 bilion dollar Amerika.

"Di Tunisia, berita Ben Ali sama naik sahaja dengan isterinya....Ben Ali, Lella..lepas itu Ben Ali, Lella, Lella, Lella...macam pernah dengarnya je macam ni ye...di mana?" tanya Anwar dengan diikuti ..."Malaysia, Najib Rosmah," jerit para penonton.

Anwar juga mempertikaikan kenyataan Najib kononnya Malaysia akan bangkrap jika melaksanakan rancangan 'Buku Jingga' yang dikemukakan Pakatan Rakyat.

"Mana ada di dunia negara bangkrap kerana tolong rakyat, yang bangkrap jika kerajaan tekan rakyat," kata Anwar Ibrahim.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30919:-persamaan-malaysia-dan-mesir-adalah-sistemnya-anwar&catid=41:utama-muka-depan&Itemid=124

Semoga Mahathir dapat hidayah

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Feb: Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berharap bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mendapat hidayah Allah SWT.

“Saya tidak berhasrat setakat ini untuk mengulas jawapan Tun Mahathir terhadap saya seperti yang tersiar di muka hadapan akhbar Utusan pada hari ini,” tulis beliau yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan di laman Twitter.

Akhbar Utusan Malaysia hari ini melaporkan Mahathir berkata, tujuan hidup Mursyidul Am PAS itu hanyalah untuk memenangi pilihan raya dan kemudian menjadi pemerintah bersama DAP serta Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Katanya, Nik Abdul Aziz secara terbuka sanggup mengkafirkan orang Islam Umno, dalam masa sama bersedia bekerjasama dengan syaitan menjayakan perjuangannya.

Beliau berkata, Menteri Besar Kelantan itu juga sanggup bekerjasama dengan pihak yang menolak perjuangannya untuk mendirikan negara Islam ala PAS di samping mempertahankan pendapat tokoh bukan Islam supaya umat Islam melonggarkan pegangan mereka terhadap ajaran Islam.

‘‘Harapan Nik Aziz ialah dengan melakukan semua ini orang bukan Islam di Malaysia akan sokong partinya di dalam pilihan raya. Bukan Islam yang diutamakan, bukan mengabdikan diri kepada Allah tetapi kemenangan dalam pilihan raya.

‘‘Orang Umno beragama Islam. Walaupun bagi Nik Abdul Aziz mereka bukan Islam kerana tidak sokong PAS namun dunia mengiktiraf bahawa orang Melayu termasuk ahli Umno dan ahli PAS juga adalah orang Islam,’’ ujarnya lagi.

Beliau berkata demikian di dalam entri terbarunya bertajuk ‘Jawapan Kepada Nik Aziz’ di blognya http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog hari ini.

“Cukuplah saya berkata, saya simpati dengan beliau, semoga beliau mendapat hidayah Allah SWT,” kata Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30906:semoga-mahathir-dapat-hidayah&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Risalah fitnah mula warnai PRK Merlimau

Ahmad Danial

JASIN, 17 Feb: Fitnah dan pembohongan mula mewarnai pilihan raya kecil (PRK) Dun Merlimau walaupun penamaan calon dan aktiviti berkempen masih belum bermula.

Pagi ini, petugas keselamatan dan petugas penerangan Markas Induk PAS PRK Merlimau dikejutkan dengan pengedaran CD dan risalah kecil yang bertajuk ‘Islam Umno tak masuk syurga’, ‘Islam PAS Masyuuuuk Syurga’ yang memaparkan gambar Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat memakai cermin mata hitam.

Selain dari risalah itu, sekeping VCD bertajuk ‘Kemuliaan Masjid Negara tercemar’ juga diedarkan.

Kedua-dua bahan edaran itu dijumpai di hadapan Markas Induk PAS PRK Merlimau dan juga diletakkan di cermin kereta hadapan.

Seorang petugas penerangan, Irwan Azmi Aziz, 28, ketika ditemui di Markas Induk berkata, bahan edaran itu mungkin disebarkan pada awal pagi antara jam 1.00 hingga 4.00 pagi kerana sebelum itu mereka tidak menemui apa-apa bahan seperti itu di sekitar markas tersebut.

Rakan beliau, Abu Siraj Hod, 32, pula berkata tindakan pihak tertentu mengedarkan bahan tersebut mungkin bertujuan untuk memburuk-burukkan PAS kerana tindakan sebegitu memang biasa dilakukan pihak lawan bagi mengelirukan rakyat.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30904:risalah-fitnah-mula-warnai-prk-merlimau&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Saman ekor: Syarikat proksi rompak duit rakyat

Majdan Yahya

GOMBAK, 17 Feb: Pelancaran Kempen Penerangan Bantah Saman Ekor (KASE – Kempen Anti Saman Ekor) Pakatan Rakyat dengan rasminya bermula dan telah disempurnakan oleh Pengerusi Jawatankuasa KASE, Datuk Mahfuz Omar di Dewan MuhibbahTaman Bolton, Batu Caves, malam tadi.

Majlis yang bermula pada jam 9 malam itu turut dihadiri Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Timbalan Presiden PKR, Mohamed Azmin Ali, Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor, Datuk Dr Hasan Ali dan Yang Dipertua PAS Gombak, Ustaz Salehuddin Nasir.

Kempen penerangan tentang saman ekor ini bertujuan membela mangsa saman dan menyedarkan tentang hak-hak mereka mengikut undang-undang.

Menurut Mahfuz, pesalah saman ekor kini berjumlah 4 juta orang yang membabitkan 15 juta saman.

Pesalah juga, katanya tidak tahu mereka sebenarnya menerima notis bukan saman.

Saman yang sebenar dikeluarkan apabila pesalah tidak membayar jumlah tersebut dan dihadapkan ke mahkamah.

Tambahnya, selepas perbicaraan, mahkamah akan memutuskan seseorang itu bersalah dan mesti membayar saman.

Namun, ujarnya selepas pindaan yang akan dibuat nanti pesalah akan diberi notis dan saman sekaligus.

“PR pada dasarnya bersetuju saman yang dikeluarkan kepada pesalah trafik, yang bertujuan mendidik agar mereka lebih berdisiplin di jalan raya bagi mengurangkan berlakunya kemalangan. Tetapi pada masa yang sama PR mahu biarlah hukuman yang dikenakan itu tidak menganiaya rakyat,” ujar Mahfuz.

Menurutnya, ada tiga perkara yang menjadi kebimbangan PR dalam isu saman ekor iaitu pindaan akta JPJ baru-baru ini tidak menyentuh langkah-langkah untuk mengatasi kemalangan maut, padahal perkara itulah yang patut ditekankan.

Keduanya, kata beliau rakyat dianiaya kerana tidak mahir undang-undang di mana JPJ tidak sepatutnya menyenaraihitamkan pesalah kerana belum dijatuhkan hukum oleh mahkamah.

“Contohnya ialah berita seorang warga emas disaman kerana membawa motosikalnya yang berkuasa 500cc melebihi had laju. Padahal warga emas tersebut hanya mempunyai motosikal 70cc dan beliau sendiri tidak pernah sampai ke tempat “motornya” disaman. Banyak lagi contoh penganiayaan terhadap rakyat dalam kes saman ekor ini,” ujarnya yang juga Ahli parlimen Pokok Sena.

Selain itu, jelasnya pindaan akta yang akan dikuatkuasakan nanti yang membabitkan saman ekor cara baru yang menggunakan teknologi terkini di mana PR tidak ada masalah dengan pengenalan sistem baru itu selagi tujuannya untuk mendidik pengguna jalan raya ke arah kebaikan.

“Yang menjadi kemusykilan ialah sistem ini akan dikendalikan oleh dua syarikat swasta yang telah dikenal pasti,” dakwa Mahfuz.

Mahfuz bimbang jika kedua-dua syarikat ini merupakan proksi kepada tokoh-tokoh tertentu atau kroni untuk merompak duit rakyat melalui saman.

“Hal ini kerana, syarikat terbabit akan mendapat keuntungan melalui komisen saman yang dikenakan. Sudah tentulah mereka mahu lebih banyak saman kerana untuk mereka akan meningkat. Dalam hal ini rakyat sekali lagi menjadi mangsa,” ujar Mahfuz lagi.

Dalam majlis itu, Mahfuz menyeru supaya mangsa saman ekor dan “bakal” mangsa saman ekor bangkit memperjuangkan hak mereka sebagai pengguna jalan raya dan rakyat Malaysia yang peka.

Beliau juga menyatakan bahawa saman ekor yang tertunggak sebelum ini (sebelum pindaan akta) akan dibatalkan.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30909:saman-ekor-syarikat-proksi-rompak-duit-rakyat&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

4 borang pencalonan Pro-M UM ditolak

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Feb: Empat calon Pro Mahasiswa (Pro-M) Universiti Malaya hari ini telah ditolak borang pencalonan mereka yang diserahkan sewaktu sesi penamaan calon yang berlangsung hari ini.

Difahamkan, penolakan tersebut ada kaitan dengan kehadiran ke program bengkel calon yang dianjur universiti itu sebelum ini.

Empat calon tersebut masing-masing satu kerusi umum manakala tiga lagi bagi kerusi fakulti.

Pro-M mengemukakan 29 calon kesemuanya, dan dengan penolakan itu, mereka kini hanya bertanding untuk 25 kerusi.

Mereka akan mengadakan satu sidag media di Dataran Gazebo bagi menyatakan pendirian berhubung perkembangan terbaru itu.

Sementara itu, Malaysiakini melaporkan kira-kira 120 penyokong kumpulan Pro-M, termasuk calon, berarak dari padang di hadapan fakulti kejuruteraan menuju ke kompleks perdana siswa untuk penamaan calon.

Mereka bergerak kira-kira jam 8.50 pagi, sambul melaungkan 'bangkit mahaiswa', 'hidup mahasiswa' dan 'bantah e voting'.

Pelajar yang menyertai perarakan itu juga membawa dua kain rentang besar yang tertulis "university muted".

Pilihan Raya Kampus bagi Universiti Malaya menawarkan 43 kerusi, termasuk dua kerusi siswazah dalam pilihan raya kali ini.

Selain UM, empat lagi universiti akan mengadakan penamaan calon masing-masing esok, iaitu Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), dan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) di Skudai, Johor.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30903:4-borang-pencalonan-pro-m-um-ditolak&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

MP Bakri dihalang ikuti proses cabutan lot tanah

Harakahdaily

MUAR, 17 Feb: Ahli Parlimen Bakri, Er Teck Hwa telah menerima laporan daripada penduduk setempat yang mendakwa wujud penyelewengan dalam proses pemberian tanah di Bukit Naning yang dianjurkan oleh Pejabat Tanah Daerah Muar.

Tanah yang terletak di belakang Klinik Desa, Parit Mohd Zin telah ditawarkan kepada penduduk Bukit Naning untuk tujuan perumahan.

Tanah tersebut telah dibahagikan kepada 28 lot, nombor lot bermula dari PTD8799 sehingga PTD8826. Setiap tanah yang ditawarkan masing-masing kurang daripada satu ekar.

Tawaran tersebut telah dimulakan sejak bulan Mac, 2008 dan pemohon akan ditemuduga pada 24 Jun.

[Gambar: Seorang ahli Umno cuba menghalangkan Er (kiri) meneliti proses cabutan lot tanah.]

Seramai 560 orang penduduk telah memohon tawaran tersebut dan wang sebanyak RM30 telah diserahkan oleh mereka sebagai wang pendaftaran.

Pada 7 Februari 2011, pemohon yang berjaya telah menerima surat rasmi daripada Pejabat Tanah Daerah Muar bahawa cabutan lot tanah akan diadakan di Kompleks Penghulu Ayer Hitam pada jam 9.30 pagi, semalam.

Namun, sebahagian daripada pemohon yang gagal telah mendapati bahawa kebanyakan daripada pemohon yang berjaya dalam pemohonan adalah terdiri daripada mereka yang mempunyai pengaruh politik atau merupakan pemimpin politik tempatan.

Hal ini telah menimbulkan perasaan tidak puas hati di kalangan pemohon.

Semalam, Er Teck Hwa yang ditemani oleh pemohon yang gagal iaitu Shamsuddin Buang dan Azman Ibrahim untuk membuat laporan polis di Pondok Polis Bukit Naning.

Selepas membuat laporan polis, Er telah hadir di majlis cabutan yang diadakan di Kompleks Penghulu Ayer Hitam untuk memerhatikan proses cabutan tersebut.

Namun seorang bekas bendahari Umno cawangan telah menghalang Er daripada memasuki kompleks tersebut kerana menurutnya Er tidak diundang.

Namun, Er berkeras untuk masuk ke dalam kompleks supaya dapat meneliti proses cabutan tersebut kerana ia merupakan tanggungjawab seorang wakil rakyat.

Pada hari yang sama, beliau telah membuat laporan polis di Balai Polis Muar kerana dihalang untuk menjalankan tugas rasmi sebagai seorang ahli Parlimen.

Daripada identiti pemohon yang lulus dalam pemohonan, 9 daripada mereka adalah paling disyaki.

Mereka termasuklah ketua dan bekas ketua kampung, pemimpin dan keluarga Umno cawangan.

Walaupun keupayaan kewangan tidak dinyatakan sebagai satu syarat dalam petimbangan tawaran tanah ini, namun sebagai kerajaan yang melaung-laungkan slogan menjaga hak rakyat, keutamaan harus diberikan kepada mereka yang kurang upaya untuk memiliki rumah.

Selain daripada itu, pemohon-pemohon berjaya yang datang daripada keluarga yang sama dan latar belakang politik juga menimbulkan perasaan tidak puas hati kepada pemohon lain.

Pihak berkenaan harus memberikan ulasan penolakan permohonan kepada pemohon yang gagal kerana mereka telah membayar wang pendaftaran sebanyak RM30 dan telah menjalani proses temuduga, atau sekurang-kurangnya pihak berkenaan memberikan surat kepada kesemua pemohon mengenai status permohonan mereka walaupun gagal.

“Proses cabutan harus diadakan di hadapan kesemua pemohon bagi menunjukkan sikap ketelusan pihak penganjur,” katanya.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30911:mp-bakri-dihalang-ikuti-proses-cabutan-lot-tanah&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Bahrain crushes protest camp, locks down capital

John Moore/Getty Images

A surgeon leads a protest at a hospital after at least four people died when police stormed an anti-government protester camp in Manama, Bahrain. More photos »

AP – Bahraini women wait outside a hospital in Manama, Bahrain, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, where victims of …

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press Hadeel Al-shalchi, Associated Press – 1 hr 12 mins ago

MANAMA, Bahrain – Troops and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault Thursday that uprooted their protest camp demanding political change. Medical officials said four people were killed.

Hours after the attack on Manama's main Pearl Square, the military announced a ban on gatherings, saying on state TV that it had "key parts" of the capital under its control.

After several days of holding back, the island nation's Sunni rulers unleashed a heavy crackdown, trying to stamp out the first anti-government upheaval to reach the Arab states of the Gulf since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. In the surprise assault, police tore down protesters' tents, beating men and women inside and blasting some with shotgun sprays of birdshot.

It was a sign of how deeply the Sunni monarchy — and other Arab regimes in the Gulf — fear the repercussions of a prolonged wave of protests, led by members of the country's Shiite majority but also joined by growing numbers of discontented Sunnis.

Tiny Bahrain is a pillar of Washington's military framework in the region. It hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is a critical counterbalance to Iran. Bahrain's rulers and their Arab allies depict any sign of unrest among their Shiite populations as a move by neighboring Shiite-majority Iran to expand its clout in the region.

But the assault may only further enrage protesters, who before the attack had called for large rallies Friday. In the wake of the bloodshed, angry demonstrators chanted "the regime must go" and burned pictures of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa outside the emergency ward at Salmaniyah hospital, the main state medical facility.

"We are even angrier now. They think they can clamp down on us, but they have made us angrier," Makki Abu Taki, whose son was killed in the assault, shouted in the hospital morgue. "We will take to the streets in larger numbers and honor our martyrs. The time for Al Khalifa has ended."

The Obama administration expressed alarm over the violent crackdown. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Bahrain's foreign minister to register Washington's "deep concern" and urge restraint. Similar criticism came from Britain and the European Union.

Click image to see photos of protests in Bahrain

AP/Hassan Ammar

Salmaniyah hospital was thrown into chaos by a stream of dozens of wounded from Pearl Square, brought in by ambulances and private cars. At least one of the dead was peppered with bloody holes from pellets fired from police shotguns. Nurses rushed in men and women on stretchers, their heads bleeding, arms in casts, faces bruised. At the entrance, women wrapped in black robes embraced each other and wept.

The capital Manama was effectively shut down Thursday. For the first time in the crisis, tanks rolled into the streets and military checkpoints were set up as army patrols circulated. The Interior Ministry warned Bahrainis to stay off the streets. Banks and other key institutions did not open, and workers stayed home, unable or to afraid to pass through checkpoints to get to their jobs.

Barbed wire and police cars with flashing blue lights encircled Pearl Square, the site of anti-government rallies since Monday. The square was turned into a field of flattened tents and the strewn belongings of the protesters who had camped there — pieces of clothing and boxes of food.

Banners lay trampled on the ground, littered with broken glass, tear gas canisters and debris. A body covered in a white sheet lay in a pool of blood on the side of a road nearby.

Demonstrators had been camping out for days around the landmark square's 300-foot (90-meter) monument featuring a giant pearl, a testament to the island's pearl-diving past.

The protesters' demands have two main objectives: force the ruling Sunni monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions, and address deep grievances held by the country's majority Shiites who make up 70 percent of Bahrain's 500,000 citizens but claim they face systematic discrimination and poverty and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.

Shiites have clashed with police before in protests over their complaints. But the growing numbers of Sunnis joining the latest protests have come as a surprise to authorities, said Simon Henderson, a Gulf specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"The Sunnis seem to increasingly dislike what is a very paternalistic government," he said, adding that the crackdown was "symptomatic" of Gulf nations' response to crises. "As far as the Gulf rulers are concerned there's only one proper way with this and that is: be tough and be tough early."

The assault came early Thursday with little warning, demonstrators said. Police surrounded the square and then quickly moved in. Some lined up on a bridge overhead, pumping down volleys of tear gas, as others waded into the camp, knocking down tents and swinging truncheons at those inside.

"We yelled, 'We are peaceful! Peaceful!'" said protester Mahmoud Mansouri. "The women and children were attacked just like the rest of us."

Dr. Sadek Al-Ikri, 44, said he was tending to sick protesters at a makeshift medical tent in the square when the police stormed in. He said he was tied up and severely beaten, then thrown on a bus with others.

"They were beating me so hard I could no longer see. There was so much blood running from my head," he said. "I was yelling, 'I'm a doctor. I'm a doctor.' But they didn't stop."

He said the police beating him spoke Urdu, the main language of Pakistan. A pillar of the protest demands is to end the Sunni regime's practice of giving citizenship to other Sunnis from around the region to try to offset the demographic strength of Shiites. Many of the new Bahrainis are given security posts.

Al-Ikri said he and others on the bus were left on a highway overpass, but the beatings didn't stop. Eventually, the doctor said he fainted but could hear another police official say in Arabic: "Stop beating him. He's dead. We should just leave him here."

Many families were separated in the chaos. An Associated Press photographer saw police rounding up lost children and taking them into vehicles.

Hussein Abbas, 22, was awakened by a missed call on his cell phone from his wife, presumably trying to warn him about reports that police were preparing to move in.

"Then all of a sudden the square was filled with tear gas clouds. Our women were screaming. ... What kind of ruler does this to his people? There were women and children with us!"

ABC News said its correspondent, Miguel Marquez, was caught in the crowd and beaten by men with billy clubs, although he was not badly injured.

The violence killed four people, said hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Bahrain's parliament — minus opposition lawmakers who are staging a boycott — met in emergency session. One pro-government member, Jamila Salman, broke into tears. A leader of the Shiite opposition Abdul-Jalil Khalil said 18 lawmakers resigned to protest the killings.

Hours before police moved in, the mood in the makeshift tent city was festive and confident.

People sipped tea, ate donated food and smoked apple- and grape-flavored tobacco from water pipes. The men and women mainly sat separately — the women a sea of black in their traditional dress. Some youths wore the red-and-white Bahraini flag as a cape.

While the protests began as a cry for the country's Sunni monarchy to loosen its grip, the uprising's demands have steadily grown bolder. Many protesters called for the government to provide more jobs and better housing, free all political detainees and abolish the system that offers Bahraini citizenship to Sunnis from around the Middle East.

Increasingly, protesters also chanted slogans to wipe away the entire ruling dynasty that has led Bahrain for more than 200 years and is firmly backed by the Sunni sheiks and monarchs across the Gulf.

The stability of Bahrain's government is seen as crucial by its other allies in the Gulf, who — though they rarely say it in public — see Bahrain's Shiite majority as the weak link in their unity against Iranian influence.

Hard-liners in Iran have often expressed kinship and support for Bahrain's Shiites. But in Bahrain, the community staunchly denies being a tool of Tehran, saying their complaints are rooted in their country's unbalanced system.

Although Bahrain is sandwiched between OPEC heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it has limited oil resources and depends heavily on its role as a regional financial hub and playground for Saudis, who can drive over a causeway to enjoy Bahrain's Western-style bars, hotels and beaches.

The unrest could threaten the opening next month of Formula One racing, one of the centerpieces of Bahrain's claims for international prestige. The GP2 Asia Series race, due to start Friday on the same circuit used by Formula One, was called off at the request of the Bahrain Motorsport Federation "due to force majeure," race organizers announced Thursday.

Social networking websites had been abuzz Wednesday with calls to press ahead with the protests. They were matched by insults from presumed government backers who called the demonstrators traitors and agents of Iran.

The protest movement's next move is unclear.

Before the attack on the square, protesters had called for major rallies after Friday prayers. The reported deaths, however, could become a fresh rallying point. Thousands of mourners had turned out for the funeral processions of two other people killed in the protests earlier in the week.

After prayers Wednesday evening, a Shiite imam in the square had urged Bahrain's youth not to back down.

"This square is a trust in your hands and so will you whittle away this trust or keep fast?" the imam said. "So be careful and be concerned for your country and remember that the regime will try to rip this country from your hand but if we must leave it in coffins then so be it!"

Across the city, government supporters in a caravan of cars waved national flags and displayed portraits of the king.

"Come join us!" they yelled into markets and along busy streets. "Show your loyalty."

Thousands of mourners turned out Wednesday for the funeral procession of 31-year-old Fadhel al-Matrook, one of two people killed Monday in the protests. Later, in Pearl Square, his father Salman pleaded with protesters not to give up.

"He is not only my son. He is the son of Bahrain, the son of this nation," he yelled. "His blood shouldn't be wasted."

Slideshow:Protests in Bahrain

Play Video Video:Pre-dawn raid destroys Bahrain protest camp AP

Play Video Video:Police teargas Bahrain protesters Reuters

___

Brian Murphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110217/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain_protests

Yemenis press anti-government protests

AP – A supporter of the Yemeni government prepares to hurl a stone at anti-government demonstrators, during …

By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Ahmed Al-haj, Associated Press – 43 mins ago

SANAA, Yemen – Several thousand Yemeni protesters defied appeals for calm from the military and the country's most influential Islamic cleric and marched through the capital on Thursday, pressing on with their campaign to oust the U.S.-allied president.

The protesters fought off attacks by police and government supporters swinging batons and daggers. Municipal vehicles ferried sticks and stones to the pro-government side, witnesses said.

For seven straight days, protests have hit the capital, Sanaa, and other cities in the Arab world's poorest country, a mountainous territory wracked by tribal conflicts, armed rebellion and other serious woes.

Inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Yemenis have poured into the streets to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh after 32 years in power — three years more than Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. Their main grievances are poverty and government corruption.

Saleh's promises not to run for re-election in 2013 or to set up his son to succeed him have failed to quiet the anti-government storm sweeping Yemen and other nations in the region. Similar protests also swept into Libya and Bahrain this week.

The Yemeni president is an important U.S. ally in fighting al-Qaida. The terror group's Yemen-based offshoot has been linked to attacks beyond Yemen's borders, including the failed attempt in December 2009 to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner.

Thursday's protests began with small gatherings of students marching toward downtown Sanaa. Many other people joined them as clashes broke out with police and government supporters. The number of protesters reached about 6,000.

"People want to topple the president, people want to topple the regime," they chanted.

Witnesses said police fired shots into the air to disperse the protesters. A dozen protesters and an unknown number of policemen were injured.

Security officials said police arrested about 50 protesters.

Clashes were reported Thursday in several other towns, including the port city of Aden.

Seeking to hold on to the momentum, activists have called for a "day of rage" Friday.

Yemen's official news agency, Saba, reported that President Saleh chaired a meeting of the army's top officers Wednesday night to discuss the turmoil. The Defense Council later called for calm.

Another appeal to end the protests came from Yemen's most prominent religious figure, Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, who is close to Saleh. The United States considers him an al-Qaida-linked terrorist.

"Change by street protest is rejected. It leads to chaos," al-Zindani said.

Play Video Reuters – More clashes erupt in Yemen capital

• Slideshow:Anti-Government Demonstrations in Yemen

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110217/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_yemen

Anti-government protesters killed in Libyan clash

AP – Map locates Benghazi, Libya, where there are protests to ouster the government

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Salah Nasrawi, Associated Press – 17 mins ago

CAIRO – Libyan protesters seeking to oust longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi defied a crackdown and took to the streets in four cities Thursday on what activists have dubbed a "day of rage," amid reports at least 20 demonstrators have been killed in clashes with pro-government groups.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Libyan internal security forces also have arrested at least 14 people. Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators also rallied in the capital, Tripoli, blocking traffic in some areas, witnesses said.

An opposition website and an anti-Gadhafi activist said unrest broke out during marches in four Libyan cities Thursday. Organizers were using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to call for nationwide demonstrations.

"Today the Libyans broke the barrier or fear, it is a new dawn," said Faiz Jibril, an opposition leader in exile.

Opposition website Libya Al-Youm said four protesters were slain by snipers from the Internal Security Forces in the eastern city of Beyida, which had protests Wednesday and Thursday. It's not clear when the protesters were killed. The website also said there was a demonstration Thursday in Benghazi, Libya's second-Largest city, and that security forces had shot and killed six people with life ammunition.

Switzerland-based Libyan activist Fathi al-Warfali said 11 protesters were killed in Beyida on Wednesday night, and scores were wounded. He said the government dispatched army commandos to quell the uprising.

Libya Al-Youm said that protesters set out Thursday after the funeral for those killed a day earlier toward the State Security building, chanting "Free Libya, Gadhafi get out!"

Mohammed Ali Abdellah, deputy leader of the exiled National Front for the Salvation of Libya, said that hospitals in Beyida were complaining of a shortage in medical supplies, and that the government has refused to provide them to treat an increasing number of protesters.

Click image to see photos of protests in Libya

AFP/Mahmud Turkia

Abdellah quoted hospital officials in the town as saying that about 70 people have been admitted since Wednesday night, about half of them critically injured by gunshot wounds.

Gadhafi's government has moved quickly to try to stop Libyans from joining the wave of uprisings in the Middle East that have ousted the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia. It has proposed the doubling of government employees' salaries and released 110 suspected Islamic militants who oppose him — tactics similar to those adopted by other Arab regimes facing recent mass protests.

An autocrat who has ruled for more than 40 years, Gadhafi also has been meeting with tribal leaders to solicit their support. State television reported Tuesday that Gadhafi spoke with representatives of Ben Ali tribe, one of Libya's biggest clans and one that has branches in neighboring Egypt.

The official news agency JANA said Thursday's pro-government rallies were intended to express "eternal unity with the brother leader of the revolution," as Gadhafi is known.

Witnesses in the capital said many government supporters were raising Libyan flags from their cars and chanting slogans in favor of Gadhafi. They said it was otherwise business as usual in the capital and stores remained open.

But protests already have turned violent.

Al-Warfali, head of the Libyan Committee for Truth and Justice, said two more people were killed in another city, Zentan, on Thursday while one protester was killed in Rijban, a town about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of Tripoli, where power was shut down Wednesday night and remained off Thursday.

He said protesters on Thursday in the coastal city of Darnah were chanting "the people want the ouster of the regime" — a popular slogan from protests in Tunisia and Egypt — when thugs and police attacked them from a vegetable market.

A video provided by al-Warfali of the scene in Zentan showed marchers chanting and holding a banner that read "Down with Gadhafi. Down with the regime."

Another video showed protests by lawyers in Benghazi on Thursday demanding political and economic reform while a third depicted a demonstration in Shahat, a small town southwest of Benghazi.

The Libyan government maintains tight control over the media and the reports couldn't be independently confirmed.

Libya's Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition group in that country as it has been in Egypt, denounced the crackdown.

In a statement Wednesday night, it accused "the security forces and members of the revolutionary committees of using live ammunition in dispersing the protesters." The group demanded that "the Libyan regime rein in its (security) apparatus."

Play Video Reuters – Arrest triggers Libya protest

• Slideshow:Anti-government protests in Libya
• Play Video Video:Protests spread across Arab world AP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110217/ap_on_re_af/af_libya_protests

Huge solar flare jams radio, satellite signals: NASA

AFP/NASA/Ho – A NASA image of an erupting solar flare. A powerful solar eruption that has already disturbed radio communications …

– Thu Feb 17, 4:59 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A powerful solar eruption that has already disturbed radio communications in China could disrupt electrical power grids and satellites used on Earth in the next days, NASA said.

The massive sunspot, which astronomers say is the size of Jupiter, is the strongest solar flare in four years, NASA said Wednesday.

[Related: Solar flare to create light show on Earth?]

The Class X flash -- the largest such category -- erupted at 0156 GMT Tuesday, according to the US space agency.

"X-class flares are the most powerful of all solar events that can trigger radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms," disturbing telecommunications and electric grids, NASA said.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory saw a large coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with the flash that is blasting toward Earth at about 560 miles per second (900 kilometers per second), it said.

[Related: Planet Tyche: New member of solar system?]

The charged plasma particles were expected to reach the planet's orbit at 0300 GMT Thursday.

The flare spread from Active Region 1158 in the sun's southern hemisphere, which had so far lagged behind the northern hemisphere in flash activity. It followed several smaller flares in recent days.

"The calm before the storm," read a statement on the US National Weather Service Space Weather Prediction Service.

"Three CMEs are enroute, all a part of the Radio Blackout events on February 13, 14, and 15 (UTC). The last of the three seems to be the fastest and may catch both of the forerunners about mid to late ... February 17."

Geomagnetic storms usually last 24 to 48 hours, "but some may last for many days," read a separate NWS statement.

"Ground to air, ship to shore, shortwave broadcast and amateur radio are vulnerable to disruption during geomagnetic storms. Navigation systems like GPS can also be adversely affected."

The China Meteorological Administration reported that the solar flare had jammed shortwave radio communications in southern China.

It said the flare caused "sudden ionospheric disturbances" in the atmosphere above China, and warned there was a high probability that large solar flares would appear over the next three days, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

In previous major disturbance of the Earth's electric grid from a solar incident, in 1973, a magnetic storm caused by a solar eruption plunged six million people into darkness in Canada's eastern-central Quebec province.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said meanwhile that the solar storm would result in spectacular Northern Lights displays starting Thursday.

One coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived on February 14, "sparking Valentine's Day displays of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) further south than usual."

"Two CMEs are expected to arrive in the next 24-48 hours and further... displays are possible some time over the next two nights if skies are clear," it said.

The office published geomagnetic records dating back to the Victorian era which it hopes will help in planning for future storms.

"Life increasingly depends on technologies that didn't exist when the magnetic recordings began," said Alan Thomson, BGS head of geomagnetism.

"Studying the records will tell us what we have to plan and prepare for to make sure systems can resist solar storms," he said.

Play Video Space Video:NASA snaps pics of comet in Valentine fling AP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110217/sc_afp/usastronomytelecomnasachina_20110217095946