Malaysia's Datuk Lee Chong Wei vs China's Lin Dan; what difference for winner/loser?

DAP’s Manoharan under fire over disparaging tweets about Chong Wei

PETALING JAYA: Kota Alam Shah's DAP assemblyman M. Manoharan has come under fire for making disparaging comments about Datuk Lee Chong Wei's defeat to China's Lin Dan in the Olympic badminton men's singles final.

Among other things, Manoharan tweeted: “Malaysia will win its first gold medal in Olympics after Pakatan takes over Putrajaya.”

“If Chong Wei played better than Lin Dan, why didn't he win? We must be firm with our players so that we can see a gold one day.

“Whoever wins a gold medal with Olympics, we must congratulate them.

“Lin Dan is so stylish. So modern. Doesn't look like a China man. But from China. Tattoo all over.

“LIN DAN wins. He played better than Lee Chong AWAY.”

Netizens set up a Facebook page called “We Want Manoharan Malayalam to apologise to Lee Chong Wei”, which received 3,497 “likes” by 9pm yesterday.

Even those who support Pakatan Rakyat criticised his tweets, describing them as insensitive and tasteless.

Manoharan, however, denied any intent to insult the national player.

“My intention was for the betterment of our sports and to improve our chances to win in the next Olympics,” he said, stressing that it was his personal opinion and not Pakatan's stand.

Last year, the DAP politician stirred similar controversy when he suggested modifying the Jalur Gemilang, claiming its design did not reflect Malaysia.

DAP suspended his membership for six months from Sept 23 but lifted the punishment after a month.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim said the comments showed the level of thinking of Pakatan leaders who were only keen on gaining political mileage.

“How can someone be so insensitive when the nation is grieving after losing the crucial match? Sports should be above politics. I feel that Chong Wei has contributed more to Malaysia compared to many of us,” he said.

MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu regretted that there were politicians who liked engaging in controversies to maintain their relevance.

“His comment is nothing new, he made remarks about the national flag last year and I believe he enjoys it. The statement is despicable by any standards. Let the people evaluate Pakatan's choices of wakil rakyat,” he said.

Selangor MCA secretary Wong Koon Mun said winning medals at the Olympics or any world championships took many years of diligence, discipline and commitment and was not about which political coalition was in power.

MIC Youth chief T. Mohan said Manoharan's actions showed his lack of thought on Chong Wei's years of sacrifice and training.

“As a Malaysian, he should have shown his patriotism and support. There is nothing wrong in applauding a medal winner, even if he is not a Malaysian. But Manoharan belittled Chong Wei with his tweets. Sport is not an avenue for cheap publicity or scoring political points.”

Umno Youth Community Com-plaints Bureau chairman Datuk Mohd Khairun Aseh also said Manoharan should apologise for his remarks.

By RAHIMY RAHIM rahimyr@thestar.com.my

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London Olympic Medal Count as at Ausgust 6, 2012

Leaders

Total

1		China	31	19	14	64
2		United States	29	15	19	63
3		Great Britain	18	11	11	40
4		Korea	11	5	6	22
5		France	8	9	9	26
6		Russia	7	17	18	42
7		Italy	7	6	4	17
8		Kazakhstan	6	-	1	7
9		Germany	5	10	7	22
10		Hungary	4	1	3	8
11		DPR Korea	4	-	1	5
12		Netherlands	3	3	4	10
13		Cuba	3	3	1	7
14		Belarus	3	2	3	8
15		New Zealand	3	1	4	8
16		South Africa	3	1	-	4
17		Ukraine	3	-	6	9
18		Japan	2	12	14	28
19		Australia	2	12	8	22
20		Denmark	2	4	2	8
20		Romania	2	4	2	8
22		Brazil	2	1	5	8
23		Poland	2	1	3	6
24		Iran	2	1	1	4
24		Jamaica	2	1	1	4
26		Croatia	2	1	-	3
27		Ethiopia	2	-	2	4
28		Canada	1	3	6	10
29		Sweden	1	3	2	6
30		Czech Republic	1	3	1	5
31		Kenya	1	2	2	5
32		Slovenia	1	1	2	4
33		Dominican Republic	1	1	-	2
33		Georgia	1	1	-	2
33		Switzerland	1	1	-	2
36		Lithuania	1	-	1	2
37		Grenada	1	-	-	1
37		Venezuela	1	-	-	1
39		Mexico	-	3	2	5
40		Colombia	-	3	1	4
41		Spain	-	2	1	3
42		Egypt	-	2	-	2
43		Slovakia	-	1	3	4
44		Azerbaijan	-	1	2	3
44		Belgium	-	1	2	3
44		India	-	1	2	3
47		Armenia	-	1	1	2
47		Indonesia	-	1	1	2
47		Mongolia	-	1	1	2
47		Norway	-	1	1	2
47		Serbia	-	1	1	2
47		Tunisia	-	1	1	2
53		Cyprus	-	1	-	1
53		Estonia	-	1	-	1
53		Guatemala	-	1	-	1
53		Malaysia	-	1	-	1
53		Thailand	-	1	-	1
53		Chinese Taipei	-	1	-	1
59		Greece	-	-	2	2
59		Moldova	-	-	2	2
61		Argentina	-	-	1	1
61		Hong Kong, China	-	-	1	1
61		Saudi Arabia	-	-	1	1
61		Puerto Rico	-	-	1	1
61		Qatar	-	-	1	1
61		Singapore	-	-	1	1
61		Trinidad and Tobago	-	-	1	1
61		Turkey	-	-	1	1
61		Uzbekistan	-	-	1	1

53

Malaysia

-

1

-

1

Straits International School (SIS) coming up in Penang

PENANG has been chosen by Charter Sdn Bhd as the site of their first educational centre called the Straits International School

SIS Charter Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Lita Nasyitah Goh Abdullah said they decided on Penang as their first education hub in Malaysia as they believed Penang was one of the most developed states.

“We look forward to nurturing and guiding young Penangites towards greater success and a lifetime of achievement.

“We choose Bayan Lepas specifically as it is a free industrial zone and a destination for plenty of multinational companies.

“The locality also has great accessibility, infrastructure and logistics,” she said.

She was speaking before the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between Oztek (M) Sdn Bhd and SIS Charter Sdn Bhd at the Eastin Hotel recently.

“We see that Penang is gearing up to be an education hub. Hence, the setting up of our campus here is a decision which will defi-nitely benefit all concerned,” she added.

Oztek (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Alex Ooi, who is the developer, said that his company was currently finalising the building plan with the Penang Municipal Council.

The company is clearing a 0.809 ha plot of land in Jalan Tun Dr Awang.

“The build-up area of the school is about 200,000sq ft (about 18580sq m) and the building costs about RM20mil to RM25mil.

“Construction will start in January next year and is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2014.”

Ooi added that the building will be able to host about 1,500 students.

“We are looking to lease the building to SIS Charter Sdn Bhd for 20 years,” he said.

SIS will begin its academic programme from its temporary campus at 1-Square, Penang Cyber City, which is at Tingkat Mahsuri 1, Bayan Lepas,

The new term will start on Aug 27.

Witnessing the MoA followed by the launching of the temporary campus was Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Lim said that the new five-storey building of the school would be a state-of-the-art facility.

“The incorporation of the SIS underlines the growing importance of providing quality curriculum.

“This move will help place Penang as an educational hub of choice for not only the locals but the expatriate communities living in Thailand and Indonesia.”

The Star/Asia News Network

Chinese Tech Billionaire To Launch Next Xiaomi Smartphone

All will be revealed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chinese smartphone startup Xiaomi has confirmed that it will unveil its new model in Beijing on Aug. 16, a year after the launch of its debut MI-1. The Android-based phone has sold over 3 million units and put Xiaomi and its billionaire cofounder Lei Jun on the global smartphone map. A Xiaomi spokesman refused to discuss the phone’s features, telling FORBES that all would be revealed on Aug. 16. A report on Sohu.com last week claimed that the new phone would use a Qualcomm quad-core 1.5GHz chip with a 4.3″ display touchscreen. Interestingly, Xiaomi may be raising its price to RMB2,499 ($392), compared to RMB1,999 for the first-generation phone. Lei initially told reporters that he didn’t expect to make a profit from handset sales, but surging shipments upended that calculation and boosted Xiaomi’s valuation to $4 billion in a recent funding round. You can read my profile of Lei here.

In a research note, Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets notes that Xiaomi recorded $995 million in sales for 1H 2012 and that China’s smartphone market continues to post rapid growth.

During our travels to China, we have noticed a surge in the popularity of Xiaomi smartphones and already the Company is a top-five vendor at a leading service provider in the country. The Company’s smartphones seem to be especially popular with the younger crowd due to their cutting edge design with high- energy color patterns.

Photos of Xiaomi’s new phone’s eco-packaging, though not what’s inside the box, have been posted to Lei’s microblog. Lei is famous for Steve Jobs-style product presentations that play to his geek fans in China (and infuriate his detractors). He will be out to prove that Xiaomi hasn’t sat still over the last year but is building a better phone with an integrated software experience for users. However, a jump to RMB2,499 would be a bold step, as smartphone prices in China are heading the other way, i.e. cheaper and cheaper. Apple and Samsung occupy the top rungs of smartphone chic, where a high sticker price doesn’t deter avid buyers. Xiaomi wants to carve out a mid-tier position where its brand carries weight. Its new phone will be a crucial part of that strategy.

By Simon Montlake, Forbes Staff

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