Ahad, 14 Ogos 2011

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WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIA REACTS TO CEASEFIRE

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Khairy Jamaluddin's antics provided a sometimes entertaining, sometimes maddening diversion throughout the Lebanon crisis. He organized a large and noisy but non-violent July 21 rally in front of the Embassy during which he was pictured by the press at the Embassy's gate, haranguing marchers with a bull horn. Khairy led a July 28 demonstration on the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center during Secretary Rice's participation in the ARF, demanding unsuccessfully to deliver a harshly worded petition to the Secretary, and his appearances often seemed to direct more attention to himself than to his cause.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001587

 

SIPDIS

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2016

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, IS, LE, MY

SUBJECT: MALAYSIA REACTS TO CEASEFIRE

 

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1559

     B. KUALA LUMPUR 1354

     C. KUALA LUMPUR 1397

     D. KUALA LUMPUR 1377

 

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission David B. Shear for reasons 1.4 (b, d)

 

1.  (C)  Summary:   Malaysian officials have welcomed the passage of United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1701, and the Malaysian media's preoccupation with the Middle East crisis has quickly diminished.  GOM officials reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting peace in the Middle East and reiterated their commitment to send peacekeeping troops to support the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Despite some rhetoric and political posturing, Malaysia seems willing to work with the UN in determining what, if any, Malaysian forces would appropriately augment UNIFIL.

Until they were corrected by the Prime Minister, leaders of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) Youth movement called for boycotts of American products and for a cessation of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. UMNO Youth leaders admit they are making concessions to their conservative base, but have generally returned their focus to the domestic agenda.  Calls for a boycott of American products largely fell on deaf ears, but the demand that the GOM terminate the FTA talks reflects the extent to which the GOM will have to work in order to generate domestic support for an FTA.  End Summary.

GOM Supports UNSCR 1701

2.  (C)  Senior Malaysian officials including Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Foreign Minister Hamid have strongly supported the ceasefire in Lebanon.  Notwithstanding recent reports that Israel may object to peacekeeping forces from nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, Abdullah, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and FM Hamid have all declared publicly that Malaysia will send troops to support UNIFIL over Israel's objections. 

However, privately, Malaysia's Under Secretary for Multilateral Affairs Shahrul Ikram has told us that Malaysia will naturally allow the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations to decide if Malaysia should send troops and what their composition would be.  He also reported that Malaysia wants to help, but will naturally work through the UN to ensure UNIFIL has the appropriate composition to complete the mission.

And the Negative Public Rhetoric Cools

3.  (C)  The Malaysian public and media reacted strongly to the Lebanon crisis, and, in addition to sustained criticism of the U.S. in the local press, the Embassy experienced demonstrations on several Friday afternoons at the end of July that were larger and noisier than usual.  But the passage of UNSCR 1701 and the August 14 implementation of the ceasefire in Lebanon quickly deflated much of the negative political rhetoric prevalent in Malaysia after the start of hostilities. 

Politicians and reporters have largely returned their attention to domestic politics: a new budget session in parliament scheduled to begin on September 1, preparations for the November UMNO General Assembly, and former Prime Minister Mahathir's jabs at the government.  Despite overwhelming coverage of the war prior to the ceasefire, most newspapers did not headline the implementation of the ceasefire, nor did they give front-page billing to the return of displaced Lebanese families back to southern Lebanon.

Malaysian officials have continued calls for comprehensive peace and reaffirmed their commitment to send peacekeeping troops to Lebanon (ref A).

Khairy Jamaluddin: Criticizes the FTA Talks; Calls for Boycott of U.S. Goods

4.  (C) UMNO Youth deputy chairman and Prime Ministerial son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin's antics provided a sometimes entertaining, sometimes maddening diversion throughout the Lebanon crisis.   Khairy's influence on his father-in-law and some of his recent financial dealings have been the target of former Prime Minister Mahathir's ire for several months, and, no doubt sensing that political opportunity knocked, he decided to lead a highly visible UMNO Youth effort to flay the U.S. for its support of Israel.  He organized a large and noisy but non-violent July 21 rally in front of the Embassy during which he was pictured by the press at the Embassy's gate, haranguing marchers with a bull horn. 

Khairy led a July 28 demonstration on the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center during Secretary Rice's participation in the ARF, demanding unsuccessfully to deliver a harshly worded petition to the Secretary, and his appearances often seemed to direct more attention to himself than to his cause.  The frenetic Khairy also called for a stop to U.S.- Malaysia FTA talks and for a boycott of the "American" brands Coca-Cola and Starbucks, statements that were rebuffed by the Prime Minister.

5. (C)  Khairy has been less vocal since the cease fire went into effect.  Our subsequent meetings with UMNO Youth executive committee leaders confirmed that UMNO Youth rhetoric over the past two months was intended to appeal to UMNO's more conservative base.  They have told us that it was also aimed at preventing the Islamic opposition party PAS from gaining momentum given the recent clashes between Abdullah and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed (ref D).

Having achieved those ends, UMNO Youth has returned to its preparations for the UMNO General Assembly in November and the general elections anticipated for next year.  We expect the occasional jab from Khairy and his UMNO buddies as preparatory meetings for the November UMNO General Assembly continue, but we doubt the drumbeat will reach the decibel levels heard through late-July and early August.

Calls for Boycott Not Threatening

6.  (C)  Khairy's call for the GOM to boycott the US seems to have gained little traction publicly and politically. U.S. firms operating in Malaysia are watchful, but not overly concerned by Khairy's calls for a boycott.  The local Coca-Cola bottler recalled that a similar boycott call in 2002 following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan had no impact on sales. 

Both the Coke and Starbucks franchisees (the local operations actually are owned by Malaysian companies) plan to take no action, believing the best approach is not to draw further attention to the issue. 

At the monthly meeting of the board of governors of the American-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) August 16, members expected that the boycott would fade quickly, so long as the situation in Lebanon remains under control.  The board also agreed to take no action in response to the call for a boycott at this time.

Effect on FTA Remains To Be Seen

7.  (C) We doubt that the Lebanon crisis itself had a lasting negative effect on GOM support for the FTA talks.  But Khairy's opportunistic attack on the talks underscores the extent to which the negotiation may be vulnerable to Malaysian domestic politics.  At a minimum, it also demonstrates the extent to which the GOM will have to work to convince even the ruling party's rank-and-file of the benefits of a FTA with the U.S.

LAFLEUR

 

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DAP wants SC action over Tajuddin suits

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 12:25 PM PDT

 

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

The DAP has called on the Securities Commission (SC) to act against GLCs which have been ordered to drop billion-ringgit civil suits against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli for failing to reveal all material developments in their claims against the former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairman.

Party publicity chief Tony Pua said in a statement today that Putrajaya's directive to withdraw their claims should have been immediately disclosed on Bursa Malaysia as "the litigations involved billions of ringgit in claims and counter-claims which are surely material to the finances of these companies."

"The board of directors of these companies must also immediately state their immediate position vis-à-vis the letter from Nazri to allow investors, particularly the minority shareholders, to weigh their investment options," the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said.

The Malaysian Insider had reported that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz issued a letter earlier this month telling all GLCs that the government was settling their claims with Tajuddin out of court.

Tajuddin is presently facing billions in legal claims against him, following accusations by MAS in 2002 that he had caused the carrier to suffer losses in excess of RM8 billion.

Nazri's letter had called for "all civil claims against Tan Sri Dato Tajuddin Ramli and others to be withdrawn immediately in view of the fact that the government and the Finance Ministry have agreed that the said cases will be settled out of court."

"For your information the government has given me the mandate to act for the government in this matter," it added, directing these companies to hand over their cases to Datuk Hafarizam Harun, who has handled other high-profile cases for Umno such as the constitutional crisis over its takeover of Perak in 2009.

But after his letter surfaced, Nazri defended the administration's move, saying it would not spell a debt bailout for Tajuddin but was merely a suggestion to the GLCs to work out an out-of-court settlement with the former MAS chairman.

 

 

READ MORE HERE.

After two years as PM, Najib losing middle ground

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 12:20 PM PDT

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider

Datuk Seri Najib Razak risks drifting further away from the centre if he does not deliver on his reform initiatives and continues to "pacify" right-wingers, analysts have warned.

Pundits have charged that Najib has been moving away from a centrist position since taking office as prime minister in 2009, saying his indecisiveness in carrying out policies mirrored that of his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Delayed economic reforms, the New Economic Model's (NEM) watered-down emphasis on competitiveness in its final version, coupled with Najib's (picture) poor handling of the July 9 Bersih are instances where the PM has been accused of placating the demands of right-wing groups as well as members within Umno.

"In the long run Najib is moving to the right, and is running a big risk. Not everyone supports right-wing sentiments.

"There is credence to the arguments that Najib is drifting away from the centre. Despite his proposals for reform and overtures to the non-Malay community, these are still in traction," said Merdeka Center director Ibrahim Suffian.

Ibrahim believes that not much has changed since Najib introduced his government transformation programmes, pointing out that the results have not "trickled down" to the public.

The polls expert stated that economy was the ultimate determining factor as to future voter support, and that turbulent economic times would not bode well for the PM.

"It is in part driven by necessity, Najib is trying to protect his current support, he can't push for reforms at the expense of Malay support base within Umno," Ibrahim added.

Using the recent Bersih 2.0 rally as an example, Ibrahim said Najib should have taken a more moderate position and allowed space for dissent by listening to the election watchdog.

"He has to be seen as a prime minister for all Malaysians," said Ibrahim.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Najib has fallen out with several key advisers over the government's security crackdown during the rally. A few liberal advisers have been sidelined while those with right-wing sentiments feel the prime minister should take a harder line.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) academic Dr Faizal Hazis concurred with Ibrahim's views, saying that although Najib had promised a "moderate, centrist" government administration, there was a lack of will on the part of Najib to carry through his plans.

"In trying to placate all parties, Najib is drifting away from the centre.

"There is no strong will to see the initiatives through, especially on the part of Umno," Faizal told The Malaysian Insider.

The simplest example, said the academic was Najib's refusal recently to state whether he was a proponent of his own two-year-old 1 Malaysia policy that espouses being "Malaysian first" — for fear of contradicting his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

 

READ MORE HERE.

 

Cut Waste? Who Is Wasting Resources?

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 01:34 AM PDT

By Masterwordsmith

Undeniably, health care, an important social service provided by the government for citizens, must be easy, accessible, adequate in supply and affordable to the masses. Yet, our country has yet to draft and to implement a National Health Policy for the rakyat.

After reading this report, I am compelled to cut to the chase the talk about cutting waste at government hospitals.

Despite soaring health care costs, the Health Ministry has found that a substantial amount of medicine dispensed by government hospitals goes unused or expired.

According to the report, Datuk Eisah A. Rahman, the ministry's senior director of pharmaceutical services, the medicine returned to the pharmacy at various hospitals for the first half of the year was:

  • RM128,818 at Kuala Lumpur Hospital

  • RM82,436 at Sarawak General Hospital

  • RM27,899 at Seberang Jaya Hospital in Penang

  • RM53,769 at Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Perlis

  • RM190,616 at Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital in Seremban

  • A TOTAL OF RM483 538 from just FIVE HOSPITALS!!!

The ministry is collating data from the other government hospitals. Eisah said the current figures alone reflect the amount of medicine wasted adding that it would be a substantial amount for all the hospitals.

There are 135 hospitals in the country with the ministry spending RM1.6bil on medicine in 2010, an increase of 14.48% from the previous year.

Whilst I applaud Datuk Eisah A. Rahman's courage in making this disclosure, I am quite aghast that it is only now that the public know about this wastage. Why did it take so long for the ministry to take the bull by its horns by implementing the "return medication programme" only last year?

It is most worrying that one reason behind the campaign was to help reduce the possibility of the prescription drugs being misused by others.

Isn't there some sort of stock check system whereby the relevant staff can ensure there is no wastage or misuse? Surely there exists some sort of recording system for the medical supplies and that orders must only be made and approved when existing supplies are about to be exhausted. Does this report reveal more than meets the eye?

One wonders about the size of the cumulative figure for the whole country in ONE year and for the last TEN years. And also, to compare the figures for this wastage per year and assess its proportion in relation in the total expenditure. It is important that the Minister of Health explain how he is going to handle this situation to ensure history is not repeated! More importantly, that the rakyat's money is used prudently FOR THE RAKYAT and NOT for illegals!!!

Who will take responsibility for the state of affairs? What measure will be implemented to avoid such wastage? And, who is the one wasting resources?

What on earth is happening to Health Care in Malaysia? For sure, a major restructuring is needed especially in:

READ MORE HERE

 

WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIA REACTS TO CEASEFIRE

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Khairy Jamaluddin's antics provided a sometimes entertaining, sometimes maddening diversion throughout the Lebanon crisis. He organized a large and noisy but non-violent July 21 rally in front of the Embassy during which he was pictured by the press at the Embassy's gate, haranguing marchers with a bull horn. Khairy led a July 28 demonstration on the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center during Secretary Rice's participation in the ARF, demanding unsuccessfully to deliver a harshly worded petition to the Secretary, and his appearances often seemed to direct more attention to himself than to his cause.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001587

 

SIPDIS

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2016

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, IS, LE, MY

SUBJECT: MALAYSIA REACTS TO CEASEFIRE

 

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1559

     B. KUALA LUMPUR 1354

     C. KUALA LUMPUR 1397

     D. KUALA LUMPUR 1377

 

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission David B. Shear for reasons 1.4 (b, d)

 

1.  (C)  Summary:   Malaysian officials have welcomed the passage of United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1701, and the Malaysian media's preoccupation with the Middle East crisis has quickly diminished.  GOM officials reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting peace in the Middle East and reiterated their commitment to send peacekeeping troops to support the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Despite some rhetoric and political posturing, Malaysia seems willing to work with the UN in determining what, if any, Malaysian forces would appropriately augment UNIFIL.

Until they were corrected by the Prime Minister, leaders of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) Youth movement called for boycotts of American products and for a cessation of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. UMNO Youth leaders admit they are making concessions to their conservative base, but have generally returned their focus to the domestic agenda.  Calls for a boycott of American products largely fell on deaf ears, but the demand that the GOM terminate the FTA talks reflects the extent to which the GOM will have to work in order to generate domestic support for an FTA.  End Summary.

GOM Supports UNSCR 1701

2.  (C)  Senior Malaysian officials including Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Foreign Minister Hamid have strongly supported the ceasefire in Lebanon.  Notwithstanding recent reports that Israel may object to peacekeeping forces from nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, Abdullah, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and FM Hamid have all declared publicly that Malaysia will send troops to support UNIFIL over Israel's objections. 

However, privately, Malaysia's Under Secretary for Multilateral Affairs Shahrul Ikram has told us that Malaysia will naturally allow the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations to decide if Malaysia should send troops and what their composition would be.  He also reported that Malaysia wants to help, but will naturally work through the UN to ensure UNIFIL has the appropriate composition to complete the mission.

And the Negative Public Rhetoric Cools

3.  (C)  The Malaysian public and media reacted strongly to the Lebanon crisis, and, in addition to sustained criticism of the U.S. in the local press, the Embassy experienced demonstrations on several Friday afternoons at the end of July that were larger and noisier than usual.  But the passage of UNSCR 1701 and the August 14 implementation of the ceasefire in Lebanon quickly deflated much of the negative political rhetoric prevalent in Malaysia after the start of hostilities. 

Politicians and reporters have largely returned their attention to domestic politics: a new budget session in parliament scheduled to begin on September 1, preparations for the November UMNO General Assembly, and former Prime Minister Mahathir's jabs at the government.  Despite overwhelming coverage of the war prior to the ceasefire, most newspapers did not headline the implementation of the ceasefire, nor did they give front-page billing to the return of displaced Lebanese families back to southern Lebanon.

Malaysian officials have continued calls for comprehensive peace and reaffirmed their commitment to send peacekeeping troops to Lebanon (ref A).

Khairy Jamaluddin: Criticizes the FTA Talks; Calls for Boycott of U.S. Goods

4.  (C) UMNO Youth deputy chairman and Prime Ministerial son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin's antics provided a sometimes entertaining, sometimes maddening diversion throughout the Lebanon crisis.   Khairy's influence on his father-in-law and some of his recent financial dealings have been the target of former Prime Minister Mahathir's ire for several months, and, no doubt sensing that political opportunity knocked, he decided to lead a highly visible UMNO Youth effort to flay the U.S. for its support of Israel.  He organized a large and noisy but non-violent July 21 rally in front of the Embassy during which he was pictured by the press at the Embassy's gate, haranguing marchers with a bull horn. 

Khairy led a July 28 demonstration on the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center during Secretary Rice's participation in the ARF, demanding unsuccessfully to deliver a harshly worded petition to the Secretary, and his appearances often seemed to direct more attention to himself than to his cause.  The frenetic Khairy also called for a stop to U.S.- Malaysia FTA talks and for a boycott of the "American" brands Coca-Cola and Starbucks, statements that were rebuffed by the Prime Minister.

5. (C)  Khairy has been less vocal since the cease fire went into effect.  Our subsequent meetings with UMNO Youth executive committee leaders confirmed that UMNO Youth rhetoric over the past two months was intended to appeal to UMNO's more conservative base.  They have told us that it was also aimed at preventing the Islamic opposition party PAS from gaining momentum given the recent clashes between Abdullah and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed (ref D).

Having achieved those ends, UMNO Youth has returned to its preparations for the UMNO General Assembly in November and the general elections anticipated for next year.  We expect the occasional jab from Khairy and his UMNO buddies as preparatory meetings for the November UMNO General Assembly continue, but we doubt the drumbeat will reach the decibel levels heard through late-July and early August.

Calls for Boycott Not Threatening

6.  (C)  Khairy's call for the GOM to boycott the US seems to have gained little traction publicly and politically. U.S. firms operating in Malaysia are watchful, but not overly concerned by Khairy's calls for a boycott.  The local Coca-Cola bottler recalled that a similar boycott call in 2002 following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan had no impact on sales. 

Both the Coke and Starbucks franchisees (the local operations actually are owned by Malaysian companies) plan to take no action, believing the best approach is not to draw further attention to the issue. 

At the monthly meeting of the board of governors of the American-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) August 16, members expected that the boycott would fade quickly, so long as the situation in Lebanon remains under control.  The board also agreed to take no action in response to the call for a boycott at this time.

Effect on FTA Remains To Be Seen

7.  (C) We doubt that the Lebanon crisis itself had a lasting negative effect on GOM support for the FTA talks.  But Khairy's opportunistic attack on the talks underscores the extent to which the negotiation may be vulnerable to Malaysian domestic politics.  At a minimum, it also demonstrates the extent to which the GOM will have to work to convince even the ruling party's rank-and-file of the benefits of a FTA with the U.S.

LAFLEUR

 

Nik Aziz sokong larangan bacaan al-Quran guna pembesar suara

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:14 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat tidak bersetuju amalan bacaan al-Quran dibuat menggunakan pembesar suara sehingga mengganggu mesyarakat sekitarnya.

Mursyidul Am PAS (gambar) itu berkata perbuatan itu tidak mengambil kira sensitiviti masyarakat setempat sehingga boleh menyusahkan mereka dan seseorang Islam harus menghormati masyarakat sekeliling dengan tidak membuat bising, walaupun dengan membaca al-Quran menggunakan pembesar suara.

Sehubungan itu, dipetik Bernama Online, beliau menyokong tindakan Jawatankuasa Fatwa Negeri Pulau Pinang yang melarang bacaan al-Quran menggunakan pembesar suara pada waktu subuh.

"Kita (umat Islam) hanya dibenarkan melaungkan suara ketika azan untuk mengerjakan solat.

"Oleh itu, saya tidak bersetuju jika masjid menggunakan pembesar suara sehingga menjejaskan orang lain yang sedang tidur atau sakit," katanyaselepas melancarkan Koperasi Rakyat Kelantan Berhad (KRKB) di sini, hari ini.

Beliau ditanya mengenai tindakan Kerajaan Pulau Pinang melarang penggunaan pembesar suara semasa mengaji al-Quran pada waktu subuh di masjid dan surau di negeri itu.

READ MORE HERE

 

DAP, PKR still wary over church raid despite PAS’s stand

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:11 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - DAP and PKR leaders refrained today from openly supporting PAS's stand on a controversial church raid by Islamic authorities, revealing the continuing uneasiness among the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties over religious issues.

When contacted by The Malaysian Insider today, some leaders chose to decline comment while others would not openly state their support or rejection of the Islamist party's statement yesterday.

The leaders told this news portal that speculation at this point would be premature as the details of the raid and the investigation by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) on reports of proselytisation have yet to be publicly revealed.

PAS decided after its political bureau meeting yesterday to back Jais if the agency should find concrete proof that Christians were proselytising to Muslims at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya.

"I think let's wait for the report first. We don't know the details," said DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, before choosing not to speak further on the topic.

Lim had earlier lambasted PAS's Datuk Hasan Ali, the Selangor state executive councillor for religious affairs, when the latter issued a statement justifying the raid by claiming proof of proselytisation had been found.

The DAP veteran then accused the Islamist party leader of breaking ranks with the Selangor state government as his statement appeared to contradict that of Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who had said he regretted the incident.

Selangor's Islamic enactments allow the religious authorities to act against non-Muslims if they are found guilty of proselytising to Muslims.

When contacted, DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke also declined comment today and said he would refer the query to Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok, a devout Christian and a state executive councillor in the Selangor administration.

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua would not expressly declare his support for PAS's firm stand but pointed out that its deputy president, Mohamad Sabu, had said the party would back Jais only if proof of proselytisation was found, adding this was "expressing the obvious".

"Mat Sabu (Mohamad) said if there if proof of proselytisation — which is indeed restricted by our Constitution — his call for the relevant parties to be charged accordingly is only expressing the obvious; nothing more, nothing less," he told The Malaysian Insider.

Pua stressed, however, that Jais' investigation must be done in accordance with the law and pressed for the agency to apologise if it finds that it had made a mistake.

READ MORE HERE

 

UMNO - Lebih memberi masalah dari menyelesaikannya

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 05:18 PM PDT

ASPAN ALIAS

Proses kemusnahan sesebuah sistem politik negara itu selalunya tidak di sedari oleh mana-mana pemimpin yang tidak memberikan fokus kepada menilai kepimpinan masing-masing. Kehilangan fokus ini selalunya adalah di sebabkan campur aduk politik peribadi dengan di saluti oleh elemen-elemen yang lain seperti keinginan untuk memperkayakan diri dan keluarga dan lebih mementingkan usaha untuk memupuk 'legendary' masing-masing.

Di dalam keghairahan untuk mementingkan keuntungan peribadi ini maka segala nilai-nilai murni dalam sesuatu sistem politik itu akan secara beransur-ansur luntur dan akan wujud krisis keyakinan yang merbahayakan negara dan rakyat.

Najib sedang menghadapi masalah yang sama, iaitu masalah mewarisi pusaka kepimpinan yang sudah tersedia lemah dan ternoda. Najib sendiri merupakan seorang 'untested leader' kerana beliau naik ketahap tertinggi parti dan negara kerana permainan 'play save' dan tidak pernah bertanding di dalam mana-mana jawatan yang beliau pegang. Lagi pun beliau adalah pemimpin yang wujud melalui pengaruh keluarga sebagai anak bekas Perdana Menteri.

Sehingga beliau duduk di kerusi PM ini beliau tidak pernah di cabar dan tercabar dan beliau hanya mendapat segala-galanya melalui pengaruh Tun Razak itu sahaja. Itulah sebabnya beliau hanya menyelesaikan masalah politik negara dengan sentimen tanpa 'idea' yang bernas untuk menyelesaikan masalah secara politik yang baik dan 'conclusive'.

Beliau menyelesaikan masalah dengan membeli sokongan tetapi beliau membelinya dengan premis politik yang salah. Palanivel dilantik menjadi ahli jemaah Kabinet semata-mata kerana hendak memujuk kaum India bagi menghadapi pilihanraya yang akan datang. Tindakan Najib hanya menumpukan untuk undi pilihanraya tanpa memikirkan consequence yang akan timbul dari tindakan beliau itu.

Najib adalah seorang 'elected representative' tetapi beliau di kerumuni oleh 'rejected representative'.. Dengan perlantikan Palanivel di dalam Kabinet Najib telah menambah seorang lagi Menteri yang mewakili 'rejected rep' ini. Sharizat Jalil dilantik di dalam Kabinet walaupun beliau dikalahkan oleh Nurul Izzah Anwar dan Koh Tsu Koon yang tertewas dengan majoriti yang besar di Batu Kawan telah dilantik ke dalam Kabinet.

Melantik Palanivel itu ialah untuk mendapatkan sokongan kaum India yang telah berpecah mengambil tempat di dalam parti-parti lain samada dalam parti Kerajaan atau parti pembangkang. Wakil mereka di Parlimen sudah ramai walaupun kaum India hanya kaum yang kecil di dalam negara ini. Kaum India merupakan kaum yang saya hormati di dalam politik kerana mereka membina kepimpinan mereka di dalam banyak parti.

Tetapi MCA yang sekarang ini masih mempunyai 15 ahli Parlimen tidak pula diwakili dalam Kabinet oleh Presidennya Chua Soi Lek. Raja Nong Chik dan beberapa orang yang lain yang tidak pernah dipilih oleh rakyat dijadikan Menteri Kabinet. Jawatan Menteri itu di jadikan sebagai umpan untuk mendapat sokongan dari pihak dan kumpulan tertentu dan perlantikan mereka bukan di dasarkan kepada kebolehan dan disokong rakyat yang ramai.

Kita sudah tidak terkejut jika ada lagi individu yang di anggap penting untuk menampal yang koyak dan menyambung yang putus akan dilantik menjadi Menteri.

Janji Najib untuk mengecilkan saiz kabinet setelah Pak Lah melantik 32 orang ahli jemaah kabinet dahulu hanya tinggal janji. Akhirnya beliau telah melantik 41 orang ahli kabinet (termasuk duta yang bertaraf Menteri) dan ini merupakan rekod dalam sejarah negara sebagai barisan kabinet yang paling besar. Amerika Syarikat yang merupakan 52 kali ganda besar keluasan negaranya dari Semenanjung Malaysia dan 12 kali ganda jumlah penduduknya hanya mempunyai 21 orang ahli kabinet mereka.Perlu diingat Amerika Syarikat adalah negara demokrasi dan ekonomi terbesar dunia dan negara itu tidak memerlukan 40 orang Jemaah Kabinet.

Sebagai sebuah kerajaan kita mempunyai pemimpin-pemimpin yang terlalu rendah sahsiahnya. Sahsiah seseorang itu selalunya terbentuk dari didikan yang diterima mereka dari guru-guru dan ibu bapa mereka. Sekarang kita hari-hari mendengar kata-kata yang tidak bermoral dan sahsiah dari penyokong-penyokong kerajaan dengan menggunakan kata-kata kesat apabila ada pihak yang berpandangan politik tidak sehaluan.

Bagi mereka, UMNO sahaja parti yang semua umat mesti sokong. Jika tidak mereka (penyokong UMNO) tidak gemar dengan orang lain mereka akan menggunakan istilah kotor seperti anjing, babi celaka dan sebagainya. Bagi mereka ini tidak mahu mendengar perkara yang tidak sedap. Mereka hanya mahukan pujian dan dukungan tetapi mereka tidak menjaga sahsiah diri dan politik mereka. Kelaukuan mereka memalukan dan diperhatikan oleh rakyat secara terangan. 

READ MORE HERE

 

MAS-Air Asia swap: A shroud of mystery

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 05:09 PM PDT

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL

Ihe opportunity for me to give the most current commentaries on the few development involving the latest development MAS has passed me. I was hospitalised since last Tuesday.

After undergoing fairly lengthy tests, it turns out I've been asthmatic for quite many months. Having undergone the treatment, I am feeling much better now. Not fully recovered, but physically better.

A word of advice: Never underestimate that common COUGH.


As much as I am yearning to comeback fighting on the MAS issues, I will have to pace myself. For one, I will have to analyse what was the meaning behind the meaning of Tun Dr Mahathir's supportive words for the swap excercise. He hoped MAS can learn how to reduce cost.

Thus I'll not start going Tora! Tora! Tora! to blast every other insider input I get but to compile and review the various views already expressed on the issue. A friendly, elderly and wiser advise told me to remain supportive of Dato Najib.

We'll start with Miriam Mokhtar's column on FMT here minus the caustic sarcasm part on Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli. That issue will be covered differently. Remember that this blog was the one to debunk the RM8 billion slanderous claim on Tajuddin.

Not forgetting her terrible treatment of Pehin Seri Taib Mahmud leading to the Sarawak State Election in April 2011, the gist of Miriam's column provide a background view of this issue. She expressed the concern of opposition politicians like Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad on matter of competitiveness, monopoly and business fairplay.

After all, the Government embarked on an Airline Rationalisation Plan in 2005 to promote competition within local aviation industry but not saved from being shrouded with intrigue.

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Why is the MAS/AirAsia merger necessary? Was it to help MAS or AirAsia? No one really knows as this deal is shrouded in mystery.
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READ MORE HERE

 

Malaysian Insider’s sinister agenda to divert away from ‘share-swap deal’

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 05:02 PM PDT

BIG DOG

The hottest business this week is the 'Malaysia Airlines-AirAsia share swap' deal. It got so many reactions despite the mainstream media playing the text-book perspective on how positive and progressive the 'strategic alliance' is. In the many criticism of the alternative media, The Malaysian Insider in its usual sinister agenda misled the focus of the issue away from the crux of the deal and how it would benefit Malaysia Airlines.

Suspiciously, looks like Kalimullah "Riong Kali" Hassan playing his cards to deflect the issue away.

The Malaysian Insider the past few days felt that it was important to highlight the current suit and counter suit between Danaharta and former Malaysia Airlines, TRI and Naluri Chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin. They were compelled to skew the on-going civil case, even to a point of false reporting and getting quotations meant to demonise a onetime power Malay business baron.

They even got quotations from the Opposition, to show the ruling party's patronage on certain business personalities is still very much alive, just like former-abuse-of-power-convict Anwar "Mat King Leather" Ibrahim's immediate charge against then Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad when the former was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister on 2 September 1998, 'cronyism'.

The case was about complications of a business loan spinning into a very vicious cycle and eventually turned bad. A straight forward term loan was raised by Tajuddin as a 'privatisation project to improve financial and profitability of Malaysia Airlines'. Many also want to be believe that then he was asked to take over Malaysia Airlines from Bank Negara in 1994 for RM 1.792 billion. The taking-over of Malaysia Airlines shares from Bank Negara alone was a story which has a very interesting history to it.

The RM 1.792 billion was raised via a term loan syndicated through RHB Bank. The collateral of the loan then was 130 million of TRI shares, 309.6 million of Naluri shares and 45.2 million of Promet Langkawi shares.

Then came the Asian financial crisis of 1997/8. Business was bad and Tajuddin and his group was cash strapped. His loan defaulted. It became non-performing loan.

As an after math of the 1997/8 Asian Financial crisis, RM 90 billion worth of loans defaulted and became non performing loans (NPLs). Government of Malaysia set up Danaharta to take-over these NPLs from the financial institution so that they could move on. Instead, Danaharta would do its best to either supervise a recovery plan to for turn-around and make these NPLs productive or recover the most from these NPLs, which include liquidating it.

An extract of a Bank Negara presentation in 2005:

•Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad ("Danaharta") was established by the Malaysian Government in June 1998 to address the non-performing loans ("NPLs") problem plaguing the banking system during the Asian financial crisis.
•The NPL resolution agency, euphemistically known as the national asset management company ("AMC"), was established as a pre-emptive measure to avert a failure in the banking system.
•Danaharta's objectives are:
–to remove NPLs from the banking system to allow banks to concentrate on their core business of lending to viable borrowers (completed in March 2001)
–to maximise recovery from its NPL portfolio (ongoing till 2005)

So, Danaharta took over these loans from the banks at 30sen from the nominal RM 1.00 value. After a series of discussion which involved the Government of Malaysia, Tajuddin entered into a Settlement Agreement with Danaharta on 8 October 2001.

Considering Danaharta took over the balance of Tajuddin's loan amounting to RM 942 million for RM 300 million, it was agreed that the repayment tranche was broken into four:

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Pakatan leaders stopped MBPJ from seizing DUMC’

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 04:54 PM PDT

Blogger Papa Gomo makes the claim based on a document allegedly leaked from MBPJ.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Pro-Umno blogger Papa Gomo has claimed that Pakatan Rakyat leaders had interfered to stop Petaling Jaya City Council's (MBPJ) shutting down the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) last Thursday.

The seizure operation was supposed to be conducted by MBPJ's security and enforcement division.

DUMC has been in the limelight since Aug 3 when Selangor religious department (JAIS) interrupted  a dinner held at the church following allegations that efforts to proselytize the Christian faith to Muslims were under way.

Papa Gomo's claim was substantiated with a report purportedly from MBPJ's enforcement and security division on its operation to seize the hall.

The report stated that on Aug 11 at 10.30am, the enforcement and security division had to call off its operation to seize DUMC after receiving a telephone call at 10.58am from Selangor senior exco Teresa Kok who queried about the seizure. The report added that Kok requested the operation to be called off.

The report also claimed that PAS' Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad had similarly urged the MBPJ to cancel the seizure operation at 11.07am.

Papa Gomo also claimed that according to the leaked report, another Selangor exco, DAP's Ronnie Liu  had allegedly warned that personnel from the security and enforcement division woud be transferred out if they continued with the operation.

The report claimed that at 11.40 am, there were more instructions from the top, including from PKR's Elizabeth Wong, to cancel the operation and the police was also notified abut the cancellation.

The two page report has the word 'Sulit' (confidential) stamped on its top right corner but does not carry MBPJ's letterhead.

Catch-22 for PAS

According to Tulang Besi's conspiracy theory, "If PAS opposed JAIS' raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Centre, the Islamist party would be shunned by the Muslims.

"And if PAS supported JAIS, then it would lose credibility among the non-Muslim crowd."

READ MORE HERE

 

Islamic groups ask Jais to act against proselytisation

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 03:46 PM PDT

 

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGO) have demanded immediate action from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) against those who tried to convert Muslims.

"We urge the Jais and the other authorities to immediately take action and if there were efforts to convert Muslims from holding their faith as claimed by the National Fatwa Council Chairman and former Chairman of the National Fatwa Council.

"We are united and committed to defending the faith of Muslims held in this country from the encroachment in accordance with the position of Islam as a religion of the Federation of Malaysia Constitution and the provision of the existing laws including enforcing the law of apostasy," the group of NGOs said in a statement today, as a result from the roundtable discussion organised by Ikatan Ilmuan Malaysia (ILMUAN).

The NGOs were referring to the recent raid of a dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya. The authorities have denied that a raid had been conducted at DUMC, preferring instead to claim that they had merely inspected the premises that August 3 after receiving complaints that Muslims were attending the function.

The discussion, "Ummah faith issues: What should our attitude be and what is our role?" was held yesterday at the Selangor state executive councilors housing complex.

The NGOs added that they uphold and support the efforts of any party to strengthen Muslims' faith through education and welfare programmes and will demand empowerment programmes including the return of adequate assistance to religious schools.

The group also demanded that the relevant bodies with Islamic trust properties to act efficiently to help marginalised Muslims so that their life are "protected and secure" and that the issues related to the faith of Muslims are not manipulated and distorted by the newspapers to give political advantage to a certain party until it undermines the solidarity of Muslims.

"We stressed that issues relating to the faith of Muslims are very sensitive issues that could affect racial harmony, thus calling on all parties not to act against the stipulated law.

"We urge the institutions governing the affairs of Muslims are submitted to those truly qualified and respected so that these institutions are seen as absolutely authoritative," they said.


READ MORE HERE.

With Penang in mind, move to unseat Tsu Koon gathers pace

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 03:32 PM PDT

 

By Jahabar Sadiq, The Malaysian Insider

Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is going to get taste of what Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud got in the run-up to polls in the east Malaysian state — the constant drumbeat of politicians and the media asking him to retire from politics. 

The view in Putrajaya is that the mild-mannered Gerakan chief should step down as head of the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party before the coming general elections if the coalition is to have any chance of wresting back Penang from Pakatan Rakyat (PR). 

While Tsu Koon (picture) has not been dogged by allegations of corruption and abuse of power as Taib Mahmud, he is viewed as indecisive and a symbol of the BN leadership which was rejected by the voters in 2008. 

BN chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has spoken behind closed doors on the need to rejuvenate the Gerakan leadership with younger talent and acknowledges that BN component parties need new talent if inroads are to be made in Penang, where DAP's Lim Guan Eng is a formidable opponent. 

In its latest issue dated August 13, international weekly The Economist dubbed Penang "the first custom-made city of globalisation" and credited Lim for boosting the port city's revival by axing a racial special treatment economic policy in the state to create a more level-playing field that appeals to foreign investors. 

"He has become the first governor in Malaysia to open up all state tenders to competition. This has entailed dismantling the special preferences for ethnic Malays that have underpinned the BN's rule since the early 1970s," the influential magazine on business and international affairs said of the Penang chief minister and his economic reforms. 

"Adapted to the national stage, such policies could transform the way that the Malaysian federal government conducts business," it added. 

The international praise for Lim is seen as an indictment of Tsu Koon's rule of the island state, which began prospering under his mentor, the late Tun Lim Chong Eu, before the Princeton graduate took over as chief minister from 1990 to 2008. 

In what is likely to be a recurring theme, Umno-owned Mingguan Malaysia urged Tsu Koon today to consider his position as chief of Gerakan, with the paper's Awang Selamat saying that the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department was only concerned with publicity and appearing in photographs with national leader. 

The commentator said that his ministerial position appeared to be wasted on him because he had not used the profile to galvanise Gerakan in Penang or chart a plan to regain the state. 

Still, using the media to push out a seasoned politician is a strategy fraught with minefields. In the run- up to Sarawak elections, Najib tried to nudge a politically liable Taib by getting him to say that he would not lead the state for the full term.

 

READ MORE HERE.

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The competing arguments used to explain the riots

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 10:46 AM PDT

 

By BBC News Magazine

Many theories have been posited about the underlying causes of the riots in England - from moral decay to excessive consumerism. Here two criminologists give their views on some of the arguments.

Welfare dependence

Sir Max Hastings, in an article for the Daily Mail, focused on "a perverted social ethos, which elevates personal freedom to an absolute, and denies the underclass the discipline - tough love - which alone might enable some of its members to escape from the swamp of dependency in which they live".

There is a culture of entitlement in the UK, says David Wilson, professor of criminology at Birmingham City University and a former prison governor.

"But it's not just about the underclass - it's about politicians, it's about bankers, it's about footballers.

"It's not just about a particular class, it permeates all levels of society. When we see politicians claiming for flat-screen TVs and getting jailed for fiddling their expenses, it's clear that young people of all classes aren't being given appropriate leadership."

Social exclusion

Writing in the Independent, Kids Company charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh blamed a society in which the "established community is perceived to provide nothing... It's not one occasional attack on dignity, it's a repeated humiliation, being continuously dispossessed in a society rich with possession".

Studies do suggest that living in areas of social deprivation could be a factor, says Marian FitzGerald, visiting professor of criminology at the University of Kent.

"But the socially excluded are not always the ones who are rioting - in fact they are often the ones who are most vulnerable to riots. We need a better thought-out approach rather than just using social exclusion as an excuse."

Lack of fathers

According to Cristina Odone of the Daily Telegraph, the riots could be traced back to a lack of male role models: "Like the overwhelming majority of youth offenders behind bars, these gang members have one thing in common: no father at home."

"I brought up two boys on my own," says Prof FitzGerald. "Yes, there are some issues about where boys get a positive sense of masculinity from when they don't have anyone in the home to give it. But if you have a stable family set-up then these kids can still be very high-achieving."

Spending cuts

Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight, Labour's candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, suggested that austerity measures were responsible: "If you're making massive cuts, there's always the potential for this sort of revolt against that."

It's too soon to say this, Prof FitzGerald says. "The full implementation of the cuts to local authority services that will have the biggest impact on these areas will not be fully felt until next year.

"However, it may be that because there's been so much talk about police spending cuts, the rioters may have internalised the message that they're less likely to be caught."

Weak policing

In a leader, the Sun newspaper said it was "crazy" that water cannon was not available to officers, and that parliament "must not be squeamish" about the use of tear gas and baton rounds.

There has also been discussion about the impact of the fall-out from criticism of policing during the G20 protests in London in 2009. Some commentators have suggested officers might be afraid of taking on the rioters directly for fear of legal action.

It may have made some difference if the rioters had been more immediately engaged with a more robust form of policing, says Prof Wilson.

"Several of the rioters who were interviewed clearly enjoyed the feeling of being powerful. They were encouraged to feel that the cities in which they were misbehaving belonged to them.

"However, I don't think that has anything to do with political correctness. What has characterised British justice over the past 25-30 years is the large numbers of young people we have sent to prison compared with our European neighbours."

Racism

Violence began in Tottenham on Saturday after the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man. Christina Patterson of the Independent said the race factor could not be overlooked: "Too many black men have been killed by the police. Too many black men and women have been treated like criminals when they're not. This is not the cause of these riots, but it's there in the mix."

Police shootings are very rare, Prof FitzGerald notes.

"According to IPCC reports in the last three years there have only been seven and all of those - including the shooting of Raoul Moat - were of white people.

"The Met police has seen huge changes in attitude since the Macpherson report. That said, its use of section 60 stop-and-search powers disproportionately brought normally law-abiding young black people in particular into potentially confrontational encounters with the police.

"However, this is not true of many of the other police forces who are now facing similar threats to public order - so it cannot be used as any sort of excuse."

Gangsta rap and culture

Paul Routledge of the Daily Mirror blamed "the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs".

It's certainly clear that gang culture is a real phenomenon, says Prof Wilson.

"I once interviewed a boy who said 'just because I like the music doesn't mean I agree with the lyrics', which is true," says Prof FitzGerald. "But it may be a factor when it comes to those who may be particularly susceptible."

Consumerism

"These are shopping riots, characterised by their consumer choices," insisted Zoe Williams of the Guardian. She added: "This is what happens when people don't have anything, when they have their noses constantly rubbed in stuff they can't afford, and they have no reason ever to believe that they will be able to afford it."

In studies of street crime, this has been shown to be a factor, says Prof FitzGerald.

"But with the recent riots, I'm not so sure - in the context of looting, it's about taking what you can. As well as mobile phones and clothes, there were plenty stealing petty things like sweets and cans of beer."

Opportunism

"As more and more people became embroiled in the riots, others have been tempted to join them, confident that one unexceptional individual in a sea of hundreds is unlikely to be caught or to face retribution," according to Carolina Bracken writing in the Irish Times.

This is credible, says Prof Wilson. "Opportunism, mixed with a sense of being in a big gang, will have enticed many who wouldn't necessarily do something like this normally.

"Also significant is the feeling of invulnerability because they are part of something so big. Also linked to this is the feeling of doing something transgressive and feeling powerful in a culture where they don't have much power.

Technology and social networking

"Social media and other methods have been used to organise these levels of greed and criminality," Steve Kavanagh, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, told reporters.

This is an under-explored phenomenon, suggests Prof Wilson.

"For years we've been aware of gangs and football hooligans have been using technology to get together and fight. I think the police have been quite slow to respond to this.

"But as we know, mobile phones can also be used to counteract criminality and to an extent I think that's something the police prefer to downplay."

The opportunists' utopia

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 10:31 PM PDT

MAS in the hands of Tajuddin saw an unprecedented RM8 billion in the red. And the pathetic state of the national airline today has been a legacy of its mismanagement dating back to that time.

MySinchew

Malaysia is indeed a paradise for opportunists.

Tajuddin Ramli has received an early Raya gift. All the GLCs have been "advised" to strike out their legal suits against him.

In other words, MAS, Danaharta and other government-linked companies will no longer be able to seek compensation and liabilities from him through legal channels this moment on.

Everything that is on-going and pending in court will now be put to an abrupt halt.

But who is this Tajuddin?

He is an icon of bumiputra entrepreneurship during Mahathir's time. When Mahathir was in power, this Tajuddin had his enormous wealth registered all over.

From the national airline, land transport to telco (Celcom) he had a stake in everything, thanks to the bestowment of the one in control.

Under Mahathir's economic doctrine of grooming bumi entrepreneurs and creating nouveaux riches, the country's wealth was distributed among a handful of people in the likes of Tajuddin Ramli, Halim Saad and Wan Azmi.

Imagine, even a profitable national airline could be sold off to become the private asset of a handpicked individual.

During the first half of 1990s, Tajuddin was the person to watch, and his money game saga made a textbook subject in Malaysia's corporate circle.

The regional financial crisis in late 1990s nevertheless exposed all the feigned substances beneath the glorious skin.

MAS in the hands of Tajuddin saw an unprecedented RM8 billion in the red. And the pathetic state of the national airline today has been a legacy of its mismanagement dating back to that time.

Miraculously, Tajuddin tossed the loss-making airline back to the government, transferring all the liabilities and obligations to the nation and its people in so doing.

Over ten billion worth of asset vanished in Tajuddin's hands, and yet he could still bow out in grace.

After Mahatir and Daim Zainuddin stepped down, the new owners of these doomed GLCs filed applications in the court to seek compensation from Tajuddin, and that was when the MACC also stepped in to probe.

Call that a belated justice or anything, but whatever amount that could be recovered was at least some consolation.

But now, before the case even gets settled, the government has announced that it has reached an out-of-court settlement with Tajuddin.

Reason unknown. The government fell short of explaining what had actually happened.

The legal pursuit against Tajuddin attested to the fact that the rule of law was still very much in order and that no one was allowed to mess up things. To get back the money from him was to seek justice for the society, barring irresponsible individuals from shunning their obligations.

The government owes the nation an explanation even if it wants to let Tajuddin off.

 

Penang: Getting back its mojo

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 11:46 AM PDT

 

By The Economist

Adapted to the national stage, such policies could transform the way that the Malaysian federal government conducts business. Mr Eng says that the savings he has made by ending the "old systems of patronage" allow him to spend money on new social programmes instead, such as modest handouts for the elderly. These policies are popular, and the assault on corruption pleases foreign investors. Little wonder, then, that Penang has become a political weathervane as much as a lesson in economic development.

IF YOU are going to have a heart attack, have it in Penang. So one might think, to the see the hospitals in George Town, the capital of this north-western Malaysian state. Patients are flocking in. Ted Mohr, the head of the venerable Penang Adventist Hospital says that he will admit 70,000 medical tourists this year. The hospital specialises in heart procedures and it will perform roughly 23,000 of them this year, including 550 open-heart operations. Such is the demand that the hospital is doubling its number of beds.

Mr Mohr gives two main reasons for Penang's success with the coronary crowd. First, it is relatively cheap. Open-heart surgery that would set you back $100,000 in America costs only about $10,000 in Penang. Second, Penang's hospitals are as well-equipped as many in the West.

The combination of low cost and high technology is the main reason why industries across the state of Penang, made up of the original island and a larger bit of the mainland, are prospering again after more than a decade of decline. Their revival is important to Malaysia's economy—Penang and the surrounding region account for 21% of the country's GDP. But the renaissance could also have important political consequences for the country. Since 2008 Penang has been one of only four states (out of 13) run by an opposition party. If its politicians can claim the credit for the recent success, that should greatly help the opposition in the next general election, expected within the year.

Penang was founded as a free port by the British in 1786. Occupying a position between India and East Asia, the island drew merchants and middlemen keen to make their fortunes. Chinese, Indians, Armenians, Arabs and more all traded alongside each other. With its racial and religious mix, and dedication to the pursuit of free trade, Penang was in many ways the first custom-made city of globalisation.

The island's fortunes sank as it lost business to its arch-rival, Singapore. In the post-colonial period Penang fell victim to the rise of nationalism. The region's freshly minted republics chose to develop their own ports. Penang enjoyed a revival during the 1970s with the setting-up of Malaysia's first free-trade zone (a "free port" by another name); this attracted big names in electronics, like Intel and Bosch, which built some of the first offshore assembly lines. But this boom was founded on cheap labour, and as Malaysia became richer other emerging economies, such as China and Vietnam, drew the assembly work away.

To recover its prosperity, Penang has sought to reinvent itself. With the rise of India and China, Penang's location again looks very handy to foreign companies as a place to invest, as in the 18th century. It is relatively close to both big markets—yet offers advantages that trump Asia's giants'.

Penang's own "Silicon Valley" companies know that the rule of law in Malaysia gives them the sort of protection for patents and intellectual property they would not enjoy in China, and an ease of doing business that they could not find in India. Wages are higher than they were, but no more so nowadays than on the Chinese seaboard. The federal government has also spent liberally on bridges and the airport, making Penang better connected to the rest of Asia. And old George Town has been smartened up, which helps to bring in foreigners to live, work—and have surgery.

The result is another boom. Last year more investment poured into the state than any other in Malaysia. Scores of new electronics firms have swooped in to join the pioneers, along with an expanding cluster of 20 or so medical-device manufacturers. Crucially, most of the new jobs are in research and development rather than assembly. An American chip-designer, Altera, has a new facility with 1,100 workers in Penang, 800 of them engineers. Its head says that almost all the engineers are locals—which is good for Malaysia.

Whom to thank?

When the Democratic Action Party won the state's legislative assembly three years ago, it became the first opposition party to triumph in Penang in more than 40 years. The victory presented a direct challenge to the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that has ruled the country continuously since independence in 1957. Penang's new leader, Lim Guan Eng, says that the federal government has an "ambivalent" attitude towards him, cutting off some funding but not undermining his authority. "They don't want us to get any credit, but they can't afford to see us fail".

The revival of Penang was already under way in 2008, but Mr Eng's new policies have helped it along. He has become the first governor in Malaysia to open up all state tenders to competition. This has entailed dismantling the special preferences for ethnic Malays that have underpinned the BN's rule since the early 1970s. That was when the Malay majority institutionalised affirmative action for themselves, to the disadvantage of ethnic Chinese (a majority in Penang), who were perceived to have got unduly rich. Mr Eng claims that by reforming the system he has ended the cronyism and corruption that wasted money under previous regimes.

Adapted to the national stage, such policies could transform the way that the Malaysian federal government conducts business. Mr Eng says that the savings he has made by ending the "old systems of patronage" allow him to spend money on new social programmes instead, such as modest handouts for the elderly. These policies are popular, and the assault on corruption pleases foreign investors. Little wonder, then, that Penang has become a political weathervane as much as a lesson in economic development.

Malaysian PR Move Backfires

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 01:44 AM PDT

Government effort to plant stories tarnishes major TV networks worldwide

Taib, who has served as Sarawak's chief minister for three decades, said he would step down after state elections earlier this year. Reportedly, both Najib and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad have urged him to leave office. However, after his party won the state elections, he reportedly is balking at stepping down. 

Asia Sentinel

The Malaysian government and Sarawak state Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud have been spending millions of dollars to plant favorable stories on some the world's most influential television news networks, according to a Sarawak-based NGO.

According to the Sarawak Report, the news programs are being produced by Fact Based Communications, a London-based company also known as FCB Media, that describes itself on its website as an "European-based media and entertainment group specializing in television format creation, production and distribution."

The story was posted on the Sarawak Report blog earlier this month, but appears to have escaped the notice of the mainstream media. However, the US television network CNBC announced on Aug. 4 that it was cancelling World Business, a program that airs in Europe and Asia, after the network learned that FBC Media was found to have a contract with Taib and had paid USS$70,000 to the APCO Worldwide public relations firm to lobby in Washington, DC on behalf of the Malaysian government. CNBC World has carried 10 interviews by FBC Chairman Alan Friedman with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak over the past two years.

The BBC also said it was pulling any FBC-created content pending an investigation. In addition, according to the US-based website Politico, CNN International was criticized for "lobbing softball questions" at Najib a week after Malaysian police arrested hundreds of protesters in the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9. John Defterios, the host of CNN International, was previously president of FBC Media.  CNN denied any bias.

Alan Friedman, the chairman of FBC Media, visited Taib twice in Kuching, Sarawak, to formulate a contract that "promised to transform the international image" of the Sarawak chief minister, who has suffered from horrendous publicity in the wake of convincing allegations that he had funneled billions of dollars from illegal timber sales out of the state into companies owned by his family in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Taib is being investigated by Swiss authorities on allegations that he has stashed millions of dollars in Swiss banks. Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission has announced it would investigate the charges as well.

Taib, who has served as Sarawak's chief minister for three decades, said he would step down after state elections earlier this year. Reportedly, both Najib and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad have urged him to leave office. However, after his party won the state elections, he reportedly is balking at stepping down.

According to FBC Media's website, the company's syndicated stories reach more than 300 million television households in seven languages in 100 countries and more than 30 of the world's leading airlines.

As television news bureaus have continued to contract because of declining revenues, networks have been farming out more and more of their news feeds to organizations like FBC Media, some of which produce out-and-out propaganda for governments and corporations that is disguised as news. The stories are rarely if ever identified as having been produced at the behest of corporations or countries that paid the media agencies to produce them.

In an exhaustive 2006 study, the US-based Center for Media and Democracy identified 77 television stations in the US that collectively reached more than half of the US population using "video news releases," or public relations videos from PR companies without disclosing their source. The clients, according to the center, included General Motors, Intel, Pfizer and Capital One.

"In each case, these 77 television stations actively disguised the sponsored content to make it appear to be their own reporting. In almost all cases, stations failed to balance the clients' messages with independently-gathered footage or basic journalistic research. More than one-third of the time, stations aired the pre-packaged VNR in its entirety," the center said..

A request to speak to FBC Media chairman Friedman was deferred by an aide who said all requests were to be routed to Friedman's email address. An email sent to Friedman wasn't answered immediately.

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Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net
 

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