Rabu, 5 Disember 2012

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The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 12)

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 03:36 PM PST

But that was not my dream, though. My dream was to ride my motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. Earlier I had become a member of the Automobile Association of Malaysia and had asked them to help me obtain the road maps from India to the UK. My plan was to take my motorcycle on a passenger ship from Penang to India and from India ride my motorcycle overland to the UK.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I pulled through my MCE exam in 1967 and then decided to retire from studying while most of my contemporaries went on to do their A-level and sit for their HSC exam. There was no way I was going to continue studying and instead I did what my mother used to call 'bumming around'.

That basically means I did nothing for the two years of 1968 and 1969 except to race my motorcycle. And it was that same year, in 1968, when I participated in the Malaysian Grand Prix –- and spectacularly crashed.

I flew through the air and somersaulted a few times before coming to a stop quite a distance from my motorcycle. I rushed back to my motorcycle to continue the race but could not lift my left arm. When I unzipped my racing suit I discovered that my left wrist was broken.

That did not stop me from riding though and I continued riding with my plaster cast on. My arm itched like hell and I could not wait to remove the plaster cast. However, by the time it was supposed to have come off, the whole city was under curfew because of the May 13 riots. So I decided to cut off the plaster cast myself.

Because I had continued riding with the plaster cast on, my wrist had set in a most awkward position. My wrist was actually disfigured. My mother took me back to the University Hospital and the doctor was appalled. He just could not understand why I did not allow my wrist to set properly instead of continuing to ride with my plaster cast on resulting in my wrist being totally damaged.

The surgeon had to break my wrist again (at least this was what he told me he was going to do). When I woke up I felt so thirsty I tried to get out of bed to get a drink but could not move. My hip hurt like hell.

I called the nurse and told her that my hip hurts and she replied that that was because of the operation. What operation? It was my wrist that they were supposed to have operated on. Ah, yes, but to reset the wrist they needed to do bone grafting so they took the bone from my hip to do that.

I was never told they were going to transplant my hipbone onto my wrist. I was discharged after two weeks or so (actually I was thrown out because I was racing along the hospital corridors in a wheelchair) and was warned not to continue riding this time or else my wrist would again be damaged.

This time my wrist set beautifully and the doctor told me they could now remove the wires. What wires? It seems in grafting my hipbone to my wrist they had to use wires to tie it. Hence now they had to remove the wires. So, for the third time, I was admitted into hospital for the wires to be removed.

In 1970, most of my friends went on to university. Some went to University Malaya while those from richer families went to the UK. "What do you want to do with your life?" my father asked me. My father was amongst the first group of Malays to go to the UK soon after the Second World War. He went to Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister. He was hoping I would follow in his footsteps.

But that was not my dream, though. My dream was to ride my motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. Earlier I had become a member of the Automobile Association of Malaysia and had asked them to help me obtain the road maps from India to the UK. My plan was to take my motorcycle on a passenger ship from Penang to India and from India ride my motorcycle overland to the UK.

The road maps were hand-delivered to my house. I suppose the AAM chap was very curious and wanted to personally meet the crazy person who wanted to ride his motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London.

I had chosen to take a ship from Penang to India so that I could avoid riding through Burma. From India I would go to Pakistan and Iran and then to Turkey and Europe.

How long this would take did not matter because I had all the time in the world. I would need to just carry spare jeans and a couple of T-shirts in my backpack and would travel 200-300 miles a day depending on the terrain and weather.

I never considered what I would do if my motorcycle broke down, if I had an accident, if I was robbed along the way, if I got sick, where I would sleep, and so on. Those were details and I was not going to allow details to get in the way of my plans. When you are 18 or 19 you tend to think like that and you would let tomorrow take care of itself.

During my two years of bumming around, and when I was not racing up and down Kuala Lumpur, I would take my bike apart and put it together again. Even when there was nothing wrong with it I would tinker with it. I also modified it and tried to make it go faster.

I was obsessed with trying to make my 100cc motorcycle go from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds. The problem with this, though, is that motorcycles in those days, especially Japanese motorcycles, did not handle well. So they were only good if you were going in a straight line. On winding roads it was like a riding a coffin.

Furthermore, the braking system in those days was very primitive. The motorcycles used drum brakes, not disc brakes. Hence, while you could go 0-60 in under five seconds, it was impossible to go 60-0 in also under five seconds. Most times you would have to hit something to come to a stop -- hence the 12 accidents that I suffered during that period.

"Okay," my father said, "since you only want to tinker with engines, I am going to send you to do an apprenticeship." And he phoned Pak Arshad, the manager of Champion Motors, the Volkswagen/Rover distributor, to request him to take me in as an apprentice.

(Those of who had been around in the 1970s/1980s probably remember Pak Arshad, which is another very interesting story).

Pak Arshad was puzzled as to why someone like me and with my family background would want to embark upon such a 'low' career. "You are overqualified for this job," he told me. "Why don't you get your father to send you to England instead to do motor engineering?"

Actually that was what I wanted. But my father did not trust me enough to let me loose in England unsupervised. He knew that the first thing I would do would be to join the Rockers (the early version of The Hells Angels). The fact that I wore a black leather jacket with a Swastika on the sleeve and the 'The Malaysian Hells Angels' painted on the back was a give away.

So my father made a deal with me. I must prove that tinkering with cars and bikes is really what I want to do and if I can survive the four-year apprenticeship he would send me to England. And I would have to serve this apprenticeship with Volkswagen.

I spent my first three months washing cars and was paid RM105 a month. Even back in 1970 that was pittance but that was the deal so I had no choice. Before each Volkswagen is sent into the workshop it has to be washed and after it has been serviced or repaired it has to be washed again.

After three months I was transferred into the workshop and was put under a Hakka mechanic. He was one loud-mouthed chap. I would greet him with 'selamat pagi' and he would respond with 'tiu niamah ka fa hai' or 'tiu na seng' or a host of other 'pardon my French' phrases.

I also had to brush up on my Chinese very fast. He would shout for me to pass him the loh si fai and I would pass him the spanner. He would throw the spanner at me and grab the screw driver and wave it in my face and scream, "Loh si fai! Loh si fai!" Ah, loh si fai, now I understood.

Most of the senior mechanics resented us apprentices. That was because they would train us and in four years we would become service advisers and hence would be their bosses who would order them around. Hence they made life difficult for us while we were still 'under them'.

But my mechanic was a lazy person. So he would train me so that I could take over all his functions. He would tell me what to do and then would disappear. Once I had finished stripping the engine, I would summon him and he would inspect the parts and tell me what needs changing. He would then disappear again.

I had to learn very fast if not I would again get a scolding -- tiu niamah ka fa hai.

It was that same year, in 1970, that almost the whole of Kuala Lumpur was flooded. The whole city practically closed down and invariably Champion Motors was submerged.

When we came back to work I was asked to clean every car on the showroom. The workshop manager, an Indian chap, wanted the cars as good as new, as if they have just come out from the factory.

I tried my best but could not get them, as what the manager wanted, 101% clean. There were still some traces of mud and anyone who has ever owned a 1960s model of Volkswagen would know why.

The manager inspected the cars and he was not satisfied. He handed me a toothbrush and told me to use the toothbrush to clean the cars. I threw down the toothbrush and told him to clean the cars himself.

I was kicked out of Champion Motors then and there. Thus ended my career as an apprentice with Volkswagen -- all due to the Great Flood of 1970.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11)  

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


‘Najib factor’ crucial to MIC’s fight for Indian vote

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:02 PM PST

MIC

Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

In the MIC's tussle for the Indian vote, one important element has been identified as key to help Barisan Nasional (BN) recapture lost support from the key community — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Despite criticisms that it has grown overly dependent on Najib and BN for survival, the party has recognised the importance of the prime minister's popularity to drive the Indian vote when national polls are held.

The Indian vote is seen as crucial to determine BN's future in the country as the next general election is expected to be very closely fought battle between the ruling coalition and the fledgling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact.

Observers have claimed that Najib and BN leaders have lost confidence in the MIC's ability to score the Indian vote, resulting in efforts by the prime minister to engage directly with the community, who form nearly 1.8 million out of the 28 million population in Malaysia. Some 800,000 are registered voters.

Just last month, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz announced in Parliament that Najib was ready to hold a dialogue with the outlawed Hindraf movement to discuss the community's key concerns.

But in an interview with The Malaysian Insider here yesterday, MIC secretary-general Datuk S. Murugesan noted there was nothing wrong with relying on the "Najib factor" to boost Indian support, adding that humility has been important in wooing support back into BN's fold

"We have a good PM (prime minister)... what's wrong with that?" he said.

"It is only to be expected. All this while, people have been saying — why hasn't the government done this or done that... and the face of the government is the PM.

"So if they think we have a good leader with good heart, good ears and a sound mind at the helm, they will support us.

"So... yes, Najib is an important factor and I've got no issues with that," he added.

As such, Murugesan said the MIC does not feel slighted that Najib has been going directly to the ground to campaign and engage with local Indian community leaders, pointing out that this was the work of a prime minister.

He said Najib's openness and ability to listen has helped portray a different view of BN to Indian voters, who are said to form some seven per cent of the electorate.

This has cajoled much of the Indian community back to supporting BN and calmed much of the frustrations raised just before the March 2008 general election, he said.

Murugesan added that it was most unlikely that these past simmering frustrations would come to a head again in the 13th general election as the BN government under Najib's leadership has done well to resolve them.

"The main reason is because the PM has made it clear and the MIC made it clear that we hear the Indian community. The PM has openly stated it," he pointed out.

"I think during our last or previous general assembly, the PM even admitted to some of our past mistakes and neglect."

READ MORE

Rentak sumbang Perhimpunan Agung Umno

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:42 AM PST

PAU2012

Mujahid Yusof Rawa, The Malaysian Insider

Pau yang tak menyengat

Perhimpunan Agung Umno senantiasa dinanti-nantikan kerana ia menjadi agenda nasional dan mendapat liputan meluas. Tidak seperti Perhimpunan Tahunan parti lain, tumpuan media adalah selektif mengikut selera tuan-tuan politik bagi memenuhi keperluan mereka. Namun begitu liputan berlebihan boleh "overkill" dari sudut komen yang melampau dengan pujian yang meleleh menyebabkan kita jadi muak.

Najib bukan lagi penyelamat

Di atas senarai pelakon utama ialah tidak lain tidak bukan Presiden Umno yang imejnya dicemari dengan berbagai isu sejak dia mula muncul jadi Presiden dan PM. Bermula dari isu Scorpene sejak beliau menjadi Menteri Pertahanan hinggalah kepada pembunuhan Altantuya, semuanya menjadi mimpi ngeri bagi Najib. Lebih ngeri ialah isteri Presiden Umno itu yang sering dianggap sebagai bebanan yang ditanggung oleh Umno.

Najib cuba menangkis semua imej buruk ini, walaupun dia mahu dikenali sebagai PM 1 Malaysia tetapi permasalahan yang melingkari dirinya lebih sensasi dari segala program tranformasinya. Najib berdiri di pentas perhimpunan Umno tempoh hari dengan membawa semua bebanan bagasi tentang dirinya dan isterinya walaupun media longkang arus perdana cuba meringankan imej itu.

Najib hambar

Medan perhimpunan sebesar dewan PWTC itu adalah cukup baik untuk seseorang menampilkan dirinya sebagai pemimpin parti Melayu No. 1 di Malaysia malah di dunia. Semangat ahli parti Melayu terbesar itu juga perlu diberi suntikan pada pertemuan itu kerana mereka dibelasah kiri kanan oleh rakyat yang dah mula bosan dengan pemimpin dan wakil rakyat Umno. Persepsi di bawah cukup jelas dan diterjemahkan dalam peti-peti undi PRU ke 12 baru-baru ini. Najib tidak bersembunyi dalam hal ini malah berulang kali menyebut dalam ucapannya tentang "Kekhilafan Umno" dan merayu jangan dihukum dalam PRU ke 13 nanti. 

Seorang wanita yang bertweeter dengan saya dari penyokong Umno turut menyambut seruan Najib dengan mengatakan "hukuman tlh ditunai dengan tumbangnya beberapa negeri kepada pr. Apakah itu x cukup lg Yb? Umno selalu cuba baiki keadaan". Suasana yang cuba ditimbulkan oleh Najib dalam perhimpunan Umno ialah suasana menagih simpati dengan mengaku salah. Ini tidak baik pada saat Umno dicederakan dan suasana perhimpunan 3 hari itu menambahkan lagi garam pada luka orang-orang Umno. Seoalah-olah tidak cukup dengan luka lembu ketua wanitanya, Najib pula bernada pasif. Para pemerhati melihatnya sebagai nada seorang pemimpin yang sudah hilang daya juangnya. Kenyataan Najib mengiyakan tanggapan rakyat yang selama ini menganggap pembangkang memfitnah Umno dan Najib, rentak Najib cukup sumbang pada hari itu.

Deepak muncul

Nama Deepak sebelum ini dikaitkan dengan isu PI Bala di mana dia telah memberi sejumlah besar wang untuk PI Bala menukar kenyataan bersumpahnya yang mengaitkan penglibatan Najib dan Rosmah dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya. Depaak muncul pada saat-saat kritikal Najib mahu memulihkan imejnya yang "suci" di hadapan perhimpunan Umno. Deepak mengakui "menolong" Rosmah dan apabila isu Altantuya mendapat tekanan dari PR, Deepak seolah mahu selamatkan dirinya dengan membuat pengakuan awal. Rentak Najib semakin sumbang dan plot semakin menarik.

READ MORE

Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 04:33 PM PST

PKR is using the businessman against Najib and Rosmah, says the Malay rights group.

G Vinod, FMT

Perkasa today accused PKR of slandering Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor through businessman Deepak Jaikishen.

"Since the beginning I didn't trust this Deepak character," said Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali. "People who get involved with an immoral leader are immoral themselves."

Yesterday, pro-Umno blogger Papagomo posted a poorly lighted video featuring a man who looks and sounds like Deepak speaking of the circumstances surrounding the businessman's recent press interviews, which resurrected allegations that Najib and Rosmah were involved in the bribery of private investigator P Balasubramaniam.

Papagomo's posting alleged that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was behind Deepak's exposés.

The man in the video named several other PKR leaders, including vice president N Surendran and Subang MP R Sivarasa.

Both Sivarasa and Surendran have dismissed claims that PKR was involved in the exposes, saying they were only representing Deepak for a court case involving a land deal that went sour.

Syed Hassan alleged that PKR was losing support and had resorted to slander to regain it.

"They have no choice but to resort to such attacks as their supporters are leaving in droves," he said.

Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar echoed Syed Hassan's sentiments, saying Deepak had no credibility with him because he was always changing his mind.

"As far as I know, Najib is very good person and a great leader," he said. "I don't care about what Deepak is saying."

Sekijang MP Baharum Mohamad said Pakatan Rakyat had gone too far in its accusations against Najib and his family.

"They have gone overboard on this," he said. "I believe that such slander against a person should not exist in a modern society like ours.

"If there is a report lodged, the police should investigate it without fear or favour."

MIC secretary-general S Murugesan agreed.

"If the content of the video is proven to be true," he said, "it will show how bad Malaysian politics has become. Politicians are using proxies to attack their opponents. It's definitely not healthy for our democracy."

 

Perak BN and MIC on collision course

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 04:24 PM PST

The row is over the selection of candidates and allocation of seats for the coming general election. 

B Nantha Kumar, FMT

The Perak Barisan Nasional leadership is said to be on a direct collision course with MIC president G Palanivel over candidates and seat allocations in the state for the largest Indian-based party in the country.

Sources revealed that while Palanivel is adamant on retaining several party veterans as candidates for the upcoming general election, the state BN leadership led by Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir wants MIC to put forth new and winnable candidates, especially young leaders.

Zambry is unhappy that Palanivel, who is also Perak MIC chief, had insisted that several "expired" leaders be given state seats to contest at the 13th general election, due in the next four months, sources revealed.

A party leader, who did not want to be named, told FMT that Palanivel's "stubbornness" may ruin MIC's chances of winning seats in the state.

"I will not be surprised if Perak MIC repeat its dismal performance as in the 2008 election," he said.

At the last election MIC lost all four state seats – Hutan Melintang, Behrang, Pasir Panjang and Sungkai – contested under the BN banner.

"This time around, speculation is that MIC would swap two seats with other BN component parties. MIC will give up the Behrang and Pasir Panjang seats and instead take up Buntong and Trong state constituencies," said the source.

The party insider claimed that Palanivel was willing to take up any seat offered by the state BN, but was adamant that the candidates must be chosen by him.

The MIC chief's stand to retain some veteran leaders as candidates has irked not only state BN leaders but also party grassroots members.

"Palanivel insisted on fielding veterans like State Legislative Assembly speaker R Ganesan and party veteran KR Naidu. This has not gone down well with Zambry and the state BN leadership," said the source.

The source said while these two leaders were famous and popular, they did not command support of voters in the state.

READ MORE HERE

 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 12)

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 03:36 PM PST

But that was not my dream, though. My dream was to ride my motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. Earlier I had become a member of the Automobile Association of Malaysia and had asked them to help me obtain the road maps from India to the UK. My plan was to take my motorcycle on a passenger ship from Penang to India and from India ride my motorcycle overland to the UK.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I pulled through my MCE exam in 1967 and then decided to retire from studying while most of my contemporaries went on to do their A-level and sit for their HSC exam. There was no way I was going to continue studying and instead I did what my mother used to call 'bumming around'.

That basically means I did nothing for the two years of 1968 and 1969 except to race my motorcycle. And it was that same year, in 1968, when I participated in the Malaysian Grand Prix –- and spectacularly crashed.

I flew through the air and somersaulted a few times before coming to a stop quite a distance from my motorcycle. I rushed back to my motorcycle to continue the race but could not lift my left arm. When I unzipped my racing suit I discovered that my left wrist was broken.

That did not stop me from riding though and I continued riding with my plaster cast on. My arm itched like hell and I could not wait to remove the plaster cast. However, by the time it was supposed to have come off, the whole city was under curfew because of the May 13 riots. So I decided to cut off the plaster cast myself.

Because I had continued riding with the plaster cast on, my wrist had set in a most awkward position. My wrist was actually disfigured. My mother took me back to the University Hospital and the doctor was appalled. He just could not understand why I did not allow my wrist to set properly instead of continuing to ride with my plaster cast on resulting in my wrist being totally damaged.

The surgeon had to break my wrist again (at least this was what he told me he was going to do). When I woke up I felt so thirsty I tried to get out of bed to get a drink but could not move. My hip hurt like hell.

I called the nurse and told her that my hip hurts and she replied that that was because of the operation. What operation? It was my wrist that they were supposed to have operated on. Ah, yes, but to reset the wrist they needed to do bone grafting so they took the bone from my hip to do that.

I was never told they were going to transplant my hipbone onto my wrist. I was discharged after two weeks or so (actually I was thrown out because I was racing along the hospital corridors in a wheelchair) and was warned not to continue riding this time or else my wrist would again be damaged.

This time my wrist set beautifully and the doctor told me they could now remove the wires. What wires? It seems in grafting my hipbone to my wrist they had to use wires to tie it. Hence now they had to remove the wires. So, for the third time, I was admitted into hospital for the wires to be removed.

In 1970, most of my friends went on to university. Some went to University Malaya while those from richer families went to the UK. "What do you want to do with your life?" my father asked me. My father was amongst the first group of Malays to go to the UK soon after the Second World War. He went to Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister. He was hoping I would follow in his footsteps.

But that was not my dream, though. My dream was to ride my motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London. Earlier I had become a member of the Automobile Association of Malaysia and had asked them to help me obtain the road maps from India to the UK. My plan was to take my motorcycle on a passenger ship from Penang to India and from India ride my motorcycle overland to the UK.

The road maps were hand-delivered to my house. I suppose the AAM chap was very curious and wanted to personally meet the crazy person who wanted to ride his motorcycle from Kuala Lumpur to London.

I had chosen to take a ship from Penang to India so that I could avoid riding through Burma. From India I would go to Pakistan and Iran and then to Turkey and Europe.

How long this would take did not matter because I had all the time in the world. I would need to just carry spare jeans and a couple of T-shirts in my backpack and would travel 200-300 miles a day depending on the terrain and weather.

I never considered what I would do if my motorcycle broke down, if I had an accident, if I was robbed along the way, if I got sick, where I would sleep, and so on. Those were details and I was not going to allow details to get in the way of my plans. When you are 18 or 19 you tend to think like that and you would let tomorrow take care of itself.

During my two years of bumming around, and when I was not racing up and down Kuala Lumpur, I would take my bike apart and put it together again. Even when there was nothing wrong with it I would tinker with it. I also modified it and tried to make it go faster.

I was obsessed with trying to make my 100cc motorcycle go from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds. The problem with this, though, is that motorcycles in those days, especially Japanese motorcycles, did not handle well. So they were only good if you were going in a straight line. On winding roads it was like a riding a coffin.

Furthermore, the braking system in those days was very primitive. The motorcycles used drum brakes, not disc brakes. Hence, while you could go 0-60 in under five seconds, it was impossible to go 60-0 in also under five seconds. Most times you would have to hit something to come to a stop -- hence the 12 accidents that I suffered during that period.

"Okay," my father said, "since you only want to tinker with engines, I am going to send you to do an apprenticeship." And he phoned Pak Arshad, the manager of Champion Motors, the Volkswagen/Rover distributor, to request him to take me in as an apprentice.

(Those of who had been around in the 1970s/1980s probably remember Pak Arshad, which is another very interesting story).

Pak Arshad was puzzled as to why someone like me and with my family background would want to embark upon such a 'low' career. "You are overqualified for this job," he told me. "Why don't you get your father to send you to England instead to do motor engineering?"

Actually that was what I wanted. But my father did not trust me enough to let me loose in England unsupervised. He knew that the first thing I would do would be to join the Rockers (the early version of The Hells Angels). The fact that I wore a black leather jacket with a Swastika on the sleeve and the 'The Malaysian Hells Angels' painted on the back was a give away.

So my father made a deal with me. I must prove that tinkering with cars and bikes is really what I want to do and if I can survive the four-year apprenticeship he would send me to England. And I would have to serve this apprenticeship with Volkswagen.

I spent my first three months washing cars and was paid RM105 a month. Even back in 1970 that was pittance but that was the deal so I had no choice. Before each Volkswagen is sent into the workshop it has to be washed and after it has been serviced or repaired it has to be washed again.

After three months I was transferred into the workshop and was put under a Hakka mechanic. He was one loud-mouthed chap. I would greet him with 'selamat pagi' and he would respond with 'tiu niamah ka fa hai' or 'tiu na seng' or a host of other 'pardon my French' phrases.

I also had to brush up on my Chinese very fast. He would shout for me to pass him the loh si fai and I would pass him the spanner. He would throw the spanner at me and grab the screw driver and wave it in my face and scream, "Loh si fai! Loh si fai!" Ah, loh si fai, now I understood.

Most of the senior mechanics resented us apprentices. That was because they would train us and in four years we would become service advisers and hence would be their bosses who would order them around. Hence they made life difficult for us while we were still 'under them'.

But my mechanic was a lazy person. So he would train me so that I could take over all his functions. He would tell me what to do and then would disappear. Once I had finished stripping the engine, I would summon him and he would inspect the parts and tell me what needs changing. He would then disappear again.

I had to learn very fast if not I would again get a scolding -- tiu niamah ka fa hai.

It was that same year, in 1970, that almost the whole of Kuala Lumpur was flooded. The whole city practically closed down and invariably Champion Motors was submerged.

When we came back to work I was asked to clean every car on the showroom. The workshop manager, an Indian chap, wanted the cars as good as new, as if they have just come out from the factory.

I tried my best but could not get them, as what the manager wanted, 101% clean. There were still some traces of mud and anyone who has ever owned a 1960s model of Volkswagen would know why.

The manager inspected the cars and he was not satisfied. He handed me a toothbrush and told me to use the toothbrush to clean the cars. I threw down the toothbrush and told him to clean the cars himself.

I was kicked out of Champion Motors then and there. Thus ended my career as an apprentice with Volkswagen -- all due to the Great Flood of 1970.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11)  

 

Man stabbed at Gombak political rally

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:23 PM PST

Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider

Rough house tactics, which have been a feature of Malaysian politics, went up a notch with the first stabbing at a political rally ahead of the 13th general elections.

A group of people alleged to be Umno Youth members yesterday attacked a PKR rally in Gombak that left a few PKR volunteers injured, leading to swift condemnation from PKR leaders.

In the attack, a PKR supporter is believed to have been stabbed with a sharp weapon on his left shoulder, the party's paper Keadilan Daily reported.

Another victim, Md Haidir Samsuddin, 48, was injured in the head when hit by a stone that was hurled by the thugs.

"I was then at the side of the road, controlling the situation when the Umno thugs started the kecoh (unrest).

"Suddenly a big stone from across the road fell on my head," said Haidir, whose head was bleeding.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali (picture) slammed Gombak Umno Youth chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin for allegedly leading a group of thugs to attack the Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat rally at Gombak last night.

Azmin, who is also the Gombak MP, saw his speech last night interrupted by the hurling of stones at the crowd, which then led to a scuffle breaking out at around 10pm.

"I am very disappointed with this rude behaviour of Umno, and there were even those who were injured because of this samseng (gangster) attitude," Azmin told The Malaysian Insider when met after the tension between Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters died had down last night.

Azmin claimed that Megat, who is the son of silat master Tan Sri Omar Din Mauju, had deliberately planned the provocation during the rally.

He accused Megat and the group he led of using harsh language and throwing objects in the direction of the crowd gathered at the rally.

"They (Umno) used silat practitioners to trigger provocation.

"Megat himself led the group that triggered provocation and quarreled with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) volunteers here," Azmin added.

Following the commotion, a group of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officers that were on the scene quickly moved in to control the situation and formed a human shield to separate the two groups of supporters.

Gombak's deputy police chief Rosly Hassan said the police had not received any reports from those who were injured and said the situation was under control.

"No police report until now and the situation is under control," Rosly said when met by The Malaysian Insider at the scene of the incident.

This is not the first attack on a PR rally, with a similar incident happening in Lembah Pantai where a crowd at a rally held by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was attacked.

The PKR bus used by Anwar and party leaders for its nationwide pre-election campaign tour, Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat , was also splashed with paint and attacked with rocks several times.

In yesterday's rally, Anwar, Tamrin Ghafar and Batu Caves state assemblyman Amirudin Shari were also present.

PKR had previously called for a stop to the political violence directed at them.

 

PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST

Subang MP R Sivarasa and party vice president N Surendran say they decided to take up the carpet businessman's case in their capacity as lawyers.

G Vinod, FMT

PKR leaders mentioned in the video shown by pro-Umno blogger Papagomo have denied that the party is behind the recent exposé by carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishen.

In a text message to FMT, Subang MP R Sivarasa said that PKR vice-president N Surendran and himself were appointed by Deepak to represent the latter in his suit against Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Roopiah Abdullah 's company, Awan Megah, regarding a land deal.

He also denied plotting any conspiracy against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

"In Deepak's evidence in court under oath, he himself stated that Najib and Rosmah were involved in approving the sale of a 223 acre land in Bukit Rajah by her company (Awan Megah) to Deepak's company, which originaly belonged to the Defence Ministry." said Sivarasa.

Yesterday, Papagomo posted a video on his website, alleging that Deepak's recent expose on Najib and Rosmah was enginereed by PKR's de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim.

The two-minute clip also showed a man, purportedly Deepak, mentioning names of key PKR leaders such as PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, apart from Sivarasa and Surendran.

Sivarasa said that Deepak himself had told in an interview with an online portal that the latter had made substantial payments to "a member of Najib's family" for certain favours received.

"The nature of the transaction in Deepak's suit was clearly of public interest because the value of the land mentioned is now worth about RM400 million or more.

"Najib and Rosmah need to answer this serious allegation instead of using scurrilous Umno bloggers to allege a conspiracy," he said.

Sivarasa said that he had approched Anwar before taking up the case due its political implications.

"But I made the decision to take up Deepak's case, just as I act for all my other clients. There is no way I coached him on anything.

"Deepak gave oral sworn evidence in an open court without the benefit of a written witness statement. He has also proceeded, on his own accord, to publicly disclose more serious matters unrelated to the specific issues in the court case I am handling. Those are his personal actions.

"So allegations that I am angry with him are simply nonsensical. I am actually quite impressed that Deepak is prepared to risk an aggressive response from Najib and Rosmah," he added.

READ MORE HERE

 

FDIs not flowing as freely into Malaysia, says Tengku Razaleigh

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:09 PM PST

Eva Yeong, The Sun Daily

Malaysia is no longer attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) as freely as it used to, said former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, adding that the country is not investing enough to meet its aspirations.

"Private investment now makes up a smaller portion of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Although we continue to maintain a relatively high national savings rate, some of those savings have gone overseas," the Gua Musang member of parliament said in his keynote address on "Pragmatism in the Face of Present Economic Outlook" at the MIER National Economic Outlook Conference 2013/2014 here yesterday.

"Malaysia has become a premature exporter of capital, a characteristic that is unbecoming of a growing, high potential economy.

"There is also this silent issue of capital flight, whether it is in the form of over-invoicing by corporates or personal wealth leakages," he added.

On the domestic production front, he said the nation depends on a relatively narrow spectrum of growth drivers, while the government's revenue base is just as limited and the issue of fuel subsidies has to be addressed quickly.

Tengku Razaleigh said the removal of petrol subsidies is imperative as it is a drag on government finances and an impediment to proper resource allocation.

"In order to protect the average consumer, perhaps we can begin by applying an implicit subsidy cut on large engine capacity vehicle owners via a higher road tax," he said.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said private investment is expected to account for 30% of the country's total investments next year.

"Private investment, which grew marginally by 2.5% during 2005 to 2009 period, registered a double digit growth of 15.5% in 2010 and 12.2% in 2011.

"Even more encouraging, it grew on an annualised basis of 22.2% in the first half of this year," he said at the opening of the event.

Meanwhile, RAM Holdings Bhd senior general manager and group chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng. said domestic-based sectors and services need to grow at a faster pace in order to have a sustainable domestic-driven growth.

"Domestic demand has actually helped the Malaysian economy offset the global demand over the last decade and more importantly, in the post global financial crisis year of 2010 and 2011, domestic demand has actually been offsetting the negative growth from exports," he told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

"Domestic demand can help smoothen Malaysia's output fluctuations.

"Use domestic demand to enhance resilience because Malaysia is such an open economy with exports contributing more than 100% of GDP. We are actually subject to a lot of these external demand shocks," he added.

Yeah said next year's GDP growth will remain above 5% with RAM Ratings maintaining its forecast of 5.3% for 2013.

He said the two major risks are the continuing Eurozone debt crisis that could potentially result in double dip for the global economy and the fiscal cliff.

"If these two don't happen, Asia, with improving indicators from China and other emerging countries, will be in a strong position to capitalise on the regional growth and demand.

"Combined with our resilient domestic demand, there won't be any major shock to our investor confidence and consumer spending," he added.

 

Wee: Abdul Rahman an extremist

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST

(The Star) - Abdul Rahman Maidin who recently joined PAS is an extremist, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

In a Dec 4 blog post, Dr Wee had described Abdul Rahman, who is the former Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia deputy president, as someone with extreme racial thinking.

He added that he had met Abdul Rahman at the Second National Economic Council meeting from 1999 to 2000, where he was also a participant.

Dr Wee said he had never met anyone in his life that held such extremist racial views.

Abdul Rahman had handed his membership form to PAS party president Abdul Hadi Awang during a Pakatan rally in Batu Pahat, Johor, last Saturday.

 

On Sabah’s ‘racism’

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST

There are areas in Kota Kinabalu that are "black areas" controlled by illegals, where locals fear to tread. Even our local law enforcement is forced to turn a blind eye. Some due to lack of manpower, some because they're paid off by the illegals. Many Sabahans are afraid of illegals. They have good cause to be. My neighbourhood doctor was killed with parangs by Indonesians. Two-thirds of the women I know, including myself, have been molested by illegals.

Erna Mahyuni, The Malaysian Insider

"So it strikes me to ask, is Sabah as racism-free as it seems?" That's what a LoyarBurok columnist asked, after a (brief) visit to Sabah and noting the distaste many locals have towards illegal immigrants.

The first problem I have is with the notion of Sabah being "racism-free." No place in the world is free from racism, unless said place is filled with people of the same race. Even then, we human beings will find other reasons to oppress our fellows. Because we can.

Sabah has a higher degree of tolerance. A higher tolerance of other religions and more widespread acceptance of intermarriage among the races sets us apart from most states in the Peninsula but we never pretended that we are "racism-free."

I have relatives who are racists. Which makes things slightly tricky because I happen to be a "mongrel" with Dusun and Bajau blood and have ancestors from China and Pakistan.

So that means I hear about the "lazy, stupid" Dusuns, the "bloodthirsty, manic" Bajaus, the "miserly, selfish" Chinese and the "untrustworthy" Pakistanis from my own family.

If all their stories were true, by virtue of my mixed race I am destined for infamy or, at the very least, a long prison sentence.

Despite our differences, what sets Sabah apart is that the races just get along better.

The point is that racial stereotypes are common everywhere, even in Sabah. But the LoyarBurok columnist chose to harp on local Sabahan's attitudes towards illegal immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia.

My god, man, do you expect us Sabahans to embrace them as brothers? Roll out the red carpet? Have feasts for them?

The ugly truth is most Sabahans don't want them around.

PBS head Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan is but one of many Sabah politicians who have called on the mainland to address the problem of illegal immigrants who are frankly unwelcome in the state.

It's unfair that many Sabahans see illegals as criminals and parasites, when some people are genuinely fleeing harsh conditions at home. But the reality is that many illegals do turn to crime.

There are areas in Kota Kinabalu that are "black areas" controlled by illegals, where locals fear to tread. Even our local law enforcement is forced to turn a blind eye. Some due to lack of manpower, some because they're paid off by the illegals.

Many Sabahans are afraid of illegals. They have good cause to be. My neighbourhood doctor was killed with parangs by Indonesians. Two-thirds of the women I know, including myself, have been molested by illegals.

Just behind my house, a neighbour started an illegal immigrant-staffed brothel and my family had to put up with the circus of whores and their seedy clientele, literally in my own backyard. 

My stories are just anecdotes, some of you will scoff. But my "anecdotes" are the reality that non-Sabahans will not be able to appreciate.

Then we have people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who say that we should just give illegals citizenship, no matter what Sabahans have to say about the matter.

So we blithely give these 3.2 million (as of 2010 ) people citizenship? Really, Dr Mahathir?

Another truth is, as my mother says, that we may despise them but we also need them. Sabah's backward economy is dependent on cheap labour. So much so that locals are forced to go to the Peninsula to seek better-paying job opportunities.

The illegals drive the buses. They monopolise the cheap boat services to the islands. They are the ones manning the stalls at the Filipino Market. Some call them industrious, some call them opportunistic. Yet they're here and now they just won't leave.

Is it really racism to be unhappy that foreigners come onto your land, monopolise your commerce, threaten your feeling of safety while you are also powerless to get rid of them?

I guess Sabahans know too well what the Orang Asli must feel.

 

From now on, it’s a Malay vs Malay contest

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:44 PM PST

One Malay leader is pitted against another Malay leader, and each is backed by an assortment of non-Malays. Such a situation, strangely enough, does not encourage racial or religious politics. This goes for Umno as well as the Islamist opposition, PAS.

Ooi Kee Bang, Today

As Umno general assemblies go, the one held last week was rather tame in its rhetoric. It was certainly memorable for its lack of vitriolic language.

And it was expectedly so ― therein lies its significance.

Things were quite different back in the days before 2008, when ethnocentric exhortations were run of the mill, and Umno Youth was the amplifier of racial extremist voices. This year, showing party unity was the order of the day.

Much of the credit must go to the fact that Malaysia today has a surprisingly stable two-party system in place. As we know, such a competitive structure has a strong moderating effect on extremist voices, be they racial or religious. After all, gaining the middle ground is how electoral victories are won.

The fact that the incumbent prime minister, Najib Razak, reportedly cited ― as a warning to his followers ― significant errors made by Republican challenger Mitt Romney in his defeat at the hands of United States President Barack Obama, tells us that even at the highest level, the possibility of the hitherto invincible Umno being toppled is being taken seriously.

Indeed, the bipolar Obama-Romney battle is being reflected in the clash between Najib and Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the opposition.

What this actually reveals is the most important point that anyone can make today about the dramatic changes that have been taking place in Malaysian politics, not only over the last five years but also over the last decade and a half.

Opposition forces within the Malay community have come of age. That is the fundamental difference. We are witnessing a Malay-Malay battle.

Despite the rhetoric, the Malay community ― perhaps because of its increased relative size, its comparative youth, its growing urbanity or its heightened educational level ― is showing a political confidence it did not have before.

Its questioning of Umno's claim to being the only plausible champion of their interests as a community ― in fact, questioning the limitations of communal politicking ― is an expression of that very maturity.

One Malay leader is pitted against another Malay leader, and each is backed by an assortment of non-Malays. Such a situation, strangely enough, does not encourage racial or religious politics. This goes for Umno as well as the Islamist opposition, PAS.

Instead, the new issues are about wealth distribution and governance, not those of race against race, or religion against religion.

Now, issues of governance are not simple things.

They are comprehensive, covering difficult matters such as cronyism, corruption, rule of law, the state of the civil service and the electoral system, among others.

What all this boils down to once elections come around is: Who will be the next prime minister of Malaysia, Najib or Anwar?

Abdullah Badawi was replaced by Najib in April 2009 in punishment for letting so much support for Barisan Nasional slip away. Najib's job, therefore, is to win back that support. To his mind, the best way to do that is to continue with the reform agenda (he has preferred the term "transformation").

However, should support for his coalition not rise markedly in the coming elections, there is a real risk that he will be replaced in his turn.

But why this sudden wish for reform and transformation on BN's part?

No doubt, Anwar has a lot to do with it. He was after all the man behind the pivotal Reformasi movement that started in 1998 after his sacking by Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

But the fact that Abdullah's impressive electoral victory in 2004 could not bury that movement for good tells us that the forces pushing for change have deep roots in society, and in the times.

What Anwar managed to do after his release from prison in 2005 was to become a bridge for the major opposition parties on the one hand, and a lightning rod for general social discontent on the other.

And so, although at one level, the fight is between two Malay leaders, the election, whichever way it goes, is at a deeper level about how governance in Malaysia is to develop ― how Malaysia is to develop ― in the coming years.

And within that equation, the role of East Malaysia will increase since both coalitions will be fighting to win votes there. Since the racial and religious ― not to mention political ― conditions in Sabah and Sarawak are so markedly different from those found in West Malaysia, the heightened significance of these states is bound to transform the socio-political situation.

Predicting Malaysia's political future has become a much harder gambit.

* Ooi Kee Beng is the deputy director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.

 

Selangor already fallen to BN!

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:27 PM PST

Will recent events concerning the re-drawn boundaries in Selangor indicate that the coming polls is going to be a sham of an election?

Selena Tay, FMT

Recent reports received from this columnist's friends in PAS have revealed the inevitable – Selangor has already fallen into the hands of BN.

Why is this so? Well, besides the dirty voter rolls, recently even the parliamentary and state constituencies in Selangor have had their boundaries re-drawn, said this columnist's friends in the Selangor PAS committee tasked with overseeing the preparations for the 13th general election.

Now what is to be done? Of course police reports have been made besides forwarding evidence to the Election Commission (EC) who must remain professional, ethical and honest at all times in carrying out their duties in order to serve the interests of the public by working for the good of the citizens.

But will recent events concerning the re-drawn boundaries indicate that the coming polls is going to be a sham of an election?

Those who say that Malaysia has a vibrant democracy are merely being economic on the truth. The only thing vibrant is the compliant media's unjust bashing of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and the rampant crime and corruption going on.

And it bears repeating that the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state government must only dissolve the State Legislative Assembly in May. Anything before that is disastrous for Pakatan.

Looking at the way that BN wants to cling on to power, then is a foretaste of events to come should they lose the 13th general election.

BN leaders have said that Pakatan will cause chaos if it loses. But what if it is BN who loses? What is their answer to that question? Have we heard them giving assurances to the rakyat by saying, "We will abide by the rakyat's decision?"

Be that as it may, the election must and will go on. The losers must accept the verdict. The opposition have lost 12 consecutive times so for them losing is nothing new but what about those who have never tasted defeat?

For the good of the nation and the well-being of the rakyat, the losers of the forthcoming polls should work with the winners to build up the nation.

The losers must be magmanimous enough to accept defeat. If they resort to hooliganism and sabotage, then their true colours and greed for power will be revealed and show that their past slogans are empty rhetoric to hoodwink the people.

The time has come for Malaysians to move forward towards building a great nation for one and all. Otherwise we will be left far behind – stuck in the age of antiquities. It is high time we march forward to the dawn of a new civilisation of hope, peace and progress.

Winning at all cost

The case of Selangor highlights the dirty tactics of certain parties who want to win at all cost.

"There is just nothing we can do about their dirty tricks as all avenues are closed. We have raised the issue of dubious voters and instant MyKad in Parliament and in our party paper, Harakah. We have brought up the matter with the Election Commission and made the necessary police reports – all to no avail," said PAS Kuala Selangor MP, Dzulkefly Ahmad to this columnist.

His PAS colleague and Kuala Krai MP, Hatta Ramli who will be overseeing the PAS election groundwork has informed this columnist that he has requested that the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) set up to look into the problem of illegals in Sabah being given MyKad be given an extension of its workscope to include Selangor as well but the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Liew Vui Keong (Sandakan MP) said that the problem does not exist in Selangor! And this reply was given in the recently concluded Parliament session.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak’

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:19 PM PST

A two-minute video clip of 'Deepak Jaikishan' has surfaced in pro-government blogs which points to a PKR plot to defame the prime minister and his wife 

Teoh El Sen, FMT

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had met carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan to hatch a plot to defame the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, according to pro-government blogs.

Posting links to a "secretly recorded" video footage, blogger Papa Gomo said it proved that Deepak's recent explosive media interviews were the result of a plan engineered by several key PKR players.

In the two-minute-long clip, a man who appears to be Deepak was speaking to a few people off camera. Aside from Anwar, he mentions several prominent PKR leader's names, including Subang MP R Sivarasa as well as vice-presidents N Surendran and Nurul Izzah.

"So he [Anwar] said I give you the place, whatever you want to do I help you, but you have to help me lah, of course it is understood lah," said the man in the video.

The video, according to Papa Gomo, was proof that Deepak had met with Anwar before he began his attacks against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor on Nov 27.

"In the video we hear Deepak saying that Nurul was the first person to contact him to see but for some reason he did not meet her," wrote the blogger.

He alleged that Anwar had asked to meet Deepak several times in 2010 but he had ignored the PKR de facto leader until he was pressured by a bank debt that totalled RM170 million.

"Deepak's real target is Senator Raja Ropiaah [Abdullah], the Selangor Wanita Umno chief who was together with Deepak previously in the real estate business," said Papa Gomo.

He said that Anwar then apparently promised to provide Deepak with a lawyer (Sivarasa) for his case against Raja Ropiaah.

"Sivarasa actually instructed Deepak to mention the names of Najib and Rosmah in the Raja Ropiaah trial," he added.

However, "Deepak" in the video said he did not do that and "Sivarasa" was angry with him.

READ MORE HERE

 

Shall we experiment?

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:13 PM PST

The 'devil we know' is a recalcitrant beast which is resistant to change whereas the 'devil we don't know' is promising Utopia.

Anwar was regarded as a racist and religious bigot. Then there was also that persistent rumour about his fondness for clean-shaven men. But it was his lack of devotion to Dr Mahathir Mohamad that put a curse on his charmed life.

RK Anand, FMT

Anwar Ibrahim is no saint. But who amongst us is? That is a subject for debate in ecclesiastical circles.

But those who believe that a halo hovers above the opposition leader's head must also extend the same benefit of divine doubt to the prime minister who has sworn in the name of God that his hands are not stained with the blood of a murdered Mongolian woman and that he did not pocket a handsome sum in connection with a submarine deal.

During his sojourn with Umno, Anwar's reputation as the heir to the throne struck fear in the hearts of many similar to how the prospect of the "Malay first and Malaysian second" Muhyiddin Yassin becoming prime minister is bone-chilling to the non-Malays.

Anwar was regarded as a racist and religious bigot. Then there was also that persistent rumour about his fondness for clean-shaven men. But it was his lack of devotion to Dr Mahathir Mohamad that put a curse on his charmed life.

More than a decade has passed since Mahathir shoved Anwar out of the corridors of power and into prison but the epic battle between the two warlords continues to be waged. Trapped in the middle is Najib Tun Razak.

His predecessor ended up as collateral damage and his ambitious son-in-law was cast into cold storage in the aftermath of the 2008 electoral debacle. Does a similar or even worse fate await him?

As the nation edges closer and closer towards the 13th general election, the situation is becoming "curiouser and curiouser". As more and more cans of worms and cows are opened, it is evident that Najib has committed a dreadful error in not calling for the polls earlier when the forecast was in his favour.

Perhaps he was not contented with just holding on to power but aspired to be the Ceasar who would return Rome to the pinnacle of power, the emperor who is adored and venerated by his subjects. To his credit, Najib had dared to be different but the odds were just too great. Now he risks losing it all.

Mahathir returns to battle

This has prompted Mahathir to return to the frontline in order to save Umno Baru from decimation. It is, after all, his party.

Moreover, the thought of Anwar becoming prime minister is unsettling for the patriarch, especially when his arch-nemesis would have access to certain documents which could prove to be incriminating.

Driven out, ridiculed, imprisoned and battered, Mahathir's former deputy might not be as forgiving as some hope him to be should he triumph.

Anwar claims that Mahathir is once again sharpening his blade, which has butchered numerous illustrious political careers in the past. He purportedly wants Najib's head to roll but after the polls since Umno is in no position to witness a high-profile beheading at this juncture.

The often repeated argument from Barisan Nasional is "better the devil you know", with the prime minister warning Malaysians not to experiment with their votes, lest it would invite damnation.

Najib prefers that experiments and debates be confined to the science labs and schools instead of being carried out at the expense of his position.

His steadfast refusal to debate with Anwar suggests that perhaps the prime minister is a fictitious character and each word that rolls out of his mouth is crafted by a team of public relations experts.

Does he fear sharing the stage with a fiery orator without his retinue of speech writers and advisers, forced to respond to questions without rehearsing his answers in front of a mirror beforehand and in the absence of a prepared text? Is he afraid that he would fail the test of scrutiny on television?

The "devil we know" is a recalcitrant beast, which is resistant to change, save for Najib and a handful of others who dwell in the 1Malaysia wonderland, churning out an endless stream of slogans and abbreviations.

The rest in Umno remain disenchanted, reminiscing about the golden era where in the words of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, only the Almighty-sanctioned media like Utusan Malaysia existed, dissidents could be jailed without much fuss, the only ones blowing the whistles were scouts and no carpet dealer threatening to pull the rug from under their feet.

Most of all, it was a time when the people feared the government and not the government having to fear the people.

The devil or messiah?

On the other hand, the "devil we don't know" promises Utopia though his detractors remain unconvinced due to the mounting allegations against those in the opposition, lending credence to the belief that power breeds corruption.

READ MORE HERE

 

Pakatan states 'have failed in legislative reform'

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 09:07 PM PST

Lee Leong Hui, Malaysiakini

Almost five years after forming the state government in four states, Pakatan Rakyat has failed to reform the institution of the legislature, according to Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim.

Teng attributed this to the refusal of politicians, who exert control over the Executive, to give up their powers.

NONEHe also said there was lack of political will for reform to make the legislative assemblies independent of state governments.

"If I were to set up a KPI (key performance index), it would show that Pakatan has failed in this respect," Teng (left) told a forum on parliamentary reform at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall last night.

Teng, who is Sungai Pinang assemblyperson, noted that only the Selangor state assembly has been pro-active.

It has formed three select committees, as well as the Special Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency, to scrutinise the state government's performance. It has also set up 'live' online streaming of sittings.

"We have been talking about this (select committees) for many years, but when we became the government, how many states have implemented this? Only Selangor has done so," he said.

Teng pointed out that society, too, lacked understanding of the doctrine of separation of powers and failed to pressure politicians holding executive posts to reform the legislature.

"What is the speaker? Nobody pays attention to the speaker, no matter how great he or she is," he said cynically.

Selangor gov't found wanting

Teng also said the Selangor government had yet to agree to table the Assembly Service Commission Enactment Bill 2009 - which he had drafted - for passage through the state assembly.

The enactment would have made the state assembly fully independent of the Executive in terms of resources and funds, as is the practice in other Commonwealth countries that have a "remarkable" legislature.

"The separation of powers is about sharing of power, but it is not happening here. Before we came into power, we had said it loud and clear that we would do so," he added.

"But afterwards, we are not willing to let go of power... When you change your position, you change your mindset as well."

 

Zaid: PM must apologise over May 13 reference

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:42 PM PST

Sean Augustin, fz.com

Former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim says Datuk Seri Najib Razak should apologise for references to the May 13 tragedy made at the recent Umno general assembly.

Zaid said that claims the 1969 racial riots would recur if Umno lost the next general election or if it returned with a weak majority was uncalled for and made him 'sick to his bones'.
 
He said Najib - the prime minister and Umno president - should distance himself from such statements, which he feels were outright threats, immediately.
 
As prime minister for all Malaysians, Najib should apologise to the nation for the inflammatory statements made by the delegates of the party he leads, said Zahid.
 
"No one should capitalise on a national tragedy for the reprehensible purpose of exploiting emotions ahead of the coming election.
 
"I hope Malaysians-and especially Malays-will find this statement repulsive and punish Umno accordingly," the lawyer turned politician wrote in his blog, zaiduntukrakyat.com.
 
The May 13th spectre is often resurrected by politicians and right wing groups, especially in response to what they perceive as threats to the rights of Malays.
 
While racial rhetoric was largely absent at the Umno general assembly, Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil had mentioned May 13, in her written opening speech, when discussing the fate of the Malays if the party under performed in the coming general election.
 
That part of the speech however was not read.  
 
Sharizat however later defended her remarks saying she did not commit any wrong and flayed the media for lacking professionalism.
 
Zaid, in his blog, also wondered why Najib led the 'virulent attack' against liberalism which he defined as a  political philosophy founded on the principles of freedom, liberty and equality. 
 
Liberalism, he said, supported the free-market economy, the individual's right to ownership of property, free and democratic elections as the foundation of government, freedom of religion and basic human rights.
 
"The constitution of the Federation of Malaysia was founded on these principles, and our proclamation of independence contained the words 'liberty, freedom and justice for all.' So, why are the prime minister and his followers in Umno attacking the constitution and the core values of this country?" he asked.

 

‘Explain Hindu burial land given to Muslims’

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:35 PM PST

Hindraf questions Selangor's state government's decision to convert a 3.38 hectre plot of Hindu burial land to a Muslim cemetery. 

K Pragalath, FMT

Hindraf wants the Selangor state government to explain its decision to convert a 3.38 hectre Hindu burial land in Teluk Piai, Kuala Selangor, to a Muslim cemetery.

"Why grab the land when Selangor is 7,955 square kilometres?" asked Hindraf's P Uthayakumar in a letter addressed to Selangor Menteri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim.

Uthayakumar, who is also Human Rights Party's pro-tem secretary general, was responding to a news report in Malay daily, Sinar Harian today on the matter.

In the report, Malaysian Indian Welfare and Cemetery Management Association president M Raman had asked the state government for an alternative plot of land for a Hindu cemetery.

Raman said the state exco, at a meeting in July last year, despite acknowledging that the plot of land in Teluk Piai was a Hindu cemetery decided to regazette it as a Muslim cemetary.

Raman said this was revealed in the 2010 Selangor Cemetery Inventory Report.

"Even a letter from the rural and urban planning department dated Aug 28 this year states that the land, in Lot 13, Api-Api, Kampung Teluk Piai, is a Hindu burial land," said Raman.

Uthayakumar said: "Reconvert, re-gazette, issue permanent land titles and restore this historical Hindu cemetery in the memory of the rubber tappers who contributed extensively to Malaya's economy."

He also requested for a copy of the 2010 Selangor Cemetery Inventory Report under the Selangor Freedom of Information Enactment 2010 to ascertain the number of Hindu cemeteries in the state and how many of them have been gazetted.

Uthayakumar also raised concerns over the status of the Hindu cemeteries in Barisan Nasional administered states.

He gave three examples: the Bukit Jalil Hindu cemetery that was re-gazetted as Muslim burial ground, a cemetary in Kuala Sawah, Negeri Sembilan that was wiped out and a burial ground in Rantau, Seremban that was desecreated.

 

Answer Musa’s claims, cops tell top brass

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:29 PM PST

Police want the top brass to look into the ex-IGP's claims of criminal elements and political interference in the police force. 

Anisah Shukry and Teoh El Sen, FMT

The police are split over ex-inspector general of police Musa Hassan's claims of political interference and criminal elements in the police force but one common sentiment prevails – the top brass must take responsibility over it.

"Of course it is damaging to the police force but then again, there is no smoke without fire, so there is an element of truth in it," said a senior policeman on condition of anonymity.

"Perhaps in a way it is good because if the top level wants to change, it is high time to look into it," he told FMT.

Last week, Musa dropped a bombshell when he accused Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein as one of the politicians who interfered with police investigation.

The former top cop also suggested that criminal elements had infiltrated the police force, revealing that there were cases where the links went high up and "nobody dared talk about it."

His damning comments coincided with Umno's general assembly; the party's last huddle before it faced the 13th general election.

Umno top leaders, including Hishammuddin, had not directly answered Musa's claims since last week, choosing instead to dismiss them as attempts to sidetrack the public from the issues raised during the general assembly.

Meanwhile, current IGP Ismail Omar said that he did not have the time for things that were "not important" – a response that courted ire from Musa who labelled the former as "snobbish."

'Ismail is a poor leader'

Commenting on this, the senior police officer told FMT that Ismail lacked leadership quality.

"He shouldn't be there in the first place, he's merely a puppet. Whenever he is summoned by the ministry, he comes back crying.

"Whenever he is pressured, he doesn't act professionally, he screams at his officers. He is someone who is hard to work with, no backbone, no guts," he said.

READ MORE HERE

 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11)

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 06:33 PM PST

It was a win-win situation. The Minister got to hand over RM6 million worth of engines to the fishermen. The fishermen could get delivery of the engines only when they needed them and not too early. I got my RM6 million order although I did not yet have RM6 million worth of engines in stock. And Barisan Nasional won 34 of the 36 seats in the Kelantan State Assembly leaving PAS with only two seats -- the first time since Merdeka that Umno ruled Kelantan (at least for 12 years until 1990 when they lost the state again to PAS).

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

By 1977 I already owned my first Mercedes Benz, a light blue 204D. A Mercedes is a mark that you have 'arrived'. Nobody would take you seriously if you drove a Fiat like me. That is a playboy's car. So I brought a Mercedes, which I brought second-hand from the Speaker of the Terengganu State Assembly who was given a state car -- so he no longer needed to keep his old car.

I paid RM30,000 for that car, quite pricey for a second-hand or used car. But I was paying for the number more than for the car (TC 848), which the Chinese appeared to like a lot. (They say it means prosperous and even after you die still prosperous -- which means prosperous for many generations). In fact, Dato' Salleh Speaker (that's what they called him) wanted the number back but I told him that I only wanted the car if it came with the number.

That was the car I drove up and down Malaysia and to every fishing village in Terengganu and Kelantan. They just needed to see that car on the horizon when they would shout, "Taukay Yanmar datang!" That car practically became my trademark. And they knew that the owner of that car could give them loans to build their fishing boats and to buy the engines and/or fishing nets.

I suppose I was like Santa Claus coming to town. And I made sure that all those who came out to greet my arrival walked away with something -- caps, T-shirts, calendars once a year at the end of the year (showing half-naked Japanese girls -- a girl for each month of the year), and so on. (Trust me, when it comes to half-naked girls, those Malay fishermen are no racists).

I would walk into the favourite watering hole of the fishermen just off their shift or about to go on shift and would tell the coffee shop owner that everything was on me. No one left that coffee shop having to pay for what they ate and drank. This was not just about marketing my Yanmar engines. This was about 'winning an election' -- me, the new kid on the block, versus the 'old boys'.

It was no longer enough that I was Taukay Yanmar. I had to be the Taiko of the Taiko, meaning the Taipan. And little did I know that in a mere few months I was going to become the Taipan Yanmar and would 'clean up' the market and monopolise the entire industry.

They say 'man proposes but God disposes'. And I learned the real meaning of that phrase that same year, November 1977 to be exact. And this is how the story goes.

In 1973, Barisan Nasional was formed and PAS, an opposition party, decided to join the ruling coalition. Three years later, PAS decided that the relationship with Umno was not working out so they decided to leave Barisan Nasional and go back to being an opposition party. Hence Kelantan, which was part of the ruling coalition, now became an opposition state, the only state under the opposition (since Gerakan still remained in Barisan Nasional).

Umno needed to grab Kelantan. But first they needed to bring down PAS.

A no-confidence motion against the Menteri Besar was tabled in the Kelantan State Assembly. 20 PAS State Assemblymen supported the motion while the 13 Umno and the solitary MCA assemblymen walked out in protest.

However, Mohamad Nasir, the Menteri Besar, refused to resign. He then requested the Regent of Kelantan to dissolve the State Assembly to make way for fresh state elections. His Highness refused and Mohamad Nasir's supporters retaliated by demonstrating in the streets resulting in violence, looting and burning.

(Actually, this whole thing was engineered by Hussein Ahmad, the Umno Kelantan warlord, but made to appear like it was a PAS 'internal conflict'. And the 'looters' and 'rioters' were gangsters brought in from Thailand).

On 8th November 1977, His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong declared a state of emergency in Kelantan. The State Assembly was suspended and the Emergency Powers (Kelantan) Act 1977 was passed by Parliament the following day giving the Federal Government power to govern the state.

In March 1978, state elections were held in Kelantan (more than three months ahead of the July 1978 General Election). PAS was successfully toppled and Umno took over the state (and held it for 12 years until 1990 when PAS-Semangat 46 ousted Umno).

Now, at this point, some of you would probably be asking: what has all that got to do with me? Well, as I said earlier, man proposes but God disposes.

Meanwhile, a month after the Kelantan Crisis, on 4th December 1977, Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, and in that tragedy the Minister of Agriculture, Ali Ahmad, and a few of his senior officers were killed. His Deputy, Sharif Ahmad, was then appointed the new Minister of Agriculture with Khalid Yunos as his Political Secretary.

Kelantan was about to face a state election in March 1978 followed by the general election soon after that in July. And Umno wanted to make sure that it won both Kelantan and Terengganu, strongholds of PAS. And the critical task of ensuring that the fishermen in both these states voted Umno -- who form a very large number of the voters -- was given to the new Minister of Agriculture.

So they needed to 'buy' the goodwill of the fishermen voters. And to buy this goodwill they needed to give them engines, fishing nets, boats, and whatnot. Basically, they needed Santa Claus to go around the fishing villages with handouts.

The Minister then asked his Political Secretary to find out who the biggest Yanmar engine supplier was. And everywhere they asked the name Raja Petra popped up. In January 1978, out of the blues, Khalid Yunos phoned me and asked me to go down to Kuala Lumpur to meet up with him and his Minister.

I was, understandably, extremely surprised. Never in my life has any Political Secretary phoned me to ask me to make a trip to KL to meet his boss. Very nervously I reported to the Minister's office.

The meeting was about only one thing. They wanted to know how many Yanmar engines I had in stock. I asked them how many they needed. They gave me the figure and it was huge. I would need at least a year or more to supply everything they wanted. But they wanted all that supplied within just two months, a month before the March 1978 Kelantan State Election.

Whether I got the business or not depended on whether I was able to supply their RM6 million or so order in a mere two months. I could not do it, of course, but I told them that I could.

I got the order and went home wondering how I would supply the engines in two months. They then sent me the schedule of delivery. The Minister would be touring from fishing village to fishing village over a period of a month to personally hand over the engines to the fishermen in a handing over ceremony. It was going to be a big show. And my engines were going to be the centre of attraction.

I almost had a heart attack. All I could put together was one lorry-load of engines, not the 20 or 30 lorry-loads like what they wanted. Hence I would have to perform a sort of magic trick to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.

I knew that the fishermen did not really need the engines delivered by February or March 1978. Some were halfway through building their boats while some had not even started construction yet. So, realistically, they would need the engines delivered in six months time or maybe even in a year or 18 months.

I went to meet the fishermen and told them that the engines come with a warranty. But the warranty starts from the day they take delivery of the engines. So better they take deliver only when they needed the engines or else the warranty would be 'wasted' and may even expire before they can install the engines into their boats. As a 'mark' or 'token' of delivery we would hand over just the propellers.

The fishermen agreed and on the day of the handing-over ceremony we parked the lorry-load of engines in front of the stage and handed over the propellers to the Minister who then handed them to the fishermen as a ritual of handing them the engines. We then drove the lorry to the next venue and the following day we did the same thing.

The same lorry was sent from fishing village to fishing village. Actually, it was only one lorry made to look like it was 20 or 30 lorries. No one noticed that the lorry had the same registration number or even bothered to check the serial numbers of the engines on the lorry.

Our explanation to the Minister was that the engines were too heavy to lift and we would need a crane to lift them (which was true). So better he just handed the propellers to the fishermen -- which in itself were quite heavy already. In fact, the Minister could not lift the propellers all by himself. He needed two other people to assist him.

It was a win-win situation. The Minister got to hand over RM6 million worth of engines to the fishermen. The fishermen could get delivery of the engines only when they needed them and not too early. I got my RM6 million order although I did not yet have RM6 million worth of engines in stock. And Barisan Nasional won 34 of the 36 seats in the Kelantan State Assembly leaving PAS with only two seats -- the first time since Merdeka that Umno ruled Kelantan (at least for 12 years until 1990 when they lost the state again to PAS).

And that was the day my friends called me 'The Six Million Dollar Man', a popular TV series at that time. I suppose, in business, you need to show confidence and pretend that you know what you are doing and can handle any assignment they give you even when you do not have the winning cards in your hand. After all, is that not how poker is played?

And now do you know why I do not want too clever people to become Ministers? I could never pull something like that off if smart people ran the government.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) 

 

Indonesian embassy warns maids to avoid Malaysia

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 04:20 PM PST

(AFP) - Indonesia Tuesday warned its nationals not to work as maids in Malaysia after a weekend raid freed 105 women who were confined against their will and forced to work without pay.

In the latest maid abuse scandal to hit Malaysia, authorities said they had freed 95 Indonesians, six Filipinas and four Cambodians who toiled as housemaids by day but were locked inside a building near the capital Kuala Lumpur at night.

Recurring reports of abuse of Indonesian maids have soured relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours and in 2009 prompted Jakarta to angrily cut off the supply of domestic workers to Malaysia.

The two sides announced a year ago that the ban would be lifted after they reaching an accord to provide maids better protection and working conditions.

But the latest case showed Indonesians were still at risk, especially those who come to Malaysia illegally without going through proper recruitment channels, a spokesman for Jakarta's embassy said.

"The Malaysian authorities should take tough action... It's better for Indonesian maids not to work in Malaysia," spokesman Suryana Sastradiredja told AFP.

"They (Malaysia) are asking for Indonesian maids but they cannot protect them well."

The women freed on Saturday -- who according to Malaysian media reports had arrived illegally over the past several months -- have been taken to a shelter and will eventually be sent back to Indonesia, Sastradiredja said.

Sastradiredja said that since the ban was lifted, fewer than 100 Indonesian maids had arrived through official channels, turned off by the low salaries and abuse reports.

But, citing reports from Indonesian and Malaysian activists, he said Jakarta fears thousands more may have been duped into coming illegally with promises of well-paid work since the ban was set in 2009, and were now working in vulnerable situations.

One of Southeast Asia's most affluent and developed countries, Malaysia has long attracted women from its poorer neighbours, mostly Indonesia, seeking work as maids.

Before the ban, some 300,000 Indonesians were legally registered as working as maids in Malaysia.

Recurring incidents in which foreign maids have been confined, abused, beaten, or even killed have repeatedly rankled Malaysia's neighbours.

In October, an advertisement in Malaysia that offered Indonesian maids "on sale" went viral online in Indonesia, sparking new outrage.

Last month, police said they were investigating a man in northern Malaysia for allegedly raping his 15-year-old Indonesian maid, while in a separate case, three police officers were charged with raping a 25-year-old Indonesian woman at a police station.

Cambodia also banned sending maids to Malaysia last year following numerous abuse complaints.

 

M'sians abroad now eligible for postal voting

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 04:13 PM PST

(Bernama) - Postal voting facilities for Malaysian citizens living abroad, apart from absentee voters, will be implemented for the coming general election.

Election Commission secretary Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said it was in line with recommendations from the Special Election Committee On Improving The Election Process for Malaysians living abroad and absentee voters to be given postal voting facilities.
 
For this to be implemented, the EC was finalising the policies, logistics planning, manpower and financial allocations before amendments on the Election Regulations (Postal Voting) 2003 was made, he said.
 
"After the regulations are finalised, the EC will set a date for its implementation and will be brought for approval by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. 
 
"Following this, the regulations will be gazetted and then tabled at the Dewan Rakyat," he said in a statement today.
 
Kamaruddin explained that although the third meeting of the fifth session of the 12th Dewan Rakyat had ended, and new regulations had not been tabled, it did not mean the regulations could not be enforced during the general election.
 
"The EC will ensure that the date for implementation of the regulations is set, so it can be used in the general election.
 
"Tabling of the regulations at Dewan Rakyat, according to Section 17 of the Election Act 1958, is required by law after it is approved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, setting of the enforcement date and gazetting of the regulations are done," he said.
 
With the enforcement of the regulations, Malaysians who meet the EC's requirements will be eligible for postal voting.
 

 

Pak Lah’s kin linked to power meter supply storm

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST

Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider

The family of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was linked today to a company that supplies the controversial digital electricity meters to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) alleged to have hiked up energy consumption bills and gained the national utility company billions of ringgit in profit.

According to PKR's investment bureau chief Wong Chen, Noor Asiah Mahmood, who is the younger sister to Abdullah's (picture) first wife, the late Tun Endon Mahmood, owns Ombata-Ambak Holdings Sdn Bhd, which has a 15 per cent share in Malaysian Intelligence Meters Sdn Bhd, the latter which is one of five companies contracted by TNB to supply the new digital meters.

Wong alleged that the programme to switch analogue power meters for digital ones had showed consumers would be contributing RM6.88 billion to TNB's profit over the course of 10 years. The programme has been stopped temporarily on the orders of Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui since October.

"Our research shows TNB has 8.03 million consumers now and the average price for each meter is RM250, therefore this programme had the potential to reach RM2 billion.

"For the financial year 2012, TNB's revenue from all consumers is RM34.4 billion, if the electronic meter had given a conservative raise of two per cent, the additional burden on consumers would be as much as RM688 million a year.

"Seeing as the life expectancy of this meter is only 10 years, consumers would ultimately have to pay as much as RM6.88 billion to TNB for that duration," Wong told a news conference at the opposition party's headquarters here.

PKR strategy director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who was also present, said the issue was not a small matter as consumers would have to pay up to 50 per cent of the cost of their power bills.

"Therefore, PKR urges TNB to be transparent and responsible in this matter to reveal who are the electronic meter suppliers, the price paid for the meters and whether it was competitively priced at local and international standards, and whether an open tender had been called or was it a direct negotiation?" Nik Nazmi asked.

The Seri Setia state lawmaker also called for TNB to fund an independent body to investigate consumer complaints on the new meters and to act on the findings that bind the utility company to consumers.

Last October, Chin said TNB had halted the replacement of analogue electricity meters with electronic meters until a standard operating procedure could be fixed.

He had made the decision after receiving public complaints saying power consumption had spiked after switching to the new digital meters, causing them to be also billed "retrospectively".

"This operation will go on but our main task is to educate people on the new meter," the minister had said then.

However, Chin had said replacing the analogue devices with the new meters would continue for households where the electricity meters were damaged or suspected to have been tampered with, resulting in losses.

 

Much work for Umno leaders after the general assembly

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST

There are as many as 2.9 million new voters in the next general election. Umno can sit back and relax only after it has convinced these young voters aged between 22 and 29 years old.

Lim Sue Goan, My Sinchew

The recent Umno general assembly has once again proved the enthusiasm of the Malays in politics, and their allegiance to leaders. However, no matter how successful the assembly was and how well it demonstrated solidarity, the party's general assembly will never be the battlefield of the party.

The assembly was filled with tears. Party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak successfully touched many delegates. However, the most important thing would be to touch voters. Therefore, no matter how high the morale was, Umno leaders still have much work to do to bring the momentum to the general election.

Firstly, Najib must rectify the problem of overconfidence and arrogance in leaders at all levels. For example, Wanita Umno leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's May 13 statement triggered concern while Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob even said that the MCA should "close shop" if it loses Bentong in the next general election and he will also cut off his ears and jump into the Pahang River. Such a cavalier attitude has been turned into a ready-made issue to be attacked by the alternative coalition, while making voters uncomfortable.

Adnan also said BN will win 13 of the total 14 parliamentary seats in Pahang, while having half chance to win the remaining one seat. He even said that the number of parliamentary seats BN wins in Pahang will be equal to the number of Kuantan residents in favour of the Lynas rare earth refinery. It is puzzling how he can so amidst the strong opposition against the Lynas project?

The top priority now would be to teach leaders about humility. Only those who are modest will know their own inadequacies.

Secondly, Umno must restore the people's confidence as soon as possible. Various controversial issues have eroded public confidence in the existing system, including whether the rise of the national debt would cause the reduction of subsidies after the election or, worse, lead the country towards bankruptcy?

The government has guaranteed the safety of the rare earth refinery but it has not fully explained about the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) plant in Bukit Merah. The construction of ARE's second permanent disposal facility is scheduled to be completed in March 2013 and it will be monitored by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) for 300 years. Three hundred years involve a few generations and it is afraid that the country might have to bear a huge cost.

The government also said that Lynas must ship rare earth waste abroad, but Lynas said that all waste will be converted into commercial by-products. Who should we listen to? Who can ensure that all waste will be converted into by-products?

There are as many as 2.9 million new voters in the next general election. Umno can sit back and relax only after it has convinced these young voters aged between 22 and 29 years old.

Thirdly, Najib must offer the people a new direction. The transformation plans have reached a bottleneck and failed to solve corruption problems as well as boost vitality in the economy.

The RM40 million political donation and former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan's criticism of the police force have reflected the lack of transparency in the existing system.

The government-related enterprises' performances are also poor. MAS's accumulated loss has reached RM8.19 billion and it has to implement a reorganisation plan. Meanwhile, Petronas posted a 21.3 per cent fall in third-quarter net profit. What should we do if the world economy encounters a recession next year?

Transformation and reforms are not just about adjusting the minor parts. It should not be controlled by politics either.

If the BN is able to put an end to the various problems which are shaking its credibility, it will then be on the way to success. The problems come from them, instead of the alternative coalition.

 

Election hype and debates

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 03:04 PM PST

It is not up to the political elites to decide what is, or what is not, Malaysian culture, especially when it comes to the much anticipated prime ministerial debate.

Three generations have passed; 12 general elections have come and gone; six prime ministers have helmed the bridge of the beautifully built but badly sailed ship of Malaysia; yet, there has only been one government, one ruling party, one business plan and one corrupt hole that those at the top keep digging at the expense of the rakyat.

By Howard Lee, FMT

The general election is just around the corner. At every corner you turn and in every conversation you hear, the election is being talked about passionately.

Regardless of whichever side of the political divide one stands on, the future of the nation is at stake, our fates as well as those of our children and their children hang in the balance.

The Malaysian experiment in democracy had at its core the guiding principles of progress through 'check and balance', and mechanisms such as the 'separation of powers' and two tiered parliamentary representation built in to ensure a progressive union of the rakyat.

However instead of progress, the experiment has pushed our country further away from its goals.

Three generations have passed; 12 general elections have come and gone; six prime ministers have helmed the bridge of the beautifully built but badly sailed ship of Malaysia; yet, there has only been one government, one ruling party, one business plan and one corrupt hole that those at the top keep digging at the expense of the rakyat.

All this has been garnished by lies after deceptions, time and time again.

I was recently lucky enough to spend two weeks in America, during the last frantic few weeks of campaigning for the recent US presidential election. Though I am no stranger to foreign politics – having been involved in British politics with the Liberal Democrats – being in New York two weeks before the acid test of Obama's new politics of Hope and Change, was nothing short of an eye opener.

Fortunate enough to be present for three out of the four most important debates in the US legislative term; namely the vice presidential debate, the presidential town hall debate, and the presidential foreign policy debate, I never knew where my threshold for overdosing on politicking was, until now.

Polls in the US

On TV, analysts and spokespersons from both sides of the divide were interviewed on split screens around the clock and across time zones, whilst live debates and polls assessed every nuance, slip, or hidden meaning behind the speaker's words.

Competition raged amongst the countless TV channels to deliver the most impressive visual presentations of the latest polling figures, not to mention opinion pieces on candidate's choice of words, narrative style, perceptive strategy, body language, and last and sometimes seemingly least, their stand on the various pressing issues and topics they stood for.

Granted, the buzz surrounding the debate does tend to verge on the side of overkill. More often than not, both parties employ huge resources and go startling lengths to tear apart their opponent with minute details.

But this façade (although it must be navigated with care) does not take away from the ultimate purpose: to inform and to get people talking about each candidate and what policies they stand for.

My daily 15-minute queue for my Sumatran Macchiato in Starbucks saw students of all hues and accents discussing politics; teenagers whining about how uncool one candidate was compared to the other; and a group of high-powered well-dressed business women biting at one of the talking points.

It was a big deal! Whether it was the substance that they cared about, or simply the presentation, they were certainly participating in the discussion.

All that, can be said for every elections, in every democratic nation in the modern world.

It's definitely applicable to our political reality in Malaysia. But one could be quite surprised to find that the above paragraph is a statement made by an American citizen of Mexican descent in his 20's named Miguel working as a barman in New York. And it's not Malaysia he's talking about.

Ultimately, through extensive debates and the public dismantling of policy; each and every member of the public has the opportunity if he or she wishes to become part of the debate.

READ MORE HERE

 

That liberalism, pluralism menace

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 03:00 PM PST

The writer takes a cynical and satirical look on how the Malays must come to terms with themselves.

Racism has been around in Malaysia for half a century, so why bother to dismantle it? And why must they blame Umno for looking after the Malays with affirmative action, when MCA and MIC conveniently ignored their own people? Great leaders like Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reaffirmed that those race-based parties are here to stay. PAS is but a fine example.

Iskandar Dzulkarnain, FMT

Liberalism and pluralism have engulfed the nation, and this negative phenomenon is slowly afflicting the Malays, causing them to turn away from the path of righteousness.

Even Umno which has been lovingly protecting the Malays for the last 50 years and the various religious authorities are now watching open-mouthed in horror as liberalism sweeps across the land unhindered – infecting unsuspecting Muslims.

Yes, once this affliction manifests itself, it will cause widespread confusion among the Malays causing them to question themselves, question the state and question their religious beliefs. Sometimes they may even question each other.

Some are already questioning why there is so much repression of their individual freedoms, in comparison to the non-Malays. Unable to control themselves, they are also starting to question the royalty, the state and the religion.

And worse, they are now questioning the hand that feeds them (Umno). Some are even questioning the need for Malay supremacy. How disappointing is that?

It is a pity that there are so few organisations like Perkasa around to protect Malay rights. Ibrahim Ali is a rare breed and he epitomises the true towering Malay.

Racism has been around in Malaysia for half a century, so why bother to dismantle it? And why must they blame Umno for looking after the Malays with affirmative action, when MCA and MIC conveniently ignored their own people? Great leaders like Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reaffirmed that those race-based parties are here to stay. PAS is but a fine example.

When there was lack of jobs for the Malays, Umno absorbed them into the civil service. Yet the Malays remain unappreciative of the fact, due largely to liberalism.

They think if they choose Pakatan Rakyat, there will be more individual freedom and liberal thought. They think there will be lesser interference to the way they want to live.

Malays have been warned

That's why, what Nurul Izzah said also had me and the whole nation quite confused, even though I can "a little speaking". What she said was too liberal and the Malays must not entertain such pluralistic thoughts. The younger generation could go quite berserk.

The state doesn't ask very much of the Malays. Only once every five years to give them our mandate to carry on whatever they are doing and they will leave us alone to our fate. And yet some Malays seem to think that the state wants to control our minds and our thoughts.

Already, Umno has warned us many times that PAS is out to get us, and if we believe in their extreme ideologies, we will be even more entrapped. Let Pakatan Rakyat deceive the public with its Malaysia for Malaysian slogans or a caring government that will serve the people and accord all citizens individual freedoms.

The Malays do want to be part of such liberal ideologies. We are contented with the status quo and many of us are preparing in earnest for the hereafter.

Yes, liberalism has caused many Malays to leave Umno's fold and to dine with the enemy (PAS). Today, there are many liberals in PAS, questioning Umno's impeccable religious credentials, and even have the cheek to call Umno murtad (apostates). Now, isn't that a little too extreme?

PAS' consistency in belittling the faith of its Muslim political opponents shows that it lacks legitimacy as reformers, said Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein. Isn't that food for thought?

Although liberalism has a broad meaning, it does not mean moderation. Moderation is practised by the Muslims in this country but PAS has a higher agenda and intent on introducing a more Islamic outlook. It is not contented that Malaysia is already an Islamic country and wants a purer and more unadulterated version. So the Malays will have to get ready for a better version to their existing way of life some day.

Religious authorities have made the call to curb liberalism among the Muslims. Compared to Muslims around the world, the Muslims in this country are relatively weak, especially the younger generation that needs to be constantly nurtured. A borderless world has distracted the Muslims from their focus, causing them to embrace liberalism and pluralism and to seek for political change. PAS Youth has called for more religious education to fill this vacuum.

Liberalism begets forgetfulness

Young Scholars Secretariat (Ilmu) working committee chairman Ustaz Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya said pluralism was an understanding which adopted extreme tolerant attitude based on western perspective.

"I am waiting for the National Fatwa Council to issue a clear fatwa [edict] on the understanding for Muslims to refer to," he said. The fatwa needs to be implemented with strict religious action and enforcement to eradicate such ills effectively.

Meanwhile, the Ulama have questioned the Malays who believe in celebrating the diversity and plurality of Malaysian society. This is a tradition that should not be overly promoted as it may threaten the faith of Muslims.

Certain guidelines for proper intermingling have been drawn up as intermingling between the races has become too close for comfort.

What the government has done for the Malays in the past have been conveniently forgotten, and today the Malays have become rebellious. They have lost respect for the authorities and the government. This needs to be checked.

Liberalism has gone out of control until the Malays are willing to vote against the very government that has nurtured them from day one. It has gone so bad that the Malays cannot be depended upon to make the right choice even though they have been given the freedom to exercise their vote.

Today, even affirmative actions for the Malays are being questioned and dissected by liberal Malays themselves. They question the role of BTN (Biro Tata Negara or National Civics Bureau), and is efforts to unite the Malays.

READ MORE HERE

 

SB tailing me, says Musa

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 02:30 PM PST

Following his explosive revelations at a press conference last week, the former IGP finds himself on the other side of the police radar.

Teoh El Sen, FMT

Ironic as it may sound, former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has claimed that he is being tailed by special branch officers.

This followed his controversial press conference last week, where he claimed that criminal elements had infiltrated the police force and revealed that politicians interfered with investigations.

Apart from him, Musa said that R Sri Sanjeevan from the NGO My Watch which organised the press conference was also being tailed. Musa is the patron of the newly-formed NGO.

"To me it's funny lah. Why must you put me under surveillance? As if I am a threat to security.

"I would like to advise them not to follow me lah. I won't destroy the nation, that's number one. Number two, I think you have better work to do, like following criminals, who are really jeopardising the safety of the public," the former IGP told FMT.

"So I think it is stupid of them [to follow us], wasting the rakyat's money. If you want anything just call me, I'll tell you everything," he added.

On how he found out, Musa said:"Of course I know who is following me but I didn't want to confront them. Don't want to embarrass them. Of course they ran away when they saw me."

Asked why he was being tailed, Musa shrugged and replied: "I don't know, probably instructions from up top. Maybe the IGP himself, I don't know."

Musa said that although in the past he had been tracked by syndicates and tontos "plenty of times", this was his first time being followed by a policeman.

"Never by policemen, but by syndicates and tontos you know, who want to know my movements. I still remember when I was in the drugs unit. That's why whenever I got out of the house, I would never follow the same route for fear that people might either follow me or ambush me and all that. We must be aware of my environment, being a trained police officer, you know," he added.

READ MORE HERE

 

Need for independent public inquiry into police top brass and Home Ministry — Kua Kia Soong

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:51 PM PST

Musa Hassan

(TMI) -- The serious allegations of misconduct against the former IGP Musa Hassan through a statutory declaration (SD) made in 2009 and the recent claim by the ex-IGP himself that criminal elements had infiltrated the force as well as interference of politicians in investigations warrant an urgent independent public inquiry to restore public trust in the police force.

These allegations contained in the SD were by police officer Noor Azizul Rahim Taharim, who served as Musa's aide-de-camp from 2005 to 2007. The document accuses Musa of wrongdoings during his tenure and exposes how he had purportedly silenced critics with transfers and trumped-up charges. 

Azizul claims that former CID director Christopher Wan had revealed to him that Musa had directed the setting up of a covert blog to publish allegations of corruption against then Deputy Home Minister Johari Baharom. The contents of the blog, he said, damaged Johari's reputation and subjected him to a probe by the Anti-Corruption Agency.

"I am also aware of the statutory declarations made by several policemen, police informants and subjects of police actions showing links between Musa and the underworld, specifically concerning restricted residence detainee Goh Cheng Poh @ Tongku and one shadow figure, BK Tan. Based on my personal knowledge and involvement as the ADC to the IGP, I can confirm that the statements made by these deponents concerning Musa were true…," he alleged.

Referring to the SDs of ASP Mior Fahim Ahmad and ASP Hong Kin Hock, Azizul confirmed that their allegations had basis. The pair had claimed that there was manipulation of promotions, ranks and postings in the police involving BK Tan.

"The credibility of these officers would be 'demolished' such that whatsoever information they gathered about Musa would be discredited. These officers would suffer hardship being transferred away from their families and home base. They would also get bypassed in promotions and suffer disciplinary action without the proper process. Consequently, less able officers climbed the ranks and the victimised officers were used as warnings against others… This process of 'mecantas' [pruning] explains the apparent lack of ability by PDRM to tackle crime, the lack of motivation and low morale within PDRM that saw crime escalating at an alarming rate during Musa's tenure," he added.

After former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave Musa a two-year extension in 2007,"this served as a powerful endorsement that the government was fully behind Musa. A sense of fear also gripped many within PDRM and outside when not long after that in October 2007, the lawyer who assisted CCD [Ramli] in the Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku matter [after the A-G's Chambers declined to prepare affidavits for the CCD] was himself arrested in a most humiliating manner and charged one day before Aidilfitri.

"The message was clear that Musa had the support of the ACA, the Attorney-General and the prime minister in all his actions. The fear among officers in PDRM became the need for self-preservation after six rank-and-file policemen including Ramli were charged with various offences. Not long after that, the A-G ordered the release of the said Goh Cheng Ph @ Tengku." (FMT, 4.12.12)

These are serious allegations by the former aide-de-camp of the ex-IGP which have demoralised the entire Malaysian police force.

Earlier in the week, the ex-IGP himself had pointed the finger at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein when he charged that politicians had interfered with investigations. Musa's revelations that the police force had been infiltrated by criminal elements and that the current IGP Ismail Omar was weak in heading the police force are enough reason for the urgent establishment of an independent public inquiry.

These exposes of unprofessional goings-on in the police top brass and skeletons in the cupboard of the Home Ministry provide us with some clue as to why the recommendation by the Royal Commission on the Police in 2005 for an Independent Police Complaints & Misconduct Committee has failed to be implemented after so many years. 

The government must ultimately be held responsible for dragging its feet on this vital reform to stop deaths in custody, police shootings and the culture of impunity in the Malaysian police force.

The just accomplished Leveson Commission over British media practices brought about by phone hacking of the British media cannot compare with these much more serious allegations against the Malaysian police top brass and the home minister.  

* By Dr Kua Kia Soong, Suaram adviser.

 

PKR dakwa keluarga Pak Lah terlibat dalam pembekalan meter elektonik TNB

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:21 PM PST

Pak Lah

(TMI) -- PKR hari ini mendakwa keluarga bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi terlibat dalam pembekalan meter melalui program penggantian meter analog kepada elektronik Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

Pengerusi Biro Pelaburan PKR, Wong Chen berkata, syarikat Obata-Ambak Holdings Sdn Bhd yang dimiliki Noor Asiah Mahmood, adik kepada isteri pertama Abdullah, Allahyarhmah Tun Endon Mahmood, memiliki 15 peratus pegangan saham dalam Malaysian Intelligence Meters Sdn Bhd, salah sebuah daripada lima syarikat yang membekalkan meter elektronik tersebut kepada TNB.

Beliau turut berkata, program yang dihentikan sementara waktu atas arahan Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau, dan Air (KeeTha) Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui pada Oktober lalu menunjukkan pengguna akan membayar sebanyak RM6.88 bilion kepada keuntungan TNB dalam tempoh 10 tahun.

"Kajian kami menunjukkan TNB mempunyai 8.03 juta pengguna sekarang ini dan harga purata setiap meter berharga RM250.

"Justeru itu, program ini berpotensi mencapai sehingga RM2 bilion.

"Untuk tahun kewangan 2012, hasil TNB daripada semua pengguna adalah RM34.4 bilion.

"Jika meter elektronik ini memberi peningkatan konservatif dua peratus, beban tambahan pengguna adalah sebanyak RM688 juta setahun.

"Memandangkan jangka hayat meter ini adalah 10 tahun, pengguna akhirnya akan membayar sehingga RM688 bilion kepada TNB bagi tempoh itu," kata Wong Chen kepada pemberita dalam sidang media di Ibu Pejabat PKR di sini.

Pengarah Komunikasi PKR, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad yang turut hadir ketika sidang media itu berkata, isu itu bukan lagi isu kecil kerana pengguna dibebani peningkatan sehingga 50 peratus kos bil elektrik mereka.

"Justeru, PKR menggesa ketelusan dan kebertanggungjawaban TNB dalam perkara ini untuk mendedahkan siapa pembekal meter elektronik ini, harga yang dibayar untuk meter ini, adakah harganya berdaya saing mengikut standard tempatan dan antarabangsa, dan adakah tender dibuat secara terbuka atau runding terus?" tanya Nik Nazmi.

READ MORE

 

Pegawai kanan SPR ada jawatan dalam Umno?

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:10 PM PST

SPR

(Harakah Daily) -- Dewan Pemuda PAS negeri Sabah mendesak agar Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR)  tampil memberikan penjelasan berhubung isu salah seorang kakitangan kanan mereka di SPR cawangan negeri Sabah dikatakan turut mempunyai jawatan yang penting di peringkat pemuda UMNO bahagian Kinabatangan.

Hal ini disampaikan kepada Dewan Pemuda PAS negeri Sabah oleh beberapa orang rakyat negeri ini yang prihatin apabila mereka mendapati bahawa beberapa kenyataan pegawai SPR tersebut di media sosial kelihatan jelas menampakkan beliau mempunyai kedudukan dan kepentingan dalam Umno.

Justeru pemuda PAS Sabah menuntut agar respon yang segera daripada SPR.

Lahirul LatiguDemikian kata Lahirul Latigu, Ketua Pemuda PAS Sabah dalam satu kenyataannya hari ini.

Pemuda PAS Sabah menginggatkan bahawa ia akan menjejaskan kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kredebiliti SPR selaku organisasi yang bertanggungjawab memastikan pelaksanaan demokrasi di negara ini.

"Sekiranya SPR tetap memilih untuk terus membisu dalam isu ini pihak Dewan Pemuda PAS tidak akan teragak-agak untuk mendedahkan butiran yang lebih lanjut berkaitan individu ini," kata Lahirul.

Dewan Pemuda PAS, katanya, akan memastikan hal ini mendapat jawapan yang jelas dari pihak SPR kerana mereka tetap dengan komitmen untuk bersama dengan inspirasi rakyat Sabah untuk melihat proses pilihanraya dinegeri ini berjalan secara adil dan bersih.

 

UMNO Lost An Opportunity to Court Middle Ground

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:01 PM PST

UMNO Assembly 2012

Khoo Kay Peng, Straight Talk

I was asked by several media organizations to comment on recent UMNO's general assembly. I had predicted that it would be an opposition bashing session. UMNO was not expected to raise sensitive issues which included wrongdoings and controversies involving some of the party leaders.

As expected, the party and its delegates went full throttle against Anwar Ibrahim, Pas, PKR and Dap. There were attempts to use fear and threats to win support by summoning the battled spirit of May 13 to the forefront. A leader even suggested that the party is mandated by God to rule the country perpetually. Invoking the mandate from heaven is as feudalistic as you can get. Unsurprisingly, UMNO and its component partners are already using religion and race in their divisive campaigns to garner support.

Against the backdrop of several damning and serious controversies such as Lynas, PKFZ, Scorpene, Pengerang, RM40 million kickback for UMNO Sabah/Musa Aman, Sarawak fiasco, NFC, Selangor land grab and others the party had chosen to keep mum. This is inconsistent with the mantra of change the party president has tried to peddle in the assembly. How can the party change if it refuses to address its own shortcomings?

UMNO wants to attract first time and young voters.  How can the party gain the support of this segment if the party shows little initiative in trying to understand the issues and challenges facing youths in the country?

There is little to show that the UMNO led government has been successful in creating jobs, generating economic opportunities and provide a safer environment for youths in the country. Little is done to curb the arrivals of migrant workers who are taking away jobs from the locals and provide no incentive to local companies to scale up technology adoption and use better skilled an educated local workers to wean off their addiction of low cost and low skilled foreign workers.

The party president did not provide any clue how he is going to govern differently in his second term as the prime minister. His transformation plans are full of euphoria but short on results and real implementation. He needs to address sectors such as manufacturing and services which are providing employment to more than 60% of the workforce.

The party's chest thumping, ethno-religious rhetoric and senseless threats of violence is going to push away the middle ground instead of winning them over.

READ MORE

 

APS to back pro-Pakatan candidates

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 11:56 AM PST

Wilfred Bumburing

(FMT) -- Contrary to expectations, the loose Sabah opposition platform, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) will not promote any particular candidate in the coming general election.

Throwing its opponents and detractors off guard, the pro-Pakatan Rakyat political platform headed by Tuaran MP Wilfred Bumburing will instead focus its strength on uniting Sabahans behind opposition candidates challenging the Barisan Nasional's hold on power.

The group sees it as its best chance to be able to effectively bring about a change of government in the 13th general election.

"We in APS are committed to support any candidates that will be fielded by any of political parties in PR (Pakatan) in the coming election," Bumburing told a gathering on Sunday that he used to celebrate his 61st birthday.

The former deputy president of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) urged APS members, supporters and sympathisers to reaffirm their commitment towards achieving their goal which was changing the government.

"APS' commitment is to align ourselves with the political parties that make up Pakatan Rakyat as well as work alongside other non-governmental organisations that are also aligned with the other organisations in Pakatan," he said.

Bumburing said the grouping had formed a pro-tem supreme council and each of its members had been allocated specific duties to streamline and coordinate its activities.

The supreme council is made up of a mix of well-known politicians and Sabah activists.

Former Tuaran MP Kalakau Untol, a former federal deputy minister, is chief organising secretary while deputy president is former Upko vice-president ex-senator Maijol Mahap.

The vice-presidents are businessman Dr Richard Gunting, ex-assemblyman Laimun Laikim and retired senior government officer Hernman Tionsoh.

Native rights

Youth leader is Denis Gimpah of Tamparuli while Pertus Francis Guriting of Tambunan is the secretary-general.

Guriting is being assisted by Benson Inggam of Kuamut. Brendan Mojilip is treasurer-general assisted by James Miki of Beluran.

Lesaya Lopog Serudim from Kiulu is information chief while assistant is Patrick Sadom of Sipitang. Retired senior government servant Alex Kando from Inanam is APS liaison chief. The post of women's wing chief is still vacant.

Bumburing also announced the appointment of 13 other supreme council members. They are former senator and ex-Kuala Penyu assemblyman John Ghani, ex-Tuaran MP Monggoh Orow, Mail Balinu, Itoh Manggonb, Biou Suyan, Ismail Banaran,Stephen Michael, Liberty Lopog, Maruddin Suabon, Paul Kadau, Edwin Ambu, Maurice Awit and herman Mianus.

Touching on his 61st birthday, he said since it was a special day for him he wished to renew his pledge after resigning from the government ruling party on July 29 "to champion the welfare of the people of Sabah, especially the native."

The former deputy chief minister said APS would fight for the rights of the natives in land ownership under the native customary right (NCR).

He said it was sad to note that the native of Sabah had been deprived of ownership of land on which they had been toiling for generations.

 

GE13 will be horror show for BN

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 11:14 AM PST

GE13

Umno, BN and Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor are in for a nightmarish ride come the 13th general election if they believe their 'trusted' government reports.

If BN loses 13 seats in East Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat will be getting 122 seats because in Peninsular Malaysia, the opposition coalition is set to win 109 seats.

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT 

I have a horror tale for Barisan Nasional.

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor claims BN expects to win more than the 140 federal seats it took in the 2008 general election.

He is quoting "trusted" government sources. Pray tell: can we expect government sources to tell otherwise?

And who are these "trusted" government sources who produce these intelligence report? Are they reports from Kemas, Jasa or maybe from minister Rais Yatim?

If it is from Rais, then the numbers are understandable. Rais was never known to be good at numerics.

Seriously, let's look at the numbers. BN admits to the possibility of losing six seats in Sabah and seven seats in Sarawak.

BN is saying it will win more than 140 seats. There are 222 seats in Parliament.

If BN loses 13 seats in East Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat will be getting 122 seats because in Peninsular Malaysia, the opposition coalition is set to win 109 seats.

With PKR's Ibrahim Menudin set to win in Labuan, Pakatan has 110 seats already.

What Tengku Adnan dare not reveal is that BN can lose up to 12 seats in Sabah and up to 13 seats in Sarawak, making a total loss of 25 seats from the East Malaysian states.

Don't dream, BN

The nightmare ahead is that BN will be reduced to a party with 87 seats. Let me tell you how.

In the four northern states – Perlis, Penang, Kedah and Perak – Pakatan will win 56 seats to BN's 14.

In the west coast – Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor – Pakatan will win 35 to BN's 26 seats. Pakatan expects to win nine seats in Johor this time around.

Out of the 36 parliamentary seats in the east coast states – Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang – Pakatan can win 22 to BN's 14.

In the Federal Territories – Wilayah Persekuatuan Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan – Pakatan will win 11 against BN's two.

There you are, 110 seats for Pakatan, and we haven't even talked about Sabah and Sarawak!

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman but has now joined DAP. He is a FMT columnist.

 

Musa too abused powers while IGP, says Ramli Yusuff

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 11:05 AM PST

Musa Hassan

(TMI) -- Tan Sri Musa Hassan had abused his power while he was the Inspector-General of Police and colluded with the Attorney-General to escape from being arraigned in a 2006 criminal court case, his former colleague and rival in the force, Datuk Ramli Yusuff, has alleged.

The retired Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) director was responding to the ex-IGP's bombshell at a new conference last week in which the latter had accused Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as among ministers and politicians who had interfered with police matters.

"CCID once captured a criminal named Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh in December 2006. Tengku Goh made his affidavit and implicated Musa Hassan's name.

"Then I handed it to the A-G's office but it was never filed in court, resulting in the habeas corpus application by Tengku Goh being allowed and [he] was freed," Ramli told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

The retired police veteran has been a vocal critic of Musa and A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, both whom he blames for putting him in the dock on a corruption charge in 2007, which several mainstream media had sensationalised as the case of the "RM27 million cop".

"Instead, the A-G directed the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to get confidential files regarding this case and hunted down informants to change their original testimonies," said Ramli, who was once the nation's third-most senior police officer.

Asked what proof he had to support his allegation, he said: "If what I say is not right, I am ready for Musa or Gani to take legal action against me. Berani kerana benar [bold as true]."

Ramli also stood up for Musa's successor, IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar, and said the latter should be given the chance to prove his capability.

"The negative perception started during Musa Hassan's term. Tan Sri Ismail Omar is making an effort to improve that image," he said, referring to the endemic poor public confidence in the police force.

"To me, it is not just if Musa attacks relentlessly the IGP now."

Ramli said that Musa's criticism against the public institution the latter once led and the government was nothing new.

"He started becoming vocal and criticised the government when Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin announced his service would not be extended," Ramli said, referring to the ex-IGP, and adding that it was the source of Musa's disgruntlement.

Musa served as IGP for three years before retiring on September 13, 2010, after a corruption case that was closed in July 2007 for lack of evidence.

The nation's former No. 1 watchman had last week described his working relationship with Hishammuddin as cordial, but the home minister did not see eye-to-eye with him on the command of the police force, saying that his refusal to indulge those who tried to interfere had likely been the reason why his tenure had not been extended.

The police force and other enforcement agencies fall under the home minister's portfolio.

"When I found out that instructions were given to junior officers and OCPDs (Officer in Charge of Police District) without my knowledge, then something is wrong.

"So, I highlighted to him section 4(1) of the Police Act ... command and control of the police force is by the IGP, not a minister.

"I talked to him nicely, he didn't like it ... that's why (my tenure) was not extended," Musa told a news conference last week organised by Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch), a crime watchdog which had claimed that it will "challenge any statistics that the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) comes out with".

READ MORE

 

‘Missing’ delegates at Penang DAP convention

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:47 PM PST

Most of the delegates were missing for the afternoon session while the others were more interested in the private conversations rather than the speakers.

Hawkeye, FMT

GEORGE TOWN: Penang DAP held its convention yesterday and the most notable event that happened was that by afternoon half the 300-odd delegates were "missing".

Those who remained were either having a snooze or were talking among themselves, paying scant attention to the speakers.

This prompted Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who, by nature, is reserved to say that perhaps they should have lucky draws with cars and condominiums as prizes.

Chow's remarks may not apply to Penang alone. There was a poor turnout at the Selangor convention and the situation was similar in some other states.

But Chow, being the wily old politician, corrected himself by saying it was the same for other political parties.

But, here Chow, the Tanjong MP, stand to be corrected.

At the PAS muktamar, one had to line up to use the restrooms, while at the Umno general assembly, they sat on the floor to listen to the proceedings.

"We should not read too much into it as this is not an election year at the state level," said state DAP Youth activist Chris Lee.

Testament of power

DAP's power base basically revolves around Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and parts of Johor.

It now also has a growing presence in Sarawak and a moderate representation in Sabah.

A political observer here, Ng Whien Chin, says DAP has always been a top-heavy organisation in terms of active members .

"DAP, however, is a party populated more by high-octane personalities than those with a crowd following. The exception now is DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who is popular among the grasssroots," Ng said.

Lim would be revered in DAP and become its permanent statesman, if he can deliver Putrajaya, similar to how his father Kit Siang had managed the party through the turbulent years , Ng claimed.

Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi shares the same view as Lee over the turnout, saying that usually, conventions only have a reasonable turnout – not an overwhelming one since there is no election.

But Ng does not agree. He says from a neutral view, accumulating a crowd is a testament of power and to illustrate to the fence-sitters that DAP is not to be taken for granted by either Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional.

"Penang has one of the highest number of fence-sitters as the people here are highly educated and independent-minded." he said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Ex-aide damns ex-IGP in SD

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST

In his statutory declaration, Musa Hassan's former aide claims that the ex-IGP had betrayed his oath of office by indulging in a slew of wrongdoings.

RK Anand, FMT

The Malaysian police force's image continues to plummet as allegations of serious misconduct pour in against its top brass.

The police, which is ailing from a serious public confidence crisis, was dealt another black eye last week by none other than its former chief Musa Hassan.

The ex-inspector-general, whom detractors had accused of having several closets laden with skeletons himself, claimed that criminal elements had infiltrated the force.

Pointing the finger at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Musa also charged that politicians interfered with investigations.

But his successor Ismail Omar downplayed the allegations as unimportant while Hishammuddin questioned the timing of Musa's revelations which came during the Umno annual general assembly.

The snub by his successor led an infuriated Musa, who had described Ismail as a "good man" just hours before, to denounce him as a "snob" later.

Amid this raging controversy, a statutory declaration (SD) made in 2009 had now re-surfaced.

The document accused Musa of a slew of wrongdoings during his tenure and exposed how he had purportedly ruled with an iron fist, silencing critics with transfers and trumped-up charges.

The SD was by police officer Noor Azizul Rahim Taharim, who served as Musa's aide de camp from 2005 to 2007.

Azizul claimed that during the period which he served under Musa, he had witnessed numerous things which caused him to lose confidence in the latter's leadership.

Likening his former boss to a "pengkhianat" (traitor), he said: "Many of his [Musa's] actions undermined the integrity and credibility of PDRM…"

"On many occasions, I observed that the public persona displayed by Musa was opposite to his private conduct. Musa's actions constituted an act of betrayal of his oath of office," he added.

'Manipulation of promotions and postings'

Azizul claimed that former CID director Christopher Wan had revealed to him that Musa had directed the setting up of a covert blog to publish allegations of corruption against then deputy home minister Johari Baharom.

The contents of the blog, he said, damaged Johari's reputation and subjected him to a probe by the then Anti-Corruption Agency (now known as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission).

"I am also aware of the statutory declarations made by several policemen, police informants and subjects of police actions showing links between Musa and the underworld, specifically concerning restricted residence detainee Goh Cheng Poh @ Tongku and one shadow figure, BK Tan.

"Based on my personal knowledge and involvement as the ADC to the IGP, I can confirm that the statements made by these deponents concerning Musa were true…," he alleged.

Referring to the SDs of ASP Mior Fahim Ahmad and ASP Hong Kin Hock, Azizul confirmed that their allegations had basis.

The pair had claimed that there was manipulation of promotions, ranks and postings in the PDRM involving BK Tan.

"I have personal knowledge and involvement in that I was asked to compile and coordinate such posting orders based on the drafts and proposals made by BK Tan.

"Officers were transferred to achieve certain objectives. In some cases, there were 'entrapments' that made certain officers appear guilty of wrongdoings. In others, allegations were made against certain officers that resulted in them being given 24-hour transfer orders or short notice transfers.

"This gave the impression that Musa was eradicating corruption and abuses within PDRM… in most cases that was the furthest from the truth," said Azizul.

"The credibility of these officers would be 'demolished' such that whatsoever information they gathered about Musa would be discredited. These officers would suffer hardship being transferred away from their families and home base. They would also get bypassed in promotions and suffer disciplinary action without the proper process.

"Consequently, less able officers climbed the ranks and the victimised officers were used as warnings against others… This process of 'mecantas' [pruning] explains the apparent lack of ability by PDRM to tackle crime, the lack of motivation and low morale within PDRM that saw crime escalating at an alarming rate during Musa's tenure," he added.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Dr M tells Umno leaders to kill Najib after GE’

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:36 PM PST

Anwar Ibrahim claims that the former premier has been asking Umno state leaders to grit their teeth and lend their support to Umno and BN for now. 

Teoh El Sen, FMT

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is asking Umno state leaders to postpone their plan to kill off Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak until after the general election, according to Anwar Ibrahim.

The opposition leader said he "knew for a fact" that Mahathir had been asking state leaders to lend their support to Umno and Barisan Nasional while suggesting that they could "topple the leader after the election."

"This message has gone to almost all state leaders. I think that is why because of this fear, Najib feels that his personal position is rather insecure," he told a press conference here.

Anwar was responding to Najib's sudden move to thank Mahathir for voluntarily campaigning for Umno towards the end of the party's annual general assembly on Saturday and congratulating the former premier for his Vision 2020 yesterday.

"Najib has displayed very little courage as a leader, he cannot deal with [Wanita Umno chief] Shahrizat [Abdul Jalil] firmly, can't imagine he can deal with Mahathir firmly. That is why he is trying to appease everyone," he said.

Asked if he thought Najib now realised that he needed Mahathir in the run-up to the 13th general election, Anwar said: "Knowing Najib he will need to cling to everyone; his personality of seemingly [appearing] confident was never Najib's style."

Anwar said that Najib's camp was not happy that Mahathir had been "interfering with government matters and in the giving out of contracts to cronies", but had no choice as Najib was unable to put his foot down.

"Najib does not have the courage to put his foot down… you have a party where Dr Mahathir still goes around calling party leaders. I don't think he [Najib] has the courage to deal with it… [so] he has to appease all parties, because he does not have the clout to enforce his policies or views," he said.

On the Umno general assembly, Anwar said that the ruling party's confidence of winning back four opposition-held states and re-capturing the two-thirds majority was a sign of denial.

"They [Umno leaders] are in a state of denial. They sit in five-star hotels, smoke expensive cigars, spend time in lounges, that's where they devise their strategy… a clear disconnect between the multimillionaire Umno leaders and the masses on the ground… the urban, rural Malays… non-Malays," he said at a press conference to rebut issues raised at the 66th Umno general assembly.

READ MORE HERE

 

Anwar: I’m not behind Deepak, Musa

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:33 PM PST

The opposition leader denies playing a role in the startling revelations by the carpet dealer and ex-IGP.

Teoh El Sen, FMT

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has denied involvement in the startling revelations made by carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan and former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan.

However, Anwar stressed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein should respond to the accusations directly.

"Musa has been coming out with very serious allegations against the minister of home affairs. I think coming from the former IGP and involving the security of the nation, it should warrant a response from the minister. Whether you agree or disagree, you cannot dismiss it," he told reporters at the PKR headquarters today.

"Similarly, coming from Deepak, who is known to be direct associate of Najib and Rosmah [Mansor]. You can't just be dismissive.

"If it is just a scurrilous attack. I would understand that Najib would dismiss it. But this is specific, that he is involved to reverse a statutory declaration, so, answer lah," he added.

Anwar dismissed suggestions of Pakatan Rakyat or PKR being behind Deepak or Musa's statements, but expressed that PKR was open to Musa joining them if the matter came to that.

"The allegation [that Pakatan is behind these exposes] is baseless. Look at the facts.

"Have I met him [Musa]? No. Yes, I did met him when he withdrew the civil suit against me. But that was it.

"Did he indicate that he was interested in joining PKR? No. What if he does? I'll think about it. But the issue is irrelevant. It is not fair because I have not heard, neither has he indicated interest about being in politics," he said.

Musa recently held a press conference in his capacity as the patron of a newly launched anti-crime NGO MyWatch, saying that there were political interference by the home minister during his tenure and that such incidents still occurred.

He also alleged that criminal elements had infiltrated the police force, and expressed that his successor Ismail Omar needed to buck up.

READ MORE HERE

 

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10)

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:07 PM PST

So, no, I did not make my first million getting contracts from the government, as many people may have thought. I did it by changing the way we did business in the fishing industry. In time, the 'old boys' no longer regarded me as a wet-behind-the-ears new kid on the block. And imagine my pride when the 'old boys' who had been in business before I was born offered me Chinese tea and called me 'boss'.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I was the new kid on the block. I was only 24 years old. And I was trying to break into the market that is older than I have been alive. And it is a very Chinese dominated market, too, on top of that.

After Michael Toh agreed to create Account A and Account B, I had to now take over the business from my partner who had been running it before me. It is not that I wanted to. It is that Michael had agreed to suspend all my debts and will allow me to stay in business only if I took over the business and ran it myself.

I confronted my partner. I knew I would never get my money back but at least I could oust him from the company. And he agreed to sign all the papers and I took control of the company. Once I took control of the business I now had to make it viable.

I drove up and down Terengganu and Kelantan and visited every single fishing village, even the most remote village along the Malaysian-Thai border. In the beginning it was just that -- 'study tours' of sorts. I needed to not only learn the trade, which I knew nothing about, but I also needed to get to know my potential customers.

Most of them were very nice and humble people. Many were simple fishermen. Some were fishing taukays who had started life as fishermen and now owned a fleet of fishing boats that were operated by other fishermen on a profit-sharing basis.

It was almost like the serf system that the peasants of Europe were subjected to 200 years ago except that they were free to terminate the arrangement any time they wished to and would not be put to death if they 'ran away'. The majority were Malay taukays but there were many Chinese as well although Terengganu and Kelantan were predominantly Malay states.

Breaking into the market was not that easy. These fishermen or fishing taukays had a decades-old relationship with the 'old boys' who had been around even before I was born. Some of the players had been dealing with each other since the first generation so we were now talking about the second generation that had inherited all this 'goodwill'.

I discovered that 'old ties' meant a lot in business. People were not prepared to sever old ties and transfer their business to a still-wet-behind-the-ears new kid of the block. I had to earn their respect and confidence. I had to have something new and something better to offer before people would end 20- or 30-year old relationships and deal with you instead.

I was beginning to wonder whether my effort was futile. An added problem was I could not beat their prices. I was puzzled as to how the other dealers could sell at cost. And if I wanted to beat their prices I would have to sell below cost. This would have been disastrous.

Then I discovered that the others could sell at cost because they were getting 90 days credit and they just wanted the quick cash. They collected cash in advance before they ordered the engines. That gave them an additional 30 days. Then they would 'drag' their payment and get an additional 30-60 days. Then they would pay by post-dated cheques.

All in all they got to use the cash for roughly six months or so. They then lent this cash on a '10-4' basis. Basically, it was a loan-shark operation and it worked like this.

Petty traders who needed quick cash -- and they could not get it from the bank for obvious reasons -- would borrow, say RM2,000, from these money lenders. The borrowers would be charged 4% interest a month or 48% interest a year. (That is why they called it '10-4').

They would then receive the RM2,000 minus the interest. Hence they would not receive RM2,000 but just slightly over half the amount. But the 48% interest a year is charged on RM2,000, not on the RM1,000 or so that they receive.

It was a real cutthroat business (hence it is called 'loan shark' business). And that was why they did not care whether they made any money on the sale of the engines. They were not interested in making money on the sale of the engines. They were using the engine business to raise cash and it was by lending out this cash that they made money.

And we must remember that the cash was 'free', at least for six months.

I needed an incentive to get the fishermen and fishing taukays to give me their business. My competitors were selling for cash. I needed to sell on credit. But I was 'broke' so how could I do that?

One day I saw an advertisement in the newspapers. It was an advertisement by M&F, a finance company wholly-owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (now called HSBC). I wrote them a letter applying for finance facilities.

The Kwailo running M&F phoned the Kuala Terengganu branch manager of the HSBC to ask him whether he knew whom I was. "I think he may be an old school friend of mine from MCKK," replied the branch manager.

The HSBC manager then phoned me to confirm that I was from MCKK. I replied that I was and he was delighted. "But how come you are not banking with us?" he asked. "I want you to open a bank account with us today."

I went over to the bank and opened an account. In those days you needed RM1,000 to open a company bank account so, invariably, I had to pawn some of Marina's jewellery to raise that RM1,000. I have to admit that walking into a pawnshop was a most embarrassing experience.

A few days later, the Kwailo made a trip to Kuala Terengganu to meet me. He was not only very pleased that the HSBC manager was an old school friend of mine but when he found out that my mother was from his same 'kampong' in London he was so delighted. (Soon after that he visited my mother for Hari Raya and invited her to the Paddock in the Kuala Lumpur Hilton for dinner, with Marina and I as well, of course).

The Kwailo told me he will start us off with RM200,000. Once that is fully used up he would increase it. Eventually I was rolling with RM2 million of the bank's money, a king's ransom 40 years ago.

There was another issue to resolve first, though. The fishing boats that we were going to finance needed to have insurance. But no one in Malaysia does fishing boat insurance. I searched high and low but could not find a company that would issue insurance for fishing boats. It was too high risk.

Unless I could find a company that was prepared to issue insurance for fishing boats my deal with M&F would never get off the ground.

I approached a friend of mine who was one of the leading insurance brokers in Terengganu. He had never heard of any company doing fishing boat insurance but he promised me if there was then he would be able to find one. However, it would all depend on the amount of business I expected.

I promised him RM1 million a year in business (insured value) and fully secured. (Actually, I tembak only because I did not know, but I had to 'play poker' to entice them with the belief that the 'stakes' were going to be very high.)

I then laid out my plan. I would take land from the fishermen as security (almost all the fishermen had land) and with this land as security I would underwrite any potential loss that the insurance company would suffer in the event of a claim. (In all that time we suffered only one claim, less that 1% of the total premium we collected over those many years).

So now I was not only in the engine financing business. I was also in the fishing boat financing business as well as the fishing boat insurance business. I not only gave out 100% financing on the engines. I also financed 50% of the cost of the construction of the boats. Sometimes I even financed the fishing nets, which at times could be more expensive than the fishing boats.

But all this must be backed with insurance plus land, which I valued myself and took at the lower value. Hence if they defaulted I would be able to sell off the land at twice what they owed me. In all that time I never once had to sell off any land to recover what they owed me.

Overnight, our modest business became a multi-million business. I soon had millions floating in the market -- all the bank's money, of course. Each deal gave me a profit of 30-40%, although collectable over 3 years. And from that day on the fishermen in Terengganu and Kelantan knew me as 'Taukay Yanmar'.

Fishermen and fishing taukays lined up to see me, not to buy engines from me but to obtain loans to finance the construction of their fishing boats. However, to qualify for the loan, they would first need to buy their engines from us. And they no longer cared about the price of the engine. I was pricing my engines 25-30% higher than my competitors. But my competitors collected cash in advance. I allowed my buyers to pay me monthly over three years.

The only thing is, I did not charge loan shark rates, though, because we were bound by Bank Negara's rules, which was 10% per year fixed-rate interest, which more or less came to 18% per year based on reducing rate.

Eventually, some of the fishermen offered me shares in their fishing boat. They felt honoured to have the Taukay Yanmar as their partner. At the 'height' of my fishing business I had a stake in no less than five fishing boats. And we ate fresh fish every day because the fish were delivered to our house straight from the fishing boat.

And the irony of this whole thing is I did not like fish. I only ate chicken and beef. Nevertheless, one can't say that my business dealings were not 'fishy'. Whatever it may be, though, that resulted in me making my first million within just three years.

So, no, I did not make my first million getting contracts from the government, as many people may have thought. I did it by changing the way we did business in the fishing industry. In time, the 'old boys' no longer regarded me as a wet-behind-the-ears new kid on the block. And imagine my pride when the 'old boys' who had been in business before I was born offered me Chinese tea and called me 'boss'.

That was worth more than the money I was making. I suppose when money is no longer the criteria you aspire for recognition.

And I never realised the goodwill I had made until I returned to Kuala Terengganu in 2008 to campaign in the Kuala Terengganu by-election. Those who I had known back in the 1970s and 1980s still called me 'boss', even 20 or 30 years later, and they voted for Pakatan Rakyat (PAS) just because 'the boss said we must vote for PAS'.

And when the by-election result was announced I cried like a baby because it was not just about winning the by-election but about the people who voted for PAS did so because I wanted them to. (I think Eechia took a photo of me sitting there and crying).

Ah well, I am a sentimental old fool, am I not?

TO BE CONTINUED

 

Troubled and desperate ... Deepak could do anything

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:51 PM PST

Anyway this legend of Deepak could only have come out from the mouth of Dato Mumtaz Jaafar, the former national athelete and trainer to maam, and was behind many other leakage of private Najib household.

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL

There are issues and events to write about and comments to make. But who cares?

It is the holiday season and we are still in a "devil may care" mood. To pun Billy Joel's song lyric, "I am in a Sabah state of mind." In fact, we might be going again before Christmas.

It had to take one of PKR's "General Chief" attempted stunt to deviate public attention from UMNO's General Assembly to get us to get back in a writing mood.  

It is not the futile anti-Lynas group or Husam-initiated Royalti Minyak Kelantan  losing concern stunt or frogging in UMNO Semporna that are worth writing about

But the one on Deepak.

Simply because it tries to revive and link with the debunked Scorpene issue by still trying to slander Rosmah with the death of Altantunya. We still have a story waiting for the timing to release.

Frankly, only idiot would buy into Suaram's latest edition of French lawyer's press conference. It is ridiculous for French court to have jurisdiction on Malaysian soil on criminal issue?

Now ... the name Deepak first appeared in Raja Petra's Malaysia Today years ago when he was in his instruments playing up the link between Altantunya's murder and Rosmah that culminated in his infamous "reliably informed" Statutory Declaration.

Deepak's name was seldom bandied as a close associate of the Prime Minister's wife in the same stroke with names like Jho Loh. Since there is not enough story to play on, they created the story that Deepak was sent by Rosmah to deal with PI Bala and pay him off.

Boy Dugong

However, it is all suspicious. Maybe Deepak did meet or maybe he didn't meet PI Bala. If he did it, it is of his own accord to win the heart of Rosmah. But pleaz ... this dugong is no toyboy material.

In the first place, why would Rosmah entrust someone like Deepak, whom she just knew for few years, to do such a politically sensitive task?

Anyway this legend of Deepak could only have come out from the mouth of Dato Mumtaz Jaafar, the former national athelete and trainer to maam, and was behind many other leakage of private Najib household.

Raja Petra used to write that she was Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcop "man."

It is heard that she was a toll collector arranging meeting with Rosmah and benefited financially. God knows, if there is any truth.

Since her name surfaced everywhere and had put the first family in bad light many times,  Mumtaz is now no more part Rosmah's household.  

Back to Deepak.

Deepak the carpet man but trying to be carpet beggar

Deepak Jaikishan is merely a carpet seller and taking over his father's business at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. He only knew the first family when Rosmah was interested in his carpet designs and commissioned him to install carpets at their private residence at Jalan Duta. It is heard that she came down to the shop.

Like any overly ambitous and opportunistic businessmen yang "tidak tahu segan dan malu" (have no shyness and shame), Deepak used the opportunity in supervising the installation to get to know the maam.

Perhaps, he did got help from maam to ask PM to help him help secure contracts for official residence of Deputy Prime Minister, Sri Satria and later at Prime Minister's official residence, Sri Perdana.

Deepak was quite an impressionable young man and he managed to gain the confidence of others to get appointed on the Board of Director of IMDB, George Kent and many others.

Basically, he managed to exploit the opportunity to the fullest by creating the impression that he is maam's orang kuat. If one is smart, getting negative expose on Malaysia Today does boost oneself sometimes. Khairy did too.

Deepak became greedy, reckless and ruthless

However, Deepak got greedy and reckless. He was selling maam's name to frequently and all over town that it reached Rosmah's ears that he is a conman.

The carpet man was becoming a carpet beggar ruthlessly pouncing on unsuspecting businessman. One former Tan Sri high flying corporate man had to pay him commission for fund raising which he was not part off.

It is heard and he himself admitted to Malaysiakini that he had amassed RM600 million of facility. Off course, the public would jump to make the presumption that he got those loans because Najib is Finance Minister.

Firstly, is the number right? Secondly, having facility is one thing but was he able to drawdown those facilities. Thirdly, if Najib did not help get him the facility, who then?

Deepak had raised a couple of banking facilities with the likes of Hong Leong bank, Bank Rakyat, Maybank, and bulk of it is with Kuwait Finance house (KFH).

Talk of KWH, it reminded us of BCCI that went under decades ago.

KWH had a character who was the Managing Director by the name of K Salman Younis or Dato K Salman Younis. This guy was giving facility on name lending and Deepak sold himself real well.

He has since left in 2009 or he would have been in the slammer under BAFIA. Here is The Edge report

With facility available and the yearning to be a billionaire in a hurry by 40, Deepak went about town  to secure, hustle and even extort deals and investments.

One such scheme was to get himself into his failed joint venture with Wanita UMNO Selangor, Dato Raja Ropiaah's privatisation deal with MINDEF.
She got it when she was not a position holder but a struggling business women.

How convenient that Deepak sued Raja Ropiah at around now when he does not have a legal fighting chance of winning the lawsuit?

For him to make a police report against  Raja Ropiaah on claims of CBT, can the bloke differentiate between alleged CBT and alleged non-fulfillment of agreement?

Isn't it obvious that Deepak is lending a hand to assist PKR Selangor from Wanita Selangor's planned onslaught?

With the money standing by, it is easier to get and secure deals. The trump card Deepak used was Najib and Rosmah's name. How is anyone going to check with Najib and Rosmah? More so, with Malaysia Today's help to create him into an urban legend..

But since 2009, after Salman left, and his relationship with maam gone sour by 2010, things were not looking up for Deepak. His board membership were pulled back.

True he was investigated by MACC and IRD by him. Opposition made noises of him and so sure they will go in. Only thing is MACC do not make noise.

It is heard that he called maam for help to remove all the officers. Apalah Deepak, since when first lady can order around government agencies like that?

Banks begin to recall their loans. It is raining so Bank will pull back their umbrellas.

It is heard that Maybank had forsold his land to recoup the loan. Kuwait Finance House also pulled the plug on him when they found that there were elements of conmanship or fraud in the manner Deepak secured the facility.

Deepak couldn't pay back Kuwait Finance House. It is believed in the tune of more than RM100 million. Some say it is as much as RM140 million. This is part of the reason behind his debacle with Raja Ropiah because he wants his money back or give the project wholly to him.

Obviously Bank had to sue him and it is also another of Deepak's many ongoing case with Banks.

He fits in the maxim seldom heard in the securities industry, "high flyers get shot down."

This amateurish wheeler dealer but smooth talker was flying high. He once flew by private jet to Las Vegas to impress one sexy leggy Chinese girl. Smart girl .. take the money and run.

Deepak tried to seek Rosmah's help, tried to seek Rosmah's name when being investigated, tried to get Rosmah to ask Najib to ask investigators to pull their brakes and get banks to allow him to use his facilities, etc.

READ MORE HERE

 

DAP delegate questions why Karpal uses media

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:43 PM PST

(NST) - A delegate at the state DAP convention yesterday questioned party national chairman Karpal Singh's (pic) ability to voice his opinion in the central executive committee (CEC).

Taman Alma branch chief David Marshall said he was left wondering why the Bukit Gelugor member of parliament had to resort to using the media to voice his concerns and proposals regularly.

"I want to know if the CEC has not given him much opportunity to speak during its meetings."

Marshall said he was not out to criticize anyone but to seek clarification from the party.

He raised this question during the convention debate and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow later told reporters that the party member had asked the question based on observations that Karpal had been talking to the media regularly.

He said Karpal had raised many issues, including the single-seat single candidate policy.

 

P I Bala, Deepak, Musa - who next?

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:35 PM PST

IT'S TOFFEE'S TURN

Everyone who has given testimony against the powers that be has been branded a liar, Musa of all people has now come out and Syed Hamid the man who together with his successor Hishamuddin have successfully revealed the level of common sense that prevails in UMNO now comes out to say that this is all an opposition ploy.

Musa Hassan?

After what he did to Anwar Ibrahim surely at the request of his superiors including a former UMNO chieftain, surely it must be seen that he was a player in a whole scheme to rid the country of Anwar, the man who knew too much and who had publicly declared that there would  be no more nepotism, cronyism and corruption in UMNO.

In UMNO this could not happen, no one could get into UMNO and declare such "nonsense,"  so anwar had to go at all costs, and they madee sure he did, so now when the Truth is coming out there is fear in the corridors of power, UMNO power.

This man Musa Hassan is not going to come out in the open to say such things like the government intervened with his work unless it really happened and unless  he has some really compelling reasons to.

No Malaysian in his proper frame of mind would have accepted that PI Bala was forced to come out with the Statutory Declaration to implicate Najib, everyone believed him when he said that the carpet man was involved, that carpet man has now come out and is revealing the truth albeit in installments.

So why is the truth coming out  in installments?

Well we'll dwell on that later, and now all these men who were their trusted lieutenants are now looked upon as conniving opportunists working together with the opposition to oust Najib for no rhyme or reason does that make sense?

The  key to the truth lies some where in the home of our Prime Minister it does not take a genius to figure that out, a moron would be able to have figured that out, and we have many of that kind of people in UMNO, I might have mentioned a few names earlier in this article and it is the duty of one of those to direct a full investigation, unless it was his office that ordered Altantuya's entry records by the Malaysian immigration removed.

Surely if they could get a Deputy Prime Minsiter on trumped up charges they can easily get this cop, they could and would for their own convenience  they would even use the Anwar's  case to get him,they are capable of doing that but why aren't they?

Why is Syed Hamid claiming that this is all a political ploy by the opposition?

The only reason  is it has to be the  truth, what these people are saying must be the truth, Deepak was a close friend of Rosmah, why did he suddenly turn against her and Najib?

There must be some elements of truth in it, and f the government goes for them, the truth will come out, that is something they can't afford, after all they have Mahathir Mohammed as the Prime Minister, the man for whom the ends justify the means.

If what Deepak is now saying is not the truth, then Najib should use the full force of the law  to protect the sanctity of the office of the prime minster because the attacks are personally targeted on Najib bin Tun Razak, and it was whilst he was in office as the minister of defence.

It is not for the current minister of defence to come  out to clear the issue he knows nothing about this he was not even in government at that time, so why is Najib so quiet?

Should he not sue Deepak? Should he not go to clear his name? Had it been the Lees down south they'd have sued the pants off Deepak?

Najib has failed to do this when in his personal capacity when he was accused by Raja Petra Kamaruddin, now when he is openly accused by PI Bala, and Deepak he is still hiding, is he afraid to come out in open court?

Well if that is no the case, and especially with all the implications  derived from the interview with Deepak, will Rosmah at least subject herself to an interview with the press both international and local on these issues since there seems to be so much directed towards her too?

After all she is the "first lady" very eloquent, been overseas, held meetings with so many other first ladies, and even visited heads of states for which once Najib bragged that our students in Egypt got out safely because of her connections, she surely  must have the ability, the eloquence and  the presence of mind to handle these small time reporters on these issues. Can't She?

I am sure she is more than capable (she is the first Malaysian PM's wife to have declared herself "First Lady") and ever willing, surely this  "first lady" who delights at the slightest opportunity for some of the limelight will given the opportunity,  but Najib will not allow her to, he is so scared he will not allow her to.

When he was preparing to come to office I wrote an article on the need for him to first clear his name on the Altantuya case or,  the office of the Prime Minister would be compromised, that was something that any decent man would have done before assuming such high office but, Najib Tun Razak did not see that necessity, neither did his mentor the Doctor because that would  be so very convenient for him - the doctor>

A compromised PM would be easy for the picking, he can easily dictate terms like he so often does these days.

You can't hide too much under the carpet, it will swell with the heat and the carpets will even though well bound wall to wall burst at its seems and all the dirt will spill out for the world to see and that is what is happening now.

All the mantharam imported from Kerala will not work, mantharams are evil, it abhors the Truth, but the Truth cannot be suppressed for too long it will surface as is now happening.

I have my doubts about  the sincerity of these players, I am convinced  they are telling us the truth, but why  in installments?

I believe, they are doing this because they are short changed, and so are reveling the truth in installments  in the hope that the big pay day will come so that they can decide to keep quiet, but if that big pay day comes then they will look forward to another bigger pay day, after all it pays and it pays big.

I doubt Deepak's claims that he will tell all, he is waiting for the big payouts as soon as possible, he knows as much as Rosmah, Mahathir and Najib know that the end is near the BN government is going to be dumped, they all know that, they are trying their level best to intimidate the people, but this time it will not work.

Before this government falls all these players must collect their ill gotten gains promised to them by the big boys, they have to leave the country less they get caught for all the bad things they have done in concert with the BN and so they are letting out this truth in installments.

Remember that for the government to fall the majority of the Malays must vote the opposition and that is the definitive score today, all their polls have indicated that,  so there is this feeling of deep despair amongst the top brass in UMNO, they can't give in to every PI, Carpet man or Cop or there won't be enough pay the UMNO division chiefs if they win the elections, and if they do not deliver there then all hell will break loose in UMNO itself.

Remember that  the majority of the Police Force and the Military are made up of Malays, many of whose brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and children will be with the opposition, vote the opposition  so if this government were to fall they had best do the right thing and hand over power without any abuse, not the type that was applied when Selangor  and Perak fell, and time was given to the outgoing government to take away with them so many "secrets" from office.

READ MORE HERE

 

MAS still faces turbulent weather

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:11 PM PST

Analysts say the national carrier needs to be more imaginative to improve operational efficiency.

By Sathish Govind, FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: While Malaysian Airline System Bhd's (MAS) recent return to the black could be taken as the first baby steps for the troubled airline, analysts see the road to sustained profitability for the national carrier is still a long and winding one.

Analysts say MAS needs to be more aggressive in cost-cutting and more imaginative in ratcheting up operational efficiency before it can even begin to dream of regaining its place and stature of old.

MAS announced on Nov 27 that it had returned to its first net profit of RM37 million for the July-September period after six consecutive quarters of losses.

It also announced plans to raise RM3.1 billion via rights issue and reduce its par value per share from RM1 to 90 sen.

Operation-wise, MAS made a small profit of RM3.9 million versus a net loss of RM191 million for the corresponding period in 2011. Revenue was lower at RM3.4 billion from RM3.5 billion previously due to decreased passenger traffic.

The airline also reported earnings per share of 1.11 sen versus a loss per share of 14.29 sen. No dividend was declared for the quarter. A research note from Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said the recent results suggest that its cost-cutting initiatives are beginning to bite.

However, the researcher believes MAS' strategy of picking up routes from the bargain bin – South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan and Dubai – is misguided as these routes are not profitable and "added to the overall bottom line of the company".

The airline's reorganising of its flight frequency timetable and finding bumping up capacity, however, has helped reduce unnecessary increases in costs.

In announcing the quarterly result, MAS group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya is rightfully pleased that the airline's "revenue initiatives have begun to gain traction in the market" and that the management is beginning to see the results of their hard work.

An OSK Research Sdn Bhd analyst said even though the cost-cutting has achieved a short-term result, MAS needs to address structural issues that will determine long-term profitability.

He said it needs to take an aggressive approach in its cost-cutting strategies and shore up its revenue.

"Its yields have not improved considerably and could further receive pressure from low-cost carriers and other foreign full service carriers in the international segment," he said.

 

The fear to hold polls

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:59 PM PST

After frightening the rakyat into believeing that only Umno can ensure peace and prosperity in this nation, Najib himself is now in fear of calling for the election

CT Ali, FMT

Why are we talking about who will be prime minister after the 13th general election? Why are we wondering if Pakatan Rakyat will be our choice or if Barisan Nasional will still be in control of our destiny? Why? Are we even going to have a general election? This prime minister of ours, who has been putting fear into our hearts, is himself afraid to call for a general election.

Was it not this prime minister who told the Chinese that if they do not want to lose all the wealth that they have gained thus far, then they must vote BN because if Pakatan comes to power, they will lose it all?

This same prime minister told the Malays that they must be united and make sure Umno is still in power if they do not want to lose all that they have gained under Umno these last 50 over years. If the Malays do not vote, Umno they will lose Ketunanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), lose their Sultans, lose their privileges.

And it is this same prime minister who put fear into all the other races in Malaysia, telling them that only Umno can ensure peace and prosperity in this nation of ours. And this prime minister who has put all this fear into us all is now himself in fear of calling an election?

Why is he so much in fear of calling for the 13th general election? Is it because all the information available to this prime minister tells him that BN will lose in the 13th general election?

That Special Branch has reported to him that BN will not be the rakyat's choice for government after the 13th general election?

This, in spite of the RM500 already given to so many of them; in spite of the tyres already bought for taxi drivers; in spite of the Hari Raya bonus for civil servants; in spite of all the transformation programmes and economic initiatives started by Najib Tun Razak.

Win or lose, Umno is in for the ride of its life! Everything has changed for Umno and yet nothing has changed within Umno. The world outside Umno has evolved towards an open, responsible and accountable society where everyone wants to have a voice and a role to play (if they so choose) in their future. But nothing has changed within Umno.

Desperate plea

Few people think that Najib can deliver what he has been promising. Taxi drivers could not care less – they already have their tyres. The civil servants will have their bonus and all those who would have benefited from any cash handouts have had their cash.

So would they remember that it was Najib and BN that gave them the cash and vote for him and BN in the 13th general election? Maybe they will, maybe they will not. As Mahathir said, "Melayu mudah lupa" and the same can be said of many Malaysians.

Najib desperately hopes that this time around the people of Malaysia and the "pendatangs" (immigrants) who have been given right of abode and the right to vote, all of them will be translated into votes for BN . If it does not, then Najib has a problem. And that makes him very afraid of what the 13th general election will bring him.

I do not envy the game Najib is playing but he has no other choice. He has nothing to draw upon from his years in public service to validate his desperate plea to the people to give him an elected term in office as their prime minister.

Do you want Najib as your prime minister? What credentials does he possess to ask us for the privilege of leading us after the 13th general election? And do not forget that it is a privilege to be leader of any nation – not a right! And who will give him the privilege of leading this nation again come the 13th general election?

READ MORE HERE

 

CM uses goodwill inter-faith dinner to bash Umno

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:55 PM PST

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng took the opportunity at the MCCBCHST function to campaign for Pakatan Rakyat.

(FMT) - Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng last night used the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) Penang inter-religious goodwill dinner to criticise Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

The event, which was supposed to foster closer relations between the different religions in the country, was turned into a political forum by Lim taking potshots at Umno and the ruling BN.

He also took the opportunity to campaign for the opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat, saying that the coalition of three opposition parties – PKR, DAP and PAS – has managed to bring about good change since the 2008 general election.

"Umno has taken a very extremist view that does not respect the rights of non-Muslims. For instance, an old Indian shrine was demolished by Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) controlled by the federal government last year. To-date it has not fulfilled its promise to rebuild the Hindu shrine.

"Umno leaders have also not respected the requirement of providing land for non-Muslim places of religious worship on development approvals. When Umno slandered me with lies that I had sold off mosque land in Bayan Mutiara to Ivory Property Group by open competitive tender, it failed to mention I had also sold off non-Muslim religious land."

"Clearly, Umno did not mention non-Muslim religious land because the previous Umno state government thinks non-Muslim have no right to being provided with non-Muslim religious land," he said.

"I wish to stress that the state government had not sold off mosque or non-Muslim land in Bayan Mutiara as such religious land is a requirement for approval by local councils. If no Muslim or non-Muslim land is provided, then no development orders will be given. And the state government will provide for non-Muslim religious land," he said at the dinner.

He also took a potshot at Perkasa calling it a racist and extremist organisation.

"All Malaysians regardless of race, religions or gender are treated as our children by embracing love and rejecting hate, promoting peace and rejecting violence so that everyone can live with dignity.

"There is deep concern that there is no action against those involved in violence or condone violence by racist and extremist organisations such as Perkasa.

"When a young Chinese girl was handcuffed for stepping on the picture of the prime minister, why was similar punishment not given to the Perkasa leaders who conducted a Hindu funeral rite in front of my house?" the Penang chief minister asked.

Lim said while God does not take sides based on political party lines, "there are those who have recently claimed that they are the chosen people, and that their party has been chosen by God to rule the country".

"I believe that rather than asking whether God is on our side of our party, we should ask whether our party is on the side of God, good moral values like justice, integrity, freedom and truth," he added.

 

DAP must stick to Pakatan plot

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:52 PM PST

The DAP is yet another party, like PAS, that has joined the 'reformasi' and benefited largely from the electoral 'tsunami' of 2008.

Ali Cordoba, FMT

The big question being asked is whether the DAP has turned itself into a "submarine", using the Chinese voters, to "tag" along with PKR and impose its agenda after the general election.

The party is still moving on the fringe of the Malay-Muslim community despite its association with Pakatan Rakyat and its landmark rule in Penang.

The extent of their "fright" was seen with some PAS members voicing their "concerns" at the Islamist party's collaboration with DAP. And this, after having enjoyed the victories that came with PAS' association with the "ogre".

The most hard-hitting criticism of the PAS-DAP alliance came from Umno, with Perkasa taking the frontline offensive. The DAP has been linked to former communist elements, yet this is only part of the heavy criticism that PAS had to contend with in recent times.

The demonising of DAP will continue into the final days of the 13th general election. The risk with this state of affairs, is that Pakatan may end up losing more support if the DAP is continuously portrayed as "traitors" and as the "ogre" that will eat the Malays once it is in power.

If the DAP's role in the Pakatan coalition is to represent the Chinese community, it is certain that it does not have 100% support from the community.

PKR has a wider appeal for the fence-sitters in the Chinese community since it is well represented in the party. The Chinese seem more comfortable with Anwar Ibrahim's leadership in PKR than with MCA's junior role in BN.

The DAP is yet another party, like PAS, that has joined the "reformasi" and benefited largely from the electoral "tsunami" of 2008.

The party has also benefited from its association with Pakatan in Sabah and Sarawak and will continue to do so as long as it is associated with Anwar and Pakatan. These are facts DAP cannot deny.

Henceforth, any "hidden" agenda by the DAP, if any, to subvert Pakatan's victory parade in the corridors of power will be futile. Why is that so? Pakatan is today a transformed organisation. The people voting for Pakatan are those voting for change.

There will only be change in Malaysia if Pakatan remains a solid and united political coalition after it takes power. Any attempt by the DAP to impose any of the anti-Malaysia and anti-Islam agenda will fail as there will be no majority in the Parliament to support such a move.

Status quo

Likewise, a Pakatan cabinet will be Muslim-dominated. Unfortunate as this sounds, the reality is that the next regime in place will be forced to continue to play along "communal" lines.

There is no way Pakatan can deny the role played by the Malay-Muslim community in local politics.

PAS and PKR, under Anwar, will have to ensure that the status quo on the communal field is respected.

The DAP will, nevertheless, get to play a more active and a greater role in enhancing Pakatan's avowed policies of equality, justice and fairness for all Malaysians.

If this is what the Umno-BN and pro-Umno, pro-extreme right Malay voices within the PAS are afraid of, then there is nothing they can do if Pakatan is in the seat of power in Putrajaya.

There are reports, unconfirmed of course, of the DAP being infiltrated by former communist elements. There again, it is doubtful that these elements – if they are given a chance to be in Parliament – will be able to influence any decision-making that may affect the Malays.

In the event former communist elements within the DAP are catapulted into the cabinet, one wonders whether they will be able to carry out subversion in the country.

The claims that such elements have infiltrated the DAP is indicative of a total failure of the strict and draconian laws that were in place to curb subversive elements. If 54 years of the Internal Security Act (ISA) did not stop the "communists" from camouflaging and infiltrating into Pakatan on the onset of the "reformasi" era, then what can stop them?

Does the DAP have a pro-China agenda that will boost the Chinese community's progress report card in Malaysia? There is little doubt that a regime under the helm of Anwar will have a very pro-Western approach.

Pakatan in power, if it wins the general election, will tend to consolidate Asean's new-found trust in the US. It will also kowtow to the "Asian values", promoted by Anwar while he was deputy prime minister.

Pakatan will not allow Malaysia to become a "mini-China" as it will be guided – as mentioned above – by the need to protect the majority community while it enhances the role of the minorities.

Here again, we see how DAP will be limited in its scope to influence even the foreign policies of a country run by Pakatan. The opposition coalition has, on many occasions, shown support for the "revolts" in the Arab world and is against the survival of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria.

If this is any yardstick to measure the DAP's real influence in Pakatan, then one might just say that China will lose more under a Pakatan regime in Malaysia than it is under a BN regime.

China is a supporter of the Assad regime and has vetoed attempts by the West to declare total war against Syria. This is against Pakatan's foreign policy, which is a pro-war approach in Syria.

READ MORE HERE

 

Thousands attend Pakatan ceramah in Umno territory

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:48 PM PST

More than 30,000 people turned up to hear Pakatan leaders tell why its best to vote for them and not for Umno in Johor.

(FMT) - BATU PAHAT: A Pakatan Rakyat ceramah here on Friday managed to attract more than 30,000 people in what Pakatan leaders say is a sign of support moving away from Umno to them.

Never in Johor's political history has an opposition rally attracted such an enormous crowd.

The assembly was part of the ongoing state-level Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Peoples' Uprising Assembly) series being organised by Pakatan nationwide.

It followed the national-level assembly staged in Taman Seremban Jaya in Senawang on Nov 3 which also attracted about 30,000 Malaysians.

Johor PKR chairman Chua Jui Meng and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim arrived together at about 11pm and were pleasantly surprised by the mammoth crowd.

They both had to wade through a sea of people to get to the stage with their shoes and trousers covered with mud. PAS president Hadi Awang was then in the midst of his speech.

After Hadi wrapped up his ceramah, a brief ceremony was held to introduce and accept the membership application forms of several ex-senior Johor civil servants and former key Umno members who joined PAS.

Anwar was then called to the stage to deliver his ceramah and got the crowd roaring when he shot off with: "This is not an Umno assembly! What (Prime Minister and Umno president) Najib (Tun Razak) doesn't understand is the emergence of Kebangkitan Rakyat (Peoples' Uprising)."

"Malaysians today are well informed about socio-political issues. They are also much more intelligent and it is not so easy, as in the past, to fool them.

"There is no room for lip service and mere rhetoric in politics anymore. We must tell the rakyat (people) what we can offer and what we can do to provide good governance.

"We must make clear our people-oriented policies and that we are here to serve the people and to ensure their welfare and country's progress.

"Unlike BN, if we are given the mandate to administer Putrajaya after the next 13th general election, we will ensure the eradication of corruption," Anwar said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Rahman Maidin sertai PAS untuk bantu jatuhkan BN

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:44 PM PST

(Gambar: Datuk Rahman menyerahkan borang permohonan keahlian PAS kepada Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi di Baru Pahat pada Sabtu lalu.)

(Harakah Daily) - Bekas Pengerusi Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM), Datuk Rahman Maidin bersedia jadi ombak untuk menghempas benteng lama sehingga pecah.

Ujarnya, biar pecah benteng lama yang sudah tidak kukuh dan membina kembali dengan benteng yang kuat dan padu.

"Jika digambarkan suasana di lautan, saya pilih ombak sebab ombak dia boleh bersihkan pantai bahkan bukan setakat bersih, dia boleh hancurkan benteng yang tak kukuh, " ujarnya ketika ditanya selepas berucap di majlis makan malam anjuran Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPP) Pulau Pinang dengan kerjasama PAS Kawasan Tasek Gelugor di Taman Desa Murni, Sungai Dua semalam.

Beliau berkata, sudah sampai masanya, benteng usang diganti supaya rumah atau pokok yang ada berdekatan pantai dapat diselamatkan.

Jika ombak kuat berlaku di tengah lautan pun tegasnya, alunannya boleh menenggelamkan kapal besar yang muatannya berlebihan.

"Kemasukan saya dalam PAS bukan untuk apa-apa tujuan melainkan ingin membantu PAS bersama Pakatan Rakyat menjatuhkan Barisan Nasional (BN) pada pilihanraya umum ke 13 nanti," katanya yang juga bekas Pengerusi Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Pulau Pinang.

Berucap sama dalam program tersebut ialah Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu, Naib Presiden PKR, Tian Chua dan Pengerusi DHPP Pusat, Hu Pang Chaw.

 

The pathologies of Malay nationalism

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST

malaya-union

Historians highlight the early 1980s as the point of no return. The revivalism of Islam was the demand of a strong Malay grassroots then. The regime, eventually armed with the credibility of Anwar Ibrahim's Islamist background, launched its deep and thorough project of Islamisation in response: Islamic banking was introduced. The International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM/UIA), now heavily sustained by Saudi funding, was established. So was the Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM), which has since then served as the intellectual mouthpiece against pluralism and apostasy. 

Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, CPI

The nation

The problem begins with the nation-state ideal; for its coherence depends on there being a people deemed as the rightful owners of a land. It is rooted to the belief that territory is property – a thing to own – and that loyalty to the people means, among other things, the readiness to uphold the integrity of territory to ensure it belongs to the nation.

This requires clearly defined, finite, national borders, which – at least at the face of it – appears as a simple enough idea. Matters become complicated when we ask who those borders are meant for. There cannot be a nation-state, if there is no nation to begin with.

But identities unlike land cannot be enclosed and demarcated. Cultures do not flourish in vacuums. They develop out of interactions and fusions with one another. New words, outlooks and practices are adopted while others fade, in a slow, arbitrary and often ambiguous organic process of contact and migration through time.

The nationalist agenda is at odds with this reality. The belief in the congruence of identity and territory – or indeed identity as territory – at the face of inevitable cultural change that can neither be controlled nor predicted, means that each nation will always find itself in the position of having to redefine the conditions of membership, to determine what or who should or should not be excluded. Culture too is given boundaries as a result.

The nationalist imagination must, in other words, assume however implicitly that there is some supposed essence underlying the flux of culture and identity, out of which the 'Otherising' so common to nationalist politics is legitimised. The marker could be anything from a common language, religion, ethnicity, race or history. It could even be a set of values or general traits. None of this is exclusive, of course. At any given time, depending on the issue and occasion, different factors can be evoked to proclaim dissimilarity.

Islam

Islam as we've seen time and time again has featured prominently in attempts to imagine a core to Malay identity. It is in fact presented as a condition: the protection of Malays, we're told repeatedly, depends on the preservation of Islam.

History has had much to do with this. The growth of Islam in 15th century Nusantara converged with the Malay apex of imperial grandeur, where for centuries Malay kingdoms dominated commerce, producing diplomatic relations and maritime armies that placed the Malaccan Straits on the map of world trade.

This began as a very much elite affair, for the earliest Muslim converts in the Peninsula were among the feudal and merchant classes. It was not only until Islam eventually reached the commoner that its defining presence in Malay notions of identity began. Gradually, Islam became appreciated as a force of enlightenment, as it inspired Malays to leave their supposedly superstitious animistic ways of life towards a higher stage of civilization. The necessity of learning the Quran for basic rituals meant that Islam was also the context with which Malays experienced their earliest exposure to systemic, although largely informal, learning. In fact, Islam as education remained the case for common Malays for centuries.

But while education and memories of empire shaped Malay attachments to Islam, its legalistic thrust ensures that it would remain a useful tool. One would be right, for example, to dismiss the recurring Hudud polemics as mere political ostentations between two parties seeking to out-Islamise one another, but in doing so we must not forget how much Islam, with its endless list of dos and don'ts, makes for a convenient resource of conformity and control.

Islamisation

That would not be so troubling, if not for how the pressures for more and more Islam are actually coming from the ground up. Today, Islamic validations are increasingly sought for things as mundane as medicine, fashion and entertainment, as can be seen in the rising trend of halal living. Academic discussions on Islamic science have produced volumes of theoretical literature, albeit with little effects on actual scientific practice or meaningful discoveries. Unsatisfied with the already rigid curriculum of Islamic studies in national schools, more and more private Islamic schools, including kindergartens, continue to be established throughout the country. The list can go on and on.

The state has had little need to take issue with the above demands, for the simple reason that any Islamisation, given present circumstances, would only secure a more Malay definition of Malaysia anyway. Thus it was not at all surprising to see the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), always already seeking to solidify Malay rule, having no qualms about competing on this turf. They seemed to have even relished the challenge, excelling – in realpolitik terms – in ensuring the drastic insertion of Islamic policies into the Malaysian state.

Historians highlight the early 1980s as the point of no return. The revivalism of Islam was the demand of a strong Malay grassroots then. The regime, eventually armed with the credibility of Anwar Ibrahim's Islamist background, launched its deep and thorough project of Islamisation in response: Islamic banking was introduced. The International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM/UIA), now heavily sustained by Saudi funding, was established. So was the Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM), which has since then served as the intellectual mouthpiece against pluralism and apostasy. A more Muslim oriented foreign policy was initiated. New laws were imposed, banning imports of non-halal beef and Muslim entry into casinos. Marriages and sermons were made subject to Islamic certification and approval.

Today, JAKIM (Malaysian Department of Islamic Development) is the third most funded department under the Prime Minister's Office, receiving RM 402 million in 2010 alone. It stands among several other Syariah institutions that were recently erected in rapid succession such as Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah, Malaysia (Department of Syariah Justice) in March 1998 and the Syariah section of the Attorney General's office in 2003. The latter is to ensure that all laws – including international laws Malaysia are to ratify – are Syariah compliant. In 2009, planning for a Jabatan Penguatkuasaan dan Pendakwaan Syariah (Syariah Enforcement and Prosecution Department) began.

Power

But what is all that power for?

Curiously, the persistence of conservative presence in Malay politics suggests that the increased Islamisation of government, on top of the huge representation of Malays in the military, police, civil service, the cabinet, petit bourgeoisie and banking, in addition to our nine monarchs, are still somehow not enough to assuage insecurities.

It can also be argued that the significant powers that Malays have amassed through the government and bureaucracy over the years are mere catalysts for greater conservative demands, for in apprehensive hands no amount of power will suffice if it cannot translate to total control.

Thus it may be more accurate to look past the power held to see what the power is meant to protect in the first place. And for this we will have to inquire into a prior anxiety, one that is more essential in driving the politicisation of Malay identity as a whole, and that is the fear of losing control over Malaysia's multicultural complexities.

To clarify, the conservative claim is not that the Malays were here before everyone else. Rather, the Malays, at one point the subjects of a glorious medieval empire, were the ones who shaped the customs and civilization, and by consequence the historical significance, of the Peninsula.

It was therefore the bitterest injustice for the Malay nationalist imagination that independence from centuries of colonialism began with the masses of Malays in wretched poverty. They were 70% of Malaysia's poor at the time, confined mostly to low level-menial work. University education was far from reach and with little, in fact inconsequential, ownership of capital (Malays owned only 4% of all businesses) Malay control of the country was nothing more than ceremonial despite the triumphant proclamations of Merdeka (Independence).

Malays in fact became poorer in the ensuing decade, a reality that soon compelled the demand which we are all too familiar with by now: that only the material enrichment of Malays can mend inter-communal relations since they would no longer have to bear the shame of being poor sons of the soil.

Shame and self-loathing

This shame left a deeply bitter mark, for the little real political power that Malays could claim also translated to a crisis in self-esteem. The worst of this fermented into the long tradition of self-loathing that one can find in bourgeois Malay thought, whereby Malay poverty is often explained away as an obvious outcome of laziness.

The Malay Dilemma by Mahathir Mohamed (Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister at 22 years) has for some reason survived as the most frequently reissued attempt to defend that thesis. Not only did it draw a direct causal link between Malay laziness and poverty, they were also somehow taken as certain proof of Malay racial inferiority.

But if we are at all to recall that book for its originality, it would have to be for the rather taxing attempt it made to explain that link with pretensions of evolutionary science. Otherwise, the Malay Dilemma was merely reiterating an impression that was already prevalent among early Malay bureaucrats. After all, it was published only a year after Revolusi Mental (Mental Revolution), a longer book comprising of essays that also insisted on the Malay poverty-laziness-inferiority idea, this time by the most prominent Malay educators in government then.

It is painful, though not unfair, to acknowledge that there was some hint of inevitability to all that, especially when viewed from a broader historical perspective. Munshi Abdullah, the pioneer of Malay reformist thought, was already lamenting Malay inferiority – also in the manner of simplified sweeping claims about Malay laziness – as early as the British takeover of the Straits. Indeed, it was against his profound awe of British science and technology that the lazy, inferior, bumbling, dumb and superstitious Malay which he took constant note of was often "portrayed" in his works (although always, somehow, in the pretext of some deep care and concern he had for Malay progress).

This spirit of supposed tough love resonated again in the early 20th century, this time in Pendeta Za'ba's works which was also not short of bile. The modern man of Malay letters said that the Malays were poor in "all aspects of life" – in demeanour, attitude and worldview, "in all the conditions and necessities that can lead to the success and greatness of the nation". Malay youths spend too much time on wasteful activities, he said, and "are perverse in indulging in their carnal and animalistic needs" while having no foresight or prudence in spending. Their elders, on the other hand, are too caught up in stupid superstitions. The works of Malay literature are also "poor and not of the kind that can uplift spirits and improve thought".

One can argue that such frankness is common to all nationalist rhetoric. It can be likened by analogy to the kind of direct criticism we have all encountered in one way or another in heated family arguments, only the end message in this case is of course broader and more political, to provoke Malays to wake up and strive.

But what makes the above preoccupations with racial inferiority particularly pernicious is the conclusion drawn at the end of it all: the Bourgeois Malay's ultimate prescription for independence was not revolt or rebellion against exploitation and underdevelopment. Rather, the way forward was conceived in terms of the capitalist ethos, through hard work, self-reliance and private enterprise.

Obstacles

The central role of British colonialism in perpetuating myths of the lazy native is a subject that is best dealt in another discussion, although it would suffice at this point to state the curious fact that the notable Malays who were most willing to uphold and defend that myth were significantly influenced by the colonial lebensvelt.

Munshi Abdullah, for example, taught and translated Malay for Stamford Raffles on top of many other notable Orientalists. Both Za'ba and Mahathir – whose treatises on the subject were originally written in English – were educated via the British system. It was indeed through this orbit of circumstances that the capitalist ethos brought by the British found their advocates among Malay nationalists, however indirectly.

For a better sense of what's at stake here, we should consider the contrasting attitudes of Malay nationalists who were not as fortunate. For example, Rashid Maidin the labourer, or Ahmad Boestamam the son of a peasant, saw little to no virtue behind the laziness myth or British capitalism, having witnessed and lived through first-hand the violent exploitation of labour that was needed to service British industries. The Malayan left, with whom they mobilised, advocated instead a more confrontational and militant route towards self-determination. Naturally, the British, in the post-war ruin of their empire amidst fears of a Communist takeover of Southeast Asia did all they could to suppress all manifestations of leftist unrest, often with little hesitation to resort to violence or outright political intervention.

The fact that the Malay left and the British ended up more and more preoccupied with one another after independence also meant that Malay capitalism was met with less resistance. This, however, did not mean that it was without its obstacles. There was, for one, the absence of a critical Malay mass: the majority of Malays at the turn of Merdeka were rural, illiterate, uneducated and, more significantly, unfamiliar with the belief in "grace-through-hard-work" that the early Malay elites and bureaucrats embraced.

There was also a problem in the form of an apathetic Malay elite, the old guard of UMNOists close to Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia's first Prime Minister) who were not seen as committed enough to the cause of Malay development. The Tunku recalled the Malays as "a simple and contented people, used to their own way of life, their distinctive traditions, their deep Islamic belief in God and the hereafter, and respect for their Sultans. Sons of the soil and the sea, they lived close to nature in a bountiful land. Why bother to work so hard?"

But nothing stood in the way as agonisingly as the peninsula's demographic realities. In 1955, the Malays constituted 84.2% of the total electorate. After independence it was reduced to just 56.8% due to the formal mass incorporation of Chinese and Indians as Malaysian citizens. This was not an easy fact to accept especially for those who just regarded them as temporary migrant workers whose presence in the Peninsula was due to colonial, rather than Malay, demands. It didn't help that the Chinese were soon perceived as threats: When they were not smeared as mere greedy businessmen, they were feared as treacherous communists.

READ MORE HERE

 

God, Comedy and the Umno General Assembly

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:59 AM PST

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/kee_thuan_chye.jpg 

It is the level of intellectuality that comes from decades of playing to the gallery, of pandering to the masses who have been deliberately manipulated to remain politically immature and intellectually challenged through being provided sub-standard education. And so to reach out to these masses, our so-called leaders appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Kee Thuan Chye

The Umno General Assembly has often come across as reality comedy. Its 'performers' unwittingly amuse us with their unintentionally comic turns. This year, they didn't disappoint.

Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, whose family is embroiled in the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal that cost her the renewal of her senatorship, says that for the upcoming general election, she is a winnable candidate. God help her.
 
Indeed, God was invoked on several occasions throughout the general assembly, sometimes for the sake of seeking His help.
 
President Najib Razak urged Umno members to pray hard to God in order to win the general election. "Let us pray so that with His blessings, we will continue to be the country's ruling party," he said.
 
The subtext of that smacked of a loss in confidence.
 
In fact, Najib's rhetoric in the past several months has been reflective of that. He has been practically begging his audiences to "give us another term", an appeal no Umno leader has ever stooped to. They had always taken it for granted that they would rule long-term.
 
He has been persuading voters not to change the government, as if he were expecting them to. He has been bashing the Opposition parties at every available opportunity, to influence voters not to vote for them.
 
At the general assembly, he even entertained the prospect of losing: "We can replace treasures or honour that are lost, but if we lose this fight, we will be left with nothing."
 
He was of course exaggerating – because not winning Putrajaya doesn't amount to losing everything – but he was nonetheless acknowledging the possibility of defeat.
 
No other Umno president before him has ever had to countenance that.
 
Now Najib cannot bank on the confidence of the Umno of the past to carry him cockily to the general election; it has been too deeply mired in corruption and cronyism, and the rakyat have got wise to it.
 
He even apologised at the general assembly for all the wrongdoings of Umno and the other parties in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. But, as they say, it may be a case of "too little, too late". And it certainly is of no use if the corrupt practices are still continuing.
 
Why, for instance, has he not answered the allegations of businessman Deepak Jaikishan that for his help in facilitating a project deal, his family was paid by the latter, and that Deepak got involved in the case involving the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu because he wanted to help Najib's family? Why did Najib leave it to Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to volunteer to reply to Deepak?
 
This exposé, the NFC scandal and the question surrounding the RM40 million "political donation" received by Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman have caused untold damage to Umno. It may not fully recover from the blows.
 
Even so, there was much bravado flaunted at the general assembly. There was talk among Umno leaders of winning the general election with a two-thirds majority and recapturing all the four states now in Pakatan Rakyat's hands. They might have prayed to God first before they offered these predictions.
 
Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob even said to the media, "I tell you, DAP cannot win in Bentong. Cannot win! If DAP wins in Bentong, you cut off my ears and I'll jump into the Pahang river."
 
Such haughtiness! Well, just to see if he will keep his word, the electorate should vote BN out of Bentong. Earless Adnan might be a more humble person after that!
 
Hey, but the next day, probably feeling scared that his Bentong prediction might actually prove wrong, he did a flip-flop. That, however, made him even more laughable. He said he didn't mean "cut off my ears" literally. He said he was using figurative language.
 
"Do you know figurative speech? In English language, we have figurative speech. We have simile, we have metaphor, hyberbole," he said. "So when I say cut off my ears, that means they (DAP) can never win ... not that if we (BN) lose, they (the Opposition) take the knife and cut off my ears literally."
 
And why did he use "figurative language"? His reply: "… to let people learn English"!
 
Hahaha! That got me rolling on the floor – because "cut off my ears" is not at all a figure of speech in the English language! Adnan doesn't know that and he wants others to learn English? What a clown! The epitome of the know-nothing who behaves like a know-all! Or a case of someone who's caught and simply tembak (shoots)!
 
And since there's no such figure of speech, dear voters, please continue sharpening your knives.
 
Meanwhile, enjoy the most hilarious, most misplaced joke that came out of the assembly – courtesy of Umno Youth information chief Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who said Umno is the party chosen by God to liberate the chosen land of Malaysia.
 
Woweee! This is fresh! This is creative! This is … divine!
 
He even said God's chosen people are the Malays living in Malaysia.
 
But hang on! Doesn't "God's chosen people" traditionally refer to the Israelites? And the chosen land to the Nation of Israel? Jews, baby!
 
Did Reezal make a boo-boo in associating with the enemy? Was he even aware of it?
 
He said God is the true authority over all governments, the giver of power to those that He has chosen, so he must believe that Umno-BN will win the next general election. But what if it doesn't? Will he stop believing in God?
 
What kooky thinking! Here's something Adnan could learn from in terms of the English language – an example of hyperbole.
 
Reezal was probably trying to outdo his Umno Youth boss, Khairy Jamaluddin, by waxing so hyperbolic. The day before, Khairy quoted from Winston Churchill's famous speeches in his call to fight Pakatan Rakyat, but he obviously went overboard.
 
He was comparing the next general election to World War Two. But come on la, brudder, they're not the same la.
 
While Churchill's "we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets" and "we will continue hand in hand like comrades and brothers until every vestige of the Nazi regime has been beaten into the ground" are inspiring, Khairy's "we will debate them in Parliament, we will smash their arguments in coffee shops, we will expose their lies in cyberspace … we will lay this wretched Pakatan coalition into the ground!" sounds terribly frivolous. Schoolboyish even. 
 
The scary thing about all this comedy is that among the people spewing this rubbish are holders of high public office, and that some of the Umno Youth upstarts may one day become ministers.
 
Even outside of the general assembly, you get the Chief Minister of Melaka, Ali Rustam, accusing Singapore of interfering in Malaysian politics simply because the briefing by French lawyers on the Scorpene investigations in France were recently held there.
 
Worse, last week Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad disparaged the name of French lawyer William Bourdon by changing it to "Bodoh" (stupid). The jury may have no difficulty in deciding who was being "bodoh" in this case, but it showed the level of class and intellectuality among our so-called leaders.
 
It is the level of intellectuality that comes from decades of playing to the gallery, of pandering to the masses who have been deliberately manipulated to remain politically immature and intellectually challenged through being provided sub-standard education. And so to reach out to these masses, our so-called leaders appeal to the lowest common denominator.
 
They are the avatars of "the devil we know" – the phrase Mahathir Mohamad recently coined to describe Umno-BN – and they often exhibit the worst characteristics of politicians. The crucial question is: Do we want these types to continue leading the country? Do we want them to be the chosen ones, i.e. chosen by us? At the coming general election, do we vote them in – again?
 
All I can say is, God help us if we do.
 
 
* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians, available in bookstores together with its Malay translation, Jangan Kelentong Lagi, Kita Semua Orang Malaysia.

 

PM Najib, words are sounds, example is thunder

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:56 AM PST

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/18103_298084450309453_680508352_n.jpg

 

If he wants to, he has the power and authority to get to the bottom of this fiasco and find out what is the real problem. It is high time that he puts his foot down firmly on the issue if BNM is still grappling to find fault with GM. If there is any fault, BNM would have found it already by now.  

 

Dee Casey 

 

As I spent the afternoon reading Savana Sim's latest posting on 1st December 2012 (commemorating exactly the second month since the controversial raid by BNM on GM) with the article titled "Misfeasance in Malaysia" (http://on.fb.me/UypHFL) ... my thoughts shifted to PWTC where our PM, Najib Razak and his fellow UMNO members enter the final weekend to the UMNO's General Assembly making fiery speeches to exert their presence and relevance. The PM, undoubtedly now busy chasing for the critical mandate needed from both his party generally and members of the public particularly for the power to lead the country on for the next five years.

 

He has made numerous promises to the people of this country and hence we all seen his slogan "Janji Ditepati" magnified (literally) to gigantic size everywhere. Of course he can afford to make all sorts of promises and make good some of them. After all, he is the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and also the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development. Indeed he is a man who holds vast powers and hence we look up to him as a man with integrity and conviction to keep to his words and deeds.

 

With this still in mind, I have gathered together some of his quotes which he made along the way since becoming PM:

 

"I urge us to rise to the challenge of building a 1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now." (April 3: On assuming office as the sixth prime minister);

 

"Umno should be seen, regarded and trusted as a party that is capable of looking after the lot of the people. Umno cannot be seen as a party which is only passionate about struggling for the interest of a small group. Instead, we want Umno to be seen, felt and fully trusted as a party that is inclusive and that puts the interests of the people before personal interests. Therefore, the perception that Umno is a party for people to "cari makan" (earn a living) must be erased and discarded." (15/10: maiden speech as Umno president in conjunction with the 2009 Umno General Assembly);

 

"I have to make a decision in the interests of the BN. I am not merely the president of Umno; I am also the chairman of the BN. I am the prime minister not only for the Malays; I am the prime minister for all Malaysians." (1/11: opening Gerakan national Delegates' conference);

 

"We will change for the better. I give you the commitment; we will change for the better. But I ask (that it should be) not only me. Do not just look at the prime minister; we all must reflect the change. We must be like the train. (When) the train is moving … it cannot be the locomotive alone … everybody else must work together." (1/11: opening Gerakan national delegates);

 

"I have been saying privately, but I might as well say it publicly, that the thing I liked about President Bush's foreign policy is that he was very pro-free trade. Frankly I don't like the other policies, but I like his policy on free trade." (14/11: panel session at the Apec CEO Summit 2009);

 

"The era of government knows best is over";

 

"We have to innovate. No nation can be successful unless they are involved in innovative and creative activities";

 

"The world is changing quickly and we must be ready to change with it or risk being left behind." (30 March 2010: unveiling of the NEM); and

 

"Don't worry" (19 October 2012: PM's assurances to Genneva Malaysia Gold buyers).

 

In trying to hammer in his pitch for the New Economic Model (http://bit.ly/UyAujj) to the public and to achieve the transformation needed, Najib said there were eight strategic reform initiatives that would be focused on:

  1. Re-energising the private sector to lead growth;
  2. Developing a quality workforce and reducing dependency on foreign labour;
  3. Creating a competitive domestic economy;
  4. Strengthening the public sector;
  5. Putting in place transparent and market-friendly affirmative action;
  6. Building knowledge based infrastructure;
  7. Enhancing the sources of growth; and
  8. Ensuring sustainability of growth.

PM Najib has called for Malaysians to be innovative, to stop playing safe and come out to be real entrepreneurs. We have seen people like Tony Fernandez of Air Asia doing just that when he emerged starting from scratch. Genneva Malaysia Sdn Bhd has done exactly that as well and the company has rapidly grown by leaps and bounds since then. What Genneva had accomplished would have put to shame any other home grown entrepreneur wished for under the umbrella of the government's Economic Transformation Programme (http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/)

 

PM Najib was on the correct path when he advocated for the right to free trade and free entreprise. Sir, to don a laissez faire outfit, your leadership is required so that you are able reign in and put a check to all your men in the hierarchy of bureaucracy. No one in the government should be allowed to stifle the free market at his whims and fancy unless for a very good reason. In any abuse of the system such as that in the case of Genneva Malaysia Sdn Bhd (GM), it is grossly unfair to all concerned, even to the nation.

 

Of the eight strategic reform initiatives which PM Najib has talked about, GM can already fit into at least five of them, those being as follows:

  1. GM belongs to the private sector and it is contributing to and doing its part to chip in to the government's agenda calling for this sector to lead growth (in the area of gold trading);
  2. GM has developed a quality workforce nationwide, training skillful staff and consultants to handle gold trading and GM is the only one in the industry that has effectively put in place the government's aim of reducing dependency on foreign labour and yet achieving high income status within its community.
  3. GM is not only creating but actively pursuing and contributing vibrantly to the domestic economy;
  4. GM is not only enhancing but actively tapping into sources of growth in the gold industry; and
  5. GM is ensuring the sustainability of growth by combining forces as a regional player in the gold industry.

Turning the spotlight back to PM Najib, he is the Finance Minister. BNM is under the purview of his ministry. If he wants to, he has the power and authority to get to the bottom of this fiasco and find out what is the real problem. It is high time that he puts his foot down firmly on the issue if BNM is still grappling to find fault with GM. If there is any fault, BNM would have found it already by now. There is no more reason or excuse to dilly-dally.

 

PM Najib, don't let a few civil servants dictate to you what you should or should not do. It is time for you to call a spade a spade. We Gennevians look up to you and truly hope that you say what you mean and mean what you say. So when you say "don't worry" many if not all will hold you to that promise. After all, it is only you who coined the slogan "Janji Ditepati".

 

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