Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Allegations against KR1M justified
Malaysian top politician’s family holds several billion US dollars' worth of illicit assets
Sarawak Chief Minister's Vast Holdings Revealed

Posted: 05 Dec 2011 08:55 AM PST

The Health Ministry has concurred that some of the items sold in the KR1M shops are of inferior quality.

I think that the report from the Health Ministry on Friday would be absolutely devastating as the "allegations" have proven to be true. Its director-general Hassan Abdul Rahman agreed that the KR1M items tested by Pua, PAS MP Dzulkefly Ahmad and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar failed the standards set by the government, except for the creamer which is pending further investigation.

Douglas Tan, Free Malaysia Today

I truly appreciate Ameer Ali Mydin writing to FMT and giving his side of the story after my column "Kedai Rakyat: Pulling a fast one". Once again, it truly is an honour that my articles have drawn the attention of the authorities and now Mydin, and I hope it would continue to do so as the rakyat deserve to know the facts.

Let me first clarify that I do not write on behalf of DAP and my views do not necessarily reflect that of DAP. What interests me more is the truth, or whether or not arguments and explanations put forth on certain issues can be substantiated. In this day and age, public scrutiny is always a good thing in order to ensure that the rakyat's money is spent fairly and wisely.

Therefore, I was only able to base my facts on a combination of what is public knowledge and press releases on the Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia website. I am glad that KR1M has decided to give us the facts directly so that we are able to do a more in-depth analysis of the whole issue.

Refurbishment costs

Firstly, I would like to apologise to Mydin for my remark that renovations of the KR1M stores could be done for RM70,000. What this assumption did not take into consideration were costs for items such as the chillers and freezers, in addition to the CCTV and POS system.

Taking Mydin's advice to "do my homework", I went around to interview several contractors and they revealed several interesting points during our discussions. At the cost of RM250,000 to RM750,000 for a space of 1,500 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft, the cost of doing the renovation would be between RM150 and RM167 per sq ft.

At first glance, these quotes are very good for these contractors and they would want to do the project. However to avoid misunderstanding, would Mydin be so kind to provide the Bill of Quantities (BQ) so that contractors could send in their quotes? This would be to the benefit of Mydin and the rakyat to save cost, wouldn't you agree?

Store openings

I clearly explained how I derived the number of stores to be 31 in my article. I took it that six outlets were opened with 25 more to come next year, therefore we would come to a total of 31 outlets. Perhaps I could humbly request that KR1M keeps its website up to date to avoid misunderstanding.

After the clarification, we now understand that the subsidy of RM40 million is for 85 outlets to be opened across the country by 2012. This includes the seven stores already opened and 25 more to be opened this year. We shall watch this space to see whether it really happens.

However, I have a feeling the money has already been paid out in full. Can Mydin clarify this point? With so many other scandals going on, we do not want Mydin's reputation to be tarnished if they remain silent on the matter. I am happy to give them the benefit of the doubt.

KR1M product quality

Unfortunately, when it comes to defending the quality of KR1M products, perhaps Mydin could have done a little more checking before being so enthusiastic to defend his products. I could accept that the generic KR1M products to be equivalent in quality to its branded counterparts, but please forgive me and the public of being sceptical in light of the new evidence.

Ameer wrote in his letter, and I quote: "It baffles me as to whoever gave you the idea that generic products are of lower quality. Please read up the meaning of generic products before you make such assumptions and in this case, allegations." He went on to target Petaling Jaya MP Tony Pua by saying, "To date we have only unfounded, unsubstantiated allegations by Tony Pua. If he can so kindly provide his test reports to the ministry, I'm sure they would take appropriate action."

Items specifically include the following findings as tweeted by Pua. The Health Ministry:

Concedes that ice-cream product was wrongly labelled and has instructed re-labelling as "frozen confection".
Accepts that "frozen confection" is still being sold as ice-cream after being given proof of receipt and price label.
Admits that its test on Krimer Pekat Manis showed 1Malaysia product exceeded maximum 76 percent sugar content.
Agrees that evaporated krimer is wrongly sold as "evaporated MILK" and will take necessary action.
Admits that when 155g sardine tins were tested, three out of five did not meet 55 percent net fish weight requirement.
Agrees the Kari Ayam tin was inadequately labelled and failed to comply with Clause 147 or 151 of Food Regulations 1985.
Noted the conflict in Growing Up Milk ingredient label – "susu pepejal rendah lemak" or "instant whole milk powder".
Agrees that both Follow Up Milk and Growing Up Milk serves children aged one to three but says they are covered under different laws.
Agrees that Growing Up Milk serves 3888IU of vitamin A per day exceeding limit for 1800IU (for) children under three.
Informs that it has "advised" supplier of 1Malaysia Growing Up Milk to cut excessive Vitamin A and top up other nutrients

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 10:48 PM PST

Official documents show that the inner circle of Malaysia's Taib family is linked to over 400 companies in 25 countries and offshore jurisdictions –the Taib family's stake in the net assets of 14 Malaysian companies alone is over 1.46 billion US dollars (4.6 billion Malaysian Ringgit) - See list below.

By Bruno Manser Fonds

Research by the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) has uncovered the vast dimensions of the Malaysian Taib family's illicit assets. According to the Swiss organization, the inner family circle of Malaysian potentate Abul Taib Mahmud has a stake in over 400 companies around the globe and holds illicit assets worth several billion US dollars.

Abdul Taib Mahmud ("Taib") has been Chief Minister, Finance Minister and Planning and Resources Management Minister of Malaysia's largest state, Sarawak, since 1981. He has been long criticized for corrupt practices and abuse of office but Malaysian authorities have failed to take action against him, despite an ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC). Taib is a key supporter of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

In Malaysia alone, Taib, his four children, eight siblings and his first cousin Hamed bin Sepawi have a stake in 332 companies worth several billion US dollars. The Taib family's share in 14 large companies' net assets alone has been calculated at 1.46 billion US dollars (4.6 billion Malaysian Ringgits). The three largest Taib family-linked companies are the 84% Taib-owned Cahya Mata Sarawak (net assets 2.4 billion Ringgits), the 25% Taib-owned Custodev Sdn Bhd (net assets 1.6 billion Ringgits) and the at least 35% Taib-owned Ta Ann Holdings Bhd (net assets: 1.4 billion Ringgits).

Cahya Mata Sarawak is a construction conglomerate listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange (KLSE 2852) that has benefited massively from a cement monopoly and from untendered public contracts awarded by the Taib-led Sarawak state government. Ta Ann Holdings Bhd (KLSE 5012), which is chaired by Taib's first cousin, Hamed Sepawi, is an internationally active logging company. Since its foundation in the 1980s, Ta Ann has been granted more than 675,000 hectares of logging and plantation concessions by the Taib government. Privately-held Custodev Sdn Bhd is a Sarawak-based property development company. Achi Jaya Holdings (net assets 550 million Ringgits), which is wholly owned by the Taib family, holds a monopoly over log exports from the timber-rich state.

"We consider these corporate interests of the Taib family to be illicit assets", said BMF director Lukas Straumann today. "There are many clear indications that Taib has abused his public office to build a corruption and fraud-based billion-dollar empire."

"We are shocked to see that the Taib family has so shamelessly enriched itself while the people of Sarawak have to struggle with widespread poverty and an appalling lack of infrastructure and government services."

Apart from Malaysia, the Taib family also has stakes in at least 85 companies in 24 countries and offshore jurisdictions, namely Australia (22 companies), Bermuda (1), the British Virgin Islands (7), Brunei Darussalam (1), Cambodia (1), Canada (9), the Cayman Islands (1), Fiji (3), Hong Kong (7), India (2), Indonesia (3), Jersey (1), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1), Labuan (1), New Zealand (5), the People's Republic of China (2), the Philippines (1), Singapore (2), Sri Lanka (1), Thailand (2), the United Arab Emirates (1), the United Kingdom (4), the United States of America (6) and Vietnam (1).

The Bruno Manser Fund is calling on anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering authorities worldwide to investigate the Taib family's business activities and freeze Taib family assets in their countries.

Business leaders and corporations are advised not to conduct business with Taib family corporations for legal and reputational reasons.

See companies at: BMF_exclusive_research_Taib_family_companies.pdf (605KB)

Sarawak Chief Minister's Vast Holdings Revealed

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 08:52 PM PST

A Swiss NGO says Abdul Taib Mahmud's holdings span the globe and then some

The two NGOs previously reported that Taib's children are the shareholders and directors of numerous companies controlling residential and commercial buildings in Canada, Australia, Britain and the United States together worth hundreds of millions of US dollars. Many of the assets came into their possession when they were in their early 20s and were still college students with no visible access to legitimate resources to invest.

ASIA SENTINEL

The looting of the riches of the Malaysian state of Sarawak has earned the family of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud billions of US dollars through investment in as many as 400 companies in 25 countries, according to allegations by an NGO that has been stalking him for months.

Research by the Switzerland-based Bruno Manser Fund said official documents show the Taib family stake in 14 Malaysian companies alone is worth US$1.46 billion. The fund has uploaded all of the documents onto the Internet. They can be found here: http://stop-timber-corruption.org/resources.

However, the fund said, its research only covers publicly available information from Malaysia's Registry of Companies and other official documents and the total of all of the Taib family's holdings could run well in excess of that amount.

"Not counting their more hidden wealth, this puts the Taib family firmly into the category of one of the richest families in the world and makes them far richer than the Queen of England (whose assets are a mere half billion pounds)," the fund said.

In all, according to the fund, named for a Swiss environmentalist who disappeared in Sarawak in 2000 while trying to aid the Penan tribe, the family also has stakes in companies in Australia (22 companies), Bermuda (1), the British Virgin Islands (7), Brunei Darussalam (1), Cambodia (1), Canada (9), the Cayman Islands (1), Fiji (3), Hong Kong (7), India (2), Indonesia (3), Jersey (1), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1), Labuan (1), New Zealand (5), the People's Republic of China (2), the Philippines (1), Singapore (2), Sri Lanka (1), Thailand (2), the United Arab Emirates (1), the United Kingdom (4), the United States of America (6) and Vietnam (1).

On May 12, in the wake of previous revelations by the Bruno Manser Fund and another reform NGO, the Sarawak Report, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Ray announced that she was asking Swiss financial authorities to investigate the chief minister's assets held in Swiss financial institutions. In a letter to the Bruno Manser Fund, Calmy-Ray indicated that if the probe finds evidence of corruption from timber sales, Taib's Swiss assets could be frozen. There has been no indication of the progress of that probe.

At the time, a Taib spokesman said the funds had been legitimately deposited and that there was no evidence of criminality.

Allegations are that as chief minister, Taib granted timber access permits to a plethora of companies, most of them owned by ethnic Chinese, that have denuded much of the state, Malaysia's largest, of much of its tropical rainforest. The two NGOs previously reported that Taib's children are the shareholders and directors of numerous companies controlling residential and commercial buildings in Canada, Australia, Britain and the United States together worth hundreds of millions of US dollars. Many of the assets came into their possession when they were in their early 20s and were still college students with no visible access to legitimate resources to invest.

Although the two NGOs have filed numerous complaints with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the anti-graft agency only reluctantly agreed to investigate Taib's holdings after the Swiss decision. A well-placed source told Asia Sentinel at the time that the MACC had no choice but to do so in the face of an international probe or face embarrassment. But, the source said after the new allegations, "that investigation has gone cold."

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Isnin, 5 Disember 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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