Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- A prophet is not accepted in his own hometown?
- Harassing SUARAM merely exposes BN/s phony reforms
- DAP & PKR’s Inability to Neutralize PAS’ pro-Islamic Agendas is Worrisome
- Tiger case acquittal
- Only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lies about DAP seeking to ...
- Malaysian government says smuggled UBS millions were UMNO party funds
- No man can get rich in politics unless he's a crook!
| A prophet is not accepted in his own hometown? Posted: 15 Oct 2012 12:06 PM PDT
While the whole of UMNO seem to be conducting themselves in unbecoming behavior, this one healthy being sticks out like a sore thumb. I feel so sorry for you, my dear Datuk Saifuddin. May Chee Chook Ying Just recently, a most revered politician from UMNO was flayed for not "embracing his party's stand and claims". Embrace a claim??? The upstart who had the gall to tell his own boss off is so typical of those blinded by ambition. Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, the Deputy Higher Education Minister, in my humble opinion, is the ONLY credible person left in UMNO. He is the one who has to save UMNO now and then from the red-hot blushes stemming from their stupid antics and diabolical behavior! While the commander-in-chief has not had the gumption to face off his equal in the opposition, here we have Datuk Saifuddin going to opposition-led Penang, and charming everyone there with nothing more than his usual dose of honesty, clarity and sincerity. While the whole of UMNO seem to be conducting themselves in unbecoming behavior, this one healthy being sticks out like a sore thumb. I feel so sorry for you, my dear Datuk Saifuddin. Now and then, you see some headlines in the news that just put you off reading any further. You wonder where all those stupidity came from. Then, when it's time for Datuk Saifuddin to say his piece, you reassure yourself that all is not lost with Malaysia. In their ravings, his detractors from his own party debase the original struggle of UMNO and what they once stood for. They insult and scorn Over and beyond other truths which people discover, there is a light that is total Truth. This light can neither be dimmed nor divided. You are or you are not with the light. This light does not give knowledge directly but affects the person who acts, lives and walks in the light. Those walking in this light walk in faith and find themselves free from obstacles. So, they are not afraid to speak the truth, the truth as it should be, like our good Datuk here. This faith opens for us a global vision of human reality. Those who walk in darkness dwell in a sectarianism that prevents them embracing others as universal brothers and sisters. The UMNO we know now manifests a deep alienation for logic and truth, and of course, love for their fellow Malaysians. If they are reinventing themselves as "tuans", then what are the rest of us to them? I, for one, thought that politicians in power, including those in UMNO, were public servants. Servants, mind you, not masters. Only in Malaysia, public servants behave as if they are public masters. They expect others to pick up their tabs, launder "dirty linen", shouldering yokes that eat into their flesh, taking the best of the rakyat's harvests for themselves; the list goes on. Medieval, no? Yet, these clowns Isn't a public servant elected on the premise that he is accountable to his electorate, their progress and development? How is it some of our public servants consider their electorate as their "thing", to use and neglect according to their fancy? To force the way their electorate should think? That they should be "grateful"? Oh, I forgot, these public servants think themselves "tuans". By telling the wiser Datuk off, is the upstart saying that we must always support the people in charge, no matter the circumstances? Even when they are accusing some really good people of doing poor Soros' bidding and helping him set up a puppet regime in Malaysia? I feel really embarrassed to have such news leaving our shores. What must others think of us? Perhaps, the tempurung might be able to shield us from the scorching scorn people from outside Malaysia can pour on us? Insane comedy, alright! I believe people like the good Datuk know that the Truth forms free people. He also knows that we cannot blindly accept another's stand without evaluating for ourselves, according to the criterion of the larger good. It's our responsibility to think for ourselves and however much we criticize what must be criticized, does not make us lesser Malaysians. And however much Datuk Saifuddin is at odds with the present leadership of UMNO, does not make him love UMNO less, or their original stuggle for a better Malaysia. Even if people like the good Datuk are marginalized for their courage in upholding the Truth, they wouldn't be responsible for the demise of the diseased community. The latter is already in a self-destructive mode. It's a pity that the majority in UMNO "loves" blindly and sentimentally. Rather, they should love effectively, in a way that can liberate and transform their brothers and sisters from a complacency that can be debilitating. Progressive people like our good Datuk have emerged from what some would refer to as feudalistic politics. (Hi, Nat!)They are aware that the Malaysian identity has evolved, developed even; situating itself within the realities of the Malaysian context. There has been a constant effort on the part of progressive Malaysians to express what being Malaysian means in the language of our day. We should make good use of this time given to us to advance and to change for the better. Having said that, however, I don't see many progressive specimens in the powers-that-be. In fact, I see the danger in hanging on to dim-wits or half-wits that sudah lupa that we are now in the 21 st century. These wrinkled prunes are not helping their brothers or sisters to face their true destiny; to realize themselves through their own efforts and to discover they are helpless if they do not first, acknowledge their other brothers and sisters and act with them. These dim-wits and half-wits do not have the wisdom in them (or is it courage) to tell their brothers and sisters the Truth as it is. Instead they make bogeymen out of the Jews, Christians and whatnots. These dim-wits and half-wits are entrenched in the power of delusion, entertaining the likes of themselves with sterile arguments and failed doctrines. We have, in the likes of Datuk Saifuddin, progressive Malaysian leaders, who act in solidarity with fellow Malaysians. They are aware that their duty is not just to govern the nation alone, but to be an advocate before the Truth; to promote the Truth, encourage love among fellow Malaysians and to establish peaceful relationships. They are the leaven sorely needed for a better Malaysia. They are not like those upstarts who "mengigau" to be in the company of the best of society, in pursuit of money and power till they isolate themselves from their duty to their electorate. In spite of propounding reforms, I for one, don't see the shadow of a change. In fact, I see how, with each passing day, the powers-that-be are playing God with our lives by disregarding the conscience and the rights of the common Malaysian. It is said that the real sin is to lose hope but I don't have any more hope in the present powers-that-be. I just don't. God bless, especially progressive Malaysians wanting a better Malaysia, for all. |
| Harassing SUARAM merely exposes BN/s phony reforms Posted: 15 Oct 2012 11:54 AM PDT
As Malaysian citizens we ought to know exactly how much of our tax payers' money is being wasted on such extraneous side activities of our police, Special Branch and other government agencies in the name of "national security". Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser When this political farce started over the BN Government's attempt to demonise SUARAM as a "foreign agent", it happened to coincide with our planned annual holiday. I am always reminded of these words by my old friend, the late K. Das in his foreword to my 1989 book on Operation Lalang, "…but we must not spend our days and nights living in silent fear of the thieves who stole Kua's freedom." Whether beholding the stars above the Scottish highlands with my loved ones or the stars above Kamunting detention camp, the oppressors can imprison our bodies but our spirit will always roam free… SO WHAT HAVE THE SIX GOVERNMENT AGENCIES UNCOVERED? When I told my friends in the UK that the government had commanded no less than six government agencies to investigate SUARAM to try all means to pin a charge on us, they were incredulous and asked if Malaysia was still a banana republic where the civil service can be ordered by the regime to act against legitimate organisations! "Haven't they got more important things to do?" they asked. As Malaysian citizens we ought to know exactly how much of our tax payers' money is being wasted on such extraneous side activities of our police, Special Branch and other government agencies in the name of "national security". A month has now elapsed since the start of the rigorous CCM investigations that included many days of 1-1 questioning with at least 20 people and which have revealed nothing questionable within their remit. Indeed, I was reassured when we went to the CCM interrogation and one of their staff came over to congratulate me on the good work SUARAM was doing! Now the buck seems to have been passed on to the AG's chambers. We were also summoned to the PERKESO offices to explain SOCSO payments to our staff dating back ten years or more. When we got there, the officer in charge didn't seem to know what we were there for! Obviously, these summonses have all been ordered by people above them. As for the Registrar of Societies coming in on the act, they were made a laughing stock when their Wikipaedia source of information meant that even the recently departed Fan Yew Teng was also summoned to their office to make a 112 statement! How Fan must be laughing at the fools from up there. Various people associated with SUARAM from years back have also been called to the ROS for questioning all because some far-right crackpot individual and insignificant Ah Pek made a police report against SUARAM. Meanwhile, no government agency appears to be investigating all the reports about Perimekar and Terasasi and the suspected selling of national defence secrets and commissions paid in the Scorpene deal uncovered in two years of investigations by the French. And has Bank Negara uncovered any whiff of money laundering by SUARAM all these years? I am sure all the Harvard trained economists in Bank Negara must be laughing at the preposterous presumption in government circles that there could be such a possibility. Nevertheless, the well-oiled propagandists in the mainstream press seem to be spinning merrily for the same idiotic thinking in government. Ah, and as soon as they mentioned money laundering, some money launderers were actually caught in the act with RM40 million in Hong Kong soon after. There was no need for a six-agency posse – it was uncovered by the Hong Kong police! The government explained it away as funds for Sabah UMNO but we'll wait for the MACC and Bank Negara and the AG's Chambers to do the needful… The BN government's "foreign plot" ploy has blown up in their faces. The subsequent exposes of Dr M and Najib's recent close encounters with George Soros have certainly embarrassed the spin doctors. Furthermore, by allowing nuclear-armed US warships to visit Port Klang a few days ago, the BN government has exposed their duplicitous (not non-aligned) foreign policy and raised the question of who are the US foreign agents in Malaysia! The latest attempt to implicate SUARAM in "destabilizing Indonesia" is perhaps the most comical. Organising the second Asia-Pacific Conference on East Timor (APCET II) with other Malaysian NGOs on 9 November 1996 was one of SUARAM's proudest moments. It was the last important international effort at achieving independence and peace for East Timor. As a token of the appreciation by the East Timorese for our efforts, SUARAM was invited to the Independence celebrations in East Timor soon after. In contrast, the BN government put the country to shame by orchestrating a mob from BN Youth organisations to violently tear down the partition of the hotel where the conference was being held and holding the organisers and foreign guests to ransom. This made international headlines and made us a laughing stock in the world. And instead of apprehending these fascist thugs, the police proceeded to arrest and detain some 59 participants, some (like me) for six nights and seven days. We subsequently sued the government and the police for wrongful detention and we won our case after nearly 15 years! The APCET debacle should therefore be seen as a case of the BN government's complicity with the Indonesian government in the repression of the East Timorese. Who were the agents of a foreign government then, and who stood by the East Timorese in their hour of need? Once again, it was another feather in SUARAM's cap of steadfastly defending human rights, justice and democracy. Hasn't Malaysia recognized East Timor's independence now? THE SCORPENE SCANDAL – FACT AND FICTION Another story being spun to try to discredit SUARAM is the statement by French prosecutor Yves Charpenel that there is no on-going trial in France over allegations of corruption in the Scorpene submarine. When has SUARAM ever said that there is an on-going trial in Paris? This is what I wrote on 30 May 2011, 'SUARAM STARTS LEGAL FUND TO PROBE SUBMARINE COMMISSIONS IN FRENCH COURTS': "Unlike the British (and Malaysian) system, the French inquisitorial system has an examining or investigating judge. The examining judge can conduct investigations into serious crimes or complex enquiries. As members of the judiciary, they are independent of the executive branch. The judge questions witnesses, interrogates suspects, and orders searches or other investigations. The examining judge's goal is to gather facts, and as such their duty is to look for all the evidence. Both the prosecution and the defence may request the judge to act and may appeal the judge's decisions before an appellate court. "SUARAM's latest application, once approved by the court, would allow it to become party to the enquiry and have official access to every element of the enquiry, including access to the evidence which allegedly links DCNS to the issuing of commissions to government officials. The case is still at the enquiry phase and the new application is to upgrade it to the "instruction phase" where an investigative judge would be appointed." More recently, after I had been interviewed by the investigating judge in the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance, I wrote 'THE PARIS PAPERS ON THE SCORPENE SCANDAL - THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT MUST TELL US ABOUT THE ROLE OF TERASASI' on 5 May 2012: "Since SUARAM lodged its complaint with the French courts for a judicial review of the Scorpene contract in November 2009, the French judiciary has certainly been busy with their investigations. They have interviewed officials in the French state company, DCN and related companies such as Thales as well as officials in the French ministry of defence. They have looked into bank vaults and scrutinized contracts, memoranda of understanding, memoranda of intent, invoices, bank accounts of various people including Abdul Razak Baginda. There are also some rather telling internal confidential reports of DCN and the French ministry of defence…" At no point in my articles did I say that we had reached the trial stage when criminal charges can be pressed against any officials. This will be the prerogative of the investigating judges, Roger Le Loire and Serge Tournaire. The spin doctors in the BN-controlled mainstream press should take note. SUARAM BORN OUT OF BN VINDICTIVENESS AND REPRESSION We seem to have come full circle. Twenty three years ago, as a result of the vindictive and repressive 'Operation Lalang', several human rights activists including myself formed SUARAM. There was a dire need for such a human rights organization that would not only defend human rights in Malaysia but also coordinate other organisations in civil society to fight corruption, injustice and repression. Twenty three years later, our achievements are evident. We have among others, - Established a human rights centre for victims of human rights abuse and their families; - Established an instant international "Urgent Appeal" hotline in the event of any human rights violation; - Published a Human Rights Annual Report of Malaysia every year since 1998; - Nurtured young human rights activists; - Provided human rights education and training; - Initiated coalitions among civil society to defend communities which are victims of corporate greed and state collusion as well as to promote democratic initiatives; THE SCORPENE HAS TOUCHED A RAW NERVE It is clear to all that it is SUARAM's application to the Paris courts to enquire into suspected corruption in the Scorpene deal that has led to the BN government going berserk and making wild allegations against our organization. At this inquiry stage, according to the Paris Papers the commissions and dividends for the Scorpene deal appear to have been funneled through two companies, Terasasi and Perimekar, both owned by Abdul Razak Baginda. Baginda's wife, Mazlinda, is a director in Perimekar while his father is also a director in Terasasi. Malaysians have heard about Perimekar and its "coordinating service" in the submarines deal. But so far there has been no mention of Terasasi. The BN government has still not told the Malaysian public and Parliament the exact role of Terasasi in this Scorpene deal. From the Paris Papers, we know that at least 32 million euros (RM144 million) were paid by Thales International (Thint) Asia to Terasasi. There is an invoice by Terasasi dated 1.10.2000 for 100,000 euros. There is also an invoice from Terasasi to Thint Asia, dated 28.8.2004 for 359,450 euros (RM1.44 million) with a hand-written note saying : "Razak wants it in a hurry." Given that the Paris investigations have provided Malaysian officials with so many leads, one would have expected them to act against the culprits, but as in APCET, it is the good guys that are hounded and dealt with. THANKS BN FOR HELPING SUARAM'S LOCAL FUNDRAISING. The silver lining in this cloudy hullaballoo is that Malaysians are at last appreciating the work done by SUARAM in defending human rights and the interests of Malaysian tax payers. Since the recent desperate onslaught by the BN government against SUARAM through the use and perversion of Malaysian democratic institutions including the civil service, Malaysians of all communities have been inspired to donate funds to SUARAM in expression of their heart-warming support. Thus, for helping SUARAM to realize an objective which we have cherished since we first started 23 years ago, namely, to be locally funded, we would like to give our grudging appreciation to the BN government! The creation of a vibrant civil society requires more than just pious pronouncements! Enjoying a larger democratic space than what we have experienced these 55 years is the dream of most Malaysians. The BN government may come at us with threats of fines and detentions but as Terence McSweeney, Lord Mayor of Cork told his oppressors in 1920: "It is not those who can inflict the most - But those that can suffer the most who will conquer… Those whose faith is strong Will endure to the end in triumph."
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| DAP & PKR’s Inability to Neutralize PAS’ pro-Islamic Agendas is Worrisome Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:39 PM PDT
Malaysia Youth Rights Movement hopes that Pakatan Rakyat will demonstrate more of their ability to govern a multiracial and multicultural nation, not their ability to impose strict Islamic laws on non-Muslims. Diong Chau Sern, Secretary of Malaysia Youth Rights Movement Recently the Alor Setar City Council has followed Kelantan in implementing a ruling which requires non-Muslims models to be "decently attired" and Muslim models to wear 'tudung' on the billboards. The Alor Setar mayor has warned all billboard operators and advertisers that the city council will not be lenient on those who do not obey the rules in areas under its jurisdiction. Malaysia Youth Rights Movement strongly condemns Alor Setar City Council's decision on imposing such conditions. The implementation of such rules has affected both Muslims and non-Muslims in the city. Malaysia Youth Rights Movement urge the city council to not to be involved too much in governing how people should dress. Our country has federal laws governing indecent exposure on billboards and printed materials. PAS-led Kedah state government's decision has affected many people in the state and has caused millions across the country to worry. Malaysia Youth Rights Movement hopes that Pakatan Rakyat will demonstrate more of their ability to govern a multiracial and multicultural nation, not their ability to impose strict Islamic laws on non-Muslims. |
| Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:34 PM PDT Shenaaz Khan The poor tiger's body was riddled with bullets, two of which were embedded in its eyes. It was pierced with blowpipe arrows, its paw was viciously snared and it was left to die a cruel and horrific death. Bullets and the snare were found at the scene of the crime, with the snare still attached to the tigers leg. There was even an admission of guilt from one of the accused. This was a cold blooded murder. Yet these murderers have come out victorious and are now free to roam our jungles and savagely kill our precious wildlife. While we boast about our conservation mandate being embodied in our legislation, it is appalling that the charges proffered against the four were merely under Section 64A of the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, when they should have additionally been charged under Section 76, for the setting and possession of a snare, Section 92 for cruelty to wildlife and further charges for firearm possession. The fatal flaw of our judicial system is in not recognising the grave criminality of hunting, trapping, torturing and killing wildlife. The law is the most vital protection yet it is being repeatedly violated to the detriment of our wildlife. Our Malayan tiger is already in such great peril with its wild population numbers dwindling by the day. Yet our system brazenly allows armed criminals to recklessly, intentionally and barbarically hunt and kill these treasured creatures with no punitive consequence. This is a matter of great public concern and the government has a statutory duty to appeal the judges decision and exert more vigorous criminal prosecutions against wildlife criminals. |
| Only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lies about DAP seeking to ... Posted: 12 Oct 2012 02:24 PM PDT
The issue of a Christian Malaysia and the allegation that DAP wants to repeal Article 3 of the Federal Constitution providing for Islam as the religion of the Malaysian Federation in order to establish a Christian State is one of the most irresponsible and reckless of lies and falsehoods in the current repertoire of the UMNO/BN political desperadoes. Lim Kit Siang Desperation knows no bounds. This is amply illustrated by UMNO/BN political desperadoes, whether in the political front-line or hiding in the shadows pulling propaganda strings hatching the most far-fetched and outlandish conspiratorial theories in the mainstream or social media to create fear and sow the seeds of hate and conflict to ensure the survival of the sixth Prime Minister and the ruling coalition in the imminent 13th General Election. The issue of a Christian Malaysia and the allegation that DAP wants to repeal Article 3 of the Federal Constitution providing for Islam as the religion of the Malaysian Federation in order to establish a Christian State is one of the most irresponsible and reckless of lies and falsehoods in the current repertoire of the UMNO/BN political desperadoes. In fact, those who disseminate such lies and falsehoods utterly reckless about its damage to the process of nation-building in multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia qualify to be condemned as the vilest and most despicable traitors to the vision of an united and harmonious Malaysian nation! Only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lies that the DAP is seeking to establish a Christian State. Henceforth, let Malaysians put the "fools or knaves" test to the political desperadoes who could so recklessly and irresponsibly disseminate such lies and falsehoods – whether they are fools or knaves, or both! As far as I know (and I am prepared to stand contradicted), there has never been any call for the establishment of a Christian State in the country in the 55 years since the attainment of Merdeka in 1957 or in the 49 years since for the formation of Malaysia in 1963. Is it possible that some five decades after Independence in 1957 and formation of Malaysia in 1963 that there is now a call for the establishment of a Christian state in Malaysia? First reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe it. All throughout the DAP's 46-year history, the DAP has been constant and consistent in the stand, which is also that of the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein, that Malaysia is a democratic, multi-racial, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic State. By "secular", we do not mean anti-religion, anti-God, anti-Islam, anti-Christianity, anti-Buddhism, anti-Hinduism or anti-Sikkhism but a state polity which is morality-based and pro-Islam, pro-Christianity, pro-Buddhism, pro-Hinduism and pro-Sikkhism in defending and enhancing the multi-religious characteristics and diversity of the Malaysian nation. Is it possible that 46 years later, DAP is now seeking to establish a Christian state when no DAP leader or any DAP policy document had ever referred to it? Second reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe it. Christians are the third-largest religious groups in Malaysia viz Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1% and Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%. Third reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe it. There are at most some 35 Christian MPs in Parliament or about one-sixth of the total Parliamentary strength – a far cry from the two-thirds of 148 MPs out of a total of 222 MPs required to amend the Federal Constitution to establish a Christian state. Fourth reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lie about a campaign to establish a Christian Malaysia and DAP's involvement in this campaign. For the same reasons, mainstream and social media which perpetrated and disseminated these lies and falsehoods are either fools, knaves or both. Malaysian voters must demonstrate that they are not so easily duped by such lies and falsehoods in the 13th General Election and to be brave and visionary enough to effect the changes in the national political landscape which are necessary to place the country on a right footing in nation building after five decades of corruption, economic plunder, abuses of power and the divisive politics of race and religion. |
| Malaysian government says smuggled UBS millions were UMNO party funds Posted: 11 Oct 2012 02:57 PM PDT The Bruno Manser Fund is shocked by Nazri's claim that Hong Kong-laundered UMNO funds, which were secretly cashed in from logging companies in return for favours, should not be linked to corruption. Nazri's statements reveal the extent of collusion with illegal logging by the highest levels of the Malaysian government.
In a stunning statement, Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz ("Nazri"), has today said that 16 million dollar Singapore dollars (USD 13 million) smuggled out of Hong Kong by Malaysian businessman Michael Chia were funds belonging to UMNO (United Malays National Organization), the leading party of Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, and not to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman. The statement was made in a written reply to questions filed in parliament by opposition MP Chua Tian Chang. The minister's statement, obviously aimed at exonerating the embattled Sabah Chief Minister, is likely to create new problems for the Malaysian government. On 14 August, 2008, Michael Chia was caught red-handed at the Hong Kong International Airport with the money in his luggage before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur. Michael Chia is a close associate of Musa Aman, the Chief Minister of Malaysian state of Sabah and the brother of Malaysia's Foreign Minister, Anifah Aman, both of whom are UMNO members. Michael Chia's arrest triggered an investigation by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) which asked the Swiss and Malaysian authorities for legal assistance. The Swiss government provided legal assistance to Hong Kong in March 2011 and has since confirmed that UBS is the only Swiss bank involved in the "MUSA Bin Aman et al." legal assistance case. Based on a complaint by the Bruno Manser Fund, Switzerland's Attorney General opened a criminal investigation against UBS over money-laundering on 29 August 2012. Documents submitted by the Bruno Manser Fund to the Swiss prosecutors are showing that Michael Chia played a central role in cashing in kickbacks from logging companies which were granted timber harvest and log export concessions by Yayasan Sabah, a public body controlled by Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman. The Bruno Manser Fund is shocked by Nazri's claim that Hong Kong-laundered UMNO funds, which were secretly cashed in from logging companies in return for favours, should not be linked to corruption. Nazri's statements reveal the extent of collusion with illegal logging by the highest levels of the Malaysian government. The Bruno Manser Fund is calling on the Malaysian King, His Majesty Tuanku Abdul Halim, to appoint an independent special prosecutor in order to investigate the failure of Malaysia's legal and political system in this matter. |
| No man can get rich in politics unless he's a crook! Posted: 11 Oct 2012 02:50 PM PDT I read with curiosity the recent call by PM Najib to inculcate a "natural abhorrence to corruption into the conscience of society." Even after reading his "natural abhorrence" statement, my ringgit still does not feel safe in my pocket. No man can get rich in politics unless he's a crook! - President Harry Truman Frankly speaking, I cannot really grasp the real purpose of his speech because in reality, corruption had already seeped into every nook and corner of our society that had become as common as "nasi lemak".Let's not argue about it. Besides, at times like these, one genuinely needs a healthy dose of jokes every now and then to lift one up and out of the dreary and melodramatic antics of some Barisan Nasional's politicians. These antics are often oozed into the cesspit bottom of the mainstream government-siding electronic and print media as front page news. Well, if Najib is serious, I mean dead serious, he should put this "natural abhorrence" joke aside and read this book: "Give 'Em Hell, Harry!" This book has all the ingredients of what a leader should be made up of. President Harry Truman I never saw myself as President. I was just in the right place at the wrong time. I've always thought of myself as an ordinary man. I don't have any special personal endowments, and I don't waste time worrying about what I don't have. I just try to do the best I can with what I do have. It's not important how you do something or say it; the point is to get it said and done. People even object to my language. Some old party hen is supposed to have come up to Bess and said, Mrs. Truman, can't you get the President to stop using the word 'manure'? And Bess is supposed to have replied, it's taken me 40 years to get him to use it. I may have inherited this job, but, by God, I'm in charge, and they damn well better know it! You know, a fella could get rich in this job, if he really wanted to. But I found out something a long time ago: that when you play ball with the money boys, you pay! Oh, I've done some favors for friends down through the years, just like any other influence peddler in Washington, but I never got anything for myself out of it. And I'll tell you something else: No man can get rich in politics unless he's a crook! It can't be done. Road Contractors When Tom Pendergast paid me a visit after a bond issue had been passed to build roads, I got my first taste of "road contractors." I told Tom that his supporters weren't very good road builders, and that was all that really concerned me. "Their bids were too damn high, Tom," I said, "and the roads they build are crumbling like pie crusts. I'm going to award the job to some bunch from out of state..." There are three things on this earth that'll ruin a man—power, money and women. If a man can accept power as a temporary thing, he's going to be all right. But if he thinks he's the cause of the power, that'll ruin him. And money, if a man makes too much money, too quickly, it can separate him from the rest of the human race who have to work most of their lives just to earn a living. And if a man is disloyal to his family, that'll ruin him. "Cause if you've got the right partner in life, you're not going to have much trouble…" This book is a good read, simple and straight forward. Politically, Truman never budged an inch when he knew that he was right. He literally took the bull by its horns when he was dealing with the Ultra Right Joseph McCarthy, Ku Klux Klan and General McArthur. In his own party, he had to take on President Franklin Roosevelt who was dead set against him because he was backing legislation to limit Presidents to two terms. He also took on the all powerful Joseph McCarthy whom he called the "the most lamentable mistake of the Almighty…" "And I tell you, folks, if you keep your mouth shut about something like that, democracy simply will not work!" - Truman
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