Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- The smartphone rebate just got stupider
- Islamic banking practices a scam
- Dr M sees Najib as errand boy
- The problem with Opposition supporters
- Stay the course or abandon ship?
- Sabah’s economy on ‘Death Row’
- DAP leadership must share power
- Anwar, beware of the desperate men
| The smartphone rebate just got stupider Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:40 AM PST
Why offer such a rebate to only youths, a key electoral demographic that the Barisan Nasional is struggling to win over, and not also to older Malaysians who are just as economically-disadvantaged? A. Asohan, Digital News Asia
ONE of the most flabbergasting initiatives unveiled by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic), Malaysia's Prime Minister and Finance Minister, in his proposed national budget, was a rebate of RM200 (US$65) for youths to purchase a 3G smartphone. As my colleague Karamjit Singh noted in his commentary, Budget 2013 smartphone rebate: A stupid thing to do, the RM300 million (US$98 million) could have been put to better use on other initiatives to develop the ICT ecosystem in the country. It's all about smartphones these days admittedly, with the device fast becoming the first point of access to the Internet and entry to the Digital Economy for an increasingly large segment of society. Research firm Gartner recently reported that global sales of mobile phones to end-users in the second quarter of 2012 saw a 2.3% decline from the corresponding period the previous year; while smartphone sales accounted for 36.7% of total mobile phone sales and grew 42.7% in the same period. Our own telcos are finding that smartphones are becoming increasingly important to their own customers as well. Maxis said that in an internal survey it found that 31% of its subscribers were smartphone users. Meanwhile, an analyst report earlier this year estimated that about 20% of DiGi Telecommunications Bhd customers are smartphone users. This can only increase over the coming years as prices come down and telcos hopefully come out with even more attractive data packages. So with market forces on our side, why do we – or our youths at least – need a rebate? Well, putting on my rarely-used 'Mr Nice Guy' hat, I could argue that even with prices coming down, the rebate can help bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots. It's not just about a device, it's about ensuring that every Malaysian can participate and be a player in the Digital Economy.
The criteria for which a Malaysian youth can qualify for the smartphone rebate is listed in the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) website in a PDF file here or click the accompanying picture on the left. The MCMC said the the list of approved devices and authorized dealers will be made available on its website starting Jan 1, although Amanz.my has already revealed that Senheng and SenQ will be part of that list. It's on a 'first-come, first-served' basis too. The rebate is open until Dec 31, 2013, or until the RM300 million allocated under Budget 2013 runs out, whichever comes first. Also, as LowYat.net noted in a quick follow-up, one has to be "an existing subscriber or register for a new broadband plan with any of the telco that participated in the program" such as Maxis, Celcom Axiata, DiGi, U Mobile, YTL and Tune Talk. The criteria to qualify doesn't seem well thought out either – any youth earning RM3,000 or less per month is eligible. That's individual income, according to the language in the MCMC document, not monthly household income – "Berpendapatan bulanan RM 3,000 ke bawah" or "monthly income of RM3,000 or less". I am hoping that this is a mistake, because as it stands now, if you're between 21 and 30 years old, and you just got a job that pays you that much – and your parents are well-heeled executives earning 10 times your salary – not to worry, you poor thing. You too qualify. And since that RM500 is just pocket money to you, you can beat out that poor guy whose entire family earns less than RM3,000 per month – if only because by the time he saves up the money to buy the device and subscribe to a data plan, it will be 2014. Or that RM300 million allocation would have run out. Way to bridge the digital divide. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/39365/
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| Islamic banking practices a scam Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST
There must be something terribly wrong with the Islamic banking policy adopted by Malaysia where it turns borrowers into deep debtors. Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today Poverty has a negative multiplier effect on the economic, racial, religious and social fabric of a nation, and Malaysia is no exception. Hence it must be addressed by the incumbent government as a priority issue. Since 1981 until today, poverty has never been a priority issue for the federal government and the Sarawak state regime. Instead the nation's wealth and that of Sarawak has been misused to enrich the Umno political elite through the implementation of mega economic projects at inflated prices. The federal projects have been monopolised by Umno cronies while in Sarawak it is used to expand the business empire of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. In Semenanjung Malaysia the Indians and rural Malays form the core of the poverty group while in Sabah and Sarawak it is the rural natives and Malays. Poverty can be defined as the deprivation of the necessary needs of a good quality of life of the people. The standard needs are sufficient personal earnings, decent homes, access to good public infrastructure and modern transport and communications system, creation of sufficient employment opportunities for job seekers of all categories, quality education especially at the tertiary level, quality medical and health facilities, a strong currency and cheaper cost of imports. Hence the ability of the people to improve their personal economic well-being and the role of the government as a provider must complement one another in efforts to eradicate poverty. To this end, a banking system can play a major role in enabling the people to acquire socio-economic stabilities. And though the banking system does provide financial assistance, it does not offer it cheap. Growing interest charges eventually makes this financial assistance a liability. Many companies and even nations go bust because of this accruing interests. Hence very often such banking system benefits the lender and the borrowers are on the losing end. On the other hand the Islamic principle of financial assistance is to provide loans without making a profit from it. The Islamic lending concept has two objectives – provide financial assistance to those in need and maintain a low-cost of acquiring these goods and services. Under the true Islamic banking system, lending in any form is not classified under the business category because the lender is merely giving financial assistance and not involved in any business transactions with the borrower. Trade or business involves activities such as purchases and sales, export-import, construction, manufacturing, property development, renting and services. Therefore the earnings from lending which is defined as riba (interest) is not a business profit and hence is haram (prohibited ) under the syariah law. The responsibility of the borrower is to return the principal sum to the lender plus minimum services charges, which then enables the lender to re-lend it to those in need.
The Quran is correct in defining that lending is NOT a business. It is stated in Surah Al Baqarah verse 275, where among others God permits trade/business but prohibits 'riba', i.e profit/interest from a loan. This means that lending activities just like zakat (alms to the poor ) is not a business but an obligation to help those in need. The current Islamic banking system that is operating in Malaysia and the Islamic world for that matter tries to do away with the Western concept of banking. However due to their wrong interpretation of the Islamic lending principle or hypocrisy they rebrand the Western lending concept and presented it as Islamic. Take for example the housing loan under the murabahah concept and the western banking system. Under the latter, if the price of a house is RM100K, the bank will charge another RM100k interest for 20 years for a 100% housing loan. The total cost of the house is now RM200k. The banks will make a 100% profit over the 20-year period. Now under the current Islamic bank system, the housebuyer will still pay RM200k. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/islamic-banking-practices-a-scam/ |
| Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST
And Mahathir's declaration that Rosmah has the right to stay 'high profile' is actually a death sentence. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia TodayWhy was Najib Tun Razak profusely complimenting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the recent Umno general assembly while blithely ignoring his immediate predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? The reason is because Najib didn't have the presence of mind to do what is honorable. Abdullah who must also have been sitting somewhere in front was cavalierly, not cleverly, brushed aside by Najib. Didn't Abdullah achieve anything during his short stint as prime minister? Truth is Najib never had an iota of appreciation or respect for the colourless Abdullah. Abdullah has been and still is the object of Mahathir's invectives. The Sun newspaper reported that in the run-up to the 2008 elections, Mahathir had openly criticised Abdullah's administration despite the latter being the man Mahathir had handpicked to take over the top job after he decided to step down. Najib's enthusiastic outpouring was because he did not want his number two Muhyiddin Yassin to outshine him. When Muhyidin spoke and mentioned Mahathir, he got thunderous applause on each occasion. So, Najib added those ritualistic outpouring of love for the "man who can walk on water". He knows Mahathir remains a powerful force behind the scenes. Najib is not PM material and Mahathir knows this. To him Najib is just an errand boy who will soon outlive his usefulness. So what can Najib do? Well, he will have to ensure his men are chosen to be candidates in the next election. His winnable candidates criteria means loyalty to him above all else. Umno, as far as Najib is concerned can go to the dogs. Was Mahathir impressed by Najib's low class histrionics and dramatisation? Definetly not. Also notable is that Najib knows that Mahathir can't stand the sight of his wife, Rosmah Mansor. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/dr-m-sees-najib-as-errand-boy/ |
| The problem with Opposition supporters Posted: 25 Dec 2012 01:49 PM PST
Look at the "Comments" section in Malaysiakini, Malaysia Today and Malaysian Insider. They have total disdain for the establishment and everything associated with the establishment is wrong. They have this utopian idea that by changing the government and leave it to the politicians, things will be better. Ooi Kok Hin, The Malaysian Insider The highest form of patriotism is dissent. This quote is often used to describe the situation in which we protest against something we love, even at the risks of harming ourselves, when it goes in the wrong direction. Opposition supporters attribute their dissent to their love for the country, which is a good thing. However, many of them see things differently when this quote is applied to them. Opposition enthusiasts don't appreciate it when you protest their wrongdoings. They'd call you "pengkhianat, katak, turncoat, UMNO dogs etc." They see their leaders as saints and the other side as devils. For them, political contest is as simplistic as the choice between good and evil. Like it or not, your favorite politicians are not saints. They make mistakes and take risks; most evidently give their words on too many populist promises.
Take the Malay members' defeat during DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) election. When criticism poured in, DAP's hardcore supporters brushed aside those criticism and pointed at UMNO's mono-ethnic composition. They merely attack their critic's characters and not the argument; this is known as ad hominem. That is not a justification for DAP delegates' racial preferences. We already know that none of UMNO, MCA and MIC is an inclusive Malaysian party. Their racial foundation is a contradiction to their mission; this is an omen to their failures to unite Malaysians. Perhaps, race-based parties were needed in the early 20th century, but for far too long since then, they are impediments to unity. DAP's membership is open to all but its delegates are still more comfortable in trusting people of their own race. Unless DAP wants to continue that pathway, DAP leaders and members need to look at themselves in the mirror instead of keeping a blind eye to their own racial preferences. I am not saying that the Malay candidates should win due to their race, but as a nationwide party, the DAP should have enough Malays who are as capable as the others. If this is not true, then the DAP's goal of an inclusive Malaysian society is far-fetch, since the party itself is unable to be multiracial 47 years after its formation. And if this goes on, Pakatan Rakyat's politics is just like Barisan Nasional; DAP will take care of non-Malays and PAS will go to the Malay areas. Take politicians who jump ships. Opposition supporters welcome those who jump to their side. They are treated like heroes. "He realizes the truth at last! He's enlightened and joined our struggle!" Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his men are trying hard to recruit more of such heroes in Sabah and Sarawak. But when their own men jumped to the other side, all hell breaks loose. "She's a piece of crap! He betrayed the people's trust! He has been bought!" It's amusing to see people's hypocrisy in action. As I see it, people elect their YB to represent their interests which are in line with the YB's party. If the YB decides to jump ship, (it's your freedom to associate), he or she can do but must resign and stand as a new candidate. It doesn't matter which direction he or she jumps to. I recall that Karpal Singh was the only one who spoke out when the infamous Trojan horse jumped to Pakatan. It took the fall of a state government to make the others pick up the principles they abandoned when the tide favors them. Check your facts before you shoot A recent video and an article caught my attention. Both have been widely misinterpreted by opposition supporters who trumpeted that Malaysia is the worst-ranked country in corruption. Read more and watch the video at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/the-problem-with-opposition-supporters-ooi-kok-hin/
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| Stay the course or abandon ship? Posted: 25 Dec 2012 01:44 PM PST
To Hu, PAS' struggle is based "on true Islamic principle" and the party is fair to all – Muslims and non-Muslims which is "guaranteed" by the party constitution. Hence his support as long as the constitution remains as it is. Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com Following the recent public "spat" between Hu Pang Chau, the National PAS Supporters Congress chairman, and Kelantan state exco member Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan over "actions" against non-Muslims, a logical question to ask now is: Should the supporters (who are all non-Muslims) continue supporting PAS? After all Takiyuddin has accused Hu of having "bad intentions" for bringing to the media cases of non-Muslims being "penalised" by the Kota Baru Municipal Council for alleged indecent behaviour. Then there was the unisex salon issue, also in Kota Baru, involving the enforcement of gender segregation rules. Hu's response then was he acted "in the interest of non-Muslims" and was "defending" their rights. So back to the earlier question: should the congress and Hu in particular stay the course? "My relationship with Takiyuddin is not affected by the issues. We are like crew members of a same ship, holding on to the belief of the PAS constitution and the same struggle. The only difference perhaps is on the approach taken," said Hu in an email response to fz.com. Meaning he and the congress will continue to stick with PAS. To his critics that is expected. Hu has always been accused of being a "PAS apologist". Hu nevertheless is unfazed by such accusation. "As long as the PAS constitution remains unchanged, I will continue to support the party," said Hu, adding: "I dare say I understand the objective and PAS struggle better than many party members or leaders". To Hu, PAS' struggle is based "on true Islamic principle" and the party is fair to all – Muslims and non-Muslims which is "guaranteed" by the party constitution. Hence his support as long as the constitution remains as it is. And he is confident the congress is playing the role of taking care of non-Muslims interests. "We have representatives in the elections and political bureaus or lajnah. Two most important lajnahin PAS," he said. Still, are the representatives truly "functional"? "If our views and proposals are not accepted why should PAS include us in the bureaus?" was Hu's reply. PAS has always worked towards reaching out to non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community. In the 1980s, the party established what was known as the Chinese Consultative Council. In 2004, the PAS Supporters Club was set up. And in 2010, the club was upgraded to become the current congress as PAS sought to get more non-Muslims to play a bigger role in the party. The congress is placed on par with the other wings in PAS, namely Dewan Ulama, Dewan Pemuda, Dewan Muslimah – hence its official name Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS. And it boasts some 30,000 members nationwide, comprising Indians, Chinese, Iban and Malaysians of Thai descent. But is the congress effective in "helping" PAS? "Years ago even the sight of a PAS member wearing the kopiah will frighten away non-Muslims, especially the Chinese. Now we have non-Muslims campaigning for PAS carrying the party flags, wearing PAS T-shirts. It's like a miracle. Yes, the congress has been effective. But to what extent I can't say as I do not have a barometer," said a PAS activist. Hu, understandably, has good words for his outfit. "In the early days, when I went to Chinese areas not even a single Chinese turned up for PAS ceramah. Not even for tea party. Now we get big crowds of non-Muslims at PAS ceramah, not only in the peninsula but also Sabah and Sarawak," he said. That PAS sees the congress as priceless is given. Said PAS director of election Dr Hatta Ramli: "The formation and inception of the congress is a significant milestone for PAS. For non-Muslims to support PAS so dearly is something unthinkable just a decade ago. "The congress is an asset for our struggle. It can further soften our image, increase our tolerance and implement a diversity of approaches." For the 13th GE, PAS will field members of the Supporters Congress. "The congress will likely be entrusted to attract support of non-Muslims not just as election strategists and workers but also as candidates both for the DUN (state legislative assembly) and parliament levels. "It will take PAS a long way into a new era of inclusive politics. I foresee this as a breakthrough for PAS in national and mainstream politics," said Hatta. Hu confirmed that PAS will field the congress members in Sarawak and Johor with "Kedah, Perak, Melaka as possibility". Read more at: http://fz.com/content/stay-course-or-abandon-ship
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| Sabah’s economy on ‘Death Row’ Posted: 25 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST Sabah is slipping down on living standards as families continue to feel the pinch of high inflation and low economic revival. Vidal Yudin Well, FMT By the time this article is published, the Mayan calendar phenomenon is probably way behind us and like any other hoaxes of the last century, there was no apocalypse or Armageddon. Let us go for something more real and imminent: Upon this coming Chinese Lunar New Year in 2013, the zodiac snake will once again dawn the world. With so many political and fiscal uncertainties staring Sabah in the face, will she ever survive the python squeeze or will asphyxia be her final fate? Or will the worst be reserved instead for the ruling coalition which has hogged the nation's seat of power for more than half a century of dividing the people and rule, when the celestial serpent finally devour the entire Barisan Nasional in an election tipped to be held in or around February? Will Malaysians in the country and the diaspora around the world watch and scream their lungs out with roaring ecstasy of colossal joy when past corrupt and vicious leaders and all their greedy cohorts are hunted down like fallen tyrants in the likes of Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Chen Shui Bian, Joseph Estrada, or Gloria Arroyo and put behind bars for crimes committed against citizens and looting the nation when Anwar Ibrahim does become the new Prime Minister of Malaysia? The Jewish people believe that the world will end when every Jew scattered around the globe return to their homeland in Israel. I personally believe that our motherland will eventually become a paradise when all her people can finally live together without hate, segregation, and persecution. Many people in Sabah including Malaysians from Peninsular and Sarawak who have settled down here know very well why the BN federal government is issuing MyKads to immigrants and allowing them to flood Sabah. These newly baked Malaysians are not only competing with genuine citizens in every aspect of life but also jeopardising the security and fabric of society with their thieving and violent cultures thereby destroying the sub-stratum of our formation of this country. It was an open secret that in the 1994 Sabah elections, in an assault led by former DPM Anwar Ibrahim on Parti Bersatu Sabah, huge numbers of alleged immigrants were supposedly given citizenships and voting rights. Yet, the Barisan Nasional still lost by a simple majority of seats. Will the Royal Commission of Inquiry set up to look into this long standing conundrum eventually pinpoint the architects and engineers of this fraud? But what will be fait accompli this election is that Sabah must be won at all costs. But a united Sabah population, particularly the lower and middle grounds, has now swung over to the local opposition parties, a repeat of 1994. This explains the high frequency of Najib Tun Razak's visits to Sabah. Can the state BN government be more foolish? Rhetoric and slogans alone can no longer win elections because the present generation of voters is well-informed. While the people in Sabah are tightening their waist-belts during every meal at home, they often wonder why are their state ministers clueless as to what is actually happening or what should be done to arrest the decline and spur a rebound? Are 99% of the misfortunes suffered by the people in Sabah these days directly inflicted by an experienced but incompetent state government? This sounded very oxymoronic, indeed. If a government is competent, even with no experience, it can still produce the desired result albeit at a lower level of satisfaction, which is nevertheless better than nothing. How is the state government to explain the dwindling quality of life and spiraling costs of essentials that is burdening the people? How can there be growth when every successive administrations of the Barisan Nasional are incapable of coming up with prudent and wise policies that can work in tandem with and for the people to sustain themselves? It is absolutely preposterous to be the other way around! Sabah's economy is purportedly supported, among others, by three main sectors: (a) oil and gas, (b) palm oil, and (c) tourism. To be frank, (save for a handful of local Sabah lads who worked at the rigs, Petronas, oil exploration companies, and federal and state governments) how much of Sabah's oil and gas wealth actually benefitted the people? Just check out the price citizens are paying for fuel and cooking gas now compared to 10 or 15 years ago and the answers are all out there. And the worst thing is this: we are still producing and exporting petroleum products today! To give a closest analogy of the kind of sick joke we are living in: if you are a poultry farmer, do you sell your 1st class fowls, buy back 4th class birds, and sell it to your employees at 2nd class prices? If I were to own the farm, I will sell my 1st class produce to my employees at 3rd class prices for their own consumption. Sabah's worrying decline in the economy came under more pressure a week ago after a tumble of crude palm oil prices put it on serious negative watch. It will prove very embarrassing for the state government if the condition worsens in the next couple of weeks. As for the decomposing tourism sector, our hotspots are stale and expensive; a 4 Days 3 Nights package (which include airfare, resort hotel accommodation with food and beverages, transfers, and day trip tours) to Phuket Island in Thailand from Hong Kong costs an average of RM400 per person; a one night stay at a 5-star hotel in Kota Kinabalu alone will cost more than RM400! Quality tourists are flocking to our neighbours in the region instead of us. Many tour operators including the established players have already closed down with many more on the way. Non-existent reforms Sabah is slipping down on living standards as families continue to feel the pinch of high inflation and low economic revival. With rising food bills eating into spending power, every citizen is as shock as they are furious to know that everyone of their elected representatives in government is living a luxurious lifestyle funded by hard pressed taxes. Many of these state ministers even find it fit to travel overseas together with their families purportedly for government business where no bilateral reimbursements beneficial to the people were ever brought back. Not only is their performance appallingly bad, none of them lives by the sacred mantra that "we are all in this hardship together".
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| DAP leadership must share power Posted: 25 Dec 2012 07:57 AM PST What the DAP leadership should do is to set up a Malay Matters Bureau and an Indian Issues Bureau Selena Tay, FMT The results at the recent DAP party polls held in Penang on Dec 15 wherein 20 Central Executive Committee (CEC) members were elected was a great shock and disappointment for this columnist who had thought that at least one or two Malay candidates would be voted in. It is obvious that the delegates did not know how to apply what is to be termed as 'cunning voting'. This is how it works. This columnist was a delegate who had voted at the DAP Women's Congress held in KL on Dec 9. There were 27 candidates contesting for 15 posts in the DAP National Women's Committee. Out of the 27, five were Indians and the rest were Chinese. This columnist voted for all the five Indians. This is only logical math. Glad to say that out of the five Indians, two of them were voted in to the 15-member committee. They are Mary Josephine Prittam Singh who is now the deputy chairperson and Kamache A/P Doray Rajoo who has been chosen as the assistant secretary. This columnist did not attend the DAP party polls in Penang. And sad to say the delegates in Penang were not politically savvy. In fact, this columnist would like to label the situation in Penang as 'delegates malfunction'. The mindset of the delegates who had voted in Penang can be attributed to the fact that the Malay candidates were not well-known on the ceramah circuit. Be that as it may, they should have just been voted in to the 20-member CEC even if no one knows them from Adam. Anyway that is all in the past. No use crying over spilt milk. DAP must now look ahead and find ways and means to improve the situation. Do more for non-Chinese What the DAP leadership should do is to set up a Malay Matters Bureau and an Indian Issues Bureau. These said bureaus are to be affiliated to the CEC. The Malay and Indian leaders of these bureaus are to look into ways of helping their respective communities by going on the ground and meeting the people. Although the setting-up of these bureaus look like race-based politics, this is the current reality. With the existence of these bureaus, the Malay and Indian public can bring up the relevant issues to their respective leaders. The existence of these bureaus should then be widely publicised. With the setting up of the Malay and Indian Bureaus, DAP will be more inclusive. DAP leaders must share power evenly with all the other races. Only then can it truly shed its 'Chinese chauvinist' label given by the evil media and the enemy camp. There is no way DAP can seem inclusive if the Malays remain at the fringe. Meanwhile, the Malays in DAP must also strive to project themselves by being active on the ceramah circuit. It is useless to just sit down and keep quiet. They must make the rounds and not just sit in the office. In addition to the above, it is good if one Malay and one Indian is given a prestigious parliament seat to contest. DAP cannot continue to talk about a 'Malaysian Malaysia' if the Malays and Indians feel left out. Everyone including the Orang Asal must have a sense of belonging in the party. The Orang Asal too must be given a popular parliament or state seat to contest. DAP leaders must break the race barrier and the best time to do this is none other than at the coming 13th general election.
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| Anwar, beware of the desperate men Posted: 23 Dec 2012 01:57 PM PST The Malaysia that we all aspire to has no place for gutter politics. We have no place for PI Bala, Deepak or Musa Hassan. CT Ali, FMT All the usual suspects РAnwar Ibrahim, Subang MP R Sivarasa, PKR vice-president N Surendan and key PKR players Рwhen will they ever learn? "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. Is this not deja vu again? Have we not heard all this before during the PI Bala inquisition? An inquisition that was supposed to cause "porak peranda" (create chaos and disorder) within Umno by making Najib Tun Razak a liar? And yet on the very next day private investigator P Balasubramaniam made an about-turn to hit Anwar and the usual suspects full in their faces as he retracted his first statutory declaration (SD). And now Deepak Jaikishan and Musa Hassan. It has all the hallmarks of a situation that Anwar and his usual suspects would rub their hands in glee at the prospect of using for their political advantage Рdurian runtuh, says the Malays. These are desperate men who have outlived their usefulness to the powers-that-be but still with a story to tell about intrigues, money politics and corruption in which they themselves were embroiled. These are people that Anwar and his usual suspects can have use of. Desperate and with nowhere to turn, these men will clutch at any straw and go to the ends of the earth to have someone champion their pathetic cause. And that someone is invariably Anwar. You scratch my back, I scratch your back. Shades of corruption, money politics and what happened in Sibu with the Najib "You help me, I help you" rejoinder that our prime minister extended to the people of Sibu. The people of Sibu, to their credit, threw it back to this prime minister of ours with interests. And to try and enhance his non-existing credibility, Deepak brings Nurul Izzah Anwar into this sordid affair, knowing full well that she is about the only credible thing left within PKR, hoping against hope that if he can somehow link Nurul to the mess, some of her credibility will rub onto to his sorry situation. Of course, Anwar denies any involvement in this re-emergence of Deepak. "The allegation [that Pakatan is behind this expos̩] is baseless. Look at the facts," Anwar had said. He had explained that Deepak's expos̩ was clearly linked to a court trial, and that he had no control over court dates. "What has that got to do with us? He wanted to adduce evidence, saying that money was transferred to the PM or his wife. What has that got to do with me?" he had said. Buck stops with Anwar Anwar, what if the emerging facts point to your collusion in using Deepak and this sordid gutter politics of his "untuk mecemar" Najib and Rosmah? What then? What then of your aspirations to be prime minister of Malaysia? What then of Pakatan Rakyat's chances to win the 13th general election? Someone needs to tell Anwar that the bucks stop with him. I will be that person.
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