Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Taking a leaf from Sarawak’s politics
- Change in PAS Leadership: For Better Or Worse?
- Zaid wants to take the spin out of politics
- Securency money trail nudges Malaysia's political royalty (UPDATED)
| Taking a leaf from Sarawak’s politics Posted: 06 Jun 2011 06:27 PM PDT
Musa may call for a state election if only to consolidate his grip on Sabah – and keep Najib's Umno commandos out of the state. What Najib couldn't do in Sarawak with Taib, he wants it done in Sabah. His boys have already packed enough meat on the arrest of Sabah businessman Micheal Chia at the Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong, among others, to kill off Musa. Chia, who is said to be Musa's proxy, was detained with S$16 million in cash and the Hong Kong authorities are still investigating the money-laundering case. Free Malaysia Today Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman has learnt a thing or two from his peer Taib Mahmud in Sarawak. The most important lesson is that you should call the shots in your own state. To be able to do that you should, like Taib, not overrate the role of "big brothers" from Putrajaya. Some would say Taib can talk because his Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) is not Umno and that Umno has no "real" influence in Sarawak. But in Sabah, Musa is Umno chief. And Sabah Umno, they stress, is under Kuala Lumpur's thumb. Still, what is to stop Musa from stepping out of the shadows and consolidating his political position, his state administration and his wealth when under threat? If Taib is Sarawak, then Musa is Sabah. If Taib is a billionaire, so too is Musa. If Taib is protective of his turf and influence, so is Musa. Already rumours abound that Umno president Najib Tun Razak is planting his men in Sabah because he wants Musa out. Open war What Najib couldn't do in Sarawak with Taib, he wants it done in Sabah. His boys have already packed enough meat on the arrest of Sabah businessman Micheal Chia at the Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong, among others, to kill off Musa. Chia, who is said to be Musa's proxy, was detained with S$16 million in cash and the Hong Kong authorities are still investigating the money-laundering case. But for Najib to pull the plug, Musa must first fall. Politically, Najib has seconded his Umno "commandos" to Sabah to stir the cauldron of dissatisfaction. Their warlord is Mohd Shafie Apdal. To stoke up the fire, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin recently declared that Sabah Umno is facing a "cold war" within. The timely expression of "concern" gave vent to public accusations that Musa and his men were blocking development "brought in" by Shafie under his federal rural and regional development ministry. Musa has denied Shafie's allegations, saying Sabah needs allocations from the federal government and that Shafie was lying. But opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee and those in the business circles in Sabah have in the past also accused Musa's state government of stalling Shafie-linked projects. According to the rumour mill, Musa had allegedly demanded that all federal funds be channelled through his state government. But Shafie has refused to do so. Although Shafie is seen not to have "major" support in Sabah Umno, he derives his clout from being Najib's man. Curbing Shafie's influence Musa does want this "clout". He does not want Shafie to get any credit from funding projects and by default, gaining influence in Sabah Umno. Shafie's camp in Sabah include the likes of Pandikar Amin Haji Mulia, Amir Kahar Mustapha, Salleh Said Keruak and "semi-independent" Bung Moktar Radin, who sees himself as Najib's boy. All are members of Usbo (United Sabah Bajau Organisation), which is also seeking to play a more political role in the state. The organisation secretly harbours a desire to get back the chief minister's seat once held by the Suluk community. Shafie is a Suluk descended. But Musa has subtlely worked his influence on Shafie's camp. He made both Pandikar and Salleh state speakers and brought them into his camp. Then he removed Sabah Umno Youth chief Azman Ruslan, a Shafie's man. Khairy said that Azman was removed from his post to prevent the Sabah Umno "cold war" from escalating. It's no more a covert operation in Sabah, it is open war. There are no more rumours of unhappiness and seething anger among members, but only "directives" from Musa that Shafie should not be invited to any of the Umno branch and division meetings. Wealthy Musa, like Taib, will consolidate with or without Najib. While Musa might not be liked in Sabah, he has the money to do as he pleases and most say he can handle this "cold war" problem if Kuala Lumur does not muscle in.
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| Change in PAS Leadership: For Better Or Worse? Posted: 05 Jun 2011 05:51 PM PDT
As we all know, Mat Sabu has a somewhat 'sentimental' relationship with Anwar. We already know that he was once the biggest hater of the Opposition leader. In fact, Mat Sabu is the man who first coined the title 'al juburi' (the one who like buttocks) to refer to Anwar. This is enough to show how much he hated Anwar. How things can suddenly have turn 180 degrees in politics…
I talked to several PAS members during the Muktamar last weekend on the possibilities of PAS leaving Pakatan. One of them agreed with the idea as he believes that Pakatan has caused a lot of damage to PAS. He said that PAS has to 'take care' of the burden caused by Anwar's questionable morals and because of this, PAS, as an Islamist party, has become prone to attacks from their BN rivals. His friend also agrees with him. He said, before PKR and Pakatan came to the picture, PAS had a very clean image. In fact, until now there is no major issue that involves PAS directly. However, the sodomy and sex video issue of the Permatang Pauh MP (Anwar Ibrahim) has affected PAS. He said if PAS never collaborated in Pakatan, it would be a lot stronger than now as it would have been more consistent in championing people issues. The 2011 PAS Election has ended last weekend. As expected, the 'professional' group or better known as the 'Erdogan' group has monopolized almost all the top positions in PAS leadership. Led by Mohammad Sabu or better known as Mat Sabu who won the deputy president post, many believe that the new leadership could bring betterment to the party.The party election results showed Mat Sabu winning the race for the party deputy president post with 420 votes beating incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa who received only 224 votes and vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who came second with 399 votes. A total of 1,100 delegates voted in this year's party elections. Below is the list of the top three post winners: PRESIDENT: Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Mohamad Sabu VICE PRESIDENTS: 1. Datuk Husam Musa 2. Datuk Mahfuz Omar 3. Salahuddin Ayub Shortly after the results were announced we could see Mat Sabu exuberating diplomacy when interviewed by reporters following the announcement on election results. He told reporters that the Ulama group in PAS still has a great influence in the party especially with the ulama and syura council. According to Mohamad, as an Islamist party, PAS scholars still have their own role under the syura council where they are able to control the party's direction. "Ulama still have a great influence in the party. We are not like Umno who placed scholars under a bureau. We have a syura council where they (ulama) can control the party's direction," said Mohamad. He added that the new leadership has all the abilities needed for PAS to gain momentum in its preparation for the next General Election. "I believe that the new leadership is able to bring a momentum for us to win the next GE with support not only from PAS members, but also the non-Muslims," said Mat Sabu. Many political analysts believe that the party election result, which is not in favor to the ulama group, will see the end of the PAS-Umno Unity Government (UG) which was masterminded by the ulama faction within PAS. I do agree with them. However, I still believe that it is not impossible for another surprise to arise in PAS. As we all know, Mat Sabu has a somewhat 'sentimental' relationship with Anwar. We already know that he was once the biggest hater of the Opposition leader. In fact, Mat Sabu is the man who first coined the title 'al juburi' (the one who like buttocks) to refer to Anwar. This is enough to show how much he hated Anwar. How things can suddenly have turn 180 degrees in politics… My conclusion of the PAS election is that, with Mat Sabu as deputy president and Hadi retaining his party president past, I think it is possible that PAS will be leaving Pakatan in the near future. As for the prospect of a pact between Umno and PAS, I guess Hadi and Sabu have to fight it out…
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| Zaid wants to take the spin out of politics Posted: 05 Jun 2011 04:34 PM PDT
Kita chief continues his broadside against Anwar Ibrahim and talks about the need to change our political culture. "To me, it is not so much who forms the government. It is what sort of governance we have and until we address the question correctly, the public will be involved in what I call 'dirty, stupid, emotional politics of hatred, of dividing the people'." Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today Kita president Zaid Ibrahim took potshots at both Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in the concluding part of the interview. He said the failure of the government to punish Ibrahim was "a travesty", adding that he would have come down hard on anyone who made inflammatory remarks. "You should not have someone like Ibrahim inciting people to hatred. This politics of hatred will destroy the country. "If we are not prepared to take action against him and people like him, then we have no future." Zaid stressed that spin and the lack of honesty in dealing with issues were bad for Malaysian politics. "The first thing the politician will say is: 'How do I measure in the popularity scale, if I say this?'" "This is applicable to both Barisan Nasional and Anwar (Ibrahim). This is why it is so disappointing. Extremists like Ibrahim will encourage other extremists. "The country must be governed by civilised laws and principles. If it is offensive to normal human beings, then you should not allow it. "Issues must be dealt with in a transparent and objective way. You cannot spin and hide the truth from the people. That would be irresponsible leadership. "But the art of spinning and propaganda has deeply affected both sides that we cannot see the truth anymore. "We have become cynical. Everybody is for sale, everybody can be bought. This political culture is what I am fighting against. I am not fighting for Putrajaya… "We must be prepared to tell the truth and let the people decide what they want." Short-term political gain Zaid expressed his disappointment with Umno for failing to punish Ibrahim. "Umno says it is… a free country. That is irresponsible because freedom must have limits. We cannot pander to the obnoxious politics of hatred." When asked why he didn't do anything about the "sedition law" when he was then in the government, Zaid said: "I wanted to do so many things, but I was only there for six months. I did what I could, quite a lot of things in my six months." "I think I did more in six months than Anwar did in 15 years." Zaid has his take on how the Malays could reduce their dependency culture on handouts. "I think the first problem is that Umno has informed the Malays they are special. When you are special, you think you are entitled to it (privilege). So you can't blame the Malays for saying, 'If I am entitled to it, why not?'" "It is not the Malays who are the problem; it is the Malay leadership that is the problem because they do not tell the truth about the rights of the people. "Umno wants immediate short-term political gain." When asked why many Malays were reluctant to question their leaders, he said, "There are a lot of Malays who are quite happy with this situation; otherwise Umno would have lost all the seats. "Malays must go through this cultural and political values overhaul about our position in society: what our rights are, the rights of other citizens, how do we live with them, what is this is all about. "First, we must tell the truth about the situation to the Malays and to everybody. The political hypocrisy is so deep, you cannot blame the public for being confused." As Zaid was once part of the establishment, he was asked to give an insight into why ministers remained silent when in power, but seemed to open up after they left the Cabinet. "If you want everything your way, you will become like me, you won't last very long." Collective decision Zaid found it unacceptable that ministers supported government's policies "150%" when in power, but attacked them when they were out of power. "Anwar said that Sabah had a problem with immigration, with the Project IC. He said that he was kept out of the loop. How convenient." "He was the deputy prime minister (DPM) and brought Sabah Umno in, but blamed (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad for that. "When he (Mahathir) sacked all those judges., he (Anwar) was the DPM, what did he do?" Zaid was asked why ministers were slow about effecting change. "Ministers cannot effect change if you are just a minister. It is a collective decision. You can express your views. "But if you are DPM, it is different. If you are also the deputy president of Umno you can influence more things than just an ordinary minister. "I think it depends on where you are in the hierarchy as well. If you are just an ordinary minister, I don't think you can effect much without pushing it to the limits. "Like in my case, you reach a point, the limit comes very soon and then you have to withdraw. But I did not join the Cabinet because I wanted a job. Few people will believe I didn't want the job. "I told the prime minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) that I wanted certain things done. I believed at that time that I was able to do it. When I couldn't, I quit. "It is not that I was a career politican. I was critical of Umno even when I was in Umno. I was just an ordinary member. I was not head of the supreme council. I spoke my mind about change. "Many years ago, if they had listened to me, Umno would be a better party now. But that is a matter of conjecture." Phoney politics Zaid was asked whether ministers kept silent, even though they disagreed with government policies, because the BN has dirt on the past misdeeds of various politicians. "Yes, they probably have. As for me, any misdeeds or flaws in my character were exposed in Hulu Selangor (by-election). "But the difference between Anwar and I is that when it is true, I say 'yes'. I do not say, 'It's not me, sounds like me, but it's not me'. I would not say that." When asked what is the greatest threat the Malaysian people faced, he said: "Phoney politics." "Phoney leaders. People who have no respect for the rakyat. People who have no respect for the truth. People who have no respect for decent values. "The people deserve the leaders they have. If the people are happy with these sort of leaders, this is what they get. "Anwar made fun of my morality. But I am a lot more moral than him. I do not pretend to be what I'm not. "Anwar? He is a great pretender. "I may not be perfect but I believe in telling the truth. Anwar doesn't. So who is the better on the moral scale?" Massive wastage Zaid's message to the Malaysian people is simple. "Malaysians must not be afraid of the truth. They must use their heads. They must use facts and resources to find out and not come to conclusions, too easily. "Politics involves discourse about issues. You must not be prejudiced. There is already so much prejudice, bigotry, suspicion and cynicism in our country. "The politics of the last 50 years was partly contributed by BN, by Umno, by Anwar. I keep coming back to my first point, about process, systems and values. Those must come first. "We got to get the basics right. We may differ with the conclusion. "For example, the government should cut its spending. It is a massive wastage. Why buy submarines for billions of dollars? "But would Malaysians ask that question when they go to the polls? "We will never get a good government and good leaders if we are not prepared to punish leaders for bad policies.
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| Securency money trail nudges Malaysia's political royalty (UPDATED) Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:56 PM PDT
Haris Onn Hussein is well connected - his cousin is the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, and his brother is Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who is expected in Canberra soon to sign the deal under which Australia will transfer 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia and accept 4000 refugees in return. By Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie, The Age THE Reserve Bank firm Securency hired a company owned by a close relative of Malaysia's Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister - the two men with whom the Gillard government is negotiating to swap asylum seekers - to help win banknote contracts. The revelation comes amid growing sensitivity within the federal government about the Australian Federal Police investigation of Securency and the potential for Australia's international relations to be harmed if foreign officials allegedly linked to the RBA firm's bribes are named. The Age has learned that Securency signed Kuala Lumpur firm Liberal Technology as its Malaysian agent in 2009. The biggest individual shareholder in Liberal Technology is businessman Haris Onn Hussein. Haris Onn Hussein is well connected - his cousin is the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, and his brother is Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who is expected in Canberra soon to sign the deal under which Australia will transfer 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia and accept 4000 refugees in return. Securency hired Haris Onn Hussein in the hope he would offer it access to, and influence over, Malaysia's top politicians. It is a common in parts of Asia for the relatives of politicians to be hired by foreign companies as agents. The Age understands that some officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other agencies are keen for the AFP not to identify certain foreign dignitaries or their relatives who are alleged to be linked to Securency in order to protect Australia's broader overseas interests. Securency, half-owned and supervised by the Reserve Bank, has for two years been investigated by the AFP and the British Serious Fraud Office for allegedly bribing public officials in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nigeria to win banknote supply contracts. Under Australian law, it is a criminal offence for a company or individual to pay, or offer a benefit to, a foreign government official or their close relatives to obtain a business advantage. Australia is yet to prosecute a foreign bribery case, but Securency - which has four RBA-appointed directors on its board - may be the first, given the two-year AFP investigation and the arrest and questioning of some employees and agents last year. No charges have yet been laid. Haris Onn Hussein and Hishammuddin Tun Hussein are political royalty in Malaysia. Their father, the late Tun Hussein Onn, was Malaysia's prime minister between 1976 and 1981. He was succeeded as prime minister by Mahathir Mohamad. Their grandfather, Dato Onn Jaafar, was the founder of Malaysia's ruling United Malays National Organisation political party. Hishammuddin Tun Hussein is vice president of UMNO. Haris Onn Hussein owns shares in or sits on the board of several companies that have benefited from Malaysian government concessions. In 2006, the Malaysian finance ministry told cigarette and alcohol manufacturers that they would need to buy security labels provided by Haris Onn Hussein's Liberal Technology to legally sell their products. Haris Onn Hussein is also associated with a company given a 34-year concession to operate a major Malaysian toll road. Under Securency's corporate structure, its board should have been informed and approved of Mr Haris Onn's company being signed as an agent. The Age can also reveal Securency engaged Malaysian state MP and a former UMNO branch treasurer, Dato Abdullah Hasnan Kamaruddin, as another agent. Mr Kamaruddin was the UNMO party treasurer in Dr Mahathir's home state of Kedah, a position that gave him substantial influence. Despite engaging the extremely well-connected Liberal Technology as agent in 2009, Securency is believed not to have won any further banknote supply contracts. The company won its last major Malaysian contract in 2004. At that time, Mr Razak was the country's defence minister and Hishammuddin Tun Hussein the education minister. It also won a smaller contract in 1998. The Age is not suggesting Mr Razak nor Hishammuddin Tun Hussein were involved in Securency's deals. The company's 1998 and 2004 contracts involved another Malaysian agent, businessman, arms broker and former UMNO official, Abdul Kayum Syed Ahmad. He has since been arrested and questioned by Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission over the Securency deals and his use of commissions paid by the RBA firms. The AFP began investigating Securency in May 2009 after The Age revealed its payment of tens-of-millions-of-dollars in commissions to politically connected middlemen to win contracts in Nigeria, Vietnam and India. The company wired millions of dollars into tax haven bank accounts in an effort to conceal the beneficiaries of its payments in an apparent breach of the RBA's rules. The AFP and Britain's Serious Fraud Office have conducted several raids on the offices of Securency and its British half-owner, Innovia Films. Properties owned by serving and former executives and agents have been raided and several arrests made. No charges have been laid yet. Securency's managing director, Myles Curtis, and chief financial officer, John Ellery, were forced out of the company in March last year. Securency's deputy chairman, English businessman Bill Lowther, resigned in October following his arrest by the Serious Fraud Office. RBA governor Glenn Stevens has defended his bank's appointees who have chaired and sat on the Securency board since 1996, telling a federal parliamentary committee in November that he had not seen any evidence to suggest they had acted inappropriately. The RBA plans to sell Securency. EDITOR'S NOTE: Dato' Haris Onn, a Malaysian, is an Independent Non-Executive Drector of the Company and was appointed to the Board on 5 April 2006. Dato' Haris Onn graduated from Cambridge University, United Kingdom, with a Bachelor of Art Degree in Economics. http://www.scomigroup.com.my/core/haris.asp Abdul Kayum Syed Ahmad is already in trouble with the Australian government
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