xBlog ☪ Sociopolitics

DAP Rasis! Perlukah Kita Terkejut??

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:17 PDT

Federal-state relations a critical election issue

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:21 PDT

Power must be devolved, decision-making must be decentralised, and development funds must be shared all the way down.

An important issue in the next general election, no doubt, must be the restructuring of federal-state relations. Our federal system of government needs to be transformed from a highly- centralised to a more equal and cooperative one. Indeed, cooperative federal systems are the norm throughout the world not only in Canada, Australia and Switzerland, but also in India, South Africa and Nigeria.

This means that more devolution of power must occur. As well, decentralisation of decision- making and, of course, disbursement of development funds from the federal government to the state governments. And the civil service must act more professionally to serve the government of the day, regardless of party affiliation.

Two years of Pakatan Rakyat rule especially in Penang and Selangor have highlighted how centralised our political system is. It has also highlighted how the BN federal government can dominate Pakatan-led state governments as a result of the former's control of development funds.

Whereas such funds are channelled to the state governments as in the cases of Pahang, Johor and Malacca which are BN-led, the same development funds are channelled to federal-appointed State Development Officers in the cases of Pakatan-led states. This is so although Pakatan state governments have been duly elected into office by the rakyat.

The recent war of words between Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the federally appointed State Development Officer Nik Ali bin Yunus on July20-21 over the Botanical Gardens expansion project highlights how the federal government dominates the state government.

First, the Garden's expansion project falls under the control of the Tourism Ministry rather than the Penang state government or the Penang Municipal Council. To any Penangite, surely the state or municipal authority would be better informed of h! ow best to carry out the expansion of the Garden.

And even if the federal Ministry was in charge, why did it not devolve power and funds to the state and local authorities? One can imagine that if the state-government was BN-led, there might have been more consultation and perhaps even de-centralisation of decision-making. In this regard, we should recall how the federal government had disbursed to the BN-led Malacca state

government its share of the heritage conservation funds but had denied the Pakatan-led Penang state government its share of the same, channelling it instead to the Penang Representative Office of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, which is owned by the Finance Ministry. Yet Malacca and Georgetown share joint listing as Unesco heritage sites.

This episode also highlights a second way of federal domination. Lim blamed Nik Ali, who is responsible for overseeing the channelling of all federal allocations for projects in Penang, for 'openly and blatantly sabotaging the state government'. It is significant that the SDO chose to declare the chief inister as biadap at a press conference called by Penang Umno leaders.

Isn't a civil servant supposed to serve the government of the day? And in the case of Nik Ali, should he not be serving the interests of the Penang state government to which he has been appointed State Development Officer, notwithstanding he is a federal appointee?

Indeed, it is not only Nik Ali who has facilitated federal domination over Penang, the SDOs in the other Pakatan-led states have also been giving the Pakatan-led governments in Selangor, Kelantan and Kedah a hard time, as the menteri besars of those states have complained from time to time.

In this matter, we need to recall how the PAS-led Kelantan government and the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS)-led Sabah governments were bullied by the federal government authorities during the 1990s. Then, so-called Federal Development Offices were set up in both states in order to bypass the state governments too.

No wonder, federal appoin! tees lik e Nik Ali consider it their duty to serve the BN federal government over the Pakatan-state governments. Yet, no amount of ill-mannered name-calling by the SDO will whitewash popular opinion that most federal appointees to the state government have been acting very unprofessionally. They have been biased towards the BN government rather than acting fairly towards the Pakatan state governments.

Underlying the recent exchange of words between the Penang CM and the SDO, therefore, is this discriminatory way by which the Pakatan-led states are treated by the federal BN government. In effect, they have not given due recognition to the wishes of the rakyat who voted the Pakatan-led governments into office in five states in the 2008 election.

In the recent case concerning the construction of two monstrous arches at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens, which look completely out of place and one of which is tilting, there had been minimum consultation with the rakyat prior to their construction. Concerned NGOs had complained to the Penang state government about the cutting of trees, the cementing over of various parts of the gardens to build a car park and hawker complex and the construction of the arches.

Now that the Tourism Ministry has declared that the arches will be brought down, it is clear to the NGOs and concerned Penangites that the Garden expansion project is indeed a federal project, and that the SDO does, in fact, have oversight of the project and should be held responsible for this wastage.

In this regard, perhaps the NGOs should have directed their complaints to the federal authorities in the first place. Whichever the case, there was no consultation with the rakyat by the federal Tourism Ministry until it had become obvious that a disaster was in the making, when it was discovered that one of the ugly arches was tilting. And of course, there had been no consultation whatsoever on the part of the federal-appointed SDO even up till now. (Of course, he would plead that it is not his job to do! so sinc e he is only involved in disbursing the funds)

That said, the NGOs believe that the Penang state government could have been more proactive and acted more responsibly in the face of such ill-conceived projects, even if they were federally funded. It could have intervened to prevent this wastage of RM150,000 and the destruction of the local Botanic Garden environment. In this regard, it must share a part of the blame.

One way to prevent such wastage is to make sure that restructuring of federal-state elections become a priority for all the parties in the next elections. Power must be devolved, decision- making must be de-centralised, and development funds must be shared all the way down.

The writer is honorary secretary, Aliran.

See What Pakatan Rakyat Gotta Say?

Isu 'Diskaun Bumiputera'

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:14 PDT

Dari Meja Ketua Pemuda UMNO

Kita sudah mendengar pelbagai reaksidan ulasan terhadap cadangan Ahli Parlimen Petaling Jaya Utara, YB Tony Pua,kepada Kerajaan Negeri Selangor untuk memansuhkan diskaun Bumiputera dalampembelian rumah berharga RM500 ribu ke atas dan hartanah komersial berhargalebih RM2 juta di negeri tersebut.

Ramai pihak, termasuk PAS Selangor,membantah cadangan tersebut. YAB Perdana Menteri sendiri telahmengingatkan YB Tony Pua dan parti DAP supaya jangan "terlalu menekan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera"dengan cadangan-cadangan yang tidak sensitif dan separuh masak.

Cadangan terbaru dari DAP rata-ratadilihat sebagai satu lagi usaha untuk menolak tepi kepentingan masyarakatBumiputera. Saya percaya tanggapan itu juga telah mendorong PAS Selangoruntuk membantah cadangan tersebut dan menyebabkan Ketua Umum PKR, YB Dato' SeriAnwar Ibrahim, terus membisu dalam hal ini.

Di sini perlu saya tegaskan, saya sudahberkali-kali menyuarakan keperluan untuk orang Melayu berani keluar darikepompong zon selesa dan tidak hanya berharap pada tongkat. Saya mahumelihat masyarakat Bumiputera bersaing secara terbuka berdasarkan merit dankekuatan sendiri. Hujah-hujah saya dari awal konsisten, yakni Kerajaanperlu membantu golongan Bumiputera yang benar-benar layak menerima bantuan samaada dari segi keperluan atau merit.

Mungkin di sini ada yang tertanya,kalau begitu prinsip dan pegangan saya, kenapa pula saya tidak menyokongsaranan Pua? Apa yang dicadangkan oleh Pua itu cuma pemansuhan diskaununtuk rumah-rumah yang boleh dikatakan rumah kos tinggi dan juga premiskomersial yang agak mahal. Bukankah sudah tentunya mereka yang mampu membelihartanah seperti ini merupakan individu dan syarikat yang sudah berjaya, maka merekatidak lagi memerlukan diskaun tersebut?

Sekiranya dilihat dari kanta teoriekonomi semata-mata, mungkin ada yang akan bersetuju dengan rasional cadanganPua. Kenapa perlu kita kekalkan diskaun kepada mereka yang mampu membayarjuml! ah yang besar untuk rumah kos tinggi? Tetapi hakikatnya, sekiranyakita melihat kepada pegangan hartanah Bumiputera di setiap peringkat, angkanyajauh ketinggalan berbanding kaum lain.

Statistik pada tahun 2007 menunjukkanperatus pemilikan bangunan oleh Bumiputera cuma 15.7 peratus. Bagi hartanahkomersial pula, Bumiputera hanya memiliki sekitar 29.2 peratus untuk kompleksperniagaan dan serendah 3.5 peratus untuk premis perindustrian. Statistik ini menggambarkansuatu ketidakseimbangan yang terlalu ketara.

Sekiranya kita mengambil kirapremis-premis komersial di kawasan bandar dengan harga RM 2 juta ke atas, sayapercaya peratus pegangan Bumiputera begitu rendah. Antara faktor penentu kossesuatu premis adalah lokasi, dan bukan semata-mata saiz atau keluasan.Sekiranya cadangan Pua dilaksanakan, maka amat sukar bagi usahawan-usahawan Bumiputerauntuk berniaga di lokasi yang strategik lantas hanya terhad kepada pinggiranbandar semata-mata.

Satu lagi hujah Pua adalah hartanahyang dibeli dengan harga diskaun ini dijual semula oleh broker atau orangtengah dengan harga yang lebih mahal. Beliau menegaskan bahawa salah guna dasarseperti penjualan semula oleh broker menjadi salah satu sebab skim diskaun ini perludimansuhkan.

Saya tidak langsung boleh menerima alasanini kerana jika pelaksanaan menjadi masalah, maka wajarlah kita menangani kelemahantersebut dan bukannya memansuhkan terus dasar diskaun Bumiputera ini.

Antara langkah yang boleh diambil untukmengatasi masalah pelaksanaan adalah memastikan bahawa status dan klasifikasilot Bumiputera tidak diubah bagi mengelak sebarang pihak yang membeli hartanahtersebut dengan harga diskaun dan menjualnya dengan keuntungan harga pasaran secaraterbuka. Perlu diingat bahawa diskaun tersebut berkait rapat dengan galakanpemilikan dan bukan suatu tiket kepada keuntungan. Satu lagi masalah berkaitadalah di mana pemilik Bumiputera menjual kepada seorang pembeli Bumiputeralain dengan harga pasaran yang lebih tinggi.

Isu ini boleh ditangani denganmewajibkan satu tempoh khusus ata! u morato rium sebelum seseorang pemilik yangmembeli rumah dengan harga diskaun Bumiputera dibenarkan menjual semula rumahtersebut, walaupun kepada Bumiputera lain. Ini akan mampu mengelakkan masalahdi mana dasar diskaun ini disalahgunakan untuk keuntungan cepat, dan bukannyadigunakan oleh mereka yang benar-benar berniat tinggal di sesuatu kediaman.

Ada juga dakwaan yang kita dengarmengenai pemaju perumahan yang tidak bertanggungjawab sengaja menipu denganmengisytiharkan kuota untuk Bumiputera tidak boleh dijual dan seterusnyamemohon kepada pihak berkuasa agar hartanah tersebut dijual kepada bukanBumiputera atas harga tanpa diskaun. Semua ini merupakan isu-isu berkait dengandasar tersebut yang tidak disentuh dan dikaji oleh Pua sewaktu memberi hujah-hujahcetek dan separuh masak beliau.

Maka saya menolak cadangan DAPberhubung pemansuhan diskaun atassebab-sebab di atas. Jika pemansuhan tersebutdilaksanakan, maka segala usaha dan galakan memperbetul ketidakseimbangan dalampemilikan hartanah di Selangor pastinya akan gagal lantas terus melebarkan jurangekonomi antara kaum.

Saya percaya pendirian saya ini akanmengundang kritikan khususnya akan ada komen kononnya cadangan DAP ini tidakakan memberi kesan kepada Bumiputera berpendapatan rendah.

Namun, saya berpandangan bahawa komensebegini kurang tepat dan simplistik sepertimana hujah YB Tony Pua. Usahawan Bumiputera yang cubamembeli premis komersial berharga RM2 juta tidak boleh diklasifikasikan sebagai'kaya', sepertimana juga mereka yang mahu membeli rumah berharga RM600,000.

Barangkali dasar diskaun Bumiputera iniboleh disemak untuk kategori yang lebih tinggi, contohnya di atas nilai RM2juta bagi pembelian rumah banglo. Malah YAB Perdana Menteri sendiri menyebutbahawa dasar ini tidak boleh diteruskan selama-lamanya. Dalam erti kata lain,dasar ini boleh diubah dan dikemaskini dalam jangka masa panjang, tetapi bukansebelum pemilikan hartanah diseimbangkan lagi.

Saya juga amat kesal dengan saranan Puakerana beliau langsung tidak mencadangkan sebaran! g dasar lain untuk memperbetulketidakseimbangan ini, jikapun tidak bersetuju dengan diskaun 7 peratustersebut.

Ini jelas mendedahkan bahawa DAP tidakikhlas malah tiada niat untuk membantu agenda Melayu, walaupun mereka tidak henti-henticuba menjaja persepsi kononnya DAP adalah parti untuk seluruh rakyat Malaysia, tanpamengira kaum.

Saya berharap kelak, sebelum merekamengeluarkan sebarang cadangan seperti ini, mereka akan dapat memberialternatif bagaimana masalah asas iaitu ketidakseimbangan dalam pemilikanhartanah dapat ditangani. Sekiranya tidak, maka ternyatalah DAP gagal membawaaspirasi seluruh majoriti Malaysia.

Khairy Jamaluddin

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Beranikah Saiful bersumpah tidak laku zina dengan Farah?

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:11 PDT

Saifool, penghias muka depan akhbar pengampu dan penipu apabila perbicaraan Kes Liwat 2 Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim bersambung tak lama dulu. Saiful digambarkan sebagai seorang yang kuat beribadat sehingga dahinya lebam-lebam.

Ada seorang kawan saya yang menjadi penyokong kuat Umno dulu kini selamanya pernah berkata, tak mungkin Saiful cakap bohong, engkau tengok dahinya hitam kuat sujud.Saya tak menjawab, malas nak layan buang masa dan tenaga. Dalam hati saya kata benggali jual kacang putih dahinya lagi hitam dari si Saiful.

Lihat lah dahi hitam Saiful, beliau amat memahami hati fikiran Melayu, asalkan dahi hitam, menunjukkan dirinya alim, kuat sembahyang. Kalau Melayu mudah ditipu, maka akan dapat sokongan kuat untuk memburukkan nama Anwar Ibrahim. - Ini satu strategi skript UMNO.

Hari ini kisah si dahi hitam keluar lagi. Kali ini dakwaan skandal seks (berzina le tu) dengan salah seorang pendakwaraya kes ini iaitu Farah Azlina Latif. Nampaknya Saiful boleh hitamkan dahinya, begitu juga Farah yang bertudung, nampaklah Melayu akan anggap wanita yang bertudung semuanya alim, taubat dan bersih.. sekarang isu kontraversi ini Saiful akan hitamkan Farah jua.

Tanya lah Saiful beranikah bersumpah dengan al quran di Masjid, dan buktikan diri tiada lakukan zina bersama Farah?? kalau PRU dimenangi oleh PR, dubur Saiful akan hitam akibat dirogol dalam penjara.

Isu ini mula-mula disiarkan dalam Malaysia Today. Peguam DSAI, Sivarasiah memberitahu wartawan bahawa mereka mempunyai maklumat berhubung dengan dakwaan itu.Tak pasal-pasal, Farah Azlina Latif hari digugurkan dari pasukan pendakwaan.

Kita boleh tanya anak mamak. Mukhriz botak , adakah artikel RPK hanya 40 % benar? yang lain tipu belaka? Ini lah, bukti bukti menteri di M! alaysia berotak lembu, tiada tahu komen dan tidak menggunakan otak berfikir dengan logik.- Anak Mami

source : dipetik daripada blog MaGeeMar

Lu pikiaq mai sendiri..........

cheers.
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

PKFZ: Catching a Big Fish

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:32 PDT

Former transport minister Ling Liong Sik was charged in the Putrajaya Sessions Court over his involvement in the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

He is charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code with misleading the cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002, into agreeing to purchase 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for a project, now known as PKFZ, at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment basis for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 percent interest rate.

The cumulative interest paid would total RM720 million at the end of the repayment period.

He was also offered an alternative charge, under Section 417 of the Penal Code, for the same offence.

According to the charge sheet, the Finance Ministry had already valued the land at RM25psf - inclusive of compounded interest - and this fact was withheld from the cabinet by the accused.

The relevant authority should be applauded for taking the necessary action on an important personality implicated in the financial scandal. However, this is only the beginning. It is now up to the prosecutors to ensure that they stitch up a solid piece of evidence to charge Ling.

Like many other cases before this one e.g. Perwaja etc. Ling may still get away with a full acquittal if the investigation is clumsy and shoddy.

At the end of the day, this scandal cannot be swept under the carpet. It is important to find out if Ling acted alone or with the inducement of others. Those who are connected or participated in the financial scandal must be brought to the court of justice and the money squandered from the project must be returned to the people.

We should take a serious interest in the case. Hopefully, the PKFZ will start a thorough scrutiny of all public projects which are suspected to involve any element of fraud.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

The Fictional Plausibility of the Factually False

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:00:16 PDT

Technorati tags: Low Taek Jho, Jho Low, Jet Setter, Front Page News

If theres one certainty that Walski can think of, in light of Malaysians reaction online to the story of Low Taek Jho, is that we really have a very busy-body culture. Kay-poh to the max.

And probably among the guys is a tinge of envy as to the kind of jet-setting that Jho Low gets to do. Guys will be guys, especially if Paris Hilton is involved.

As if there was nothing else of greater importance that happened, The Star decided to front-page their World Exclusive interview with the 28 year old in todays edition.

Which Walski supposes was only to be expected world exclusive and all.

Admittedly, Walski did get a print copy of The Star today the first time in who-knows how long for research purposes, naturally, since that was the only way to read the interview (a nice ploy to sell papers dont publish something online).

The most interesting bit was this phrase that kept coming up, while Jho Low clarified some of the reports about him in the press the world over. And that phrase was factually not true.
(plausible unfactuality, and more, in the full post)

In various permutations, the phrase popped up during the interview at least three times. So, if something is factually untrue, it goes to reason that the exaggerated reports were, therefore, fictitiously plausible.

To his credit, however, Jho Low did clarify quite articulately. Call em plausible denials, if you must. Walski must say that he clarified the various situations thrown at him during the inter! view qui te well indeed.

The thing is, Walski personally couldnt care less how much Jho Low spent (or didnt, as he claims) on entertainment and what not. Why? Because its his own moolah. And that of his high-flyer buddies, and clients. Different case if it were a trip to Disneyland with the family (and maid) using public funds in which case, Walski would be really pissed off.

Low Taek Jho, by his own admission, works hard and plays hard. Even if it were play harder, as some have alluded to on Twitter and elsewhere online, so what? Jho Low, as far as Walski is concerned, earned the right.

Now, gossip tabloids do have this tendency to exaggerate stories and situations, and make mountains out of the smallest molehills. Pretty much in a similar vein the way Utusan plays issues up sometimes, even to the extent of making up stuff along the way. Sometimes.

The same, it could be said, with Mastika, The National Enquirer, The Sun (as in the UK one), or the now defunct Weekly World News all of which carry stories with varying levels of truthiness, that can range anywhere from 100% to zero, and any permutation in between.

Target? The gullible. And trust you Walski, Malaysia is full of em. Hes personally come across more than a handful, and hes sure that there are many more out there.

Add that to a kay-poh culture that many Malaysians seem live by, Jho Lows escapades, insignificant as they are in the larger scheme of things, can be important enough to become front page news in a reputable national daily.

But that's just the way the world works sometimes insignificant but interesting news just grabs us by the proverbial nuts. Why? Wals! kis theo ry is that underlying the combination of gullibility and kay-poh-ness, weve become a nation that desperately wants an escape from the gloom and doom that our everyday existence has become. Justified, sometimes, as that gloom and doom may be.

That, and the plausibility of the unfactual but exciting things we hear from time to time. And because these things are plausible its not like anyone alleged Jho Low to be an extraterrestrial or anything like that and in truth fit Lows jet-setting profile, we just get reeled into a world more exciting than our own.

For Walski, as hes mentioned, its really no big deal its Jho Lows own money, and Jho Lows entitled to do with his what he pleases

See What Pakatan Rakyat Gotta Say?

Penduduk sekitar lembah klang memprotes cara kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat di kawasan m

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:15 PDT

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

TAHYUL: Melayu Mundur Jika Umno Kalah

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:10 PDT

Read here for more

Mohamad Sabu, Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat, menyifatkan pendapat yang mengatakan jika Umno kalah, maka Melayu juga kalah atau mundur adalah tahyul dan merupakan satu tafsiran mengarut.

Katanya, kepimpinan Umno lazimnya membuat kenyataan tahyul itu bahawa sekiranya Umno kalah dalam pilihan raya nanti, masyarakat Melayu akan hidup dalam suasana kelam kabut atau tertekan sebagaimana zaman Jepun.

Padahal, jelasnya jika Umno kalah, maka PAS dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) iaitu parti yang seagama dengan kepimpinan Umno pula akan memegang tampuk pemerintahan serta meneruskan kelangsungan perjuangan tetapi berlainan pendekatan untuk membela rakyat.

"Bila Umno kalah, PAS dan PKR pula yang akan teruskan perjuangan tapi kali ini bukan macam Umno yang berkepentingan dan kroni, kita akan urus tadbir negara dengan baik," tambahnya semasa berucap dalam program ceramah anjuran Dewan Pemuda PAS di Dataran Kompleks An-Nadhoh, Penanti malam tadi.

Katanya, pemimpin Umno sanggup menggertak supaya orang Melayu jangan mengundi PAS atau PKR yang digambarkan sebagai petualang bangsa kerana kononnya menggadai maruah kepada kaum lain.

"Sekarang ini biarlah Umno dan Barisan Nasional (BN) nak gelarkan apa pun, kita jangan peduli. Kita patut pandang ke depan dengan satu matlamat mendaki Putrajaya kerana jalan tersebut boleh menyelamatkan maruah negara yang sudah tercalar di mata dunia," tegasnya.

Rakyat, ujarnya wajar menilai kepimpinan PAS di Kelantan, Terengganu sebelum tewas pada pilihan raya ke-11 lalu dan terkini di Kedah, adakah gagal melaksanakan tanggungjawab mentadbir dengan baik.

Jawapannya, kata beliau pasti lebih cemerlang berbanding Umno dan BN kerana pentadbiran mereka penuh dengan penyelewengan, pembohongan fakta dan penipuan.
< span>"Sebagai kepimpinan parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat, saya lihat sudah ada kemahiran dan pemimpin tidak melatah seperti sebelum pilihan raya 2004 yang mana DAP lari keluar yang akhirnya kita kalah sebagai pakatan pembangkang," katanya.

Namun, katanya kini Umno memainkan rentak yang sama iaitu isu Melayu untuk bersatu dengan PAS.

Menurutnya, mereka menggunakan mufti untuk kepentingan politik sempit padahal peranan mufti menasihati tingkah laku kepimpinan Umno yang terlalu banyak penyelewengan sehinggakan rakyat terpaksa menolak kerajaan BN pada pilihan raya umum ke-12 lalu.

"Mufti pun jadi kalut sekarang ini nak satukan PAS dan Umno. Saya dengar 'geli' bila sebut tentang kerjasama PAS dan Umno. Nak kerjasama macam mana, depan ajak elok dengan senyuman sampai ke telingga tapi di belakang mereka panah kita dengan anak panah berbisa.

Lupakanlah kerjasama tu kerana yang penting biar Umno karam manakala kita daki Putrajaya bersama parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat yang lain," tegas beliau. menyifatkan pendapat yang mengatakan jika Umno kalah, maka Melayu juga kalah atau mundur adalah tahyul dan merupakan satu tafsiran mengarut.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Kejayaan Melayu di Singapura hasil usaha sendiri

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:00:11 PDT

July 29, 2010

BERITA HARIAN, Singapura

Kejayaan Melayu di Singapura hasil usaha sendiri

Top Malay General in SAF

PENCAPAIAN masyarakat Melayu/Islam Singapura adalah hasil usaha mereka sendiri menerusi kerja keras dan kesungguhan selaras dengan nilai meritokrasi.

Tiada bantuan khas mahupun layanan istimewa daripada pemerintah yang membantu memacu kemajuan Melayu/Islam di sini. Namun, walau perlu bersaing dalam sekitaran yang begitu sengit, masyarakat Melayu tidak mahu mencapai kemajuan dengan cara lain.

Dalam ucapannya di majlis Anugerah Jauhari di Hotel Shang-ri La semalam, Editor Berita Harian/Berita Minggu, Encik Guntor Sadali, berkata asas pembangunan Melayu Singapura sejak 45 tahun lalu adalah berlandaskan prinsip berdikari.

Kita tidak mahu disuap atau terlalu bergantung kepada pemerintah. Dalam erti kata lain, masyarakat kita menolak sikap menopang (crutch mentality), ujar beliau dalam majlis yang dihadiri lebih 300 pemimpin dan tokoh masyarakat daripada pelbagai bidang.

Turut hadir di majlis yang mengiktiraf Jauhari masyarakat Melayu itu ialah Menteri Tenaga Manusia, Encik Gan Kim Yong.

Intipati ucapan Encik Guntor itu ialah sebagai respons kepada teguran mantan Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, baru-baru ini supaya Melayu di negaranya tidak ditimpa nasib yang sama seperti Melayu Singapura.

Menurut Encik Guntor, komen sedemikian sering dilemparkan kepada masyarakat Melayu di sini, bukan sahaja daripada Dr Mahathir, malah sesetengah pemimpin lain di seberang Tambak.

Tetapi beliau menggesa masyarakat supaya tenang. Masyarakat kita kini sudah berubah daripada 45 tahun lalu. Kita telah membangunkan identiti dan falsafah hidup sendiri yang berbeza daripada saudara kita di seberang Tambak.Kita mungkin pakai baju! yang sa ma, makan makanan yang sama, bertutur bahasa yang sama dan mengamalkan budaya yang sama. Tapi persamaan kita berhenti di situ, katanya.

Beliau menegaskan bahawa Melayu Singapura pastinya tidak mahu dilabel sebagai malas dan manja. Lantaran itulah masyarakat Melayu bekerja keras untuk mengumpulkan sendiri dana bagi membina masjid dan madrasah, dan kini boleh berbangga sebagai pemilik bangunan-bangunan tersebut.

Menerusi usahanya sendiri juga, Melayu Singapura boleh berbangga dengan peranannya membantu anggota-anggota masyarakat yang memerlukan sama ada dari segi kewangan, pendidikan dan latihan pekerjaan.

Menurut Encik Guntor, komen Dr Mahathir itu mungkin merujuk kepada kuasa politik Melayu di sini. Namun, beliau menekankan bahawa Melayu Singapura tidak menyamakan kuasa dengan menghunus keris. Sebaliknya, Melayu di sini berpendapat ilmu itulah kuasa sejati.

Anak-anak kita menghadiri sekolah yang sama dengan kanak-kanak lain dengan tujuan menerima pendidikan menyeluruh dan mencapai keputusan yang baik. Memang mencabar, seperti kanak-kanak lain, anak-anak kita tidak ada pilihan lain selain bekerja keras. Inilah realiti kehidupan di Singapura yang kita terima. Pastinya tiada jalan mudah untuk mencapai kejayaan ujar beliau.

Encik Guntor akur walaupun semakin ramai Melayu yang kini memegang jawatan profesional, tetap ada sogolongan Melayu yang masih ketinggalan.

Walaupun demikian, beliau menegaskan bahawa masyarakat enggan menerima layanan istimewa kerana ia hanya akan merendahkan nilai pencapaian Melayu sehingga terpijak maruahnya.

Meritokrasi ternyata sistem yang baik dan adil. Ia mendorong kita bekerja keras dan berbangga dengan pencapaian kita. Bagi masyarakat Melayu Singapura, kita tidak boleh memandang ke belakang, ujarnya.

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Eanisazman! I am waiting

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:00:14 PDT

Yet another Mahathirist who wants to shoot by the sidelines. C my response

By eanisazman on July 29, 2010 11:37 AM

Salam Tokdet,

Hello Bloggers...
The topic is not new to me. I am refering to Tun's stand on FTA all the while. Glad to find out that it is still intact. For bloggers who are still blur with the topic such as Wenger Khairy, Joe Therapist and Donplaypuks please understand the topic before you're jump like crazy American ass kissing bitch, read those definition and stop talking shit...

What Does Nontariff Barrier Mean?
A form of restrictive trade where barriers to trade are set up and take a form other than a tariff. Nontariff barriers include quotas, levies, embargoes, sanctions and other restrictions, and are frequently used by large and developed economies.

Investopedia explains Nontariff Barrier
Nontariff barriers are another way for an economy to control the amount of trade that it conducts with another economy, either for selfish or altruistic purposes. Any barrier to trade will create an economic loss, as it does not allow markets to function properly. The lost revenues resulting from the barrier to trade can be called an economic loss.

So What Tokdet is saying is that there is no such Free Trade when there will be Non-Trafiff Barrier or any form of it. It is fun to have people like you to produce different opinion but sometime you guys are quite annoying. Janganlar membangangkan diri...Then you said to Tokdet that he is no clue of what his saying.
Keep the fact simple. Because we are what we're talking about. And you don't want to look like an idiot when you talk.....

WENGERS RESPONSE

eanisazman,

Congratulations on s! wearing and calling people names. Unfortunately I can't repay the compliment because we have been brought up to be careful with our words, especially when commenting on Tun Dr. Mahahtir's blog.

Tun says America is hypocritical because of the protectionism afforded to the Soy farmers, the litigation against a rubber glove manufacturer and discrimination against the cat fish from the Vietnam.

According to the Mahathirists,
the discrimination against the Vietnamese Catfish "labels" America as a protectionist hypocrite
(Anyway that catfish looks way uglier than the Yank version)

These are nitpicking on smallEXCEPTIONS.

In any policy, there will always be EXCEPTIONS. By and large the United States practises free trade.

My point was to show the trade deficit America has with the rest of the world. Its about USD 3 trillion over 5 years.

If America was the land of protectionism how on earth can this take place?

This is the essence of my contrarian argument. The fact that by and large America does practise free trade, quotas and restrictive trade practises are only for selected politically sensitive industries with little or no impact on GDP and to prove it I quoted a statistic.

Your argument that America is a hypocrite rests on some flimsy examples. What just because there is protection afforded to soy crop farmers means America is a hypocrite?

That is the problem with Tun's supporters. They can only see black and white. Its either 100% correct or 100% wrong. Little or no ! discreti on.

Tell me which Govt policy has a 100% ring fence associated with it? There are always execptions. If America had protected all its sensitive industry - yes then Tun has a point.

In the case of Malaysia, Malaysia enjoys a USD 10 billion trade surplus with Malaysia. Malaysia earns net foreign exchange on account that America does not impose trade barriers against Malaysia.

So I turn around and ask you.

We trade 3x our GDP. Isn't it hypocritical to be against free trade when we ourselves benefit so much by trading with the world?

If you want to call names and act as a hero, pls by all means come over to my blog.

We do not censor people in my blog. You are free to make your case and I have a relatively thick skin to take theoccasionalinsult and jibe.

Its embarassing that you folk like to "baling batu sembunyi tangan" in Tun's blog.

Be a man for once in your life or forever hold your silence.
See What Pakatan Rakyat Gotta Say?

Former MCA President-cum-Transport Minister Arrested over PKFZ Scandal

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:00:18 PDT

Read here for more in Malaysiakini

Former MCA President and Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik was today charged in the Kajang Sessions Court over his involvement in the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

He is the second MCA president to be placed in the dock after Tan Koon Swan.

Ling is charged with misleading the cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002, ( Section 418 of the Penal Code ). into agreeing to purchase 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for a project, now known as PKFZ, at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment method for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 percent interest rate . The cumulative interest paid would total RM720 million at the end of the repayment period.

He was also offered an alternative charge, under Section 417 of the Penal Code, for the same offence.

According to the charge sheet, the Finance Ministry had already valued the land at RM25psf - inclusive of compounded interest - and this fact was withheld from the cabinet by the accused.

Ling pleaded not guilty to both charges and Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin set bail at RM1 million.
Mention has been fixed for Sept 3.

As Ling needed time to post bail, he was released on personal bond for today and given time to post bail at the Sessions Court tomorrow.

He was represented by counsel RR Sethu. Ling appeared in court at 4.45pm, accompanied by his wife Ena and two sons.

PKFZ, a commercial and industrial project south of the capital, was conceived as a RM1.82 billion venture constructed over 1,000 acres.

However, costs are now expected to balloon to RM12.5 billion, making the affair one of the country's biggest financial scandals and a major embarrassment for the government.
!
Inve stigations into the project's financial records since then have revealed instances of corruption, cases of conflict of interest as well as breach of trust.

Last November, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had recommended in its report on the PKFZ controversy that former transport minister Chan Kong Choy and former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang be probed for criminal breach of trust.

This was over the wrongful issuance of three letters of support by Chan and three letters of undertaking by Phang without Finance Ministry approval.

PAC said that it was informed by the attorney-general that the letters were implicitly a form of guarantee from the government to ensure that there would be allocations for PKA to enable it to meet its obligations under the development agreement.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Khairy Jamaluddin: Isu 'Diskaun Bumiputera', satu lagi usaha DAP menolak kepentingan Bumiputra!

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:00:13 PDT

YB Khairy Jamaluddin hari ini membantah saranan Tony Pua untuk memansuhkan diskaun bumiputera dalam pemilikan hartanah komersial dan rumah. YB Khairy menganggap ini satu lagi usaha menolak tepi kepentingan masyarakat Bumiputera.

Antara lain khairy mengatakan telah memberi statistik pemilikan hartanah bumiputra amat rendah kepada kaum lain.

Menurut Khairy didalam blog beliau www.rembau.net.my ... Kita sudah mendengar pelbagai reaksi dan ulasan terhadap cadangan Ahli Parlimen Petaling Jaya Utara, YB Tony Pua, kepada Kerajaan Negeri Selangor untuk memansuhkan diskaun Bumiputera dalam pembelian rumah berharga RM500 ribu ke atas dan hartanah komersial berharga lebih RM2 juta di negeri tersebut.

Ramai pihak, termasuk PAS Selangor, membantah cadangan tersebut. YAB Perdana Menteri sendiri telah mengingatkan YB Tony Pua dan parti DAP supaya jangan "terlalu menekan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera" dengan cadangan-cadangan yang tidak sensitif dan separuh masak. Cadangan terbaru dari DAP rata-rata dilihat sebagai satu lagi usaha untuk menolak tepi kepentingan masyarakat Bumiputera. Saya percaya tanggapan itu juga telah mendorong PAS Selangor untuk membantah cadangan tersebut dan menyebabkan Ketua Umum PKR, YB Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, terus membisu dalam hal ini.

Di sini perlu saya tegaskan, saya sudah berkali-kali menyuarakan keperluan untuk orang Melayu berani keluar dari kepompong zon selesa dan tidak hanya berharap pada tongkat. Saya mahu melihat masyarakat Bumiputera bersaing secara terbuka berdasarkan merit dan kekuatan sendiri. Hujah-hujah saya dari awal konsisten, yakni Kerajaan perlu membantu golongan Bumiputera yang benar-benar layak menerima bantuan sama ada dari segi keperluan atau merit.

Mun! gkin di sini ada yang tertanya, kalau begitu prinsip dan pegangan saya, kenapa pula saya tidak menyokong saranan Pua? Apa yang dicadangkan oleh Pua itu cuma pemansuhan diskaun untuk rumah-rumah yang boleh dikatakan rumah kos tinggi dan juga premis komersial yang agak mahal. Bukankah sudah tentunya mereka yang mampu membeli hartanah seperti ini merupakan individu dan syarikat yang sudah berjaya, maka mereka tidak lagi memerlukan diskaun tersebut?

Sekiranya dilihat dari kanta teori ekonomi semata-mata, mungkin ada yang akan bersetuju dengan rasional cadangan Pua. Kenapa perlu kita kekalkan diskaun kepada mereka yang mampu membayar jumlah yang besar untuk rumah kos tinggi? Tetapi hakikatnya, sekiranya kita melihat kepada pegangan hartanah Bumiputera di setiap peringkat, angkanya jauh ketinggalan berbanding kaum lain.

Statistik pada tahun 2007 menunjukkan peratus pemilikan bangunan oleh Bumiputera cuma 15.7 peratus. Bagi hartanah komersial pula, Bumiputera hanya memiliki sekitar 29.2 peratus untuk kompleks perniagaan dan serendah 3.5 peratus untuk premis perindustrian. Statistik ini menggambarkan suatu ketidakseimbangan yang terlalu ketara.

Sekiranya kita mengambil kira premis-premis komersial di kawasan bandar dengan harga RM 2 juta ke atas, saya percaya peratus pegangan Bumiputera begitu rendah. Antara faktor penentu kos sesuatu premis adalah lokasi, dan bukan semata-mata saiz atau keluasan. Sekiranya cadangan Pua dilaksanakan, maka amat sukar bagi usahawan-usahawan Bumiputera untuk berniaga di lokasi yang strategik lantas hanya terhad kepada pinggiran bandar semata-mata.

Satu lagi hujah Pua adalah hartanah yang dibeli dengan harga diskaun ini dijual semula oleh broker atau orang tengah dengan harga yang lebih mahal. Beliau menegaskan bahawa salah guna dasar seperti penjualan semula oleh broker menjadi salah satu sebab skim diskaun ini perlu dimansuhkan. Saya tidak langsung boleh menerima alasan ini kerana jika pelaksanaan menjadi masalah, maka wajarlah ki! ta menan gani kelemahan tersebut dan bukannya memansuhkan terus dasar diskaun Bumiputera ini.

Antara langkah yang boleh diambil untuk mengatasi masalah pelaksanaan adalah memastikan bahawa status dan klasifikasi lot Bumiputera tidak diubah bagi mengelak sebarang pihak yang membeli hartanah tersebut dengan harga diskaun dan menjualnya dengan keuntungan harga pasaran secara terbuka. Perlu diingat bahawa diskaun tersebut berkait rapat dengan galakan pemilikan dan bukan suatu tiket kepada keuntungan. Satu lagi masalah berkait adalah di mana pemilik Bumiputera menjual kepada seorang pembeli Bumiputera lain dengan harga pasaran yang lebih tinggi. Isu ini boleh ditangani dengan mewajibkan satu tempoh khusus atau moratorium sebelum seseorang pemilik yang membeli rumah dengan harga diskaun Bumiputera dibenarkan menjual semula rumah tersebut, walaupun kepada Bumiputera lain. Ini akan mampu mengelakkan masalah di mana dasar diskaun ini disalahgunakan untuk keuntungan cepat, dan bukannya digunakan oleh mereka yang benar-benar berniat tinggal di sesuatu kediaman.

Ada juga dakwaan yang kita dengar mengenai pemaju perumahan yang tidak bertanggungjawab sengaja menipu dengan mengisytiharkan kuota untuk Bumiputera tidak boleh dijual dan seterusnya memohon kepada pihak berkuasa agar hartanah tersebut dijual kepada bukan Bumiputera atas harga tanpa diskaun. Semua ini merupakan isu-isu berkait dengan dasar tersebut yang tidak disentuh dan dikaji oleh Pua sewaktu memberi hujah-hujah cetek dan separuh masak beliau.

Maka saya menolak cadangan DAP berhubung pemansuhan diskaun atassebab-sebab di atas. Jika pemansuhan tersebut dilaksanakan, maka segala usaha dan galakan memperbetul ketidakseimbangan dalam pemilikan hartanah di Selangor pastinya akan gagal lantas terus melebarkan jurang ekonomi antara kaum.

Saya percaya pendirian saya ini akan mengundang kritikan - khususnya akan ada komen kononnya cadangan DAP ini tidak akan memberi kesan kepada Bumiputera berpendapatan rendah. Namu! n, saya berpandangan bahawa komen sebegini kurang tepat dan simplistik sepertimana hujah YB Tony Pua. Usahawan Bumiputera yang cuba membeli premis komersial berharga RM2 juta tidak boleh diklasifikasikan sebagai 'kaya', sepertimana juga mereka yang mahu membeli rumah berharga RM600,000. Barangkali dasar diskaun Bumiputera ini boleh disemak untuk kategori yang lebih tinggi, contohnya di atas nilai RM2 juta bagi pembelian rumah banglo. Malah YAB Perdana Menteri sendiri menyebut bahawa dasar ini tidak boleh diteruskan selama-lamanya. Dalam erti kata lain, dasar ini boleh diubah dan dikemaskini dalam jangka masa panjang, tetapi bukan sebelum pemilikan hartanah diseimbangkan lagi.

Saya juga amat kesal dengan saranan Pua kerana beliau langsung tidak mencadangkan sebarang dasar lain untuk memperbetul ketidakseimbangan ini, jikapun tidak bersetuju dengan diskaun 7 peratus tersebut. Ini jelas mendedahkan bahawa DAP tidak ikhlas malah tiada niat untuk membantu agenda Melayu, walaupun mereka tidak henti-henti cuba menjaja persepsi kononnya DAP adalah parti untuk seluruh rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira kaum.

Saya berharap kelak, sebelum mereka mengeluarkan sebarang cadangan seperti ini, mereka akan dapat memberi alternatif bagaimana masalah asas iaitu ketidakseimbangan dalam pemilikan hartanah dapat ditangani. Sekiranya tidak, maka ternyatalah DAP gagal membawa aspirasi seluruh majoriti Malaysia.

Sumber: www.rembau.net.my
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

PKFZ scandal: Ex-transport minister Ling charged

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:01:38 PDT

MalaysiakiniFormer transport minister Ling Liong Sik was today charged at the Kajang Sessions Court over his involvement in the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.Ling, 67, who is also former MCA president, is by far the most prominent politician to be nabbed in recent years.He is charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code with misleading the cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002 into agreeing to purchase 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for a project, that is now known as PKFZ, at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment method for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 interest rate.The cumulative interest paid would total at RM720 million at the end of the repayment period.He was also ffered an alternative charge under Section 417 of the Penal Code for the same offence.

According to the charge sheet, the Finance Ministry had already valued the land at RM25psf inclusive of compounded interest and this fact was withheld by the accused from cabinet.Ling pleaded not guilty to both charges and Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin set bail at RM1 million. Mention has been fixed for Sept 3.As Ling needed time to post bail, Ling is on personal bond for today, he was allowed time to do so at the sessions court tomorrow.He was represented by counsel RR Sethu.On leaving the courtroom, he told journalists that it was his first time to be in Putrajayas Palace of Justice, located next to the Kajang Sessions Court.Asked whether he was confident about fighting the case, he said, In the Palace of Justice, you must feel very confident.Ling appeared in court at 4.45pm accompanied by his wife Ena and two sons. He then proceeded to sit in the dock. Ling, who wore a purple striped shirt and a pair of sandals, was expressionless.He is the second MCA president to be placed in the dock after Tan Koon Swan.Earlier today, rumours of a very important personality (VIP) to be charged sent dozens of journalists, including those from foreign wire services, camping at the court com! plex thi s morning.Most of them gathered at the lobby and main entrance of the courthouse. while a couple stationed themselves in and outside the courtroom.After an eight-hour wait, at about 4pm, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and three DPPs, including head of prosecution Tun Abdul Majid Hamzah, arrived in court without speaking to the journalists. The other two were Manoj Kurup and Dzulkifli Ahmad.More to come?Last November, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had recommended in its report on the PKFZ controversy that former transport minister Chan Kong Choy and former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang be probed for CBT (criminal breach of trust).This was over the wrongful issuance of three letters of support by Chan and three letters of undertaking by Phang without Finance Ministry approval.PAC said that it was informed by the attorney-general that the letters were implicitly a form of guarantee from the government to ensure that there would be allocations for PKA to enable it to meet its obligations under the development agreement.PKFZ, a commercial and industrial project south of the capital, was conceived as a RM1.82 billion venture constructed over 1,000 acres.However, costs are now expected to balloon to RM12.5 billion, making the affair one of the countrys biggest financial scandals and a major embarrassment for the government.Probes into the projects financial records since then have revealed instances of corruption, cases of conflict of interest as well as breach of trust.Ling is one of the very rare top politicians in Malaysia to be charged with corruption.In 2004, former land and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam was charged in the Sessions Court with corrupt practice and cheating, the first cabinet member to be charged with such crimes. He was freed by the court without his defence being called last year.Before Kasitah, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is now opposition leader, was the other prominent politician charged with corruption. He was senten! ced to a six-year jail term in 1999.Another top politician who was charged with corruption was the late Harun Idris, the Selangor menteri besar from 1964 to 1976.He was slapped with a six-year jail sentence but served three years behind bar before being pardoned by the king in 1981 on the advice of then new prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.Ling charged with cheating over PKFZ
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani and Lee Wei LianPUTRAJAYA, July 29 Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik was charged with cheating here today over the scandal hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.The prosecution of Dr Ling comes as a huge shock and is expected to have repercussions for MCA as he is still considered a kingmaker in the party.Dr Ling (picture) is believed to be the first Tun ever to be prosecuted.The high powered prosecution team is led by the Attorney General Abdul Ghani Pattail, Deputy Public Prosector (dpp) Tun Majid Tun Hamzah and dpp Manoj Kurup.Ling will be represented by Datuk R R Sethu.Dr Ling led MCA from 1986 to 2003. The PKFZ project was mooted during his tenure as Transport Minister and the cost of the project, initially estimated at less than RM2 billion, more than doubled to RM4.6 billion by 2007.The cost of the project has been further projected to swell to as much as RM12.5 billion due to interest costs from deferred payments if the trans-shipment hub fails to perform.Though he left the post of MCA president in 2003, Ling is still influential in MCA and is perceived as a king maker and the charges will have repercussions on the party which is struggling to regain Chinese support.The move to charge Ling however could help deflect criticisms that the Najib Administration lacks the will to go after the real masterminds behind the PKFZ project and boost its reform credentials.
The charges concern land evaluations under the penal code with the principle charge under section 418 with the alternative charge being 417.Ling claimed trial to the charges and when the charges were read out to him Ling said he was ! not guil ty to both charges.The AG has requested bail at RM1 million and the defence had no objections.Punishment for offences under section 417 carries a jail term of not more than 5 years and not more than 7 years under section 418.The case has been fixed for mention on September 3 and judge will be Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin.According to the penal code, section 418 concerns Cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may be thereby caused to a person whose interest the offender is bound to protect while section 417 concerns Punishment for cheating.Ling entered the court accompanied by five policemen and dressed in a striped blue and white shirt and black slacks.His wife Toh Puan Ena Ling was spotted in the court gallery.Ling is out on police bail and will post bail tomorrow as it is too late for him to do so todayWhen approached by reporters on his way out of the court, Ling said: When youre in the Palace of Justice, you must be very confident of justice.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

PKFZ: Tun Ling Liong Sik charged

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:00:10 PDT

July 29, 2010

www.malaysiakini.com

PKFZ Scandal: Tun Ling Liong Sik is to be charged

Former transport minister Tun Ling Liong Sik is to be charged at the Putrajaya Sessions Court over his involvement in the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Ling, who is also former MCA president, is by far the most prominent politicians to be nabbed for corruption in recent years.

Rumours of a very important personality (VIP) to be charged have sent dozens of journalists, included those from foreign wire services, camping at the court complex early this morning.

Most of them gathered at the lobby and main entrance of the courthouse. while a couple have stationed themselves in and outside the courtroom.

At 4pm, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and three DPPs, including head of prosecution Tun Abdul Majid Hamzah, arrived in court without speaking to the journalists. The other two were Manoj Kurup and Dzulkifli Ahmad.

Ling appeared in court at 4.45pm accompanied by his wife Ena and two sons. He proceeded to sit in the dock.

It is believed that the charge is related to the troubled multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Last November, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had recommended in its report on the PKFZ controversy that former transport minister Chan Kong Choy and former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang be probed for CBT (criminal breach of trust).

This was over the wrongful issuance of three letters of support by Chan and three letters of undertaking by Phang without Finance Ministry approval.

PAC said that it was informed by the attorney-general that the letters were implicitly a form of guarantee from the government to ensure that there would be a! llocatio ns for PKA to enable it to meet its obligations under the development agreement.

PKFZ, a commercial and industrial project south of the capital, was conceived as a RM1.82 billion venture constructed over 1,000 acres.

However costs are now expected to balloon to RM12.5 billion, making the affair one of the countrys biggest financial scandals and a major embarrassment for the government.

Probes into the projects financial records since then have revealed instances of corruption, cases of conflict of interest as well as breach of trust.

Ling is one of the very rare top politicians in Malaysia to be charged with corruption.

In 2004, former land and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam was charged in the Sessions Court with corrupt practice and cheating, the first cabinet member to be charged with such crimes. He was freed by the court without his defence being called last year.

Another top politician who was charged for corruption was the late Harun Idris, the Selangor menteri besar from 1964 to 1976.

He was slapped with a six-year jail sentence but served three years behind bar before being pardoned by the king in 1981 on the advice of then new prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Less talk, more debate please

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:00:13 PDT

This article was published in Brave New World (The Star) on 29 July 2010. However, the passages in red were taken out. I post here the article in its original form.

_____________________________________

The recent news that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Malaysia has dropped so much that it is now the lowest in ASEAN is worrying to say the least. Rather unsurprisingly the brother of the Prime Minister, head of a major bank, cautioned against panic and suggested that there be a thorough investigation into the matter to find the root causes and to determine if there is really cause for alarm.

This all sounds very reasonable and level headed except of course that we have a history of sweeping studies that are unpopular to the powers that be under the carpet. Take for example the findings by the Centre for Public Policy Studies in 2006 which put forward the argument that Bumiputra Equity had exceeded the target set by the NEP.

Faced by a tidal waste of government protest and the lack of support from parent organisation ASLI, the Director of CPPS resigned. Amidst the denials and crass accusations (it was insinuated that the findings of the CPPS was a non-Malay plot), what we did not get was a public debate on the issue.

So, it is well and good that the PMs little brother wants a proper examination of the issue, but really, can we expect a thorough and open debate? We are faced with some serious economic questions but I do not think that the powers that be would want hard questions being asked and answered, and in this matter, hard questions and answers are exactly whats needed.

And this is what worries me about the nation at the moment. We have real problems but we are still stuck on a mindset that is not helpful and is in fact counterproductive. Take for example the New Economic Measures (NEM). It would be unfair to say that it was a complete load of cobblers. Admittedly some of the ideas are taken pretty much wholesa! le from the Pakatan agenda, for example the bits regarding helping the bottom 40% of the society based on poverty as opposed to ethnicity, however I suppose one should take good ideas wherever one finds them.

However, back to my point: in its analysis of the economic situation in the country the NEM does concede that there are tough issues that need to be done away with in order to ensure future economic health; such as rent seeking and corruption, as well as race based policies leading to a brain drain.

If one were to look at this document alone, then one might feel that the hard questions mentioned above are at last being asked and following that there should be some equally hard answers. Still, it is one thing to talk the talk, quite another to walk the walk. And it strikes me as odd that in a time when we are economically vulnerable and when we should be looking at what is best for the country as a whole, we still get acres of print space being dedicated to ideas like Malay Unity.

Both the PM and the DPM have been talking about this Malay unity thing. First and foremost, I have no idea what they mean by the term. United for what purpose and perhaps more importantly united against whom?

Of course at the heart of it, what they must surely mean is united in the support of one political power. This is a repulsive notion as it flies in the face of democratic freedoms and it also has serious racist implications. After all, why should people be united based on ethnicity? If one wants to talk about unity, shouldnt it be based on common endeavour, or ideology?

We are on the verge of what could be yet another serious economic crisis, and although official policy seems to point towards a more rational approach doing away with antiquated ideas based on race; the political reality is that race is still foremost on the minds of those in charge. I would have thought that the depressing news of having less FDI than the Philippines would wake us up to the reality that for the good ! of the n ation, we need all our best people working for all the people. Instead those in charge appear stuck in that tiresome mire of caring more about hanging on to political power by using the basest of philosophies.
See What Pakatan Rakyat Gotta Say?

Guan Eng Cuba Divert Isu, Pembohong Tukar Jadi Pembelit

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:13 PDT

Semua orang tahu di Pulau Pinang sekarang ini sudah heboh dengan pembongkaran pembohongan Guan Eng yang kita tahu Ketua Menteri Paling Celaka Dalam sejarah negeri.

Menurut rakan Pisau,gambar Guan Eng yang mendapat tempat duduk ketika perasmian keretapi Bukit Bendera tersebar diserata pelosok negeri,ada yang dilekatkan di pondok hentian bas disekitar bandar.

Bukti pembohongan beliau amat ketara,sehingga kini beliau gagal menjawap dan memberi komen walaupun beberapa wartawan bertanya mengenai video yang didedahkan. Sebaliknya Guan Eng membuka langkah taichi menyoal pula isu lain kononnya untuk membuat rakyat lupa pembohongan dan kurang ajar beliau pada penjawat awam.

Jangan jadi bacul,Guan Eng harus menjawap soalan yang dikemukan oleh para wartawan, Inilah sikap bacul samseng ultra kiasu,apabila terkena pada batang hidung sendiri,beliau akan cuba mengelak dari menjawap soalan dan seringkali akan memberkata 'no comment'.

Haprak Daily lidah bercabang PAS,menyiarkan cabaran Guan Eng ,Pisau sifatkan Guan Eng seorang ketua menteri yang tersangat bacul dan tidak ada keberanian untuk berdepan dengan kenyataan. Mana dia hak dan batil yang disebut oleh kamu wahai Guan Eng? Mana dia maaruf dan mungkar yang disebut oleh kamu wahai Guan Eng?

Usah beretorik dengan usaha kamu untuk membawa isu ini kemakhamah,rakyat sudah mengadili kamu dengan perangai pembohong dan pembelit.

Buat pembaca blog Pisau,video yang disiarkan adalah dari Malaysiakini Portal Rasis pakatan,Guan Eng telah mengarahkan Malaysiakini membuang rakaman ini dari laman portal mereka,setelah mereka memastikan bukti di internet dihapuskan ,barulah Guan Eng bersama anjing DAPSY menyalak dan membuat ugutan kepada Utusan .:klik sini

Sebelum video didedahkan beliau membuat kenyataan dengan begitu garang,selepas didedahkan dan diberi liputan oleh ak! hbar ult ra kiasu ini bertukar menjadi ultra tikus,lari tidak cukup tanah.:klik sini untuk dakwaan Guan Eng yang mahu saman Utusan

Inilah cara politik gampangan ala komunis yang dipertontonkan kepada rakyat,walau bagaimana pun berita yang Pisau terima,Karpal Singh barangkali akan menarik balik saman terhadap Utusan setelah pendedahan video Guan Eng berbohong tersebar.Pisau tidak pasti kesahihah berita ini,sama sama lah kita melihat karenah pembohong bertukar aksi menjadi pembelit.

Pisau kata " Guan Eng,lu selalu pi hospital apa pasal? kepala ada sakit ka? sudah mau jadi gila ka kawan? elok lu resign la,wa dapat tau lu punya otak ada short skit ada betui ka? "

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

SARAWAK: NCR Land Issue Unresolved

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:00:48 PDT

July 29, 2010

www.freemalaysiatoday.com

SARAWAK NCR Land Issue remains unresolved

By Joseph Tawie

It took 47 years for the government to decide to survey native customary rights (NCR) land, issue titles and return the land to the rightful owners. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak allocated RM20 million to carry out the survey works.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud should have made the announcement instead of Najib as land matters come under the purview of the state. So, why did Najib make the announcement? And why did Taib refuse all this while to survey NCR land?

Najib made the decision last week after visiting Long Banga, Baram, an interior seldom visited even by Sarawak state ministers. He must have heard about the Dayaks grouses after he took over as prime minister last year. To learn more about their problems, he sent his Sarawakian minister Idris Jala to seek the truth. And based on Jalas reports, Najib announced the decision.

It not only caught state government leaders by surprise, it also embarrassed them. But Najib does not seem to care; his federal governments survival depends on solving the problem. To continue to occupy Putrajaya, he must win over the Dayak-majority parliamentary constituencies. There are 23 Dayak majority and Dayak-mixed constituencies.

The decision puts great pressure on the state government to survey the NCR land. It must show support and react immediately.Thus, the state government issued a press statement not only to concur with the prime ministers announcement but also to say that Taibs government has approved a new NCR land initiative.

The initiative has been approved by the government in order to come up with a faster approach to provide security to NCR land! and enh ance the economic well-being of landowners, Taib said in a statement.

NCR land is an issue that is close to the hearts of our people. As such, this joint initiative between the state and the federal governments is to help the people create value to their idle land while at the same time addressing their concerns about the long-term security of their NCR land, he added.

Up till that point, the state government not only ignored the cries of the Dayaks for their NCR land to be surveyed and given titles, but it also went ahead and grabbed the land and leased them to family members and crony plantation companies.

The government legitimised its actions by amending the Sarawak Land Code several times, and each time it made it very difficult for the natives to claim their customary rights over their ancestral land.

And the most devastating amendment to the Land Code was made in May 2000, especially to Section 5. Section 5 (a) (2) (i) was amended by substituting the word acquired wherever it appears in the subsection with the word created.

On the surface of it, the amendment looks innocent. But if you analyse it carefully, it is very destructive to the NCR landowners. Prior to the amendment, NCR land can be passed from one generation to the next from father to son and his childrens children, and so on. The land that has been acquired by any other means by the family always belongs to the family and its generation.

NCR land could be acquired through the following methods:

felling virgin jungle and occupying the cleared land;
planting land with fruit trees; and occupying it;
using the land for a burial ground or shrines;
using land of any class for right of way; and/or
using any other lawful means.

Delaying tactics

Emphasis is on the word acquired which was substituted with the word created. This can result in the termination of customary rig! hts ove r such land, as only the creator shall have such rights over the land. And after his death, the land shall be reverted to the government if the descendents are unable to provide proof for such a claim. Such a land will be known as state land.

No doubt you can claim the land, provided you can prove that your great-great forefathers created the

Bruno Manser: Laki Penan

rights over the land. The onus is therefore on the claimants. And very few people can prove it. They can depend only on tuai rumah (longhouse headman) or penghulus to be their witnesses. But the headmen and penghulus have been warned by the government not to simply endorse such land as NCR land or else they will be in trouble their appointment can be terminated or they can even go to jail.

Bringing the case to court will incur large sums of money. Putting a deposit as required by the court will cost RM10,000, and what about the legal fees? Even if you have the money, it will take time for the court to make a decision; assuming you win in the High Court, the state government can appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Again assuming you win, the state makes another appeal to the Federal Court. The case of Madeli Salleh gives us the best example. All in all, it takes from 10 to 20 years for the case to be settled. This is the governments strategy delaying tactics.

All these are a great disadvantage to the Dayaks when the NCR land is not titled. Any time the government wants their land, it is difficult for them to fight back, especially when Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Sarawaks second minister of resource planning and management, announced the governments policy on land on June 16, 2005. He said all lands not surveyed or any land not issued a land title, including lands under NCR, are government lands.

As a result of this policy, the government has ! acquired practically all the good lands from Limbang to Baram, Bintulu, Miri, Sibu, Kapit, Betong, and Simanggang, and from Samarahan to Kuching Divisions. And all these lands totalling1,268,888.161 hectares have been approved or earmarked for plantation estates, according to the 2005 third-quarter reports of the Land and Survey Department.

The bulk of these lands are NCR land which are to be planted with oil palm, rubber, banana and sago. The majority of all these go to Taibs family members and cronies.

According to the Laporan Statistik Suku Ketiga Tahun 2005 Bagi Tanah Ladang prepared by the Land and Survey Department in Kuching, Taibs brother-in-law Robert Ganid has been given 16,000ha in Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan Division. It was approved in May 2004. The companys name is Lambang Sinar Mas Sdn Bhd.

Narodeen Majais, assistant minister in the Chief Ministers department, had his application for 16,486ha approved between March 1996 and February 1998. The application was made under a number of companies such as Pelita Nirwana Muhibbah (4,555ha at Tg Midin, Serian), Gedong Plantation (3,770ha at Btg Karang, Serian), Hydroflow Sdn Bhd (2,775ha between Btg Sadong and Sungai Simunjan and Gedong) and Indranika Jaya Sdn Bhd (1,906ha at Tg Embang, Simunjan).

Syed Abu Bakar Almohdzars companies Melur Gemilang Sdn Bhd and Kumpulan Kris Jati Sdn Bhd were given a provisional lease to develop 23,744ha between Sungai Simunjan Kanan and Btg Sadong.

Deputy Minister Alfred Jabus family members and cronies also received a provisional lease to plant oil palm. Utahol Sdn Bhd, a company owned by Jabus son, Gerald Rentap, was given approval to plant 6,900ha in Ulu Medamit, Limbang.

Jabus nephew, Robert Lawson Chuat, had been given a provisional lease to plant 3,665ha with oil palm at Batu Api, Betong and 1581.8ha at Tg Bijat, Simanggang. His company is Durafarm Sdn Bhd.

Henry Jantun, closely associated with Jabu, has also been granted a lease to! plant oil palm in 2,873ha between Btg Lupar and Btg Layar, Betong, and 2,127ha at Tg Bijat, Simnaggang, under the name of Everherald Sdn Bhd. On top of that, his company had also been given 2,000ha between Betong and Simanggang for integrated farming.

The government also approved provisional leases to big companies like Bintulu Lumber Development Sdn Bhd, Sarawak Oil Palm Bhd, Tabung Haji, Saremas, KTS, Green Ace Resources, RH Plantation, Samling Plantation, and Shin Yang Oil Palm Sdn Bhd, to name a few.

There are also government-linked companies like Pelita (Land Custody Development Authority), Sarawak Land Development Board and Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority that have been given provisional leases to develop the land for the planting of oil palm.

Legal wrangles

Almost all of these companies have problems with the natives whose NCR lands are within the areas given to them. Besides mounting blockades, the natives are also suing them and the government. For now, there are 203 cases still pending in the High Court.

Who is actually to be blamed for the blunder? Surely it is the government because it has misled the companies into believing that the lands are state lands. Naturally these companies come in and pay their land premium; then they start to clear the land off trees, shrubs and thick bushes. In the process, they also destroy the natives rubber trees, fruit trees, and cash crops. Certainly the natives are furious.

Lodging reports with the police are useless because the police cannot take action. These companies are armed with provisional leases and claim to have the right to fell trees or fruit trees in the stated area. Although the natives claim that the lands belong to them, they are put at a disadvantage as they have no land titles to prove that the lands are theirs.

So confrontation begins between the companies and the natives. As land is their life, the natives will not bow to any pressure! . Instea d, they will resort to setting up blockades because the authorities have failed to help them.

In the meantime, they seek the services of legal firms with a view to stopping (these companies from encroaching their lands) and claiming damages. When some companies from Peninsular Malaysia know that there are such things as NCR land, they abandon the project and leave. But for those who think they have the right, they stay on and find themselves in court. So far the natives have won all the 20 cases that have been settled in the High Court. Many of these companies have spent a colossal amount of money paying lawyers, court costs, and compensations.

The courts have made it clear that NCR land should include pulau galau (communal forest), pemakai menua (territorial domain), temuda (farming land) and tembawai (old sites of longhouses).

This decision was confirmed by the Federal Court when it decided the case of Madeli bin Salleh vs the state government in 2007, which was based on the Nor Anak Nyawai case in 2001, said Baru Bian, a prominent NCR land lawyer.

This is the land that they must survey and give titles to, said Baru, who is the chairman of Sarawak PKR, pointing out that the state government has a different definition of customary right lands.

What I want to hear loud and clear now from the chief minister is he will make an undertaking to the people of Sarawak to survey all NCR land. This is what we want to hear from the state government.

There should be no political rhetoric. The Dayaks are rebelling, he said, urging the government to allocate more money as RM20 million is insufficient to carry out survey works.

But there are questions that beg answers: Why did the government suddenly decide to survey all NCR land? Is it a political gimmick to win the hearts and minds of the rural people before the state election?

James Masing, State Land Development Minister, who knows the general thinking of the! public, says that the announcement made by Najib is not a political gimmick. It is real, he said.

The BN government knows that the coming election is crucial and it considers the rural areas as its fixed deposit. Thus, it is no wonder that it made the promise to survey all NCR land. In the urban constituencies, it has more or less been confirmed that BN is in big trouble.

The natives have already made up their minds, especially those who have suffered so much over the last 10 years. And following rampant abuses of their NCR land, the landowners have realised the gravity of their problems and are united in their stand.

They have banded and formed the NCR Land Owners Association. This association works closely with Suhakam, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association and other NGOs. Together they are prepared to highlight their problems at international forums, including the United Nations.

And the opposition Pakatan Rakyat is certain to use the NCR land issue as its main topic in the rural areas in the coming state election. It has promised landowners that in the event of an opposition victory, NCR land will be returned to the owners. This is what worries Najib.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Syabas mahu saman kerajaan Selangor RM1 bilion

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:00:14 PDT

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) sedang dalam proses untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap kerajaan negeri Selangor untuk menuntut pampasan kerana menangguhkan pelarasan tarif air.

Ketua Pegawai Operasinya Datuk Lee Miang Koi berkata, sehingga hujung tahun ini, pampasan yang perlu dibayar kepada Syabas dijangka mencecah RM1 bilion.

Syabas akan tuntut pampasan, kami sedang menimbang untuk ambil tindakan undang-undang, ikut perjanjian konsesi kami memang berhak ambil tindakan undang-undang, katanya ketika menjawab satu soalan yang dikemukan pada majlis Wacana Intelek Negara anjuran Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas (Jasa) di Memorial Tunku Abdul Rahman di sini malam tadi.

Beliau berkata Syabas sudah menghantar tuntutan mengenai pampasan itu bagaimanapun sehingga sekarang, masih tiada maklum balas dari pihak kerajaan negeri.

Tarif air perlu diselaraskan supaya dapat perolehan untuk bayar hutang yang dipinjam bagi meningkatkan mutu perkhidmatan air. Dengan penangguhan pelarasan dan pembekuan program Capex oleh kerajaan negeri, taraf perkhidmatan air akan merosot, katanya.

Lee berkata Syabas juga terpaksa membayar sebahagian bil untuk dibayar kepada operator loji air walaupun mengikut perjanjian, Syabas harus membayar sama rata.

Menurutnya akibat penstrukturan semula air yang tidak dimuktamadkan, Syabas turut mengalami beberapa masalah dalam operasinya, termasuk sukar mendapat dana dari bank kerana syarikat itu tidak tahu hala tujunya.

Sejak kerajaan negeri Selangor ambil alih, Syabas menyuarakan beberapa isu dan masalah tetapi tiada maklum balas dari kerajaan negeri sebab mereka kaitkan isu itu dengan penstrukturan semula.

Mereka nak lihat Syabas tak berjaya dan boleh ambil alih dengan harga yang murah, walaupun terdapat pelbagai kekangan, Syabas masih perlu beri perkhidmatan kepada pengguna, katanya.

Lee berkata bekalan a! ir di Se langor, Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya dijangka akan menghadapi kekurangan menjelang 2012 hingga 2014 dan jika tidak diuruskan dengan baik, besar kemungkinan kekurangan itu akan berlaku lebih awal.

Sekarang hanya ada rezab 240 juta liter sehari atau 5.9 peratus daripada keperluan harian, selain dari penggunaan purata, ada keperluan puncak seperti perayaan serta musim panas, dan jumlah 5.9 peratus tidak mencukupi untuk menampung ketika waktu puncak.

Enam bulan lalu, penggunaan air meningkat empat peratus, jika dibandingkan dengan rezab yang ada, dalam masa setahun enam bulan rezab air akan habis dan akan mengalami kekurangan bekalan air, katanya.

Sementara itu Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob berkata kerajaan menggalakkan pemilik kenderaan bernombor pendaftaran asing untuk membeli petrol RON97 yang tidak bersubsidi.

Lepas ini, mereka datang beli RON97 lagi banyak lagi negara untung kerana (minyak ini) tiada subsidi, katanya. Bernama

Terdahulu:

Safarizul Mustaffa: Isu air, kerajaan Negeri Selangor masih nak berselindung...
See What Pakatan Rakyat Gotta Say?

THE FREE MARKET 2

Mr. X — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:29 PDT

1.When I wrote about the free market, I was not thinking of wanting to make money from the United States. It is good if we can but without the US market Malaysian palm oil is doing extremely well.

2.I just wanted to show the hypocrisy of America. We do not go around the world preaching free market, so if we are not so free as alleged, we are not being hypocritical. I had always been sceptical of ideas coming from the rich. They are all self-serving.

3.They preach and fiercely demand that all Governments stop regulating their trade. Yet they are the ones most guilty of protecting their trade.

4.In fact the US has gone beyond that. Trade is to them a political instrument for the promotion of their agenda for the world. By applying sanctions in trade they will try to force countries to submit to their policies. If a country does not support their sanction they have means of squeezing companies or banks from that country.

5.Sanctions is denial of free trade in totality and in Iraq before the 2003 invasion it caused the deaths of 500,000 children. That is how far the abuse of free trade is indulged in by the US. But they talk all the time that trade must be free. If this is not hypocrisy, then what is hypocrisy?

6.Incidentally they talk much about democracy i.e. the freedom to choose one's own Government. But they have no hesitation about warring and killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in order to force them to accept democracy. Is this the free choice as advocated by democracy?

7.Is there democracy in the United Nations where one country can negate the will of 190 other member countries? Yet this same country talks so much about democracy and the good that democracy will bring. Practise first, then talk.

8.In my time I had often enough said that Malaysia was not and did not aspire to be a liberal democracy. And when we did things which did not seem to be in keeping with liberal democracy it is because we did not promise to be a liberal ! democrac y.

EDUCATION

9.Some have asked me to comment on our education policy. While we have concentrated on making education available to almost everyone, the quality of education is obviously in need of improving.

10.It is not having examination which is wrong. It is the kind of examination we conduct which is wrong. We need to study the kind of examination and improve it rather than simply abolishing examinations.

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Syabas mahu saman kerajaan Selangor RM1 bilion

Mr. X — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:00:13 PDT