xBlog ☪ Sociopolitics

INI JADINYA KALAU KERAJAAN LEMAH

Drs. Harun — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:49:20 PDT

Masa depan ekonomi negara semakin suram.

- Hutang negara semakin meningkat sehingga berada di paras RM430 biilion melebihi 53% KDNK negara.

- Hutang isu rumah juga semakin meningkat sehingga mencecah RM577 billion, iaitu 77% dari KDNK, merupakan yang tertinggi di Asia.

- Kos sara hidup rakyat juga semakin tinggi.

- Jurang kekayaan yang semakin melebar antara golongan kaya dan miskin. 40% isi rumah berpendapatan RM1,500 ke bawah, manakala 60% isi rumah berpendapatan RM3,000 ke bawah.

Amalan rasuah dan salah guna kuasa semakin menjadi-jadi sehingga berlaku pembaziran dan ketirisan. Kedudukan Malaysia dalam ranking Indeks Persepsi Rasuah semakin merosot kepada tangga ke-60 tahun 2011 berbanding tangga ke-56 tahun 2010.

Dasar dan polisi kerajaan juga tidak dikaji sedalam-dalamnya sehingga berlaku flip-flop dalam membuat keputusan seperti keputusan kerajaan berkaitan Skim Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA) dan yang terbaru isu pembelian saham MAS oleh Air Asia.

Ingatlah kehancuran pasti berlaku apabila amanah diberikan kepada mereka yang bukan ahlinya.

Doubts loom over political leaders

Christopher Fernandez — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:01:58 PDT

The greatness of a nation hinges entirely on the quality and ability of its leaders. A nation is only as good as its leaders.

While the Atlantic powers, the United States and Western Europe have long produced leaders and statesmen of world stature to move their nations forward, Malaysia too has a great leader in Tunku Abdul Rahman who spearheaded the movement to obtain independence from the ruling British colonialists.

But somehow, after wresting independence from the British, and with the premature exit of the Tunku, subsequent Malaysian prime ministers have produced mixed fortunes for the country.

The leadership qualities which the Tunku possessed could possibly be attributed to him having been greatly influenced by British traits. It is no secret that many of the Tunku’s values, convictions and principles were strong depictions of the values of the British.

But after the Tunku stepped down as prime minister, the subsequent changes and styles of leadership have brought about haphazard changes to Malaysia.

If Malaysians are now in a quandary over their future, it is a situation not without basis. In the coming 13th general election, the nation is set to witness a fierce “battle royale” between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat.

The stage has been set for this decisive encounter but many diehard political pundits are unsure as to what the final outcome will be like.

However, what is of greater concern to Malaysians is the nature, behaviour, quality and capability of political aspirants to lead the rakyat.

Motivated by self-interest

Of late, Malaysians, no matter which side of the political divide they support, have noticed that quite a number of Malaysian politicians lack integrity and ability.

Many Malaysians now tend to agree that there is a lack of capable leaders to steer the country forward. Those politicians who are eager to lead are invariably motivated by self-interest and self-seeking ambition.

This is precisely why there are non-political figures who have emerged on the scene to help “put things right”. In past general elections, Malaysians have always endorsed politicians, but now they are beginning to lend support to the voices of leaders outside the political arena.

The Malaysian Bar, Bersih, Suaram and other NGOs and organisations are beginning to overshadow elected representatives. This is because more and more Malaysians have come to believe that corruption has destroyed the trust people placed in those holding political office.

If they do not openly state it, it is understandable. But Malaysians, irrespective of race or religion, education or social status, are now becoming more convinced that the political candidates on offer do not meet the expectations and hopes of the rakyat.

Perhaps what Malaysians want, after having been under BN rule for so many decades, are capable leaders who will do what is expected of them to move the nation forward.

The nation today finds itself in a dire predicament because it has to put up with leaders who want to do things their way. They want to place self-interests above those of the people.

Without fear or favour

Malaysians are not the only ones who have cast doubts over the political direction of the country; the international community too has openly voiced concern over the policies implemented in the country.

While Malaysian leaders might like to contend that the country is a sovereign state and will not tolerate any meddling in its domestic affairs, it pays to listen carefully to what these “meddlers” are saying.

By doing so, the leaders can put to rest any allegations levelled against them.

It is imperative that changes be made in the selection of candidates for the coming general election; otherwise, the country will become a failed state.

Malaysians should choose their leaders without fear or favour and support those who can deliver the goods. Candidates with tainted background should be removed. Only those willing to sacrifice and serve the people should command the respect and recognition of Malaysians to safeguard and strengthen the future of the nation.

Christopher Fernandez has been teaching and writing throughout Asia since 1984.

Will Karpal’s dream come true?

Jeswan Kaur — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:54:32 PDT

There is one thing common among the prime ministers of this country and that is they waste no time in serving their own interests instead of doing what duty calls, that is, to serve the rakyat honestly and unconditionally.

All six prime ministers of this nation have todate been Muslims. The law does not make it obligatory that a Muslim sits on the premier’s chair; it is Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which protects Malay rights and privileges that is to blame. This, besides the fact that Islam is the official religion of this country, has also complicated matters.

Still, it has not deterred veteran politician Karpal Singh from dreaming of a Malaysian Chinese or Indian being the next prime minister of Malaysia. In fact, the DAP president has vowed to continue his fight to ensure a non-Malay finds the opportunity to wear the hat of Malaysia’s premier.

To this hard-hitting lawyer, the case of a Putrajaya embracing a non-Malay prime minister is nothing out of the ordinary, for the country’s law is not prejudicial when it comes to the race and religion of Malaysia’s prime minister.

Karpal’s vision does come as a fresh breath of air, especially when we realise the controversies the former and current prime ministers of this nation have stirred.

Not only scandals, Malaysia’s prime ministers have time and again revealed their preoccupation with serving their own personal agendas.

The former and longest-serving prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, lorded over the nation for 22 years. His legacy? A system infested with corruption, cronyism and greed.

Plus, he made sure Malaysians had little room to think “out of the box”. His era of “third class mentalities” left behind a damage so severe that to this day, Malaysians are synonymous with the “third-class mentality” acknowledgment.

Then there is “acting by proxy” stint taking place with the premiers. Najib Tun Razak is doing so as premier, allowing his “better half” Rosmah Mansor to do the thinking and giving her full authority to meddle in government affairs.

The result has been disastrous: Rosmah, known for her “rich and famous” lifestyle, has nearly emptied the nation’s purse. Both hubby and wife seem distant from the grassroots people and find comfort in rubbing shoulders with the hot-shots.

Prior to Najib taking charge, it was Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who held fort after Mahathir decided to call it quits. And like Najib, it was Abdullah’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaludin who acted as his proxy, dictating the do’s and dont’s to his father-in-law. Needless to say, Abdulah’s premiership failed to thrive.

And yet Karpal’s vision of a non-Malay prime minister is regarded as a sin or “blasphemy”, by the narrow-minded Malays.

These extremists have little tolerance for such a day when a Malaysian Chinese or an Indian calls the shots from the nation’s administrative hub, Putrajaya.

Is the rejection all about “Malay supremacy” or do these closeted mindsets have no faith in the aptitudes of the Indians and Chinese of this land when it comes to handling the challenges as premier of this country?

Or is it a case of Putrajaya having become a “private limited” entity, reserved strictly for a “Muslim” prime minister?

Stop being ‘colour’ blind

Karpal’s “I have a dream” has also not gone down well with PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. The Tok Guru says as long as the person is a Muslim, he is most welcomed to be premier of Malaysia.

To him, there is no need to bicker about the person’s race, so long as his faith is Islam.

Nik Aziz justifies it, saying: “Okay to be non-Malay, so long as he is a Muslim. How to lead Muslims if he is not a Muslim? Will a democratic nation give the post to a communist?

“And in the same vein, will a communist country accommodate a democratic leader? No such thing! A communist country will be helmed by a communist, a democratic country will be led by a democratic leader.

“So, a Muslim nation must be led by a Muslim, regardless of race.”

Noted, but has the Tok Guru forgotten the foul-ups the nation’s Muslim prime ministers have made? They are no blunders but real-time grave hanky-pankies, done at the expense of the hopeful rakyat.

Did Nik Aziz not have sleepless nights knowing that Mahathir comes from a non-Malay ancestry, representing instead a mixed Malay and South Indian descent?

To many, Mahathir is credited for taking Malaysia to greater heights. Perhaps so but he is more known for having bullied law-makers of this country into dancing to his tunes, failing which he punished them mercilessly, as was the fate of Lord President of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas, whom Mahathir suspended “for gross misbehaviour and conduct” and later dismissed.

But did Mahathir’s conscience prick him over his actions that destroyed the independence of the judiciary? We can keep wondering…

Najib, meanwhile, is having a tough time dealing with his “filled to the brim” closet of skeletons whose stench has made the entire nation nauseous.

This sixth premier has failed to strike a chord with the natives and the hardworking Malaysians. Instead, the rakyat remembers him more for his alleged dalliance with a Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaaribuu, who was later found dead in a Malaysian jungle.

Najib is also in trouble for allegedly raking in billions via the Scorpene submarine deal, which also saw his buddy consultant Abdul Razak Baginda laughing all the way to bank.

Leaders lack dignity

Bluntly said, the country’s leaders lack dignity. On the contrary, Malaysia’s premier are better known for their crass behaviour, name-calling and back-stabbing characteristics.

When Abdullah replaced Mahathir as premier, the latter was far from pleased with the former’s leadership, saying it was a mistake to appoint Abdullah the prime minister. In fact, Mahathir went so far as to demean Abdullah’s intelligence, saying Najib would be a better choice to lead Malaysia.

And when Najib became prime minister, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister was still not happy, saying Najib did not have it in him to lead the nation.

Instead of carrying out their duties towards the rakyat, the nation’s premiers conveniently gambled with the people’s welfare. Maybe it was poetic justice that the ruling government Barisan Nasional lost miserably in the 2008 general election.

And yet they cry foul over the thought of a non-Malay leading Malaysia to greater heights.

Has history not taught them anything? Or are they bent on turning Malaysia into a racist nation, one that gives no thought to the capabilities of the other races?

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Everybody who's celebrating a birthday today... this one is especially for you!

noreply@blogger.com (Antares) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:32:00 PDT

[Brought to my attention by Dain Said]

VENUS TRANSIT 5/6 JUNE 2012

Venus (detail), by Henri Pierre Picou (1824-1895)

Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River You may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

Kaki bakar Jambatan - kira pun tunggang langgang, cakap pula macam baru kena todi...

ali allah ditta — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:30:00 PDT

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim patut mempamerkan kepimpinan tanpa menggunakan kekerasan, termasuk demonstrasi bagi mengambil alih pemerintahan dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang, kata Menteri Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Rais Yatim.

"Ini harus dihentikan, dan saya faham DSAI (Anwar) bukan seorang yang begitu taksub dengan kuasa keras.

"Jadi beliau harus tunjukkan kepimpinan beliau. Gentleman's game is the order of the day," kata Rais (atas).

Beliau mengulas pandangan Dr Mahathir Mohamad pada 25 Mei bahawa Pakatan Rakyat akan menganjurkan demonstrasi ganas tanpa henti untuk menolak keputusan pilihan raya jika tewas.

Bercakap kepada pemberita di Kuala Lumpur hari ini, Rais berkata, kalaupun tindakan itu diambil, ia tidak bertahan lama berbanding "kewarasan dan bijaksana mengguna idea tanpa mengugut menggunakan kekerasan".

Lagipun, tambahnya, kerajaan sudah membuat pelbagai pindaan dan memperkenalkan undang-undang baru yang lebih baik.

"Dan kalau mereka terus menyatakan bahawa senarai daftar pemilih kotor dan tidak adil, bagaimana Pulau Pinang boleh menang, bagaimana Kelantan menang, Kedah, Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan, kalau senarai atau sistem memilih kita tidak baik?

"Tentu sekali baik, tinggal lagi mereka tak mahu mengakui kebaikan ini oleh kerana mereka ada cara keras untuk menuntut kuasa dan pengaruh.- malaysiakini

TS. - Rais ooi, pasai daftar pemilih tu kotoqlah PR hanya dapat tawan Penang.Kelantan,Kedah,Selangor dan WP Kuala Lumpur.

Kalulah daftar pemilih tu tak kotoq, habih semua negeri PR akan sapu bersih, termasuk Putrajaya. Hang akan menjadi pembangkang, tu pun kalu hang menang!!!...

Mr.'Burn the Bridge' wants Anwar to play 'gentleman'...

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim should exhibit his leadership by not resorting to chaotic means, such as demonstrations, to take power in the coming general election, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said today.

“I understand that Anwar is not someone who is so taksub (obsessed) with the use of force.

“He should show his leadership. Gentleman’s game is the order of the day,” Rais told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Rais said this, agreeing with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally was a precursor to a bigger rally by Pakatan Rakyat, should the opposition pact lose the next general election.

Mahathir had claimed that a Pakatan defeat in the coming general election would be followed by violent demonstrations in an attempt to forcibly wrest Putrajaya, a theory that Deputy Prime Minister’s Muhyiddin Yassin supported yesterday.

“If they (Pakatan) lose, this is their tactic, but as an old practitioner of politics, (I know) these tactics will not last,” Rais said, adding that only rational tactics without threats or force would last.

He denounced the demonstration as a “copycat” of the Arab Spring demonstrations, when, as an independent country, Malaysia should cast its own political culture.

“We must use rationality in achieving power and influence in a democracy. Whoever is chosen by the rakyat, will be the one to lead our country,” Rais said.

He dismissed the opposition for taking for granted the legislative amendments passed by Parliament, and further criticised them for pressing the issue of electoral reform.

“How did they win Penang, Kelantan? How did they win Selangor, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur?

“We should not lie in presenting facts or abuse any news,” Rais added.

Asked for his views on the 50,000-strong crowd at the weekend PAS rally in Kedah, Rais refused to comment.- malaysiakini

cheers.

To the feudal mind, anyone in favor of decentralized power, equality and social justice must be a Communist!

noreply@blogger.com (Antares) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:00:00 PDT

Somebody left a book in my van a few years ago. I stuck it in the glove compartment and immediately forgot about it... until recently when I spotted it just as I was about to drive to Tanjong Malim and catch a bus to Ipoh.

So I brought the book along to read on the journey. It was an illustrated "People's History of Malaya" titled Where Monsoons Meet - published in 1987 by the Institute of Social Analysis (INSAN). A socialist primer aimed at secondary students, the comic-style book was designed for easy reading and I finished it in less than an hour - but it had significant impact.

Looking at our recent history from a non-elitist perspective reminded me how thoroughly brainwashed my parents' generation was. I recall that my mother and father thought very highly of the Brits. In the early 1950s goods produced in Hong Kong still carried the imprint "Empire Made" even though the sun was swiftly setting on the British Empire. Where Monsoons Meet effectively demolishes all notions of a benign imperialism. The colonizers emerge smelling quite foul.

The "Independence" we were granted in August 1957 was but in name. Before leaving Malaya the Brits had rigged the system so that it would always favor the capitalist elite comprising the Malay aristocracy and a handful of Chinese entrepreneurs.

When the rakyat began to demand better working conditions and more rights, they were brutally suppressed through heavy-handed police action. The Communist bogeyman justified the introduction of a slew of repressive laws. The truth of the matter was: Malaya was a fat milk cow sustaining the Anglo-American economy and they couldn't afford to lose control of the country's rich natural resources.

In short, British rule wasn't quite as halcyon as it may appear to the present generation of middle-class non-Malays. Every dirty trick in the book of governance as practised by Umno was learnt during the ruling class Malays' long apprenticeship with the British Colonial administration.

In the time of the British, indentured laborers imported from India were paid 12 cents a day for their back-breaking work in the rubber estates and on the railway tracks. Even if the local currency in prewar days was worth two hundred times more than it is today, these debt slaves only received the equivalent of RM20 a day. They had to dismount from their bicycles and tabik (salute) whenever a White Tuan crossed their path. The ones who spoke a smattering of English were made mandors and were given the authority to horsewhip insubordinate workers. Rebellion against injustice in the form of trade unionism was roughly and swiftly dealt with. The word "rakyat" was as little tolerated as the word "Communist."

What happened in May 1969 with the coup d'etat masterminded by Abdul Razak Hussein (right), Harun Idris, Syed Jaafar Albar, Mahathir Mohamad, Ghazali Shafie and a few other young Turks in Umno was that a new breed of educated middle-class Malays managed to wrest a measure of power from the traditional aristocracy.

In doing so, they also adopted the self-aggrandizing tendencies of the hereditary elite, hence their fondness for unwieldy honorifics and exclusive "VVIP" treatment.

Forty years down the line, we are poised on the brink of another major coup - this time involving the overthrow of a diseased and dysfunctional feudalistic concept of leadership, in favor of a more decentralized, more democratic, more egalitarian, more accountable, more interactive form of management.

And we intend to accomplish this feat bloodlessly and through entirely legal procedures. However, this is easier said than done - because it has become more than evident that Umno/BN, under the rogue prime ministership of Najib Razak, won't play by the rules.

What is called for at this juncture is optimum clarity of focus and supreme resoluteness. We the people cannot waver for a moment in our desire to shake off the yoke of tyranny and reclaim our civil rights and individual authority as free citizens of a free country. Each of us now has a sacred duty to embody all the qualities we cherish - courage, honesty, compassion, integrity, wisdom, and the ability to love more and more inclusively.

Above all, we must take time out to look inward - realign our inner and outer selves so we can become fully integrated, conscious humans - integers, in effect - as opposed to being merely ciphers; faceless, mindless statistics hypnotized by the BN-controlled media into believing that issues of race, religion, and royalty are real and relevant.

We can endorse and lend our wholehearted support to leaders whose visions coincide with our own - but we must never become entirely dependent on them. Otherwise we will only experience disappointment and disillusionment when these leaders reveal themselves to be just as fallible as anyone else. No use pointing fingers, scapegoating and foisting the blame for failure on others.

We are the redemption and salvation we have yearned for throughout the ages. Happy Regime Change, folks! It can still happen, and sooner than you think... believe in miracles!

[Originally published 2 January 2009 under the heading "No Turning Back"]

Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River You may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

Can You Spot The Difference?

Crankster — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:17:51 PDT

This is an alarming new scam by the ruling coalition.

See the Bersih website for more details: http://bersih.org/?p=5076

John Wadsworth on the Venus Transit of June 2012...

noreply@blogger.com (Antares) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:01:00 PDT

In this video, astrologer John Wadsworth discusses the astronomical and astrological significance of this year's Venus transit - and the extraordinary symmetry and harmony of the eight-year cycle of Venus-Sun conjunctions.

Some rights reserved © Antares/Magick River You may borrow and/or modify content for your own blog but please credit and backlink, thanks.

Cimei Food Ingredients Sdn. Bhd

Dian — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:16:29 PDT

4hb Jun 2012

YB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob,

Menteri PNKK Malaysia

Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan

No: 13 Persiaran Perdana, Presint 2,

62623 Putra Jaya.

YB Dato’ Sri,

Per: ADUAN TERHADAP CIMEI FOOD INGREDIENTS SDN BHD, 14 Jalan Istimewa 1, Taman Perindustrian Cemerlang,

81800 Ulu Tiram, Johor

Dengan segala hormatnya saya ingin memohon bantuan YB Dato’ Sri serta membuat aduan terhadap pembekal barangan Cimei Food Ingredients Sdn. Bhd.

Untuk makluman YB Dato’ Sri anak saya menjalankan perniagaan menjual barangan membuat kek di 25 Jalan Belangkas, Off Jalan Kg Pandan, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. Salah satu pembekal barangan tersebut ialah Cimei Food Ingredients Sdn Bhd. Pembekal ini menjual kepada kami dengan harga yang lebih tinggi daripada peniaga-peniaga lain sebab kami adalah satu-satunya peniaga Bumiputra. Serta apabila ada promosi pihak kami tidak pernah menikmatinya.

Apabila Jurujual mereka yang asal berhenti kerja penggantinya langsung tidak mahu berurusan dengan pihak kami, sekiranya kami ingin mendapatkan apa-apa barang, kami terpaksa mengambilnya sendiri di gudang mereka. Jurujual tersebut hanya datang ke kedai kami hanya untuk kutipan hutang. Apabila kami diberitahu Jurujual tersebut akan membuat kutipan pada sekian haribulan kami meminta beliau membawa bersama barang-barang yang kami telah tempah, beliau enggan membawanya kerana

alasan beliau itu bukanlah kerjanya. Jadi kami pun enggan membuat bayaran.

Saya telah mengadu kepada Pengurus CIMEI, En Michael. En Michael mengambil masa yang lama lebih satu tahun untuk datang ke kedai kami untuk berbincang dan menyelesaikan masalah ini. Beliau telah bersetuju supaya kami membayar secara ansuran dan akan berhubung megenai jumlahnya. Tetapi sebaliknya anak saya telah diberi surat saman untuk meghadiri mahkamah. Anak saya telah memohon pihak Syarikat Cimei menerima bayaran secara ansuran tetapi pihak mereka meminta anak saya menjelaskan jumlah keseluruhannya. Bersama-sama ini disetakan salinan surat-surat yang berkenaan.

Pada hari ini pihak Cimei telah mendapat Perintah Mahkamah untuk Menyita dan Menjual barang mudah alih di kedai kami.

********************************************************************************

5hb September 2011

Majistret Noor Aisyah Binti Ahmad

Mahkamah Majistret Di Johor Bharu,

Dalam Negeri Johor Darul Takzim,

Malaysia.

Yang Arif,

Re: Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court Summons No: 72-470-2011

I wish to inform you that I have asked the plaintiff Cimei Food Ingredients for understanding in my payment to them.

At all time I have been sincere in wanting to pay way back 2009 in installments before Cimei decided to take legal action. But each time Cimei flip flop in wanting to have this outstanding bill settle.

Enclose are the letters to their lawyer.

I would appreciate if Yang Arif Puan Aisyah would be kind enough to take a step forward to help me by asking Cimei to accept my term of payment.

If Cimei insist I pay in one full sum, I would have no choice but to close the business and declare bankrupt.

I feel that I have been unfairly treated by Cimei and find it highly suspicious their real intention behind this.

Thank you for your kind understanding.

**********************************************************************************************

9 June, 2011

MICHAEL TEOH, BALAN & IDA ZURA

Suite 705, 7^th Floor, City Plaza,

21, Jalan Tebrau,

80300 JOHOR BAHRU

(Attn: Puan Ida Zura bt Asri)

Dear Madam,

RE: JOHOR BAHRU MAGISTRATE’S COURT SUMMONS NO: 72-470-2011

Thank you for your letter of 31 May 2011. I am happy that your client has agreed to a lower installment payment amounting to RM800.00 per month. However my current account is now being suspended therefore I am unable to offer post-dated cheques for the settlement as per your client’s request. I would be grateful if you could allow me to bank in to your Law Firm’s account and I shall fax the bank-in slip every time the payment is made. Kindly furnish your firm’s bank account number to facilitate the payment.

I hope the above is agreeable to you and I wish to thank you for you kind consideration.

JATI Bergantung Pada Jentera PERKASA dan Pemuda UMNO?

Tulang Besi — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 08:26:01 PDT

Tulang Besi terserempak dengan seorang kenalan dari zaman Tulang Besi aktif di dalam Perhubungan PAS Selangor. Setelah berborak panjang lebar, dia pun buka kesah Hasan Ali.

Rupanya, di awal penubuhan JATI oleh Hasan Ali, beliau antara yang yang diharap oleh Hasan Ali untuk menyokong usaha Hasan Ali.

Pada mulanya beliau mahu juga menolong Hasan Ali. Namun, pada suatu hari, beliau mendapat telefon dari salah seorang barua Hasan Ali meminta beliau menganjurkan ceramah Hasan Ali. Beliau lantas bertanya jentera manakah yang beliau harus gunakan untuk menganjurkan ceramah itu.

Beliau diberitahu untuk bekerjasama dengan PERKASA dan Pemuda UMNO kawasan beliau. Pada saat itu, beliau terus insaf dan sedar.

Segala usaha Hasan Ali ini rupanya didalangi UMNO. Patutlah Hasan Ali dalam masa yang begitu pendek boleh menganjurkan ceramah seluruh Malaysia.

Juga, Hasan Ali mengharapkan Anwar Ibrahim didapati bersalah atas tuduhan meliwat Saiful Bukhari Al Kazzab. Ini kerana beliau mensyaratkan semua penyokong beliau dalam usaha JATI ini memperjuangkan kononnya Anwar Ibrahim adalah seorang peliwat.

Dengan kata lain, antara syarat menjadi aktivis JATI adalah melakukan dosa Qazaf dengan mempercayai dan berkempen Anwar Ibrahim meliwat.

Syukur kenalan Tulang Besi ini terus istiqamah dalam PAS. Beliau amat aktif dalam PAS Kawasan dan mungkin akajn jnaik lebih tinggi lagi selepas ini, inshaalah. Pada Hasan Ali, berhentilah jadi penipu.

Video "Murtad" yang beliau tunjukkan kepada umum tu pun tiada siapa yang percaya. Akhirnya, Hasan Ali berjuang untuk menaikkan parti yang memusuhi Islam, yakni UMNO.

TULANG BESI

Hishammuddin’s assurance of “order during and after GE” quite meaningless if not coupled with public pledge by Najib and key UMNO Ministers that BN will leave Putrajaya peacefully if it loses election

Kit — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 01:36:55 PDT

WWW15 profligacy — The Malaysian Insider

justin@themalaysianinsider.com — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 03:18:32 PDT

JUNE 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak brought up a point today that many in Malaysia seem to ignore, that the world is grappling with an economic slowdown for the second time in three years and risks entering a sustained period of economic volatility.

That would explain his Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). That could explain why it will take time for Malaysia to be a high-income nation. That also explains why Cuepacs, the umbrella centre for government unions, have complained about the rising price of housing that has affected the regular civil servant.

But it does not explain why Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai’s officers had to bid RM24,200 on the “WWW15” vehicle registration number for his new official car that will replace his current vehicle.

The simple solution is to keep the existing number, and save the government some money. The Road Transport Department (RTD) allows for registration numbers to be transferred to new cars.

The Chinese media reported today that Liow said the ministry needs to replace the current official car, hence the need to bid for the particular registration number. As to who had paid for the number, the report said he replied, “This is official car... is official.”

The minister justified the purchase, saying that every minister is given an official car, including Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, whose official car carries the “PG1” number plate. Isn’t that an old number, Mr Health Minister?

We hope the minister and his officials know that they are paying for the number with public funds. Public funds, which, as everyone knows, are to be used for public good. Not for a vanity plate or an exclusive number.

And before they spend such money, at least consider the government servants whom Cuepacs say earn about RM3,000 monthly and find it difficult to fork out up to RM1,000 a month for a house that can cost beyond RM180,000 in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru or Penang.

The sum spent on “WWW15” is some government officer’s salary for six months. It is also enough for 48 Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) handouts.

If this isn’t profligacy, what is?

Yes, our ministers might need new cars in which to travel in comfort as they are working for us, but they certainly don’t need vehicle registration numbers, do they?

Or does “WWW15” represent the open-ended question “WWW IS ... a) a waste of money, b) a waste of time, or c) a foolish purchase?”

Whatever it is, the minister and his officials have to account for that money, especially at a time when Malaysians are asked to adjust their lifestyles and watch their pennies while the government works on subsidies to ride out the rough economic times.

Never let your guard down — Lim Mun Fah

justin@themalaysianinsider.com — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 01:35:32 PDT

JUNE 4 — A baby girl was reported missing with her babysitter. The babysitter was found injured and hospitalised, and the baby girl was found dead.

Later, it was reported that two babies under the same babysitter’s care had died of suffocation and brain damage. The development of the event is alarming and the deeper we think about it, the more terrible it is!

Why has one baby after another under the same babysitter’s care, died? How did the babysitter get injured? How could four-month-old girl Lim Xiu Yao die of suffocation? Why were the babysitter’s alibis inconsistent? Were the three cases involving the same babysitter an unfortunate coincidence?

The truth cannot be hidden. If the babysitter has really done nothing wrong, she should then courageously come forward, not only to clear herself, but also to make it clear to the baby girl’s parents.

But whatever the truth, the babysitter cannot evade the responsibility or escape from being questioned and condemned by the community and families of the victims.

The incident has not only caused a great concern in the society, but also raised doubt on whether the police investigation on the previous two cases has been rigorous enough.

In 2010, a baby boy under the woman’s care choked to death while drinking from a milk bottle. It is understood that his parents refused an autopsy as they could not bear it. However, did the police carry out a serious investigation and were suspicious clues missed before concluding the case as a sudden death?

The same goes for the baby girl who died of brain injuries. Did the police conduct appropriate investigations after her parents lodged a report? Did the police find that the same woman was involved in the “sudden death” of another baby nine months ago?

Clearly, the police must immediately restart investigations of the two cases. If someone should be responsible, then the person must be charged in court. Otherwise, the person’s name must be cleared.

We heard about accidents caused by babysitter’s negligence from time to time in recent years. Apart from feeling shocked, we must also take seriously the problem of babysitter negligence.

Most parents of the previous generation took care of their children themselves and took it as their own responsibility. However, to many parents from double-income households today, it is not that they are not willing to take the responsibility, but the environment and conditions do not allow them to do so!

The social culture has been changing and multi-generational families are rarely seen nowadays. However, problems between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have not been eased following the tendency of the younger generation to form small families.

Also, as it is not easy to find a good nursery, the demand for babysitters has surged and, thus, it has given rise to new social problems. How should the government control the industry and set conditions to set up more quality and reliable nurseries? How should parents choose babysitters or nurseries for their children? These problems should no longer be ignored.

In any case, we must be very cautious in choosing a babysitter for our children. My advice would be to harbour no ill intention against others, but never relax vigilance against evil-doers. — mysinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

‘So you say pigs can fly, do you?!’ — Clive Kessler

justin@themalaysianinsider.com — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 01:08:56 PDT

JUNE 4 — Over the weekend a succession of strange emails reached me.

I had been extensively cited, I was told, on TV3’s prime-time 8pm news last Friday.

What had I done to earn this attention?

I had expressed the view, it seemed (or so some friends now told me), that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition was a shambles, that only the Umno-led BN coalition could govern Malaysia, and that people should therefore support it, not the opposition.

Like Margaret Thatcher, it would seem, I had here, in talking about the Umno-led BN’s role in national politics, pronounced the verdict of TINA: There Is No Alternative.

Well, hold on just a moment...

As I tried to absorb this news, echoes of an earlier experience started to sound in my head.

On that earlier occasion it had been the Australian media who had honoured me with such surprising prominence.

The nation’s leading privately-owned television station with its very influential news service (and its larger-than-life proprietor’s insistent political agenda) had been involved.

Around that time, about 10 years ago, the Australian government was trying to suggest that its critics were ridiculous, held absurd ideas, and were not to be believed on any matter about which they might express an opinion.

So I found myself somewhat notoriously featured on the prime-time news, apparently declaring that pigs could fly.

Or something equally unlikely.

“So you say that pigs can fly, do you?!” That was the rebuke that a friend offered when he saw that news bulletin.

Well actually, I had not said that.

The topic was not in fact about whether pigs can fly.

But that claim can be taken as the clear example to clarify this current question concerning my surprising if only implied appearance on last Friday’s TV3 news.

Back to the past, to the explanatory example.

The Australian government at the time (on a question of national immigration law and policy towards refugees) wanted to suggest that all of its critics were “loonies.”

To discredit them all, it wanted to capture “on record” somebody whom it might cast as an enemy really saying that pigs can fly — or its equivalent.

(The issue at the time was that many of the government’s critics wanted to argue not that Australia should maintain totally open borders and accept, no questions asked, anybody and everybody who might arrive on our shores. Rather they argued that there had to be a set of procedures, or an administrative “regimen”, for handling those “boat people” who arrived that recognised international human rights and norms. The government wanted to suggest that all its critics really wanted to throw open the borders, something that was clearly as insane as the claim — to use the Australian vernacular expression — that “pigs can fly.” If it could do that, then it could prove all its critics to be nothing but “loonies.”)

There was a public event at which the matter was discussed. I was a speaker.

The pressure from various political actors, and from the press who were eager to “develop” the story and capture the tension of the moment, was immense.

The media were doing all that they could to get somebody to assert publicly that indeed pigs could fly (or its equivalent).

When my moment came, I spoke very carefully and deliberately.

“I am not saying that pigs can fly,” I said firmly. “But I am affirming that pigs, when they are not rolling about in the mud, can walk, and also that despite some prejudice against them, they have often proved themselves very intelligent animals. They are also useful for preparing insulin injections for diabetics and in providing transplant components such as heart valves.”

That, by way of an analogy, will suggest the kind of argument that I was making about the complexities, both administrative and ethical, of immigration and refugee policy. I was speaking not about pigs but about immigration matters, but that analogy will suggest the nature of my remarks.

The TV crews simply did not get, from me or anyone else who was there, the moment or the quotation that they wanted. But their story depended upon it, upon getting those words recorded and made the centre of their story.

So they did what may come quite naturally to a desperate journalist who has to “nail down” his story — and who has impatient news editors and demanding proprietors to please.

They trimmed and edited my remarks to suit the needs of the story that they wanted to run.

They simply cut out one word, the word “not”, from my crucially important prefatory words that “I am not saying...”.

In a determined, clear and forthright manner, I publicly declared on prime-time TV news that “pigs can fly.”

Or that was how things were made to appear.

Something similar seems to have happened in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.

Regular readers may recall my column in The Malaysian Insider some weeks ago (May 11) entitled “Where do I stand politically?”

Those who read my column with ordinary care and attention readily understood my meaning.

I was voicing a profound disquiet and anxiety, perhaps even an impending sense of despair, about Malaysia’s current political climate and condition.

I did so because, having spent a lot of my time and mental energy since the early 1960s thinking about its evolving political destiny, Malaysia is one of those countries about which I greatly care, and for whose people I have a deep affection and concern. My argument in that column had two parts.

First, I was not convinced that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition had yet achieved any real coherence in matters of political organisation and long-term policy.

Their remarkable agreement was an effective device for avoiding damaging contests between rival opposition candidates in bitterly fought three-way electoral contests against the BN under the “first-past-the-post” electoral system (which, by the way, is yet another of the ridiculous aspects of the political legacy left to Malaya, and then Malaysia, by the departing British colonial “lords of humankind”).

A no-enemies-pact among the BN’s adversaries, yes. But a prospective government with a coherent policy, political strategy, and prospective Cabinet structure? Not yet, it seemed to me.

That was one half of the problem.

The other half was BN.

Since Pakatan had not yet proved itself, to me at least, as a persuasive and viable alternative government, one had to look to BN to see what it offered and what its immediate prospects now were.

It remained the fact, I observed, that the only effective ruling coalition that had yet emerged and come to power, and then proved its ability to hold the reins of government, had been the Umno-led coalitions, first the Alliance Party and then its successor, Barisan Nasional.

So in principle, I argued, and in the absence of any plausible alternative, the country was still likely, until something else of real plausibility came along, to be governed by the Umno-led BN coalition.

That was in principle.

In practice, however, in the light of developments over the last decade and more, such a coalition (so I again argued, as I have often done in recent times) could only be led by a genuinely reform-minded Umno: an Umno that was committed not just to reforming, or some fanciful tinkering with, the state’s administrative machinery but, far more important, reforming itself, its own political character, style and identity).

That was an Umno that did not simply talk about administrative reform with its entire “alphabet soup” of KPIs and the like.

To go on ruling the country, to ensure and provide itself with the authority to do so, Umno had to show that it was capable of effectively addressing its most urgent task: the challenge of reforming itself, of a genuine and substantive inner transformation.

Just as the opposition Pakatan coalition had yet to prove to me that it had achieved a sufficient degree of political coherence to be able to rule, so too had Umno failed, and quite abjectly, to prove itself capable of reforming itself and so heading (as it now must) a genuinely centrist, reform-minded national government.

Both sides, I said, were failing, had failed.

They were yet to prove themselves capable of delivering the future that the nation now needs.

My column found both sides wanting.

And if either side or both thought I was wrong, or felt I had been unfair, then it was clear what they needed to do.

They had simply to prove me wrong.

That is, to do, and show that they had done, what I said still remained their unfinished business, their neglected challenges.

Pakatan had to lift its game. It would have to prove itself capable of fusing its secularists and Islamists, its multiculturalists and its Malay-minded career professionals and “aspirationalists”, its religious liberals and moderates with its new Islamic middle-class “pietists.”

Not easy, but it needs to be done.

Similarly, and no less difficult: if Umno did not like my conclusion, it had simply to move beyond its abstract and turgid talk about reform and its ungrounded claims of moderation and ethnic conciliation.

It must soon provide a national leadership and government that is prepared to “walk that talk” — and to live courageously with the consequences of that choice.

To do that it will have to forsake some of its venerable past and embrace a plausible and energising future, one that is both more adventurous and principled than all the habitual verities which has long invoked and served — and it must be prepared to do so explicitly, not by evasive dissimulation.

So my column was an endorsement of the politics of neither Pakatan Rakyat nor of the Umno-led BN.

It was a sombre statement about the limitations on both sides. It was a gloomy assessment of the prospects of both — and, either way, of the Malaysian nation under their stewardship.

It was a plea to both to recognise how dire the national political scene and immediate prospects have become — and to face up intelligently and responsibly to that challenge.

It was a call to both sides, or to only one of them (and it might be either of them, I had no favourite!) if the other was incapable of doing so, to prove me wrong.

My argument was not an endorsement, it was a warning.

It took the “logical form” of a “dilemma.”

I remember my university logic lecturer analysing such situations.

“If a certain condition or policy leads to a given outcome and if the pursuit of the opposite measure or policy leads to the same outcome, then that is the outcome that will result. No matter what you do, you get that outcome. So, in choosing what to do, you have only a choice of means, not of ends.

“That,” he continued, “is what you call a dilemma.”

“And if the outcome to which you are being delivered, like it or not, is an unwelcome, unpleasant and unbearable one, then what you are facing is a disaster.

“That is a really unpleasant kind of dilemma to be facing.”

That is what I was saying.

That if neither of the two main contending coalitions is capable of addressing the challenges that they face, then the nation’s prospects are a matter of concern, its fate a matter of real anxiety.

One may choose one side or the other, one coalition or the other. But in either case, it seems to me, the outlook is worrying.

Unless the rival coalitions find the will to do what they must, the ensuing result will be, in one form or another, a national political impasse.

Failure may take different forms, but any failure will be a national failure.

Malaysians are now heading, so it seems to me, towards an election where they must choose between an opposition that may not be ready to govern, and has yet to fashion its own basis for doing so, and a government that may no longer be able to govern, to lead from the centre, even to have the broadly-based authority to hold things together.

Why do I say such dire things?

Simply because that is how I now, most unhappily, see things.

I do not find it at all pleasant to see a country and people for whom I care greatly confronted by so dire and immediate a political predicament.

But that is how I see things, that is how I believe things now stand.

So, I say that pigs can fly, do I?

In the Malaysian case before us now, not really, not exactly — no matter what the media have reported and how they may have drawn upon and presented my views.

In many countries, including Australia and Malaysia, working journalists will often “cut corners”, trim a story to fit their needs, selectively “cut and paste” somebody’s words to fit and support their preferred “narrative.”

It’s a sad truth.

But scholars must go on analysing and writing about matters of public concern in their areas of established expertise.

And you cannot decide to remain silent on the grounds, or from a fear, that what you have to say may be misquoted.

To give in to that fear, to accept that limitation, is to be complicit in the silencing of intelligent commentary, analysis and public discussion.

No flourishing country can afford that.

My role in this area is that of a scholar and writer.

I am not a Malaysian citizen, not a “player” in the game of this country’s national politics.

But as a scholar I treat Malaysia as a “normal country”, in the same way that I deal with and treat any other country.

That is, I try honestly to understand, to analyse, to sympathise and at times also to probe areas from which others, unwisely in my view, may turn away their gaze.

And, when I reach what I consider a proper conclusion, I try to say what I think, as directly as I can.

I do so not to offend or provoke, not to scandalise, not to “play favourites” or offer personal endorsements to one side or another.

Some things simply need to be said.

And sometimes it takes a scholar, bystander, a somewhat detached but still committed friend to say what he thinks, to describe what he sees, to “call things” as he thinks they are, or may soon be.

So you still say that pigs can fly?

I think not.

No flying pigs here.

* Clive S. Kessler is Emeritus Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at The University of New South Wales, Sydney.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Stunt-man politicians — Ali Kadir

justin@themalaysianinsider.com — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 22:30:37 PDT

JUNE 4 — “Actors” are running amok in Malaysia these days, with their mouths and actions.

First there was the sometimes DPM (sometimes because sometimes he behaves like the PM) Muhyiddin Yassin saying that that the skirmish at Bersih 3.0 was a precursor to violence by Pakatan Rakyat once they lose the elections.

Today, Information Minister Rais Yatim said that Anwar Ibrahim must behave like a gentleman and accept the election results and not riot, etc.

It is interesting till today Najib Razak has not given his word that the BN will leave Putrajaya peacefully if it loses the election. You know why he is silent? Because his party has already unleashed the troublemakers and they are called Perkasa, Pekida, the petty traders association and the Rempits.

In fact, not one senior Umno leader has said that they will accept the people’s verdict.

I am tickled that Muhyiddin and Rais (yes, Malaysians, this is the quality of our ministers) are reading from the same script. The script is aimed at creating the impression that the opposition and Bersih are troublemakers/spoilsports and that BN is confident of victory.

Let me tackle the notion that BN is confident of victory. Could this be the reason why till today the PM is dithering over the date of the polls and the de facto PM Mahathir Mohamad says that the government is weak?

I suppose fiddling with the electoral rolls is a sign of strength as is the use of thugs to disrupt opposition rallies as is the unprecedented use of government funds to buy support, pay cybertroopers.

I get the game being played by Muhyiddin and Rais. They expect some trouble if/when BN lose and they are laying the foundation to blame the opposition/Bersih.

But most Malaysians know the machinations of Umno/BN. We have lived with scoundrels for a long time.

* Ali Kadir reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Hanif: No duplication with Suhakam probe

Tarani Palani — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:21:05 PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The independent advisory panel, tasked with probing the
alleged abuses during the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally, said its investigation will not be a duplication of Suhakam’s inquiry into the same matter.

Panel head, former inspector- general of police Hanif Omar, said his team – unlike Suhakam – would look into a more “wider scope of things beyond human rights abuses.”

“Our job scope differs from Suhakam,” he told reporters today.

“They (Suhakam) are merely looking into human rights abuse whereas we are looking into 10 issues and are inquiring into a wider scope of things… there will be no duplication,” he added, after charing the panel’s second meeting.

Among others, the panel would investigate if there had been “random, widespread and wanton physical assault and brutality by the police” on the public and media during the rally.

The panel was also investigating if the police were unlawful in confiscating and destroying photographs and video recordings of the rally.

Hanif said the panel was looking at consulting foreign experts from the UK, US and Canada on aspects of managing a large assembly of people.

There had been much criticism with regard to the panel headed by Hanif. The Bar Council had snubbed this panel as it did not see the necessity of two investigations into the same issue.

Despite this, the council said that it was still open to meeting Hanif to discuss the matter.

Hanif said he hoped the Bar Council would meet him for the “good of the country” and would like to meet a representative from the council soon.

Police briefs panel

Meanwhile, Hanif said the police briefed the panel over the rally today, adding that the police had 43 video clips totalling 73 hours.

The panel watched 40 minutes of the clips consisting of political speeches made on days leading up to the rally and some clips on the day of the rally itself.

“We will not look at all the clips as some are just recordings of the same incidents from different angles,” said Hanif.

He added that there were some seditious remarks seen in today’s clips and that the panel had asked the police to provide more information on the matter.

Hanif also revealed that these speeches were not just taken in Kuala Lumpur but around the country as well.

Asked if the clips showed a rowdy crowd which destroyed public property, Hanif said he would reserve his comments on the matter for now.

Bukit Aman criminal investigation division deputy director Abdul Samah Mat had briefed the panel.

Hanif also said that two members of the six-member panel had pulled out today.

The two were former chief justice of Borneo Steve Shim Lip Kiong who pulled out for health reasons and Petronas corporate affairs senior general manager Medan Abdullah due to work commitments.

Hanif said it was up to the panel’s secretariat to announce their replacements soon.

He also encouraged any party including the public who had additional information or complaints to come forward.

They could contact the panel’s secretariat at 03-8886 8110/ 8886 8112, fax their information to 03- 8889 4836 or email bilikgerakan@moha.gov.my

The panel would again next Monday.

Lese majesty is no longer relevant in 21st century Malaysia

Super Admin — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 18:51:35 PDT

Sharifuddin Abdul Latiff, President MCLM

The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) is appalled by the punitive sentence passed on Chan Hon Keong for insulting the Sultan of Perak online three years ago. To single out one person from the thousands who went online to express their anger and outrage at Barisan Nasional’s shameful coup d’etat in Perak with the sultan’s apparent complicity, is most unjust.

Chan was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, that is, improper use of network facilities or service. But his crime is one we would call lese majesty, that is, to insult the dignity of the ruler. For that, he was given the maximum sentence which is a one-year jail term and RM50,000 fine.

That being the case, Malaysia would be one of a small handful of countries in the world to recognise lese majesty as a crime. MCLM is very concerned about this on three counts:

First, that the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 has been used to stifle free speech. It is very obvious that Chan is being made an example of by the Barisan Nasional government to deter other Malaysians from expressing their criticisms online, not just of the Malay rulers but also Barisan Nasional.

Furthermore, none of the sycophantic BN-friendly mainstream news coverage on the sentencing had reported Chan’s actions in the context of the Perak crisis.

Second, we are also concerned about the selective use of lese majesty. In 2008, after the 12th General Election, there was a crisis in Terengganu when the Sultan of Terengganu, Tuanku Mizan, decided not to reappointed Idris Jusoh to a second term as Menteri Besar, and appointed Ahmad Said instead.

During the three-week crisis, Umno members were extremely disrespectful to the sultan, to the extent of displaying banners referring to Tuanku as “natang”, which is the Terengganu vernacular for “binatang” or animal. Despite the public uproar over this insult, there was no charge of lese majesty brought against the perpetrators of this insult.

Third, the recent amended Evidence Act which includes the proviso for “presumption of fact in publication” under section 114A represents a double jeapordy for online dissenting voices. A person may get maligned through impersonation and suffer the consequences of two overlapping legislations passed recently in parliament.

MCLM would like to state that lese majesty is an outdated crime that has no place in modern Malaysian society. Ours is a democracy derived from the aspirations of participatory politics, and no longer a feudal state of old. Rulers (and political leaders) must earn the respect of the rakyat by the way they conduct themselves and fulfil their responsibilities.

While the court of law had made its judgment (pending appeal), the court of public opinion will not remain silent especially if a donation initiative of RM1 per person to garner 50,000 supporters in solidarity with Chan gathers steam.

Media Statement by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Ipoh Timor Lim Kit Siang

Super Admin — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 16:52:46 PDT

Real reason is because Mahathir is worried that the truth will be out about all the financial scandals during his 22-year premiership if Pakatan Rakyat forms national government in next polls

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has been more than his hyper-active self in the past fortnight, not only making preposterous statements about the political situation in the country but doing his utmost to rob off any possibility that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak might stick to his earlier timetable to hold the 13th General Election in June/July.

It was in the past two weeks that Mahathir:

· Made the wild and preposterous statement that the Bersih 3.0 rally was a “preparation” and “warm-up” by Pakatan Rakyat for violent demonstrations to reject the results of the 13th general election should the opposition fail to win it.

· Made another wild and preposterous statement when warning that the defeat of UMNO would be akin to the Malays losing power in their own country, when the coalition that would replace UMNO/Barisan Nasional would be Pakatan Rakyat comprising PKR, PAS and DAP;

· Returned again and again to the theme that because of the Abdullah premiership, the Najib government is still weak and not ready for the 13th General Election which he wants to be held off until after the fasting month which ends in August.

However, the real reason why Mahathir is so hyper-active in the past fortnight and making so many wild and preposterous statements is because the former Prime Minister is worried that the truth will be out about all the financial scandals during his 22-year premiership if Pakatan Rakyat forms the national government in next polls.

In a forum yesterday in Penang on the RM30 billion Bank Negara foreign exchange losses scandal 20 years ago, a former Bank Negara insider, former Bank Negara Deputy Governor Dr. Rosli Yaakop, stepped forward to throw some light on what was undoubtedly the biggest financial scandal in the nation’s history.

Rosli named four persons constituting the “forex scandal elite club masters” as responsible for the massive Bank Negara losses two decades ago – former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed, ex-finance minister Daim Zainuddin, ex-Bank Negara Governor, the late Jaffar Hussein and current Minister in Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Economic Planning Unit Government Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

Rosli told the forum Jaffar and Nor were the biggest culprits by going overboard in the forex speculation activities, which were against the very grain of central bank principles.

He said the duo speculated and they gambled recklessly and irresponsibly with no regard to the safety of Bank Negara’s assets.

Rosli accused Nor, who is the Tasek Gelugor MP, to have directly caused the forex losses as he was the man tasked to speculate, and ultimately gamble, Malaysian Ringgit against foreign currencies.

He said Nor, then Bank Negara advisor in charge of investment department, would use his computer and other staff computers to speculate and gamble in foreign exchange market.

This has led international forex players to believe that Bank Negara had many aggressive market traders.

“But truth is it was Nor Yakcop did it all.”

Rosli said the central bank ventured into speculative forex market in a big way during Daim’s tenure as finance minister.

“The order to go and make money in the forex market was from Daim with Dr Mahathir’s blessing,” Rosli disclosed, adding that Jaffar was their “Yes Man” Governor at that time.

In 1992, Bank Negara gambled on the British Pound. It bought the Pound long and George Soros, major player in forex market, short.

When the Pound was devalued, Bank Negara lost USD5.5 billion and George Soros gained USD1.7 billion.

Bank Negara then claimed it was only paper loss of RM9.3 billion.

Rosli said experts estimated Bank Negara’s exposure for having lost that much was USD27 to USD33 billion, which was five times more than its foreign reserves and its entire assets of USD20.7 billion in 1992.

I had estimated in Parliament two decades ago that Bank Negara lost a colossal RM30 billion. But Bank Negara claimed RM10.1 billion loss in 1992 and RM5.7 billion in 1993.

Rosli said yesterday that Bank Negara claims of losses were “schematically understated”, hidden through revaluation of BNM’s gold holding and revaluation of quoted investment.

Rosli mentioned that my call in Parliament at the time for a royal commission of inquiry into the Bank Negara in forex scandal was ignored as an open investigation would prove politically disastrous as the details of the scandal can be gruesome and cause damaging embarrassment because of the involvement of people high-up.

Rosli said certain people would have been in jail as criminal elements existed in the forex scandal. The criminal elements were negligence, overstepping of power, falsification of accounts, “creative accounting”, misinformation, breach of trust and corruption.

At the Penang forum yesterday, Rosli suggested that Pakatan Rakyat, if were to capture Putrajaya, should re-open investigation on the Bank Negara forex scandal of 1992.

I fully agree with Rosli. If Pakatan Rakyat forms the federal government in the next general election, there should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM30 billion Bank Negara forex losses scandal in 1992, as well as into all the other financial scandals during Mahathir’s 22-year premiership.

Barry Wain, in his book “Malaysian Maverick”, estimates that Malaysia lost RM100 billion just in four financial scandals during Mahathir’s premiership.

But this is what Mahathir does not want and most afraid of.

Yestedray, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in the killing of protesters during last year's uprising.

I am not suggesting that Mahathir should face jail sentences for the financial scandals in his 22-year premiership but at minimum, Malaysians are entitled to know the truth about these financial scandals which would serve as painful national lessons to prevent their recurrence.

But clearly, this is what Mahathir would not want and would do his utmost to prevent, including outclassing himself in the wild and preposterous statements about Pakatan Rakyat in the run-up to the next general election.

ADDENDUM

One disaster to cover another disaster (part 1)

One disaster to cover another disaster (part 2)

One disaster to cover another disaster (part 3)

One disaster to cover another disaster (part 4)

One disaster to cover another disaster (part 5)

Netbooks not for MIC leaders...not!

Ted Torrence — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:00:14 PDT

I came across Mole's article of YB Kamalanathan's denial of the accusation that he misused some funds in procuring the 1Malaysia netbook that was meant for students and those earning less than RM3,000.00.

Some time in 2010, I attended a briefing by then MCMC Acting Senior Director of USP Division, and he took the trouble to explain in detail what the USP was used for and in particular how the mechanics of the 1Malaysia netbook was gonna be.

In fact, after that I visited Kampung Serendah by myself and interviewed some people there on how the netbgook helped them and how Kampung Wifi was affecting their daily lives.

So to what YB Kamalanathan was accused of, I can safely say that these MP's certainly do not have the means to get involved accept for the part in handover ceremonies.

The way the netbook is distributed is based on a 70-30% ratio (70% being those who qualified through their means, basically those who earned below a fixed household incomeand registered with the ekasih program of the welfare ministry and 30% being those who are in the community category, like those living in remote areas that conduct community welfare programs programmes.

I was first alerted of this USP fund when it was raised by an MP in parliament questioning the source of funding where the distribution of netbooks was concerned. And in the months that followed, even the MACC follwed up with their own probe. This not to mention theintense scrutiny by the media, however since then several reports and probes have found that the distribution was done in accordance to the law.

I am not certain what made PKR Vasantha Kumar to clai! m that Y B Kamalanathan was involved in the wrongful distribution of 1Malaysia Netbooks, but I suspect that she is one of those out there to make a loud enough noise to be heard come the next general election....

After all, we bloggers have already probed this netbook thingy and found that if anything, its probably those who have received rather than those giving it who are at fault.

Posted by Tony Yew

Muhyidin dengan rasa cemas nya, Rais dengan kegentlemanan nya.

Ted Torrence — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:30:10 PDT

Semua orang ketawa bila mendengar Muhyidin Yasin dan Rais Yatim bercakap. Muhyidin menyifatkan PRU13 ini sebagai mati atau hidup "Anwar Ibrahim". Rais Yatim pula menasihatkan ketua pembangkang Anwar Ibrahim supaya bersikap gentleman kalau mahu bermain politik di negara ini. mungkin sikap gentleman yang di maksudkan oleh Rais Yatim yang dah naik jobo ini ialah, mahu melihat Anwar di ikat tangan dan di balun oleh "Anwar Ibrahim". Rupa2 nya "Anwar Ibrahim" belajar dari Rahim Noor.

UMNO menggunakan tektik yang paling kotor dan jahat. Rakyat melihat kejahatan "Anwar Ibrahim" lebih besar dan lebih banyak dari kejahatan Anwar. Juara dan jurucakap "Anwar Ibrahim" ialah Ustazah Umi Hafilda yang kesana sini dengan jeritan Anwar al Juburi. Jurucakap "Anwar Ibrahim" ialah kaf lam ya nga- Nalakarupan. Jurucakap "Anwar Ibrahim" ialah penjual beras Sejati yang tak jati- Hasan Aqidah Ali. Jurucakap "Anwar Ibrahim" ialah Pekida. Mat Rempit. Dan ketua PERKASA yang tidak perkasa, Ibrahim Ali. Jurucakap "Anwar Ibrahim" ialah Ezam Mat Nor.

Saya tidak ada affection apa2 kepada Anwar Ibrahim. belum pun berjumpa dengan nya dan belum berceramah dengan! nya. Wa laubagaimana pun, saya melihat orang ini sudah melalui the worse phases in his life. Walaupun dia di tuduh macam2 , dalam ceramah2 nya, Anwar telah memberi penghuraian dan penerangan yang meyakinkan pendengar. He has explained himself quite well. Dan rakyat boleh mempercayai nya.

Apa "Anwar Ibrahim" boleh buat, jika setelah sekian lama membalun Anwar bahkan sudah di jel oleh Dr Mahathir, rakyat bersedia memaafkan Anwar kerana mereka melihat kejahatan "Anwar Ibrahim" lebih besar? Saya rasa Dr Mahathir pun patut berhenti dari menghentam Anwar dan menghormati hampir 50% rakyat Malaysia yang mahukan demokrasi. DR Mahathir mesti menghormati, jumlah orang Melayu yang lebih besar yang tidak menyokong "Anwar Ibrahim".

Kejahatan Anwar jauh lebih kecil jika di bandingkan dengan kejahatan yang di lakukan oleh "Anwar Ibrahim". Bukankah mahkamah yang di kuasai oleh "Anwar Ibrahim" telah pun membersihkan Anwar?

Yang akan mati ialah "Anwar Ibrahim", bukan orang Melayu. Muhyidin ini tak baca kah sejarah "Anwar Ibrahim". Dalam PRU12 tahun 2008, "Anwar Ibrahim" bertanding 115 kerusi. "Anwar Ibrahim" menang 78 kerusi! . Ahli " Anwar Ibrahim" yang telah berhijrah ke pihak cahaya, tidak akan kembali ke pihak yang menggelapkan. Jika terdapat lagi penghijarahan 5% ke pihak Pakatan Rakyat- "Anwar Ibrahim" akan hanya tinggal 58 kerusi. Kalau ada swing 3%, "Anwar Ibrahim" akan dapat sekitar 71 kerusi. MCA habis kuat aka nada 2 atau 1 kerusi sahaja yang tinggal sebab 80% masyarakat Cina telah meninggalkan MCA. MIC dalam PRU13 ini akan bungkus tanpa satu kerusi pun. Kita tak kiralah "Anwar Ibrahim" buat man-to-man marking ke, di depan perkerja "Anwar Ibrahim" orang kata ya, anggunk bukan tanda setuju, geleng bukan tanda menolak.

UMNO hanya mendapat 2.381 juta undi dalam PRU12. Ini hanya 29% dari jumlah jumlah undi sebanyak 7. 878 juta. Jika parti2 komponen BN yang lain kecundang, "Anwar Ibrahim" akan kalah dalam PRU13 ini. "Anwar Ibrahim" hanya mendapat 2 juta undi orang Melayu yang berjumlah 5.7 juta. Lebih ramai orang Melayu menolak "Anwar Ibrahim". Dimanakah asas untuk "Anwar Ibrahim" bercakap bagi pihak orang Melayu?

Kita bercakap mengenai "Anwar Ibrahim" sebab ia berlagak sombong bercakap bagi pihak orang Melayu. Siapa yang beri kamu hak ini? "Anwar Ibrahim" bukan jurucakap orang Melayu. "Anwar Ibrahim" jurucakap orang berfikiran feudal yang ingat mereka boleh picit dan ramas dan tindas orang Melayu. "Anwar Ibrahim" bercakap bagi pihak golongan elit yang mengaut kekayaan dan memperkudakan nama bangsa Melayu.

Geng "Anwar Ibrahim" suka bermuka muka. Kumpulan yang berarak menyatakan sokongan mereka kepada DYMM Sultan Johor sudah lupa bahawa dalam tahun 1997, "Anwar Ibrahim" melakukan lebih dasyat dari apa yang di lakukan oleh Nizar. Pandangan Nizar ialah pandangan seorang rakyat. "Anwar Ibrahim" bergerak sebagai suatu kumpulan yang menghina raja2 Melayu dan menggunakan jentera kerajaan untuk membalun raja cukup lumat. Kita berharap raja2 Melayu jangan termakan dengan penzahiran kesetiaan palsu oleh gerombolan "Anwar Ibrahim" ini. jika "Anwar Ibrahim" tidak setuju dengan raja2 Melayu, mereka akan melakukan perkara yang lebih dasyat lagi.

Berada dalam "Anwar Ibrahim" memberi kita kuasa luar biasa kah untuk melakukan sesuka hati? Kumpulan yang berdemontrasi di depan rumah Azmin Ali misalnya- adakah mereka berani melakukan demikian tanpa restu dari pihak yang berkuasa? Pihak yang berkuasa dalam hal ini ialah pimpinan tertingi "Anwar Ibrahim", Menteri dalam negeri dan Jabatan PM sendiri. Kecuali mereka beri sokongan, dana dan restu, kumpulan ini tidak akan berani melakukan apa yang mereka buat.

Demikian juga mereka yang melakukan pasar ma! lam di d epan rumah Ambiga. Jerit sana dan sini menunjukkan aksi ganas dan menakutkan. Ambiga ini bukan rakyat Malaysia kah? Dia berhak mendapat perlindungan undang2 Malaysia. Yang menjaga keamanan telah bersumpah mengaja dan melindung semua rakyat Malaysia. Polis bukan jaga orang Melayu sahaja. Polis bukan jaga orang Cina sahaja. Polis jaga keselamatan semua orang.

Otak orang "Anwar Ibrahim" sudah beku kah? Jika kita tidak dapat berhujjah dengan Ambiga, maka penyelesaian nya ialah mahu melucutkan kerakyatan Ambiga dan menghalau nya dari Malaysia? Ambiga ini rakyat Malaysia yang lahir di Malaysia yang mempunyai hak di bawah perlembagaan yang sama.

Dalam rumah Azmin tidak ada anak2 nya kah? Aksi budak2 suruhan "Anwar Ibrahim" tentu mencemaskan anak isteri Azmin.

Kalau kita ada isiu dengan Azmin- hal yang di isiukan adalah dalam bidang mahkamah. Kita tidak boleh bertindak di luar peruntukan undang2. Yang melakukan cara demikian adalah ganster dan penjahat sahaja. Adakah "Anwar Ibrahim" telah terlalu teruk sehingga terpaksa menggunakan tektik genster dan penjahat?

UMNO menggunakan tektik2 seorang pembuli dalam menangani orang yang tidak bersetuju dengan mereka. Jadi untuk menjawab Muhyidin, yang akan mati ialah orang "Anwar Ibrahim". Orang Melayu telah pun melihat, rupa2 nya, ada kehidupan yang lebih baik selepas dan di luar "Anwar Ibrahim".

Yang lebuh kita nak tahu ialah sama ada "Anwar Ibrahim" akan bersikap gentleman bila mereka kalah dalam PRU13 nanti? Jadi Rais Yatim jangan duduk sibuk nak suruh pihak Pakatan bersikap gentleman- pasti parti kamu yang berfikiran feudal ini bersikap redha dan gentleman.

Kalau Rais nak membuktikan ke-gentlemanan nya, maka berikan kebebasan akhbar dan kebebasan media kepada pihak Pakatan. Berikan mereka masa untuk menyampaikan penghujjahan dan penerangan.

Dan jika kami betul2 gentleman, maka jawab lah penerangan dan hujjah Pakatan dengan cara orang yang beradab.

Posted by sakmongkol AK47

xBlog ☪ Sociopolitics

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Muhyidin dengan rasa cemas nya, Rais dengan kegentlemanan nya.

Masa depan ekonomi negara semakin suram.

- Hutang negara semakin meningkat sehingga berada di paras RM430 biilion melebihi 53% KDNK negara.