Jebat was a Malay hero. But despite his good intentions, his methods were cruel, misguided and unwieldy. His anger towards a Sultan, led him to murder thousands of innocent lives. In the end, Jebat must die…
I know this is tiring to say the least. But I just cannot resist the temptation of posting this one;
Anwar: Buktikan siapa rogol siapa
MELAKA, 18 Julai (Bernama) — Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, yang sedang dalam siasatan polis kerana tuduhan meliwat, meminta polis membuktikan empat fakta yang kukuh sebelum membenarkan DNA beliau diambil.
“Bukti pertama, siapa rogol siapa, saya sakit pinggang, budak universiti (bekas pembantunya Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan) kuat.
“Bukti kedua, di mana (berlakunya kejadian), ketiga tempat mana dan keempat di mana saksi,” katanya ketika menyampaikan ceramah politik yang dihadiri lebih 1,000 orang di Cheng di sini malam ini.
Was it a Freudian slip? Or a mere slip of the tongue?
All I know is, from this exact words that he uttered, he is trying to say that the alleged act did happen but it’s not him who sodomises Saiful but it could be the other way round!
That is why, if any of Anwar loyalists ever read this, please tell him to stop talking too much as it will sometimes cause more damage to his credibility.
I would like to point out another observation I made regarding his political rally.
The purported death threats on his life were just the product of his overactive imagination and an attempt to divert attention and gain sympathy.
Not many people attended his public rally which as I see it, a true reflection of the support by the people. Therefore, I can derive a couple of points out of this;
- that the 50% support Pakatan Rakyat had garnered during the last general election was heavily misconstrued by Anwar as the people’s real support to his cause. True to the many analyses by pundits, the BN’s loss in the last general election was only due to the frustration on Pak Lah’s government, not the overwhelming support for Pakatan Rakyat. Even the leaders in the Pakatan Rakyat did not foresee this kind of turnaround of support to them.
- Seeing he had no huge support from the people from Day 1 of this incident (with the exception of the rally in Kelana Jaya which by the way was a protest against the fuel hike), he cooked up a lot of tactics to disinform and rile up the public’s sentiments through allegations of conspiracy by the government. On 1 July, Wan Azizah, upon a meeting with Pak Lah even said that:
“Earlier, Dr Wan Azizah said she would hold the prime minister to his word over his assurance of Anwar’s safety.
She said the premier gave his personal guarantee that investigations into a sodomy charge against Anwar would be handled with fairness and professionalism.
She stressed that they were ready and willing to assist in the investigations.
“We have sent letters stating our willingness to assist both the IGP and the A-G, but until now we have yet to receive any reply,” she added.”
See how the chameleonic Anwar and his people had change their stand time and time again just to suit their ever changing run of bad luck? How many times does he want to lie and lie to the public?
Anwar’s lawyer (R. Sivarasa) had also pointed out that they have yet to receive the police report by Saiful although according to the law, the police is not entitled to provide the police report to Anwar and his lawyer. The law read as follows :
“Section 51A of the CPC, titled Delivery of certain documents, reads as follows;
(1) The prosecution shall before the commencement of the trial deliver to the accused the following documents:
(a) A copy of the information made under Section 107 relating to the commission of the offence to which the accused is charged, if any;
(b) A copy of any document which would be tendered as part of the evidence for the prosecution; and
(c) A written statement of facts favourable to the defence of the accused signed under the hand of the Public Prosecutor or any person conducting the prosecution.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (c), the prosecution may not supply any fact favourable to the accused if its supply would be contrary to public interest.”
Was Sivarasa so stupid that he did not know the law? Actually I know that he is well versed with this law but he chose to play up with public sentiment and create doubts over this whole ordeal. Which is not surprising since Sivarasa is an MP in Subang. Whatmore, he is an MP and VP of PKR! Naturally, the survival and the integrity of Anwar is the most important factor in Sivarasa’s political career. To a certain extend, I suspect Sivarasa could not even uphold the code and ethics of the Bar profession throughout this ordeal. And true to the occasion, Sivarasa is trying hard to plant the seeds of doubt so that Anwar could at least win in the court of public opinion. Now I am more convinced that Anwar did it.
Thank you and have a good weekend. Jebat Must Die will probably return on Monday.
Anyway, today’s highly recommended good reading material and its near relevance to this article is :
A reader of similar kindred spirit sent a couple of comments in my last article which I must share with all readers. The first is the analytical review of the facts and slander on the purported relationship between Ms Altantuya Shaaribuu and Datuk Seri Najib while the second would be the analysis on how the statutory declaration by My Bala was taken place . A million thanks to Lekiu for the fact finding effort. I could not have done it better. But first, lets see what Anwar had said in the press conference on the 3rd of July, slandering Datuk Seri Najib in the process. The video is a must watch so that we can relate to what Lekiu had commented.
According to Bala’s SD, Razak Baginda was supposedly introduced to Altantuyaa in Singapore at a diamond exhibition. The premiere diamond exhibition in Singapore is the Singapore International Jewellery Exhibition which began in 2005.
Altantuyaa was born in 1978. Altantuya only moved to Hong Kong in 2005 to further her career (some say as an escort). Prior to that date she was married and had a child as late as in 2003.
It brings to mind several issues :-
1. Bala alleged that a commission of USD500K was due to Altantuyaa. If Malaysia had signed an agreement with the French in 2002 for the purchase of the boats/submarines, wouldn’t the commission mean that Altantuya was involved in the negotiation for the boats/submarines in 2000-2002? She was 22 in the year 2000. If it is true that Najib agreed for a commission due to her, which means Najib would have to have a seriously intimate relation with her for about a few years. Give and take 2-3 years, she was 19-20 years old when she started dating Najib? Does it make sense that Najib in his need to impress a girl promise her USD500K? She was 19-20, a 10,000 cash money would be enough!
We all know that in this kind of arms deal, there would be one local company who actively pursue the Malaysian Government and lobbied hard for the Malaysian Government to purchase the boats. Had it been true that Altantuyaa is involved, wouldn’t it been easier to structure the deal in a way that Altantuyaa sits as a proxy in the local company? (JMD : Anwar previously alleged that Perimekar Sdn Bhd was the recipient for the commision. Was Altantuyaa working for Perimekar Sdn Bhd - a local Malaysian company? I doubt it.)
2. Bala also alleged that Najib introduced Altantuyaa to Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore. The biggest expo of that nature in Singapore only started in 2005. Razak Baginda and Altantuyaa were married sometime in 2005. If one assumes that Najib and Altantuyaa have had an affair since 1998, it doesn’t make sense for Altantuyaa to agree to marry Razak Baginda after a short introduction now does it?
3. Again we go back to the theory that Altantuyaa was part of the negotiating party in the sale of the boats/submarines to Malaysia, if that was true and that Najib has had an affair with the Mongolian since way back in the late 90’s, why did Altantuyaa re-marry with a Mongolian and had a second child in 2003? Wouldn’t it be more acceptable if she squeezed Najib for a few thousand dollars and remain in France (where the submarine deal was struck)? A much more nicer place to live than Mongolia especially to a young impressionable girl in her early 20’s ?
4. Why the need for her to become an escort if she was dating Najib and presumably after the Agreement to purchase the submarines in 2002 was concluded, money would have been disbursed to all interested parties.
5. Why didn’t she kick up a ruckus after the deal was signed and she was never paid? If the reports are true, she part timed as an escort in 2005 in HK. She needed money, she could have yelled and screamed way back then and yet no such hysterical act.
6. Why only after the marriage to Razak Baginda in 2005 did she rightfully searched for Razak for money? It would make more sense if she chased Najib for the commission? Right?
All I am saying is, the poor murdered woman who turned her back on her 20 over years of faith, embraced a new religion, changed her name and married Razak. Then she came down to KL presumably wanting Razak to be financially supportive as any husband should be.
It wasn’t about commission. It was about Razak’s failure to financially provide as a husband.
8. Doesn’t an inquiring mind ask a valid question, what benefit does Najib has in murdering Altantuya ? If we take Bala’s allegation at face value that Najib had asked Razak to take care of Altantuyaa, I doubt marriage is something Najib had in mind. Had it been true that Razak was suppose to care for Altantuyaa and instead enamoured as it would seem, Razak married her, Najib would have kidnapped Razak and strapped a C4 on Razak instead of Altantuyaa.
In 1998 Anwar had all sorts of conspiracy, blaming everyone from Tun Dr Mahathir to Daim. For a brief time, Anwar had massive ego complex that he paralled his fate to that of Napoleon Bonaparte when he claimed that there was a plan to poison him with arsenic.
The arsenic didn’t kill him, but it does affect his thought process. He has a heightened sense of paranioa. Much like some schizophrenic, he feels that there is a conspiracy to bring him down.
What little function his brain could perform, he fail to understand that it is he himself who has an inclination to self-sabotage.
In an age where conspiracy theories thrive, Anwar has a ready listeners in the thousands to subscribe to his paranioa.
Sometime, it is the simple explanation that is more credible than the outlandish theories which is spun out there.
As a famous scientist, Enrico Fermi, once concluded…. if there are alien civilisations out there, where are they and why havent they contacted us ?
But we all love X Files, ET and the like dont we ?
And as they say, there is a sucker born every minute or is it every day ? Hmm
(JMD : Just like Mark Twain once said - It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense. In this case, Anwar’s fiction failed to be credible enough)
Can you see the amount of slander Anwar made in that press conference? All based on the first Statutory Declaration of Bala which even his lawyer had admitted is not a statement of the truth. How can you slander a person based only on hearsay? And based on Lekiu’s comment above, the choronology of events had absolutely lend credibility to Najib’s assertion that he did not know Altantuyaa and had no sexual relationhip with her. And to reveal Anwar’s hypocrisy on this matter, he made a statement today against people who slanders him:
BUTTERWORTH: Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied that he or any of his family members had called on the United States for support amid new allegations that he had sodomised his aide.
In a ceramah at the Seberang Jaya exposition grounds here, Anwar challenged his detractors in the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition to show proof that he had contacted the US for support when the allegations surfaced.
“I am prepared to go to court to prove that I did no such thing. I demand an apology from those who do not have the evidence to back their claims.
“Do not resort to such slander and do not demean me,” Anwar told an audience of more than 30,000 people.
Basically, it is alright for him to slander Najib. The fact is, Najib never slandered him. In fact, it was Anwar’s own aide who made the police report. Saiful Bukhary was not even slandering Anwar as he had to undergo medical examination and hours of interrogation to determine the truth. At this point, each Malaysian had to ask this question - what kind of a man Anwar Ibrahim is?
[PLEASE TAKE A QUICK REST BEFORE READING ON]
Lekiu’s other comment was with regards to my earlier commentary on the manner Anwar was arrested in 1998. A reader had highlighted the fact that the reason why Anwar hid in the Turkish Embassy was because he did not want a repeat of 1998 incident. He said that Anwar was arrested in 1998 because of the same sodomy allegation back then. Anwar was eventually beaten in custody.
But the turth was, in 1998, Anwar was arrested not because of a police report was made against him. The police report on sodomy was made by Azizan in 1997. He was arrested on 20th September 1998 because he incited riots in KL. We can still remember the mass rally in Dataran Merdeka and the destruction of public property by the protesters. Due to that, he was arrested using the ISA.
The notion that he hid in the foreign embassy because he was afraid police will beat him up even though he claim he was innocent (of sodomy) was wrong. In 1998, he WAS the mastermind for inciting public riot and the decision of the police to arrest him was correct. Furthermore, the Commonwealth Games was just around the corner back then. The government would not want any of its citizens to tarnish the image of the country. But Anwar was adamant in tarnishing the country’s image. To him, he comes first.
It was unfortunate that he was beaten up by Tan Sri Rahim Noor back then. But to say that he hid because he was afraid police will arrest him and beat him up just because somebody filed a police report on charges of sodomy is dead wrong. And currently, we also know by now that the government never made any intention to assassinate him as he claimed about a week ago. Anwar is a political leader who is riddled with sense of paranoia. Is that good for the country?
Please read Lekiu’s second comment;
Thanks for the refresher on why Anwar was arrested in 1998.
It does give credence to the theory that Anwar’s run with his pants down at his ankle to the Turkish Embassy shows tacit admission of guilt.
It becomes a bit interesting now that the military intelligence chief denies that a report on Altantuya exist. Although such denial would not be deemed credible in the eyes of Anwarists. A need for SD by the Chief perhaps?
I am of the opinion that Bala’s first SD is quite interesting in a stupid Anwar way. There was a declaration by Bala that seem to say that Najib has had anal intercourse with Altantuya. For an SD intended to link Najib to Altantuya, suddenly, in one short paragraph, Altantuya’s alleged sexual predilection comes to the fore.
It does show the desperation that Anwar is under. Anwar is probably saying through Bala, Najib is doing it through the back door as well, why pick on me alone?
And somewhere in the SD, Bala alleged that Altantuya is Najib’s girlfriend and that Razak Baginda was charged with taking care of her. Somewhere towards the end of the SD and in a noble gesture, Razak Baginda and Altantuya decided to marry.
The need to create invisible dots to link Najib and Altantuya seemed never ending in the SD. Anyone who has ever left a woman scorned would know that a woman left high and dry would eventually run back to the bast+#@ who left her.
Even if it is true that Altantuya was Najib’s ex, surely Altantuya would be crying out and seek Najib for help given the scenario that Najib and Altantuya was alleged to have the most intimate of relatonship.
In a worst case scenario, Altantuya could easily hold a press conference and allege all sort of stuff against Najib. Why take the difficult route of screaming and shouting in front of Razak Baginda’s house? For the simple reason that Razak Baginda and Altantuya were husband and wife. Najib is a non issue.
The new revelation that Altantuya is demanding commission from the arms deal is also a desperate attempt to link the poor murdered woman to Najib.
As was stated in the SD, Altantuya and Razak Baginda were married. The poor woman wanted the husband to be responsible. She may have wanted financial support from her husband but I doubt it would run to hundred of millions from the arms deal.
It is interesting to note that Anwar has so much hatred towards Najib. Anwar reckons that Najib doesn’t deserve to be Prime Minister in Waiting and that such coveted title belong to him. Anwar’s incessant need to soil Najib’s image seemed bordering paranoia.
In these sordid episode, Badawi seem to be laughing at the sidelines while mud is thrown at one another from his 2 most formidable challengers, Najib and Anwar.
In all these fight, I miss the absence of Tun Dr Mahathir. In 1998 it was easier. I was rooting for the obvious choice, Tun Dr Mahathir as opposed to Anwar. The protagonist stood up clear. Now, there are no protagonist. What is obvious the face of evil is very much pronounced.
This reminds me of a lesson I learned after reading Milton’s Paradise Lost. Some wise old man once told me that evil is seductive. Which is why Adam despite being in the presence of God was beguiled by Satan into eating the forbidden fruit.
That said and done, it is hard for most Malaysians to believe that Anwar who peppers his speech with injunctions from the Quran could be involved in a sordid tale of sexual impropriety.
Perhaps it is true after all when Harper Lee wrote in a classic book that “Sometimes the Bible in the hand one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of another”
JMD : A really good analytical review of the SD. Should be highly noted by the public. Thank you. I also like to point out that while Pak Lah can be laughing watching those two battle out each other, he forgot to see the ramifications of this to the Umno party. He should not have left Najib high and dry. To me, any mudslinging towards Najib is also an affront towards the image of Umno as a whole. Pak Lah and KJ failed to realize this.
Speaking of statutory declaration, I would like to touch a bit on RPK’s SD against Datin Seri Rosmah. In the first paragraph, it basically says that on the night of Altantuya’s murder, only 3 people were present. They are Rosmah, Acting Colonel Aziz Buyong and his wife, Norhayati.
Later, RPK alleged that he was reliably informed that Aziz placed the C4 on Altantuya’s body before blowing her up while being watched by both Rosmah and Norhayati.
The big question is; if only 4 people were present on that night (Altantuya included) to witness that ungodly act, then WHO had informed RPK? RPK even said ‘he was reliably’ informed. If we rule out the probability that Altantuya herself reveal this in RPK’s dream, could it be Aziz or Norhayati? I am certain Rosmah could never confess such crimes to RPK even IF she ever did it. We can rule out Aziz and Norhayati themselves since both of them had sued RPK for defamation. So how on earth RPK could possibly know what happen that night? Could it have come from RPK’s own highly imaginative mind? Once, RPK himself admitted that he likes to embellish his articles to make it more spicy to read.
So there, another fiction by RPK perhaps? I once said that eventhough RPK claimed that he did not wish to be a politician, but I presume, with the SD he made (which at most, a hearsay based on another hearsay), he is playing politics all the while. Why? Because like his buddy Anwar Ibrahim, he is good in diverting attention. All know that he has a court case hearing this October. The SD he made was just a diversion to incite the public so that he could at least win in his precious ‘court of public opinion’.
I totally forgot about Pak Lah during the Father’s Day celebrations in mid June. Since Pak Lah is THE BAPA MERTUA of Malaysia, I would like to give him a gift. My gift to Pak Lah is to give him this piece of news for his consumption.
From Berita Harian (30 April 2008):
KUALA LUMPUR: Semua tanggungjawab pengeluaran sijil Halal Malaysia yang sebelum ini dikendalikan Jakim kini diserahkan kepada Perbadanan Kemajuan Industri Halal (HDC).
Ketua Pengarah Jakim, Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz, berkata dalam satu kenyataan hari ini bahawa penyerahan secara rasmi tugas itu kepada HDC dibuat di ibu pejabat Jakim di Putrajaya pada 17 April lalu, disaksikan Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Namun, katanya, soal keseragaman undang-undang halal dan semua persoalan mengenainya akan dilakukan dengan kerjasama Jakim.
Wan Mohamad berkata semua 163 pegawai Jakim yang bertanggungjawab mengendalikan ujian secara saintifik dan Islamik masih diberikan tugas untuk meneruskan kerja mereka walaupun selepas urusan itu diambil alih oleh HDC.
Katanya ini bagi memastikan garis panduan pensijilan halal akan tetap menggunakan kaedah yang selama ini diguna pakai oleh Jakim.
“Dengan pengambilalihan tugas ini juga bermakna HDC turut bertanggungjawab mengeluarkan sijil halal Malaysia termasuk bagi produk dari negara luar yang menggunakan logo Jakim,” katanya.
Wan Mohamad berkata semua persoalan pembayaran untuk mendapatkan pensijilan dari peringkat antarabangsa juga akan diserahkan kepada HDC.
Semua pengiktrafan oleh negara Pertubuhan Persidangan Islam (OIC) dan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) terhadap sijil halal yang dikeluarkan Jakim yang dahulunya ditadbir urus oleh Jakim kini akan dilakukan oleh HDC yang berpangkalan di Cyberjaya.
So basically what this piece of news is saying, HDC will use the resources (expertise and manpower) from JAKIM but the revenue will solely belongs to HDC. In other words, HDC will get the money while JAKIM will incur the operating costs. This is very convenient to HDC since they have less than 20 staff to begin with. Therefore it is impossible for them to operate without the help of JAKIM.
However today we can see the extend of this arrangement.
HDC proses lebih 300 permohonan sijil halal Malaysia
PERBADANAN Pembangunan Industri Halal (HDC) sedang memproses lebih 300 lagi permohonan daripada syarikat tempatan yang mahu mendapatkan pensijilan halal Malaysia.
Ketua Eksekutifnya, Datuk Jamil Bidin, berkata sejak HDC mengambil alih tanggungjawab pengeluaran pensijilan halal daripada Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim), awal April lalu, ia sudah meluluskan 80 permohonan.
“Setakat ini, HDC telah menerima 380 permohonan yang kebanyakannya daripada sektor makanan bagi mendapatkan sijil halal dan yakin jumlahnya akan terus meningkat.
“Berdasarkan perangkaan Jakim sebelum ini, agensi itu biasanya menerima antara 1,500 hingga 2,000 permohonan setahun daripada syarikat yang mahu mendapatkan status halal,” katanya pada sidang media di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.
Mengenai yuran pensijilan halal domestik, beliau menegaskan, bayarannya adalah sama seperti yang dikenakan Jakim sebelum ini manakala bagi pensijilan halal antarabangsa, bayarannya adalah lebih kompetitif berbanding Badan Persijilan Halal lain di dunia.
Apparently, as I see it, this is just another scam by the cronies of Pak Lah in getting easy money from the public by fronting as a government agency. One of JAKIM’s source of income has been taken over by a private entity. With the service charge that can reach up to RM700 per certificate, the amount which can be potentially collected by HDC is huge. But the biggest loser would be JAKIM themselves. Notwithstanding the fact that it is their resources which are being exploited by HDC.
It’s good to have a Bapa Mertua who can easily change any policy of a government agency to suit the needs (and greed) of a family member, isn’t it? By the way, who is HDC is closely linked to?
Another gift I’m presenting to Pak Lah would be a cordial reminder on his promise back in late April. In Utusan Malaysia, it reads:
Kerajaan akan tubuh majlis ala Mapen - PM
KUALA LUMPUR 30 April — Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata kerajaan akan menubuhkan sebuah majlis ala Majlis Perunding Ekonomi Negara (Mapen) yang disertai oleh semua pihak termasuk wakil parti pembangkang.
Perdana Menteri berkata perkara itu diputuskan pada mesyuarat Majlis Tertinggi Barisan Nasional (BN) yang diadakan semalam.
“Dan telah ditetapkan sebuah jawatankuasa untuk nak menentukan kriteria dan format-format yang hendak dipersetujukan bersama supaya bila kita dah dapat tetapkan dengan betul maka mudahlah cadangan itu dikemukakan,” katanya menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang), di Dewan Rakyat di sini hari ini.
Abdullah berkata mekanisme itu akan membolehkan pihak kerajaan berbincang dengan semua pihak khusus dalam menangani krisis kenaikan harga barang dan implikasinya terhadap ekonomi negara.
“Saya sangat menghargai cadangan bahawa perkara ini bukan hanya kerajaan sahaja perlu tangani kerana kenaikan harga barang, implikasinya terhadap ekonomi, kenaikan harga petrol, ini adalah perkara yang penting bagi semua rakyat di desa, di bandar, semua lapisan rakyat sebenarnya.
“Maka dengan itu adalah amat penting jika sekiranya pandangan daripada semua yang berkenaan didengar dan dapat dikumpulkan dalam satu bentuk tindakan yang akan dapat kita jayakan bagi kebaikan rakyat kita,bagi kebaikan negara dan kebaikan ekonomi kita,” katanya. Abdul Hadi dalam soalannya bertanya sama ada kerajaan bersedia menubuhkan majlis seperti Mapen yang telah terhenti separuh jalan, kerana krisis harga minyak sekarang memerlukan kerjasama dan pandangan daripada semua pihak.
Mapen adalah forum rasmi yang ditubuhkan kerajaan pada satu ketika dahulu dan dianggotai oleh wakil-wakil masyarakat khusus untuk membantu kerajaan membentuk masa depan ekonomi negara.
Mapen II adalah yang terakhir ditubuhkan kerajaan dan dilancar pada 1999.
My obvious question would be - What the hell happened to this promise? This so called consultative body never materialised. What irks me the most was, Pak Lah knows the need for it but did not do anything. Only after he increased the fuel price did he introduce us to the non responsive National Inflation Council. But even that was not participated by all levels of society, including the opposition.
ECM Libra FInancial Group Berhad has a stake in Pos Malaysia Berhad (PMB) through it’s acquisition of Avenue Capital Resources in 2006. That deal left a bitter taste in the mouths of those knowledgeable in the financial world as it was a clear case of insider’s trading. Note that Khairy Jamaluddin was a Director of Investment in ECM Libra in 2004 before he tendered his resignation after this infamous debacle. However, Pak Lah’s closest crony, Dato’ Seri Kalimullah is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ECM Libra.
Recently, PMB was given the job of giving out the cash rebates to replace of fuel subsidy. It is quite odd on why JPJ was not given this role but instead it was given to a postal service company. Instead of the more efficient and more relevant job function of the JPJ, these cash handouts responsibility were thrusted into the already mountainous variety of services PMB had to handle. The only defence that Pak Lah might see the appropriateness of this move is the many branches of post offices nationwide which the public can easily have access.
But now, let’s see how Pak Lah and his cronies get extra money out of this purportedly ‘for the rakyat’ act of selflessness.
For every transaction, PMB will get 10 sen commission on every RM10 of that RM625 and RM150 (for cars and motorcycles respectively). That means, for every transaction, PMB will get RM6.25 for cars and RM1.50 for motorcycles in the form of transaction fees.
There is about 11 million cars and 8 million motorcycles in this country at the moment. Let’s do the math :
RM6.25 x 11 millions = RM68.8 million (for cars)
RM1.50 x 8 millions = RM12 million (for motorcycles)
A cool total of RM81 million for the whole exercise per year. Even if we use pareto principle and apply the 80/20 ratio, RM65 million (80% out of RM82 million) would still fall in their hands. And this does not include the commission from RM200 subsidy to be given to each fishermen in the country!
With RM117 million already paid out during the first day, I wonder how much PMB will collect by March 2009. This role was given to PMB and not JPJ because PMB is a public listed company (read: profit oriented) while JPJ is government owned entity (read : no cost to public). It’s even funnier that those who own cars 2,000cc and above were told to claim their RM200 rebate from the JPJ, not PMB. Why is this? Well, there are not many people with cars above 2,000cc in Malaysia anyway. And JPJ do not impose any fees.
This cunning way of trying to ‘help’ the poor while at the same time enriching one self is very much prevalent in Pak Lah’s administration. What’s worse, they are emptying the nation’s coffers (from the Treasury) in the form of cash rebates and transfer a percentage of it into their own pockets (through fees paid into PMB and ultimately into ECM’s bank accounts).
And that my friends is how the poor get screwed to help the rich get even richer! (Orang kaya menjadi bertambah kaya kerana orang miskin).
These poor people did not realize that they had helped finance Pak Lah’s cronies indirectly
KUALA LUMPUR 11 Jun - Kerajaan terpaksa mengambil langkah tidak popular dengan menaikkan harga petrol sehingga 40 peratus demi memastikan kehidupan rakyat tidak terjejas pada masa akan datang.
Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad berkata, semua pihak harus sedar dalam fenomena kenaikan harga minyak dunia yang kini hampir mencecah AS$140 setong, bebanan kewangan negara turut bertambah.
”Apa yang berlaku ini, seluruh dunia turut menerima kesan termasuk Malaysia. Kita bukanlah sebuah negara yang kaya, jadi mahu tidak mahu kita perlu berhemah dalam menguruskan kewangan kita.
”Oleh itu, kerajaan terpaksa juga menaikkan harga petrol sehingga 78 sen dan harga diesel RM1. Ini bukannya satu keputusan yang popular tetapi kita terpaksa juga melakukannya kerana kita merupakan kerajaan yang bertanggungjawab,” kata Shahrir.
What is wrong with this fella? He thinks he can hoodwink us easily? I have proof that what he said is a lie through and through. They are;
8. Ministers and deputy ministers in Malaysia are rich; 10% cut of their allowance can save up to RM2 billion. Imagine if they cut it 100%? We can save RM20 billion! RM20 billion per year just to pay their entertainment allowances? We sure is a rich country…
9. Renovating Seri Perdana costing millions of ringgit. Bear in mind that Seri Perdana is off limits to public since 2005. Shhhh… Be quiet. Sultan Abdullah is sleeping.
So there you go Shahrir. Are you sure you were telling the truth? The fact is, this government had not been responsible with the nation’s wealth. And the rakyat are left paying the mistakes for Pak Lah’s mismanagement. Ministers making this kind of statement would only anger the public even more. Do not think the people are as stupid as before.
Cukai pendapatan individu mungkin dikurangkan dalam Bajet 2009
PUTRAJAYA: Kerajaan mungkin mengurangkan cukai pendapatan individu dalam Bajet 2009 bagi meringankan beban rakyat berikutan peningkatan kos sara hidup akibat harga bahan api dan makanan yang tinggi.
Menteri Kewangan II, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, berkata kerajaan menerima banyak cadangan seumpama itu daripada pelbagai pihak dan akan memberi pertimbangan sewajarnya.
“Memang ada cadangan supaya kita kaji untuk mengurangkan cukai pendapatan, ada dan kita kena lihat sama ada ia dapat dilaksanakan dalam bajet kali ini,” katanya pada sidang media selepas sesi Konsultasi Bajet 2009 Bersama Kelab Ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BNBBC) di sini, semalam.
Sesi itu dipengerusikan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
As I said earlier, this would be a deadly catch 22 situation. The income of the nation will be further reduced. Anyway, the big question is, how would a decrease in personal income tax will help the ordinary folks in Malaysia? People earning less than RM2,500 per month are already exempted from paying income tax. So there is no real change from their already shrunken pockets.
What they should do regarding this tax issue is to increase the personal income tax of the real rich people (say those earning more than RM30,000 per month) and strengthen the enforcement of income tax collection (to plug any leakages or any tax evasion/avoidance). Corporate tax should be lowered especially for manufacturing companies producing food products. Have they thought things through about reducing the personal income tax? I really hope so. If not, then they are really providing the wrong solution to a particular problem.
Tun Dr Mahathir in his latest post mentioned the existence of the first letter which very much annoyed the then Agong. That was the basis of his removal. Since the Agong appointed him in 1984, it was the same Agong who wanted to remove him in 1988.
I reckon, Tun Salleh’s pride and ego had clouded his good sense of judgement. This can be read in the opening remarks of his book ‘May Day for Justice’. Where he stated that judges are above all suspicions and should be treated with great respect. In other words, nobody can criticise, let alone sack a judge. His oversized ego had prevented him to testify in front of the Tribunal. That was the best opportunity for him to defend himself. But reading between the lines in his book, I find that Tun Salleh was in the opinion that since he made no wrong, he must not be subjected to the questions from the Tribunal!
What an ego this person has! What you think do not matter! What is important was that you must cooperate with the Tribunal under the instruction of your Boss - the then Agong. What is more disappointing was that Tun Salleh Abas never revealed the existence of the first letter. This is an omission of a valuable piece of evidence. But in his determined effort to prove his innocence, he had knowingly failed to mentioned the said letter. Ulterior motive? Desperate attempt to side step the issue? Obviously.
The judiciary was indeed tarnished. But by the egoistical actions of Tun Salleh Abas himself. He had it good all this while. Even when he was found guilty by the tribunal and sacked by the Agong which he had insulted, he still received pensions. No other persons have received this kind of treatment before. Ask any other people whom had held a government’s post and was found guilty by the courts. Did they receive pension from due to their government post after that? He even became an ADUN in Terengganu after winning in a general election. Now, he had been given an ex -gratia payments out of the tax payers’ money. He had it good indeed.
I shall not write more on this. Curious readers should just read Tun Dr Mahathir’s latest posting.
Before reading the piece below (courtesy of MekYam), I often wondered whether our current PM lacks intelligence and determination. I often thought that his stupified look actually hides some cunning intelligence in that head of his. But OH MY GOD IS THIS PM REALLY STUPID! Makes me reminiscing the good old days…
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 1997 - 1998 By Nor Mohamed Yakcop
A moment comes, which rarely comes in a lifetime, when a particular event redefines a person’s life and changes the course permanently. For me, the meeting with Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on the evening of October 3, 1997 was such an event. It enabled me to devote the next 6 years of my life working for Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, meeting him almost daily. In the process, it enabled me to see, at very close range, the abilities of this great man.
The combination of many noble qualities in one person is rare, and it is this unique combination that has enabled Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to transform Malaysia from an otherwise typical third world country into a thriving and vibrant nation, well on the way to become a developed nation. It is also this combination of qualities that enabled Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to save Malaysia from becoming another IMF nation during the financial crisis of 1997 - 1998.
I am often asked about my involvement in the recovery plan implemented on September 1, 1998. It began on September 29, 1997, when I received a telephone call from the office of Dr Mahathir Mohamad informing me that the Prime Minister wanted to see me. The PM was in Cuba at that time, and I asked (in jest) if I was to meet the Prime Minister in Cuba !
I was told (not in jest) that he will be arriving in Buenos Aires on October 3, 1997 and I was to make sure I was in Buenos Aires at least a day before he arrived. I packed my bags and left for Buenos Aires, and arrived in Buenos Aires on October 2.
The PM arrived the following day at 5 pm and we met immediately at his suite. He informed me that he had asked many people to explain to him what was causing the financial crisis but no one was able to give him a satisfactory reply. He asked me whether I could explain to him what exactly was happening.
I asked him how much time he had, and he said two hours. I explained to him how the forex market works, about short positions and long positions, about hedging and how currencies are borrowed and sold, the difference between “bid” and “offer” and how funds can be transferred from one country to another at the click of a button. I also explained how the equity market works and the relationship between the forex market and the equity market. Dr. Mahathir hardly said anything, asked one or two questions, and listened intently.
After two hours, he had to end the meeting to get ready to go for an official dinner. He asked me about my plans for the night and I said I had been invited for the same dinner. Dr. Mahathir said to me: You go back to your room and write down all that you have been telling me for the last two hours, and see me at 7 am tomorrow. I went back to my room, skipped dinner, and wrote it all down, finishing at about 6 am.
I saw him the next morning at 7 am and gave him the report. He asked me to take a rest and come back again at 2 pm. When I returned, he told me that he had read the report and that he now understands what was happening in the financial markets. We started discussing various methods of overcoming the crisis, and our discussions continued when we returned to Malaysia. I met him almost daily for discussion, sometimes at his house and sometimes at his office. We tried a few mechanisms to overcome the crisis, some of which worked initially, but the hedge funds were so strong that it was difficult to proceed successfully with these mechanisms.
In early 1998, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad asked me to explore the idea of imposing an exchange control regime to overcome the crisis. I remember preparing voluminous notes on this subject. Dr. Mahathir went through the notes carefully, and kept asking for more and more details. We went through many rounds of discussion, until he was finally convinced both with the concept as well as the proposed mechanism. The rest, I guess, is history.
Dr. Mahathir also asked me to prepare a paper on how to put an end to Malaysian shares traded in CLOB (Central Limit Order Book) in Singapore. Dr. Mahathir was of the view that an important reason for the falling stock market was the short-selling of Malaysian stocks in CLOB. I prepared the report and Dr. Mahathir understood, for the first time, how exactly CLOB operates. The report, which was also implemented on September 1, 1998, put to an end the trading of Malaysian shares in CLOB.
I should add that the exchange control measures were crafted in such a way as to minimize the control aspects and maximize the outcome. The Prime Minister went through the proposed mechanism many times to make sure that the control elements were as few as possible, but adequate enough to ensure a positive outcome. There were no bureaucratic elements in these measures, such as requiring importers to obtain Bank Negara’s permission to import. The Ringgit was also pegged at a level where it was not overvalued. In almost every other country, which imposes exchange control measures and pegs its currency, there would, almost by definition, be numerous bureaucratic controls, and the currency would also be pegged at an overvalued rate.
It is often assumed that the system of exchange control (including fixed exchange rate) that we implemented on September 1, 1998 saved the country. The measures of September 1, 1998 were undoubtedly a necessary condition, but it was not a sufficient condition to overcome the crisis. Malaysia was saved, not by exchange control measures per se, but by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Let me explain. Any other developing country, facing a similar crisis, if it had introduced the measures that we introduced in September 1998, the measures would probably have failed. The fact that in Malaysia these measures succeeded is due to the ability and character of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The economy and the financial system, under Dr. Mahathir’s leadership, was in a very healthy state–healthy enough for the exchange control measures to be implemented without negative consequences. Moreover, the Prime Minister’s hands-on management style enabled quick and timely decisions to be made, which was vital under the new exchange control regime.
Dr. Mahathir, as Prime Minister, had ensured that the Malaysian economy was fundamentally strong. Ringgit was strong and stable. On the back of the currency stability (at RM2.50 against the US dollar) Malaysia was doing very well. At the end of 1996, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at almost 8.5 per cent and the growth was expected to continue for many more years. The government was enjoying a fiscal surplus. The external debt was low, at 40 per cent of the Gross National Product (GNP). The current account of the balance of payments had narrowed from a deficit of 10 per cent to 5 per cent of GNP, and was expected to improve further. Inflation was at itslowest at2.1 percent. We had steady growth of over 8 per cent for a major part of that period. And this fundamental strength of Malaysia was a critical factor that enabled the exchange control measures to succeed.
For a period of more than a year after the measures of September 1, 1998 were implemented, the Prime Minister met with a small group of us everyday - 6 days a week - for at least 2 hours to go through various economic data, including data on loan growth, exports, imports, property overhang etc. This enabled the Prime Minister to take quick actions, whenever required. I remember one morning when we were going through the property figures, he looked at me and directed that I should organize a property fair to clear the overhang of properties. I did, and property worth more than RM 3 billion was sold. Even after the crisis was over, Dr. Mahathir continued to meet with the group regularly, though no longer on a daily basis. And Dr. Mahathir continued to go through all the economic data with a sharp pencil.
No other Prime Minister in the world, either in developed or developing countries, employs such a hands-on approach in managing the economy. We can see, therefore, that it was not the exchange control measures per se that saved the country but the man — Dr. Mahathir Mohamad — himself.
The period 1997 - 1998 was, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, the worst of times, but it was also the best of times. The worst conditions brought out the best in Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. There is a saying that a good leader is like good tea - you only know the true quality when he is in hot water !
Throughout the crisis, the Prime Minister was focussed on resolving the crisis. Day and night, he thought of nothing else but the crisis. He read all he could on finance; he kept asking me to prepare notes on various technical issues. Sometimes he was sick with bad flu and cough, but he did not take time off to rest. He was convinced that he had to understand the issues before he could work out the solutions. His native intelligence and ability to focus on core issues were there throughout the crisis. He did not show any sign of fear even at the worst of time, only concern at the fast deteriorating state of the economy. He was, at all times, confident that he would prevail in the end.
I would like to add two additional points related to the financial crisis. The first is that, in implementing the measures of September 1, 1998, Dr. Mahathir not only saved Malaysia but the neighbouring countries as well. Let me explain. When Malaysia imposed its exchange control measures on September 1, 1998, the currency speculators realised that the other affected countries (Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea) could also impose similar controls, and they, therefore, stopped their activities in its track. The speculators backed off. They bought back the currencies that they had sold. This is resulted in the regional currencies appreciating. Moreover, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was not happy with what Malaysia had done, particularly since, after implementing the measures, we did exactly the opposite of what the IMF wanted us to do, i.e. we lowered our interest rates and injected liquidity into the system. The IMF, therefore, started relaxing conditions in other countries and allowed them to lower their interest rates and allowed them to inject liquidity to stimulate their economies so that Malaysia would not outperform the IMF countries. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Mahathir Mohamad not only saved Malaysia, but the other affected countries in the region as well - Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea.
My second point is regarding what would have happened if the exchange control measures were not implemented. If the measures were not implemented, many of corporations in Malaysia would have gone under, due to the high interest rates. When the corporations fall like dominos, banks would have faced severe liquidity and solvency problems due to the ballooning NPLs. The problems of the banks would have resulted in a credit squeeze, which would have led to another round of corporate failures. The Government’s revenue would have fallen drastically as fewer firms would be paying corporate taxes, thereby reducing the Government’s ability to stimulate the economy through fiscal policy measures. As a result of the problems faced by corporations and banks, unemployment would have increased substantially, leading to a second round of problems. This is the classic vicious cycle, which could have, in the end, destroyed the social and political stability of the country. This was a scenario that was waiting to happen. It did not happen because of the decisiveness and guts of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who decided to take the path less travelled.
We owe Dr. Mahathir much gratitude for what he has done for Malaysia over the last 22 years. Solving the financial crisis of 1997 - 1998 was just one, albeit perhaps the most important, of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s many contributions to the nation.
On a personal note, over the last 6 years, I have come to admire this great man for his abilities, his high moral values and, most of all, for his sincerity. Certainly, a man like Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is not born everyday.
Can you imagine the horrified looks of the ordinary Malaysians when they heard about the hike in fuel prices?
Dictator Dollah has done it again. I am disgusted at the level of stupidity this man and his advisers have. This great gift by the BN government should be cherished forever. Truly, Datuk Seri Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is the worst Prime Minister of Malaysia even for the next 100 years!
Anyway, I can already see the headlines tomorrow:
Our petrol is still the cheapest in the region
Ubah gaya hidup
Government working hard to improve the livelihood of Malaysians
And to receive only RM625 per year as rebate? That amount is too small as compared to the spin off effect from this price increase. How much a rebate of that amount can achieve to alleviate the livelihood of Malaysians if everywhere else, other things will become more pricey?
Shahrir Samad had failed in his job. Dictator Dollah failed again. The BN government had failed. Just look at their 2008 manifesto and you’d immediately know that this HUGE increase in petrol price is not in the manifesto and Dictator Dollah had broken his promise.
Raise the nation’s productivity, income and competitiveness levels
Cushion the effects of rising prices and ensure quality living standards for the people
Strengthen private sector’s role as the main driver of economic growth
Nurture and assist 1 million SMEs and entrepreneurs over 5 years
Generate at least 2 million quality job opportunities over 5 years
Reduce the Budget deficit further – more funds for development, without increasing taxes
Follow through on 5 Development Corridors to bring equitable growth, investment and job opportunities to all parts of Malaysia
Dictator Dollah sure had not studied the consequences of his actions. Shame on him. He is indeed the greatest SABOTEUR of the nation. And to rile me up further, the rebate was just about the only mechanism he had for us to lessen the impact. Any 5th grader could have come up with that stupid solution! When you do not have enough money to pay subsidies for the benefit of the people, you should never burden them further to the detriment of your ever waning popularity. What you should have done my dear Dictator was, increase the income of the nation when you first took over in 2003. A bright person should have at least grasp the simple concept of inflation and had the good sense of preparing the nation towards the increase in cost of living.
We chose you to be better than this! Down with the Dictator! Down with his idiotic shenanigans! Prancing around the country as if he’s a God’s gift to Malaysians. And this is all he can come up with? Bah!
BN politicians might as well pack their bags now. No need to wait for PRU13 coz you all will surely lose! I would love to hear all those proponents and supporters of zero subsidies defend their stand right now. But those are all rich people who did not understand how difficult life could be without any subsidies given from a government of a net oil exporter anyway!
“Since (Matthias Chang) doubts my innocence, (he) should devote his activities towards getting a government agreement to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate into the circumstances of my dismissal and the suspension of 5 other Judges that led to the eventual sacking of 2 of these Judges.”
Firstly my dear Tun, you are not innocent as deemed by the law. Please do not tell lies and misinform the public. He later suggested;
“The Royal Commission of Inquiry should call as witnesses, among others, the following main players in the 1988 event:
1. Dr Mahathir Mohamad
2. The former Chief Secretary to the Government
3. The former Attorney-General Abu Talib Othman
4. Hamid Omar, who chaired the Tribunal and who succeed Salleh after his sacking
5. Other members of the two Tribunals
6. Tan Sri Haidar (chairman of the 2007 RCI into VK Lingam’s tape, who testified at the 1988 Tribunal)
7. The surviving Judges who were suspended/sacked by the Tribunals.”
Tun Salleh had conveniently excluded the most important figure of all. The one who started all that. The Sultan of Johor, Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Ismail Al-Khalidi. I would want to see how Tun Salleh Abas deal with the Sultan in the proposed Royal Commission Inquiry set up under the order of the present Agong. I doubt he would even dare to do it. After all, he chicken out (pardon my presumption) when the original Tribunal ordered him to defend himself in 1988. You know what’s worse than a politician? A judge who became a politician.
Maybe the government should also set up a commission on why a junior judge like Tun Salleh Abas, was appointed as the Chief Justice in 1984? Were there some elements of lobbying? Why was several senior judges like Tun Hamid Omar were overlooked at that time?
By the way, Matthias Chang answered Tun Salleh’s call in Rockybru’s blog;
[Rocky Bru's note: This response to a response was sent by Matthias through E-mail about 7.30pm].
MATTHIAS CHANG’S RESPONSE
TO TUN SALLEH’S CHALLENGE
I was just informed by Rocky that Tun Salleh has issued a challenge to me in response to my article which was published in MALAYSIA TODAY and Bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com
I immediately visited Rocky’s blog to read the challenge and to say that I was most disappointed in Tun Salleh’s challenge, is an understatement.
Why?
He asked me to demand from the government to establish a Royal Commission to investigate into his dismissal. Why should I? I hold the view that the Tribunal had every reason to hold that Tun Salleh had misconducted himself as per the charges.
Is it my responsibility to call for a Royal Commission when a Tribunal convened by King himself found him guilty of all the charges that was proffered against him? He should be the one who should “lobby” the government if he feels strongly that he has been unjustly victimised!
In anticipation of Tun Salleh’s reply that he did not demand a Royal Commission during Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure as Prime Minister because it would not receive a favourable response, my query to Tun Salleh is:
Why have you not demanded a Royal Commission after Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad retired in October 2003, and thereafter in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and only now in 2008?
You are legally trained and held the highest judicial office. So, if anyone knows about rights and legal remedies, it must be you. All these years why have you not commenced any legal proceedings to establish, as you have alleged, that you have been wrongfully dismissed? You had a team of senior lawyers advising you. What was their legal advice?
It is a pity that Tun Salleh does not realize that the powers that be have used his dismissal to prop-up the Badawi regime after the 12th General Elections fiasco. Tun Salleh is a mere pawn in this political wayang kulit orchestrated by the spin doctors of the Badawi regime.
In my article, I posed certain questions to Tun Salleh and demanded to know his answers.
Why is Tun Salleh avoiding the issues posed by my questions and diverting the issues by asking me to “lobby” for a Royal Commission?
Tun Salleh should be transparent first and answer my questions.
1) Did Tun write two letters to the Agong? What was the content of the first letter?
2) Did Tun advise his fellow judges, especially the five judges who supported him, the contents of the first letter?
3) If Tun did, what was their response?
4) If Tun did not advise the judges, what were Tun’s reasons for the cover-up?
ROCKY, I am truly disappointed in you. You have read my article and having done so, have you posed the questions to Tun Salleh?
After all, you are assisting in Tun Salleh’s memoirs. Surely, you should be equally interested in the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
I’m sorry for not being able to update my blog for almost a week now. Have been terribly busy with work and some voluntary jobs over the weekends. But aren’t we glad to be living in these exciting times? There has never been this much interesting news to chew upon since the day after the general election. I am overwhelmed with the amount of things that had happened for the past 1 week that had made it impossible to complete dissecting any news before another story crops up and stole the previous news’ limelight.
Therefore, in the effort to gain a little bit of sleeping time, here is the round up of the past week (please click on the link to read the full story);
FRIDAY 16th May 2008
Royal Commission of Inquiry submits its report to the Cabinet and later on, the AG ordered the people connected to the VK Lingam inquiry to be investigated. One point that needed to be raised here is how can Tun Dr Mahathir be made guilty when what he did was following the provisions provided in the Constitution?
Under Article 122B of the Malaysian Constitution, the appointment of the Chief Justice, like those of the President of Court of Appeal, the two Chief Judges, judges of the Federal Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court, are made by His Majesty The Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister after consulting the Conference of Rulers.
However, before tendering his advice as to the appointment of a judge other than the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the Prime Minister shall consult the Chief Justice. A tough act by any prosecution I guess. To a large extent, any critics need detail out what are the parameters on the relevant words such a ‘advice’ and ‘consult’. And what kind of evidence needed to even suggest that Dr Mahathir had done wrong there?
The Prime Minister’s Department lodges a police report against several mainstream newspapers including The Star, Utusan and NST. A bit peculiar here since the 4th floor boys are acting against a newspaper headed by one of them (Kalimullah Hassan). It is obvious that the ‘leaks’ came from one of them initially.
An odd job worker got the green light by all three of his current wives to marry another younger woman (reading this piece of news gave me hope as I know there are some single women out there who do not care about looks, status, wealth or the wrath of the first wives club).
A man was jailed for sending lewd photo to a female friend through his mobile phone. Why would he want to send his wife the photo of his private parts anyway? Thinking his wife may have forgotten how it looks like maybe? That was just an excuse. To me, he is unmistakenly a pervert.
SATURDAY 17th May 2008
It seems that Tony Fernandes had been barking up the wrong tree with the revelation by the Transport Minister, Ong Tee Kiat. Poor Tony. Greedy boys won’t win anything Tony. Even the deputy CEO seems to be equally dense by saying - “We have many restraints. Why is MAS focusing on AirAsia routes? Why are they targeting our model?” . Err.. aren’t those AirAisa routes originally being serviced by MAS before AirAsia took over? And now, those routes were given back to MAS after AirAsia had finished sucking out money from it.
In the mean time, Datin Seri Wan Azizah’s effort to highlight corruption in the Ministry of Defense (definitely taking orders from her husband) had greatly backfired and left her face red in embarassment. In the end, it was made known that it was her husband who had approved the project.
Malaysia lost in the semi finals of the Thomas Cup in Jakarta. The lost of 2 - 3 to China was not unexpected. But Malaysia fought hard and should not feel ashamed by the defeat. The surprise finalist, South Korea beat the Indonesians to reach the finals against China.
Nik Aziz proclaimed that Pak Lah should not take all the blame for the political situation in Umno and Malaysia generally. Nik Aziz forgot that he is also a politician in a political party. Maybe he should take the blame for politicising religion for the sake of having power. Trumpeting that Islamic country is the aim of PAS ad nauseam can be quite nauseating since that aim is strongly opposed by PAS’ partners in the Pakatan Rakyat.
SUNDAY 18th May 2008
If you are looking at a sample on how stupid the Malaysian government is, look no further than the indelible ink fiasco. The indelible ink fiasco continued to haunt the SPR and the government with a statement by the SPR Chairman days earlier regarding the directive from the Cabinet to cancel the use of the ink. In return, the government denied it was a directive and instead, deemed it as only a ’suggestion’. I assume, unlike all the road signs in Malaysia (which nobody cares), the Cabinet suggestion could easily be regarded as a directive. Read it here and here.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that he is not an ambitious politician. Logically, a non-ambitious person would have never rise as high as him in the first place. He was the Menteri Besar of Johor from 1982 to 1995 and now a Vice President of Umno. I’m betting that he will challenge the top two post and will announce his intention by June 2008. Humility is good. But ambition will make you go further.
MIC is asking a yearly fund of RM300 millions from the government to help the Indian community. I do not understand the request of this fund as the people already have the proper channels to ask for government’s assistance. For instance, the MIC President said that the fund will be spent on agro-based business development and school affairs. I think that is the reason why we have Agricuture Ministry and the Education Ministry not to mention the Rural Development Industry in the first place. In my opinion, this is just a ploy to increase his war chest in the face of party elections coming up soon. Being unemployed sucks with no source of income to appease his supporters’ appetites.
The civil servants need not to be selfish in serving their role, so says the Raja of Perlis. It is sad for the civil servants to be reminded about this issue time and time again unless they actually are known to be selfish and corrupt. Are they?
MONDAY 19th May 2008
Tun Dr Mahathir and Tan Sri Sanusi Junid quit from Umno. Too many analysis and opinions came forth from this issue. From my observations, people tend to see all the good and bad things brought forward by Dr Mahathir during his 22 year tenureship as the Prime Minister. However, people often forget that he is the last surviving Prime Minister who had directly involve in the fight for the Independence. He was one of the first, original Umno members and he was among the people who had decided to defend the sovereignity of the Malay rulers against the creation of Malayan Union. Thus we must not see him as only a former Prime Minister but also as one of the founding fathers of Independence. In 1957, Tun Abdul Razak (then Datuk) became the Deputy Prime Minister at the age of 34. Tun Dr Mahathir, was 32 at the time and was actively involved in the nation building process eventhough he wasn’t politically active at that time. To confine his good deeds just within his 22 year rule is seemed unfair. At least he should be applauded for his efforts and sacrifices made during the fight for Independence. Without Tunku Abdul Rahman and his Umno members (including Dr Mahathir) in that era, we can never be as prosperous as we are today.
Melaka opened a new landmark called ‘Menara Taming Sari’. A gyro-viewing tower which can accomodate up 3,500 people during the weekends. Also billed as the highest viewing tower in the world.
TUESDAY 20th May 2008
AirAsia Bhd owes MAHB RM110 millions since 2002. And the amount owed did not show in AirAsia’s financial statements! Tony Fernandes sounded more and more like a petulant child complaining and throwing tantrums needlessly.
Efficient robbers came in wearing only their underwear and facemasks and robbed a house in Miri. I think their leader went to time management course some time ago and practiced this time saving method in order to save time (robbing and raping).
Illegal parking operators are a menace to the public and thank god DBKL is catching these unscrupulous people under their ‘Operasi Jaga’.
Malaysian bloggers ought to be happy they are living in a country where the media freedom is very much lax as compared to their neighbour down south. And to think most of the Malaysian bloggers like to migrate there! If we use the yardstick used by the Singaporean government, most of the bloggers and their commenters in Malaysia would be hauled up in jail (judging from the awful comments in most of Malaysia Today’s articles).
Datuk Nallakarupan, now the President of a new found party - Malaysian Indian United Party, met Pak Lah for about 5 minutes and declared his undying loyalty and love towards the Prime Minister. Nallakarupan was infamous for his friendship with Datuk Anwar Ibrahim but suffered a fall out after the latter did not select the former to stand in the Ijok by election a couple of years ago. Anyway, all this brown nosing made me sick.
Where are you? 1,649 children have been missing since 2002 and not much has been done to deter the rising crime index. Somebody must be sleeping somewhere.
THURSDAY 22nd May 2008
Tun Dr Mahathir gave a stinging reply towards Tun Musa Hitam’s assertions that the former is a ‘thorn in the flesh’. It is true with what some people are thinking. Dr Mahathir outside Umno is more dangerous to Pak Lah’s government than when he was inside it. I bet some people would be more cautious before they launch any attack towards him. Tasting one’s own medicine can be very bitter indeed.
Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz arrogantly declared that Umno will do better without Dr Mahathir in it. Two questions came to my mind the moment I saw his interview here. One, is Umno can be better with him (Nazri) in it and two, will Umno going to be stronger in the coming months when it is being led by someone like Pak Lah?
And the picture of the week;
Pak Lah fell asleep during a press conference while his deputy spoke on during an Umno Supreme Council Meeting last Wednesday night. Sheesh..!
I have always stated that people need to judge the leaders very carefully before pledging their support and loyalty towards them. This support and loyalty could be an act of misplaced blind faith towards the wrong kind of leader.
In my previous post, I touched upon the issue of an apparent blackmailing activity by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with regards to a certain defence lawyer - VK Lingam. One of the accomplice is Loh Gwo Burne. In that post, I had mentioned about this incident in the paragraphs below;
“In the recent interview with BBC HardTalk, Dr Mahathir mentioned that Anwar was blackmailing VK Lingam via the secret recordings made in 2001. At this point, the allegations of fixing the appointment of top judges in the country is not relevant to me. What is more telling was the act of blackmailing VK Lingam itself. The one that was taking the recording was non other than Loh Gwo Burne.
This political greenhorn, who is still learning to speak proper Bahasa Malaysia, became the MP of Kelana Jaya under the PKR ticket in 2008 general election. Although Gwo Burne stated that he recorded the conversation out of boredom, it was a full 14 minutes recording nevertheless. He could test his new found camera at the time to record everything else, but he chose to record VK Lingam’s conversation non stop for the whole 14 minutes. Furthermore, what astonished me was the fact that Anwar kept the original copy all this while. How did he get the copy? From Gwo Burne himself no doubt.
Now, Gwo Burne is offering his seat for Anwar to contest in the possible by-election. That whole event was suspiciously conspired by Anwar. If blackmailing is Anwar’s modus operandi in obtaining power and gaining political mileage, we will see another round of surrendering our sovereignty to foreign powers.”
Today, Dr Mahathir spoke his thoughts about the same incident. He said that the objective of the recording was to undermine the credibility of VK Lingam who incidentally was the defence lawyer for Dr Mahathir against the defamation suit of Anwar Ibrahim.
SHAH ALAM: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has questioned the way in which the V.K. Lingam clips were released by his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The former prime minister said the fact that the clips were released in batches was not mentioned in the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s hearing into the matter.
“Anwar did not give the full tape at one go. He released the tape in two parts,’’ he said. “That constitutes tampering of evidence because we do not know what he kept behind and how many more tapes he has.”
He said this was the work of Anwar, who wanted to undermine the credibility of Lingam as he was Dr Mahathir’s lawyer.
“He has succeeded in making Lingam not credible and now Lingam cannot defend me in the courts of law.
“I have always emphasised that when people make secret recordings, the intention is to blackmail. And I am afraid this Government has made a blackmail attempt successful,” he said.
Now do we need a leader who has no qualms in blackmailing other people? If we have a leader who blatantly condone or in fact partake in a blackmailing act, shouldn’t we dismiss this kind of person as a leader? Notice how Gow Burne made different stand in his statement during the commission hearing and also after the commission finalised their findings;
KUALA LUMPUR: The person, who took the controversial clip purportedly showing a lawyer brokering the appointment of judges over a mobile phone, said it was made by accident.
Loh Gwo Burne, the 34-year-old son of businessman Loh Mui Fah, said he was trying to take a picture of a vase when he realised his digital camera was on video mode.
“I then continued to record the conversation between Datuk V.K. Lingam and the other person on the other line.
“I was bored and fed up with the lawyer for constantly talking on the phone, as he was supposed to discuss legal matters with my father,” said the 12th witness on the sixth day of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the video clip yesterday.
When Thayalan pointed out that the camera seemed to be placed behind a book, as it seemed from the video, Gwo Burne said he was reading a magazine and a coffeetable book at that time, and that the camera was hung around his neck.
PETALING JAYA: The real work has only just begun with the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the V.K. Lingam video clip, said Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne.
Loh, who recorded the video clip, said the findings should open the way for further investigations into whether there were other similar cases within the judiciary.
“This is just the flagpole at the tip of the iceberg. Who knows if there are others who are doing what V.K. Lingam did?” he said when contacted yesterday.
He was asked to comment on the findings of the report.
One has to question his intention in recording the incident. Was it just because he was bored, or did he have some other sinister, ulterior motive? Reading between the lines in his latest statement above, it seems that it was all along his intention to snare VK Lingam.
And just because he took part in the blackmailing process, he was selected as a candidate of PKR in the last general election and consequently became an MP for Kelana Jaya. What a prize to be won for helping a leader blackmailing others as a political mileage. But of course, the public were quite senseless and fickle in their selection criteria. We are fed with so much propaganda and political misdirections that the public became utterly incapable of wisely choosing their own representative to the government. If blackmailing is condoned by these kind of leaders, imagine what kind of dirty tactics and other acts of power abuse they can do to you, the public.
Hence, the blackmailing MP and his blackmailing mentor got their way in blackmailing the government and the public. Now I am not saying that what VK Lingam did was right. Pending the Commission’s findings made public, any act of trying to broker the appointment of judges and influencing the top leaders decisions in appointing judges is a huge offence by anyone’s standards. But the act of blackmailing nonetheless, is wrong. You do not make two wrongs to make a right. An evil deed is still evil regardless whether it’s a lesser or greater evil.
Am I the only one who sees blackmail as a selfish, despicable act? Also, am I the only one who think that the BN MPs are just a bunch of ignorant idiots who are not doing anything in highlighting this gross act? Dr Mahathir had even complained on the issue of tampering with evidence. But nobody seemed to take the cue. Oh well, stupidity had always been the cause of many governments’ and nations’ downfall. I pray that the people would choose their leaders wisely in the future.
Update 14 May 2008:
Loh Gwo Burne made a boo boo in his interview with The Star today :
KUALA LUMPUR: The VK Lingam video clip shown to the Royal Commission of Inquiry is only some 20% to 30% of what was recorded that night at the prominent lawyer’s house in December 2001.
“I downloaded the video from my private computer into several hard disks and compact discs. When I went to work in China in 2004, I took it along,” Loh told The Star.
“What has been made public is only about 20%-30% of what I filmed,” Loh said.
The Kelana Jaya MP said he had not viewed the videos that he had left in China for some time and therefore could not be precisely sure of what else they contain.
However, from memory, Loh, 34, said he remembered that Lingam had mentioned about how he had manipulated cases to his advantage by using certain lawyers against certain judges to make sure the judgments would be in his favour.
That night in December 2001, he started his camera to film a bowl or vase in Lingam’s house because he was bored to be kept waiting by the lawyer “who was forever on the phone.”
“But when Lingam started asking someone on the other line not to worry, that he would be chief justice soon, I knew I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to document something that may one day help prove something is seriously wrong with the judiciary,” said Loh.
As I said in the original article, Gwo Burne actually had lied during his testimony in the Haidar commission. Originally he said he was bored but now he came out saying the recording was intentional. In my opinion, the credibility of the witness is quite damaged. What more with his own revelation that the 14 minutes recording is only 20% to 30% of the original recording, That means, he recorded a whole 1 hour out of boredom. And what perplexed me is, how can the commission took into account only parts of the main evidence and not the whole of it? Was the commission even aware of the rest of the recording? And why was only 14 minute video recording was released by Datuk Seri Anwar and not the rest of it? Surely there would be some other compelling issues which could have been highlighted to the courts. I smell selective prosecution in the air. Maybe his own name was mentioned in the recording. Maybe some other powerful people were implicated. We can never know.
Anyway, the commission should take into account and watch the whole recording before arriving at their conclusion. Either this was intentional or not, it is a clear case of implied malicious intent in the part of Gow Burne and also I think it is wrong to withold evidence. As for the commission itself, the acceptance of only parts of the evidence would create some reasonable doubt over the judgement itself. The burden of proof should be beyond any reasonable doubt. Hence, the exclusion of the rest of the recording could greatly discredit the commision’s report.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday he would be re-appointed to the top job by his party in December polls and rejected calls to formalise his plans to relinquish power.
Abdullah has faced persistent demands to quit after the coalition led by his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was dealt an unprecedented setback in March general elections.
But despite mounting demands to quickly unveil his plans to hand over to his deputy Najib Razak, he said succession talks would only take place after UMNO’s internal leadership polls in December.
Unbelievable isn’t it? This is what he arrogantly said in his actual words;
“Delegates will continue to give me support during the party election and they will put me as president and Najib as deputy,” he told reporters after a meeting of coalition lawmakers.
“After that Pak Lah and Najib will discuss issues related to transfer,” he said, referring to himself by his nickname. “Why should I not contest the December party polls?”
Sigh. So much for blaming himself. He will never learn, will he?
Eeeii..! tak malunya aku…!
Note that Pak Lah tries to equate his situation to the smooth transition of power from Tun Dr Mahathir to him. Again, Pak Lah misread it. Tun Dr Mahathir tried to resign voluntarily back in 2002 at the height of his popularity. But was asked to give a proper succession period by the grassroots. Whereas for Pak Lah, he is ‘asked’ to step down immediately. Please do not be so ignorant in reading the sentiments. You are in no way in the same league with your predecessor. When people do not want you anymore, please do not justify it by telling people about having a smooth and proper transition of power. You need to pack your bags now!
I know this is tiring to say the least. But I just cannot resist the temptation of posting this one;
Tun Salleh had conveniently excluded the most important figure of all. The one who started all that. The 
By the way, Matthias Chang answered Tun Salleh’s call in 
One has to question his intention in recording the incident. Was it just because he was bored, or did he have some other sinister, ulterior motive? Reading between the lines in his latest statement above, it seems that it was all along his intention to snare VK Lingam.
Hence, the blackmailing MP and his blackmailing mentor got their way in blackmailing the government and the public. Now I am not saying that what VK Lingam did was right. Pending the Commission’s findings made public, any act of trying to broker the appointment of judges and influencing the top leaders decisions in appointing judges is a huge offence by anyone’s standards. But the act of blackmailing nonetheless, is wrong. You do not make two wrongs to make a right. An evil deed is still evil regardless whether it’s a lesser or greater evil.
Eeeii..! tak malunya aku…!
