tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77549583362301310162024-03-19T23:29:01.371+13:00as i sees itFor my son, when he grows up, this site will be my legacy for him. The decisions his mother and I made for him, to understand them, to learn from them and to lead a life without prejudice and to succeed in it on his own merit.asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-59485723990553803312018-06-04T19:52:00.000+12:002018-09-03T19:59:28.323+12:00The country now belongs to the people
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/sharing-the-nation/2018/06/03/change-finally-blame-thyself-umno/"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Change, finally! Blame thyself, Umno?<o:p></o:p></span></a></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">It may have
been a shock win for Pakatan Harapan in the recent election, but the writing
has been on the wall for Barisan Nasional for more than a decade.</span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">AH, finally, change has come! It was simply
inevitable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">I have been writing for over a decade of the
politically manufactured extremism and intolerance within Malay society and how
the 2006 Umno General Assembly was the turning point when a party that had
prided itself as the bedrock of centrist politics, presented an extremist face
to Malaysians on live television.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The histrionics of race and religion under threat,
the </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">keris</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> waving, and the full display of Malay-Muslim
machismo alienated and scared not just the non-Muslims, but the many moderate
and progressive Muslims in the country. Umno had crossed the line. The
belligerent Umno speakers thought they reflected the mood on the ground, only
to fast discover that the ground had shifted from under their feet, as the
President tried vainly to do some damage control with his closing speech.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">By the 2008 general elections, the resounding
victory that then prime minister Abdullah Badawi enjoyed in 2004 based on his
change agenda was overturned. The rakyat inflicted the most crushing blow to
Barisan Nasional. Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor fell to the Opposition, and
the ruling party lost its much vaunted two-thirds majority.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It all went wrong within just four short years.
Abdullah Badawi had led Barisan to its greatest electoral victory ever, winning
199 of 219 parliamentary seats in 2004. He promised to eliminate corruption, to
introduce open tendering for government contracts. He regarded the NGOs as the
eyes and ears of the government, he stood up for women's rights and a
progressive Islam that must be re-interpreted to deal with changing times and
circumstances. He promised a kinder, gentler Malaysia and more open and
democratic politics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">While many of us shared in the fifth Prime
Minister's vision of a democratising, transparent and accountable government
and his promise of an inclusive rule for all Malaysians, his failure to deliver
on much of this grand vision and his inability to take charge of his change
agenda in the face of resistance from powerful centres of power within Umno,
within the civil service, the Police, and even within his own cabinet
eventually led to a massive loss of confidence. It was not supposed to be
business as usual. But on the ground, it was much too much of the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">From the endless manufacturing of a siege and
crisis mentality among the Malays to supremacist speeches in the name of race
and religion, from the Lingam tapes to judicial integrity, from rising crime to
rising prices, local development without public representation, political
leaders behaving badly, and allegations of corruption and cronyism that did not
abate...the electorate was in no mood to wait for the promised change to come
or to even acknowledge that some change had indeed taken place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Anything but Umno</span></b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">I had written after the 2008 general elections that
the massive public repudiation of Barisan was not just a repudiation of the
prime minister's rule, but of all the corrupt, immoral, authoritarianism of
Barisan politics and governance in its 50 years of domination. The public has
had enough.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">That Pakatan Rakyat won votes on a platform of
change from "</span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Ketuanan Melayu</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">" to "</span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Ketuanan</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> Rakyat" and a smorgasbord of
promises to make democracy and good governance work for ALL citizens was beyond
Umno comprehension.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">While the new alliance was fast capturing the
shifting mood of Malaysian voters to a new political centre of equitable and
fairer terms of engagement among the citizens, and between the citizen and the
state, and generating excitement among young voters and community groups that
their voices could indeed bring change, Umno members were more preoccupied with
power grabbing in the run-up to party elections in December 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">They might win party elections whooping their
"</span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Ketuanan Melayu</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">" battle cry, but they would cause the party
to lose the next general elections, I predicted. The ground had shifted, but
they dug deeper into their bad old bag of tricks of race, religion, money
politics, and self-enrichment. I never understood what was there for MCA,
Gerakan and MIC to stay on with Umno and its intemperate and relentless
stomping and condoning of ethno-religious supremacy that was driving away
Chinese and Indian voters into the waiting arms of PKR, DAP and even PAS. The
mood indeed was anything but Umno.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It was clear by 2008 that Malaysian politics was
taking off into an epochal transformation from race-based to issue-based, I
felt. Increasingly, Malaysians were building new solidarities based on issues,
not race or religion. Be it human rights, women's rights, free and fair
elections, democracy, good governance, anti-corruption, freedom of the press,
detention without trial, death in custody, local government, environment, land
rights, quality education, arts and culture, ... it would be issues that would
bring Malaysians of all ethnic backgrounds together, I wrote then.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">So Abdullah was forced into early retirement and
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak became the sixth prime minister, warning Umno to
"change or perish". He called on Umno members to be the eyes and ears
of the rakyat so that Umno could read accurately the pulse of the nation and
translate that into policy and action. He called on the people to restore the
bridges that brought us together and tear the walls that separated us. He
introduced 1Malaysia and he wanted repressive laws repealed and Umno party
rules to be more democratic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Regime crisis</span></b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">That was 2009. But I wrote early on that Najib
might have the dubious honour of being the first Umno President to become
Leader of the Opposition, as I saw no mood for change among Umno leaders and
members. They felt they were the only rakyat that mattered. All they were
preoccupied with was to use the race card to enrich themselves - to get more
handouts and more contracts into their grubby hands.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Almost 11 months after the 2008 elections, Umno
lost a by-election in Kuala Terengganu as PAS, PKR and DAP displayed
unprecedented cohesion and dazzled the voters with their unity, sharing the
same platform everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It had made no difference to Umno thinking and
strategising that 74% of the Malays in the Kuala Terengganu constituency polled
a week before polling day believed that "Malay political power was
weakened by corrupt and self-serving leaders", while only 17% said it was
weakened by "demands made by the non-Malays".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Umno had become a gravy train for personal wealth
accumulation for most of its leaders and members. The party had so lost touch
with the ground that it no longer cared for public opinion. Their rhetoric of
Malay dominance, and race and religion under threat was delusional when more
and more Malays were rejecting them in favour of a multi-ethnic opposition
promising good governance and equitable citizenship rights.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">That a newly cobbled coalition of strange
bedfellows could present a united front and work together as a team and sell
their multi-ethnic agenda to a Malay electorate showed what a pathetic empty
shell Barisan as a multi-ethnic coalition had become.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">2009 under the new leadership brought no respite to
the rakyat. Incident after incident piled up and we felt as if the country was
going to implode. Issues on whether one was a Muslim or not, whether a father
who converted to Islam had the right to unilaterally convert his underage
children, the sentencing of Kartika to caning for drinking a glass of beer, the
arrest and prosecution of then former Perlis Mufti for teaching Islam in a
private home in Selangor without a letter of authorisation...the endless
sledgehammer of persecution in the name of Islam went on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">By 2010, the likes of the belligerent Ibrahim Ali
and Zulkifli Noordin had emerged as the poster boys of Umno and the future the
party believed in. It was their voice and those of their ilk that the
government of the day seemed to listen to. Not the voice of Malaysians, who
believe in our founding fathers' vision of a modern, democratic, secular,
culturally pluralistic and inclusive political community.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Contrary voices were either cowed into silenced or
demonised. More demagogues were organised to whip up Malay sentiment against
any attempts to discuss concerns arising from the makeover of the
Constitutional idea of "the special position of the Malays" into
Malay supremacy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The idea of </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Ketuanan Melayu</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> sits uncomfortably among many
Malaysians, be they Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajaus,
Orang Asal, Eurasians.... It is a racial supremacist idea, a far cry from the
simple reality that Malays as the majority population of this country will
naturally be the politically dominant group.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">And a far cry from the constitutional notion of the
"special position of the Malays" which legitimised affirmative action
as a temporary special measure to enable a historically disadvantaged group to
catch up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Obviously, Malaysia had entered into another
"regime crisis". The NEP-era political phase and governing mechanism
exhaled its last breath on March 8, 2008.The Opposition had still not coalesced
into a viable trusted alternative with a common political vision of Malaysia.
The Barisan Nasional government showed no resolve to deal with the concerns and
contestations over matters of race and religion, and human rights and fundamental
liberties. This pessimism about the future of Malaysia continued to corrode the
body politic and the public sense of well-being.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">By mid-2010, I pronounced in this column that Umno
was beyond redemption. It had regressed into a dinosaur, too huge, too old, too
fossilised in its ways to be able to adapt to new conditions. The sense of
privilege and entitlement was too entrenched for Umno members to ever want to
change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">While UMNO politicians and Perkasa pointed fingers
at other races as a threat to Malay political survival, the Malays themselves
saw something else. A Merdeka Centre survey revealed that 70% of Malays felt
that the main threat to the Malay political position in the country was
corruption among Malay leaders. Only 22% believed it was due to demands made by
other races in the country. This national survey reinforced the Kuala
Terengganu findings of January 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The changing values and changing mood was clear. A
significant 40% of the Malay respondents believed that citizens should be
treated and accorded the same rights in Malaysia, regardless of race and
religion. Forty-five per cent believed that government assistance programmes
only benefited the rich and politically connected. The two top issues all
respondents identified as being the most important in need of change were:
"making the country more democratic" and "making our education
system world class". But 66% of the public felt a sense of powerlessness
that they could influence government policy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">And yet Umno continued to play its dangerous game
for the future of Malaysia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">And it did not care that continuing to abuse race
and religion unabated spelt the death knell to its Barisan partners who could
never hope to deliver the minority votes necessary for the ruling coalition to
maintain power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">No political will</span></b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The then Prime Minister made attempts to bring Umno
back to the centre by calling for the voice of moderation to prevail in
Malaysia, reminding Umno members at the 2010 General Assembly that it was the
Malay trait of moderation that had enabled the community to be accepted as
leaders in a multicultural society.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">But </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">wasatiyyah</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> required political courage. No one
in Umno had the political will to follow words with deeds. Its hypocrisy
continued to stench. Sisters in Islam was called in twice by the Police for
questioning under the Penal Code and the Sedition Act for standing up for
Kartika. For the first time too, a state religious authority issued an official
Friday sermon attacking Sisters in Islam and urged the congregation to take
action against us. Global Movement of Moderates indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">In frustration, I wrote a column in 2011 on whose
voice should prevail in this country. Those who perpetually saw race and
religion under threat and demanded that every person who believed, thought,
behaved, dressed, acted, opined differently should be "fixed" through
many state sanctioned operations - boot camps, rehabilitation camps, punished
under the Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act,
the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Syariah Criminal Offences Act,
or just denounced and demonised as enemies and traitors of race, religion and
country?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Or those who envision a democratic and just future,
where rights are recognised on the basis of citizenship rather than just race,
religion, or sex.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The choice was obvious to most of us, the good
citizens of Malaysia who loved this country, and who were determined to be
resilient, resourceful, and open minded to face the challenges and realities of
the 21st century.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The same old script</span></b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">I was totally frustrated by the endless
manufacturing of many more new threats. From the innocuous fun of </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">poco-poco</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> to the relativism of post-modernism,
from calling Muslims opposed to UMNO and PAS unification as "pengkhianat
Islam" (traitors of Islam) to accusing Christians of plotting to turn
Malaysia into a Christian state! All these of course adding to the existing
long list of threats that included pluralism, liberalism, feminism, secularism,
kongsi raya, open house, tomboys, yoga...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">It was hard to understand why these same actors
were trotting out the same old script that cost the Barisan Nasional government
so dearly in 2008. It's like as if nobody had learnt any lessons from that
political tsunami. Since attacking liberal Muslims and ungrateful Chinese did
not work in 2008, they amended the script to add Christians and even the passé
Communists. Why would an unpopular political party create more enemies, instead
of making friends?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">And to be sure they added the promise of the Hudud
law and its grim serving of chopped off Muslim hands and feet, stoning to
death, crucifixion! What kind of future is that? "It's ok to implement the
Hudud law because it doesn't affect non-Muslims." So it's ok for Muslims
to be brutalised? "Non-Muslims should shut up because it doesn't affect
them." But they are Malaysian citizens who have every right to speak up on
laws that allow for brutal and inhumane punishments against their fellow
citizens, the majority population to boot. "Muslims who are not experts on
Islam should shut up". Then please take religion out of the public sphere
and make it private between us and God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">By 2012, a desperate Umno, which for two decades
under Mahathir's rule had been consistently opposed to the Hudud law, embraced
it as its own. One state assemblyman in Johor proudly proclaimed that the Umno
Hudud would be superior to the PAS Hudud as it would apply to all citizens,
Muslims and non-Muslims! And other Umno leaders and entities in quick
succession echoed the call, lest their piety be questioned. And they stoked the
debate further by trying to portray the upcoming general elections as a choice
between those who wanted the Hudud and the Islamic state and those against.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">I wrote then that the choice before us was not
between Islam and secularism, not between Hudud law and civil law, not between
tradition and modernity. Those were false dichotomies created to divide us. The
choice before us was between democracy and despotism, between good governance
and corruption, between equality and discrimination, between social justice and
inequity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The Umno/Perkasa/Utusan Malaysia nexus and its
orchestrated battle cry of "Malays and Islam under threat" stoked
Malay anxiety - enough to win Umno support and make a nine seat gain in the
2013 general elections. Malays, who saw Umno as its protector, bought into the
emotive appeal that their special rights would be eroded by a Pakatan coalition
that stood for affirmative action based on need, rather than race, and </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Ketuanan Rakyat</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> rather than </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Ketuanan Melayu</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">But the very political strategy that won Umno
support in the rural areas and among some segments of the Malay community, cost
Barisan support among the Chinese, Indians and Malays in urban and semi-urban
areas. For the first time, Barisan won the national elections with less than
50% of the popular vote.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The demands for </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">reformasi</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> that began in 1999 with the sacking
and mistreatment of Anwar Ibrahim was steaming ahead. Barisan popular votes
went down by 10% then and Umno and Barisan were saved by support from the Chinese,
many of whom were spooked by </span><i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">reformasi</span></i><span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> in Indonesia. 2004 was just a blip
in the downward slide with excitement over promises of change by a new Prime
Minister. Performing from bad to worse in two successive general elections was
unprecedented.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">There were yet more calls for change. This time the
then deputy prime minister warned Umno members to "change or be
dead". But no one was listening. Some Umno leaders continued to blame
others for their failures and shortcomings. And this time they told those who
disagreed with them to leave the country. In the past, the retort used to be
vote us out if you don't agree, but by 2013 that was too painfully close to the
truth to even utter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">At the Umno general assembly that year, the debate,
in content and tone, did not provide voters with any indication or hope that
Umno was capable of change to win back the support it had lost in two
successive elections.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The de rigueur threats were made yet again - from
"liberalism, pluralism and secularism", to threats from people who
supposedly attacked "Islam, the Sultans, the national language, the
NEP" all rolled in one breath, and threats from oh, those forever
ungrateful Chinese. And then, of course, the same old demands for more handouts
and economic assistance for the Malays. And nary a curious squeak as to why a
Malay dominated government that has implemented affirmative action policies for
over 40 years, with billions spent on bumiputra empowerment and economic
advancement plus dozens of accompanying policy instruments, have still failed
to address the needs of those left behind and build the resilient commercial
and industrial community as envisaged. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the party deputy
president, gave a dire warning in his closing speech - that just a 2% swing in
votes will cost Barisan to lose power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Forty-four of the 133 Parliamentary seats Barisan
held were regarded as "grey" seats where the party had won by a mere
majority of between 0.1 and 5.9%. Without new initiatives to appeal to the
electorate, Barisan would be in a "precarious position", he warned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">I met a few Umno leaders who were at that general
assembly who said they cringed listening to the speeches and the non-debates.
They felt they were in a sinking ship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Then why didn't you and people like you in Umno
speak out, I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">One said, "Are you kidding me. I speak out, I
turn my back, no one is behind me."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Another said, "I speak out, they will send the
income tax guys knocking on my door at 3am."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The dinosaur was truly paralysed and rotten to the
core. Malaysia has changed, more and more Malays were changing, but Umno
remained trapped in a dance hall, partying to its own music, oblivious that
extinction was near.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">In July 2015, I wrote a column, feeling choked and
suffocated that this country and its rakyat were being crushed and pummelled by
wrecking balls. The wrecking ball of race and religion, of insatiable greed, of
desperation to stay in power, of never-ending sense of entitlements, of
unpunished crimes and abuses, of ideology over rational thinking, justice, and
fair play. These concerns were nothing new. What was new was the breathtaking
scale, the endlessness of it all, and the shamelessness with which the
perpetrators displayed their unscrupulous, destructive and criminal behaviour,
in words and deeds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The 1MDB scandal had broken. We began to live in an
Orwellian world where bad was good and good was bad, where those who revealed
abuses and scandals were detained, questioned, prevented from travelling,
charged in court, sacked from their positions, while those accused proclaimed
their innocence and carried on unimpeached, and buttressed to remain in power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">By this time, I felt Umno was committing hara-kiri.
It added yet more mind-boggling threats - "national security" and
"parliamentary democracy" it seemed were now under threat as more and
more damning evidence of kleptomaniac behaviour at the very top was revealed.
To continue to talk about it posed a threat to the stability of the ruling
party and therefore a threat to democracy and national security! What a mind
leap we were supposed to exercise to believe in this Orwellian construction of
truth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">I never understood why Umno leaders or all the
Barisan MPs still could not see that their rule was over. If the prime minister
continued to lead the party, they would lose GE14. Didn't they consider working
together to put pressure on him to step down in order to save the party and the
country? Didn't they consider working together with the Opposition MPs to mount
a no-confidence motion in Parliament? It was staggering that a Prime Minister
could ever accept RM2.6 billion dollars into his personal account - and still
remain in office. It was as simple as that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">But too many on the Umno bandwagon remained dazzled
by the millions that had been dispensed to them and the many more millions that
they could still make in power. So right up to May 9, they believed they would
still obtain a handsome victory at the polls. The unthinkable, they thought,
could not happen with the money spent, the gerrymandering and malapportionment,
the mid-week polling day, the mainstream media on their side, the threat of
arrests under the fake news law, the threat of an emergency under the new
national security act.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">But we Malaysians have had enough. The promise of
change and the reality that it could happen was electrifying as a 92-year-old
indefatigable former Prime Minister stomped the country to convince enough of
those who were scared of change that they would be in good hands with him at
the helm. My friends and I knew this was the best chance to overthrow a party
that had been in power since independence day. For the first time ever, we
collected money to donate to candidates of our choice. Many of us in the
women's movement volunteered for Maria Chin, raised funds, managed her Bilik
Gerakan, helped with her communications, outreach, worked as PACAs, pounded the
streets at markets and neighbourhoods, and trudged up and down low-cost flats,
to reach out to the voters in Petaling Jaya. We headed to as many ceramahs as
possible in the Klang Valley. The idealistic fresh faces standing on stage
promising a new democratic, inclusive, and clean government gave us hope.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">While so many friends were still too scared to
predict the outcome for certain, I just felt it in my old bones that Pakatan
Harapan would sweep into power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Umno has no one else to blame but itself that
Malays no longer see it as the protector of the race and religion. In swinging
to the far right and representing the interest of only one segment of the Malay
community, it lost the faith of many others that it was able to steer a
moderate path to maintain Malaysia's political stability and prosperity in
collaborative partnership with others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Today, the sun is shining again and I am so, so
proud to be Malaysian. We bucked the global trend of elections bringing into
power conservative and right wing parties. My friends abroad were thrilled that
we Malaysians did it! - Through peaceful elections and a relatively smooth
democratic transition to a new ruling coalition that stands for reform. If in
the recent past they had asked me in despair what went wrong with Malaysia as
it became known for the biggest kleptocracy scandal ever, this time with envy,
they asked, "How did you do it?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The Malaysian electorate has for decades wanted to
see change in the way this country is governed, how law is applied, how
politics is conducted and how business is run. The long standing public demand
for greater transparency and accountability, independence of the judiciary, a
free and responsible press, free and fair elections, a more just and open
political system, an end to police abuse and misuse of power, and an end to the
intricate web of business and politics that bred cronyism and corruption, that
for decades remained unmet, now seem possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">For Pakatan Harapan, winning was the easy job. The
hard work now begins. And I have no doubt that the rakyat will throw them out
if they fail to deliver on their promises. For this election victory is as much
ours as it is theirs. It was us who led the demand for change for decades, and
we never gave up. We delivered the victory to Pakatan. We all feel very
precious about what we have achieved and we will remain vigilant. And we will
not be cowed into silence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Lato; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Today, we live in hope and optimism that all good
things are possible in this new Malaysia. Salam Malaysia Baru, my beloved.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 12.5pt 0cm 6.25pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.45pt; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/sharing-the-nation/2018/06/03/change-finally-blame-thyself-umno/"><span style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Zainah Anwar</span></a></span></b></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-10692433182493681782018-05-11T22:00:00.000+12:002018-05-12T06:02:29.705+12:00Against all odds<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/09/asia/malaysia-elections-results/index.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Prime Minister Najib Razak defeated as opposition claims victory in Malaysia</strong></span></a><br />
<br />
by Marc Lurdes, CNN<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Malaysian
Prime Minister Najib Razak has suffered a stunning election loss to former
leader <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/10/asia/malaysia-election-mahathir-victory-intl/index.html"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">Mahathir Mohamad</span></a>,
who at 92 is set to become the world's oldest leader.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Scandal-plagued Najib, 64, was thrashed at the
polls by a coalition of parties led by Mahathir, who led the country for 22
years and came out of retirement to challenge Najib in the country's 14th
general election.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The defeat is a humiliating fall from grace for
Najib, the scion of one of Malaysia's most prominent political families, and
his coalition party, Barisan Nasional, which had led the country since its
independence 61 years ago.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='720' height='420' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dymV8SsY_jTBMah-7mZZIZEiL3MvRcAsjycE4xddrioa7s2_mFkbf5n17Ko1HnSS-CrLupBPW6Ek9A9bBJTjw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">With all 222 seats in the country's Parliament accounted for, Mahathir's coalition had officially won 121 seats -- enough to form a simple majority and take control of the House. Barisan Nasional, in contrast, only had 79 seats -- a far cry from the 133 it won in the 2013 election.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The bloodbath did not end there -- Najib also saw
several members of his Cabinet, ministers and deputy ministers, defeated at the
polls, and crashed out of eight of the battles for control of 12 state
legislatures contested in the election.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">According to a statement by the country's Election
Commission, over 76% of the 14.3 million eligible voters in the country turned
out to cast their ballots, which opened at 8 a.m. local time and went on until
5 p.m. The turnout was lower than the 85% the country saw in 2013.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">While the defeat surely spells the end of Najib's
political career, for Mahathir, it represents the culmination of a stunning
return to power, a decade-and-a-half after retirement.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Remarkable
victory</span></b></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Mahathir's victory is all the more remarkable
considering he is 92 years old, and was fighting the very party he led for over
two decades.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Bridget Welsh, a John Cabot University expert on
Malaysian politics, said Barisan Nasional could have won the elections had it
not been for Najib.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">"Najib is a liability. His narcissism cost
them the elections," she said, of a Barisan Nasional campaign that
featured Najib and his election promises as a centrepiece.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Welsh added Najib's re-election campaign never
really took off.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">"He used racial politics and money, like he
did in 2013, but it did not have the same traction.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">"This was a Malaysian tsunami across races,
generations and background."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">James Chin, the director at the Asia Institute in
the University of Tasmania, said Najib had "finally run out of
tricks" and said Mahathir had pulled off a masterstroke in snatching the
rural vote away from Najib.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">He compared the campaign speeches given by the two
men on Tuesday night, hours before voting began. "Najib was still playing
the bribery game -- you give me your vote, I give you this or that. Mahathir,
on the other hand, came across as a statesman and appealed to Malay
dignity," he said.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Chin called out two things that helped turn the
tide against Najib -- a high voter turnout and the swing in rural support.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">"Even if the rural voters didn't understand
1MDB, they understood that some monkey business was happening. And so the Najib
brand became toxic," he said.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Comeback
for Anwar?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">One of the twists of the election came in the form
of Mahathir's embrace of Anwar Ibrahim, his former deputy and later political
foe, whom he <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9904/13/anwar.01/"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">once jailed on
sodomy and corruption charges critics said were politically motivated</span></a>.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Anwar remains imprisoned after being found guilty
of sodomy a second time in 2015 -- a charge he has also said is politically
motivated. He's expected to be released in June, after serving the bulk of the
sentence.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Prior to the election Mahathir pledged he would
step aside for Anwar, after securing him a royal pardon. Mahathir has pledged
only to serve two years before handing over to his former rival.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Calling it an "unprecedented" alliance in
Malaysian politics, Welsh told CNN before the election the two former political
enemies had "not only a strategic (alliance) but one based on an idea of
statesmanship, of moving the country in a different direction.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">"It speaks a lot to the character of both
Mahathir and Anwar that they can come together," she said.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">"I don't think it's been easy for either of
them. For Mahathir he's had to face some of the things he's done, and to
apologize. For Anwar, it's to go along with someone who's created a lot of harm
to his family."</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;">A
contentious election</span></b></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Najib had been <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/06/asia/najib-razak-malaysia-general-election-intl/index.html"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">under massive
pressure</span></a> in the run up to the elections, chiefly due to long-running
allegations of corruption and misappropriation of money from a state fund,
known as the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, but also because of deeply unpopular
moves such as the introduction of a goods and services tax (GST), which many
Malaysians feel has caused the cost of living to spike sharply.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The elections have been contentious. Najib came
under fire from opposition parties and civil society groups for a <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjEq7OZpvjaAhUFQI8KHYlCDzsQFggoMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freemalaysiatoday.com%2Fcategory%2Fnation%2F2018%2F04%2F03%2Fredelineation-has-created-race-dominant-constituencies-says-bersih%2F&usg=AOvVaw3fzSv3PV0v3NV049Kv4LT2" target="_blank"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">redrawing of electoral lines </span></a>that skewed constituencies
heavily in favor of his ruling coalition, towards the rural ethnic Malay-Muslim
voters that have traditionally formed Barisan Nasional's power base, and away
from the urban voters that have largely abandoned his coalition.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Najib also rammed through a bill in Parliament,
days before it was dissolved and elections were called, that was ostensibly <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/30/asia/malaysia-anti-fake-news-bill-intl/index.html"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">targeted at
curbing the spread of fake news</span></a>, but which critics said was aimed at
stifling free speech and dissenting voices. Mahathir has become one of the
first people to be investigated under the law.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">There was also deep unhappiness at the fact that
the elections were held on a weekday -- only the fifth time in the country's <a href="https://www.malaymail.com/s/1618331/ge14-not-the-first-weekday-polling-date-in-countrys-history" target="_blank"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">history such a thing has happened</span></a>, and the first time in the
country's history it was held in midweek. Many believed that the choice to have
it on a weekday was a deliberate attempt to suppress the number of votes cast.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The country's Election Commission also came under
significant fire, with overseas voters furious about the length of time it took
them to get their postal voting ballots.<a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/08/postal-ballot-delay-among-issues-raised-in-london-bersih-rally/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;"> Malaysians in London staged a protest </span></a>earlier this week
excoriating the commission for the late arrival of their ballot papers.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;">Election
day controversies</span></b></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Polling day came with its own share of
controversies. Voters in some areas were turned away by election officials for
wearing shorts and flip-flops, despite a statement from the Electoral
Commission's chairman the day before that there wouldn't be a dress code for
voters.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">There were also allegations of <a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/423859" target="_blank"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;">discrepancies in
voting papers</span></a>, with some voters who turned up to cast their ballots
told that they had already voted.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Earlier in the day, opposition politicians claimed
their<a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/423830" target="_blank"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;"> phones and
email accounts had been hacked and spammed</span></a>, saying it was a
deliberate attempt to disrupt their communications.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Vote counting by officials went on into the
morning, with final results still pending. Najib and Prime Minister-elect
Mahathir are expected to address the nation early Thursday. And for the rest of
the country, the party has already begun -- May 10 and May 11 have already been
declared public holidays in celebration of one of the most remarkable moments
in Malaysia's modern history.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "cnn"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><em>Marc
Lourdes is a former Asia director of CNN Digital now based in Kuala Lumpur.
Follow him on Twitter at </em><a href="https://twitter.com/marclourdes" target="_blank"><span style="color: #006598; text-decoration: none;"><em>@marclourdes</em></span></a><em>.</em></span></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-12782255298928023592018-05-11T21:00:00.000+12:002018-05-12T06:01:14.117+12:00Touching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Moment before the swearing in of the 7th Malaysia Prime Minister </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='800' height='500' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKulrEbP4rJQB7qqvb_eX-NYeFLL-QPgGJ9QaAarFg40jg2BlKvjRlsJoD4yPwOL7USeC7s8RmG3bfy6vhvg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-63829608714468562402018-05-10T03:00:00.000+12:002018-05-12T05:55:04.683+12:00A new dawn<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Setting a world benchmark in reclaiming democracy</span></u></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/424121">William De Cruz</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Malaysians set
a world benchmark, a gold standard in how to reclaim democracy against all odds
yesterday. The government coalition that had lorded over a country with various
alliances for 61 years threw everything against its citizens for the 14th
general election - the judiciary, the police, the universities system, the
election commission, its very parliament, race and religion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Gerrymandering
and malapportionment saw some federal constituencies with as little as a few
thousand voters sit side-by-side with seats that housed more than 150,000
registered voters.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESRVxlQbQu0/WvV-U9KmzYI/AAAAAAAAAa8/DT421HhoDFEAbgB9J-xoDQcUtzJW1ikKQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/FMT-pakatan-harapan-reuters.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESRVxlQbQu0/WvV-U9KmzYI/AAAAAAAAAa8/DT421HhoDFEAbgB9J-xoDQcUtzJW1ikKQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/FMT-pakatan-harapan-reuters.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></b></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Our
nation is reborn</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></b></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This
was a voting population that saw its very government as adversary. Yet, like no
other country in modern history, millions turned up yesterday and overthrew a
murderous, corrupt regime without shedding one drop of blood. There were no
riots, no looting, burning of cars, homes or shops, ugly manifestations of
religious or racial bigotry, ignorance or intolerance.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Instead,
the people of a multi-racial country that is home to the world's
fastest-growing religion, Islam, as well as the two biggest races on the
planet, Chinese and Indians, embraced one another to rise above despots,
division, discrimination and the albatross of the voting system itself, to
unseat a prime minister and coalition that would have sold Malaysian down the
drain in return for self-preservation, enrichment and aggrandisement.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
plot twists and ironies that led Malaysia to this historic day could not have
been better scripted by the best of Hollywood.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Two
men, powerfully galvanising individuals who were each nemesis to the other for
nearly two decades - Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Mahathir Mohamad - forged the most
unlikely of political alliances. One remains a prisoner, the other put him
there in shameful circumstances that were played out under the glare of world
media spotlights.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
prisoner has shown how the sheer power of forgiveness can transcend the most
painful of pasts. The image of Anwar and Mahathir shaking hands as allies, at
one of Anwar's more recent court appearances, is now regarded by many as the
turning point for the alliance that is now government-in-waiting.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
jailor and nation-builder declares he has now to free Anwar.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
most honourable Lim Kit Siang, Malaysia's longest-standing patriot, a walking
symbol of long-standing and unrelenting parliamentary opposition, and the
epitome of statesmanship, has carried magnanimity and self-sacrifice to another
plane entirely.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Lim
has embraced Mahathir, who had also thrown him into jail, and placed his
aspirations for Malaysia centre stage for the sake of a pact the likes of
which no other country has seen.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And
yesterday, out of racism, corruption and bigotry emerged unity, determination
and a sense of purpose - to forge a new future, a new hope, a new country for
ourselves and our children.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Malaysians
have shown a uniqueness that is as palpable as it is inspiring, and we
must give ourselves the time and space to be very, very proud of what we have
achieved today.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We
have snatched back democracy from the jaws of destruction, so Malaysia may be
rebuilt all over, with the multi-racial, democratic and egalitarian ideals of
its founding fathers and earliest patriots.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We
have come from the race riots of May 13, 1969, to the multi-racial juggernaut
of May 9, 2018. We fought back without bloodshed or violence. We have
returned “Merdeka” - freedom, independence - to our shores. The future is
now full of promise, and it's a promise we made to ourselves.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The
singular event of May 9 will powerfully resonate forever in our history as
a glorious chapter in a people's tenacity.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yesterday,
Malaysians became a beacon to the rest of the world, and delivered a new lesson
in non-violent opposition. The world has not seen such a reversal of fortune as
Malaysia's. We are a walking, living legacy.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This
is Malaysia, like no other country in the world.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>WILLIAM
DE CRUZ is former Global Bersih president</em></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-8224779996546416732015-07-24T22:15:00.000+12:002015-07-25T10:01:34.012+12:001 Massive Debt Baggage<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">The Scandal that ate
Malaysia</span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">The near collapse of a state-owned company has rocked the government,
rattled investors, and stirred public outrage</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">by </span><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/authors/ABoSmjFWGTg/yoolim-lee"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Yoolim Lee</span></a><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AQd9ZfFdhZY/elffie-chew"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Elffie Chew</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">July 22, 2015</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In the spring of 2013, Song Dal Sun, head of securities investment at
Seoul-based Hanwha Life Insurance, sat down to a presentation by a Goldman
Sachs banker. The young Goldman salesman, who had flown in from Hong Kong, made
a pitch for bonds to be issued by 1Malaysia Development Bhd., a state-owned
company closely tied to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">It was enticing. The 10-year, dollar-denominated bonds offered an
interest rate of 4.4 percent, about 100 basis points higher than other
A-minus-rated bonds were yielding at the time, he recalls. But Song, a veteran
of 25 years in finance, sensed something was amiss. With such an attractive
yield, 1MDB could easily sell the notes directly to institutional investors
through a global offering. Instead, Goldman Sachs was privately selling 1MDB
notes worth $3 billion backed by the Malaysian government. “Does it mean
‘explicit guarantee’?” he recalls asking the Goldman salesman, whom he declined
to name. “I didn’t get a straight answer,” Song says. “I decided not to buy
them.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The bond sale that Song passed up is part of a scandal that has all but
sunk 1MDB, rattled investors, and set back Malaysia’s quest to become a
developed nation. Najib, who also serves as Malaysia’s finance minister, sits
on 1MDB’s advisory board as chairman. The scandal’s aftershocks have rocked his
office, his government, and the political party he leads, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #f3f3f3; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">United Malays National Organisation</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">, or UMNO. A state investment company
trumpeted as a cornerstone of Najib’s economic policy after he became prime
minister in April 2009, 1MDB is now mired in debts of at least $11 billion.
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a one-time political mentor who’s
turned on Najib, says “vast amounts of money” have “disappeared” from 1MDB
funds. 1MDB has denied the claim and said all of its debts are </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #f3f3f3; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">accounted
for</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">. The prime minister’s
office declined to comment for this article.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">From the moment in 2009 when Najib took over a sovereign wealth fund set
up by the Malaysian state of oil-rich Terengganu and turned it into a
development fund owned by the federal government, 1MDB has been controversial.
Since the beginning of this year—with coverage driven by the</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> Sarawak
Report</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">, a blog, and</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> The Edge</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">, a local business weekly—the scandal has
moved closer and closer to the heart of government, sparking calls for Najib’s
ouster and recalling Malaysia’s long struggle with corruption and economic
disappointment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, now accuses Najib of
“hijacking” the Terengganu Investment Authority, or the TIA, from the state
government. Not so, 1MDB said in a statement: The state government willingly
“decided to withdraw from the TIA” after the federal government guaranteed the
TIA’s bonds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">That didn’t end the argument. Beginning in March, as public pressure
grew, the country’s auditor general, the parliament’s public accounts
committee, the central bank, and the police have all homed in on 1MDB. The
force of the scandal helped topple the ringgit, the worst-performing currency
in Asia as of July 16, down 8.1 percent against the dollar since the start of
the year. Foreign reserves plunged 20 percent in June from a year earlier.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">On July 3, the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, citing documents from
government probes, reported that investigators believe almost $700 million in
cash moved through state agencies, banks, and companies linked to 1MDB before
eventually finding its way into Najib’s personal accounts. The money reportedly
included two transactions—one worth $620 million; another, $61 million—made in
March 2013, two months before a general election returned Najib to power as
part of the Barisan Nasional, or National Front, coalition.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In a country with no public campaign financing and few strictures on
political donations, the alleged cash flows caused alarm. Before the 2013
election, on March 12, 1MDB Chairman Lodin Wok Kamaruddin and Khadem Al
Qubaisi, then chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments, signed an agreement to
form a joint venture. The following month, 1MDB announced it had raised $3
billion for its share of the partnership. “1MDB opted for a private placement
to ensure the timely completion of this economic initiative,” the company said
in a statement on April 15 of that year.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">The timing was controversial. “1MDB may have been created with one of
the key objectives being to raise a slush fund to finance Barisan Nasional’s
election campaigns,” says MP Tony Pua, of the opposition Democratic Action
Party. A statement from the prime minister’s office dismissed the allegations
in the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, saying they amounted to “political sabotage”
at the hands of “certain individuals to undermine confidence in our economy,
tarnish the government, and remove a democratically elected prime minister.” In
a statement, 1MDB said it “has never provided any funds to the prime minister.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Malaysia’s biggest-ever financial scandal</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> has spotlighted a colorful cast of
characters—some connected to 1MDB, some not. A politician since the age of 23,
the mustachioed Najib is the eldest son of the country’s second prime minister
following its independence from Britain in 1957, Abdul Razak Hussein, and a
nephew of the third, Hussein Onn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, is an influential figure in her own right.
A former executive at Island & Peninsular, a real estate company, she’s
often lampooned in the local media for her bouffant hairstyle and penchant for
luxury.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Riza Aziz, Rosmah’s
son from her first marriage, is close to a Kuala Lumpur man about town who’s
been linked to 1MDB named Low Taek Jho. Jho Low, as he’s known, is a whiz-kid
dealmaker who exploded onto the gossip pages in 2009. One photo shows the
moon-faced Low partying with California socialite Paris Hilton and clutching a
bottle of Cristal champagne. The prime minister’s stepson co-founded a Los
Angeles company that produced <i>The Wolf of Wall Street</i>, the 2013 film
about lifestyle excesses and criminal exploits in the world of finance; Low got
a full-screen “special thanks” credit at the end of Wolf. Low helped set up
1MDB’s first joint venture, with PetroSaudi International, according to reports
in <i>The Edge</i> and the <i>Sarawak Report</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">An additional touch
of glamour comes from Goldman Sachs executive Tim Leissner, a lanky, blue-eyed
German who’s married to former U.S. fashion model and designer Kimora Lee
Simmons, the ex-wife of Russell Simmons, co-founder of New York hip-hop music
label Def Jam Recordings. In September 2013, when Najib and Rosmah traveled to
San Francisco to open a new office of Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia’s sovereign
wealth fund, Rosmah and Simmons were photographed together. Leissner, now
Goldman’s Southeast Asia chairman, was a fixture in Malaysian dealmaking in the
late 2000s. Goldman helped manage billionaire T. Ananda Krishnan’s 2009 initial
public offering of Maxis, Malaysia’s biggest mobile phone service provider.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Goldman established a
close and profitable relationship with 1MDB. From 2012 to 2013, the bank
arranged three bond sales for the company, totaling $6.5 billion. Fees,
commissions, and expenses for Goldman totaled $593 million—about 9.1 percent of
the money raised—according to a person familiar with the sales. “These
transactions were individually tailored financing solutions, the fee and
commissions for which reflected the underwriting risks assumed by Goldman Sachs
on each series of bonds, as well as other prevailing conditions at the time,
including spreads of credit benchmarks, hedging costs, and general market
conditions,” says Hong Kong–based Goldman spokesman Edward Naylor.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In 2013, Goldman
arranged 1MDB’s $3 billion bond sale, the one passed up by Hanwha Life’s Song.
The note is included in JPMorgan’s benchmark Asian and Emerging-Market Bond
indexes. Goldman’s commissions, fees, and expenses from the sale were $283
million, or 9.4 percent of the amount raised, according to the prospectus. The
person familiar with the transaction says Goldman’s take was high because the
bank bought bonds from 1MDB, assuming the risk, and then resold them to
customers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In many ways, 1MDB’s
star-crossed existence mirrors the misfortunes of this country of 30 million
people. Najib set up 1MDB at a time when the Malaysian economy was on the mend;
it expanded by 7.4 percent in 2010, becoming one of the fastest growing in
Southeast Asia. The company—supported by the advisory board chaired by Najib
and including high-ranking government officials from China, Saudi Arabia, and
the United Arab Emirates—set out to be a state-owned strategic development company
that would forge global partnerships, draw foreign investment to Malaysia, and
build up the country’s industrial base.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Early on, 1MDB formed
joint ventures with Saudi and Abu Dhabi companies. On a visit to Malaysia in
July 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a signing ceremony that
was meant to initiate discussions on 1MDB’s plan to issue Samurai bonds
guaranteed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. None of these plans
panned out as they were supposed to. Over time, to its growing number of
detractors, 1MDB looked more and more like a giant black box, its inner
workings echoing the mysteries suggested by the wayang kulit, traditional
shadow puppets, that frolic on the office walls of the Kuala Lumpur–based
company.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">1MDB, which has
announced plans to wind itself down, is reducing its debt, according to
President Arul Kanda. “1MDB has undertaken various initiatives to reduce the
company’s debt levels and ensure that maximum value is generated for its 100
percent shareholder, the Ministry of Finance,” Kanda said in a statement to
Bloomberg Markets on July 16. As part of the plan, 1MDB has repaid a $975
million loan, while more than 40 potential investors have shown interest in one
of its property developments, Bandar Malaysia. He said the company also intends
to sell its power plants. “We are focused and are making good progress,” he
said.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The 1MDB story begins
in 2008</span></strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">. In December of that year, Terengganu, a sultanate
located across the Malay Peninsula from Kuala Lumpur, got federal government
approval to set up its sovereign wealth fund, the TIA. Goldman Sachs and Boston
Consulting Group advised the TIA in its early days. Jho Low advised the TIA
from January to mid-May, according to a statement released on his behalf to
local media in May 2014.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In May 2009, the TIA
raised 5 billion ringgit ($1.3 billion) through the sale of 30-year Islamic
bonds. Guaranteed by the federal government, they were offered at an interest
rate of 5.75 percent. In fact, according to Mahathir, the bonds were sold at a
discounted price that effectively yielded bondholders 7 percent. “Who approved
such terrible terms for a loan to a government-owned company?” the former prime
minister asked on his blog. 1MDB said in response that the effective yield was
actually 6.15 percent and was reasonable considering that these were Malaysia’s
first 30-year notes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Two months later, the
Najib government quietly took over the TIA and renamed it 1MDB. As the new
company was getting up and running, the well-connected Low laid the groundwork
for 1MDB’s dealings with the Saudis, according to reports in <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Edge</span></em> and the <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sarawak Report</span></em>. The son of
a wealthy Malaysian businessman, Larry Low, Jho studied at Harrow, an elite
London boarding school. While there, he met Najib’s stepson, Riza Aziz, who was
studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and came to
know Riza’s mother, Rosmah, when she visited London, according to a New York
Times report in February. Later, at the Wharton School at the University of
Pennsylvania, he took a semester off to start a company called Wynton Group,
managing $25 million pooled mostly from his friends’ families, according to an
interview he gave to Malaysia’s Star newspaper in 2010.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In a similar vein,
Low’s role at 1MDB involved “OPM”—other people’s money, says a former business
associate in Kuala Lumpur. By now, Low had assembled an impressive array of
connections. On Sept. 7, 2009, Low met Patrick Mahony, an executive of
PetroSaudi International, in New York, according to a report in <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Edge</span></em>. Tarek Obaid, a
co-founder of PetroSaudi, had introduced them to each other via e-mail on Aug.
28, the report said. It didn’t take long for 1MDB and PetroSaudi to cobble
together a $2.5 billion joint venture. Mahony didn’t respond to e-mailed questions.
Obaid couldn’t be reached for comment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">As it got off the
ground, 1MDB worked with more than a dozen financial institutions, but it
forged especially close ties with Goldman. A helping hand came from Roger Ng,
Goldman’s head of Southeast Asia sales and fixed-income trading, a Malaysian
national well-known for his connections to politicians and tycoons, according
to two people who know him. Leissner, then based in Singapore as Goldman’s
co-president for Southeast Asia, played a key role in expanding the bank’s
business in Malaysia. He declined to comment for this article. Ng, who left
Goldman last year, didn’t respond to phone calls or a text message.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In December 2009,
Goldman won a license from Malaysia’s Securities Commission to set up fund
management and corporate finance advisory operations in the country. “The
future outlook for Malaysia’s capital markets and its asset management industry
is very positive,” Leissner said in a statement released by the commission at
the time. “Through our local presence, we look forward to playing a larger role
in their development.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">For 1MDB, Goldman
played multiple roles. In 2012, it advised the firm on its acquisition of
Tanjong Energy Holdings from Malaysian billionaire Krishnan and domestic power
plants from Genting, a conglomerate. The following year, the bank helped 1MDB
purchase the Jimah Energy Ventures power plant in Selangor, Malaysia, a deal
that was completed in 2014.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">The true extent of
the trouble at 1MDB didn’t become apparent until late last year. Scandal aside,
2014 was a difficult year for Najib and his government. First came the
disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and all 239 people on board in
March. Then, in July, Flight 17, also operated by the state-owned airline,
crashed near Donetsk in strife-torn eastern Ukraine, possibly after being hit
by a surface-to-air missile; all 298 passengers and crew died. It was around
that time that the <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sarawak
Report</span></em> and <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
Edge</span></em>, under longtime editor Ho Kay Tat, began their exposés of
1MDB, adding to Najib’s woes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">The <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sarawak Report</span></em> was founded
by Clare Rewcastle Brown, who was born in Sarawak, a state on the island of
Borneo, of British parents and now runs the site out of London. (Her husband,
Andrew Brown, who recently retired as the head of media relations at EDF
Energy, is the brother of former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown.) Earlier
this year, the website claimed to have obtained e-mails and other documentation
showing how Jho Low and several business associates siphoned $700 million from
1MDB’s venture with PetroSaudi Holdings, which was registered in the Cayman
Islands in the Caribbean. Low, who has denied playing any role in 1MDB after
the work he did for the TIA, didn’t respond to requests for an interview or to
e-mailed questions. The government, without giving any details, has tried to
discredit the e-mails as reported by the <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sarawak
Report</span></em>, saying the communications may have been tampered with. Then
on July 19, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it had
blocked the <em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sarawak Report’s</span></em>
website in Malaysia for publishing content that could “destabilize the
country.” Rewcastle Brown said she won’t be impeded by the government’s action,
describing it as the “latest blow to media freedom.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In an unprecedented
crackdown, Malaysian authorities this year have arrested more than 150
journalists, activists, opposition politicians, and lawyers on sedition charges
or under a peaceful assembly act that strictly regulates public protests. One
of Malaysia’s best-known political cartoonists, who goes by the name Zunar, has
been charged with nine counts of sedition and faces up to 43 years in prison.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">On June 22, Thai
Police arrested a tattooed Swiss national named Xavier Justo, a former
executive at 1MDB investment partner PetroSaudi International, on the resort
island of Koh Samui. Police said they suspected Justo of trying to extort money
from PetroSaudi and leaking e-mails about the oil company’s dealings with 1MDB.
Justo denied the allegations, the Bangkok Post reported.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Adding to a climate
of fear and tension, the Malaysian police launched an investigation into
whether government officials, including central bank personnel, were behind the
leaking of documents that allegedly showed 1MDB money turning up in Najib’s
accounts. The central bank on July 12 denied any impropriety.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As allegations swirl
around him</span></strong><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">, the stakes for Najib are high. Not only is he prime
minister and finance minister; he’s also president of a political machine,
UMNO, that has been in power since Malaysia’s independence. What’s more, he’s
chairman of the Khazanah Nasional sovereign wealth fund, which had $29 billion
under management at the end of 2014. “Power is too concentrated to one person,”
says Zaid Ibrahim, a former law minister who built the country’s largest law
firm. He says the total lack of checks and balances in Malaysia has led to
abuse of power.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">In the early days of
Najib’s rule, Malaysians had more cause for optimism than now, says Danny Quah,
an economics professor at the LSE. Like many successful Malaysians overseas,
Quah has maintained ties with his native country. He served on Malaysia’s
National Economic Advisory Council from 2009 to 2011, and he still vividly
recalls a day—March 30, 2010—when Najib stood in front of global investors and
promised a “1Malaysia” where all Malaysians of different races would work
together toward one goal—turning Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020. At
the time, Najib had enough popular support to aim high. “Right then, it was a
golden opportunity,” Quah says. “It’s a moment that passed.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #fff2cc;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><em><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This story appears in
the September issue of </span></em><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/markets-magazine" target="_blank" title="Bloomberg Markets Magazine">Bloomberg Markets</a><em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> magazine. With assistance from Ye Xie
in New York</span></em></span></span></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-30488192770776079442015-03-28T16:09:00.000+13:002015-03-29T15:17:43.023+13:00Lee Kuan Yew - His concept<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnKW4iMIDg8/VRdgfzku-RI/AAAAAAAAAVA/vfu_qlCP4m8/s1600/lee%2Bkuan%2Byew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnKW4iMIDg8/VRdgfzku-RI/AAAAAAAAAVA/vfu_qlCP4m8/s1600/lee%2Bkuan%2Byew.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnKW4iMIDg8/VRdgfzku-RI/AAAAAAAAAVA/vfu_qlCP4m8/s1600/lee%2Bkuan%2Byew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The passing of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew on 23 March 2015, was the founding father of modern Singapore. And brought that country from third world to first world status in a single generation. To truly understand the approach on his stewardship during his tenure, these quotes of his sums it all.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"That was my intention. If the new PM fails, I have failed… Mahathir never thought that way. He undermined his successors.”</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
LKY, 2011</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"If you can select a population and they're educated and they're properly brought
up, then you don't have to use too much of the stick because they would already
have been trained. It's like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small.
It will know that it's got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we
are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today
deliberately urinate in the lifts."</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
LKY, 2013</div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-11847674790494082962014-02-01T05:28:00.001+13:002014-02-03T04:01:00.961+13:00But this minister knows better<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NrZW1rd44zE?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-47786996090900640972013-11-14T20:32:00.001+13:002013-11-14T20:32:18.152+13:00Ministers knows best, dont ask why
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Are We Being Served by Half-Past-Six
Ministers?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><a href="http://my.news.yahoo.com/blogs/bull-bashing/being-served-half-past-six-ministers-145511228.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ed1f24; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">By Kee Thuan Chye</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Yahoo! News<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">13.11.2013</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Do
we have half-past-six ministers running the country? Well, from the utterances
of at least three ministers in the last few days, that seems to be so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim put his foot in his mouth
when he declared in Parliament last Monday that the electricity and water bills
incurred by the prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya last year –
amounting to a staggering RM2.55 million – was among the lowest in the world.
And how did he come to this conclusion? Did he make comparisons with other
countries? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">No,
he came to this conclusion based on his own “observation”!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Woooh!
RM2.55 million of taxpayers’ money spent and that’s what we get? A personal
observation by one of our top public servants that it’s relatively peanuts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Asked
by Opposition MPs for comparisons with the utility bills of the residences of
other countries’ leaders, he said he did not have them. “If you want the
specifics, you will need to give me time to collect the details,” he said.
Which clearly showed he was simply tembak-ing (shooting in the dark).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">But
how can a minister simply tembak? Has he no regard for the intelligence of his
fellow MPs and, worse, that of the rakyat? How can he say the utility bills are
among the lowest in the world – in the world, mind you, don’t play-play! –
without scientific evidence to back up his claim? Did he pass Form 3 or not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">What
also drew derisive laughter that was so loud it could have been heard in
Putrajaya was his justification for his observed conclusion. He said the
utility bills were relatively low because the country’s top leaders practised
the “frugal system”! He even added, “I believe the frugal spending system
implemented in Seri Perdana is the best.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Er
… Shahidan, would you have any facts and figures to explain what this “frugal
system” is? And why you say it is “the best”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Does
this frugality extend to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s overseas travel expenses
in 2011, which amounted to RM10.1 million, and his 10-day visit to London, New
York and Washington, DC, in May 2012, which cost taxpayers RM2.9 million? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Is
it frugal to spend RM2.9 million on a 10-day trip?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Does
it extend to the utility bills of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin last
year being as high as RM964,722?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">In
the first place, do we need an official residence for the prime minister as big
as 17 hectares and that of his deputy as big as 7.3 hectares? Whom are we
trying to impress? Even the White House, residence of the president of the
United States of America, is smaller than both, at 7.2 hectares.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">In
view of all of the above, if Shahidan cannot tell us what he means by the
so-called “frugal system”, what bullshit is he saying?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Meanwhile,
his Cabinet colleague, Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor,
also sounded like he was talking bullshit last Monday when he defended Kuala
Lumpur City Hall’s demolition work at the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Temple. He
said the demolition was part of the Government’s plan to “beautify” the temple!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">How
does demolition reconcile with beautification? Aren’t they actions that are
poles apart? Besides, there had been no previous official mention of
beautification until now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">More
important, is it right for the Government to go into a temple and demolish it
because it wants to beautify it? Shouldn’t it discuss the beautification idea
with the temple authorities first, and see if the latter are amenable to it?
How can the Government simply bulldoze its way into the temple and do what it
likes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">What’s
the real intention behind the demolition, Adnan? Is it not to get a part of the
land the temple is sited on for the developer Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd so that
the latter could build something there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">If
it is, why don’t you just say so? If it’s legal for Hap Seng to take that bit
of land because it owns it, by all means the law must follow its course. Then
you should call a spade a spade and say why KL City Hall acted as it did. What
would you have to fear if you are following the law? Why must you hide behind
the façade of “beautification”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Furthermore,
why must you profess to be an expert on Hindu temples by declaring that the Sri
Muneswarar Kaliyaman structure is merely a shrine, not a temple –because, so
you said, proper Hindu practices were not incorporated into the construction?
The temple was built 100 years ago; you want to dispute the practices that went
into its construction now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">In
any case, if you say it’s merely a shrine, and therefore of little consequence,
why bother to beautify it?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">One
other thing, Adnan. In saying that you wanted to turn the temple into a tourist
attraction by making it like “the four-faced Buddha in Thailand”, you were
clearly being insensitive. If you needed to make a comparison, you should have
found a Hindu equivalent. How would you have felt if someone had made a comparison
between a Malaysian Muslim mosque and a Christian church elsewhere? Would that
person have had hell to pay for doing that? Would you have perhaps told that
person to emigrate?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">No
wonder even the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P.
Waythamoorthy has come out to chide you. He says you have “no business in
interpreting what constitutes a shrine or temple”. And rightly so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">He
adds, pointedly, “As a federal minister, he should respect the feelings and
sensitivities of Hindus, instead of justifying an unconscionable act by the
Kuala Lumpur City Hall.” You should be grateful he didn’t tell you to emigrate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Take
my advice, Adnan. Next time, tell it like it is. Don’t try and play politics.
We know you and your political party are scared of losing Indian support, but
if you try to hide the real intention with something that sounds untrue, that’s
even worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Come
to think of it, why do some Indians still want to support your arrogant
government? Why did many of them vote for Barisan Nasional (BN) at the last
general election? Perhaps it’s time they considered the better option.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Your
colleague Jamil Khir Baharom, another minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department, is the third official who has given BN a bad name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Last
Monday, in Parliament, he appeared not to know the difference between the
20-point agreement that is supposed to protect Sabah’s rights and interests
when it joined Malaysia in 1963, and the 10-point solution that Najib’s Cabinet
formulated in 2011 to allow Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to use the word
‘Allah’ for God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Jamil
reportedly said the 10-point solution was the one agreed upon in 1963! He had
to be corrected by Opposition MPs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">After
being corrected, he went on to confuse everyone by saying that the word ‘Allah’
was exclusive to Muslims in Malaysia according to State-level Islamic laws and
that the matter should no longer be disputed after the Court of Appeal’s ruling
made last month. He did not shed any light on how this would affect the
Christians of Sabah and Sarawak, much to the frustration of Opposition MPs who
wanted him to clearly state the Government’s current stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">When
reporters later asked him to state the stand, his pathetic reply was “I have
already explained. Don’t confuse me more.” Hahaha! This means he was indeed
confused!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">If
ministers can be so confused and unsure about Government matters, how did they
get to be ministers in the first place? That’s something Najib will have to
account for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">He
will also have to ensure that his ministers are not lax and that they don’t say
stupid things, as they have been doing even before the last few days. In
Parliament today are among the brightest and sharpest Opposition MPs. They
include Rafizi Ramli, Tian Chua, Gobind Singh Deo, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tony Pua,
N. Surendran, Khalid Samad, Liew Chin Tong, Zairil Khir Johari, Ong Kian Ming …
and I’m not even mentioning the old warhorses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Najib’s
ministers will have to measure up to them. If they can’t, they will be laughed
out of the House. Even worse, at the next general election, they might be
dropped from contesting or be duly voted out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">I
don’t suppose we’d miss them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new
book The Elections Bullshit, now available in bookstores.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> </span></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-67791033039029460492013-06-01T17:31:00.004+12:002013-06-01T17:37:47.134+12:00Politician long term non-committal relationship
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>The ‘five-year hitch’<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/mariam/" title="Posts by Mariam Mokhtar"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mariam Mokhtar</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">June
1, 2013 <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many
couples go through a seven year itch; a “rough patch” in their marriage, caused
by boredom, when some spouses desire the freedom of being single again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In
Malaysia, one can recognise the least productive and incapable BN politician by
his “Five-Year Hitch”; the time frame needed to implement the tasks they
promised to complete if they were to win GE-13.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interestingly,
these politicians have chosen an interval of five years, which is when the
GE-14 would be called. The rakyat can see through the politicians’ tricks and
yet, the Election Commission (EC) has denied claims that the electoral system
would mean BN would rule in perpetuity. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These
politicians have not shown evidence that they are capable of carrying out their
tasks, but they are already canvassing for re-election in five years time, in
GE-14.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite
the promises they made when campaigning for GE-13, they have already come up
with excuses. They have learnt from their mentor, the leader of Umno-Baru,
Najib Tun Razak, that words speak louder than actions and the best phrase is
“You help me, I help you.” </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
year has yet to see the usual Malaysian election phenomenon, when turncoat
politicians – “frogs” cross over to the ‘other’ side. They will probably make
their moves soon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Men
who have lied to the rakyat, now have very senior roles in the Cabinet. Some of
these men were not elected by the rakyat but secured a place in the Cabinet
through deceit. Others who were once guilty of money politics, now draw a
salary which is paid for by the taxpayer. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Both
these sorts of men, have one thing in common; they are in charge of policies
which will affect the rakyat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
first to make his debut performance, barely two weeks after GE-13, was
Hindraf’s P Waythamoorthy, a deputy minister in the Prime minister’s Department
(PMD). </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After
his hunger strike, which he used to embarrass and weaken the opposition,
Waythamoorthy announced that he would need five years to resolve the issue of
stateless Indians. He made it clear that Hindraf had a mechanism to solve the
problem and yet declined to give details. Does a plan even exist?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is
Waythamoorthy’s time to be spent resolving only the issue of the stateless
Indian? In the five years that Waythamoorthy claims he will need to resolve the
problem of the 300,000 stateless Indian, a few hundred thousand people from
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Pakistan, Myanmar or Indonesia will have become
fully fledged Malaysian citizens, without any problems.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Does
Waythamoorthy realise that many Orang Asli, Penan and other indigenous peoples
of Sabah and Sarawak are also stateless? These people cannot afford the long
and expensive journey to town to register the births of their children. These
people are also denied education, health and other benefits.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Illegitimate
children of Muslim parents are also disenfranchised and might as well be
considered stateless. They cannot attend school, or have a passport or enjoy
the benefits all children should be entitled to. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Waythamoorthy
should remove his blinkers and champion all needy people, regardless of their
ethnic origin.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><strong>Patriotism and pride</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
magic ‘five years’ of inactivity was mentioned again, the following week. This
time, the International Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Mustapa Mohamed
announced that the government would reduce car prices by 20 – 30 per cent, in
five years.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He
said that the consequences of reducing excise duty and car prices would have a
detrimental effect on jobs and that many businesses would have to shut. He
warned Malaysians of the increased traffic on roads and the need to build more
roads with tolls.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What
he was trying to say was that Umno-Baru has no intention of helping the rakyat
now or ever. What is more important is to continue propping up crony businesses
and their lifestyles. The taxpayer’s money is used to bail-out and prop-up the
failing Proton.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
hardest hit are the poor, who need a vehicle to move around. Cars are not
cheap, petrol prices are rising and there is no efficient public transportation
system. Most of the income of the poorer families is spent servicing debts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
decline in probity of Najib’s Cabinet gained momentum when Paul Low, the
minister in the PMD said that it was not necessary to form an Independent
Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). He claimed that the
Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) could be used to lodge
complaints against police.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He
appears to have dismissed the views made the previous week by the former Chief
Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad, who had questioned the capability of EAIC to
handle complaints related to enforcement officers and the misconduct of
government agencies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
decline of our political class started when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was accepted
back into the Umno fold, in the 70s by Abdul Razak Hussein, the second prime
minister.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mahathir
changed the face of Malaysian politics. Older Malaysians recall the time when
Mahathir was the Education Minister. He exerted greater control over the
universities, he promoted the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) or National Civics
Training Bureau series of training modules to further divide the nation. He
claimed they instilled patriotism and pride.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forty
years ago, Mahathir curbed political activity, in campuses. To this day,
students may not be involved in politics. If they fail to toe the line, they
will suffer severe recriminations and the denial of assistance in education.
Today, student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim is trying to reverse Mahathir’s
evil legacy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><strong>Stolen votes</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #993366; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mahathir
accelerated the moral decay of our political class and forced a drop in values
in the rakyat. He is guilty of making Malaysians think that the only way to
riches, is to get into politics, rather than to value hard work and be
responsible. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
nation had a chance to restore its self-respect and reinstate the integrity of
its government. They voted for the opposition coalition in GE-13, but their
votes were stolen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mahathir
created a class of politicians who lack integrity and breeding. They have no respect
for public service and they do not know the meaning of honour. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mahathir’s
legacy lives on in Najib. If we want to restore our authority and make this
nation great again, GE-14 is not the answer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Umno-Baru
is preparing to cheat again in GE-14, they will never relinquish power,
willingly. The solution is to get rid of Umno-Baru now, while the rakyat still
has the momentum for change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Mariam
Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-54725142460384456342013-05-05T10:33:00.000+12:002013-05-05T13:34:50.705+12:00GE13 - the soluble indelible inki was one of the earliest to arrive at the polling center in sek keb pandan perdana. having heard so much of the indelible ink, i was ready to be proudly marked and stayed glorified for at least a week.<br />
<br />
by the time i casted my vote, i was done by 8.25am. walking out and greeting friends in queues on my way out and having some light chats. was home by 8.45am and out of curiousity, washed my finger to see if the ink really do stayed on.<br />
<br />
first attempt using hand lotion and to my surprise, most of it came off. decided to take a picture of the first wash. made another attempt but this time using stronger detergent (WIN dishwasher with lemon) and a rough sponge to run over it.<br />
<br />
here's the result.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uMjIokAuRrc/UYW1uQVrxVI/AAAAAAAAATw/tHMR48-9vV4/s1600/first+wash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uMjIokAuRrc/UYW1uQVrxVI/AAAAAAAAATw/tHMR48-9vV4/s320/first+wash.JPG" width="256" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7h8Wco71J4/UYW1xx-tVPI/AAAAAAAAAT4/AthgSbha4AM/s1600/second+wash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7h8Wco71J4/UYW1xx-tVPI/AAAAAAAAAT4/AthgSbha4AM/s320/second+wash.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> after first wash using hand lotion after second wash using stronger detergent</span></div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-68254891010451776622013-02-24T19:02:00.001+13:002013-02-24T19:02:46.718+13:00Masking of population<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ymTL8LiRn_U?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-86503689103776808122012-12-18T01:30:00.000+13:002012-12-18T18:33:43.480+13:00Magician at play<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Spare us the sham diatribe</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Mariam Mokhtar (11-12-12) @www.malaysiakini.com</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Faith, like strength, comes from within. When opposition
MP Nurul Izzah Anwar made reference to the Quranic verse which states that
there should be no compulsion in religion, UMNO politicians, with feigned
indignation, projected themselves as defenders of the faith. Cranked-up by Utusan
Malaysia and Berita Harian, the nation became fired up with what Nurul did, or
did not say.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To claim that all UMNO politicians are illiterate would
be wrong; but their refusal to participate in intelligent discourse leaves one
with the following conclusions; UMNO think debates will fuel heresy, that to
express an opinion is treacherous and to be sceptical is a sin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UMNO politicians are trying their utmost to discredit
Nurul, but failing miserably and making themselves look ridiculous in the
process. They have bastardised the Malay language and now they are saying that
the Surah al-Baqarah verse 2:256, which Nurul was referring to, is wrong.
Perhaps, UMNO was referring to their version of Islam – UMNO’s Islam.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If Article 11 of the constitution guarantees every
citizen religious freedom, why should Malays be excluded? Are Malays not
citizens of Malaysia? After this religious debacle, Bung Mokhtar Radin is
beginning to look like one of the most sensible UMNO politicians.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If Malays loathe the awkward definition that religion
equates to ethnicity, then let’s return to the drawing board and correct this
puerile approach. This writer knows enough people who fit the description of
being a Malay, by virtue of their upbringing amongst a Malay community, except
that they are staunch Catholics. By the same token, there are many who were
born Malay, but who are an embarrassment to both the Malay race and Islam.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UMNO politicians, including its patriarch Mahathir, have
an infinite capacity to divide the rakyat and their manipulation of Nurul’s
statement serves two purposes; first, to distract the country from the
allegations of corruption and crime linked to UMNO; second, to waste Nurul’s
and her colleagues’ time, in defending her.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the media maelstrom and the witch-hunt, we are
diverted from the real purpose of rooting out corruption and the other ills
associated with UMNO. The people – UMNO politicians, VVIPs and UMNO
sympathisers – who have cast the first stone at Nurul, are laughable. Their
criticisms range from accusations of encouraging apostasy to maligning Islam,
and the destruction of the Malay race. They have demanded an apology or a
retraction of her statement.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If people are scornful of Islam, it is the UMNO
politicians who are responsible; they condone corruption, injustice and
debauchery. They treat people of other faiths with contempt. They discredit
other businesses so that their halal foods can gain a foothold. These UMNO
politicians wear religion on their sleeves but have ignored the true teachings
of Islam.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Stealth op to erode Malay values</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UMNO is responsible for the destruction of the Malays,
and for four decades, it has waged a stealth operation to erode Malay values.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad touted his often declared
“the decadent west” line, to discredit Nurul. The usual Jewish or Soros
scapegoats cannot be used this time, as they have been ridden hard and put away
wet. The bogeyman needs a rest between outings.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite his role as the Minister in charge of national
security, Hishammuddin Hussein , the Home Minister, fanned the flames of public
anger, instead of dousing the rising tensions in the rakyat. He </span><a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/214009" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fcb03e; font-family: Calibri;">talked about</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
Nurul being insensitive but he treated Malays like imbeciles when he said, “The
victims in this matter are the young who could get confused over the question
of religious belief with the statement (Nurul’s).”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No one is confused by UMNO’s ulterior motive. Another
opportunist is the chairperson of Gerakan Masyarakat Prihatin Meru, Jaya Kusuma
Rosman, who found it convenient to use Nurul as a scapegoat when he said, she
“should be responsible should there be Malays who leave Islam as a result of
her statement”. Where was Jaya when poverty-stricken Malays were declined
assistance by the government, but were given a lifeline by Christian charities?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week, UMNO was like a beached whale, floundering for
answers; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz’s unhealthy
relationship with Michael Chia, Chia’s largesse towards Nazri’s son Nadim and
the alleged corruption of RM40 million, involving Musa Aman, the Chief Minister
of Sabah and Sabah UMNO chief, are still unresolved.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The difficulties experienced by the Hong Kong Independent
Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for the Chia case, were also faced by
India’s Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and the Indian Supreme Court in
New Delhi. Last Friday, an online paper claimed that the Malaysian government </span><a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/213885" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fcb03e; font-family: Calibri;">would not
cooperate</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and allow the CBI access to T Ananda Krishnan’s bank details.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The controversial acquisition of Indian telco Aircel, by
Krishnan’s Maxis Communications Berhad, was allegedly sweetened with a RM351
million bribe to former Indian Telecommunications Minister Dayanidhi Maran and
his brother.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reasoning is beyond the capacity of most UMNO
politicians. Islam, like other great religions, has a lot to teach us but its
teachings are lost on UMNO politicians and UMNO Malays.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A person’s devotion cannot be measured by his public
display of adherence to the religion. This is similar to UMNO’s warped belief
that one’s patriotism equates with the number of Malaysian flags one flies
outside one’s home, place of work, shop and vehicle.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Justice, UMNO style</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Malaysians are intimidated by UMNO’s tactics. A bad word
breathed about the country, VVIPs or its leaders, lands the individual in
trouble. Justice, UMNO style is like kindergarten children finding the right
peg to fit into the correct hole. If one charge doesn’t fit, try another.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How one practises one’s religion is a private matter. If
UMNO’s version of Islam considers rituals more important than its teachings, or
if force is considered necessary, then it is no better than worshiping a lump
of rock. The descent of Umno into a criminal organisation with the enforcement
agencies turning a blind eye to its many evils is a most heinous crime.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants Malaysians to
emulate America and vote UMNO for continuity. American leaders do not cling
onto power for more than two terms in office. After 55 years, we still argue
over the ethnicity and religion of the leader of the country. In Malaysia, it
is not the best man or woman for the job, but who has most money to pay
everybody off to keep the incumbent in power.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Malays are at a crossroads and instead of acting on
what the Prophet (pbuh) said, such as “God helps those who help themselves”,
many Malays procrastinate and would rather God decide their future; “Tuhan saja
yang tahu (God is all seeing), “Tuhan akan balas di Neraka” (God will dispense
justice in Hell).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The situation in Malaysia and in UMNO is dire. Religious
bullies run riot, as in the Nik Raina-Borders case, and distract the nation
from the real causes of this country’s problems. The Malays should seize the
bull by the horns and in the upcoming UMNO general assembly, pass a
no-confidence motion on the entire cabinet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t let these sideshows distract you from the real
issues such as Nazri Aziz and Sabah UMNO’s RM40 million, the Scorpene
submarines, the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal and the Automated
Enforcement Syatem (AES).</span></div>
asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-74091051280432717432012-05-01T14:34:00.003+12:002012-05-01T14:36:42.402+12:00Malaysia water filter system<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yTGogMq9NZ0?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-8884200584880993872012-04-17T00:16:00.000+12:002012-04-17T00:16:21.435+12:00Cleaners third time around<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/U0uSAqHuYSg?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-24525050641137831672012-03-06T06:12:00.001+13:002012-03-06T06:19:40.105+13:00A case of trying too hard<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>A murky and embarrassing case is closed, hiding top government officials’ involvement</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sometime over the next few days, a court in Kuala Lumpur will put the finishing touches to an agreement that allows Tajudin Ramli, the former head of Malaysian Airline System, not only to walk away from charges that he had allegedly looted the airline of tens of millions of US dollars but with an RM580 million (US$293.2 million) out-of-court settlement from the government. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It appears to be a settlement that the government would rather keep to itself. At the heart of the agreement with Tajudin is a convoluted story that began as long ago as the 1980s when Malaysia’s central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, at the urging of then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, began speculating aggressively in global foreign exchange markets, at one time running up exposure rumored to be in the region of RM270 billion -- three times the country’s gross domestic product and more than five times its foreign reserves at the time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eventually, playing with the big boys came home to roost. In 1992 and 1993, Mahathir became convinced he could make billions of ringgit by taking advantage of a British recession, rising unemployment and a decision by the British government to float the pound sterling free of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mahathir ordered Bank Negara to buy vast amounts of pounds sterling on the theory that the British currency would appreciate once it floated. However, in what has been described as the greatest currency trade ever made, the financier and currency wizard George Soros’s Quantum hedge fund established short positions borrowing in pounds and investing in Deutschemark-denominated assets as well as using options and futures positions. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In all, Soros’s positions alone ac¬counted for a gargantuan US$10 billion. Many other investors, sensing Quantum was in for the kill, soon followed, putting strenuous downward pressure on the pound. The collapse was inevitable. Quantum walked away with US$1 billion in a single day, earning Mahathir’s eternal enmity and earning Soros the title “the man who broke the Bank of England.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mahathir and Bank Negara, on the other hand, walked away with a US$4 billion loss, followed by another US$2.2 billion loss in 1993, the total equivalent of RM15.5 billion. Although the disastrous trades destroyed the entire capital base of Bank Negara, after first denying it had taken place, the then-Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim repeatedly reassured parliament that the losses were only “paper losses” and, now that he is Opposition Leader and head of the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, has managed to skate free of the controversy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eventually, the Finance Ministry had to recapitalize the central bank, almost unheard of for any government anywhere. It is reliably estimated that Bank Negara lost as much as US$30 billion in this and other disastrous currency trades, costing the head of the central bank and his currency trader deputy their jobs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was at one with Mahathir’s unfortunate penchant for believing he could beat the global financial system in other ways. In the early 1980s, at his behest the Malaysian government attempted to corner the tin market through Maminco Sdn Bhd, a dummy company set up to buy tin futures and physical tin to push up prices on the London Tin Market. Malaysia at that point was producing 31 percent of the world’s tin. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, the rising prices as a result of Malaysia’s action caused miners to increase production in the other 69 percent of the tin world. At the same time the US government released its tin stockpile. The price collapsed, costing Malaysia RM1.6 billon with the subsequent low prices wrecking Malaysia’s tin industry. Mahathir has repeatedly railed against western governments for rigging the rules against him. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The attempt to corner the tin market and the subsequent loss established an interesting precedent in terms of what would take place with the speculation in the pound sterling. Rather than acknowledge the losses in the tin speculation, the government set up another dummy company called Makuwasa Sdn Bhd, creating new shares supposedly reserved for ethnic Malays which were allocated to the Employee Provident Fund, the country’s retirement fund for private and public workers. The plan was to sell these cheaply acquired shares at market price for a profit to cover Maminco’s losses. Finally, in 1986, Mahathir was forced to admit that Makuwasa was created to recoup the government’s losses from the Maminco debacle and to repay loans to Bank Bumiputra.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fast forward to today and the out-of-court settlement between several government-linked companies and Tajudin Ramli, in which the government quietly cancelled Tajudin’s debt of RM840 million. It is believed to be the biggest such sum awarded in Malaysian history. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1994, according to affidavits that Tajudin filed in court he bought 32 percent of the shares of the government-controlled Malaysian Airline System at a price of RM8.00 at Mahathir’s behest – while the shares were trading at RM3.30 – and became executive chairman using funds from government-linked companies. According his allegations, the idea was to use the “profit” off the share sale to cover as much as possible of the forex losses by Bank Negara from Mahathir’s currency speculation. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When Tajudin took control of MAS in 1994 through his company, Naluri Bhd, MAS had a cash reserve in excess of RM600 million. Seven years later, in 2001, when the government bought back MAS for RM8 a share, the state-owned airline had accumulated losses in excess of RM8 billion. The government bought back an almost bankrupt airline for the same price that it sold to Tajudin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the welter of lawsuits and countersuits that eventually followed, including a RM13.46 billion statement of claim that Tajudini brought against a government-linked company involved in the mess, he alleged in his affidavit that it was Mahathir who had instructed him to acquire the stake to bail out Bank Negara.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like Mahathir, the then 49-year-old Tajudin was a native of Alor Setar in Kedah state. He was regarded as a shining example of the bumi businessman that Mahathir wanted to foster to run the country and take the commanding heights of the economy back from the ethnic Chinese. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, according to a long list of whistle-blowers within the airline, he was also involved in looting it of tens of millions of dollars and very nearly putting it into bankruptcy before the government buyback. When officials not connected to the United Malays National Organization recommended prosecution, they came under fire that nearly ruined their careers and almost put them in jail. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to allegations in documents made public in August of 2010, Tajudin colluded with three other MAS officers and directors through two nominee companies, one in Singapore and the other in Hong Kong, to establish a company called Advanced Cargo Logistics GmbH Germany, at Hahn Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, to provide ground-handling services for MAS. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to a report filed in March 2007 to then-Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by Ramli Yusuff, the director of Malaysia's Commercial Crime Investigation Department and an official who seems to have been singularly incorruptible, "Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli was in control of MAS from 1994 to 2001. When he left MAS in 2001, MAS had accumulated losses in excess of RM8 billion (US$2.54 billion). Many projects were made under very suspicious circumstances."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ramli Yusuff’s report indicated a wide range of abuses that indicated Tajudin’s family was deeply involved in setting up shell companies to siphon off money from MAS ancillary operations. But instead of preferring charges against Tajudin, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) went after the inspecting officer, Ramli Yusuff instead for allegedly not declaring his assets, for misusing a police airplane, and abusing his power as a police officer, all of which were convincingly refuted. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ramli, however, wasn't the only one to go before the courts. His lawyer, Rosli Dahlan, who was also the lawyer for the airline itself, prepared Ramli's defense against the criminal charges only to be arrested on charges of collaborating with Ramli. At one point, on a pretext that Rosli had mishandled a letter from the MACC, police officers invaded Rosli's office, arrested and handcuffed him, then kept him in a cell overnight, refusing him medical treatment for injuries to his wrists from the handcuffs. They also refused his request to file a report against the arresting officers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rosli went to a court especially created to handle MACC cases, only to have the case fizzle out when a prosecutor announced that neither Rosli nor Ramli had been charged for corruption, having been summarily acquitted without having to put on a defense.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For his part, Rosli has charged that the MACC, Bank Negara, the government of Malaysia and the three major newspapers owned by the political parties had conspired with those in power to damage him for his attempts to defend Ramli. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And for his part, Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli remains uninvestigated and uncharged, and a continuing example of bumiputera power at the top of Malaysia's political and social structure, apparently RM580 million richer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It also brings into question Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s March 30, 2010, statement that the government "can no longer tolerate practices that support the behavior of rent-seeking and patronage, which have long tarnished the altruistic aims of the New Economic Policy. Inclusiveness, where all Malaysians contribute and benefit from economic growth - must be a fundamental element of any new economic approach."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.asiasentinel.com/">http://www.asiasentinel.com/</a></div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-36360180556422647392012-02-25T15:19:00.001+13:002012-02-28T19:17:42.019+13:00Jack Abramoff, smooth operator<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ucFFNw1ztA/T0hE9byeDpI/AAAAAAAAASM/R21VebSjVMM/s1600/60_minutes_abramoff_620_111104_620x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" lda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ucFFNw1ztA/T0hE9byeDpI/AAAAAAAAASM/R21VebSjVMM/s200/60_minutes_abramoff_620_111104_620x350.jpg" width="200" /></a>Jack Abramoff, the notorious former lobbyist at the center of Washington's biggest corruption scandal in decades, spent more than three years in prison for his crimes. Now a free man, he reveals how he was able to influence politicians and their staffers through generous gifts and job offers. He tells Lesley Stahl the reforms instituted in the wake of his scandal have had little effect.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">The following is a script of "The Lobbyist's Playbook" which aired on Nov. 6, 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jack Abramoff may be the most notorious and crooked lobbyist of our time. He was at the center of a massive scandal of brazen corruption and influence peddling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a Republican lobbyist starting in the mid 1990s, he became a master at showering gifts on lawmakers in return for their votes on legislation and tax breaks favorable to his clients. He was so good at it, he took home $20 million a year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">How corrupt is lobbying in Washington, DC? Enough to get "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl angry when she hears how Jack Abramoff bribed and influenced legislators. It all came crashing down five years ago, when Jack Abramoff pled guilty to corrupting public officials, tax evasion and fraud, and served three and a half years in prison. Today he's a symbol of how money corrupts Washington. In our interview tonight, he opens up his playbook for the first time. And explains exactly how he used his clients' money to buy powerful friends and influence legislation. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Extract from the interview:-</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Jack Abramoff: I was so far into it that I couldn't figure out where right and wrong was. I believed that I was among the top moral people in the business. I was totally blinded by what was going on.</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Jack Abramoff was a whiz at influencing legislation and one way he did that was to get his clients, like some Indian tribes, to make substantial campaign contributions to select members of Congress.</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Abramoff: We would certainly try to make the activity legal, if we could. At times we didn't care. </em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>But the "best way" to get a congressional office to do his bidding - he says - was to offer a staffer a job that could triple his salary. </em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Abramoff: When we would become friendly with an office and they were important to us, and the chief of staff was a competent person, I would say or my staff would say to him or her at some point, "You know, when you're done working on the Hill, we'd very much like you to consider coming to work for us." Now the moment I said that to them or any of our staff said that to 'em, that was it. We owned them. And what does that mean? Every request from our office, every request of our clients, everything that we want, they're gonna do. And not only that, they're gonna think of things we can't think of to do. </em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><em>Neil Volz: Jack Abramoff could sweet talk a dog off a meat truck, that's how persuasive he was.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><em><br />
</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><em>Neil Volz was one of the staffers Abramoff was talking about. He was chief of staff to Congressman Bob Ney, who as chairman of the House Administration Committee had considerable power to dispense favors. Abramoff targeted Volz and offered him a job. </em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">And the rest is history. Search his name, you will never find short of information.</div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-3240711198324665552012-01-09T13:00:00.005+13:002012-01-10T03:15:55.786+13:00A day to remember<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OiD_XwD7vNU?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-67894436735491970722011-10-29T13:48:00.000+13:002011-10-29T13:48:16.875+13:00It's time to spent! spent! spent!<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Why the fuss over the 2010 AG Report.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By Sakmongkol AK47</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let us show you a few examples. Perhaps then readers will understand what all the fuss is over the AG Report.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bizarre overpricing- the National Youth Skills Institute (under the Youth and Sports Ministry) approved the purchase of a car jack that cost RM50 for RM5,700, a digital camera that cost RM2,990 was bought for RM8,254 and RM1,146 was paid for a set of technical pens with a market price of RM160;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Negligence- the Police Air Wing purchased two helicopters worth RM117.75 million, which could not be used, as they did not meet specifications. Another RM15.4mil was spent to train pilots to fly these helicopters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Incompetence- Customs Department under-utilized its RM290mil information technology system but was planning to spend another RM451.30mil to develop a new one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These are the findings of the Auditor General’s report a few years ago. If the transgressions were not rectified, we know it means, things have not improved. If matters are left as they are, we can then more or less expect what’s coming. We can expect the same stories about negligence and incompetence because those responsible are laid back about the issues. We have all the reasons to believe that the report for 2011, next year, will reveal the same story about misappropriation of funds, bizarre overpricing, projects not completed. These are indicators of negligence, incompetence and regretfully said- of officious arrogance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 2010 Auditor General's Report is precisely that- voluminous and horrifying mentions about more or less the same findings contained in reports of preceding years. What does that say? It says loud and clear, the same transgressions committed were not rectified or even allowed to continue. It means the same wrongdoings are allowed to be perpetrated because the enabling circumstances and possibly the same perpetrators were allowed to persist. It further shows those responsible to ensure the transgressions are not repeated have been incompetent and negligent in carrying remedial actions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The same people who did all the transgressions are still in commanding positions; they will have the opportunity to improve upon their incompetence by doing more damage. The Chief Secretary’s village fool response by way of saying he is not worried and that the problem has been dealt with because he has sent circulars asking officials to exercise more discipline is a negligent expression and ensuing act of gross callousness. I am afraid, the public isn’t that forgiving.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We don’t want circulars- we want those transgressors punished or even sacked. As them to publicly explain what happened to those overspendings? Let’s ask the chairman of Giatmara for example, where is the shop that sells the heavy duty blender for 4 times the market price. Let’s make it the 1 Malaysia shop for heavy duty blenders. Maybe even give them soft loan from EPF. Let us Mydin the shop.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet we want to extend the services of such a fellow. Let’s elect Allred E Newman for Chief Secretary then. Then, we are assured the same transgressions repeated, will be met with the same incredulous response of what me worry!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The answer is also, we don’t have to suffer the incompetence of those entrusted to manage public money. If they don’t manage properly and because it’s our money they are managing, they deserve to be publicly assailed. This isn’t about being perplexed as to why the opposition should bicker about the report. If you do, then we shall have to explain to you in as simple terms as possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is beyond opposition. This is about, the mismanagement of our money which deserves being treated as a cause of concern for possible fraud and deception.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The short answer to the question then as to why the opposition gets irked by the audit report as do all right thinking Malaysians is the money being treated isn’t the property of the transgressors. That being so, the administration of the money and the application of the funds thereof, must be done with utmost care. It’s not your father’s money. That is the short answer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The long answer is, Malaysians are fed up of the deception and misappropriation of funds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the year 2010, the government approved a budget of RM 149 billion for operating expenditure. This wasn’t enough and the government had to increase the opex to 151 billion. The report said 9 ministries over spent. Here is where all of us should be concerned. This is taxpayers money being spent on opex. The 2 billion could have been spent of capex capital expenditure which builds capacity to create more wealth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, Malaysians are equally outraged by the revelations of the 2010 Auditor-General Reports on the continuing financial scandals, hanky-panky and gross financial negligence in government. We are horrified to learn for example, the National Sports Institute acquired 23 horses totalling RM5.66 million without a Financial Ministry go-ahead with none of the horses competed in two recommended international championships; we have the case of the RM142 million RazakSAT malfunctioning barely a year after being commissioned; wait, we have more- The Malaysian Marine Parks Department spent a whopping RM56,350 for a pair of night vision Marine binoculars, 29 times more than its market value of RM1,940; and paid the same amount for another pair of night vision Bushnell binoculars, or 1,893 per cent more than its actual price of RM2,827.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are once again appalled at the incompetence of front line workers incapable of appreciating the importance of proper placement of decimal points and making accounting mistakes that resulted in wasteful overspending. These should not have happened if there are efficient and proper internal audit systems. As the result of a laid back attitude, we are told of stories where a pensioner received RM21, 433 a month instead of RM214.33 for 16 months!. The mistake was detected after more than a year. The officer who finally detected the mistake should be a given a merit order.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are also dismayed of hearing Giatmara Centre mistakenly paying RM170 per kg instead of RM1.70 per kg for sugar for a poverty eradication programme or RM25, 500 for 150 kg of sugar! This must be a special kind of sugar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What about the village-fool response that I mentioned above? In his response to the 2010 Auditor-General’s Reports, the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan has repeated his annual reaction and call to all departments and agencies to take heed of the Auditor-General’s comments and views. Which goes to show, that what I said about the same mistakes being repeated did take place, otherwise, he wouldn’t have to repeat his annual reaction would he?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">No wonder then, there was this need to delay the submission of the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report to ensure that it would not completely overshadow Najib’s 2012 Budget. Otherwise, the Finance Minister’s charitable overtures would be overshadowed and overwhelmed by the over 1,300 pages of exposes of financial irregularities, hanky-panky as well as misappropriation of public funds in the first full year of PM Najib’s premiership.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All right thinking Malaysians are waiting for the Finance Minister or the Chief Secretary to explain the delay in submitting the 2010 Auditor-General Reports until after the end of the parliamentary debate on the 2012 Budget. If the Report was enclosed alongside the budget documents, the AG Report would have been the foremost parliamentary issue.</div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-77552519750815388942011-09-06T02:38:00.000+12:002011-09-06T02:38:28.133+12:00Another lost gold<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Subject: $31 billion Malaysian Man</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Compared to some people who enrich themselves through corruption at the highest level, this guy is perhaps Malaysia's richest man , all earned through his invention and pioneering spirit -- no political or corrupt practices, no shady deals, no rent-seeking . Pure hard work and innovation</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GeMw_v5ygPE/TmTdZ7hQTUI/AAAAAAAAASA/aqknGddDPEk/s1600/fdusb2_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" nba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GeMw_v5ygPE/TmTdZ7hQTUI/AAAAAAAAASA/aqknGddDPEk/s200/fdusb2_s.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">--the world famous PEN DRIVE !!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Why is he not given publicity in the mainstream media ?? Because he was not offerred a scholarship by the govt and he had to find a cheaper place to study --Taiwan. And invented the PEN DRIVE –everyone who owns a laptop, computer will also own a pen drive !!!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Sharing this success story with you.........</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Had Phua Kein Seng started his pen-drive business in Malaysia he would have given away 30% of his business to bumiputras at the price of a song. He would have to appoint a few bumiputras as directors too, even if they contribute nothing to his company. And the $31 billion that his company would have contributed to the Malaysian tax coffer would have been somehow siphoned off into some umnoputra's pocket/account.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thank God, he started his business in Taiwan!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The $31 billion Man HAPPENS TO BE A "CHINESE" MALAYSIAN THAT'S WHY THERE HAS BEEN NO PUBLICITY. YOU CALL THIS 1MALAYSIA?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xLwX8wdlSSc/TmTdy9m3aAI/AAAAAAAAASE/wvvK2T8_w_M/s1600/b_p6Khein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" nba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xLwX8wdlSSc/TmTdy9m3aAI/AAAAAAAAASE/wvvK2T8_w_M/s1600/b_p6Khein.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">$31bil Man .Interesting to know that the Pen Drive was invented by a Malaysian Chinese who could not get into one of our local universities primarily because he is not a bumiputra. He had to study in Taiwan.. What a shame to our Government....We have lost thousands of good brains abroad all because of the stupid NEP.!!Pua's mighty 'Pen'S. INDRAMALAR speaks to the creator of the now indispensable Pen Drive Fact file Name: Pua Khein Seng Age: 31 Hometown: Sekinchan, Selangor; Education: SJKC Yeok Kuan, Sekinchan; Pin Hwa Independent school, Klang; Chiao Tung University, Taiwan; Occupation: Engineer/ president of Phison Electonics Corp Current base: Taipei, Taiwan Years abroad: 12. WHEN he set off for Taiwan in 1993, Pua Khein Seng's only aim was to complete his degree in Electrical Control Engineering at the renowned Chiao Tung University and return home to work in Malaysia Never did he envision himself heading a multi-million dollar Taiwanese company that developed the world's first USB flash removable disk, which they called Pen Drive .</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pua Khein Seng went to Taiwan to get his engineering degree but ended up staying on, starting his own company and inventing the pen drive."I went to Taiwan to pursue my undergraduate degree. I chose Taiwan only because it was too expensive to study either in the United States or Singapore "However, I did well in my undergraduate programme and was offered a place to do my masters," explained Pua, who was back in Kuala Lumpur recently for a holiday. After completing his Masters in July 1999, Pua worked for about six months in a local company before deciding to set up his own venture company with four fellow engineers who had studied with him at Chiao Tung."We were confident that we had the know-how and ability to start our own business, which is focused on USB technology. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The company is called Phison because there are five of us - two Malaysians and three Taiwanese engineers," said Pua, 31, who hails from Sekinchan, Selangor. Phison Electronics Corporation was set up in November 2000 and within six months the young entrepreneurs came up with their first invention - a USB storage device called Pen Drive". We were the first company in the world to develop the USB Drive SoC (System On Chip) and we were very confident that the market for USB will be huge. At the time, no one believed in us so we had to do everything ourselves - from developing the technology, the chips to the product itself." We were only 27 years old at the time and inexperienced. But we were confident that we could design good systems and chips but we didn't know anything about selling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, we sought partners or traders who could help sell our products for us," Pua added. Through smart partnerships and shrewd strategies, Phison soon made its way into European, American and Japanese markets. One quick move was securing Japanese tech giant Toshiba as Phison's largest shareholder and customer." We launched Pen Drive in June 2001 and by August the same year, we broke even! From September 2001, we were reaping monthly profits from our invention and there has been no turning back since." Having established himself in Taiwan , Pua is in the midst of setting up Phison's branch in Malaysia , due to begin operations this February. "I am starting a branch in Malaysia because this is my country. I would like to contribute to its development."We have about 100 engineers at Phison in Taiwan , 20 of whom are Malaysians. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Though they studied in Taiwan, I had to re-train all the engineers I hire because, like most fresh graduates (in this field), they are not industry-ready upon graduation."Unfortunately, some of the Malaysian engineers want to return home after a couple of years because they are homesick, about to start a family and so on. Some prefer to work in Singapore , as it is closer to home. Instead of losing them to competitors, I decided to set up an office in Malaysia where they can still work for me," said Pua. Another problem faced by returning computer engineers from Taiwan, Pua added, was the lack of job opportunities for hardware engineers in Malaysia. "There is no environment or support for design engineers here in Malaysia. One of my Malaysian engineers from Phison returned home and ended up as a teacher in a Chinese school! I was shocked and thought, 'After all that training and re-training, he is going to just teach?' I told him to hold on till I open up the Phison branch in Malaysia ."Though he has been in Taiwan for the past 12 years and married to a Taiwanese, Pua is not sure how much longer he will remain there. "I have really no idea where I will be in 20 years. Maybe Taiwan , maybe Malaysia, maybe somewhere else ... it all depends on my business. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The industry is moving so fast that I cannot predict what or where I will be," he said.For the moment though, Taiwan is home for Pua, his wife and two children even though he misses the Malaysian way of life. "I come home once a year for Chinese New Year and will usually stay for about two weeks. There are several things I really miss about Malaysia. One is the food! For the past 12 years I have been craving for Malaysian food ... I miss laksa, curry noodles, chee cheong fun and all the other delicious dishes we have here. "I also miss the lifestyle and quality of life here. When I come back, I am always amazed to see people hanging out and relaxing at mamak shops at night. In Taiwan , most people would still be at work at that time of the night! "Before I got married, I used to work for 15 to 17 hours a day, everyday. Now that I have children, my wife has forbidden me to stay so late. Now, I go to work at 9am and come home by 11pm. These hours are quite normal for the Taiwanese."The man who invented USB pen-drive is a young modest Malaysian who can't even get into a local University but invented the most versatile, indispensable computer peripheral today. And helped his adopted country, Taiwan made $31bil in the process. The rest is history....</div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-47946187087149333712011-09-01T00:01:00.002+12:002011-09-06T02:52:53.072+12:00The way of the numbers game<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>GE-13: BN wins landslide victory</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mariam Mokhtar </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aug 22, 11 </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">MalaysiakiniOnly an optimist would believe that their vote would sweep Umno from power in GE-13. Why bother with a sham election and waste resources going through the motions of an election, where the outcome has already been decided in advance? The headlines will proudly boast: “BN wins. Najib scores a landslide victory, in a massive 103 percent turnout”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants GE-13 before electoral reforms. In a functioning democracy, the rakyat has a choice. The fundamental difference is that we are denied that choice. We distrust our electoral processes despite Najib’s assurance about the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reforms. Will Umno/BN leave office gracefully?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the 61st Umno general assembly Najib declared: “Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya”. At the World Youth day meet in Putrajaya, Najib screamed, “Will you defend Putrajaya with me?” before breaking into a disturbing tirade: “Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">By 2011, the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) would consist of 2.6 million members. Will they be issued postal votes too? Some people believe that certain western democracies are far superior, with honest and principled people in government. Not true! Politicians in foreign establishments can be just as devious and as corrupt as the Malaysian ones. Their government appears to be working only because their rakyat makes sure the politicians serve them and not the other way around. They are not afraid of criticising their MPs. Politicians who do not adhere to the minimum parliamentary standards, are booted out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In these countries, elected representatives are monitored, pursued and made accountable for their actions. Politicians are important in that they enact laws in parliament, on our behalf. But politicians need to be regulated. They are the tools with which the state can meddle in our lives.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>MPs are to be controlled</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">MPs are to be controlled, not controlling. It is by us being watchful, and not sycophantic, that keeps MPs in check. Malaysians have seen a constant barrage of electoral fraud. Last week, former soldiers alleged that they were ordered by their superiors to manipulate votes. But the denunciation by the Chief of the Armed Forces, General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who labelled these ex-soldiers as traitors, is itself an act of treachery.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Illegal workers being granted citizenship and voting rights have been unearthed. MyKads of dubious authenticity are distributed to foreigners. Political expediency seems more important than sovereignty. It appears that the NRD is a major threat to national security. Scores of centenarians, or people who have long since died, have been resurrected, to cast their votes. These accompany the usual complaints of vote-buying, intimidation and promises of aid in exchange for votes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gerrymandering, or the division of geographical areas into constituencies which will unfairly benefit only one party, is overlooked by the EC. Pro-opposition areas may have one MP representing over 100,000 voters in the one constituency whereas in BN strongholds, constituencies consist of around 5,000 people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just before Bersih’s 9 July march, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (left), the EC’s deputy chairman, complained that NGOs were obsessed with the comparison of election practices between Malaysia and other countries. He said, “Elections observers must be domestic observers. Foreign observers, they don’t know our election laws, they don’t understand. It’s a different value system.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet he failed to act after Ambiga Sreenevasan and other local election activists were banned from monitoring the Sarawak state elections. Wan Ahmad claimed that our election laws were “fair and impartial” and was stung by the “negative” comments of foreign observers. He said, “They are foreigners, who are they? Why do we need foreigners, Germans commenting on our election system?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He is right. The culture of “You help me, I help you” is “Umno-esque” and peculiar to Malaysia. Malaysia is ‘superior’ and has nothing to learn from others. Wan Ahmad’s arrogance smacks of “Ketuanan Melayu” and extols the virtues of the warped BTN indoctrination. So what exactly is the EC’s role when it continually coughs up excuse after lame excuse of why it cannot ensure clean elections?<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>EC but a toothless dragon</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The EC is but a toothless dragon whose only job seems to be the defence of BN. It turns a blind eye when Umno/BN uses government resources, the national media and other instruments of the state, for its own propaganda. The poor appear to be supportive of Umno and in past elections, people living in decrepit hovels have posters of Umno, Najib or Taib Mahmud (for Sarawak) adorning their homes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Sarawak, the villagers idolise Taib, like teenagers would their pop-idol, when Taib makes his grand entrance, by helicopter, at longhouses. Usually, his Mercedes is on standby in case Taib fancies the trek home by car. The contrast between the villagers’ pitiful surroundings with basic infrastructure, and Taib’s opulence, makes it hard to imagine how they have benefitted from Taib’s long rule. What do they hope to gain by supporting him for another term?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is the same story in peninsular Malaysia. The rural people and the poor appear to support Umno/BN. Perhaps they are comfortable with the devil you know than the one you don’t. Perhaps the opposition has yet to gain the confidence of the rural folk. Have the destitute given up hope of change; they are prepared to accept the few tokens of appreciation like sacks of rice, Milo and sugar, in exchange for votes? Does “stability” triumph over “change”?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bersih cannot do it alone because Umno/BN dominates Malaysian politics. Any attempt by the opposition to “oppose” in Parliament means they are not allowed to table their motions or at worst, they risk being suspended. With enormous cash reserves, and the ability to utilise government resources, unlike the opposition, Umno/BN can command political patronage amongst businesses. In an election, favours are called in and Umno/BN do act like they are above the law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<strong>Too arrogant to acknowledge the voters</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">‘Najib & co’ are too arrogant to acknowledge the voters: What is the rakyat saying? What do they want? Can they cast their vote and be sure that the policies and the person they voted for, will be reflected in the final outcome?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fraud, manipulation, phantom votes and money politics are useful instruments which have helped to prop up Umno, for 54 years. Umno has been rattled by Bersih and the popular uprising in Egypt has given Malaysians hope. The rakyat is finally getting to have a real taste of democracy but the challenges are enormous as we try and adapt to being “free” and “fair”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trick to improving Malaysian politics is not to allow the political parties and their leaders any let-up but to be constantly critical of their performance. Let’s have less praise and more scrutiny. GE-13 should not be held until electoral reforms are under way. Don’t be fooled by Najib’s latest spin on democracy and his smokescreen about the PSC and electoral reform.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.</em></div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-4806212402569996772011-08-01T12:24:00.001+12:002011-08-01T12:30:33.525+12:00Land of opportunity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqpZQ4vY9WQ/TjXzgDd5WiI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ZaMfwmHY41U/s1600/Presentation1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqpZQ4vY9WQ/TjXzgDd5WiI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ZaMfwmHY41U/s640/Presentation1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-17032523822839502702011-07-10T03:33:00.003+12:002011-07-12T03:36:24.286+12:00709<iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vCetbFLceFI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-65270829565983662902011-06-30T00:43:00.002+12:002011-07-04T03:45:35.461+12:00Remember yellow<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3BcVg3Sapjk?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-63471466191676461362011-05-15T13:20:00.001+12:002011-05-21T13:23:56.075+12:00The caveman politician<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BN YB Bites the Hands that Feed Him!</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sarawak Report</div><div style="text-align: justify;">9 May 2011</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">BN is spending huge sums of money attempting to promote a democratic image worldwide. But, for free, the Pantai Damai assemblyman, Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, has undermined such careful PR with a series of outrageous statements.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">His remarks, which were faithfully reproduced in the BN mouthpiece, The Borneo Post, on April 28th under the title “It is not fair to bite the hand that feeds you”, were directed against members of his own constituency, who had had the ‘audacity’ to vote against BN in the recent elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BN YBs badly need lessons in democracy</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unlike a genuine democratic politician, who would acknowledge that he had not succeeded in convincing everybody that he was the man to vote for and would commit himself to try harder next time round, this fellow chose instead to chastise and threaten his constituents! Worse, he made it clear that he was prepared to corruptly abuse his position by withdrawing legitimate state aid from individuals who had voted for the opposition!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Our approach in Pantai Damai will be … If they insist on supporting the opposition, then maybe they should ask the opposition for aid.”, announced the cheeky Assemblyman.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Junadi is their representative not their boss!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abdul Rahman Junadi should remember that it is the people who feed HIM, through his salary as an Assemblyman. The fishermen he was addressing also put food on his table. It is therefore HE that should remember not to bite the hand that feeds him and not the other way round. How dare he threaten his constituents in such a way?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The occasion on which Junadi made these remarks was a disgrace in itself. The man had strutted into the community to make a public handout of benefits from the federal government to the fishermen, who were entitled to it. These individuals should, of course, have been allowed the dignity of a completely private distribution of state support and not have been forced to grovel for it in public in front of this rude and threatening man. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Frankly offensive. The Borneo Post article which carried Junadi's arrogant remarks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, who is Mr Junadi to make a big public occasion out of personally handing the fishermen their benefits? Was this money that Mr Junadi had himself earned that he was so kindly passing to them? No, of course it was not! This was Malaysian taxpayers’ money and money raised from the people of Sarawak and he has no right whatsoever to pose as the generous person handing it out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Neither should Junadi attempt to pretend that it is his party BN that is donating the money. The only role the BN has in a genuine democracy is the responsibility over a limited period for making sure that the people who elected them (the real bosses) get the best value for their money. It is a position of trust, not of authority.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">BN occupy a position of trust, not of authority</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Taib favourite, YB Awang Tenga's house, paid for by the money he has earned while a BN Assembyman.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like Junadi, BN has not provided any of the money that is being distributed. Rather they live off this taxpayers’ money themselves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is because they divert far too much of the wealth of Sarawak into their own pockets and far too little into the pockets of citizens such as the fishermen of Pantai Damai, that so many in Sarawak are still so poor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These fishermen do a hard and dangerous job providing Junadi’s table with fish. He should rather have concentrated on thanking them for their role and apologising on behalf of BN that they receive so little for their pains that they have to rely on such income supplements.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was the reason his constituents quite understandably voted in large numbers for the opposition, which has promised a far fairer distribution of Sarawak’s wealth. Junadi and BN should take note of the 45% of (officially proclaimed) votes that went to the opposition and humbly change their ways. He should work to make sure more is offered to the fishermen, not threaten them with the removal of the money that is rightfully theirs!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Just one example out of many</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Junadi’s outburst is of course just a single example of numerous such threatening and patronising remarks that have been made by BN politicians in the post election period. The recent cancelling of the Borneo Cultural Festival in Sibu, just because BN lost the seat, is another. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Clearly BN’s YBs have no clue about democracy. They don’t even realise that a basic rule of democracy is that the chosen representatives and the winning party have a bounden duty to represent ALL of their people equally. Yes, that means even the ones who did not vote for them in the election!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, no genuine democratic party would act in such a way for fear of losing even more support next time. Already the petulant gesture has backfired because DAP have now stepped in to say they will ensure the event will be financed, despite BN’s bad behaviour. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Borneo Cultural Festival, an important tourist attraction, will go ahead despite BN's attempt to 'punish' voters for not choosing them!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The truth is that BN have corruptly kept themselves in power for so many decades they do not bother to think very much about what democracy is really all about. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">People like Junadi know that their election success does not rely on convincing and attracting the support of his constituents. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">BN electoral success rather relies on blackmail, such as his own threat to remove benefits from communities who do not vote for him, combined with bribery, gerrymandering and outright cheating.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Only around half of the people who should be entitled to vote have been enfranchised in Sarawak and only those in the cities get a chance to do so without major bullying and intimidation. This is how BN has kept in power for a solid 50years. They are not democrats, they are dictators as Mr Junadi’s remarks have so amply proved.</div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7754958336230131016.post-67751594635853256762011-04-01T00:02:00.001+13:002011-04-01T00:02:00.752+13:00Sex party<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Najib’s 'Talented, Wise And Thoughtful' cabinet</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Written by Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just like Sodomy II, this latest sex video is about distraction. The grainy sex video showed a man performing sexual acts with a woman. The idea was to identify the man as Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and hence discredit him. The main aim behind this video was to distract Malaysians from issues that affect the nation. Another was to divert the attention of Sarawakians from concentrating on the problems that will influence the state elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Malaysia is in deep trouble and after 53 years, BN has milked the country dry and divided a once harmonious nation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The three Umno dim-wits who fabricated lies was never a good idea. But then, who would expect Umno to win the hearts and minds of the people using intellect?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">People who are blinded by power can never see where they have gone wrong. Najib who is so fussy over image, seems to be blinded by his own greed and self-importance. Of only he could see who forms his Cabinet, heads the GLCs or Umno institutions, past and present.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ringleader of this latest sex video is Rahim Tamby Chik. He is the disgraced, former Chief minister of Malacca who allegedly raped a minor and then had to resign. The underage girl’s grandmother sought a DAP MP’s help to bring Rahim Thamby to trial. That just shows how much trust ordinary Malays have in the elected Umno Malays. The DAP MP was himself thrown into prison. Did any of the other Umno Malays come to the defense of the girl?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps, the following questions should be incorporated in the history curriculum at school.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who was the onetime UMNO deputy home affairs minister, who was allegedly implicated in the murder of a young woman? He is just like a current serving minister who is allegedly accused of rape. The widespread gossip connecting this onetime Umno deputy home affairs minister with the murder didn't do his political career any harm. He was ultimately named Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister in the late 90s although he lost his parliamentary seat two years later and retired from politics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who was the Chief Minister who had an affair with a girl who eventually gave birth to an illegitimate child? He also kept an under-aged mistress at a condominium in Kuala Lumpur. In 2003, he was also rumored to be involved with the death of another attractive young woman was found murdered in an apartment in a Kuala Lumpur suburb. Although another individual was arrested and charged with the murder, he was later declared not guilty and no one else was ever charged. The inspector general of police, Mohd Bakri Omar, classified the case under Malaysia's Official Secrets Act and no details were ever released.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who was the non-politician but Umno mouthpiece who had an affair with a young girl while his wife lay paralysed in bed?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who was the Chief Minister who eloped to Thailand to secretly marry his second wife?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who is the Federal Minister who was caught with a female artiste in a Port Dickson hotel?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who is the Federal Minister whose brother was arrested for drug trafficking?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which Federal Minister had an affair with someone else’s wife and this eventually resulted in a broken marriage?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which religious leader had an illicit affair and who now holds a prominent position in a very important government religious body?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which Chief Minister had an affair with his sister-in-law who then gave birth to an illegitimate child?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who is the son of the prominent politician who was implicated in the 2007 death of a beautiful Indian actress? The woman's body was cremated almost immediately after her death.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who is the minister who was implicated in Malaysia’ own deep throat sexploits and would put Emmanuel to shame?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who is the current serving cabinet minister who is accused of raping his maid?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who is the current MP who betrayed his first wife by marrying a young starlet? His second marriage was not blessed by a recognized person of the court official and he himself is reknowned for using gutter langauge in the Dewan Rakyat ?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which Malaysian Ambassador has been guilty of sexually exploiting women?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With ministers like these in Najib’s Sex Cabinet line-up, how could the rakyat trust the government, its courts, the police and its ministers?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Very few of the privileged elite who make up the politically powerful and rich in Malaysia ever get punished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now we know why BN maintains its iron grip on Malaysians so that they can continue plundering the country and robbing its rakyat. That is what BN fears most – Anwar and Pakatan.</div>asiseesithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11296694763679405546noreply@blogger.com0