Najib, Muhyiddin should be held responsible for NFC fiasco

NFC (National Feedlot Corp.) has responded to accusations that they misused the soft loan of RM250 million loan to purchase properties with the loan by saying that there are no restrictions in how they utilized the loan.

If true, Muhyiddin as the then Minister of Agriculture and Najib who was in the cabinet when the scheme was approved are responsible for not setting any conditions in the utilization of the soft loan.

If untrue, then both those managing NFC, Najib and Muhyiddin are responsible, NFC for misuse of the loan and Najib and Muhyiddin for not monitoring the use of the funds.

Read what Lim Kit Siang has said in Malaysiakini’s article : Haul up PM, Muhyiddin for NFC 'blank cheque'

Haul up PM, Muhyiddin for NFC 'blank cheque'

3:39PM Feb 10, 2012

Describing National Feedlot Corporation's (NFC) loan as a "completely blank cheque", DAP is demanding that top cabinet members answer to the company's claim that it can spend the RM250 million loan as it sees fit.
"If true, then the 'political masters' responsible for this decision at the relevant time... should be hauled up before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the whole truth to be told," said DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang.

In his statement today, he suggested that then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, then chairperson of the cabinet committee on high impact projects and deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak or then agriculture minister Muhyiddin Yassin testify before the PAC.
"If untrue, it is the responsibility of the PAC to get to the bottom of the matter and report to Parliament when it reconvenes on March 12," Lim  said.
He added that the PAC should convene an emergency meeting on the matter, especially since NFC's statement contradicted the Finance Ministry, which told the PAC that the loan could only be used for its intended purpose.
Lim was responding to NFC's statement yesterday that the terms of its loan did not impose any limits on how it should be used, including property investments even though the money was meant for ensuring beef self-sufficiency in the country.

NFC had been under fire for allegedly misusing the loan forunrelated expenses, such as three luxury condominiums worth about RM44.6 million in Singapore.
The condominiums were registered under the names of Women and Family Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s family members, who are also NFC’s senior management staff.
Shahrizat and her family members have denied any wrongdoing, and NFC justified the purchases as an investment to put the money to good use while its feedlot project was temporality halted for a viability study.
Lim also posed a series of questions and challenges to NFC via Twitter, which are:

• Publicise the NFC’s loan agreement;

• Specify the salary and perks drawn by Shahrizat’s family members each month;

• Respond to each allegation against NFC;

• Answer whether NFC agrees that it plunged Najib’s administration into a credibility crisis, and whether it would support a royal commission of inquiry into NFC; and,

• Answer whether NFC’s prerogative to invest in its best interests include “the right to trample on public or national interests.”

LYNAS – Malaysian public fooled again by UMNO gomen

The LYNAS rare earth refinery project in Kuantan which will produce radioactive waste with extremely life of over 14 billion years had been given a TOL (Tempory Opperating License) only 4 days after after the closing date for a public feedback period. This indecent haste with which the UMNO/BN controlled AELB granted the TOL shows that they really do not care for public opinions which are overwhelmingly against the project.

Further, there were too many restrictions for the public to view the application for the TOL plus it had not been accompanied by an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) which is mandatory and LYNAS has still not have a PDF (Permanent Disposal Facility).

If you care for your own plus your family plus future generations, vote out the uncaring UMNO/BN so that the PR promise to close the facility can be fulfilled.

Read below what the Malaysian BAR has to say about it in Bar Council questions 'express licence' for Lynas courtesy of Malaysiakini:

Bar Council questions 'express licence' for Lynas

3:39PM Feb 7, 2012

The hasty manner in which the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) approved a temporary operating licence for the Lynas rare earth refinery was improper, said Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee.
He said that the licence was issued on Jan 30, just four days after the closing date for a public feedback period.
“It beggars belief that AELB could have adequately and properly considered the 1,123 public comments within merely two working days.  
“The only natural conclusion is that the whole public consultation process is a sham and charade,” said Lim (right) in a statement today.
The public consultation period took place between Jan 3 to Jan 26, to allow the public to scrutinise Lynas’ application for a licence.
There have been complaints that the AELB applied too many restrictions during the viewing process, which includes limiting the amount of time each individual can view the document.
Meanwhile, Lim pointed out that the legality of the AELB decision on Jan 30 was also in question because the detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the Lynas plant had not yet been conducted.
‘Where is the EIA?’
Lim argued that the EIA was a prerequisite, noting that as of Feb 1, even the permanent disposal facility for the Lynas plant had yet to be identified.
“This omission alone should have constituted sufficient grounds for AELB to dismiss the application,” he said.
In view of this, Lim urged the federal government to suspend or cancel the temporary operating licence.
On the 10-month period for Lynas to submit its plans for a permanent waste storage facility, Lim said this was reckless because if the terms of the licence remain unfulfilled, a substantial amount of radioactive waste would have been produced.
“These wastes would burden Malaysia for the imaginable future, as thorium, one of the wastes produced, has an inconceivably long half-life of over 14 billion years.
“It will take that much time for half the atoms in any sample of thorium to decay,” warned Lim.
He added that should a catastrophe befall the affected area, a large amount of money would be required for remedial action, as shown in the case of the Asian Rare Earth Plant in Bukit Merah, Perak.

Rosmar Mansor spending spree & Holly's email

I had made an earlier post at Is Rosmah Mansor lying re Spending Spree. However, the picture of the email is small and the wordings are difficult to read. Below is a clearer image plus a transcript below it. Read and judge the truth of Rosmah Mansor's denial:



Transcript of the above image of the email:

Hi Patty,

I hope you are well.
Some news for you.
I thought you may be interested in one of Carl's latest fan, Malaysia's "First Lady" Rosmah Mansor. Carl received a phone call from her staff while she was shopping in Pitt St. asking if there was parking in Paddington for a limousine. They came straight over where Carl had a private appointment with Mrs. Mansor, going over styles, color and fabrics. Carl then prepared a presentation for her on New Year's Eve at the hotel Mrs. Mansor was staying out, and she chose every one of the 30 colors Carl presented. In total Mrs. Mansor ordered 61 pieces. Carl also was introduced to PM Najib Razak. All pieces she chose are to be made from Carl's signature stretch silk, and to be made bespoke after taking her measurements.

A few of the styles she ordered included the Emila skirt and long sleeve blouse below.

I would also be happy to offer you an AW12 style to run with the story, look book is attached.

Interesting, not?!

Holly

And here is a second email released over at Close encounters of the KL kind:

“Hi Patty,

I just spoke to Carl for some further information:
He visited Rosmah, and her PM husband on New Year's Eve at The Darling's Penthouse Suite in the Casino (http://www.thedarling.com.au/sydney-hotel-rooms/penthouse/) for the fitting and presentation. The pieces are for her everyday occasions, which are many. She meets some incredibly influential people, including most recently Michelle Obama so Carl is thrilled that she is such a fan. He said she was incredibly lovely, and she is flying him to Kaula Lumpar mid-February for a second round of fittings. The pieces need to be completed in a month from the second fitting. All pieces had to be altered to be with a long sleeve, with no bare ankles or wrists.
She is already asking for more pieces in addition to the 61 ordered, which is a mix of AW12 and SS11.

In addition to this, Carl has had a great season, his sales are extraordinarily 80% up post his debut Fashion Week show last year. His made-to-measure has definitely made him a favourite go-to and is his greatest point of difference - particularly against the onslaught of online stores.
Attached are the lookbook imagery, the following have already been published on Pages Digital.

Let me know of anything else you need,

Holly”

Is Rosmah Mansor lying re Spending Spree

All of you would already know about Rosmah Mansor’s alleged spending spree in Australia where it was alleged she spend some estimated AUD100,000 (RM325,000) on dresses from Carl Kapp’s exclusive designer label clothing and her denials plus claims that most of those dresses were meant for the IFF (Islamic Festival Festival) by IFF founder and chairman Raja Rezza Shah that clothing bought at a designer boutique in Sydney, Australia were for his London store, not for the Prime Minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Now all have us have heard that bare face liar Liew Tiong Lay’s denial that tear gas canisters were fired into the Tung Shin Hospital plus many other false denials by UMNO/BN and connected figures.

Now regarding whether Rosmah told the truth or lied you make the decision yourself but do read Malaysiakini’s report Rosmah spree: Blogger discloses email exchanges courtesy of Malaysiakini below did or did not lie:

Rosmah spree: Blogger discloses email exchanges

4:03PM Feb 1, 2012

Fashion journalist Patty Huntington has disclosed email exchanges to attest to her report about Prime Minister Najib Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor’s expenses on exclusive designer label clothing in Sydney, Australia.
For the first time today, Huntington (right), in a lengthy write-up on herFrockwriter blog, annotated every detail on what transpired between her and designer Carl Kapp as well as his publicist, Little Hero, before the matter was picked up by The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) on Jan 21.
Huntington said that she was pitched the story on Jan 16 by Little Hero’s staff member Holly Beer, who sent an email to the blogger on Rosmah’s purchase of 61 items from the Carl Kapp Shop.
Following up the matter, Huntington verified the premier’s visit during New Year’s eve by contacting the Malaysian High Commission and The Darling hotel, which is part of The Star casino complex in Sydney, after which she spoke to Kapp, who spoke on the 61 items purchased.
After the issue hit the local media last week, Kapp, in a statement to Malaysiakini, said the prime minister’s wife and her entourage, including Islamic Fashion Festival chairperson Raja Rezza Shah, had visited his shop and had made various separate purchases.
“In a nutshell, Kapp now claims that Rosmah Mansor came to his store not to make a large personal order of clothes for herself, but in some kind of philanthropic capacity as patron of the IFF.
“Any spending was spread evenly across the various members of her entourage, which included the head of the IFF. Who happens to be a man.

"Kapp - who only makes women’s wear - is now saying that he is definitely not being flown to Kuala Lumpur next month at Rosmah Mansor’s expense for a second round of fittings or any other nebulous purpose connected to the alleged purchase of his clothes by any number of visiting dignitaries.
“Adding, words to the effect, that he is in and out of Malaysia so many times throughout the year on business, Kuala Lumpur is practically his second home.

"And finally, Kapp implies that he has absolutely no idea how the highly sensitive information about this distinguished visit got out,” said Huntington.
The South African-born designer was responding to queries following a report that estimated Rosmah could have spent up to A$100,000 (RM323,000) at his store.
Coming to Rosmah’s defence
Raja Rezza came to Rosmah’s defence yesterday, saying that the 61 pieces purchased at Kapp’s boutique in Paddington in Sydney, were actually “stock” for his shop in London.
Huntington, however, contested Kapp’s assertion that the purchases were made by a “sizeable group”, backing this up by stating that neither Little Hero, in three emails, nor Kapp, in a 15-minute interview, had stated that any purchases or orders were made by anyone other than Rosmah.
“In fact both Little Hero and Kapp explicitly said that the orders were for Rosmah. Rosmah is not one of Kapp’s standard sizes, he told me. Kapp added that he makes to a size 14 off the rack, but to 18-20 in made to measure - which accounts for 50 percent of his business, he said.
“Additionally, all of the garments for Rosmah were in need of special customisation such as extended hemlines or long sleeves, with at least one dress due to be converted into a coat.
“Kapp said he took the client’s measurements, so as to be able to tailor the garments to her needs. He told me on the record, ‘It started out at the shop, but there was so much that she wanted, so I suggested that I prepare a presentation... She followed me into the studio and started pointing at fabrics’,” said Huntington.
The orders were processed and Kapp was paid upfront, said Huntington, stressing that neither Beer nor Kapp had made any mention of IFF or the London boutique in their press statements.
She also cornered Little Hero, who claimed that the reports had given the impression that Kapp’s establishment “is indiscreet, willing to divulge personal and private information about clients”.
Reproducing the emails related to the purchases, dated Jan 16 onwards, Huntington pointed out that it was nowhere stated that the material was off-the-record nor was there a privacy disclaimer at the end of the emails.
“I do not make a habit of publishing anyone’s emails, but am willing to make an exception in this case as I feel there is a genuine effort here to mislead the public,” she stressed.
‘He didn’t think anyone would do the math’
She also beat down Kapp’s bid to free himself of blame, saying that the latter and the publicist “volunteered, on the record - unsolicited - the unit size of the order. Sixty-one pieces. And apparently didn’t think anyone would do the math”.
“I write about fashion from a business perspective for a variety of publications, including US fashion trade paper WWD. I am frequently required to include industry-sourced information and sales estimates in stories.
“On Jan 16, I asked Little Hero for Kapp’s off-the-rack price range. In a third email that day, they informed me: A$295 for a silk T-shirt, A$330 for a boob tube, with short dresses starting at A$795 and reaching A$1,100, A$2,420 and A$2,970 for the longer styles.
“Overlooking for a moment the obvious facts that Rosmah did not order any short dresses, short-sleeved T-shirts or strapless boob tubes and that the entire order was made-to-measure, if the order was indeed 61 units, as claimed by Little Hero and Kapp (right), the absolute cheapest it could possibly have been was A$17,995 (A$295 x 61).
“And the absolute priciest: A$181,170 (A$2,970 x 61). Average it out and you don’t get much change out of A$100,000 - which is what I reported the order ‘could be approaching’,” said Huntington.
Passing the buck back to Kapp, she asked if the purpose was to be discreet, why mention the size of the order to Frockwriter and SMH.
“If (Little Hero director, Rae) Begley and Kapp had any concerns about the information in the story, it’s curious that neither sought an immediate clarification. They did not.
“On the contrary, Kapp sent me an SMS at 18.35 that day (Jan 17) saying ‘Thanks for the brilliant write-up!’,” said Huntington.

How votes are bought in Malaysia and the polling booth orientation

During my training as a polling and counting agent for the 2008 elections, my trainer explained to me how votes are bought by the corrupt UMNO/BN.

It all starts with a voter going in to the polling station with a pre-marked fake polling ballot in favor of UMNO/BN candidate hidden in his pocket and putting that pre-marked voting slip into the ballot box, then taking out the unmarked voting slip out of the polling station. However, first I will explain how the much much earlier orientation of the privacy shield at the polling booth makes cheating very difficult.

Earlier orientation of privacy shield at polling booth which makes buying of votes difficult

It seemed some time in the past, the privacy shield was orientated away from the polling agent and so when the voter is at the polling booth, his back is facing the polling agent. See Figure 1 below (click to enlarge):

Figure 1: Earlier layout of privacy shield and polling station which made bying of votes difficult

So it seems that polling agents will be able to observe the back of the voter at the polling booth and while no person other than the voter himself will be able to see him marking the ballot slip, he will be unable to take out the pre-marked voting slip from his pocket and hide the real unmarked polling slip in his pocket without being observed, put the fake pre-marked ballot slip into the ballot box and take the unmarked genuine polling slip out of the polling station.

Orientation of privacy shield to facilitate cheating

In the 2008 and prior general elections, the privacy shield was deliberately reoriented to face the polling agents and the voter's back is facing away from the polling agents can see only the legs of the voter while the backside and upper body is hidden from the view of the polling agents (see figure below, click to enlarge):

Figure 2: Orientation of privacy shield 2008 and "prior" which enables cheating

Thus to start off, a cooperating voter is given a fake pre-marked (in favor of BN) polling slip to hide in his pocket, walks into the polling station and is given a genuine polling slip, take the slip to the polling booth and now his back is facing away from polling agents and only his legs are visible.

He hides the unmarked genuine polling slip into his pocket unseen by the agents, take the pre-marked false ballot slip and put it into the ballot box and walks out of the polling station unhindered.

At a secret location the first voter exchanged the unmarked genuine polling slip for a pre-arranged sum of money.

The genuine polling slip is pre-marked in favor of UMNO/BN and is given to the next voter with instruction to put that into the ballot box and take out the unmarked ballot slip in order to collect his loot.

The second bought voter goes in and is given a genuine unmarked polling slip, goes to the polling booth and again hide the unmarked polling slip in his pocket unseen, goes to the ballot box, puts in the pre-marked slip and walks out of the polling station with the unmarked polling slip (genuine) undetected.

Again at the secret location, he exchange the unmarked polling slip for money and that unmarked polling slip is pre-marked for the next voter and the whole process is repeated until the end of polling.

Thus in this way the person/party who wants to buy votes ensure that the bought voter actually vote for the selected candidate.

The "new" orientation of the privacy shield as shown in NST

I saw the new arrangement of the polling station in New Straits Times and it is shown with the original orientation of the privacy shield facing away from the polling agents with the whole of the back of the voter visible to the polling agents which must be enforced at all cost. This is as it should be and and was the orientation used in the distant past (see figure below):

Previous and "new" layout of polling booth and polling station

Actually, the diagram in NST may be slightly different from the above which is reproduced from memory, but the essential relation of the polling agents, the voter and the privacy shield is as shown. That diagram I believe is given by the Election Commission. If anyone has that diagram given by the Election Commission anywhere on the web, hope you can leave the URL in a comment below.

Thus I hope those doing the training for the upcoming 13^th General Election should inform the potential polling agents and all polling agents must ensure that this orientation of the privacy shield is adhered to.

Please spread this information to as many people as you can to reduce buying of votes.

Ah Wah Gor trounce Ah Jib Gor in Facebook 9 times over

The hypocrite Najib has created another PR con - the Ah Wah Gor fan page which till today only garnered only 3,034 likes and is probably administered by staff paid from the public's coffers.

On the other hand, Ah Wah Gor has already garnered 27,083 links which is 9 times more than the pathetic An Jib Gor. Do go to Ah Wah Gor to add to the number of likes to show how you detest that fork tongue Najib.

Here is the link to Facebook Ah Wah Gor a the URL of Ah Jib Gor (http://www.facebook.com/myAhJibGor). If you want to check on the latest comparison.

UPDATE: The URL for Ah Jib Gor above is the wrong one. The correct one is http://www.facebook.com/ahjibgor and today the number of likes amounts to 17,163

Let's go see what is the latest for Ah Wah Gor: 33,478. Ah Wah Goh still trounce Ah Jib Gor 2 is to 1.

The UMNO/BN Federal government is illegal?

Mariam Mokhtar raised the possibility that the current UMNO/BN Federal government is an illegal one. What did Mariam based that observation on? Read her opinion piece Do we have an illegal gov't? below courtesy of Malaysiakini.

 

Do we have an illegal gov't?

Mariam Mokhtar
11:57AM Jan 16, 2012

The word “One” has assumed an important but meaningless position in the Umno/BN vocabulary.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s ‘OneMalaysia’ exists alongside discriminatory laws which favour only one racial group.
The recent ‘OneAcquittal’ (Anwar Ibrahim’s) is said to equate to an independent judiciary.
In 'OneElection' the use of only one criterion out of the several needed to guarantee free and fair elections is deemed sufficient.
And in ‘OneCorruptPolitician’, the lenient sentence of one politician, Mohd Khir Toyo, is Umno/BN’s stage-managed way of showing the people that the government is tackling corruption.
With the rakyat’s deep mistrust and hostility of Umno/BN and especially the PM, Najib;s administration should be termed  the ‘OneMalaysiaFarce’.
When politicians or pro-government bodies are backed into a corner, they use the following - Constitution, Religion, Attorney-general, Prevention (CRAP) - as reasons to justify their actions.
In a recent landmark case, six overseas Malaysians seeking the right to be registered as ‘absent voters’ lost their fight in the High Court. The overseas Malaysians wanted equality under Article 8 of the federal constitution but Justice Rohana Yusuf ruled that the Election Commission (EC) was correct in not registering them as absent voters because the applicants did not come under the category of “absent voters”.
In delivering her judgment, Rohana appeared to ignore Article 119 of the constitution.
Last week, former EC chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman claimed that in the 2008 election, he was criticised for not using indelible ink to stop multiple voting.
Four years after the event and when RM2.4 million of the taxpayers’ money had been wasted, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz finally admitted that he had blocked the use of the indelible ink prior to GE-12.
Nazri said, “On indelible ink, I must admit that the person who questioned it was me. At that time, there were constitutional concerns.
“Under the constitution, if you fulfill the two conditions, aged 21 and above and are a registered voter, you must be given the ballot paper. So, what happens if you refuse to be marked by the ink?
“There was also concern among Muslims at that time that the ink will block water from reaching the skin when cleaning up for prayers.”
What about henna/dyes and ink for tattoos?
Muslims like Nazri suddenly worry about the use of ink in religion just before a general election. Why has no one bothered to bring up the subject of henna/dyes used to paint hands and feet in Muslim marriages or even the use of ink in permanent tattoos?
In the same vein, why are Umno politicians unperturbed by the hard-core porn circulating in our pasar malams, but at the time of a general election, they create an unholy fuss about certain sex videos, to score political mileage?
In the sex-video of a man purporting to be opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Umno/BN made full use of the government media and premises to exhibit the sex video and at the same time, proclaimed their own moral rectitude.
Perhaps, Najib should add to the Umno/BN list of slogans, ‘OneHypocriticalParty’.
Former EC chairperson Rashid said, “In 2007, I received a letter from the Attorney-General's Chambers saying that the implementation of indelible ink contravened Article 119 of the federal constitution”.
A political observer said that whenever the rights of Malaysians are curtailed, the attorney-general’s name or office is quoted.
Rashid had allegedly proclaimed on national television that indelible ink could not be used because of security concerns. The AG instructed the former EC chairperson to lie. This is the same AG in charge of the so-called independent judiciary.
Nazri (left) had also denied knowledge of any fatwa endorsing the use of indelible ink in the 2008 general election. Malaysians are aware that the ink in GE12 was withdrawn at the last minute.
Today, the government tells us that the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform has approved the use of indelible ink. Cynical Malaysians wonder if the ink will be banned because of another trumped-up reason in GE13? What will the AG’s instructions for the current EC chairperson be?
Abdul Rashid said he was prevented from implementing the use of indelible ink in the 2008 election. Who will be prevented from ordering the use of indelible ink in GE13?
Recently, former BN politicians and ex-civil servants appear to be very effusive in their revelations about vote rigging and other Umno/BN’s unjust practices.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (centre in photo) described the inflated prices paid by the government for the procurement of weapons as buying toys for the boys.
Former deputy minister Tan Kee Kwong Tan criticised Najib for “single-handedly destroying” Felda’s prudent management, siphoning-off its wealth and misleading both parliament and the public.
Former minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik in an interview with The Edge was cynical about Najib’s failing policies: “I give up lah, talking to this government” and  said, “Politicians who think they can become rich quickly by joining politics should be condemned and kept out of politics and government.”
Mohamed Rahmat, the former information minister, revealed Umno’s wrongdoings in his book ‘Impian’ and warned Umno/BN that they could not maintain a policy of protecting its leaders. He also said that his mission in 1977 was to topple the PAS government in Kelantan.
Recently, former minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir agreed that introducing indelible ink was no guarantee of free and fair elections. Lately, he too had revealed BN’s media restrictions on the opposition, the use of government agencies to court rural votes and bribery during elections.
Why can’t they resign on a point of principle?
What has happened to the notion of politicians and ministers being principled? Why do politicians and civil servants, like the former EC chairperson, wait years before revealing their part in acts of corruption and deception?
Why can’t they, at the time, resign on a point of principle and, at a press conference, expose the instructions given to them to undermine the opposition? The public will be behind them. The international community will laud them.
Today, the rakyat are grateful for the revelations, but to talk now, just shows cowardice and a lack of principles. Why the sudden pricking of their consciences? Are they manoeuvring themselves into a favourable political position for when the opposition takes power? Are they clamouring for public acceptance?
More importantly, these revelations show that Umno/BN was guilty of corrupt practices during previous elections. Shouldn’t the results be declared null and void, and the government in power today, be declared an illegal one?

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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.