Most important reform: just independent judiciary

Because of decades of power abuses and wanton corruptions by unrepentent UMNO/BN, Malaysia urgently need reforms, but the one of the most important reform is the tainted judiciary. The Judiciary is the Last Bastion of Hope and Justice especially if our rights are trampled upon by the executive and its croonies and we need to seek justice from the courts and judges.

Just look at how Anwar is denied access to his accuser Saiful Bukhari's police statement. When one is accused of a crime, how can the accused be denied such crucial information in order to defend oneself? Imagine if you are the one who stand accused in the dock and you are unable to get whatever needed to enable you to defend yourself. Do you want to face such a desperate situation? I hope not.

Please Malaysians, do whatever you can to remove the unrepentant UMNO/BN from the seat of power in Putrajaya and help start this process of reforms, the birth of a counter-balancing 2 party/coalition system and truly free and fair elections which are only possible if you help put Pakatan Rakyat as the next federal government to initiate the process.

If you are unable to do more, at the very least do ensure you register as a voter and vote or if you are already a registered voter, participate in this voter-get-voter and get at least one eligible voter to register at the nearest post office plus verify you are still registered and check your voter registration also registered where you want to vote.

Appeal to get Saiful's statement dismissed
Hafiz Yatim
Oct 18, 10
3:58pm
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The Federal Court today dismissed Anwar Ibrahim's appeal to obtain Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's witness statement which was recorded by the police.

Today's decision comes after the apex court had earlier allowed the acceptance of a two-page broad reasons by the Court of Appeal as a basis in hearing the leave application.

In a unanimous decision, the apex court led by Chief Judge of Malaya, Arifin Zakaria, ruled that the High Court ruling was not within the definition of a decision.

“It does not dispose of the rights of the appellant. Hence, the application before us is dismissed.”

Arifin agreed with the Court of Appeal judges that it is not a final order and could be raised when the trial ends.

The other judges sitting with Arifin were Justices James Foong and Md Raus Sharif.

The sodomy charge against Anwar, faces a historic contradiction when complainant and star witness Saiful alleged the June 26,2008, Desa Damansara condominium incident was non-consensual.

Despite this, the Permatang Pauh MP was charged under Section 377b of the Penal Code with consensual carnal intercourse.

Just last Thursday the Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensic pathologist, Dr Siew Sheue Feng, told the High Court that Saiful had told the doctors the alleged sodomy incident was done without force.

On May 11, High Court judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah dismissed lead counsel Karpal Singh's application to have a copy of Saiful's witness statement.

The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal which only provided the broad reasons of its decision rather than the lengthy detailed written grounds of judgment which under normal circumstances may run in excess of 20 pages.

Source: Appeal to get Saiful's statement dismissed

Mahathir wants Malays to be handicapped for life

Mahathir Mohamad said: "To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness" for he claimed Malays should be treated special and different, that Malays need handouts, that Malays are unable to compete with Chinese and Indians and thus deserved handicaps as in the game of golf. However, Mariam Mokhtar (The dilemma: A Malay handicap) raised a very pertinent point for unlike the sport golf where once a handicapped golfer achieve competency, the handicap is taken away (Competent golfers don't need handicaps: Mahathir failed to mention that once golfers become competent, they are 'scratch players' and do not need handicaps. Left to Mahathir, Malays will always be given a handicap and be 'handicapped' for life. One would have thought that after 53 years of Umno, the Malays would not need this handicap)

However, in Malaysia, the Malays expect the handicap (numerous privilages and rights not given to non-Malays) to be forever even for those who have already accumated huge fortunes. Is that what the framers of Malaysia's Constitution intend?

The dilemma: A Malay handicap
Mariam Mokhtar
Oct 18, 10

Mahathir Mohamad's premiership was a mixture of adulation and fear. He was considered a Third World hero, a Malay champion and a divisive character. His admirers range from kampung folk to western educated non-Malay professionals. Although he resigned in 2003, he refuses to retire gracefully and cannot resist the political limelight. Last week, his damning statement, “To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness” caused outrage.

That statement appeared in Mahathir's blog, when he apologised to the Malaysian students in Melbourne, for his failure, through illness, to present his talk, “Are we ready for 1Malaysia: Does race still play a part?”

In it, Mahathir claims to 'love' Malaysia and said, “I am past self-interest”.

Is he confirming he acted out of self-interest in the past and not out of the interests of the nation? Or is he looking down on the current crop of politicians who he believes is acting out of 'self-interest'?

His talk would have covered how “Malays must be treated as special and different”, “for as long as the Chinese and Indians prefer to be identified with their countries of origin…… and keep their home languages and their schools”.

Mahathir needs to be reminded that his policies perpetuate division. From the time we are born we are obliged to classify our racial orientation on our birth certificate, and later our identity cards. At school, specific subjects are taught to certain races. Racial quotas determine eligibility for scholarships or for civil service jobs. No one can escape their racial identity.

Non-Malays identify themselves as Malaysians. They were born here. Malaysia is home. It is the government which fails to acknowledge that.

Mahathir's obsession with race continues to be championed by Malay extremists. The problem is that the average Malay has a high expectation that his race entitles him to profits and riches.

We must be honest and make the most of ourselves by building our self-confidence. Aspiration and hard-work are not something we are born with, but something which anyone of us can learn.

Upbringing proved his success

Mahathir seems disingenuous especially as his upbringing proved his success. As a child, his highly motivated and disciplined father subjected him to a rigorous regime of study which made him excel at school and improved his mathematics and English.

Mahathir developed positive traits of discipline, hard-work, self-improvement and good learning habits. He spoke good English and was a voracious reader. All these changed his life.

Why is Mahathir denying the ordinary Malay the chance to excel, be disciplined, stretch himself, shake off his provincial thinking, be rewarded by hard work and realise that fear of failure is only in the mind? Is this political expediency or lack of political will?

On a social level, Mahathir easily made friends with people from all ethnic backgrounds. And yet, his racial stance encouraged enmity amongst the various races.

Why perpetuate the myth that Malays need handouts? Mahathir told his children “nothing came easy” and there was “no shortcut to success”.

Extremists are fuelled by Mahathir's racist rhetoric and will never earn the respect of others. These 'ultras' assume arrogance and tell unhappy non-Malays to 'return to their homeland'.

Mahathir argues that Malays who condemn the NEP fall into two groups.

The first group includes politicians or party supporters “motivated by a desire to get Chinese support”. He said “They assume that they themselves would lead the nation and enjoy power and opportunities through Chinese support” and branded ex-Perak Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin as a “mere puppet”.

The second group is the non-politically educated Malays who are “ashamed they have to be helped”. He said, “If we study these people almost invariably they have benefited from the NEP” but “they are ashamed to admit that they were unable to compete with the other races.”

Why insult the Malays who succeeded on their own? Mahathir is emphatic he is a 'successful Malay'. Why disbelieve and begrudge the competence and capability of other Malays?

He then said, “the Chinese excel in developing Malaysia (for which they are amply rewarded)”, and “Simply to catch up with them we need handicaps. To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness, not discrimination”, as in a game of golf.

Competent golfers don't need handicaps

Mahathir failed to mention that once golfers become competent, they are 'scratch players' and do not need handicaps.

Left to Mahathir, Malays will always be given a handicap and be 'handicapped' for life. One would have thought that after 53 years of Umno, the Malays would not need this handicap.

He said, “It is selfish if having benefited from the handicaps you want to deny others from having them.” But it is Mahathir who is selfish in wanting to continue putting the Malays down.

Not all non-Malays are rich and successful. There are poor Malays AND poor non-Malays. Only the cronies benefit.

Whilst Prime Minister Najib is desperate for his 1Malaysia policy to work, his efforts are hampered by Mahathir, goading from the sidelines, like a bully and a spoilsport.

If Perkasa, who echoes Mahathir's sentiments, is keen on Malay supremacy, why lap up every word of Mahathir who has Indian ancestry?

Two school principals who made derogatory comments about their students and the Biro Tata Negara assistant director, Hamim Husan who called the Chinese and Indian communities “si mata sepet” and “si botol” respectively, have conveniently disappeared from the public radar.

No one knows if investigations proved they were guilty of racism and punished. A motion to debate racism was disallowed by the speaker of the Parliament.

Najib's insincerity towards 1Malaysia is shown by his failure to censure the racists. Moreover, a Race Relations Act was rejected presumably because Umno benefits from racial inequality.

Unsurprisingly, BN's non-Malay political parties were hardly vocal and did not hold Najib to account. Why?

If Najib was more decisive and used the laws on sedition to lock-up Mahathir, racist politicians including Cabinet members and key civil servants, only then will Malaysians get the message he is serious about 1Malaysia and racism.

If he was a capable leader, he would sack those ministers who claim they lack the 'power' to act.

Unless Najib is willing to demonstrate steadfastness and commitment, few will believe in his 1Malaysia ideal.

---

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.

Dr. Mahathir promised Chinese & Indians NEP to end in 1990

According to RPK (Raja Petra Kamarudin) who was then a member of the Malay Chamber of Commerce and thus should know what he is talking about, and later one of the Chamber’s central committee members, this was what Mahathir Mohamad said in 1982: “We promised the Chinese and Indians that the NEP would end in 1990. So we have to keep our promise and end it in 1990. So the Malays had better be ready to stand on their own feet without any government protection.”

Read rest of article:

Dear Khairy
NO HOLDS BARRED

We can stop questioning the Bumiputera equity target, as what you asked us to do. But how are we going to ensure that we reach that 30% target unless you can find a way to stop the Malays from selling what the government gives them and then secretly transferring the money overseas to buy property or to save in foreign bank accounts?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dear Khairy,

How are you? It’s been a long time since we last met and shared a cigar. I don’t know whether you ever make it to this part of the world but in the event you do please look me up and maybe we could shoot the breeze and have a drink or something like that. Smoking cigars is quite difficult here unless you do so outside because the UK no longer allows smoking inside the pubs or bars. However, unless we do that in summer we will find that extremely uncomfortable.

Anyway, what I want to talk to you about is your comment yesterday that no one should question the Bumiputera equity target. It is strange that you should say this because back in 1976 we too said the same. Oh, and was not 1976 the same year you were born? That means when you first emerged from your mother’s womb and first saw the light of day as a squealing newly-born baby we said exactly what, today, you are saying: don’t question the Bumiputera equity target.

I was then already 26 years old and a member of the Malay Chamber of Commerce. Later, I went on to become one of the Chamber’s central committee members. So, back when you first emerged into this world we were already fighting for what only today you are fighting for.

To be honest, however, we did question the Bumiputera equity target. You can, in fact, find my many kertas kerja (working papers) in the Malay Chamber library and archives, unless they have all been thrown away. Some of these kertas kerja were also compiled and published into books. Yes, while you were still in diapers and being breastfed (or maybe bottle-fed) by your mother we were already cracking our heads, pondering on how to help the Malays.

Now, when I say we did question the Bumiputera equity target, we did not question it from the point of view of whether it should be retained or removed. No, this would be a treacherous act because the Malays needed our help and even the Chinese and Indians agreed so. We questioned it from the point of view of it being 30%.

“Why 30%?” we asked. And may I remind you that we asked this question during the time you were born.

“Who set the figure at 30%?” we wanted to know -- although we suspected your father-in-law, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, may either know the answer or had a hand in it, seeing that he was the Secretary of the NOC at that time (so maybe the next time you have a family sit down you can pose this question and see what he says).

“Since Bumiputeras represent 60% of the country’s population why not the equity target be fixed at 60% instead of 30%?” we argued -- and no one could enlighten us and tell us why.

Finally, they admitted that 30% appeared to be a good figure and was sort of plucked from the top of the head. If it had been only 10% then the Malays would have complained that it is too low while if it had been 60% then the non-Malays would complain it is too high. So, 30% appeared to be a good and compromising figure, which both the Malays and non-Malays may not quarrel with.

In other words, we were told that there was no formula. No one sat down to work out the arithmetic and the end result of that calculation or formula revealed that 30% must be that target. It was just a convenient figure that some thought would be acceptable to all sides without a quarrel.

“But is 30% achievable?” we asked. Well, came the reply, it is just a target. It is not law. It is merely an aspiration (hasrat). We will try to work towards that figure but whether we achieve 30% or not is not as important as we have a target to aim for so that we know where we are heading.

Fair enough. We could accept that. So there is really no basis for it being 30%. It is just that 10% or 60% may upset one group or the other and that 30% is a middle-of-the-road or compromise that both sides can agree with without a quarrel. And while there is no formula for it being 30% or any guarantee that we can meet this 30% it at least allows us a target to aim for. And 30% is as good as any figure to aim for.

Another ten years passed. And by 1986 -- which by then you were ten years old and probably in standard three -- we again sat down to review the achievement (pancapaian) of this 30% and found that the target of 30% had not been met. We were told by the then Deputy Prime Minister that the pancapaian was only 19% or so.

This got us worried. We remembered the new Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (then Datuk Seri), warning us merely four years or so earlier that the NEP would not go on forever and that by 1990 the NEP would end. “We promised the Chinese and Indians that the NEP would end in 1990,” said Dr Mahathir. “So we have to keep our promise and end it in 1990. So the Malays had better be ready to stand on their own feet without any government protection.”

I must admit that I too panicked. We called for a meeting of all Malay businessmen to discuss this matter. 1990 was not that far away. If the pancapaian is only 19% and if the NEP is going to end in 1990, what are the Malays going to do?

As I said, you were then still only in primary school. At that age you probably did not worry about all this and for sure would not have panicked like we did.

We decided to hold a two-day seminar at the Shangrila Hotel in Kuala Lumpur where we invited both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to attend. We whacked Umno and the government. We whacked what we called the Umnoputeras (Umno people who kill other Bumiputeras). We whacked the trust agencies (such as Pernas, SEDC, etc.) that compete with Bumiputera businesses by using unfair and dirty tactics, and more.

I even whacked Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Berhad (BBMB) in my working paper and called BBMB ‘Bank Buat Melayu Bankrupt’. Basir was so angry he cancelled my RM5.7 million banking facilities and gave me 14 days to pay back all my outstanding balances in full -- plus I was blacklisted by the Ministry of Finance and barred from getting any further government contracts (you can talk to Idris Tulis about this because he and Izat Emir, etc., were two of the many victims of BBMB).

But nothing much happened after that because the entire world was in recession and the government could not help itself, let alone help the Bumiputeras. In fact, even the Chinese suffered and some such as Tan Koon Swan even went to jail.

This brought us to 1990 when the NEP was supposed to officially end. We were devastated. The 19% figure of 1986 was still 19% by 1990. This was mainly because of the long mid-1980s recession. So everything stagnated. What do we do?

We then decided to hold the Third Bumiputera Economic Congress and at the same time invite the government leaders to this congress so that the leaders and we can jointly ponder on this matter and consider how we could jointly solve the problems of the Malays. Of course, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and entire Cabinet would be invited.

We were then summoned by Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, the KSN, to attend a meeting in his office, which we did. Ahmad Sarji told us that Dr Mahathir had agreed to attend the congress but he insists that the government take over the organising of the congress instead of attending it as a mere guest. Furthermore, we were told, Dr Mahathir wants to invite the non-Malays to attend the congress.

We protested. How can non-Malays be invited to a Malay congress? There may be some very nasty things said during the congress and what would the non-Malays feel if they were present and heard all this?

Never mind, Ahmad Sarji said. It is good that the non-Malays attend so that they can hear what we say. This will give them an idea of how the Malays feel. This will also allow the non-Malays to participate in the debates so that they too can suggest how to assist the government in overcoming the problem of the Malays. Anyway, said Ahmad Sarji, the Prime Minister has made up his mind and this matter is not open for negotiations.

Reluctantly we had to agree because, as you know, once Dr Mahathir has made up his mind there is no turning back. And the congress was held with the participation of the non-Malays and with the government as co-organisers.

We lamented about the 19% pencapaian of the Bumiputeras and how, now that the NEP has ended, we will never see it touch 30%. The Minister of Trade, Rafidah Aziz, and Minister of Finance, Anwar Ibrahim, even argued on stage in front of the entire audience. It was actually quite embarrassing to see two senior ministers arguing on stage in front of all of us who sat there dumbfounded.

“The trouble with the Malays is that they are dayamaju (viable) but not dayatahan (resilient),” Rafidah chided us. “You can’t blame the government if the pancapaian is only 19% and not 30%,” screamed Rafidah. “It is the fault of the Malays and not the government,” Rafidah said.

Rafidah then explained that the government had given many Malays shares, permits, quotas, contracts, etc. The problem is, once the shares go up, the Malays sell them. If the Malays had retained or kept all the shares the government gave them, then it would be 30% instead of 19%. In fact, it may even be more than 30%.

We had no choice but to admit defeat. Rafidah was right. In fact, I too am guilty of exactly what Rafidah had said we Malays normally do. So how could we dispute what she said? Many Malays sell the shares the government gave them and secretly transfer the money overseas to buy property all over the world.

If you include all the overseas property and cash in foreign banks that the Malays own, and if you add this to their equity holdings, then we could probably see the figure touch more than 30%. But then if you ignore the overseas assets and cash of the Malays and just look at their shares in Malaysian companies, it would appear like the Malays own only 19% instead of 30%, or probably more.

There is hardly any successful or elite Malay who does not own property or cash outside Malaysia. And most of these are undeclared. So it does not reflect in the 19%. If it did then it would not be 19% but much more. It may even be more than 30%.

Realising that most of us are guilty of doing what Rafidah said we are doing, we decided to let the matter rest. The only way to establish whether the Bumiputera wealth is really 19%, or 30%, or maybe even 40%, we would need to declare all our hidden assets overseas, which no one was prepared to do.

Of course, there is one way we can solve this. And this would be whenever shares are issued to Malays you stamp it ‘non-transferable without government permission’. And even then if permission is granted the shares can only be sold to another Malay and not to a non-Malay.

In other words, these shares would be ‘Malay reservation shares’ just like how we have ‘Malay reservation land’. Therefore, just like in the case of Malay reservation land, shares allocated to Malays can only be sold to another Malay and to no one else.

But then the Malays do not want this. Malay reservation land is very much lower in value compared to freehold land because only Malays can buy Malay reservation land. If the land can be sold to non-Malays then the land value is so much higher. And this would be the same for ‘Malay reservation shares’ that can only be sold to Malays and not to non-Malays.

There would also be the problem of the stock exchange listing. There will be two sets of shares quoted on the stock exchange. The ‘freehold’ shares will be quoted at one price, which will be higher, and the ‘Malay reservation’ shares will be quoted at another price, which is lower.

Now, what happens when a RM1.00 share, which is 'freehold', is quoted at RM10.00 per share on the stock exchange while the ‘Malay reservation’ share is quoted at only RM0.80? The Chinese would make millions while the Malays would lose their pants. I, for one, would never buy a ‘Malay reservation’ share but would rather buy shares that can be sold freely on the market at a much higher price.

The important thing, however, is that once shares are issued to Malays they are 'frozen' and cannot be sold unless to another Malay. This would ensure that the 30% target can be achieved and Malays will forever own those shares. But the shares will hardly be worth more than the issue price and at times maybe even less than the issue price. But if the 30% target is the main issue then this would address the issue although in terms of real wealth there would not be much to shout about.

So you see, dear Khairy, at around the time you were born we already discussed this matter at great length. And the best brains in Malaysia at that time were not able to find a solution. We can stop questioning the Bumiputera equity target, as what you asked us to do. But how are we going to ensure that we reach that 30% target unless you can find a way to stop the Malays from selling what the government gives them and then secretly transferring the money overseas to buy property or to save in foreign bank accounts?

And please don’t say this is not happening. It is. In fact, your own family does it as well -- as do many of my Malay friends, most of whom you too personally know.

Dear Khairy, let me assure you that I will support any move of yours to address this Malay problem. But, as we discussed back in 1976 when you were first born, we need to find a solution on how to enlarge the cake so that there is more to go around and not on how to steal other people’s cake. And we also need to solve the problem of how the Malays can keep the cake and not eat it because once you eat the cake it will be gone. You just can’t eat your cake and have it as well.

I trust your Oxford education will not go to waste and that you can use the wisdom you have gained in Oxford to find a solution to a problem that many of the best brains in Malaysia were not able to solve since the day you were born back in 1976.

Yours truly,

Raja Petra Kamarudin

PS. I have some Cuban cigars in stock and will wait to meet you in London before I smoke them.

UMNO's Corporate Cornucopia by Asian Sentinel

The House that Mahathir Built

UMNO's Corporate Cornucopia
Written by Our Correspondent
WEDNESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2010

How Malaysia's companies funneled money into the country's biggest political party

In the 1980s and 1990s, Halim Saad and Tajudin Ramli were two of Malaysia's brightest stars, picked by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to lead the country's ethnic Malays onto the national stage as exemplars of a new Bumiputera business culture that would catch up with the ethnic Chinese who had dominated commerce as long as Malaysia had been in existence.

When Mahathir took office, insiders say, his plan was to create a cadre of 100 super-rich bumis who in turn would help rural Malays into prosperity under a konsep payung, or umbrella concept routed through the United Malays National Organization, much the way he envisioned driving the country into industrialization through massive projects. But greed intervened. Once the privileged got rich, there was little incentive to share it with the kampongs, the Malay rural villages. Many of the companies eventually collapsed and are being supported by government institutions such as Kazanah Nasional, the country's sovereign investment fund, or the Employee Provident Fund.

Although the Umno connection was widely assumed during Mahathir's 22 year reign as prime minister, today a flock of explosive court documents filed in different Kuala Lumpur courts appear to be breaking open conclusively the open secret that Tajudin and Halim and others were essentially front men for the United Malays National Organization, the country's biggest ethnic political party and part of a class of rentier businessmen who became known as Umnoputras, a play on the word Bumiputera, or native Malaysians, predominantly ethnic Malays.

Nor were they alone. Others included Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary, one of Malaysia's richest men, as well as Yahaya Ahmad, who headed Mahathir's national car project and who tragically was killed with his wife in a helicopter crash, and Samsuddin Abu Hassan, introduced by Mahathir to the government of Nelson Mandela but who had to flee South Africa after being accused of misappropriating millions and evading South African debts totaling about R50 million (US$7.233 million at current exchange rates). Samsuddin left behind his glamorous wife, Melleney Venessa Samsudin, along with a failed Durban bank, and returned to Malaysia.

Samsudin ultimately ended up on the board of directors of Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd., another Umno-linked company that has played a significant role in major national projects including the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, KL's Light Rail Transit System, the CyberJaya Flagship Zone and numerous other projects.

At least 23 of Malaysia's biggest companies (see list below) appear to have been vehicles for Umno to siphon off vast amounts of money in government contracts as Mahathir's plans went awry. The companies and the people who run them are so hard-wired into Umno, the government and its investment arms that de-linking them would probably destroy the party. That in effect makes a mockery of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's widely publicized speech in July in which he promised to root corruption out of his party.

Much of the ownership appears to have been channeled through a mysterious company that emerged in 1993 to stage an RM800 million management buyout of a major chunk of Malaysia's media including the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd and TV3. Realmild already owned a controlling interest in Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd, which got the contract to develop the massive Kuala Lumpur Sentral transport hub. It also acquired ownership of the Labuan and Sabah Shipyards, which supply the Malaysian Navy, as well as Redicare and Medivest, which were awarded lucrative contracts to supply medical supplies to government hospitals.

In September, Syed Anwar Jamalullail, the brother to the Sultan of Perlis, and others testified in a tangled court battle in a Kuala Lumpur High Court that Daim Zainuddin, the prime minister's close associate, often told Malay businessmen to act as nominees in the management of Malaysia's top companies. The long-running suit was launched five years ago in2005 by Khalid Ahmad, a former Realmild director, who alleged he had been cheated out of a RM10 million payment for five percent of Realmild's shares by Abdul Rahman, thought to be the beneficial owner.

According to the testimony, Abdul Rahman paid out the RM10 million but later reneged after he learned from Mahathir that the shares actually belonged to UMNO. The trustees for Realmild in fact were Mahathir himself as well as former Berita Harian Group Editor Ahmad Nazri Abdullah, New Straits Times Group Editor Abdul Kadir Jasin and Mohd Noor Mutalib. Another witness, Ahmad Nazri, said in a deposition that he held the majority share of 80 percent in Realmild, although 70 percent of the shares were actually in trust for Mahathir.

The companies others ran included Faber Group Bhd, a member of the UEM Group, now involved in integrated facilities management and property solutions sectors; KUB Malaysia Bhd. A holding company dealing in information, communications & technology, property, engineering & construction and food related industries.

The companies have been involved a wide variety of activities including media, property development, construction, toll roads, hospital equipment, logistics and distribution, cellular telephony and other businesses. What they had in common was that most of them benefited from government contracts doled out by the Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition that has controlled Malaysia since its inception as a country. The other thing they had in common was that at some point most of them were mismanaged into financial trouble of one kind or another and had to be bailed out or bought out by the government.

Realmild unloaded Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd onto the Employee Provident Fund in late 2005 as part settlement for an outstanding Rm500 million loan. Putera Capital Bhd, is threatened with bankruptcy. It formerly owned the Putra World Trade Center, Umno's headquarters, which rents out office space to businesses. UEM Builders Bhd, an offshoot of United Engineers Malaysia (UEM), along with UEM World Bhd, was dumped onto Kazanah Nasional, the investment holding arm of the government and the government's strategic investment vehicle.

Kazanah Nasional now also owns PLUS, which held the tollway contract for the national north-south highway, as well as Pharmaniaga, a former UEM subsidiary dealing in hospital supply and other services. Court documents show that MAS, then the state-owned flag carrier, was taken over and privatized by Tajudin Ramli only to lose an estimated RM8 billion (US$2.77 billion at current exchange rate), with a major part of that being funneled into a Frankfurt, Germany cargo logistics company whose directors were closely connected to Tajudin.

According to the website Malaysia Today, Tajudin's lawyers revealed that Tajudin had only been a front man for Umno and that Umno "not only has to protect him from prosecution but that they also had to ensure that the government bought back the shares at the same price that they were sold to him although the shares were only worth a portion of the real value."

Other depositions made available in recent weeks have listed a long series of documents detailing misdoings in UEM/Renong, once headed by Halim Saad, which has long been accused of looting the government treasury through vastly overpriced construction contracts. Halim told the press in September that he had left the UEM/Renong board in 2001, saying authorities wanted Kazanah to take it over "to prevent a systemic risk to the banking system in Malaysia and to enable a sustained restructuring of the group."

UEM itself is still at it. The government-linked company was given the contract to build a second bridge from the mainland to the northern city of Penang at a price estimated in 2007 at Rm2.7 billion. It has since climbed to RM4.3 billion without figuring in a variety of ancillary costs including compensation for fishermen and project development costs of RM285 million, with the total now nearing RM5 billion.

Other documents show how completely the country's press was in the thrall of UMNO. Media Prima Bhd, a listed company, apparently took over the ownership from Realmild of TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and TV9 as well as 90 percent of the equity in The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd, which publishes three national newspapers; the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro. It also owns three radio networks, Fly FM, Hot FM and One FM. Other cross media interests of Media Prima include content creation; event and talent management.

It also owns outdoor advertising companies Big Tree Outdoor Sdn Bhd, UPD Sdn Bhd, Right Channel Sdn Bhd, Kurnia Outdoor Sdn Bhd and Jupiter Outdoor Network Sdn Bhd. It is online through a digital communications and broadcasting subsidiary, Alt Media, with the Lifestyle Portal gua.com.my and the newly launched TonTon, a cutting-edge video portal with HD-ready quality viewing experience that offers the individualism of customized content and interactivity of social networking.

The companies:
Faber Group Bhd
KUB Malaysia Bhd
Malaysian Resources Corp. Bhd
Media Prima Bhd
New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
Putera Capital Bhd
UEM Builders Bhd
UEM World Bhd
PLUS
Pharmaniaga
Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd (partly owned by Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, another Mahathir crony and one of Malaysia's 10 richest men according to the Forbes List
Renong Bhd
Realmild Sdn Bhd
Mahkota Technologies (Also a partnership with Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary
Malaysian Airlines
Celcom
Malaysian Helicopter Service
Temasek Padu Sdh Bhd
Sabah Shipyard
Labuan Shipyard
Redicare
Medive

Bala first statutory declaration - Altantuya murder

Malaysia Today has published the answer PI Bala had given to the MACC in London. Here is the first statutory declaration made by Balasubramaniam on the first of July 2008:

PI Bala reiterates his first SD and says he was offered RM5 million to retract it (see Video: Private Investigator Bala reiterates his first SD and says he was offered RM5 million to retract it)

STATUTORY DECLARATION

I, Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal (NRIC NO: xxxxxx-xx-6235) a Malaysian Citizen of full age and residing at [deleted], Selangor, do solemly and sincerely declare as follows :-

1. I have been a police officer with the Royal Malaysian Police Force having joined as a constable in 1981 attached to the Police Field Force. I was then promoted to the rank of lance corporal and finally resigned from the Police Force in 1998 when I was with the Special Branch.

2. I have been working as a freelance Private Investigator since I left the Police Force.

3. Sometime in June or July 2006, I was employed by Abdul Razak Baginda for a period of 10 days to look after him at his office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang, between the hours of 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. each working day as apparently he was experiencing disturbances from a third party.

4. I resigned from this job after 2 ½ days as I was not receiving any proper instructions.

5. I was however re-employed by Abdul Razak Baginda on the 05-10-2006 as he had apparently received a harassing phone call from a Chinese man calling himself ASP Tan who had threatened him to pay his debts. I later found out this gentleman was in fact a private investigator called Ang who was employed by a Mongolian woman called Altantuya Shaariibuu.

6. Abdul Razak Baginda was concerned that a person by the name of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian woman, was behind this threat and that she would be arriving in Malaysia very soon to try and contact him.

7. Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that he was concerned by this as he had been advised that Altantuya Shaariibuu had been given some powers by a Mongolian ‘bomoh’ and that he could never look her in the face because of this.

8. When I enquired as to who this Mongolian woman was, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that she was a friend of his who had been introduced to him by a VIP and who asked him to look after her financially.

9. I advised him to lodge a police report concerning the threatening phone call he had received from the Chinese man known as ASP Tan but he refused to do so as he informed me there were some high profile people involved.

10. Abdul Razak Baginda further told me that Altantuya Shaariibuu was a great liar and good in convincing people. She was supposed to have been very demanding financially and that he had even financed a property for her in Mongolia.

11. Abdul Razak Baginda then let me listen to some voice messages on his handphone asking him to pay what was due otherwise he would be harmed and his daughter harassed.

12. I was therefore supposed to protect his daughter Rowena as well.

13. On the 09.10.2006, I received a phone call from Abdul Razak Baginda at about 9.30 a.m. informing me that Altantuya was in his office and he wanted me there immediately. As I was in the midst of a surveillance, I sent my assistant Suras to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office and I followed a little later. Suras managed to control the situation and had persuaded Altantuya and her two friends to leave the premises. However Altantuya left a note written on some Hotel Malaya note paper, in English, asking Abdul Razak Baginda to call her on her handphone (number given) and wrote down her room number as well.

14. Altantuya had introduced herself to Suras as ‘Aminah’ and had informed Suras she was there to see her boyfriend Abdul Razak Baginda.

15. These 3 Mongolian girls however returned to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office at the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang again, the next day at about 12.00 noon. They did not enter the building but again informed Suras that they wanted to meet Aminah’s boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda.

16. On the 11.10.2006, Aminah returned to Abdul Razak Baginda’s office on her own and gave me a note to pass to him, which I did. Abdul Razak Baginda showed me the note, which basically asked him to call her urgently.

17. I suggested to Abdul Razak Baginda that perhaps it may be wise to arrange for Aminah to be arrested if she harassed him further, but he declined as he felt she would have to return to Mongolia as soon as her cash ran out.

18. In the meantime I had arranged for Suras to perform surveillance on Hotel Malaya to monitor the movements of these 3 Mongolian girls, but they recognized him. Apparently they become friends with Suras after that and he ended up spending a few nights in their hotel room.

19. When Abdul Razak Baginda discovered Suras was becoming close to Aminah he asked me to pull him out from Hotel Malaya.

20. On the 14.10.2006, Aminah turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights when I was not there. Abdul Razak Baginda called me on my handphone to inform me of this so I rushed back to his house. As I arrived, I noticed Aminah outside the front gates shouting “Razak, bastard, come out from the house”. I tried to calm her down but couldn’t so I called the police who arrived in 2 patrol cars. I explained the situation to the police, who took her away to the Brickfields police station.

21. I followed the patrol cars to Brickfields police station in a taxi. I called Abdul Razak Baginda and his lawyer Dirren to lodge a police report but they refused.

22. When I was at the Brickfields police station, Aminah’s own Private Investigator, one Mr. Ang arrived and we had a discussion. I was told to deliver a demand to Abdul Razak Baginda for USD$500,000.00 and 3 tickets to Mongolia, apparently as commission owed to Aminah from a deal in Paris.

23. As Aminah had calmed down at this stage, a policewoman at the Brickfields police station advised me to leave and settle the matter amicably.

24. I duly informed Abdul Razak Baginda of the demands Aminah had made and told him I was disappointed that no one wanted to back me up in lodging a police report. We had a long discussion about the situation when I expressed a desire to pull out of this assignment.

25. During this discussion and in an attempt to persuade me to continue my employment with him, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that :-

25.1. He had been introduced to Aminah by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

25.2. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak informed Abdul Razak Baginda that he had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.

25.3. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wanted Abdul Razak Baginda to look after Aminah as he did not want her to harass him since he was now the Deputy Prime Minister.

25.4. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Abdul Razak Baginda and Aminah had all been together at a dinner in Paris.

25.5. Aminah wanted money from him as she felt she was entitled to a USD$500,000.00 commission on a submarine deal she assisted with in Paris.

26. On the 19.10.2006, I arrived at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house in Damansara Heights to begin my night duty. I had parked my car outside as usual. I saw a yellow Proton Perdana taxi pass by with 3 ladies inside, one of whom was Aminah. The taxi did a U-turn and stopped in front of the house where these ladies rolled down the window and wished me ‘Happy Deepavali’. The taxi then left.

27. About 20 minutes later the taxi returned with only Aminah in it. She got out of the taxi and walked towards me and started talking to me. I sent an SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda informing him “Aminah was here”. I received an SMS from Razak instructing me to “delay her until my man comes”.

28. Whist I was talking to Aminah, she informed me of the following :-

28.1. That she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Singapore with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

28.2. That she had also met Abdul Razak Baginda and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a dinner in Paris.

28.3. That she was promised a sum of USD$500,000.00 as commission for assisting in a Submarine deal in Paris.

28.4. That Abdul Razak Baginda had bought her a house in Mongolia but her brother had refinanced it and she needed money to redeem it.

28.5. That her mother was ill and she needed money to pay for her treatment.

28.6. That Abdul Razak Baginda had married her in Korea as her mother is Korean whilst her father was a Mongolian/Chinese mix.

28.7. That if I wouldn’t allow her to see Abdul Razak Baginda, would I be able to arrange for her to see Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

29. After talking to Aminah for about 15 minutes, a red Proton Aeroback arrived with a woman and two men. I now know the woman to be Lance Corporal Rohaniza and the men, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azahar. They were all in plain clothes. Azilah walked towards me while the other two stayed in the car.

30. Azilah asked me whether the woman was Aminah and I said ‘Yes’. He then walked off and made a few calls on his handphone. After 10 minutes another vehicle, a blue Proton Saga, driven by a Malay man, passed by slowly. The driver’s window had been wound down and the driver was looking at us.

31. Azilah then informed me they would be taking Aminah away. I informed Aminah they were arresting her. The other two persons then got out of the red Proton and exchanged seats so that Lance Corporal Rohaniza and Aminah were in the back while the two men were in the front. They drove off and that is the last I ever saw of Aminah.

32. Abdul Razak Baginda was not at home when all this occurred.

33. After the 19.10.2006, I continued to work for Abdul Razak Baginda at his house in Damansara Heights from 7.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. the next morning, as he had been receiving threatening text messages from a woman called ‘Amy’ who was apparently ‘Aminah’s’ cousin in Mongolia.

34. On the night of the 20.10.2006, both of Aminah’s girlfriends turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house enquiring where Aminah was. I informed them she had been arrested the night before.

35. A couple of nights later, these two Mongolian girls, Mr. Ang and another Mongolian girl called ‘Amy’ turned up at Abdul Razak Baginda’s house looking for Aminah as they appeared to be convinced she was being held in the house.

36. A commotion began so I called the police who arrived shortly thereafter in a patrol car. Another patrol car arrived a short while later in which was the investigating officer from the Dang Wangi Police Station who was in charge of the missing persons report lodged by one of the Mongolians girls, I believe was Amy.

37. I called Abdul Razak Baginda who was at home to inform him of the events taking place at his front gate. He then called DSP Musa Safri and called me back informing me that Musa Safri would be calling my handphone and I was to pass the phone to the Inspector from the Dang Wangi Police Station.

38. I then received a call on my handphone from Musa Safri and duly handed the phone to the Dang Wangi Inspector. The conversation lasted 3 – 4 minutes after which he told the girls to disperse and to go to see him the next day.

39. On or about the 24.10.2006, Abdul Razak Baginda instructed me to accompany him to the Brickfields Police Station as he had been advised to lodge a police report about the harassment he was receiving from these Mongolian girls.

40. Before this, Amy had sent me an SMS informing me she was going to Thailand to lodge a report with the Mongolian consulate there regarding Aminah’s disappearance. Apparently she had sent the same SMS to Abdul Razak Baginda. This is why he told me he had been advised to lodge a police report.

41. Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that DPS Musa Safri had introduced him to one DSP Idris, the head of the Criminal division, Brickfields Police Station, and that Idris had referred him to ASP Tonny.

42. When Abdul Razak Baginda had lodged his police report at Brickfields Police Station, in front of ASP Tonny, he was asked to make a statement but he refused as he said he was leaving for overseas. He did however promise to prepare a statement and hand ASP Tonny a thumb drive. I know that this was not done as ASP Tonny told me.

43. However ASP Tonny asked me the next day to provide my statement instead and so I did.

44. I stopped working for Abdul Razak Baginda on the 26.10.2006 as this was the day he left for Hong Kong on his own.

45. In mid-November 2006, I received a phone call from ASP Tonny from the IPK Jalan Hang Tuah asking me to see him regarding Aminah’s case. When I arrived there I was immediately arrested under S.506 of the Penal Code for Criminal intimidation.

46. I was then placed in the lock up and remanded for 5 days. On the third day I was released on police bail.

47. At the end of November 2006, the D9 department of the IPK sent a detective to my house to escort me to the IPK Jalan Hang Tuah. When I arrived, I was told I was being arrested under S.302 of the Penal Code for murder. I was put in the lock up and remanded for 7 days.

48. I was transported to Bukit Aman where I was interrogated and questioned about an SMS I had received from Abdul Razak Baginda on the 19.10.2006, which read “delay her until my man arrives”. They had apparently retrieved this message from Abdul Razak Baginda’s handphone.

49. They then proceeded to record my statement from 8.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day for 7 consecutive days. I told them all I knew including everything Abdul Razak Baginda and Aminah had told me about their relationships with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but when I came to sign my statement these details had been left out.

50. I have given evidence in the trial of Azilah, Sirul and Abdul Razak Baginda at the Shah Alam High Court. The prosecutor did not ask me any questions in respect of Aminah’s relationship with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak or of the phone call I received from DSP Musa Safri, whom I believe was the ADC for Datuk Seri Najib Razak and/or his wife.

51. On the day Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested, I was with him at his lawyers office at 6.30 a.m. Abdul Razak Baginda informed us that he had sent Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak an SMS the evening before as he refused to believe he was to be arrested, but had not received a response.

52. Shortly thereafter, at about 7.30 a.m., Abdul Razak Baginda received an SMS from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and showed, this message to both myself and his lawyer. This message read as follows :- “I am seeing IGP at 11.00 a.m. today …… matter will be solved … be cool”.

53. I have been made to understand that Abdul Razak Baginda was arrested the same morning at his office in the Bangunan Getah Asli, Jalan Ampang.

54. The purpose of this Statutory declaration is to :-

54.1. State my disappointment at the standard of investigations conducted by the authorities into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

54.2. Bring to the notice of the relevant authorities the strong possibility that there are individuals other than the 3 accused who must have played a role in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

54.3. Persuade the relevant authorities to reopen their investigations into this case immediately so that any fresh evidence may be presented to the Court prior to submissions at the end of the prosecutions case.

54.4. Emphasize the fact that having been a member of the Royal Malaysian Police Force for 17 years I am absolutely certain no police officer would shoot someone in the head and blow up their body without receiving specific instructions from their superiors first.

54.5. Express my concern that should the defence not be called in the said murder trial, the accused, Azilah and Sirul will not have to swear on oath and testify as to the instructions they received and from whom they were given.

55. And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same be true and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declaration Act 1960.

SUBCRIBED and solemnly )

declared by the abovenamed )

Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal ]

this 1st day of July 2008 )

Before me,

………………………………….

Commissioner for Oath

Kuala Lumpur

Video: Private Investigator Bala reiterates his first SD and says he was offered RM5 million to retract it

Is Malaysia heading the Indonesia way?

Someone, I don't know who, wrote the article below which articulate very well what is in my mind and if nothing is done, I believe the question in this post title will not be for whether we are heading Indonesia way, but the question will be WHEN? So if you have the wellbeing of Malaysia and Malaysians, you would do well to not only read the article below, but forward the message to all Malaysians to warn them of the danger of not doing something about this bad situation in Malaysia:

Thursday, September 23, 2010
Malaysians will end up sleeping on the street too ....
Indonesia is one of the world's richest countries in terms of natural resources.

God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth. The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree.

Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets..

Food is expensive.

The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe, tauhu and may be some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday.

An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60(160,000 Rupiah). This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Ketut in Indonesia.

Why is this so ? The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country. They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and the wealthly.

The same thing is happening in M'sia.

There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies.. They cannot compete. They remain poor.

The children of the elite are sent overseas for their education.

An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance. This is happening in Malaysia. Bumiputra university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they do not do much work but earn a good salary with a pension. In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance.

That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia.

Bumiputra university graduates are turning up for interviews as taxi drivers and shop assistants. What about those who flunk out after SPM ? They become Mat Rempits (Motorcycle Racers). Last Saturday I saw another Mat Rempit get killed at the road races in Shah Alam (near Section 7).

In Malaysia, just like in Indonesia, food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices.

Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people,the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate.

Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil, flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc.

The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party.

So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent. A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies.. So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised.

But now with 27million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive.

There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the BN elites in Malaysia. But there is no bottomless 'well' full of money.
Everything has its limits. The money will soon run out. Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar, flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive ? Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out ? What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer? That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia. If that happens this country will go up in flames We will all be consumed.

In Indonesia, the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over 250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves. Hence food is expensive. They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on. They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world. Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.

The same thing has happened in Malaysia. Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills. The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either.

The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.

When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her? She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out. To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia. She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.

So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays.
It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs. This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia. This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.
Does Malaysia have a problem ? Yes the Malays are not happy, the Chinese are not happy and the Indians are not happy.

They spoke out at the March 2008 polls and hope things will change for the better, now they have some oppositions who promised change. The Malays are being duped by their corrupted leaders by using the religion, the Chinese and Indians are being marginalised by the ruling elites..

Let us all Malaysians wake up and fight the corrupt system for the benefit of everyone. Let us all unite and stand together and change the system for once and for all.

We are not Malays, Chinese or Indians, we are Malaysians. Malaysians May End Up Sleeping in the Street if no change is made to the present corrupt and very selfish system.
Posted by Political Commentator at 5:11 AM 0 comments

Singapore politics - current changes and the next general election

INVITATION: Talkshow on Singapore Politics: Current Changes and the Next General Elections, 8pm Thursday, 7 Oct:

Dear friends and colleagues,

Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD), Malaysiakini and Civil Rights Committee (CRC-KLSCAH) cordially invite you to a talkshow in Kuala Lumpur on ‘*Singapore Politics: Current Changes and the Next General Elections’*.

Date: *Thursday, 7 October 2010*
Time: *8.00pm – 10.00pm*
Venue: *MCPA Hall, 2nd Floor, KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH),
No 1, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur* (see location map

Organised by: *Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD), Malaysiakini and Civil Rights Committee (CRC-KLSCAH) *

Singapore`s post-independence 11th general elections are widely speculated to be held in December 2010. The People` Action Party will go into this elections at a time when Singaporeans are unhappy with large amount of foreign workers who are placing a strain on the city-state`s social fabric and infrastructure. Singapore`s mainstream media widely discredited for its bias reporting of local news, is likely to see further decline especially during the elections when more people are likely turn to the internet for alternative political content.

What are the key issues and political flashpoints leading into Singapore`s next general elections? How will political developments in Singapore affect relationships with Malaysia and Malaysians? This talkshow between host Dr Azmi Sharom and guest speaker Dr James Gomez will raise and discuss these issues.

Guest Speaker:

Dr. James Gomez is one of Singapore`s well-known personality in academia, civil society and politics. He is presently Deputy Dean (International) and Head of Public Relations at Monash University, Australia. Before joining Monash, James was Visiting Scholar, Department of Political Science, at Keio University, Japan (2008-9). From 2006 to 2008, he was Programme Officer at International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm, Sweden. He was Regional Research and Communications Manager with the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung - a German political foundation - based 2006 -2001 in Thailand and 2000-1996 in Singapore.

Host:

Dr Azmi Sharom is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law University of Malaya where he has taught for 20 years. His research and teaching interests are environmental law and civil liberties. He writes a fortnightly column in *The Star* called *Brave New World*.

For queries please contact Chong Ton Sin 016 379 7231 or SK Chua 019 3523864

Feel free to circulate this invitation to your friends and colleagues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
GB Gerakbudaya/ SIRD
11 Lorong 11/4E
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
T: +60 (0)3 7957 8343
F: +60 (0)3 7954 9202
W: www.gerakbudaya. com
------------ ---------

Location map, Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall

View Larger Map

Lee Chong Meng the Doctor Ayam (prostitute) - Chinese version of Ibrahim Ali?

Dr. Lee Chong Meng's name has recently been hitting the headlines, but the one that really caught my attention is this article in Malaysiakini that reported that after having successfully applying for membership and now successfully elected as PKR Bukit Bintang Division head, he had been exposed as also being a member of the eunach MCA.

Dr. Lee Chong Meng has himself described himself as Doctor Ayam (Chicken Doctor with the chicken having the negative connotation of prostitute). BTW he sure looks a bit like that King Frog Ibrahim Ali (see photo below, courtesy of Malaysiakini):



The complete picture has not been revealed yet but I sure hope that Dr. Ayam does not become the Chinese version of Ibrahim Ali.

More photos:

Me, anyone who demonstrate against the BERSIH Rally for free and fair elections will definitely raise my suspicion. How did such a Doctor Ayam not only get admitted to a reform minded PKR but also got elected unopposed as Bukit Bintang division chief?

Update: Related articles from Malaysiakini's archive:
http://www0.malaysiakini.com/letters/75093
MCA senator objects to Bersih rally because of money
MCA senator objects to Bersih rally because of money

http://www0.malaysiakini.com/news/78945
'Dr Ayam' suffers Chinese guild setback in Bkt Bintang
BN Bukit Bintang candidate Dr Lee Chong Meng was made to eat humble pie last night at the Chinese New Year dinner hosted by the Selangor and Federal Territory Char Yong Association.

http://www0.malaysiakini.com/news/78229
Perils of parachuting into KL seats
'Parachute candidates' who land in any of the 11 parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur could well be on a suicide mission, according to veteran MCA politician Dr Lee Chong Meng.

Related posts about Dr. Lee Chong Meng (Doctor Ayam or Doctor of Prostitutes):
DON'T BE A DUNGOO! (SWAHILI FOR STUPID.)
Video Clips and Photos of BERSIH rally [Penasihat kepada 80 pertubuhan dan NGO terbabit, Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng, berkata perhimpunan itu bukan saja menyebabkan kerugian dan kesusahan kepada peniaga, malah membantutkan usaha kerajaan menarik pelancong asing ke negara ini sempena Tahun Melawat Malaysia (TMM 2007).]
Lulu's Thank You Letter To Mr Policeman [Senator Lee Chong Meng [you know, the MCA chairman for Bukit Bintang, who could not win an election via the ballot box, but still managed to serve part of a term as MP there due to a court decision] may hold another hotel protest with his Jalan Alor traders and blame you for the drop in sales this weekend.]
Anti-Bersih Rally Protest – Dr Ayam & Bukit Bintang MCA Gang & 40 NGOs mainly Traders; Another M-C-A Money Controls All inspired initiative [Malaysiakini would not have cover this cheap MCA inspired protest against the Bersih Rally and neither would Al Jazeera waste their time. The latest related Malaysiakin story is on]

DON'T BE A DUNGOO! (SWAHILI FOR STUPID.)
At this stage of my life I try as much as possible to steer away from stupidity and avoid it
like a plague stupid homo sapiens. I can take it when animals act stupid. But stupidity in men and women gets on my goat. I have a very high tolerance for things provocative, intimidating, even seditious,.... even malicious, but never stupidity! So what got on my goat? That Dr. Ayam (above).
This from Bernama:

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Bukit Bintang parliamentary seat, Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng, has urged voters to give him a chance to show what the BN government could do to benefit them.


Damn....you got your chance when you were given BB against all rules by that now ousted CJ, whats his name? You became MP because that fairy...or whatever his name is, gave it to you without a by-election. I can take sluggishness, but not sloppiness that resulted in you losing to a used-car dealer who cannot string two sentences in English and Bahasa together to wake up those sleepy-head MPs and the chief honcho.

Damn, we gave the BN close to 50 years and we are still deeper into the pits. The BN government had fifty years and who are you to ask to give you a chance to show what the bN government could do to benefit the rakyat? What cockmamie drivel are you driving at. You lost to the dealer?


"I have been working hard in this constituency for 15 years trying to influence voters to switch their support to BN.

Well, that little finger with the extended nail (false, a BB Ah Moi manicurist product) didn't help you for fifteen years and you want another chance. My mother threatened me that if I could not complete a simple task in her kitchen she was willing to sell me at a loss, and here you are asking for another chance. Pack your bags and go examine more chickens.

"They already gave DAP 11 chances. I think it would be fair if they give BN a chance this time around," he said.

That is unaduterated chicken shit.

"With just 12 days of campaigning to go, I expect the votes to increase to 51 percent to enable me to wrest back the hot seat from the DAP," he said.

That is what will now be known as a cheap (chick) dream.

Dr Lee said he expected about 49 percent popular votes for now from a total of 61,051 voters.

Hello, Nostradamas was a hoax and he was on exotic grass everytime he made a prediction, if you must know. I know, but I can't tell you....it is a Barisan Rakyat preserve.

BERSIH: Photos of BERSIH rally

Exander Says (a commentator):
November 17th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Demonstrasi jejas perniagaan

Demonstrasi haram Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) di persekitaran Dataran Merdeka dan Masjid Jamek Sabtu lalu, menyebabkan pengusaha dan peniaga pelbagai sektor di sekitar kawasan berdekatan menanggung kerugian berjuta-juta ringgit.

Perhimpunan yang menyaksikan ramai anggota polis terpaksa dikerah mengawal keadaan, turut menjejaskan industri pelancongan, khususnya di ibu negara dengan kawasan Bukit Bintang menerima kesan teruk.

Berikutan itu, pemimpin dan wakil 80 pertubuhan pengusaha dan peniaga serta badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) lain sekitar Bukit Bintang semalam mengadakan bantahan bagi menyuarakan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap perhimpunan berkenaan.

Penasihat kepada 80 pertubuhan dan NGO terbabit, Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng, berkata perhimpunan itu bukan saja menyebabkan kerugian dan kesusahan kepada peniaga, malah membantutkan usaha kerajaan menarik pelancong asing ke negara ini sempena Tahun Melawat Malaysia (TMM 2007).

“Kami sedih perhimpunan itu menyebabkan banyak kedai di kawasan Bukit Bintang iaitu kawasan nukleus di ibu negara terpaksa ditutup sekurang-kurangnya separuh hari, jalan sesak, hotel dan pusat perniagaan kosong.

“Persatuan pengusaha hotel memaklumkan ada tempahan menginap dibatalkan pelancong dari China, Korea dan Hong Kong berikutan kejadian itu, selain ejen pelancongan tempatan menerima banyak pertanyaan daripada ejen pelancongan asing mengenai keadaan di ibu negara.

“Oleh itu, kita adakan sesi ini untuk maklumkan kepada parti politik tertentu supaya jangan buat kacau.

“Kami berharap perhimpunan haram seperti ini tidak berlaku lagi, cukuplah kerana ia menjejaskan perniagaan,” katanya pada sidang media di sebuah restoran di Jalan Pudu, semalam.

Perhimpunan itu disertai hampir 100 pemimpin dan ahli persatuan mewakili peniaga, pengusaha dan pemborong barangan harian, pakaian, kedai kopi, restoran, hotel, agensi pelancongan, teksi dan sektor Rukun Tetangga.

Pelbagai sepanduk termasuk tertera ‘Rakyat Malaysia Bukan Hooligan’, ‘Rakyat Malaysia Tolak Demonstrasi Jalanan’ dan ‘Kami Menyokong Pelancongan’ dibawa pada perhimpunan itu.

Wakil pemborong pakaian, Tan Hooi Weng, berkata kerugian dialami beratus-ratus pemilik pusat fesyen di Jalan Merlimau dan Jalan Kenanga mampu mencecah antara RM3 hingga RM4 juta.

“Perhimpunan itu menyebabkan kami kerugian besar. Bayangkan ada pengusaha mampu meraih jualan sehingga RM30,000 tetapi pada hari itu (perhimpunan haram diadakan) kosong, tiada pelanggan,” katanya.

Beberapa wakil pertubuhan lain turut mengakui perhimpunan menyebabkan mereka menanggung kerugian kerana terpaksa menutup premis lebih awal dan kurang pelanggan.

So BERSIH…Fikirlah sendiri yo!!!!!! Jangan Jadi Bangang, Bodoh, Dungu!!!!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2007: Lulu's Thank You Letter To Mr Policeman

Dear Mr Policeman,

Thank you for your work in keeping our city safe by setting up round-the-clock roadblocks in the Klang Valley as part of crime-prevention activities.
Some papers like the meanie Star & NST and even Malaysiakini have said that you said that this is in connection with the Hindraf rally planned for this Sunday outside the British High Comm on Jalan Ampang.
Lulu thinks that the "Hindraf rally" excuse was a cover up to your real intention, which is to catch the perpertrators involved in the slashing of our nation's second hero, Malaysian angkasawan Mej Dr Faiz Khaleed.
Brilliant, Mr Policeman, absolutely brilliant to lay a red herring.
Like you, Lulu was shocked and appaled to hear that two parang-wielding men attacked him during a robbery leaving him with a 5cm slash wound which requires 100 stitches . [are you puzzled like Lulu about how they can squeeze 100 stitches into a 5cm wound?]
Anyway, like you, Lulu wants to have those men caught before they inflict these kind of injuries on another person.
Yes, Mr Policeman, we need those roadblocks to weed out bad hats from entering the city.
Lulu thinks that you're absolutely brilliant in hoodwinking everyone into believing that you are out to stop the Hindraf rally which as Lulu has mentioned before, was planned for this Sunday outside the British High Comm on Jalan Ampang. This will proabably cause those parang-wielding men to drop their guard, and as a result, be nabbed by you.

Mr Policeman,
Lulu also read you urged the public not to enter Kuala Lumpur during the weekend if they do not have any urgent matters to attend to.
Mr Policeman,
Senator Lee Chong Meng [you know, the MCA chairman for Bukit Bintang, who could not win an election via the ballot box, but still managed to serve part of a term as MP there due to a court decision] may hold another hotel protest with his Jalan Alor traders and blame you for the drop in sales this weekend.
Mr Policeman,
Lulu hopes you will be strong and not cry.

Whilst Lulu is still on being strong and not cry, there are moments when you need to cry. If you are still grieving over the police force's lack in making any headway in the gruesome murder of Nurin Jazlin, Lulu's advice for you is to cry. Cry your heart out. Look at your own children, and cry your heart out again. Then resolve to find the killer(s) behind her horrible death.

oh, Mr Policeman,
This chap here looks a ruffian and a troublemaker. Definetly looks like a "crime prevention" clean-up candidate.
Whether he is or not, that is our own personal view.
But Mr Policeman, you must let him through even if he looks like that because he is the PM's son-in-law. Lulu don't want to see you transferred or demoted.

thank you Mr Policeman.
Lulu loves you xxx

p/s don't tell Mrs Policeman about this. She may not understand.

Anti-Bersih Rally Protest – Dr Ayam & Bukit Bintang MCA Gang & 40 NGOs mainly Traders; Another M-C-A Money Controls All inspired initiative

Malaysiakini would not have cover this cheap MCA inspired protest against the Bersih Rally and neither would Al Jazeera waste their time. The latest related Malaysiakin story is on
King: No royal support for Bersih rally (see also Below)
and Malaysiakini.tv spot on It's a bad joke: Lee's counsel
= = == = == =
ABOVE: The historical moment, the crowd that was prevented into the Istana Grounds at about 4pm on Saturday Nov 10 2007.

It is hilarious to know that Dr Ayam ex-MP of Bukit Bintang Dr Lee Chong Meng is leading the Protest against the Bersih Rally claiming that it is “bad business” for traders. Did the Bersih Rally march went through the Bukit Bintang areas that he has reasons to complain? They know protest is illegal and they did not bother to apply for a permit to march around Bukit Bintang to show their displeasure. What and how did they protest? They went to a hotel had the placards and standing behind that MCA man - issued a statement condemning the Bersih Rally initiative - indoor style.
ABOVE & BELOW: Not in Bukit Bintang

Reading at the MCA controlled STAR’s account below & the NST, you can see the exaggerations used adding as usual the “salt & fire” to spice up that story. The reports says 80 NGOs and they rattled off just a few whilst the TV station says 40 NGOs. Some traders complained of the “losses” which were just for a day perhaps or was it just a postponement of business. The sacrifices & “losses” for the over 30,000 who came some from afar is much greater and all for a larger cause than these money moneyed china man which Raja Petra has so aptly and timely put it as:-

“Chinese must think of cari makan first. Chinese must protect their rice bowl. Chinese want to make sure that their business does not suffer so they must become running dogs of the Umno Malays. It’s all about money, money, money. Money comes first. Money calls the shots. M-C-A; Money Controls All.”

Now that a Royal Commison is instituted on the Lingam Video Clip and this Dr Ayam is the result of the “fixing of judgment” mentioned, they should go into his case of being rewarded the “MP of Bukit Bintang”. Retrogressively, his MP status should be taken away and deny the pension that he is enjoying.



ABOVE - Indoor Style Protest - holding the placards and standing behind that MCA man - issued a statement condemning the Bersih Rally initiative

= = == == = ==and the STAR account supporting Dr Ayam
Saturday November 17, 2007; Star
Traders and taxi drivers lament losses due to Nov 10 rally




ABOVE: Dr Lee the ex-MP (who lost to Wee Choo Keong in the Election) but was "fixed" by the retired Chief Justice and awarded the MP post; more popularly known as Dr Ayam, being the advisor to the Poultry Dealers Association and not the "kei lo" advisor to the Chinaman "ayam (kei)" in the notorious BB red light areas.And BELOW - the 40 NGOs and not 80s as in the STAR & NST.


KUALA LUMPUR: On weekends and public holidays, Beh Hock Heng’s dim sum restaurant on Jalan Alor is always packed but last Saturday’s illegal gathering caused him to lose thousands of ringgit as customers stayed away. The 65-year-old owner is furious, saying some customers could not come because of the massive traffic jam while others chose to stay indoors. “Even tourists, who often frequent my restaurant from the nearby hotels, refused to come out as they feared for their safety because of the demonstration,” he said. Beh was among a group of businessmen and representatives from 80 non-governmental organisations who attended a press conference yesterday in protest against the gathering.

The NGOs included the Kuala Lumpur Taxi Drivers Association, Federation of Malaysia Entertainment Associations, Jalan Alor Hawkers Association and Rukun Tetangga Pudu. Holding up placards, written in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil, the group complained that their businesses had been affected by the gathering. Taxi operator Leong Aw said taxi drivers lost much business because of the illegal gathering, saying it drove tourists away when they saw thousands of demonstrators in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. “The Government is promoting Visit Malaysia 2007 which will help us make money, especially during this festive season. Such a gathering is not part of the Malaysian culture,” he said. Bukit Bintang MCA division chairman Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng said he was informed by hoteliers that many tour groups, especially from China, had cancelled their visit because of media reports on the protest. “We hope there will be no more protests because in the run-up to Hari Raya Haji, Christmas and Chinese New Year, a lot of activities are being planned in Bukit Bintang. We cannot afford to suffer any more losses,” he said.

= = == and from Raja Petra “15/11/07: MCA: the Malay running dog” emphasizing Dr Ayam’s "moneyed minded" problems.

This is not the first time The Star has distorted the news. One day before the 30 October 2007 Conference of Rulers, The Star reported that the Rulers will be discussing the extension of the Chief Justice’s term of office. One day after the Conference of Rulers, Bernama carried an announcement by the Keeper of the Royal Seal that the Rulers did not even touch on the subject. His Majesty, The Agong, a week before that, had rejected the extension of the Chief Justice’s tenure and that was enough for the Rulers. They supported what The Agong had decided and saw no reason for further raising the matter or to discuss it at the Conference. Anyway, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi refuses to accept defeat. He still wants to get in the last word and show the Rulers who is boss. It appears like Penang may soon get a new Governor in the form of the recently-retired Chief Justice. I did say that the position of Governor is reserved for those who have no other place to go and this assumption will soon be proven beyond any shadow of doubt.
The Star, which is MCA-owned, and therefore can be interpreted as ‘Chinese’ since MCA claims to be the legitimate party representing Chinese interests, has also strengthened something else which I have been saying many times in the past: and that is the Chinese, in particular the MCA Chinese, are Umno’s running dogs. Yes, the Chinese are very upset. They condemn the present government as the ‘Malay’ government. They accuse the ‘Malays’ of screwing up the country. They refer to the government as ‘Islam-Malays’. But from where I am sitting it looks like it is the MCA Chinese and not the Malays who are Umno’s running dogs.

So, the Chinese are very upset. Yeah, sure they are very upset. They are very upset with the Malays. They are very upset because the Malays are running this country. They are very upset because the Malays are screwing up this country. Then why are they the running dogs of the Umno Malays? Yeah, sure, I know. They have no choice but to become the running dogs of the Umno Malays. Chinese are a minority.
Chinese must think of "cari makan" first. Chinese must protect their rice bowl. Chinese want to make sure that their business does not suffer so they must become running dogs of the Umno Malays. It’s all about money, money, money. Money comes first. Money calls the shots. M-C-A; Money Controls All.
No problem then. If money is the overriding factor and if money decides what you must do then do it. Be that Umno Malay running dog if you so wish and if that will guarantee you a good and prosperous future. I have no problem with that. But stop blaming the Malays for the ills of this nation. Stop blaming the Malays when this country goes to the dogs. The reason this country is going to the dogs is because you are the running dog, not because of the Malays.

Malaysia and the Club of Doom

The article Harris calls a cangkul a cangkul—again drew my attention to the book Malaysia And The Club Of Doom. In the spirit of wanting to understand Islam, the mind of a Muslim and hopefully a good Muslim non-Muslim Consensus, I think it is a good idea to let Malaysians know what that book is all about:

Malaysia and the Club of Doom (The Collapse of The Islamic Countries) is a book published in 2006 by Syed Akbar Ali who argues that countries with a Muslim majority population have collapsed economically, politically and socially.

Theses
With a particular focus on Malaysia, the thesis of the book is that growing Islamisation of the political and social climate in Islamic countries are causing democracy and freedom to be threatened by religious irrationalism. He attempts to show how the curtailing of democracy and freedom of speech have caused those countries to collapse. He further draws a distinction between Islam and its current practises, and offers his perspective that current practises of Muslims are not in vein with the true meaning of Islam with that being the underlying cause for the collapse of those countries.

The book takes pains to stress that many practises that define Islam on the world stage like stringent laws, cruel punishments and irrational beliefs cannot be found in the Quran. Syed Akbar Ali then proceeds to show that many of these extra Quranic beliefs and practises which have brought about the downfall of the Muslims are actually taken from the Bible.

In the Malaysian context, his book also exposes a masquerade whereby certain 'Islamic' laws pertaining to divorce are actually a reworded version of English Law taken from the Marriage and Divorce Act - a left over of British colonialism. The book also dismisses 'Islamic banking' as 'Arabic banking' i.e. conventional banking with Arabic prefixes attached for camouflage.

Author
Syed Akbar Ali 49 years old is a name that is well known among the Malaysian intelligentsia, especially among its Muslim intellectuals. A graduate of an American university and having developed a career in banking Syed was also an often controversial newspaper columnist - pushing the envelope on free and unfettered discussion on religious and political issues in Malaysia.

His debut book 'To Digress A Little' published in July 2005 stirred much discussion in Malaysia for its frank and honest appraisal of Malaysia's affirmative action policies which have now outlived their usefulness.

Voter Registration at Church of the Holy Redeemer, Klang

There will be a voter registration exercise cum carnival at the Church of the Holy Redeemer, Klang which is open to the public. Details as followe:

Date: 17 Oct ( Sunday )
Time: 9 am - 1 pm
Venue: Church of the Holy Redeemer ( Catholic )
Address: Persiaran Raja Wali, Taman Berkeley, Kawasan 17 KLANG

Location map: Church of the Holy Redeemer, Klang

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Voter registration at Lutheran Life Chapel PJ

Lutheran Life Chapel has organize a weekend voter registration exercise for the Community of SS4 and SS5 Petaling Jaya. Details as follows:

Date: 16 Oct ( Saturday )
Venue: Lutheran Life Chapel
Address: 37 Jalan SS4C/5, Petaling Jaya
Time: 10am - 4 pm

Church is open to the public. 1,200 flyers will be inserted in newspapers to households in SS4 & SS5. Time is extended so as to accomodate those who will be working half day. They will also be sending out Chinese translation of flyers.

Location map: Lutheran Life Chapel, Petaling Jaya

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New Malaysian Essays 3 including "How to demonstrate creatively"

Here is a collection of essays by Malaysians for Malaysians, especially those yearning for badly needed reforms. The 5 essays are:

1. How to Demonstrate Creatively: A Manual of Innovative
Civil Disobedience in Malaysia page 8
Wong Chin Huat
2. An Empty Canvas on Which Many Shadows Have Already Fallen 23
Simon Soon
3. Queer Ways: An Un-straight Survey of the Direction of Malaysian page 40
Popular Culture and Fashion
Clarissa Lee
4. Uwang Asli Moden | Orang Asli Moden page 59
Mor Ajani
5. Amongst the Exiles: Reflections of a Refugee Lawyer page 79
Sumitra Visvanathan

New Malaysian Essays 3

March to Putrajaya online - Kim Quek

Malaysia's ruling elites have chosen to repress unfavorable information instead of chosing the path of reforms where badly needed reforms are, well, desperately needed. So the ruling elites have chosen to ban Kim Quek's book, March to Putrajaya instead of responding with their rebutals of what Kim Quek wrote, probably because they cannot rebute the numerous cases of corruptions, power abuses and all kinds of shenanigans Kim Quek wrote about.

So Kim Quek has chosen to upload his book to the Internet and you can choose to read it here or at The March to Putrajaya Online or download it to read at leisure at download "March to Putrajaya":