Mariam Mokhtar on Yen Yen’s riotous assembly

Yen Yen, Minister of tourism, claimed assemblies (demonstrations) deter people from coming to Malaysia under the Malaysia My Second Home program, but read below Mariam’s rebuttal to her below in her opinion piece, courtesy of Malaysiakini:

Yen Yen's riotous assembly

Mariam Mokhtar
11:38AM Mar 19, 2012

If the Malaysian elite do not mind investing in the UK capital despite its riots why would Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen claim that foreigners are not attracted to Malaysia's My Second Home (MM2H) programme because of our street demonstrations?
In a written reply to Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) about the MM2H scheme in Parliament recently, Yen Yen (right) said that riots gave the impression that Malaysia was not a peaceful and stable country and so prevented many foreigners from participating in the MM2H programme.
Yen Yen said: “This is the key barrier preventing foreigners from staying in Malaysia for long periods.” President Assad of Syria could not have said it any better.
It is understood that to qualify for the MM2H programme, foreigners over 50 years old must furnish proof of a minimum monthly income of RM10,000 and a minimum fixed deposit of RM350,000.
Those who are below 50 years, have to earn at least RM10,000 and have a deposit of at least RM500,000 in a local bank.
The participant will be entitled to a 10-year multiple entry social visit pass and the person’s spouse, children aged below 21 and parents are allowed into the country, as dependants.
Perhaps Yen Yen is not aware that these retirees also want a peaceful life and are frightened by the headlines that shout “Muslim model caned for glass of beer”.
The stories of the various artistes who are banned from performing in the country because of their outfits, tattoos or sexual orientation, do nothing to reassure the foreigners of the desirability of being in Malaysia.
Boys sent to boot camps
These foreigners are also fearful of the religious police breaking down doors in hotel rooms. This is precisely what happened to an elderly American couple whose yacht broke down in Langkawi.

Whilst waiting for spare parts to arrive, they had an unexpected visit by the authorities in the early hours of the morning.
There are stories of small boys who are considered too effeminate by the authorities and are therefore sent to special boot camps to “toughen them up”, of tomboys being told their hair style and choice of clothing are too masculine, and Muslims being told that yoga is against the religion.
Foreigners are also wary of the stories of Christians and non-Muslims being persecuted, of crosses and other Christian symbols being banned, of bodies snatched from graves and that Christmas carols are forbidden.
The Malay citizen will be wondering why his foreign MM2H neighbour is avoiding him, not realising that the foreigner avoids him for obvious reasons.
Anyone who has been to some of Langkawi’s tourist destinations will know of the tiered system of charges. Apartheid may have been abolished in South Africa but it thrives in Malaysia.
The lowest charge is for Malaysians with a MyKad and the highest charge is for foreigners. In the east coast, it is one price for the locals, another for Malaysians; whilst foreigners get the highest price for whatever is being sold - goods or services.
Yen Yen may travel in air-conditioned comfort with unmarked police cars clearing a path in heavy traffic for her but for the normal Malaysian and MM2H participant, it is chaos as usual.
If both the MM2H applicant and spouse are foreigners, then the couple is entitled to a duty-free car. They will need it as our public transport system is non-existent.
Nevertheless, they will be shocked by the high prices of cars in Malaysia, the traffic-jams and driving attitude of Malaysians.
Despite the chaos and clogged-up roads of Bangkok, we hear that foreigners do not mind making the city their home.
Malaysians have come to accept the litter, filth, dirty toilets and petty bureaucracy as the norm. The foreigners are disgusted by the squalor of our streets and do not like being ripped-off by taxi drivers.
The foreigner dreads the lack of transparency and is helpless when after investing in property, he finds that a rare earth separation plant, iron-ore pelleting works, incinerator or other heavy industrial facility will emerge nearby.
Malaysia’s success is also a magnet for undesirable types and one can’t help sounding like a racist and a xenophobe when one says that Malaysia has lost a lot of its charm with the influx of refugees.
Outlets manned by foreigners
Malaysia is a favourite holiday destination for Middle Eastern people, who come for cheap sex. They have plenty of money and some have more money than manners.

Many of them are arrogant and push their way around - literally and physically. They are loud and believe that money always talks.
Our coral islands are invaded by people from the Near East. Trying to go for a quiet snorkelling session in the islands of the east coast is a nightmare.

There does not seem to be a restriction on the number of people. This will result in the extinction of the coral and the life it supports.
The stalls in our cities are manned by foreigners, so that there is little chance of interaction between the MM2H foreigners and true Malaysians.

It is like going to London and being surprised that Eastern Europeans, some of whom can barely speak English, have replaced the locals.
Malaysians cannot avoid being blamed for being obnoxious. Anyone who goes to a hotel buffet will go hungry if he is late. Malaysians are greedy and pile their plates high with food, whether or not they are hungry. They also have no concept of queueing.
The worst display of lawlessness was told by a British woman who bought what she thought was a luxury flat. She said that when the second phase was ready, several Africans moved in.
They claimed to be students but drove expensive BMWs, splashed money around and picked up girls for wild parties. They were just wealthy criminals who run their scams from Kuala Lumpur because it has become too hot for them in Lagos.
So, Yen Yen, do you really think that the riots keep the MM2H foreigners away?

---

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.

How votes are bought in Malaysia and the polling booth orientation (and how to spoil your vote)

Update: for those whose votes have been bought (because they badly needed the money) as explained in the article below and you are concerned at the terrible state that Malaysia is in and want to do your part, spoil the pre-marked ballot paper that had been given to you by crossing the other box or boxes as any ballot paper with more than 1 cross (mark) will be considered as spoilt and will not count. Perhaps this is why sometimes we get an unusual amount of spoilt votes?

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.

Help invisible children and capture Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony of LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), an Ugandan guerrilla group kills children's parents and forces boys to be child soldiers and girls to be sex slaves.

Watch the video below and understand how important it is for Joseph Kony to be captured and the children to be rescued:

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

And if you want to know more about Joseph Kony, read about him and his brutality over at Wikipedia: Joseph Kony and help spread the message.

Mat Sabu joked about Lembu (cow)

This is the first time I saw Mat Sabu and from the reaction of the audience, Mat Sabu can really crack jokes and make people laugh.

However, he delivers an important and serious message - UMNO/BN must be kicked out from Putrajaya (Federal power) for real urgently needed reforms to start and not the so called reforms talked about by Najib Abdul Razak.

Wished I have the ability to transcript his jokes and message into Bahasa Malaysia or translate into English to reach a wider audience. Any volunteers>

General Election - questions to help you decide

From an email forward:

General Election - Bungkus BN

We all know that once in a few years we are given the opportunity to vote.
Why vote? It has no effect on the outcome.
One vote alone may not count but many votes together becomes a voice to be reckoned with. Let your voice be heard.
This election, more so than others is a vital election because we are at a cross roads. If we get it right we will prosper; if we get it wrong, we will suffer as we have seen in our neighboring countries.

To help you decide please ponder these issues:
Do you think our politicians in power are corrupt?
Do you think our civil service is corrupt?
Do you think they are incompetent?
Do you think the people in power sets themselves above the law?
Do you think our leadership has lost its way?
Do you think we are getting more & more divided by race & religion?
Do you think we have a questionable justice system?
Do you think that they are wasting our wealth?
Do you think our children will suffer more?
Do you want to see change?

If you say yes to 3 or more of these issues, don't you think we need change? YOU CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!!!

Just send this to 10 other relatives or friends and ask them to do the same to 10 of their friends and so on. By so doing we are enlisting the power of multilevel marketing. Yes the math works and it is awesome. By the 7th level this message would reach 1,000,000 people. Yes we can make our vote count! Better believe it!! We owe it to ourselves and to our children and to their children.

Did PMO paid for Najib’s daughter engagement do?

PKR claimed there is evidence that PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) paid for Najib’s daughter engagement reception but Najib says no?.

The said evidence came from a banquet event order from Shangrila Hotel which billed PMO a total of almost half a million ringgit.

Here is what is stated on Shangri-La Hotel Banquet Event Order printed on 6/13/2011. Note particularly red words bolded below:

BILLING

VIP Western Set Menu at RM450++ per person

Normal western set menu at RM310++ per person

Handling charges at RM81,000 nett

To be billed to PM’s office. Letter of Undertaking by 15 June 2011

Account: Pejabat Perdana Menteri

Post As: Pejabat Perdana Menteri – OCS Dinner

Function: Pejabat Perdana Menteri – OCS Dinner

Address: Bangunan Perdana Putra

               Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan

                Putrajaya, WP 62502

Auth Sig: Encik Huzairi/Cik Najbah

On site: Encik Amirul

Bkg Contact: YBHG Dato Mohd Po’ad bin Jelani

Phone: 019-3110011

Fax: 03-88880142

Read more below article 'PMO paid for engagement do of Najib's daughter' courtesy of Malaysiakini:

'PMO paid for engagement do of Najib's daughter'

Aidila Razak
4:19PM Mar 9, 2012

PKR today revealed evidence that it said shows the government footed the bill for the engagement reception for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's daughter.
Citing a banquet event order from Shangri La Hotel, which catered for the event, PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli said the Prime Minister’s Office was billed RM409,767 for the reception.
"This is not a small matter. It may be just RM409,767, but it signifies the lax attitude of the government, starting from the PM to his cabinet ministers, who use taxpayers' money for the personal luxuries," Rafizi said.

According to the copies of the document provided to the media, the event billed to the Prime Minister's Office was held on June 17, 2011 at the Perdana Putra complex.
Bernama had last year reported that Nooryana Najwa's engagement to Kazakh national Daniar Nazarbayev took place at the PM' Najib Abdul Razak's official residence Seri Perdana, Putrajaya that night.

The document, which names the PM's private secretary Mohd Po'ad Jelani as the main contact person for the booking reveals that it was done under the PMO's office account.
In the billing section, Shangri La noted that the PMO was due to furnish a letter of undertaking by June 15, 2011.

The function was categorised as a 'OCS dinner', and required setting up three days before the event and pre-function drinks for that night.
Rakyat paid for PM's taste

The dinner cost RM522 per head for 36 VIP guests, and RM359.60 per head for 862 other guests, while handling charges reached a whopping RM81,000.

The menu included lobster bisque and wagyu beef, while Shangri La also catered supper for 300 people at RM45++ per head.
"I'm not sure why they didn't use National Feedlot Centre's beef," quipped Rafizi, who is at the forefront of exposes on Cabinet Minister Shahrizat Jalil-linked project.

However, in a Twitter posting, the PMO denied the allegations by Rafizi.

"The engagement bill of PM's daughter, Nooryana Najwa, was not taken up by the Prime Minister's Office as alleged by some quarters," read the post.

It adds that the PMO will issue a statement over the matter soon.

According to Rafizi, (left) Najib needs to come clean on the matter as it is clear that the PMO was used for a private function.

"Even if he paid for the event from his own pocket (later), it is still a moral issue as he cannot pay for a private function through the PM's office," he said.
He added that while it is Najib's "personal right to have expensive tastes", it is "nauseating" that taxpayers' money was used to meet it.
"At the same time the PM pays consultants to build an image of himself as someone who eats with the people and lives moderately," he said.
He added that PKR will also raise the matter at the parliamentary sitting next week.
Malaysiakini has contacted Mohd Po'ad but he has not responded so far.

When contacted by the portal to check the veracity of the documents, Shangri La said it will be in touch once it checks its records.

View comments (53)

Dean Johns deeply suspicious of safety of Lynas

Dean Johns is deeply suspicious of the safety of Lynas’s rare earth processing plant (LAMP) in Kuantan, Pahang. His main reason – suspicion of Najib Razak’s sincerity given his numerous lies and flip-flops.

Read his take on Lynas and Najib Razak in the article Lynas and the lyin’ ass reproduced here courtesy of Malaysiakini:

Lynas and the lyin' ass

Lynas and the lyin' ass

Dean Johns
11:07AM Feb 29, 2012

As neither a nuclear scientist nor an engineer, I wouldn't have the faintest idea whether the Lynas rare earths processing plant in Gebeng, Pahang, poses a threat to the health of people in the local or even wider community.
But along with the thousands of people who rallied around Malaysia last Sunday in protest against the government's licensing of the plant, and countless others who have expressed their opposition online, I'm deeply suspicious.
For several compelling reasons, the first and most obvious was prompted by the puzzling question of why Lynas wants, or needs to, do its processing in Pahang, Malaysia, rather than back in Western Australia where it mines its raw materials.
Could this be, like the Australian government's court-thwarted attempt to connive with Malaysia's regime to export its asylum-seeker problem offshore, a case of persuading or paying the same Umno/BN whores to tolerate the exposure of Malaysians and their environment to risks from radioactive ores?
It wouldn't be the first time such an atrocity has occurred. In 1982, the then Mahathir-headed Umno/BN government approved the operation by the Japanese-Malaysian joint venture Misubishi Kasel of the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) plant in Bukit Merah, Perak.
Though it persisted for just 10 years before closure by order of the High Court in Ipoh, this gross misadventure proved incalculably costly to the health of workers, residents and their children, and the Umno/BN regime and its media have done their damndest to dim and diminish it in the public memory.

Official obfuscation
A typically disgraceful exercise in official obfuscation that brings me to my principal reason for opposing the operation of the Lynas plant in Pahang: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's assurance that it is safe.
Because Najib has shown himself to be such a persistent and indeed pathological liar that only a complete ass would believe a single word he says.
Every time he opens his mouth and sets his lips flapping, he utters such a farrago of falsehoods and asinine attempts to fly in the face of self-evident facts that he's utterly bereft of any shred of credibility.
Every single one of his pronouncements ranging from "I, for one, believe that the Malaysian media is something that we can all be proud of", to his global message that he is a "moderate Muslim leader" working towards "the world's best democracy" is a breathtaking exercise in bare-faced deceit.
For example, he initially denied that he had ever met with the accuser of Anwar Ibrahim in the latter's second trumped-up sodomy case, then later admitted that he had indeed met this person, but added the patently false disclaimer that the young man had approached him for a scholarship.
And on an altogether larger scale of lying, the very slogan on which he has pinned his prime ministership, "1Malaysia. People first, Performance now" is a veritable monstrosity of perjury and hypocrisy.
"1Malaysia", which he and his low-life Israeli and other public relations flacks intend to imply a promise of one nation unified by equality for all Malaysians under the law, is revealed as flagrantly false by Umno/BN's one-eyed news media, mono-racial staffing and stacking of the civil services, sponsorship of race-hate and religious pressure groups, and organised thuggery against opposition ceramah and rallies.
"People first" is revealed as a pack of lies by everything from denial of the truth to the populace by means of a Printing, Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) specifically designed for the purpose of press suppression, spin and censorship in favour of the Umno/BN regime, to massive and systematic plunder of the public purse by regime members and their families and cronies.
As for "Performance now", Najib keeps promising reforms of such gross inequities and injustices as intended by the PPPA, ISA and prohibitions on public assembly, only to replace such laws with fraudulent and even less people-friendly new ones.
And his latest proposed ‘reform' is an even more outrageous example of his fakes. Still attempting to simulate some semblance of credibility in his notoriously false promise of "zero tolerance for corruption", he has promised to give more independence, and thus power, to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
But only on the condition that Malaysian voters help Umno/BN regain a two-thirds parliamentary majority in the next general election.
In other words, Najib is extending his customary "you help me, I help you" bribery of the electorate (a crime that he justified after the Hulu Selangor buy-election with the statement that "we are addressing the genuine needs of the people. We are not buying votes")from the realm of cash to that of changing the constitution.
The trouble is, what Najib is actually promising, "God willing if BN is given a two-thirds mandate in the coming 13^th general election," is the formation of a commission to administer the MACC that "will enjoy the same authority given to the current Police Commission and Education Commission."

No end to fraudulence?
In other words, as I understand this to mean, if the people of Malaysia are happy to hand Umno/BN the two-thirds majority they formerly employed to pass such unconstitutional laws as the PPPA, then the MACC will officially become as politicised and thus pathetically compromised as the nation's police farce and public educational institutions are today.
Is there no end to Najib's falsehood and fraudulence? Apparently not. And there won't be any end to misleadership by this and other lying asses and their associates until the people of Malaysia seize ownership of the false 1Malaysia slogan, imbue it with genuine meaning, turn it to their own advantage and make it come true for themselves and their children.
It's time to rise up as 1Malaysian electorate; to put the people's interests first by finally electing a truly honest, intelligent, enlightened, transparent and progressive government; and to perform this feat if not now, this minute, at the very next opportunity.
In other words, witness the current NFC and MAS scandals, the still-unsolved murders of Altantuya Shaariibuu, Teoh Beng Hock and so many others, plus the high-handed approval of the Lynas plant.
It's time for the Malaysian people to get real with Najib and the entire Umno/BN gang of thieves and goons and liars, and throw them out on their lying asses.

---

DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakini include ‘Mad about Malaysia’, ‘Even Madder about Malaysia’, ‘Missing Malaysia’ and ‘1Malaysia.con’.

AG not likely to charge NFC directors, said Mat Zain Ibrahim

Former Kuala Lumpur criminal investigation department chief said that there are only

 

the Attorney General Ghani Patil is not likely to charge the directors of the National Feedlot Corporation directors as otherwise he would also have to charge former Malacca Chief Minister Abdul Rahim Thambi Chik, former International Trade and Industry Minister, Rafidah Aziz and former MAS chairman Tajudin Ramli.

He said there are 3 main elements for someone to be charged for CBT:

• dishonest misappropriation
• conversion to own property
• dishonestly uses or disposal of the property

but only one ingredient needed to justify charges.

Read more of Shahrizat's family unlikely to be charged, says ex-top cop courtesy of Malaysiakini below:

Shahrizat's family unlikely to be charged, says ex-top cop

Hafiz Yatim
4:19PM Feb 27, 2012

A former senior police officer believes that the attorney-general chambers will not charge those linked to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) for criminal breach of trust (CBT), despite strong evidence to support the charge.
Former Kuala Lumpur criminal investigation department chief Mat Zain Ibrahim, when contacted, said that based on documents related to NFC's condominium purchases and documents pointing to NFC funds being used to fund trips, he believes that there were elements of CBT.
However, based on his experience in investigating high profile individuals in the past, Mat Zain believes that the CBT charge would not be slapped on NFC's bosses because they are the family of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
"If the attorney-general were to charge Shahrizat's family based on police recommendations, then he may also have to charge (former MAS chairperson) Tajudin Ramli, according to police recommendations.
"Then, the attorney-general may have to follow up by charging (former Malacca chief minister) Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and (former International Trade and Industry Minister) Rafidah Aziz.

Only one ingredient needed

In 1994, Mat Zain was the investigation officer that was tasked with probing Tajudin. He was also involved in the investigations on Abdul Rahim and Rafidah.
Mat Zain explained that in his three examples, the police or Anti-Corruption Agency, as it was then known, had made recommendations that they be charged for various offences.
He said this when asked to comment on Bukit Aman commercial crime investigation department director Syed Ismail Syed Azizan'srecommendation that NFC chairperson Mohd Salleh Ismail be charged with CBT.
Mat Zain, who also read law, said three main elements should be cited  in a CBT case namely dishonest misappropriation, converts to his own the property, or dishonestly uses or disposes the property in violation of any direction of the law.
“The prosecution is only required to fulfill one of the above ingredients - not all three, but one,” he stressed.

Companies don't perform umrah, people do
Explaining further, Mat Zain said the purchase of a condo using the NFC funds, and registering the condo in their own names is as good as transferring cash into personal accounts.
“If this is not converting to ones’s own use, what is?” he asked.
“Another example are the allegations against Mohamad Salleh and his son Wan Shahinur that they performed the umrah in 2010 using company funds amounting to some RM31,000 or so.
"If this can be proven than no need to argue. It’s 100 CBT. Companies are not required to perform umrah, only individuals are," he said.
Last November, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution revealed that NFC funds were used for Mohamad Salleh and his son Wan Shahinur Izran for them to perform the umrah.
Mat Zain was the investigation officer in the Rahim and Rafidah cases.
In a related development, attorney-general chambers head of prosecution Tun Abdul Majib Tun Hamzah refused comment when asked respond to Syed Ismail's statement.
He said his department have yet to receive investigation papers from the police.
Yesterday, NFC in a statement said it was shocked with Syed Ismail for going public on the matter and accused him of trying to pre-empt the attorney-general's decision over the matter.

NFC Scandal: Syed Ismail Syed Azizan is a brave man

Zaid Ibrahim has called Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department’ Syed Ismail Syed Azizan as a brave man because he dare to say that police investigations have revealed that there are sufficient reasons to charge NFCorporation’s directors with CBT (Criminal Breach of Trust, White Collar Crime in Malaysia). Many investigation papers have been submitted to the Malaysia Attorney General Ghani Patil which have been classified NFA (No Further Action) because it is politically sensitive for the ruling UMNO/BN Federal Government. Zaid Ibrahim thus opined that it is highly unlikely that Syed Ismail will ever be promoted to IGP (Inspector General of Police) as thus coming up with unprecedented pronouncement in public will not make him a favored candidate for the IGP post:

Malaysiakini’s article Yes, the AG must act to charge NFC directors courtesy of Malaysiakini:

Yes, the AG must act to charge NFC directors

Zaid Ibrahim
3:20PM Feb 27, 2012

COMMENT The director of Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department Syed Ismail Syed Azizan is a brave man. Why?
Because he has said clearly and categorically that there is enough evidence to charge the directors of the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) with criminal breach of trust.
I like a brave Malaysian, especially if he or she is a civil servant. I believe that it’s only when civil servants show courage and integrity that the rakyat can hope to get justice and fair play in their dealings with the government.
Syed Ismail knows that the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission - or any enforcement agency in the country for that matter - do not have the power to lay charges regardless of the evidence.
That is the prerogative of the attorney-general. Despite this, Syed Ismail has been willing to tell the people there is in fact enough evidence to charge someone.
This is an act of courage. It is not the action of someone with an ulterior motive, as has been suggested by the family involved in the NFC.
In my years at the Bar and in government, I often heard that “such-and-such a case was presented to the Attorney-General’s Office but no action was taken”.
No one knows the actual reason for this inaction - we are told only that under the constitution, the attorney-general has absolute discretion whether or not to charge someone.
So it is possible that, in many cases, enforcement agencies such as the police have recommended prosecution but the attorney-general has refused to pursue the case.
Crown prosecution services
Our practice is entirely different from that of other Commonwealth countries, where there are crown prosecution services consisting of lawyers who act independently of the attorney-general.
Their independence is based on the trust given to them that they will work in the public’s interest.
They work in close collaboration with the police, so when the police in the United Kingdom (for example) say that they have evidence, it would be unthinkable for anyone else, even the prime minister, to suggest that the attorney-general might decide differently.
On the other hand, our Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has made remarks that cast doubt on whether the family of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (the  Women, Family, and Community Development Minister) will ever be prosecuted. Najib has talked about the “absolute power” of the attorney-general, and not the police, to determine if the government will prefer a charge against Shahrizat’s family.
The past has shown that when political leaders speak like that, we know that no charge is forthcoming. It would indeed be disappointing if our “reformist” prime minister should prefer to pre-empt the attorney-general’s decision.
Najib should instead give full support and praise to the police for an investigation into a case involving at least one powerful politician. But somehow, Najib always seems to get the wrong end of the stick.
So to Syed Ismail, I don’t think you will ever become the inspector-general of police, but it may be a small comfort to know that your decision to make your investigation public sets a good precedent.
After this, we hope to hear more from the heads of investigating teams. We hope to see them declare their findings publicly. We can then see how far the prime minister will go to defend his attorney-general’s discretion.
Syed Ismail, I will shake your hand anywhere I see you. And there are thousands like me who will do the same.

---

ZAID IBRAHIM, a former law minister, is the Parti Kita president.

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.

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?

---

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.

Thayapanran rebuttal on RPK’s comments in NST interview

I like the majority of Malaysians yearning desperately for reforms and a better Malaysia are extremely sadden by RPK’s (Raja Petra Kamarudin) interview with the UMNO owned wastepaper NST and the UMNO controlled TVs but have not the aptitude to write a proper rebuttal of RPK’s comments. However, I find S Thayaparan’s take on the issues published by Malaysiakini and republished here with Steven Gan’s permission to be a fit rebuttal to RPK’s damaging comments and if you are hard pressed for time to read this long article, I have highlighted in bold red below that I considered deserving of highlighting:

In response to Raja Petra's interview

S Thayaparan
11:12AM Jan 4, 2012

COMMENT It would seem that Raja Petra Kamarudin’s New Sunday Times interview has caused a great deal of concern amongst ardent supporters of Pakatan Rakyat.
I have been inundated with messages of wild conspiracy theories and impassioned statements of deep disappointment from rebellious middle class voters.
Needless to say, I have been greatly amused that the article has reached its intended demographic.

But what exactly is there to be concerned about? The mandarins at Media Prima sent Ahmad Fairuz Othman to do a job and Raja Petra provided the hatchet.
Understand now, that I have never accepted the contents of Raja Petra’s blog as the Gospel truth but have delighted in his ease at slaying Malaysian sacred cows.
What people who feel disappointed or angry should do is apply some much needed common sense to what they read.
They should understand that the leading questions posed by Ahmad Fairuz and RPK’s polemical replies are intended to rattle the cages of those who conflate principle and personality.
They should accept that RPK or Pet as is fondly known is right when he claims that Anwar Ibrahim(left) is slowly sliding into irrelevancy but they should understand that their hero worship of this most vocal of Cassandras is irrelevant when it comes to the political destiny of this country.
Of course RPK would be scathing of Pakatan Rakyat’s performance after their historic 2008 tsunami. At this moment he is an influential figure in a nascent ambiguous political entity that hopes to be the “third force” in upcoming election.
Both Barisan National and Pakatan are competitors in the market place of eligible voters.

His vitriol against Anwar and by extension Pakatan is valuable to both BN (for obvious reasons) and his own political group mainly because the opposition at this point in time is the more credible contender to the throne in Putrajaya. Or at least that’s the perception.
My disappointment with Raja Petra stems from reasons totally unrelated to his messianic role. Under the putrid headlines of opposition “tearing itself apart”, this talented purveyor of political spin wallows in the same old Umno canards that we are used to reading in this nation’s propaganda organs.
Ahmad Fairuz may have led the horse to water but what I was hoping for was that the horse would spew out a geyser of undisguised contempt for his past comrades in arms, instead of the rather cliched sound bites that we are all familiar with.
Everything about the interview is designed to create angst in the minds of those who fervently believe that RPK is the lone voice of freedom in the media, forgetting the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of loyal Malaysians of every ethnic group who work tirelessly on the ground level hoping to create a Malaysia that the slogans from Umno have been unable to do.
These people of course go unnoticed. Let us, like RPK reminds us, separate principle from personality, in this case the personality of Raja Petra, and discover in this interview the moral bankruptcy of what Pet espouses.
On Anwar and his sodomy trial
RPK makes the rather disingenuous claim that Anwar’s trial is a criminal one rather than a political one.
Fair enough, but where are the thousands of other sodomites who have never been prosecuted?

And why have they never been prosecuted? Where are the other BN political figures engaged in homosexual acts, hinted at in the Wikileaks expose that have never been investigated?
Without resorting to conspiracy theories prima facie it can be established that Anwar’s prosecution is politically motivated.
And did Anwar get the trial he wanted or is he unwillingly participating in a trial he has no choice but to accept?
While RPK may dismiss these questions as “another issue”, this strikes to the heart of a biased judicial system in this country. A biased judicial system that Pet has written extensively about with regards to his legal problems.
This perjuangan (struggle) should not be about Anwar, but Anwar’s trial is the most overt example of a judicial system plagued by executive interference.
And what is the perjuangan if it does not encompass the rehabilitation of this most vital of institutions? If we are tired of sodomy it is because we are tired of a system that uses the courts to silence voices of dissent.
If we are tired with the trial, it is because we are tired of the way how the executive prosecutes those who it sees as a threat to its power. Threats like Dr Jeyakumar who was briefly threatened with the charge of waging war against the Agong.
And yes, Ahmad Fairuz, I am not forgetting the victim, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan(right). I am not forgetting that this victim had access to the prime minister of this country.
I am not forgetting that this is a victim who had an affair with one of the deputy prosecutors (something that RPK exposed before anyone else).
And I am not forgetting that this is the victim that the presiding judge in the case called “truthful” at the end of the case for the prosecution without hearing the arguments of the defence. If only all victims could be as fortunate as Saiful.
On Anwar and the Selangor administration

For years now, supporters of RPK have accepted his word based solely on anecdotal evidence and undisclosed sources.

So it should come as no surprise that Pet uses the same rhetoric when describing the state of Selangor and the supposed discontent of its poor frustrated inhabitants.
The question people should ask, is Pakatan solely to blame for the level of corruption that still exist in the state today? Does federal influence and an entrenched hostile civil service play a part in the mess Pakatan finds itself enmeshed in Selangor?
Time and again the state government has had to withstand assaults by an aggrieved federal government and found itself on the losing end of protracted political power plays.
Add to this certain members who have gone independent or remained as recalcitrant troublemakers and you have a state-run government plagued by both external threats and internal sabotage.
But what is the alternative? To run back to BN, who ran the state in an exemplary fashion?
Lest we forget, it was under the aegis of BN that Selangor got the reputation of being the most corrupt state in the federation.
It was under the leadership of a BN chief minister who is now appealing a one-year prison sentence for corruption and is a proponent of Malay rights; he doesn’t display any intelligence to grasp the concepts of “rights”, that the state gained such a reputation.
Are these the people Pet thinks the inhabitants of Selangor will run back to? Who knows? But what I do know in a purely anecdotal way (much like Pet) is that if Selangor does go back to BN, it could be because of the way new voters, not to mention citizens, have been discovered in the great state of Selangor.
No doubt Anwar has stumbled in the running of the state in his capacity as economic advisor and there is clear evidence that the coalition seems to be functioning without his leadership.
However, I argue that the former is nowhere near as calamitous as the way that BN ran the state and the latter merely evidence of a functional alternative front.
Will Anwar fade away?
It would be pointless to debate the parliamentary seat numbers game with anyone.

RPK’s theory is as sound as anything else I have read. But readers should view this game in the proper context, especially when it comes to Sabah and Sarawak.
Any numbers game should take into account the historical gerrymandering, the contemporary money politics and the creation of constitutional Malays imported from Indonesia and the Philippines under Project M (which ironically Anwar was involved in). Life is strange, isn’t it?
However, this does not necessarily mean that Anwar will fade away. Pundits have been proclaiming his political demise for years, but like a bad penny he keeps resurfacing.

By continuing this tactic of trying to silence him, the BN makes it impossible for him to become irrelevant either by his own doing or theirs.  
If RPK is against personality politics as personified by Anwar, why is he so concerned that someone should “lead” the opposition?
Perhaps, we should take Pet’s advice and not worry too much about personalities. I would rather examine the working relationship between personalities like Mat Sabu and Lim Guan Eng rather than bemoan the fact that someone like Zaid Ibrahim has left the alliance.
Perhaps it was true at one time, the time RPK used to be a rabid supporter of Anwar, that he was indispensable to the party, but the reality is, because Anwar has been bogged down by the internal politics of his own party and his legal troubles, various elements from all three parties have had to work together and find solutions to the problems affecting them.
Unlike Pet, I don’t see the leadership issue as something of a major stumbling block. People vote the opposition because they have lost faith in the BN. They don’t vote for the opposition because they have faith in Anwar.
The leadership issue is a straw man created by BN in the hope of confusing people that the opposition alliance is unstable, and is further subtle indoctrination by them that only with a strong personality can the political party function.
Well, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (left) has shown that he has been ineffectual in controlling the nastier elements of his party and has so far been unable to transform Umno and BN into an alliance which the people can trust or carry out his nation building policies without opposition from racist pressure groups.
Are we to worry of the transition of leadership within the BN? I’m sure many are terrified to see who will replace Najib.
Lessons from Egypt
Pet’s contention that there could never be a Tahrir style revolution in this country goes against conventional wisdom and his own past writings on the subject.
There is no doubt that the Malay community is divided on the issue of who should govern this country.
Add to this Umno’s Sunni (Shafi'e) interpretation of Islam and the fact that everyday more and more foreigners are granted constitutional Malay status, you get an explosive clash of racial and religious identities within one community vying for control of said community’s destiny.
And never forget that the inspiration for this will come from the thousands of “Malay” students sent to the Middle East to expand their knowledge of Islam amongst other ventures.
Non-Malay participation in this would be negligible since although the Chinese community is extremely influential in the economic sphere, their interest have always been subservient to whoever is or is likely to be in power.
If I recall correctly it was RPK himself who said that the non-Malays should stay out of this coming clash and leave it to the Malays to settle it for themselves.
Of course, in those days he proclaimed that it would be Pakatan “Malays” who would protect the non-Malays.
Since when as Malaysian did we become intolerant of infighting between political alliances? And why is it these voters who complain to RPK that they are sick of all the Pakatan infighting would rather vote for BN, which is currently involved in massive infighting of their own but which is never covered by the mainstream media?
Why is it these voters who talk to Pet are extremely angry at the way how the opposition-controlled states are run (even though the Auditor-General has said that Penang is the best-run in the country) and wish to return the BN fold when they seem totally oblivious to the major financial scandals - NFC, Perkim, etc - that have rocked the ruling alliance they so desperately want to return to?
Who are these ignorant voters that keep complaining to Pet about their problems with Pakatan?
I have no idea who these voters are but my advice to them and indeed anyone who is troubled by the revelations made by RPK is to vote according to their conscience and not be taken in by the personalities involved.
What we as a society should do is understand that the evolutionary change that RPK talks about should be about changing our mindset, that only BN can run the country but instead that it is possible that the opposition could run the country too.
We must abandon this shackle that has been indoctrinated in us that only an alliance that has ruled since independence knows what’s good for us.
We must embrace the concept of a two-party system or in this case a two-party alliance not because it is the best method but because for the time being it is the best method for us.
The choice here is either to embrace what is comforting even though we know the corruption that exist within or take a chance and embrace the unfamiliar, a new ruling coalition made up of divergent interests (which is what this country is made up of, anyway).
If the new government made up of Pakatan reps fails us for some reason than we may turn to RPK’s third force and abandon the concept of a two-party alliance system.
But we do this only when we have tried a system which is unknown to us. Whatever your views on the opposition is, they have put in the time and effort and have gone unacknowledged for years.
In a sense they never abandon us, but we abandoned them when it was convenient to do so. I hope we don’t make the same mistake again.

---

S THAYAPARAN is commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Malaysia subsidies is a con job

From an email forward:

Subject: Fwd: The Man that Serves Najib Tun Razak
Date: Saturday, 26 November, 2011, 13:34

7 mil for 27 mil population.  ?  and the rest goes elsewhere

The Man that Serves Najib Tun RazakUntil 2 weeks ago, 98% Malaysians were under the apprehension that precious resources of this country is being wasted on subsidy.
The main man behind the dissemination of this information is the esteem CEO of PEMANDU (equivalent to a Minister without a Portfolio in the Cabinet), Mr Idris Jala.
He had given a list of subsidies that has been paid out by the government totalling RM74 billion. A staggering sum considering Malaysia being a small nation.
Idris went on to say that should we fail to cut these subsidies, Malaysia will turn into a bankrupt nation by 2019.
The plan is to spread fear of seeing our children eating from garbage cans and sleeping on the streets among the electorate so as to create a mood among the people to accept painful cuts and increase in prices.
Many Malaysians swallowed this bait hook, line and sinker. Many have changed their minds about getting angry with the government for raising the price of petrol. In short, Idris's con has begun to work.
YOU CANNOT FOOL EVERYONE EVERYTIME
Suddenly, in a budget discussion presented by visiting associate professor Subramaniam Pillay, the truth came out.
True to the saying, "The Truth Shall Set You Free", every Malaysians felt liberated by Subra's presentation.
It turns out, the RM74billion figure quoted by Idris is nothing more than a storyline made by a con men to con people.
Half of RM74 billion (RM40 billion) actually goes into spending on Education and Health. Hardly a form of subsidy by any standard considering Health and Education is the responsibility of the government.
Idris was trying to sell government spending as a form of subdidy. Idris knows that in order to make space for one form of government spending, one is forced not to spend on another spending.
In short, in order to continue spending RM40 billion on healthcare and spending, the government will have to cut spending on other items. Naturally, this will upset the UMNO cronies and UMNOPUTRAs because it will definitely result in the rapid deflation of their respective wallets.
So, the ingenious way of cutting this item is masking it as subsidy and tell the people that subsidy is bad.Another good point made by Subramaniam is the subsidy on fossil fuel.
THe total subsidy spent on Fossil Fuel is RMRM23.5bil.
What Idris Jala conveniently left out is the one little detail about the majority of this subsidy going to the IPP. Out of RM23.5 billion, only RM7 billion goes to the people. The rest goes to UMNO cronies and UMNOPUTRA in the form of Independent Power Producers(IPP).
Idris also failed to mention the fact that ALL of the RM4.6billion subsidy for infrastructure goes to HIGHWAY CONCESSIONAIRES. It's not a secret that ALL HIGHWAY concessionaires are UMNO's CRONIES. So, essentially, UMNO is subsidizing their cronies.
In short, the bulk of the actual subsidies goes to UMNO's cronies in the form of Highway concessionaires and IPP Producers. We, the people, only get a small portion of the subsidies which has to be shared among the 27 million people.
Idris Jala is nothing more than a con-man, doing the bidding of his master, Najib TUn Razak, of course for a hefty rewards.
Thank god we have the internet, for the internet helped us to see lies like this very quickly.
Tulang Besi.

NGO’s in 6 countries wants Sarawak’s Taib Mahmud arrested

Sarawak has been called the corrupt UMNO/BN’s fixed deposit (vote bank) as Sarawak’s Chief Minister has plundered the state and now have massive financial means to corrupt other leaders and to buy votes plus use his money to ensure the the poor Sarawak’s voters ends up voting for him and his cronies such as hiring all the boats and helicopters come election time to deny the opposition access to the interiors where the poor dependent and somewhat ignorant (real news kept from them) lives.

Will Najib heeds their call? Not likely as he depends on Taib to keep himself in power plus he too has too many skeletons to hide in the cupboard. Below a post from Malaysiakini to keep as many Malaysians informed as possible

Arrest Taib and 13 family members, M'sia told

11:10AM Dec 13, 2011

NGOs based in six countries want Malaysia to arrest the Sarawak chief minister and 13 of his family members for ‘abuse of public office, corruption and conspiracy to form a criminal organisation’, among other accusations.
The groups include Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), Greenpeace and forest watch organisation Fern.
The full set of their allegations in the 10-page letter covers:

• Illegal appropriation of public funds;
• Abuse of public office;
• Illegal appropriation of state land;
• Fraud, larceny and corruption;
• Systematic exploitation of conflicts of interest;
• Suspected money-laundering; and
• Conspiracy to form a criminal organisation.

The letter, dated today, is being sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the inspector-general of police.
“We are calling Malaysia’s top prosecutors to immediately arrest and criminally prosecute (Abdul Taib Mahmud), his four children, his eight siblings and his first cousin, Abdul Hamed Sepawi,” said the NGOs based in  Malaysia, Australia, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the UK.
Three NGOS from Sarawak - Borneo Resources Institute Sarawak, The Network for Native Land Rights and the Sibu-based Institute for Development of Alternative Living - have endorsed the letter
Taib’s children were named as Jamilah Hamidah (left), Mahmud Abu Beki, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and Hanifah Hajar.
His siblings were identified as Ibrahim, Aisah Zainab, Zaleha, Onn Mohamad Alí, Mohd Tufail, Amar Hajar Fredahanum and Raziah.
Copies of the letter are being sent to all major foreign embassies in Malaysia, heads of government, cabinet ministers and prosecutors in seven countries, the top executives of 10 multinational corporations who conduct business in or with Sarawak and editors of leading media outlets.
The letter is includes 16 exhibits that are said to document the accusations against the Taib family.
Research by the BMF has shown that Taib and his immediate family members have a stake in 332 Malaysian and 85 foreign companies worth several billion US dollars.
The known family stake in the net assets of 14 large Malaysian companies alone exceeds US$1.46 billion.
"We allege that only the systematic breach of the law and the use of illegal methods have enabled Taib and his family members to acquire such massive corporate assets," the letter alleges.
"Taib has been a state-paid public servant and government minister ever since 1963 and did not possess any significant independent assets prior to taking up office."
Alleged money trail
The letter gives three examples of family-controlled Malaysian companies said to have been favoured by Taib as chief minister - Cahya Mata Sarawak, Achi Jaya Holdings and Ta Ann Holdings.
Cahya Mata Sarawak is said to hold a monopoly on cement production in Sarawak; Achi Jaya Holdings is said to hold a monopoly on timber export licences; and Ta Ann Holdings has allegedly been granted more than 675,000ha of timber and plantation concessions without public tender.
The family is also said to be behind property companies in Canada (Sakto Corporation, City Gate International Corporation and others), in the UK (Ridgeford Properties Ltd), in the US (Wallysons Inc, Sakti International Corporation and others) and is also said to be closely linked to at least 22 companies in Australia.
Other companies, such as Regent Star and Richfold Investments in Hong Kong, are allegedly linked to a multi-million dollar kickbacks scheme uncovered by Japanese tax investigators.
The NGOs state that "the criminal nature of Taib and his family members' 'private' businesses can no longer be denied by anyone who is intellectually honest, desirous of seeing the truth and interested in the good of the Malaysian people and, in particular, the people of Sarawak".
"We would like to remind you that Malaysia, as a signatory to the UN Convention against corruption and the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, has a strong international obligation to fight corruption and organised crime in an efficient, timely and expedient manner", they add in the letter.
Taib is already facing investigations in Malaysia and abroad following allegations that profits from timber industries in Sarawak have been used to enrich family-owned companies.
However Taib and other family members have consistently denied specific claims made about them.