Dr M tells Malays: To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness

Mahathir Mohamad

I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot compete with the Chinese and Indian students when studying medicine. They had much better results than me and the other six Malay students for entry into the Medical College.

It is not shameful to lose out against them. Simply to catch up with them we need handicaps. To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness, not discrimination.

I would like to apologise to the students and others for failing to turn up to give the talk I had agreed to. I would also like to thank those who sent get well messages, fruits and flowers while I was in hospital in Melbourne.

Honestly I feel I have lost an opportunity to meet and talk to what may be the future leaders of Malaysia. For this reason I am writing down here what would have been the contents of my talk.

The suggested topic for my talk was, "Are we ready for 1 Malaysia: Does Race Still Play a Part?"

I will be frank but factual. My only interest is the country we all love. I am past self-interest.

First let me refer to the slogan "1 Malaysia".

Without the Government spelling out the precise meaning of 1 Malaysia, different people are giving their own interpretations which not only differ from each other but are in conflict with each other.

The Malays generally interpret 1 Malaysia to mean real adoption of the national language as the home language by every citizen as happens in other multiracial countries. They also expect the abolition of Chinese and Tamil schools and ensuring the private sector has a fair participation of Malays and other Bumiputeras.

The Chinese and Indians interprete 1 Malaysia to mean amendments to the constitution to eliminate provisions for the special treatment of the Malays and their protection by the Rulers, removal of the quota for Malays in ! the Civi l Service, termination of the NEP, termination of the 30 per cent quota for Malays and indigenous people in business, termination of the quota for awards of licences, contracts and APs. All awards to be on a competitive basis and open to all irrespective of race. They also expect perpetuation and maintenance of Chinese and Indian schools by the Government.

These two interpretations of 1 Malaysia admittedly are by the more extreme groups. The more moderate ones from both sides are milder in their expectations but their minimum intetrpretations still provide irreconcilable conflicts. 1 Malaysia clearly means different things to the different races.

This is the present position and it is obvious that race still play a very important role.

Question: It is now more than 50 years since independence. For how long do the Malays expect to be treated as special and different from the other citizens?

Answer: For as long as the Chinese and Indians prefer to be identified with their countries of origins. For as long as they want to keep their home languages and their schools.

Question: The so-called social contract were made a long time ago. We were not involved and we cannot be bound by it forever. When can we ignore the social contract and draw up our own social contract?

Answer: When everyone agrees to throw out the old social contract and replace it with a new one.

This will take a long time. As the new contract will be between races, racial factors would be included. Unless both sides agree to give up their races' own rights as spelt out in the first contract i.e. the preservation of own home languages and schools etc. the rights of the indigenous races to their special position etc must remain a part of the new social contract.

It is not certain that each would not demand for more than what they got under the old contract. It is likely there would be no agreement and no contract. Ths would lead to perpetual conflicts.

Question: So there will be no s! olution. The racial divisions and conflicts will remain.

Answer: In Vision 2020 one of the objectives is to create a bangsa Malaysia.

The belief at that time was that if Malaysia becomes a fully developed country, it would become very prosperous.

This prosperity would be fairly shared between the races. There would be less jealousy between them. There would also be less fear of any race being dominated by any other race.

The political cooperation between the races would also be made more meaningful as loyalty to the country would override other loyalties. In fact non-racial parties would be the trend.

It would take a long time perhaps - depending on fair wealth distribution. But once it takes off the pace will increase.

Malaysians of all races would be so proud of their country and its great achievements that the desire to be linked with other countries would be much diminished if not disappear altogether (as happens in prosperous multi-racial countries like the US - where the German, Eisenhower led the war against Germany. Eisenhower was American first and his country of origin was irrelevant to him).

The Malaysians at that stage would be Bangsa Malaysia first and always. The thing to do now is to ensure prosperity for the country and its fair distribution. Removing current rights of any of the races at this moment will only lead to racial conflicts which would obstruct prosperity.

Question: There are Malays in the opposition who condemn the NEP as unfair discrimination.

Answer: There are also Chinese and Indians who appreciate what the Malays have done and support the NEP. They are not so vocal for obvious reasons.

One should look at the Malays who condemn the NEP. If they are politicians or supporters of certain parties their views are motivated by a desire to get Chinese support. They assume that they themselves would lead the nation and enjoy power and opportunities through Chinese support. But there will be a pay-back period. The support! is not for free. The Malay leaders will be like Nizar (Jamaluddin) when he was Menteri Besar of Perak - mere puppets.

The non-politically educated Malays feel ashamed that they have to be helped. They would like to be recognised as people who succeeded on their own. If we study these people almost invariably they have benefited from the NEP. They appear to be ashamed of this.

They are ashamed to admit that they were unable to compete with the other races. I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot compete with the Chinese and Indian students when studying medicine. They had much better results than me and the other six Malay students for entry into the Medical College. Even at that time the British promised to the Rulers to help educate the Malays. I had my chance because of the affirmative action then. On pure merit I would not be a doctor today, not because I was not qualified, but my qualification was lower than others.

One has to remember that the Chinese civilisation is more than 4000 years old. No other civilisation has lasted that long. Naturally they have developed a culture better able to survive under all conditions. It is my belief that if the percentage of Chinese in the United Kingdom for example is the same as in Malaysia, UK would be better developed than it is now. It is not surprising that the Chinese excel in developing Malaysia (for which they are amply rewarded).

It is not shameful to lose out against them. Simply to catch up with them we need handicaps. To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness, not discrimination. That is why in golf you have handicaps. That is why in all contests there must be equality between the contestants.

It is selfish if having benefited from the handicaps you want to deny others from having them.

But when all is said and done, those who are given the benefits of handicaps must make honest efforts to use them properly. If they don't then they must forfeit the handicaps in the future.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Can PKR defend Selangor?

I am not an expert political analyst but some of my friends do their living by analyzing political activities in many countries including Malaysia. Two months ago my friends says the 13th GE is looming and it is anticipated to be held not later than the first quarter next year. The likelihood that it will be held in Dec 2010 is quite high if certain environment elements can be managed. The East Malaysia FD needs to be cashed in and this can be seen at the frequency of Najib trip to East Malaysia.

Among the few latest signs of the looming election is the forced SD police report done by Rahimi Osman. It seems that he is one of former PA for Anwar. Today Rasid Rosli, another former aide to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, claims that he was confined at a hotel and coerced into signing a statutory declaration against his will. It must be appreciated that this is a plan and organized disclosure and it must also be appreciated that this is not the last of it. It is expected major announcement will be done a few days after the dissolution of parliament. The latest announcement by the government on the deferred implementation of the GST is one of another strong signs.

When RPK express his frustration in London, many PKR members and anti-BN group went into silence. There was hardly any commentary anywhere other than on the MSM. Many felt betrayed. Another salvo came when RPK wrote in MT Umno is beginning to look better than PKR. As anticipated, there were not many comments from the usual crowd. In my mind, RPK is a man proven to have many sources. When he says something and writes something it is not without basis. One needs to read with a clear conscience to appreciate that there is a lot of truth in what he says.

While BN has a very slim chance of regaining Penang and Perak, Kedah is very much an even battle ground. Selangor is the battle j! ewel and something that must be recaptured at all cost and at the same not losing what is already in hand. GE 13 will not have many of the elements that brought the surprise victory to PR. Hindraf members have seen that their hard work has not been rewarded accordingly. The hate for BN is getting less. The accommodating attitude of Pak Lah towards the opposition is not there. One can expect that Najib will not be as merciful as Pak Lah. People are now getting frustrated with PR that the promise for change has not been meted out fully.

In the last few weeks people are observing on how PKR conduct their election. From the first shot it is clear that everything is not well. In fact evidence are surfacing that the system is being manipulated in such a way to ensure that Anwar No1 loyalist will win. It is not surprising that Zaid Ibrahim made a demand in writing to party conduct its election in a transparent manner before he decide that he will contest. His enemies will say that he is laying the foundation for an excuse not to contest but I would disagree. The way Nurul Izzah was being denied from receiving adequate nomination support shows that everything is unwell in PKR. An aspiring No 2 contestant is worried of splitting votes among the members.

PKR members must ask themselves whether they are in for a short term or for a long term game. If they are serious about keeping Selangor, they better get their act together. Time is running short. I am not sure about the other areas in Selangor but I am confident in my prediction that if PKR/SSG did not come in to resolve the abandon housing in Ukay Bistari, they will lose 3 seats i.e. DUN Gombak, Parliament Ampang and Parliament Gombak. Call it a threat if you like it but this are facts. This facts delivers message that is no different from RPK is saying. The ball is in their court to show that Keadilan and Rakyat means something.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Why is RPK acting so out of character?

YL Chong

Prominent blogger now in exile in the United Kingdom Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) caught this writer by surprise with an overly critical reaction to Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah's failure to obtain at least two nominations to contest the party's deputy presidency. My commentary here is not to go into the "technicalities" involved in the nominations process, but to focus on RPK's uncharacteristic reactions for someone sympathetic to the only viable alternative coalition led by PKR to replace the BN government.

RPK titled his latest "No Holds Barred" column yesterday (Oct 13, 2010)"Umno is beginning to look better than PKR" and his scornful look at the current PKR party elections in progress seems totally out of character with the writer that I know.(Digressing a bit but I feel perinent in my claim that I know this writer at close range, Raja Petra was the key speaker for the first two annual outings called Bloggers Universe Malaysia (BUM) which I was proud to serve as organising chair.)

And knowing that Nurul herself has never stated she would want to contest the second highest post in PKR, why would an Opposition fighter, swing so ballistically into putting long nemesis UMNO in such good light, as compared with 12-year-old Parti Keadilan Rakyat?

And the real rat is ...

Reacting to a FMT report stating that Nurul did not qualify to contest the deputy president's post after getting only "one nomination" at the close of nominations on Sunday, RPK wrote, and I quote at length:

"And when did they decide that Sunday is the closing date for nominations? Was this decided the following day, on Monday, after two more nominations for Nurul Izzah came in? In other words did they decide on the Sunday closing date on Monday when they realised that Nurul had received an additional two nominations and that this would therefore qualify her to contest the party deputy presidency?

"I smell a rat here, a dead rat. And the smell stinks to high heaven. It appears like PKR is even dirtier than Umno. Now, even Umno is looking better than PKR," he added.

But sad to say, the smell may be emanating from RPK himself. If he did his checks before making such serious allegations, a quick look at any of numerous articles on the PKR direct elections byMalaysiakini would invariably have shown this chart, which I first noticed in an article dated Sept 5.

October 10 was very clearly defined as the date for which nominations for Supreme Council would be closed. If there are any doubts about the authenticity of chart, do check with Steven ofMkini.

Now, I believe RPK is not a member of PKR although he built his reputation as an Anwarista leader, following Anwar's sacking by then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO deputy president in late 1999. RPK spent much time and resources heading the "Free Anwar Campaign" during Anwar's incarceration in prison for six years plus.

So the question that arises is: WHY IS RPK ACTING SO OUT OF CHARACTER?

My theory -- I emphasise here it's solely my take as a newshound! -- is that RPK has fallen victim to the politics of beholdenism, involving some key players, namely Zaid Ibrahim and Jeffrey Kitinggan, and associated with them moving "behind the scene" is business tycoon John Soh Chee Wen. And my recall is that such similar "acts of beholdenism" also could have featured in some past dalliance in teaming up with Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in their UMNO factional politics, but I digress.

The Malaysia Chronicle has run several articles about the trio -- Zaid, Jeffrey, and John Soh, all recent entrants into PKR and were former leaders of BN component parties, UMNO, PBS and MCA, respectively. The relevant point here is Zaid's out-of-the-blue appeal to Nurul to enter the race for deputy president -- which Nurul did not respond to positively --and that he would then think of stepping aside should Nurul accept the challenge; Zaid even said in that eventuality he would consider contesting the president's post against incumbent Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Of mob-ney politics and would-be kingmakers

My conclusion is that RPK is caught in the web of ambition and moves wrought by Zaid and Kitinggan in trying to gain control of the Opposition party they had joined not long ago. I won't detail these events especially over the past few months as they have been well reported by Malaysia Chronicle. RPK must have become indebted to the financiers who took control of his web portal Malaysia Today, and I know for a fact one such financier is John Soh, and the financial consideration would have been substantial to enable RPK to exit Malaysia and continue his "exile" in London.

It must be noted that very soon after RPK's departure for London that a news portal, Free Malaysia Today, was launched towards end-2009. (I speak from a four-month attachment there as editorial consultant that it was supposed to be a vehicle to promote Change and the Opposition cause, especially PKR. But a few months into being, FMT was clearly used as a platform to promote Zaid's and Jeffrey's ambitious climb -- rather impatient I must add! -- up the PKR ranks, concurrently with "loaded" innuendoes amounting to "attacks", my reading, of fellow PKR comrades including Anwar, Wan Azizah, which earned the ire of outgoing deputy Dr Syed Husin Ali as expressed in an interview with Merdeka Review.

I wrote in another piece questioning if the active Blogger promoters behind "Bloggers for Nurul" are PKR members, and thinking aloud if they had taken on a role of king-maker on behalf of the ambitious players in PKR in their fight for top posts. It is a shame if RPK -- for sterling record as a fighter for a better Malaysia, mostly aligned with the Opposition parties in their struggle for change -- soiled his reputation for objectivity by aligning himself to a few individuals know for past association with parties renowned for "mob=ney politics". Being a non-member, I think RPK is unusually and overly-concerned in the PKR party elections.

Giving RPK some benefit of the doubt, a kinder reading of RPK's recent predicament now that he's located away from homeland is he has become a victim of disinformation and misinformation, and "money politics". Or is RPK an unwitting victim caught in the cross-fire between one faction strong on conviction and proven commitment over time to PKR cause, and a new kid on the block strong on money power and not much of commitment to PKR to show?

Taibs Former US Aid Found Dead

By Sarawak Report

Smiling through hard times, the Boyerts in June

Sarawak Report is deeply saddened to inform of the tragic and untimely death of Taib Mahmuds former aid in the United States. It is speculated that he may have taken his own life, but the Coroneris withholding judgement pending further investigations.

Ross Boyert, aged 60, was found with a bag tied around his head in a Los Angeles hotel room last week. He leaves a wife and daughter. He had worked for over 12 years as the sole manager of a number of the office blocks and residences owned by theTaib familyin San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington State. This included the FBIs top security facility, theAbraham Lincoln Building in Seattle, for which Boyert had been given a maximum personalsecurity clearance to enter.

Taibs USproperty interests

As Sarawak Report revealed in a series of recent exposes, Taib Mahmud himself is secretlythe majority shareholder of the company Sakti International, which owned much of the real estate managed by Ross Boyert.Officially however, the shareholders were listed asRahman,Mahmud andJamilahTaib (his children), along with their uncles Arip and Onn Mahmud, the Chief Ministers brothers.The sole Director of the Company was first Rahman (Sulaiman) Taib (Taibs son),and then Sean Murray (his son in law).

Ross worked on a major programme of refurbishing and letting out the Taib properties, particularlya flagship office block at 260 California Street, which runs through the centre of San Francisco. WhenBoyert first came to the company it was failing under the management of youthful Rahman Taib (then still a student)and was! facing serious debts. Ross was able to turn fortunes round,leaving Sakti with a net worth of US $80 million at the time of his departure in 2006.

Fall out with the Taibs led to Boyerts destruction

Ross Boyert, who was known to be an upbeat, sociable guy,liked andrespected by his staff, apparently saw the destruction of his dreams after falling foul of rivalries between Taib family members. Details of what happened to him are publiclylaid outin petitions and counter-petitions lodged in the records ofthe California Supreme Court. These records provided some of the information behind Sarawak Reports original exposes of Taibs US property interests.

Sarawak Report has now also come into possession of an extraordinary, 188 page letter sent by Boyert to the Chief Minister himself in November 2006,begging Taibto intercede on his behalf, given his role as the real person in charge of the company.

The letter, addressed to Chief Minister Datuk Padinggi tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud and Fedexed to hisresidence in Singapore, begins:

For 12 years I have endeavoured to fulfil my responsibilities as Chief Operating Officer at Sakti International Corporation in a loyal, confidential manner under the most trying of circumstances. During my tenure Sakti and its affiliates have profited greatly I estimate the value of the holdings of the Group at US $80 million

The letter goes on to explain in detail how, relying on an relationship based onclose trust with Rahman, Boyert had gone to extreme personal financial risk and effort to rescue the failing business.In return Rahman had offered him a 50% stake in the profits,by then worth several million US dollars.

However, Boyert then explains his dismay when the Taib family reneged on the deal once the company was secure. In 2005 Rahman was replaced as sole Director byTaibs Canadian son-in-law Sean Murray, who then proceded to sackBoyert without compensation.

Boyert brought acase for unfair dismissal and asked for hispromised share of the profits. But, farfrom gainingTaibs help and sympathy, Ross later said that the letter provoked a furious reaction against him.

I was incredibly naive Boyerttold Sarawak Report, I should have realised that by showing all that I knew about Taibs involvement in the company I would present a threat in his eyes and invoke his revenge. We never realised that Taibs wealth was illegitimate, we didnt have Google in those days. We justassumed that, asthe FBI had checked out the company and rented a maximum security facility from the Taibs,everything must beabove board.

Campaign to destroy the Boyerts

After bringing the case against Sakti thereby revealing the Taib familybusiness interests in the States the Boyertsclaimed they thenfaced a relentless, well-funded campaign to undermine their reputation and todestroy them financially. Other victims of the Taibs business methods in Sarawak have testified that thisis a regular strategy against former associates, particularlythose in the know.

However, the Boyerts say they were innocent of the dangerof taking the Taibs to a US court. The lawyers acting for the Taibs, a high-profile California firm, Howard Rice, warned the Boyerts in writingthat if they took any action they would be treated harshly, but the couple say they failed to understand the implications.

We thought ! it was a Plain Vanilla employment dispute and they wouldeventually give us some money to go away, Ross explained.Instead they unleashed the forces of hell on us.

Over the ensuing years the Boyerts lodged several complaints of personal harrassment against them with their local Atherton Police Station in San Francisco. They alleged that intimidation practiced against them includednumerous tyre slashings, the destruction of their burglar alarm and CTV surveillance systems and a series of break-ins to their home in which damage was inflicted, but little taken. On two occasions passports and birth certificates were burgled from their papers.

Previously, in 2001, the Boyerts had also suffered the firebombing of their car in their driveway. They put this down to neighbours whodisapproved of their employers. They said that the social ostracism had added to their problems.

Once the legal case had started the Boyerts also alleged they felt they were being followed. Despite frequent changes of mobile phone they would receive bizarre texts and on one occasion the phone rang out the tune by the group The Police, Iam watching you. The Boyerts claimed their mobiles were used as trackers by the people trying to intimidate them. When Sarawak Report journalists visited them in June this year they witnessed how the phone, after being switched off, repeatedly turned itself back on, which is a sign of so-called cloning and a form of surveillance.

The Boyerts by that time were convinced that the purpose of these incidents had been to frighten and discredit them as fantacists. They ceased to report the incidents and in 2008 they agreed to drop their case in return for a commitment that there would be no further incidents of intimidation.However theyclaimedthat theharassment had continued and produced photogr! aphs of men they believed were following them, sayingthe same faces would turn up in different places.

The Boyertsbelieved thatthis wasintimidation sanctionedby the Taibs, however the police failed to be convinced by their bizarre allegations. Other incidents they reported were sinister noises at night, occasions when Ross and later his teenage daughter were driven into the side of the road by aggressive drivers and onefrightening incident when Rosss wife was approached by a man in a restaurant who allegedly tampered with her drink, causing her to pass out on her daughter who had been accompanying her.

Defamation

Sarawak Report has been able to establish that while the above incidents are unproven, Howard Rice did hire a Private Detective Agency in California named Bruce Haskett and Associates who approached many of Boyerts key business associates. Under the pretext of requiring information about possible embezzlement and dishonesty on Rosss part they succeeded in destroying his reputation for honesty among his business network.

One of Rosss key referees has told Sarawak Report that the visit and surroundingrumours unnerved him and it diminished his willingness to provide a positive reference.

When Ross asked me for a reference after that explained Tom Williamson of the respected company Hathaway Dinwiddie I would always keep it as brief as possible. He had always been completely honest in his dealings with our projects, but I felt uncomfortable about recommending him

Williamson has acknowledged that his reticence would have undermined Rosss later attempts to find work.He later withdrew as a referee. Another contact allegedly told Ross You should hear what these guys are saying about you. On a separate occasion the Prudential Insurance Company threa! tened to renege on a loan commitment to Sakti, because they said they had reason to understand that Ross would embezzle the money.

By the time Sarawak Report came to interview the Boyerts in the summer of 2010, they wereno longer eligible for social security payments after 2 years out of work. They had spent thousands on the court case andin the midst of the recession they could not sell their home to cover the costs.

In June 2010 the Boyertsmulti-milliondollar Athertonhome was taken as part of a foreclosure agreement and sold toan anonymousbuyer for a rock-bottom price. The Boyerts were bankruptedandforced to moveinto their daughters apartment in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles,where the rent was due to expire in one month.

Ross told Sarawak Report at that time that he felt he had reached the end of the road yet the couplestill feared they were being harassed. A few days later theirpet puppyunder what they believed was mysterious circumstances after being left aloneattheir flat.

A way out?

Onemonth later,when the rent ran out,Ross Boyertmade a firstsuicide attempt by driving into a tree near his old home. He claimed he had also been beaten up before the incident, but this was written off as a delusional memory caused by sleeping pills.The police were unresponsive to pleas for support. Friends of Sarawak Report have attempted to assist the Boyerts with their troubles in the ensuing weeks, but it is believed his depression had gone too far.

No state support in Califo! rnia

It is likely that the lack of any support from the State of California contributed to the pressures on Ross Boyert in the period before his death. He was denied welfare payments,butaged 60 in a recession could not find work. Moreover, Stanford hospital who had treated the first suicide attempt refused to continue to supply anti-depressants or counselling because of his inability to pay.

Despite thisthe hospitals fee department constantly rang the family to demand payment of a $70,000 bill that they claimed Boyert had run up while involuntarily held at the hospital for 5 days following the car accident. The last of these calls were made to Ross two days before he died on Sunday of last week. His body was found in a motel room(being paid for by a well-wisher) the next day.

When asked by Sarawak Report how he had been affected by the Taibs,Ross had earlierreplied:

They did to us what they did to the Borneo Rainforest, decimation, destruction, rape, plunder, betrayal. Ruination for ruinations sake. I dont see a future and that is absolutely what they wanted.

Filed under: corruption, Human rights Tagged: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, corruption, Human rights, Sarawak, Sarawak politics, Save Sarawak, Taib Mahmud
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

NCR land dispute: Intelligence report for PM

By Joseph Tawie

The dispute over the 3,305 hectares of communal forests between the natives and a logging company has caught the attention of the Prime Ministers Department.

The land, which the natives claim to be their native customary rights land, is situated between Sungai Sebangan and Sungai Sebuyau.

Three officers from the Ministry of Defence last week compiled intelligence reports on the dispute, which would be forwarded to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

The dispute arose after the company extracted timber from their NCR land without their permission or paying any compensation.

It has now become a hot issue being exploited by the opposition for the coming state election.

What makes it hot is that Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmuds sister Raziah is allegedly involved as she is a non-executive director of quality concrete holdings, a public listed loging company largely owned by family members of Tiang Mong Sing and Tiang Ming Kok.

Even Taib himself is alleged to have benefited from the extraction of timber.

Home of the best species of tropical rain forest, some 3.21 million tonnes of timber worth hundreds of millions of ringgit can be extracted from the main area at Bukit Bediri.

The Forest Department has issued a licence to quality concrete holdings in May this year to log the trees despite protests from the natives and a reminder from the Land and Survey Department that it is NCR land.

Taib would make RM250 million

Contacted today, Numpang Anak Suntai, the leader of about 500 villagers from six longhouses in the Sebangan/Sebuyau area confirmed the visit of the three officers from the Ministry of Defence.

They w ere here on Oct 7 and talked to us. They also visited the camp and the extraction sites of the company.

It is not exactly clear as to the purpose of their visit, but they told me they were here to investigate the ongoing dispute between the NCR land owners and the company, he said.

They told me the ministry is closely monitoring the dispute and their reports will be submitted to the Prime Minister Department, he added.

Welcoming the visit of the officers, Numpang urged the federal government to do something as the livelihood of the natives is threatened.

The area, he said, is also surrounded by their rubber, pepper and orchard gardens and paddy fields as well as their source of drinking water.

He said that they have brought up their plight with the police, Land and Survey Department as well as the District and the Resident Offices.

All their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. And our next step is to file a civil case against the company, Numpang lamented.

Meanwhile, according to Sarawak Report, Taib allegedly stands to profit an estimated RM250 million from the timber extractions.

Filed under: corruption, logging, Politics Tagged: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, corruption, Human rights, NCR, Sarawak, Sarawak politics, Save Sarawak, Taib Mahmud !
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Ibrahim denies being disrespectful, blames media

By Clara ChooiOctober 13, 2010

Ibrahim AliKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 Datuk Ibrahim Ali lambasted the opposition and the media today for accusing him of disrespect when he failed to rise during a one-minute silence tribute to the late Batu Sapi MP, asking if he would be attacked next for farting or coughing.

I stood up, only a bit late so what is the problem?

Next time, if I fart or cough also it will be a problem. Now, Ibrahim Ali has become a problem... especially to people like you, Malaysian Insider, FMT, Malaysiakini, he charged at reporters in Parliament this morning.

Two days ago, the Pasir Mas MP was accused of disrespect when he allegedly failed to stand up and was even seen talking on his mobile phone when the House observed a minute-long silence to show respect to Batu Sapi MP Edmund Chong Ket Wah who passed away in an accident recently.

Ibrahim defended himself today however, explaining that he stood up a little later than the other MPs for he was unwell and had a numb leg.

I am not shy. I have diabetes now and I am under treatment so I am quite sick.

Since I am under treatment, my eyes are a little watery, whenever I sit, if I do not have a friend with me, I tend to sleep, you know.

Like when I sit in the LRT, when the train reaches my stop, I wont be standing up immediately to leave, he said.

He however did not deny that he had been talking on the phone during the tribute.

I had my phone in my hand... when an important call comes about an issue from home, then how? he asked.

Ibrahim also accused the opposition of using him as a punching bag, claiming they were bankrupt of ideas to use as accusations against him.

But I feel good... I tell you, I feel much stronger and stronger because as I said, I am quite sick now. But you have to be resposible, choose better issues to use against me, he said.

He welcomed th! e opposi tion to attack him if they found him guilty of any wrongdoing.

If Ibrahim Ali committed corruption, or abuse of power, or if I committed sodomy, then attack me on that, no problem with me. If you found that I have done wrong, if it will make a big impact, attack me, but not when I fart or cough, he said, triggering laughter among the press members gathered around him. Malaysian Insider

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

The GPS of GE-13

October 13, 2010

The GPS of GE-13

by Dr Azly Rahman @www.malaysiakini.com

Dr. Azly Rahman

Come Malaysias general election No 13, how lucky will we be to have the entire nation bold enough to experiment with radical changes, a mega-trend, a paradigm shift, and the will to even replace the blue ocean in which sharks and piranhas battle against each other in a seemingly calm sea of change?

So are Malaysians ready with a global positioning system that will leave behind that ancient regime calloused with the will to use religion, ethnicity, and race to cling on to power fast waning? As the Malaysian election approaches, people are talking about the new politics, sustainable capitalism, new economic model, radical multiculturalism, politics of moderation.

What are these? Are they merely another set of rhetoric, or are they signifiers to a new world of Malaysian political-economic realism? After fifty years of a Rostowian and Friedmanian developmentalist agenda that we adopt and have a difficult time understanding, and yet we imitate we are faced with a brand new old question: where do we go from here?

The most enduring model of national development is one that returns power to the people; development of the people, by the people, for the people, that is participatory, transformative, inclusive of the alienated, marginalised, powerless, and peoples of diverse cultures, prioritises needs over greed and wants; one that will help develop the citizens into thinking, feeling, and visioning beings as happy citizens of a just republic.

Maybe we need a radically new architecture of the Malaysian mind, of deconstructionism of politics entirely,

People Power

of de-schooling society, demilitarisation of youth, diversification of public administration, redefinition of needs versus wants, destruction of the old order, rewriting of history, re-imagining of economics, reconstructing social philosophy, reinterpreting religion, etc.

What we have been seeing is a top-down developmental agenda sugar-coated with rhetoric of progress that is meaningless essentially, as development projects are created to satisfy the insatiable greed of robber barons who come in different colors and from different ethnic groups. Thats what we have as a gift of Independence. We are given bread and circuses to make us happy.

Damaged on the inside

The problem with Malaysia is that the regime has been obsessed with the one-dimensionality of the ideology of development, out of the lack of critical sensibility and other perspectives in development, who profits from the developmental agenda, who has adopted the model of unsustainable capitalism throughout the decades.

We have in place a regime that designs an educational system based on a narrow understanding of the philosophies of education and the idea of schooling as social reproduction, that permits culture-industry to dominate and decimate the cultures of the indigenous people, that allows hypocrisy to rein the implementation of the rule of law, that silences dissenting views that speak for the poor and the marginalised, that pays lip service to the issue of brain drain, and many more. We , therefore, have a system damaged on the inside.

While in many advanced countries politics is public service and the rich get into politics to help the poor, in Malaysia the poor get into politics to get rich and make the poor poorer, thereby becoming a public disservice. This is the culture of pathetic and crash politics. We are in a technopoly, a polity or an imagined community govern! ed by th e determinism of technology and ideology.

Growing up in Johor in the sixties, I used to follow my mother to wash clothes at a one-pipe kampong washing area. I helped my grandmother keep the embers glowing when she cooked, used a charcoal-fuelled iron, kept warm with kerosene lamps, watched black-and-white TV, saw the first computer in 1974. Now I am reading classified documents on wikileaks and on Facebook too. How right was Marx with regard to technological determinism and the surrender of human autonomy to technology!

We live in a cybernetic world, trying to understand ourselves as existentialists while those who own the means of production own and control. The control revolution in Malaysia favours the old regime, that now controls materials, mind, machinery, and the media. Luddites are required to dismantle the system; a Rambo-styled rakyat who will show its rage against the machine.

Party without an ideology

Malaysia presents an example of an autocratic-technocratic system of control in which the social relations of production are altered through political control. All this talk about progress is quite meaningless without the understanding of the base and superstructure of society and the political economy of controlling interests.

The issue is about ideology and institutions that support it. It is about a race-based ideology that is no longer in sync with changing times, as if the cognitive capacity of the nation will never progress and surpass the ideology of the Malay Agenda.

The overplayed doctrine of Malay hegemony (Ketuanan Melayu) or a false sense of superiority, an arrogant sounding developmentalist agenda pillared upon arrogant and truncated theories of development that brush off new findings on the ownership of the NEP, continue to dominate the mind of campaign strategists.

The biggest issue before this election is the ideological shift. Because UMNO as the dominant party actually does not! have an ideology, except sentimentality and authority to deploy the ideological state apparatuses, and because the dissatisfaction of the rakyat is growing in leaps and bounds and is tsunami-ing the streets, we have got a national problem.

What will the election bring us? It is you and I who will decide. Did Marx the historian not say that we must become makers of our own history? Or if we are to become a superstitious nation who believes in numerology, we must also believe in a mandate of heaven, where it rains change predictably.

Malaysians, get your GPS out for GE-13. You dont have anything to lose except a wrong semiotic turn in your ongoing history of materiality.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

1 Malaysia has caused irreconcilable conflicts, says Dr M

'MR CONFUSED' TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD IS AT IT AGAIN - CREATING 'UNCERTAINTY' WITH THE MALAYS BY CONFUSING THEM WITH HIS 'CROOK' NOTION AND THAT OF OUR PM DATUK SERI NAJIB'S 1 MALAYSIA AGENDA.

MAHATHIR SHOULD REALISE THAT HE NEEDS TO FOLLOW THE PRESENT LEADERSHIP AND NOT CONFUSE THE MAJORITY RAKYAT - MALAYS WITH HIS 'CROOK PLANS' OF MAKING MONEY FOR HIMSELF & HIS FAMILY AND HIS CRONIES, AT THE EXPENSE OF USING THE MALAYS.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that Malays must continue to be given handicaps, while arguing that Datuk Seri Najib Razaks 1 Malaysia was a confusing concept which means different things to different people.

Writing in his blog today, he said the Malays interpreted 1 Malaysia to mean the abolition of Chinese and Tamil schools and a fair participation of Malays and Bumiputeras in the private sector.

The Chinese and Indians, he claimed, interpret 1 Malaysia to mean an end to special treatment for Malays, the removal of quotas and the end to NEP-style affirmative action policies favouring Malays.

Without the government spelling out the precise meaning of 1 Malaysia, different people are giving their own interpretations which not only differ from each other but are in conflict with each other.

These two interpretations of 1 Malaysia admittedly are by the more extreme groups. The more moderate ones from both sides are milder in their expectations but their minimum interpretations still provide irreconcilable conflicts. 1 Malaysia clearly means different things to the different races.

More to come - Malaysian Insider

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Around our country this past week-2

Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary is well known in corporate circles. His name has never failed to surface whenever the list of Malaysia's richest is complied. Year after year, his name appears as the top Malay Malaysian. His assets and business interests are wide ranging.
Malays generally take pride in his achievements. Political leaders are especially fond of mentioning his name and associating with him adds prestige. He is also well known for Islamic projects.
He seems to have every finger in all sorts of economic pie. I suppose if he runs out of fingers, every toe counts too.
At one time, he even asked Dr Mahathir to appoint him as UMNO treasurer. Is the post of UMNO treasurer a gateway to a more fabled kingdom or what?
In Johore, his business interests are extensive. He has interests in water supply in Johore. He has ports. He has airports. He has interests in the supply of military hardware. He owns 51.8% share in Malaysian Mining Corporation via his wholly-owned company, Syarikat Impian Teladan Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and his partner Zainal Hatim personally owns SKS Ventures, which was awarded the task of building the site for 2100MW coal-fired power station at Tanjung Bin, Johor.
Tan Sri Syed Mohktar has a 32% share in PERNAS through his own company, Syarikat Ratu Jernih. Syarikat Perdana Padu Sdn. Bhd. and Corak Kukuh Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal are Board Members of Syarikat Bina Puri Holdings Berhad, whereby, on his own, he has 7.34% share. Apart from these, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal has varied interest in a number of companies, both in Malaysia as well as abroad.
How can one Bumi get all these? He is the Superbumi that I mentioned sometime back. How can one person corner the resources? Once he has all these must he be given some more? Are Malaysian Malays that stupid so as to depend on one individual to carry the nam! e of the Malays? To prove to others, Malays have business acumen?
This is the flaw in the reward system that I have written before. We don't have a reward system that compensates the industrious and the clever people. Syed Mokhtar is without doubt very industrious, but we cannot be expected to believe that among 17 Million Malays, only Syed mokhtar has the smarts?
Pernas which was formed by Tengku Razaleigh a long time ago, had shares divested to well connected people. I mentioned this because TRH's name has now become prominent. Lets substantiate that prominence by mentioning what he has done before that is different from his successors. In this way, we can differentiate prudent business management as opposed to most favoured man for business opportunities method. The main difference being, when Pernas took over business interests from foreign entities, the resources were owned by Pernas for the benefit of many. That changed when Pernas which later became successful offered shortcuts to well connected people to become rich instantly.
The other difference being, TRH wasn't interested to designate any particular individuals as the driving force to represent Malay economic interests. When that happens, only that particular Malay becomes rich. The others have their interests taken away. In other words, TRH didn't practice crony capitalism.
Now he has offered to buy UEM. I was listening to a doctorate holder of a researcher saying glowing things about Syed Mokhtar's business entities. He was talking about the value of his assets and the track record of this Syed. But what is his net worth now? what is his loan exposure. I am sure the researcher went on air prepared. But here is an interesting counter point. The Malaysian Business magazine last year estimated that Syed Mokhtar is worth some US$1.8 billion (RM5.58 billion) with his shareholdings in several listed companies. He has a loan rumoured to be RM 26 billion. So how?
The banks who lent money to him, should come out to say ! how much this man has borrowed because the financial exposure of one person who is highly geared can lead to the implosion of our financial system,. The banks need to clear the rumours swirling in the market that Syed MOkhtar or his companies have debts to the tune of RM26 billion. Also, is it true that one bank lent Syed MOkhtar RM 6 billion? If it did, then maybe it has flouted the client limit requirement which banks observed.
If Syed Mokhtar has offered RM 15.6 billion for UEM probably with an eye on acquiring the Plus highways, how does this offer compare to Asas Serba's offer of RM 50 billion? When the later amount was announced, Nor Mohamad Yaakob doused that offer by saying the Plus highway business had cost the government over RM 200 billion. So, now, why should the government even consider a paltry amount of RM 15 billion? And why is Nor Mohamad Yakob silent on this offer by Syed MOkhtar?
Something is not right here. Unless of course, Syed MOkhtar has strong supporters behind him. If Syed MOkhtar has a loan exposure of RM 26 billion, will he be able to raise the funding to actually buy UEM? And if he has to rope in the EPF to become his partner, the government might as well invite EPF alone to make an offer to Khazanah.
We are tired of the government playing pass the baton. It says it will not interfere with Khazanah's call if the latter decides it wants to sell. But the CEO of Khazanah, Azman Mokhtar said this:-
that the public should also keep in mind that the cash generating Plus highway concessionaire is "owned by everyone" by virtue of its ownership under Khazanah. "There is the status quo option that everyone should consider," said Azman. "Plus is a national asset that is well managed." the decision "shouldn't take too long" and said that it wasn't Khazanah's decision alone but it would involve the government which was mindful of the need to moderate the affordability of toll rates.
I like lah, this pious response.
courtesy of sakmongkol47
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Rajang logjam caused RM2.7 million loss ?

The massive logjam in the Rajang River has caused an estimated loss of RM2.7 million after bridges and jetties were awash with debris, beginning from the Malataheli timber camp, about 75km upstream from Kapit.

Deputy Chief Minister George Chan said today the logjam, which began since last Thursday, destroyed two logging bridges at the upper reaches of the Baleh tributary, as well as five clinics and longhouse jetties at Entawau, SK Sempilik and Nanga Entelawan.

He said the state government had yet to ascertain the loss to the ecological system as the relevant authorities, including Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board and Sarawak River Board, were still conducting preliminary investigation.

Chan, who is also state disaster management committee chairman, told a press conference here that a 54-hour mammoth operation cleared the logjam from the source to the river mouth at Kuala Igan.

Asked if illegal logging was the main culprit, he said firm action would be taken against illegal loggers who did not adhere to the states regulations.

The deputy chief minister refuted reports that the logjam was due to over-logging and poor management of logged areas as there was proper monitoring of sustainable forest practices as recognised by the International Tropical Timber Organisation.

Hazard lights

Meanwhile, he said that during the clean-up operation, hazard lights would be put up on half-submerged logs and boats to warn the shipping community of dangerous debris along the Rajang, the countrys longest river.

In getting to the real cause behind the logjam, Chan said, it happened following a downpour! at the site where waste logs had accumulated, causing landslides and a river bank to collapse.

He said it was compounded by the strong La Nina phenomenon, which saw Sarawak experiencing above-normal rainfall of 40% to 60% more than the mean rainfall during the current north-east monsoon.

The logjam resulted in the disruption of service for cargo vessels and express passenger boats, which are a vital mode of transport for people living in Kapit, about 125km or three hours by river to Sibu.

-Bernama

Filed under: corruption, Dams, logging Tagged: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, logging, Native Customary Rights, Sarawak, Sarawak politics, Save Sarawak, Taib Mahmud
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public