Najib takes country on a “quantum leap” into greater losses

By Martin Jalleh

When delivering the 2011 Budget speech in Parliament on 15 Oct. 2010, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Razak said that he will lead the country to make a ‘quantum leap’ to become a develop and high-income nation by 2020.

Such a promise became a mere joke when one looks at the leakages, laggard government ministries and agencies, scandalous losses by GLCs, the economy which drifted listlessly and “looting” by the political elite – all of which marked Najib’s second year as PM (in 2010). Below are some examples:

Blocks L and M in South China Sea: In May 2010, Pas proposed to file a suit against the Federal Government for ceding away the oil and gas-rich offshore Blocks L and M in South China Sea to Brunei to protect the rights of future generations of Sarawakians, Sabahans and Malaysians. Mahathir had estimated that the worth of oil and gas rights for both blocks are in the region of US$100 billion (RM320 billion).

Pos Malaysia Bhd: On 8 May 2010, Minister in the PM’s Department Nor Mohamed Yakcop confirmed that Pos Malaysia Bhd had incurred losses over the years amounting to RM546 million. He said he was “not directly involved (with the losses) because Pos Malaysia, as a government-linked company (GLC), has its board of directors and any decision is determined by the board, including Khazanah Nasional Bhd, without having to refer to the ministry of finance”.

Felda: In an open letter dated 13 June, former Land and Co-Operative Development deputy minister Dr Tan Kee Kwong, who was put in charge of answering questions in Parliament regarding all Felda matters during his tenure, alleged that there was mismanagement and high-level government corruption in the organisation. He also accused Najib of “single handedly destroying Felda”!

“As of now out of the huge cash hoard of RM 4.5 Billion, only RM200 Million is left. In actual fact with the record price of CPO (crude palm oil) for the past few years, Felda, if managed properly, should have cash reserves of RM6 billion! The reverse has happened and now it has only a pathetic sum left.”

After his initial attempts to appease an angry PM and to do some damage control Ahmad Maslan, the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and in charge of Felda, admitted in parliament that Felda’s cash reserves had plunged to RM2.73 billion from RM4.08 billion in 2004 and five years later it dropped further to RM1.35 billion in 2009.

Johor Corporation (JCorp): In July 2010, it was revealed that Johor Corporation (JCorp), the most successful state corporation in the country was in debt amounting to RM3.58 billion. Its Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Ali Hashim denied his resignation was due to the company’s debt and added that JCorp’s asset value of RM12 billion, including RM6 billion in listed shares, is currently higher than the debt itself.

Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ): On 29 July 2010, former Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik was charged in the Kajang Sessions Court over his involvement in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal. PKFZ, a commercial and industrial project south of the capital, was conceived as a RM1.82 billion venture constructed over 1,000 acres. However, costs are expected to balloon to RM12.5 billion, making the affair one of the country’s biggest financial scandals and a major embarrassment for the government (Malaysiakini).

Sime Darby Berhad: On 5 August 2010, the Malaysian Insider reported that the 100-year-old Sime Darby Berhad could face massive losses amounting to RM2 billion or as high as RM2.5 billion. Most of the losses are down to ill-advised investments in the energy and utilities sector in Qatar as well as tardy business practices in the development of the Bakun Dam in Sarawak.

Bakun: On 13 August 2010, Anwar urged Najib to come clean about further potential losses in the troubled Bakun Dam project. This is especially if the losses, said to amount to another RM2 billion following problematic federal-state negotiations, are to be absorbed by the rakyat already suffering from subsidy cuts. .

The total cost of the dam is reported to have ballooned to RM7.3 billion. Anwar also raised the alarm over the total RM5.75 billion in loans from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP), which have largely funded the Bakun Dam project.

“Who will pay for the losses? Will the prime minister instruct the EPF and KWAP to quietly write off a part of the RM5.75 billion in loans to Bakun Dam to hide the losses from the public?” (Malaysiakini)

On 16 August 2010, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng criticised the BN for failing to act against those he claimed stole RM52 billion worth of Bumiputera shares from poor Malays. Najib reportedly admitted in June 2008 that only RM2 billion out of the RM54 billion of Bumiputera shares given out since the inception of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971 remained in the hands of the Malays.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS): On 16 August 2010, it was made known that fuel price volatility led Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to post a pre-tax loss of RM533 million for the second quarter ending 30 June 2010 compared with a pre-tax profit of RM896 million in the same period in 2009. Its revenue, however, increased by 26 per cent to RM3.2 billion (compared to RM2.5 billion) while operating profit improved 33 per cent. For the first half ending 30 June 2010, the airline posted a pre-tax loss of RM212 million from a pre-tax profit of RM190 million.

Malacca’s Monorail: On 20 October 2010, Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam officially declared the historical state “a developed state”. Two weeks later, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) clarified that the OECD did not endorse the Malaccan declaration, mainly because they were not in a position to do so! Two months later, Malacca’s RM15.9mil new monorail, which the CM had launched on that “historic” day, was plagued by “several technical and mechanical problems”. Then in the month after its launch, the monorail only worked intermittently before more problems developed with its wheels and software system (Malaysian Chronicle).

Shah Alam Hospital: On 29 November 2010, opposition parliamentarian Khalid Samad (Pas-Shah Alam) moved a RM10 pay-cut motion against Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor for his minister’s inability to tackle delays, alleged discrepancies and allegations of Umno-linked cronyism in various mega-construction projects such as the Shah Alam Hospital project.

Khalid questioned the whopping increase in the cost of the project (mooted about 10 years ago). It was initially estimated to cost taxpayers RM300 million but later ballooned to a staggering RM482 million– a mark-up of RM182 million. It was scheduled for completion on 14 August 2010, rescheduled for November 2010 but has now been extended to June 2011. After making many excuses, the minister said that the Public Works Department (PWD) was in the process of appointing a ‘white knight’ to rescue and complete the abandoned project by way of a limited tendering procurement method.

National Cancer Institute: The cost for this project (believed to be directly awarded to an unknown entity connected to the ruling elite) escalated from RM340 million when announced in 2007 to RM700 million in 2009.

New Palace: Khalid also sought to censure the minister for the exorbitant cost of RM935 million for the new palace which stood at RM811 million in June. The cost of the new palace doubled from its estimated RM400 million in 2006 and the contacts for the construction were awarded to three companies through direct negotiations, instead of open tenders. Well-placed sources in Kuala Lumpur told Asia Sentinel that the total cost is actually nearing RM1.2 billion and is expected to go higher.

PTPTN Loan: Who are the real beneficiaries?

According to the A-Gs Report, based on cash flow projections PTPTN will face a deficit of RM45.89 billion up to the end of the 11th Malaysia Plan in 2016. This raised questions on its continued financial sustainability which actually led to PAC to look into the matter. So far nothing concrete has come out from the PAC investigation since it was announced in November 2009 even though RM 24 bill has been disbursed to 1.3 mill students and the collection is less than 10%. To the politicians aggressive debt recovery may have political consequences and this actually contributes to poor debt recovery.

PTPTN problems started from Day 1 of its business since July 1997. Its formation and financial assistance scheme was rushed into it to meet political objectives. Today, its house is in disarray. Their self made problem is caused by poor quality leadership which succumbed to political pressure. This led to poor IT infrastructure to manage their borrowers. Key personnel in PTPTN told me that they dont really know accurately who has benefitted from the scheme and how much loan has been disbursed. Their collection database has serious quality issues.

Today the loan disbursement is no longer about helping students to pay their school fees. It is a source of sustainable income to many colleges. Students who enrolled into certain preferred colleges will get loans while those who enrolled in other colleges may not be so lucky in getting loans. For that reasons questions arose on who are the actual and eventual beneficiaries of the loan schemes.

I believe PTPTN would have better if its loan disbursement and collection was outsourced through the banks from inception. Maybe that is what PTPTN should do in 2012 and form a separate entity to manage all the bad debts. Clearly PTPTN needs to manage their current financial predicament. May be it is time we get a banker to head the organi! zation.< /span>

The Measure of a Society Can be How Well Its People Treat Its Animals

10 March, 2011 By Jason Kay

Saddest Cat in the world. Please be gentle. | Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emptysoundJason Kay writes in response to the Stars article, Activists: Law must not pussyfoot on Chows cruelty, published on March 8, 2011.As much as we would like to hang Xiao Wei out to dry for her actions as soon as possible, our society, our country, has laws; and we live by those laws. The law says that an investigation will have to be conducted by the relevant department and if prosecution is recommended, the Attorney General will then have to say either "Yes" or "No."If the case is prosecuted in Court, the fact that she has confessed would make the trial very short. But this process of law involves one final step: Mitigation. This is where the convicted person addresses the Court, in person or through an advocate, and puts forth the extenuating facts or circumstances that she wishes the Court to take into account before passing sentence. The prosecution will then have the opportunity to address the Court and cite aggravating facts or circumstances that it feels necessitates a harsh sentence. All these factors will then be considered by the Judge (Magistrate in Xiao Weis case) before he/she decides on the appropriate sentence.That is our system of criminal justice. It is for all - the weak and strong, male and female, old and young, rich and poor. We may not believe it is perfect - we may even believe that it is broken. But if we skip any one of those steps, if we say, "Forget about going through the process, its so OBVIOUS shes guilty and she should be punished; forget about what stupid excuses she has," then woe on us. Woe on us all! Because that is when we cease to be a society governed by laws and we degenerate to a rabble gov! erned by mob justice.Get off your high horse, and come down from your ivory tower. We have not walked a foot, much less a mile, in Xiao Weis shoes. How dare we say she is making up stories? How dare we say she is not psychologically traumatized from her parents divorce? How dare we prejudge her without giving her the benefit of the doubt?At the end of the day, the same conclusion may be reached, i.e. she is guilty as sin and that she should be punished to the full extent of the law. But it only becomes a meaningful conclusion if we took the time to go through the process of the law; because that is ultimately, what we fallible imperfect human beings have: a process. And if we short-cut that process, well, what are we then? Clairvoyant? Omniscient? Who would dare say that?So, lets just all take a moment, back off, and let the due process of law run its course.If nothing happens, then join your local animal rights organization and lobby for prosecution of Xiao Wei. If you dont like the measly punishment imposed, then lobby your wakil rakyat to change the law to impose harsher sentence. Thats the correct way to do things. Unless of course youve already tied your knots and have picked a suitable tree for the lynching. Then I want nothing to do with you - you inhumane animal.

Jason Kay is from Malacca, tweets at @JK_mlk and blogs at http://jasonkaykl.blogspot.com/

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Tags: animal cruelty, animal rights, animals, criminal justice, Jason Kay, kitten killer, society, Xiao Wei

This entry was posted on 10 March, 2011 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Express Yourself. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Gobala manages to pay off a RM1,402,250 lease....

After the onslaught by independent Padang Serai parliamentarian N Gobalakrishnan against its leadership in the House yesterday, PKR today returned the barrage, levelling accusations that their former comrade was paid to leave the opposition party and attack its leadership.

"PKR reiterates its stand that the treacherous exit of some of its members of Parliament were driven by luxurious incentives which they might not have gotten if they had remained in the party.

"It is to this temptation that they fell victim to. They then invented various unfounded reasons to justify their treachery," said party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution during a press conference in Parliament today.

The same, he alluded, is true of the Padang Serai MP's exit from the party as well.

"It is strange when all of a sudden, Gobalakrishnan manages to pay off a RM1,402,250 lease for Embun Megah Sdn Bhd addressed at 1525, Kulim Height 3, Kulim Golf and Country Resort Kedah, a company he owned, to Kumpulan Pertanian Kelantan Berhad," claimed Saifuddin.

The payment, he said was made via two postdated Hong Leong Bank cheques, one dated Jan 12 2011 for RM700,000 and the other is dated Mar 15 2011 for RM701,250 said Saifuddin, holding up photocopies of the cheques to reporters.

Furthermore the secretary-general pointed out that Gobalakrishnan's sudden wealth coincided with his sudden attack on his former compatriots.

"January and March 2011 was the height of of the incessant attacks, slander and criticism from Gobalakrishnan (left) towards PKR.

"It is also during this time that he suddenly was able to pay off the over RM1.4 million for the land," accused Saifuddin.

The PKR leader further explaine! d that the payment was for a 100-acre piece of land in Lojing Kelantan, adding that he got the copies of the cheques from the land owner. This he said contradicted what he knew about Gobalakrishnan and his long standing financial troubles.

Kapar MP S Manikavasagam who also at the press conference also expressed incredulity on the sudden source of Gobalakrishnan's allegedly new found wealth.

"I know him well, it is strange for him to suddenly have the money," said Manikavasagam.

Gobala refutes Saifuddin's accusations

In a press conference immediately after, Gobalakrishnan defended himself from the accusations.

"The secretary general said yesterday that he will reveal a PKR MP that left the party for RM1.4 million.

"I am not the one. I do have a checking account. But I have never signed any cheque this year," he stressed.

Gobalakrishnan contended that the land belonged to his family members and he has no interest in it at all.

The RM1.4 million paid to the Kumpulan Pertanian Kelantan Berhad, he claimed, was part payment from an interested developer who wanted to develop part of the land.

"He has to prove that I own the land and I paid the money. All of you know Gobalakrishnan's signature, I can sign for you now. He can bring the cheques next time and will see if those cheques were signed by me or not," challenged the independent parliamentarian.

source:malaysiakini

'Berapa harga sebenar pengkhianatan MP KEADILAN?'

'PKR balas serangan Gobala'

Teka teki kini ! sapa yan g bagi duit RM1.4 juta? - ONMU kah?

Bekas Timbalan Ketua Menteri 2 Pulau Pinang,Mohad.Fairus berjaya langsaikan hutang keretanya sebanyak RM109,000.00 kepada kerajaan Negeri P.Pinang selepas masuk UMNO.

cheers.

Gambling: Can't have your cake and eat it too

tohkong mosjid

Before I go for some serious hitting, consider the following: Smoking is legal, but some shops ban smokers. So did they violate the federal constitution for not allowing patrons to smoke there?

Shop owners argue that smoking causes pollution to other customers, therefore they ban it. Critics say they should not as it is a violation of human rights.

They even rubbish claims of smoking being linked to lung cancer because the disease is also caused by other factors. They point out that many other shops do not ban smoking and there should be no exception.

They claim people have freedom to emit smoke whenever and wherever they want. They somewhat suggest that non-smokers have the choice of whether to inhale the second hand smoke or simply hold their breath. For them, those who ban smoking are 'extremists'.

It took me a while before writing this piece. Should I be blunt or polite in hitting some senses back to a section of non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community, with regard to the PAS-led Kelantan state government's decision to consolidate its 20-year ban on gambling?

Why now?

The ban on gambling activities has always been there, since before the existence of Pakatan Rakyat. So why did it now make it into news headlines?

And some even went to the extent of urging PAS to reconsider the ban, or "risk not marching to Putrajaya".

And because of one non-issue that has been propelled into something big, it has become convenient to heap all the problems faced by PR on PAS. This is compounded by the fact that PAS had just lost four by-elections in a row. One may even add that they have lost every general election for the last 50 years! But does this mean the party's consistency and principled stand should be thrown away?

These same 'turbaned people' who some call 'hardliners' are the same people who have continued to oppose the government through thick and thin, way before non-Muslims suddenly woke up from their 50 years of blind support for BN, which in turn encouraged UMNO's metamorphosis into a monster.

Why do the Chinese support Pakatan Rakyat?

They hate MCA and Gerakan for not having the balls to reprimand their big brother Umno who continues to make decisions against the wishes of the Chinese community.

Sustaining Chinese support

DAP has tried to keep this factor in mind, to sustain this hatred against MCA and Gerakan and thereby consolidate Chinese support for the opposition, often by openly reprimanding the Malay-dominated PAS on any issue.

They do it publicly to prove to MCA, Gerakan and the Chinese community that they will not kow-tow to anyone, gaining applause from the Chinese. This washing of dirty linen in public goes a long way towards getting political mileage among MCA and Gerakan's vote bank.

When reprimanded by its Malay partners, DAP leaders have often been quick to justify their action as a sign of their courage to speak out. Never mind that more harm has been done to PAS, whose win will be crucial in determining whether or not PR gets to go to Putrajaya.

It appears that a section of the Chinese politicians are taking advantage by repeatedly asking PAS to change, change, and change in order to suit their personal habits and lifestyle. These politicians knew too well that doing the same to Umno would invite threats.

Hence, many agree that PAS has been heading to the middle in their cooperation within Pakatan Rakyat.

Three years after the 2008 general election, the Malays' protest vote against Umno seem to be reverting back to BN. As a result, PAS is fast losing its grip on its traditional vote bank.

To assure the non-Muslims, PAS adapts the slogan "PAS for All", telling them that Islam is fair to all races, unlike Umno-BN's 1Malaysia/Ketuanan Melayu irony.

PAS has always come to DAP's rescue in times the latter finds itself at the mercy of Umno ulama. In all this, PAS has taken the huge risk of further losing Malay support to Umno's propaganda.

PAS has continously emphasised it commitment in Pakatan Rakyat, but to expect it to dump their Islamic ideology is to overstep the boundary.

Holding PAS to ransom

The recent brouhaha created over the ban on lottery in Kelantan serves as a good example of how some non-Muslims tried to hold PAS to ransom for upholding something a principle which they held way before non-Muslims understood the monster that was BN.

Some ill-informed observers even go to the extent of attributing PAS's recent losses in Merlimau and Kerdau to its ban on gambling in Kelantan, completely ignorant of the fact that such a policy has kept BN at bay for the past 20 years.

The term 'hardline' is subjective. DAP can also be called 'hardline' from the Muslim point of view, and this can also be the reason why Malays, whose vote is ever crucial, are actually ditching Pakatan Rakyat.

Support comes with understanding. Just because you voted for a certain party, it does not mean the party should be held to ransom. It is this kind of understanding that has kept both DAP and PAS alive for decades despite the odds stacked against them.

Heavily beaten in 1999 (DAP) and 2004 (PAS), both parties held on, and then in 2008, Malaysians suddenly looked for them upon realising who they had been voting for in the last half-a-century.

No party can claim credit over their gains in 2008, though credit is due to Anwar Ibrahim who managed to pull the opposition together.

While Pakatan's component parties are still intact, it must be remembered that protest votes are no longer such nowadays, what with the way Pakatan handled itself in public.

Prior to 2008, Kelantan was the only opposition state in Malaysia. Gambling was, and still is, banned, but some shops sold them illegally. It would now seem that DAP had taken the bait by Umno and MCA by making a fuss about the ban.

The current controversy stems from a pro-PAS blogger from Kelantan who exposed that lottery tickets were still being sold illegally in Kota Bharu, a claim highlighted by Umno in the state assembly, and for which PAS decided to take action to enforce the law.

Then came MCA, screaming about their gambling rights in the dailies they control, baiting DAP to jump into the fire. And jump the DAP did. After all, the 'courage' to speak up has been the deciding factor for Chinese support.

PAS's reaction

Instead of countering the attack, PAS reacted by calling on a meeting among top Pakatan leadership to look for an amicable solution.

Even then, Selangor DAP issued a warning to PAS, giving the cliched excuse that "If PAS pushes this further, it's not going to help them win more Malay votes and it might cost them non-Malay votes."

In other words, it means: "You are going to lose Malay votes anyway, but don't kill our Chinese votes too!". Again, never mind about PAS's support base which is crucial for the march to Putrajaya.

UMNO would soon be going to town crying "PAS kuda DAP" to tell unsuspecting Malays that unlike UMNO, which controls everything in BN, PAS and Anwar could not even weigh in on small matters such as this. Such propaganda have worked really well recently.

Kelantan

It takes only a 5-10 percent swing in Malay votes to present Kelantan and even Penang, that fort of DAP, to BN in the next general election.

As far as support for the opposition is concern, Kelantan has proved time and again. It would be silly to now ask for the state government to bend its policies when it had been managed well both economically and politically by PAS, keeping BN at bay for two decades.

In the gambling issue, some DAP leaders appear to have stepped into uncharted waters. It is therefore no suprise that many Muslim supporters of Pakatan Rakyat find it unacceptable.

DAP should not get too big-headed either. The Chinese support for PR was not merely due to their effort. It has more to do with UMNO's actions. One can also argue that sustaining Chinese support has been due to PAS's movement towards the middle, not DAP's 'hardline' modus operandi.

By the same logic, one can also conclude that PR's dwindling Malay support has been mainly due to DAP's hardline policy rather than PAS's softening of its 'hardline' stance on many issues.

No matter how flawed, both arguments may augur well with the Malays.

If one follows the debates on cyberspace, one gets the impression that gambling is so ingrained in the Chinese psyche that by just banning it will make them vote for Umno!

If that is the case, then go ahead, vote and gamble. And while at it, gamble your future away too.

Universal scourge

To oppose the eradication of a universally-recognised social ill is not justified. The story of the smokers' right to pollute and spread diseases is just one example of how small minds are at work.

Having said that, the realities in Malaysia are such that change must come gradually, creeping through social and communal structures. A nationwide ban on gambling may be unwise, as much as it is unwise for Kelantan not to ban gambling now.

If Chinese opposition leaders insist on maintaining Umno-BN's legacy of the gambling industry for eternity, will not the same argument justify the perpetuation of the NEP. Why not, if majority of the Malays want such an unjust policy to continue, it can be argued.

One must know to pick one's battle. One can't have the cake and eat it too. Our Muslim brothers in Pakatan must also breathe easier by staying in the coalition. For those who chide PAS for focusing on what they term "petty issues" instead of corruption, then pray, why then do you make a big fuss out of it?

If such an issue could drive you to punch your fist in the air crying "injustice", then it is anybody's guess who is being petty.

BN plays waiting game while PAS bickers

KOTA BARU: Just over three years ago, then Kelantan Umno chairman Annuar Musa remarked that PAS won big in the state not because it was strong but that Umno was greatly weakened by national issues.

The occasion was Umnos initial reaction to the severe losses that Barisan Nasional (BN) suffered in Kelantan at the general election on March 8, 2008.

Kelantan is a state ruled longest by an opposition party and had logically become a symbol of inspiration to voters in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor on March 8, three years ago.

Annuar also said the (political) tsunami waves originated from the west coast and swept aside Umno in the east coast.

For the BN, a defeat is a norm here as time and again, the national coalition had lost in the state since 1990. BN has been out of power close to two decades now in the land of religious clerics where the highly popular yet dogmatic cleric Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is the menteri besar.

However, seven years ago it was short of only two seats of ousting PAS in the 2004 general election and that defeat is still a bitter pill to swallow.

Annuar, who is now enjoying a resurgence of support after leading the Kelantan football team to glory in last years prestigious Malaysia Cup, believed that Umno was confident in 2008 as it believed that Nik Aziz might have overstayed his welcome.

The PAS spiritual leader has been menteri besar for over 20 years and despite his ailing health, he continues to stay on, fighting to preserve his vision of Malaysia where Islam can offer solutions to many of its governance and morality woes.

He is highly respected by all communities for his pious lifestyle and enjoys an almost saint-like stature in Kelantan, but he has yet to earn credentials as a good technocrat since the s! tate con tinues to lag behind others in socio-economic development.

Nik Azizs tenure is the second longest in the country after Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

Glossing over internal problems

In the 2008 national polls, according to Annuar, Umno was hoping that Nik Aziz would lose his grip because he had stayed for too long, and had inadvertedly caused factionalism to emerge within the state PAS circles.

Each faction claimed to be close to Nik Aziz and each one is predicting that it had a chance to succeed the 79-year-old leader.

PAS is good at shielding its internal differences, particularly in Kelantan, state opposition leader Alwi Che Ahmad from Umno said.

In recent interviews, Alwi claimed PAS can gloss over its internal problems, but the fact remains that Kelantan PAS has factions and the longer Nik Aziz stays on, the wider will the gap grow between the camps.

However, instead of basking in the success of the 2008 general election, Kelantan PAS has become a pale shadow of its former self as the state leaders got caught up with a rather vague proposal of national or Malay unity pacts, as espoused by Umno since 2008.

One year later, the state leadership took a beating in the PAS national elections (muktamar) when Nik Azizs supposed protege Husam Musa lost in his bid to become a deputy president to the incumbent Nasharuddin Isa.

Husam has since kept a low profile except to champion his pet project claiming oil royalty from Petronas for drilling off Kelantan shores.

Incidentally, his former strategic partner and blogger Syed Azizi Aziz, known online as kickdefella, was the individual who helped Husam produce the evidence to seek a stake in Petronas revenue.

Now, Syed Azizi has become a staunch critic of Nik Aziz after he was apparently removed from a post in a state subsidiary.

Lottery sales ban

The fact that Syed Azizi was part of the state PAS think-tank who helped swee! p away U mno in the 2008 election had party leaders here worried over whether he has indeed defected to the enemy after becoming disillusioned with Nik Aziz.

Meanwhile, Husams relationship with Syed Azizi is also said to have caused uneasiness in some factions of Kelantan PAS.

Then last week in the midst of the dual by-elections in Pahang and Malacca, with a sizeable number of non-Muslim voters in the two constituencies of Kerdau and Merlimau, Kelantan was taken to task by almost every party, including its partner DAP, for clamping down on the sale of lottery tickets.

Defending the move, State Local Government Committee chairman Takiyuddin Hassan said it was a form of gambling and the local authorities had the right to ban it.

Sale of alcohol is strictly restricted in Kelantan while gambling is banned under the state local government ordinance since 1995.

However, PAS is under heavy fire for imposing the ban as it has denied non-Muslims their right to sell lottery tickets. MCA is also threatening to take the state government to court over the matter.

It is learnt that enforcement officers raided the outlets here selling the lottery tickets after Syed Azizi had apparently exposed in his blogsite last month the presence of gambling and vice activities in the town, which is supposed to project an exemplary form of Islamic governance.

A Kelantan political pundit, Yusoff Ismail, said that the party must close ranks and defend its bastion against criticisms, particularly in view of its growing support from the non-Muslim communities in urban constituencies.

He said that Nik Aziz remains a revered figure in Kelantan politics but, citing the political turmoil in the Middle East, the latter should be careful not to overstay.

To be fair to Nik Aziz, he had offered to step down as menteri besar after 2008, but was convinced particularly by Husam to stay on.

With the PAS elections again emerging on the horizon, the party has many issues to address, including the pro! posed Ma lay unity talks, Yusoff said.

He reminded that in the two state by-elections here in Manek Urai and Galas respectively the issue (unity talks) was debated widely.

The first salvo fired by PAS in last years by-election in Galas was that Umno should stay out from contesting if it was serious about Malay unity, Yusoff said.

He added that Barisan Nasional (BN) may not be able to wrest the state yet as the Kelantanese are still loyal to Nik Aziz.

However, he said PAS has to admit that it has internal issues to resolve and in the age of transparency, it is simply counter-productive to hide its problems for too long.

PAS should work sincerely and harder than ever to solve its internal problems, particularly in the bastion of Kelantan, he said.

But it appears the BN is in no hurry to unseat PAS.

Whatever happens, time is on our side. If we have waited for 20 years, I am sure we can continue to wait. Patience is a virtue and soon, time would tell if Kelantan is willing to change and give BN a chance, said Alwi.

Prosecution's final witness testifies...

The prosecution in the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial may wrap up its case either today or tomorrow with the final witness, investigating officer Supt (then DSP) Jude Blacious Pereira, taking the stand. Pereira is expected to provide some links to the chain of evidence the police have secured in its investigation on the opposition leader.

Yesterday former Hospital Kuala Lumpur clinical pathologist Dr Razuin Rahimi testified that complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had told her there was full penetration and that he refused to perform oral sex during the alleged incident.

9.06am: Court in session with High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah presiding.

9.07am: Investigating officer Jude Blacious Pereira takes his oath. He is attached to Bukit Aman's legal and prosecution division. He is testifying in Bahasa Malaysia. Questioned by solicitor-general II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, he says he is the Brickfields CID (Criminal Investigation Department) chief.

9.10am: Pereira says Anwar faces a charge under section 377B following complaint from Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. "I investigated the case," he tells the court. Saiful is called into the courtroom to be identified by Pereira. Pereira said while at Brickfields police station, he received a call informing him that Saiful was sodomised by Anwar at the Desa Damansara condominium. "I informed Ku Chin Wah, KL CID chief, about the case. I then went to HKL (Hospital Kuala Lumpur) where I saw Saiful and Dr Razuin."

9.15am: At HKL, the police report lodged by Saiful was shown to Pereira.

Yusof: Saiful was at HKL to undergo examination?

Pereira: I know as there were ! three do ctors there at 9pm on June 28, 2008. He named the other three doctors.

9.18am: Pereira says only Dr Razuin had interviewed Saiful while the other doctors examined him. But on follow-up questions from Yusof, he agrees that the other three doctors also interviewed Saiful. "Razuin's role is to make notes as the examination was being done at the one-stop crisis centre," he says. "I only observe and was there at all times. The examination began at 9.30pm and ended at 11.30pm."

9.22am: Pereira says Dr Razali Ibrahim and Dr Khairul Nizam Hassan conducted the medical examination while Dr Siew Sheue Feng retrieved 10 samples. The witness adds that Siew put them in sealed container and it was placed in a heat-sealed plastic bag. "I signed a handover form to retrieve the items from Siew. Siew and I signed the document."

9.26am: Pereira says the handover form was written by him, while the locations of the swab samples were entered by Siew.

9.28am: Pereira says after accepting the items, he placed them in his office and kept the items in a locked cabinet. "I kept those items at 1am on June 28, 2008. The room is air conditioned with temperature at 18 degrees. "I also seized a Ralph Lauren light blue shirt owned by Saiful at the hospital." Pereira continues his testimony. "At 7.30pm on June 28, 2008, I also seized a KY gel brand name Johnson and Johnson while Saiful was at the hospital." He confirms the gel in court when it is shown to him.

9.37am: Pereira says at 8.30pm, on June 29, 2008, he went to Saiful's house in Bandar Utama and retrieved a black pants, a Levi's underwear and a green long sleeve shirt. "Saiful was with me when he showed the items." The items are identified by the witness in court.

9.42am: Saiful's underwear shown and those in public gallery laugh. Pereira says another blue-black underwear was! retriev ed from Saiful's girlfriend's house, which had been washed. He identifies the underwear. "It was wet then."

9.46am: Pereira says on June 29 at about 12.30pm, he went to the 11-5-1 unit of the Desa Damansara condominium with a forensic team. "I found a strand of hair behind a door, and also the forensic team seized a duvet and a silk carpet from 11-5-2. The forensic team was led by Amidon." The items were placed in the safe of his office. Pereira says he opened his office's safe on July 1, 2008, to retrieve all the items.

9.51am: The condominium owner, Hasanuddin Abdul Hamid, is called into the courtroom and identified by Pereira.

10.01am: Pereira says he removed all items from his cabinet on June 30, 2008 and marked them from B1 to B11. "I copied and marked the items according to its proper order following the handover form from HKL's Dr Siew. All the seals were intact."

10.11am: Prosecutor Yusof requests for a break. The court stands down. It is unclear how long the break will be. Court should resume in about 10 or 15 minutes.

10.42am: Court resumes. Pereira verifies in court the items he received from Siew on June 29, 2008. "These are the same specimens retrieved which was signed by Siew and Saiful," he says.

10.45am: He testifies that the dates of the samples, written as June 26, 2008, were wrong, as no samples were taken on that day. The items were retrieved on June 28, 2008. Pereira says he sent the items to the chemist on June 30, 2008 at 7.50pm at the Chemistry Department. "I handed them to Dr Seah Lay Hong".

10.52am: Pereira says after handing over the items, a handing over form was issued the same day.

10.54am: He adds that on June 30, 2008, at about 11pm, he received two hard disks from the condominium containing CCTV re! cordings of the guard house and lift. He says he marked them as HD 1 and HD2.

11.03am: He says he marked the silk carpet, duvan, Saiful's black pants, two underpants, two long sleeve shirts at his office on July 1, 2008.

11.05am: He adds that about 4.45pm, on July 1, he handed the items to Dr Seah Lay Hong. Initially witness says: "Saya serah barang-barang tersebut ke Jabatan Kimia (I handed those items to the Chemistry Department)" Yusof asks: "Kamu tak serah pada orang? (You did not hand the items to a person?)", resulting in chuckles in the court. Pereira replies he handed it to Dr Seah. He also verifys the two hard disks seized from the condo.

11.11am: Jude says on July 3, 2008, he handed the items to audio and video specialist ASP Fauziah Che Mat.

11.14am: On July 7, he says he received the chemist report from Seah.

11.16am: On July 16, 2008, Pereira says Supt Taufik Abdul Rahman arrested Anwar. "A warrant of arrest was issued on the morning of July 15 by the court. It was implemented at about 2.40pm on July 16, 2008," he says.

11.19am: Pereira says he received the original copy of the warrant of arrest from Supt Taufik. He received the copy from Taufik, which was signed by Anwar. "I recorded Anwar's statement at 2.45pm on July 16," he said.

11.27am: Jude says he informed Anwar the place and time of the incident. "I finished recording Anwar's statement at 5.40pm. Anwar was accompanied by lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah," he said.

11.30am: At 8.30pm on July 16, Jude says he brought Anwar to HKL to get a blood sample. "Two doctors attended to him. Also present was Sivarasa. "Anwar did not give the blood sample, saying the same events will happen as in 1998. I do! not kno w what happened in 1998," he said.

11.33am: Pereira says Anwar was escorted back to D9 at IPK Kuala Lumpur, and at 11.35pm he escorted Anwar to the lock-up. "He brought with him the mineral water bottle to the lock-up. I did not see where Anwar placed the bottle but he brought it into the lock-up."

11.36am: Jude says Anwar was held at the lock-up as he had to ask some more questions. "It was late and we are bound by lock-up rules not to record statements after 6pm. "That is why he was held at the lock-up. I took his statement at about 8.35am about the HKL. I finished recording his statement at 9.20am."

11.39am: Pereira says he received the toothbrush, towel, mineral water bottle and a strand of hair from Supt Amidon Anan on the afternoon of July 17, 2008.

11.42am: Pereira says he marked those items. The four envelopes where the items were placed are now shown to the witness. "I received it from IPK KL and it was sealed with a forensic seal."

11.48am: Pereira says he sent those items to chemist Nor Aidora Saedon. "I also sealed it with a PDRM seal besides the forensic seal." "On July 22, I received the envelopes containing the items back from Nor Aidora and also a chemist report."

11.50am: Chemist report is shown, and Pereira identifies it.

11.55am: Pereira says he viewed the CCTV recording to see who entered the condominium and lifts on the day of the incident, June 26, 2008. "I recognise the complainant, Anwar and identified five other people."

11.57am: Pereira says out of the five, he only recognised one of them.

He says he also identified seven cars which entered the condominium and verified it with the Road Transport Department as to who are the owners. "I recorded the statement from two of the individuals."

12.03pm: Jude says he identified Professor Dr Mohd Ariff Abdul Karim, from MIER. (Malaysian Institute Economic Research).

12.09pm: Yusof finishes the examination in chief.

12.11pm: Karpal wants to begin questioning tomorrow but Justice Zabidin orders to continue at 2.30pm.

source:malaysiakini

cheers.

Tulang Besi Demam Dua Hari Ni

Kepada pembaca Malaysiawases sekelian, TUlang Besi mengucapkan berbanyak maaf kerana dua hari kebelakangan ini TUlang Besi tidak update atau moderate comments.

Ini adalah kerana Tulang Besi berada dalam keadaan demam dan tidak sehat. Inshaalah. skrg TUlang Besi dah sehat sikit. Jadi, bolehlah aktif balik dengan blog Malaysiawaves.

TUlang Besi

Wake up to food crisis, not sodomy tales

I read with growing concern as to what is happening in the Middle East today. One by one, the people are rising up and calling for regime change, due to oppression, corruption, unemployment and rising prices of daily needs.

While in many ways, we in Malaysia are still somewhat better off, and we can enjoy many things and be able to lead a normal life despite weaknesses and corruption in the leadership, we cannot stay apathetic.

The growing dissent and turmoil in the Middle East is not some far away event that we watch on our TVs, and it is not "not our business". Far from it, the region which holds much of the world oil produce, especially Saudi Arabia, will definitely face more upheaval and with that the whole world is going to be facing the repercussions. When Saudi Arabia falls and its US puppets go down, and I have a strong sense that it could and will, we will be in "deep shit", as the US will surely intervene and war could inflame the whole oil barrel.

Prices will rise even further, making most necessities out of reach of the people. Basic needs like food have led to the downfall of Gaddafi, Mubarak and their Tunisian counterpart. And elsewhere.

Instead of bickering about whose semen was found in whose anus (by both parties, as I have sympathy for neither), our leaders need to buck up on food security. It is the most basic foundation of every nation. We are a fertile nation, yet we can supply only 60-70% of our staple food, rice, and the stockpile is for only 3 monthsfor millions of people.

Our meats, fruits, veggies are also largely imported from overseas. Agriculture has been neglected for rapid development when they both could have gone hand in hand. The National Food Security policy, during the rice supply crisis, aimed to gain 80% self sufficiency in rice by 2010. Has it reached that goal? I don't think so, given the past trends of our policies which are "hangat-hangat taik ayam".

According to MIDA's report: "Malaysia remains a net importer of food. In 20! 08, Mala ysia's food exports amounted to RM17.9 billion, while imports totalled RM28 billion.

"In the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the production of fruits and vegetables is targeted to reach 2.56 million tonnes and 1.13 million tonnes, respectively, by 2010. Vegetables are mainly grown on a small scale for fresh consumption, and are exported mainly toSingapore. The major locations for the cultivation of vegetables are in Johor, Pahang, Kelantanand Perak. In the livestock sub-sector, Malaysia is the third largest producer of poultry meat in theAsia Pacific region. Malaysia is self sufficient in poultry, pork and eggs, but imports about 80% of its beef requirements."

As a net importer of food, we are very vulnerable. This might seem a minor issue, but again, this is an issue that brings down nations and leaders and creates chaos. Which citizen can work or produce if hungry? What more if their children are hungry?

We will be facing a world war or two in coming years, looking at the state of things, and we better be prepared from now. Food prices will definitely skyrocket by oil, war, production and transportation problems.

Prophet Yusuf's rule of thumb for times of adversity has been to prepare for at least 7 years of bad times. The 7- year food production cycle phenomenon has been studied by UPM, but as usual our universities are not given the due recognition and research and development push. Deep tropical farming to increase livestock production and small scale house-to-house self sufficiency planting, even in planter boxes mush be considered and given the push and incentives.

The issue of Food Security is very important as food supply will be the first to be disrupted by war and oil supply scarcity.

Sometimes the simplest of issues are overlooked and they will be the most dangerous of all if neglected.

Iran has a national food self sufficiency of 96 percent by the way. We must start now. Enough of corruption, self service, bickering, fighting for power from all quarters. Wake u! p!

Longing For A Free Mind (Part 1 of 14)

Longing for A Free Mind (Part 1 of 14)

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

bakrimusa@juno.com

[Presented at the Fifth Annual Alif Ba Ta Conference at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, organized by UMNO Club of New York-New Jersey, January 29, 2011.]

[A nation aspiring for greatness needs leaders with free minds; only they are capable of carving new paths. The Pak Turut (me too) leaders we have today, content merely to regurgitate what had been programmed in them, will at best only maintain the status quo. To elect leaders with free minds, citizens too must be free-minded.]

Let me first congratulate Amer Shukri, President of UMNO Club NY-NJ, and Zaid Nabil, President of the Malaysian Students Association here at Stevens, for organizing this Fifth Annual Alif Ba Ta conference. Despite changes in leadership through graduations and the like that are inherent in organizations like yours, you and your team have demonstrated admirable staying power. I applaud you, especially the hard work of the organizing committee, and thank you for inviting me again.

There are other UMNO Clubs much bigger and more established. At one time the UMNO Club of California counted its members in the hundreds, but the best that they could muster was in organizing gatherings to greet visiting UMNO dignitaries. Those were occasions less for the exchange of ideas, more for ambitious leader wannabes to ingratiate themselves to senior party members. So I congratulate you for putting together a substantive program all these years.

I also applaud you for choosing the biosci! ence and engineering; you could have chosen an easier path. Earlier, Dr. Waleed quoted a hadidth to the effect that someone who removes a thorn from a road is serving Allah, for that simple deed would prevent others from injuring their feet, which could lead to infection and possible amputation.

Take that hadith further. What if you were to build a road? Imagine the immense good you would do, or stated differently, how much more pleased Allah would be! A mother could now bring her sick baby to the hospital faster; that may mean saving a life. Farmers could bring their produce to market easily and thus improve their livelihoods. Then consider the remarkable improvement in our health that is so frequently attributed to the miracles of my profession. In truth it owes more to the marvels of modern civil engineering like central sewer and water treatment plants. Hence my high regards for engineers!

This years theme, Longing for a Free Mind, is particularly apt. I am assuming that you are not here referring to the free mind mapping software, a necessary clarification as I am speaking at a technology institute.

A nation aspiring for greatness needs leaders with free minds. We can do without the Pak Turuts (Yes man) leaders, content merely with echoing and regurgitating what had been programmed in them, encapsulated in their hallowed phrase, Saya menunggu arahan! (I await directives), or the equally servile Kami menurut perentah! (I follow orders). We cannot aspire to Vision 2020, much less greatness, with such leadership. What we need instead are leaders willing and capable of paving new paths. To elect such leaders we need citizens with free minds.

A free mind can best be illustrated by this story of Mullah Nasaruddin, famed for his effective use of ordinary and often personal examples as teaching materials.

He was cursed with having a neighbor who was fo! nd of bo rrowing items from him and then conveniently forgetting to return them. One day this neighbor came to the Mullah to borrow his donkey. The Mullah, anticipating the request, had earlier locked the animal away in the barn and out of sight. Upon hearing the request, the Mullah confidently replied that his donkey had been taken earlier by his brother. As the disappointed neighbor turned away, he heard the braying of the donkey. Whereupon he turned around and remarked, I thought you said your donkey was gone!

To which the Mullah replied, Do you believe the braying of a donkey over the words of a Mullah?

If you can accept that at times a donkey can be the bearer of the truth, and a mullah the purveyor of untruth, then you have a free mind. There are many reasons why we continue believing the mullah despite the donkey braying in our face, and we will explore some of those.

This conference will address The Malay Mind, The Mind of a Muslim, Minda Mahasiswa (The Mind of an Undergraduate), and The Mind of a Future Leader. I could add the legal mind and the mind of an economist, for example. To me, regardless what minds we are dealing with, it is far more important that they be free.

This conferences theme could as well be, Molding A Merdeka Mind. It sounds even more stirring in our national language, Mengasoh Minda Merdeka! It is certainly more evocative than Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Hegemony), or even Agama, Bangsa, Negara! (Faith, Race, Country!). More importantly, it is also more constructive. We have been politically free since 1957, but our minds are still not free; we remain entrapped in our old ways.

It is time we liberate our minds, granting them their own merdeka (freedom).

Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, better known as HAMKA, described best what a free mind is with his poem, Nikmat Hidup (Lifes Bounty):

!

Menahan fikiran aku tak mungkin

Menumpul kalam aku tak kuasa.

Merdeka berfikir gagah perkasa

Berani menyebut yang aku yakin.

My translation:

Censoring ideas is not my deal

Nor putting to rest my writing quill.

Fearless are those who dare to think

And put to words their inner being.

I challenge you to pick among our leaders today those who are Merdeka berfikir (free thinking) gagah perkasa (fearless core).

Merdeka berfikir alone, courageous and laudatory as that may be, is not sufficient. You have to articulate and share your thoughts. It is like a tree falling in the forest; with no one to hear it, will there be any sound? More importantly, will anyone know? Thus you must also have the courage to voice your thoughts berani menyebut. Today, I am sharing mine with you, at least those present here. By writing I will extend my reach, one person speaking to many, in the words of Prameodya Ananta Toer, now and forever. Hamka is long gone but his wisdom lives on through his words.

Writing also imposes a certain discipline. You have to gather, organize and then present your thought in a logical and attractive fashion so as to interest your readers. No such restraints exist with talking. Undisciplined, it can readily degenerate into nonproductive coffee shop talk. I hope to avoid that today.

My presentation explores the meaning of a free mind and the associated liberating of entrapped ones. As a physician I am used to viewing problems from the perspective of prevention. Thus I will also discuss the dynamics of the entrapped mind so that we would never find ourselves in that state again. I will review some fascinating studies in neuroscience, and the insights gleaned, in so far as they relate to our understanding of the free mind.

I will conclude by citing examples from our legends and history of individuals with free minds and the remarkable impact they have had on our society. In the remote possibility that you may not readily identify with them, I will share examples of fellow students like you who dared to have free minds and carve their own paths, and contrast them to their contemporaries who were only too willing to menurut perentah. I hope you can draw some useful lessons.

I will end with a Question and Answer session.

Next: The Meaning of a Free Mind

Will the RCI deliver?

The death of political aide, Teoh Beng Hock, has opened a can of worms. For one, something did go wrong that led to his death hours after being interrogated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

If Teohs death was a mere accident, there would be no reason for renowned Thai forensic pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanansunand to say she saw pre-fall injuries on his neck.

Pornthip was not out for cheap publicity when she said that Teoh could have been a victim of foul play. This led to the deceaseds body being exhumed for a second post-mortem.

There was also no reason for Pornthip to court condemnation when she alleged that signals and political pressure were used to halt her involvement in Teohs case.

This message from Malaysia said Pornthip was discreetly relayed to her by the Thai government officials.

This revelation was vehemently rejected by Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Nazri Aziz who labelled Pornthip as a liar.

What would she gain by concocting lies? Having made a name in forensic pathology, for sure Pornthip would not be foolish to fabricate lies and tarnish her reputable image.

It was therefore not surprising that Pornthips name was missing from an earlier RCI witness list. This prompted lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, representing Teohs family, to raise an objection, saying Pornthip was the most significant witness as she had noticed the pre-fall injuries on the deceaseds neck.

Realising that Pornthips statement was crucial in the RCI, the Selangor government had said it was willing once again to pay for her travel cost to come to Malaysia.

RCI chairman James Foong later announced the panel had agreed to call Pornthip to testify and she has agreed to do so.

If this was the Barisan Nasional governments way of unravelling the truth behi! nd Teohs death, it did such a lousy job.

Pornthips revelation must have stunned Najib as he despatched his loyal spokesman Nazri to tackle this unsettling dislosure. Just as gubra, all Nazri could do was call Pornthip a liar.

Now, there is the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI). Having picked his choice of people to sit in on the commission panel, Najib is hoping to put an end to this troubling episode.

No justice in sight?

Najibs decision to reject all the seven names furnished by Teohs family to serve as panel members shows the direction in which the RCI is heading. Does Najib have a reason, an answer as to why he flatly refused to consider even one name provided by Teohs family?

The names submitted by Teohs family were: Ambiga Sreenevasan and Raja Aziz Addruse (former Bar Council presidents), Musa Hitam (former deputy prime minister), judge NH Chan (former Court of Appeal judge), Hanif Omar (former inspector-general of police), Irene Fernandez (Tenaganita director) and Dr Ronald McCoy (former Malaysian Medical Association president).

This lack of transparency is a cue that justice will never be served and that the RCI is nothing but a pacifier to appease Teohs family that the Barisan Nasional government has done its bit in the search for truth.

Teoh was found dead in July 2009 on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after he was interrogated overnight by MACC officials on the 14th floor of the same building.

His family had rejected the possibility of suicide, suspecting that Teoh, who was to be married soon, could be the victim of foul play.

The RCI was formed after an inquest returned an open verdict, with the coroner rejecting both suicide and homicide.

But on Feb 16 this year Teohs family pulled out from the inquiry when the commission turned down their request to postpone the proceedings until the disposal of a judicial review by the family against the coroners open verdict in the inquest.

The ! next day , the Selangor government also withdrew from the inquest. This move by Teohs family and the Selangor government displeased Najib who said it was a ploy by political rivals to delay the matter so that it can be used as campaign fodder come the 13th general election.

Najib forgets that a family lost their son, one who was their breadwinner and that too, not to an accident or illness but due to mishap or mischief that happened at the MACCs office.

BN govt afraid of the truth

In trying to make the RCI appear fair and just, Najib assured that the commission comprised people of high standing who could help search for the truth. He said there had to be a closure to Teohs case and the matter cannot be prolonged.

Najib defended the RCI saying it was the best channel to seek the truth and bring the issue to an end.

By saying this, is Najib implying that established names like Ambiga, Musa Hitam, Haniff Omar, Irene Fernandez, Dr Ronald McCoy and Raja Aziz Addruse are not people of high standing?

Najibs very act of planting his people to sit as panel members of the RCI is suggestive interference and biasness that is sure to cloud the truth.

If the RCI was indeed formed to reveal the truth, Najib should have refrained from picking the people of his choice. He should have exhibited fair play by including in the commission one or two of the names offered by Teohs family.

Is there a particular reason why Najb rejected all the seven names? Is he afraid that a lawyer like Ambiga will leave no stone unturned in uncovering the truth behind Teohs death? Is Najib worried that the names furnished by Teohs family consists of individuals known for defending the truth and championing human rights?

If indeed that is the case, what truth is Najib then bragging about? In what appears like a typical soap-opera, the RCI is going to deliver news which will be favoured by BN government, not otherwise.

Is RCI reliable?

Sa dly, the answer is no. From the day the RCI was set up, it was apparent that the commission was not gearing itself in search of truth but to cover-up the exact cause that led to Teohs death.

The RCI would have given Teohs family in particular and the public some hope had Najib displayed transparency by welcoming one or two names suggested by Teohs family. But this never happened and for obvious reasons.

Now that Teohs family and the Selangor government have pulled out from the RCI, there is a valid reason for their doing so. Regrettably, it is Najib who politicised this tragedy that befell a regular Malaysian family.

Instead of showing empathy, Najib is far more concerned that the opposition is out to manipulate Teohs death to their benefit in the coming general election.

Najib alleged the opposition decided to postpone the matter to give rise to the impression that the BN government was taking its time in the search for the truth.

Where is the impression here, Mr Prime Minister? The fact that you yourself rejected all seven names provided by Teohs family has made it clear that something is amiss and that the truth is undoubtedly going to be tampered with.

Perhaps Najib thought by setting up the RCI would shut up both Teohs family and the public but too bad for him that the scheme backfired when he rejected names like Ambiga and Musa Hitam.

Malaysians have had enough of people dying in police custody, now a young man of 30 is dead after being interrogated by MACC. Something is really fishy here!

Give us a real Parliament and get a new complex

Howl Pillai

Unlike the detractors, I say: What better place to make a fresh start than Parliament?

We can get going again when we have a real Parliament housed in a sparkling new complex!

The present one, just 47 years old is a bit of a disgrace. A national embarrassment even! Its roof leaks like an old bucket and its air conditioning is as dodgy as the artful, hot-headed Parliamentarians that need cooling.

Things got so bad that once it was even shut down for all of two whole years. On another occasion recently, its not so hallowed grounds even doubled up as a temporary abattoir. What a shame !

And for the record,some 80 percent of all legislation initiated by the Executive was passed into law in this same building without any amendments.

So it is entirely untrue that rubber and its allied industries, like rubber-stamping has seen its heyday. And this very building is no colonial vestige.

Built in 1962/3, it then cost a modest RM16 million. That, mind you, was in the innocent and happy pre-massive corruption era of the Sixties.

Please note "massivecorruption" is now widely regarded as a single word in this country. They are inseparable.

In today's terms, such a building will cost some RM200 million, assuming an average annual inflation rate of five percent.

The new complex, we are informed, is estimated to cost a whopping RM800 million. We have 222 raucuous Parliamentarians prone to whooping and chanting.

Now that works out to just RM4 million per lousy, noisy and vulgar mouthpiece of the party or if you prefer political mouth organ.

Mercifully, we are a forgiving nation of kindly also-rans, driven by a passion for mediocrity and with a penchant for cost overruns. So we will generously throw in the additional RM600 million.

We simply need a real Parliament no matter what the cost. No expense should be spared.

Give them the best.Not just a building. Give them a whole complex and be done with it! We must get it right the second time.

And I know I speak for most Malaysians when I request the following strings be attached like all things in this fair land :

1) It must be free of even the slightest taint of scandal. The contract for its construction must be awarded on the basis of an open and competitive bidding tender process.

This whole process must be made transparent so that even a fool can see through it. The whole tender process must be telecast live.

This is more important to us than the live telecasts of the World Cup. After all the World Cup comes around our way once every four years whilst Parliament may never come around our way!

2) One of the first things we want within the new complex is a world class 'animal testing' facility.It would be hard for any MP to object.

The Lower Chamber has repeatedly echoed with cries of "Binatang", "Babi", "Lembu" and "Ular".

We suspect too many animals have sneaked into Parliament under disguise and cover of darkness.

More scary still, we now have sufficient evidence that these animals have taken over the last vestiges of legislative power remaining in Parliament.

All MPs must therefore be stringently tested on a quarterly basis and the results made public.

3) To retain the salient and defining principle of Parliament regulating its own affairs, we insist the new complex contain a modern detention centre to house all ISA detainees who are also MPs.

The voices of the rakyat's representatives must be heard in Parliament even if their bodies are incarcerated.

Also one of the first acts of the real Parliament would be to pass an Act setting aside the Kamunting Detention Centre exclusively for the use of ordinary folks like writers, thinkers, poets, musicians, academics and a steadfast and principled judge or two (if there are any still left)

4) The new complex must have a well equipped branch of the National Registration Department given our MPs' propensity for quickie multiple marriages and divorces. Sudden death is also now an issue.

Tell me who in this country is not tired of both bye and buy elections? An efficient branch of this department will go a long way towards reducing time wasting and improving MP productivity.

Later we can set some very basic KPIs for our MPs like attendance and punctuality.

5) Which brings us to the need to have an 18 hole golf course and club for MPs within the sprawling grounds of the complex.

Besides helping us know where to find them in a national emergency, it will cater for their recreational and sporting needs. The soon to be approved sports betting business will do just fine to fill the gap although we have our reservations about gambling.

Please note the rakyat has consistently maintained that fighting to legalise things deemed 'haram' is akin to screwing for virginity even if the fight is led by a former PM.

6) We insist that both a primary and secondary school from anywhere in the Klang Valley, like Rawang for example, be transferred in toto to the new complex. MPs should be encouraged and be given incentives to send their children to these schools.

This will have the singular benefit of impressing upon our ministers and MPs the true state of our education system.The MIC must take note that the same rules will apply if they as usual request for a Tamil school within the complex.

7) We insist any one of the large supermarket chains open a store within the complex. Besides catering for the favourite pastime of some of our MPs and ministers, shopping can now be done locally in the comfort of the precincts of Parliament.

Besides it will help them know the true cost of living. They can then decide which subsidies to keep and which to remove after ensuring the selling of sugar, salt, sardines and salted fish is properly licensed. These items now form the staple diet of our working classes.

As an added benefit prices of essential goods can be monitored daily by MPs and ministers without resorting to making sense of complicated statistics, graphs and pie charts.

8) To ensure no citizen is abused unto death nor thrown out of the upper floors of buildings when 'routinely questioned' we insist a National Interrogation Centre entirely of glass be built within the complex and within sight of Parliament. We need their urgent oversight of the police force.

9) To ensure the project is completed on time,we insist Sime Darby be pre-disqualified. Besides we want to plant the seeds of true democracy not dam it. Their resources will be stretched cleaning up Bakun Dam anyway.

10) To ensure the complex does not turn into a white elephant we insist political leaders, past or present, suffering from megalomania or variants of it be excluded from all committees entrusted with any part of the project.

We have all now learnt that ego-tourism has emptied the national coffers. The fear of bankruptcy now looms large in this land. For once in a long time, no one wants to see 2020!

11) To ensure full accountability, all members of the 1998 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee be excluded on the basis that they have yet to present the accounts of the games.

We still do not know who got rich but we know the common people picked up the tab.

12) Likewise all those involved in some dubious way or other with the disastrous PKFZ mega-project be excluded. Besides, Parliament is better known for horse trading than for advocating free trade. Witness that even selling sugar now requires a licence.

The next item that will be licensed, the rumour mills say, is the humble condom. We are not surprised because only the Government has a monopoly to legitimately screw us.

13) To ensure the rakyat is never kept in the dark nor be victimised by news blackouts, we insist TNB guarantee that power disruptions are few and far between in the new complex.

Simply put, we want Parliament to be properly empowered.Above all it should not be some shady extension of the Executive.

14) Since almost any significant activity is now deemed worthy enough to set up a university for its study, we insist that a university be also set up within the premises of the new complex to cater for 'Parliamentary studies'.

Why should this initiative surprise anyone at all ? Have we not heard it be said so often by our erstwhile ministers: "The matter is now before Parliament and they are studying it in detail!"

We propose the to-be-set up institution of higher learning be called "University Demokrasi" or "UDemo" for short. And its motto by unanimous agreement: "Our Parliament is either at our feet or at our throats"

Arbitrary Detention Laws in Malaysia: another call for repeal

Non Governmental Organisations

16th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Oral Statement Delivered by Ms. Temme Lee on Behalf of
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

Monday, 7 March 2011

Thank you, Mr. President. FORUM-ASIA and its member organization in Malaysia, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), welcome the report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on its mission to Malaysia (A/HRC/16/47/Add.2). [1] In particular, we strongly echo the recommendation of the Working Group that the government of Malaysia must take steps to repeal the four preventive detention laws, namely, the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance, the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act and the Restricted Residence Act.

The government’s announced intention to amend these laws, which apparently would seek to reduce periods of preventive detention[2], does not in the least address the standing concerns of the Working Group that these laws severely impede the detainee’s right to a fair trial and their access to legal counsel. The total lack of understanding of the government of the core human rights norm that “detention should be only ordered by a court of law”, was already shown two years ago when Malaysia told this Council during the Universal Periodic Review that preventive detention legislation ? that is, detention-without-trial laws ? is “of vital importance to national security”.[3] It is deplorable that this stance has been repeated by the government representative earlier yesterday.

We are also deeply disturbed at the fact that the government of Malaysia has been aggressively recruiting members for the Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (RELA), from 1.6 million to nearly 2.6 million as of 31 January 2011. RELA members stand accused of various forms of abuses and ill-treatment against detainees.[4] As the Working Group recommended, RELA “should not be used for any law enforcement purposes or for the management of immigration detention centers”.

Mr. President, as emphasized during the Panel Discussion of this Council in September 2009, detention should only be the final resort when it comes to irregular migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons. States should adopt alternative measures to immigration detention, such as regular reporting to authorities, conditional release or open centers. In this regard, we would be interested to hear from the Working Group whether, during their country visit in June 2010, discussions took place with the concerned Malaysian authorities regarding any alternative measures to immigration detention.

As a member of this Council, Malaysia must uphold the highest standards of human rights promotion and protection. The government of Malaysia must stop delaying becoming a party to core human rights treaties ? in particular, the ICESCR, the ICCPR, the ICERD and the CAT, and provide a clearly defined timeline for implementing the Working Group’s recommendations. Thank you, Mr. President.
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[1] SURAM Press Statement, “Mission Report on Malaysia by Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Implement Recommendations Now!, 7 March 2011, http://www.suaram.net
[2] SUARAM Press Statement, “Government Must Act Immediately on UN’s Call for the Repeal of Detention-Without-Trial Laws and End Detention of Refugees and Asylum Seekers”, 21 June 2010, http://www.suaram.net
[3] Report of the UPR Working Group on Malaysia, Addendum-Views on Conclusions and/or Recommendations, Voluntary Commitments and Replies Presented by the State under Review (A/HRC/11/30/Add.1), 3 June 2009, p. 6, no. 13
[4] SUARAM Press Statement, “Changes to Immigration Detention Centres Must Respect Human Rights”, 26 August 2010, http://www.suaram.net

Felda - a victim of its own success

Dr Collin Abraham

With respect, and in all humility, it might be useful to address the claim that Felda Plantations is illegal.

While it seems clear that this question of legality itself is a matter for the courts to determine, at the same time, there are some related issues and questions that need to be mentioned, to help put the matter of ownership and control of Felda within this perspective.

However it would appear that to attempt to explain these matters comprehensively, some reference needs to be made by way of background experiences to the comments and assertions I will be making that may otherwise seem, to put it mildly, 'extraordinary'.

Briefly, these were being a member of Tun Razak's select 11 men national committee for "Gerakan Maju", Felda foundation advisory committee and research director on settler development, EPU Consultant/Social Development Director (Johor/Pahang Regional Master Plans) and UNDP Social Impact Assessment Consultant on Felda.

As a starting point it is appropriate to adopt the frame of reference of the UNDP report, because the terms of reference themselves set the stage for an examination of matters pertaining to whether the plantations can be said to be "illegal".

The theoretical framework for the UNDP study was that Felda had become a 'victim of its own success' meaning unequivocally that the economic success of the corporation was (and is) being achieved as a consequence of the negative social impact of its policies, involving settler ownership, and participation in the management and governance of the plantations.

In the interests of brevity, the arguments will be presented in point form.

1. Origins

The origins for the formation of Felda were political. There were contributory and precipitating reasons. The former, because it was well known that Malay poverty, particularly in the rural areas was chronic and endemic being entrenched largely due to colonial neglect. now needed to be addressed through the allocation of 'land for the landless'.

And the latter, because the ruling political party lost two parliamentary seats in the Malay heartland soon after the first general elections after independence, and the economic plight of the rakyat had to be lifted through the provision of new land for the landless as a matter of priority.

The decision to directly open up new 'land for the landless' was further compounded by other precipitating factors as well.

One was the reluctance to institute land reform measures for fear that this might negatively affect the stability of the status quo since most agricultural landowners were Malays.

Also, this was the time the government was providing massive resettlement and rehabilitation facilities involving allocation of land and access to the main social services to ex-communists, while Malays who gave their lives in the defence of the country were denied such similar facilities.

Not surprisingly, the political dimension was reinforced by overarching ethnic considerations given that the vast majority of ex-communists were Chinese while former members of the security forces were mainly Malay.

2 Ideologies, concept and reality

The ideology of Felda was the brainchild of PM Abdul Razak. He envisaged landless settlers as "Yeomanry"-type groups owning land on homesteads as independent producers, involved in participating democracies in bottom-top social institutions across the board.

His vision was essentially to enable the poverty stricken, especially rural Malays to empower themselves and participate in modernisation and technological change that would, through upward social mobility, elevate their politico-socio-economic status to that of participating with the other multiethnic groups in a competitive level playing field.

But unfortunately there was no model to be used as a guideline. The entire program therefore had to start entirely from scratch literally on a trial and error basis.

The beginnings understandably were particularly harsh when settlers even had to build their own houses. With very limited transport accessibility it was not uncommon for settlers to find themselves stranded in some isolated areas, sometimes frequented by elephants (e.g. in Pahang), when their transport broke down.

These early years however showed an independence of spirit among settlers with the accompanying reluctance to depend on the ever increasing Felda bureaucracy to manage the settlements on their behalf.

The problematic reality of the situation was soon seen in the area of the lack of adequate human resources.

The Felda bureaucracy was untrained and ill-equipped to deal with settlers' problems and resorted to private estate type top-bottom management policies, despite the settlers themselves being technically the 'owners' of 10 acre land holdings.

Managers did not even realise that settlers, though almost entirely Malays, were often unable to communicate with each other because they spoke different dialects!

In our research study we came across instances where managers, accused of favouring those of their own 'suku-bangsa' were 'barricaded' in their offices and subsequently, for security reasons, were authorised to arm themselves with revolvers while at work!

But the status of settlers land ownership and control was a microcosm of the basic uncertainties of settlers.

Conflicting and changing ad hoc policies ranging from eldest child inheritance, shared ownership, sale of land, and the almost total lack of involvement in management policies and decision making relegated settlers to the status of wage earners rather than land owners.

This situation created a social environment where settlers were isolated from involvement and participation in relevant and meaningful knowledge based training programs in basic management skills as well as opportunities for discussions and debate.

A lack of sense of belonging, and minimal interpersonal interaction and relationships, were among the reasons also for the relatively high incidence of drug abuse particularly among the 18-25 age groups in many settlements.

3 Social impact assessment

The UNDP report (2002) clearly attributed the paradoxical situation where, on the one hand, Felda had successfully met the targets for economic growth and development, on he other hand, had failed to met the aspirations of settlers in social development.

The main reason was because Felda was directly involved in the production process itself to the exclusion of the settlers, who to all intents and purposes, merely received a monthly "wage" and annual dividend payments.

There is no reason to suggest that the uncertainties in settler ownership and control with Felda have been resolved since 2002.

On the contrary, judging from the many press media statements as well as online, including those from Prime Minister Najib himself, there is strong reason to believe that the situation has worsened with the different groups and the interests they espouse becoming more polarised than previously

This is not the place to enter into a full scale analysis on this question because it will necessarily involve matters revolving around de-constructing and re-constructing Felda.

Suffice it to say that with the decision of the Federal Government to cease starting new settlements in 1990, the bureaucracy took control of Felda and consolidated its hold with the amendment of the Group Settlement Act (1960) in 1996.

With the latter amendment Felda in effect "corporatised" itself opening new land schemes and entering into a vast network of areas of economic activity such as hotel building and a variety of subsidiaries not connected to cash crop production.

4. Conclusion

This article is being written at a time when there is a heated political debate as to the future of Felda.

Admittedly, as can be seen from the above this is a complex question in terms of attempting to reconcile the main groups whose interests are diametrically opposed.

But what seems crucial is that in studying the situation in detail every attempt should be made to keep in mind the original plan and policy of Tun Razak to maintain viable agro-based homesteads for the landless poor.

Gaddafi`s Threat

"Pakatan Rakyat tries to steal Sarawak with SNAP" ?

SNAP begins its poll assault

from Free Malaysia Today » Nation by FMT Staff

KUCHING: Sarawak Nasional Party (SNAP), which gave the Dayak community their first chief minister in Stephen Kalong Ningkan way back in 1963, is bent on redeeming its political relevance in the coming state election.

Working against a wave of scepticism, a SNAP official said theirs was an “unwavering” commitment to giving Dayak’s back their political importance and self-esteem.

SNAP is aiming to contest in 28 Dayak majority seats in the 10th state election. Leading the SNAP charge is iconic former deputy chief minister Daniel Tajem.

The much revered lawyer-diplomat and elder statesmen has made a clarion call to Dayaks to return to SNAP, saying “the policy, principle and objective of SNAP are similar to the defunct PBDS (Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak).”

Tajem, 72, is targetting the over 100,000 disillusioned PBDS members who are currently partyless.

Tajem was once Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s deputy, when the latter engineered the destruction of SNAP and PBDS and began his divide-and-rule policy of the state’s 60% native community.

Since then the Dayaks have either been in political “wilderness” or aligned with Barisan Nasional allies Parti Rakyat Sarawak, Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party and Sarawak United Peoples party (SUPP).

The communities have also been economically marginalised and sidelined from Taib’s “Politics of Development” which he launched in the early 1990s and which saw him amend the Land Code to allegedly enable transfer, lease and convert native-owned lands in the name of growth.

Despite Sarawak’s minerals and natural sources, Taib’s “Politics of Development” policies never filtered down to the longhouses that litter this landlocked state.

Today under Taib’s 30-year administration Sarawak is the third poorest state in Malaysia.

Political heritage

On the ground, SNAP is flagging Taib’s corrupt land policies which have eroded native rights.

The party has begun its assault by flushing longhouses and Dayak majority areas in specific constituencies with 100,000 flyers showcasing the SNAP logo and Tajem’s call for Dayak’s to join SNAP’s struggle. Some 40 billboards and banners promoting the SNAP brand is also expected to go up later this month.

Also being distributed are flyers promoting DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s pledge of a RM1 billion Dayak endowment fund if BN is unseated.

Tajem, on his part, is urging Dayaks “not to wait until their individual rights whittle to nothingness.”

According to youth chief Darrel Entrie, the past two weeks have been spent distributing flyers and some 50,000 VCDs on SNAP history to folk in longhouses in the rural areas.

“We’re working with Dayaks in Klang Valley, Johor and Singapore. They are helping us with the flyers and VCDs. The flyers and VCDs are urging Dayaks to unite under 1SNAP to remove BN in Sarawak.

“They feel SNAP is the best vehicle for the Dayaks as the party understands the local people’s plight,” he said adding that there was an urgent need to reacquaint young Sarawakians with their political heritage.

He said SNAP was now reaching out to the youth through social network Facebook.

“We are starting to work with the youths here in Sarawak. It is a little difficult because most of them don’t know the party’s history. They also don’t seem to know the state’s political history.

“So our immediate job is to reacquaint them with the SNAP logo and its political heritage,” he told FMT recently.

Selangor okayed gambling

Gambling ban not on the cards in Selangor

from Free Malaysia Today » Nation by G Vinod

SHAH ALAM: Gamblers can continue to stake their money at any legal gaming joint in Selangor. The state has no plans to imitate Kelantan and outlaw lotteries or any other form of gambling currently allowed.

Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim told reporters today that his administration had not deliberated on the subject and indicated that it was not likely to do so in the foreseeable future.

No additional regulation on gambling would be introduced, he said.

“This is our stand at the moment,” he added.

Last week, the PAS-led Kelantan state government caused an uproar when it extended its gambling ban to include the sale of lottery tickets.

State PAS leaders also called for similar ban to be imposed in all Pakatan-ruled states, including Selangor.

The move drew criticism even from Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh called on the state to lift the ban, reminding it that federal laws permitted non-Muslims to gamble.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had also lashed out at PAS over its gambling ban in Kelantan and ruled out implementing such a measure nationwide, adding that gambling was legally permissible for non-Muslims.

State FOI bill for second read

At his press conference today, Khalid also shared his thoughts on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill scheduled for another reading in the state assembly.

He agreed with critics that the first draft tabled last year appeared to be a “watered down” version of what democracy activists would expect from such legislation.

“But the first draft was to ensure that we accommodate the interests of both the state and the federal government,” he said.

After the first draft was tabled last July, the Bar Council noted that the new law would retain the Menteri Besar’s right to classify certain types of information as secret.

Khalid said he had not studied the latest draft and would need another week before he could offer comments.