mind NO EVIL

RELA – PM NAJIB’S FINAL LINE OF DEFENCE?

2012-01-29T18:27:00.000+08:00

PM Najib says that there are 2.8 million RELA (Paramilitary People’s Volunteer Corps) in the country (Malaysia Chronicles, Saturday 28 Jan). That is a much bloated figure that far outmatched the collective strength of the Armed Forces and the Police put together. From my reading, there are only 500,000 odd Rela members.

Now, how and where did PM Najib pluck this number from? Does he not know what it takes to maintain such a large force? I think this figure even doubles that of the Indian Army. If indeed there are 2.8 million RELA members, then we don’t really need the Armed Forces and the Police…….. Just disband them and let the RELA take over the defence and security of the country. And with that kind of number, there wouldn’t be any more thieves, murderers and illegals in this country. Everything will be safe and sound, and it may cause some concern to all the neighbouring regional states.

And what really scares me was when PM Najib said that “when the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country”. What ‘chips’ is he referring to, and what is the threat that the government is trying to defend……external or internal security threat or a political threat from the opposition.

Please PM Najib, be weary with the kind of words and language used. What you have said can be interpreted to mean many things, and to people like me that had served 34 years in the military, I take it to mean that RELA would be your ‘final line of defence’; I suppose to be deployed to defend the country when both the Armed Forces and the police have lost their battle. And do you seriously think that when the Armed Forces and the police have been defeated, RELA can take over the defence and security of the country? I have serious doubts.

Now, there is already a move by the Home Minister Hishamuddin to arm the RELA. Yes, arming them may frighten Abu, Ah Kow and Muthu, but this will not frightened an enemy’s military force. It has taken years to build an Armed Forces and the Police with some credibility, and there is no way that RELA can be credible by just arming them to be trained once a week in basic weapon handling.

Defence and security training is not just about weapon training. PM Najib knows this very well for he was a long serving Defence Minister. And if someone were to ask me whether our Armed Forces and the Police today are well equipped and trained to defend this country against an external threat, my answer is one of skepticism. And if my answer is to be believed, then it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the Armed Forces and the Police attains an appropriate level of ‘force credibility’ as a matter of urgency.

I think there is now a lot of confusion about the roles of RELA, made worse by the statement of PM Najib. I think RELA started as an unarmed paramilitary civil volunteer corps that predates to the time when the government was saddled with the influx of illegal immigrants. It was never meant to be a force involved in defence and security because they are not organized and structured as such. Rather they are to work alongside all other security enforcement agencies, to assist them in dealing with security and social issues arising from the mass influx of illegal immigrants.

My stand on this issue is that the roles and tasks of the RELA should not replicate that of the Armed Forces and the Police. They should remain subservient force to assist, rather than being involved with defence and security per se.

In restructuring the RELA and boosting them the extra allowances, I hope the government does not have a hidden political agenda, especially one that is connected to the upcoming elections. Let me be honest and straight with the aforesaid statement. I will agree that RELA should be given an increase in their allowances that has been meager in the past, but I will certainly have my reservations if their roles and tasks are to be changed.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

IS IT A GREVIOUS SIN TO JOIN DAP?

2012-01-27T22:49:00.001+08:00

Hello Khairy Jamaluddin, what is so wrong for a Malay to join the DAP? You should be asking yourself why are the Malays joining the DAP at a time when you think that there is no other party in the country that can serve the Malays better? Yes, UMNO have for the last 50 odd years served the Malays, but it has now become increasingly a party of the elitist that only takes care of a handful, rather than all Malays (regardless of their political affiliation). You may want to ask why is it that UMNO itself has been claiming that the Malays are still poor and need to be looked after. You mean to say that 50 odd years of UMNO/BN rule isn’t enough? Now who do you blame for the never ending predicament of the Malays – is it the DAP or PCG (Parti Cap Gajah)?

Search your soul Khairy and you will find the answer as to why the Malays are joining DAP. You don’t need to ask those that have joined because should they answer, you will then reply to them by saying that they are traitors of their race. But let me ask you Khairy, aren’t the Malays in UMNO traitors themselves? Just look at the faces of those that surround you? Do you think they are all an incorruptible lot? Corruption to me is the most heinous of all crimes performed by those that have little regard for their faith and are blind to Allah’s retribution in the hereafter. And I do not wish to bring out the many wrong doings of UMNO during the time of the Constitutional Crisis of 1992 where the Malay rulers were battered defenseless; stripped naked of their honor. That was the time when UMNO were really kurang ajar and please don’t deny this Khairy. You must be a school boy then when this entire Malay ruler’s bashing episode happened.

Now please don’t get me wrong Khairy. I am not saying that you are corrupt, but the talk about you being corrupt around the time when your father-in-law was the PM is so resounding that it is too difficult to disbelieve. I remembered your name being mentioned repeatedly around the coffee shops as the smartest 27 year old and a PM in the making. They also say that you acted like a ‘gate keeper’ and what this really implies, I do not know. I find it hard to believe that for a person like you, so young and to be educated at one of the most reputable and recognizable universities in the world is not able to reason why are the Malays joining the DAP, and you need others to give you the answer.

I am surprised that it was Khairy first that was able to sense the sudden migration of the Malays into the DAP. Now I hear that DPM Muhyiddin has also sounded a warning to the Malays “not to fall for the DAP trap”. I do not know what trap he is referring to – not a mouse trap I hope. We will now have to wait for a day or two before Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali and other Pro-UMNO NGOs to join in the fray with a threat to hold a massive public rally against the DAP; something that they are good at i.e. waste of time.

Let me warn UMNO that the Malays that joined the DAP are not the ‘kucing kurap’ or the ‘katak lompat’ type that goes around begging for favours and contracts. They know what they are doing. They are all learned and with a clear vision of change for the better for the country and its people. More importantly, they are clean and are yet to be exposed to the rot that is plaguing UMNO politicians today. Regardless of who and what they are, I personally think that they will be our leaders of the future. Mark my word.

Now, let me also say this that with Malays joining the DAP, this has further emboldened the Chinese, especially the fence sitters to say that they must be something good about the DAP that had drawn Malays to the party, knowing that the Malays in the past would not want to be associated with a Chinese dominated party, let alone become a member. Clearly, in this regards, the MCA and Gerakan has lost its Chinese appeal and attraction, and especially the MCA’s so oft slogan that they are a party that takes care of the Chinese race is no longer true. I now believe that a party that is based solely on racial lines is no longer attractive and cannot survive the new Malaysian mindset.

With this new political development and shift, can the UMNO Malays now say that they are the only party to defend the rights of the Malays?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

ABU-HINDRAF FRACAS – SIGNS OF A FAILED POLICE FORCE

2012-01-26T14:53:00.005+08:00

The ABU-Hindraf gathering at Jalan Kebun, Shah Alam on 21 January 2012 that ended up being roughed up by Malay thugs and ruffians allegedly at the behest of UMNO and in connivance with the local police proves that this country is at the verge of a total collapse of civility, respect and tolerance. Viewing the video that was uploaded in several blogs, it was clear that the fracas was started by a group of thugs led by one Muhamad Razali alias Baharom. I do not know if he is from the force or paid by someone to create trouble, but one thing was certain i.e. from the language uttered by the thug, it was derogatory aimed at the Indian community intent at causing a riot.

My question is what if it were an Indian guy that started the fracas and the audience were mainly Malays? I am quite sure there will be a riot and the police will be there in droves and in double quick time making the arrest. What is actually happening to this country today, especially that of the police force that is suppose to protect us? Is the government in control or have they lost the interest to run this country? Or has that responsibility to govern being handed over to the police? Can Home Minister Hishamuddin say something please? Where are the 60,000 security guards that the government has been talking about? Blue Ocean strategy they say.

I am utterly disgusted at the initial response by the state police officer whose remark reflects total ignorance, arrogance, lack responsibility and incompetency. I just wonder where he was when the trouble was brewing. Was he at home or attending a kenduri kahwin somewhere? Wasn’t he briefed by his officers or was the briefing given by the thugs themselves? And now he comes up with a statement that they have arrested six people whose age ranges from 16 to 19 years old. But the video shows that the main perpetrator to be someone much older and a fatso. Why hasn’t this thug being arrested? Or has he being told to go into hiding until all is safe and clear?

If this is what we call efficiency of the police force, then I beg to differ. If the police had responded well and professionally, they could have affected arrest that same night because there was police presence that was witnessed to the fracas. Obviously the policemen that were there didn't have the slightest clue as to how to react and to control the situation. This clearly shows the standard of training of the policemen now that were no better than the Rela guards. I am sorry to say this because I have many police friends, but I believe they too are equally disappointed at the lack of professionalism in the policemen. Had they been some military guys, I would have hit at them much harder.

I do not know if the six and several others will be charged for causing a public disturbance. Whatever the outcome, the punishment must be seen to be punitive and not just a simple fine and a warning. This incident could have caused a racial riot that we do not wish to experience it once more.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

IBRAHIM ALI – PLEASE STOP MEDDLING

2012-01-24T16:07:00.002+08:00

Perkasa’s court jester Ibrahim Ali has now made himself an unwarranted spokesman for the NFC. Now who is he to be briefed by the NFC’s Chairman about the much talked fiasco of the NFC? Who is he to make a comment after the briefing by the NFC Chairman that all is well with the company and for making some racist remarks that there was a non Malay that stole some money from the company and had exposed the NFC’s ‘misappropriation’; I suppose to the opposition.

If indeed money was stolen from the company, why wasn’t it reported early in the case? And why has the court jester to make a reference that it was a non Malay that had stolen the money? Now, is the court jester saying that there aren’t any Malay thieves involved in the fiasco? Now, who actually listens to this court jester – I wonder? And why would the NFC Chairman wants to brief Ibrahim Ali when there is already an ongoing investigation by the police and the MACC. And does he not know that the government had announced that the NFC accounts will be audited by a reputable auditor? Is Ibrahim Ali that reputable auditor?

My advice to Ibrahim Ali is to get off this case as he has nothing to do with it. He is a no body but just being a busy body. And I think he just want to be seen by his ‘masters’ to be doing a just service. I do not think he has a clue about accounting and even if the books were thrown at him, he wouldn’t know what to look at. Is Ibrahim Ali now questioning the integrity of the Auditor General who was the person to have brought out this issue to the public? And all Malaysians must thank the Auditor General for being brave and honest to highlight the many flaws in the management of the NFC.

After Ibrahim Ali, we now hear of another court jester i.e. Perkasa’s Secretary General declaring that Islam is under threat in Selangor with Selangor’s MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim taking over the portfolio of the Exco for Islamic Affairs. This court jester even questioned the religious credentials of Khalid Ibrahim whom he deemed as being unqualified for the job.

Now may I ask this court jester, what are your religious credentials? Do you honestly think you are more qualified than Khalid Ibrahim? Don’t you know that even if Khalid Ibrahim does not have the right credentials, I am quite sure he will have his religious advisors to assist and advise him to make a decision on all religious issues that arises?

Now, just look at all our Malay rulers. They all are the Head of the Islamic religion within the state. And do you think they will make a decision regarding matters of the Islamic faith without any consultation with the religious experts? Even PM Najib has an Islamic religious advisor in the person of Jamil Khir. So what is so wrong with Khalid Ibrahim taking over the post of the Exco for Islamic Affairs of the state?

My sincere advice to Ibrahim Ali is to start looking at all the corruption issues that are being reported involving UMNO politicians and their cronies. To begin with, go and investigate the people that are involved in the illicit money transfer out of the country that runs in the billions. If this is too big a job for Ibrahim Ali, then why not interview the PM’s wife Rosmah Mansor to ask if she did or did not spend that RM300,000 for her clothing in Australia as reported. And if this is also too difficult for Ibrahim Ali, why not interview the two secretaries, Azlina Othman and Awang Adek whether they did or did not received cash from an UMNO contractor as alleged?

And finally, if Ibrahim Ali is too shy to interview all the personalities stated above, then ask UMNO what have they done for the Malays for the last 54 years. You should know the answers.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BN, RETURN THE BOOTY, BREAD AND BUTTER TO MALAYSIANS by J.D. Lovrenciear

2012-01-23T11:39:00.001+08:00

After five decades of BN governance, what have Malaysians gained and at what price and what have we lost in exchange?

To begin with, where is all of this nation’s booty? There was a time when the colonial masters (rather raiders) came and took all our rubber and tin. But at least they gave us education, healthcare, roads and rails without asking us to pay toll and taxes. Right?

But what can we say of our post-independence masters? The lorded over us and sold us the ‘nationalism’ mantra. They sang ‘Look East’ and ‘Buy British Last’. Later, they seemingly sold us that piped-dream of a modern Malaysia with jobs for all and wealth to be shared by Malaysians.

And so we ran the race at full throttle for the local masters and helped them build their own cartels and fortunes. Today, not only are we left in serious debt but have also pawned our bread and butter jobs that are enriching neighboring countries at the expense of the 27 million citizens of this land.

The factory jobs have gone to foreign labor. The petrol kiosk attendant and car wash jobs have gone to the illegal labor. The maid jobs are sold too. The construction industry is no more an easy entry for locals. Let us not forget the plantation sectors.

We are not even talking about the thousands of massage parlor workers and sex workers coming in under the cover of tourist visas.

Even pasar malam stalls, taxi driving, retail outlets – and many more have all gone to the foreign labor. Just take a tour of Petaling Street or any pasar malam all across the nation to see the reality.

And mind you, there must be truth in the perception that while there may be two million legalized (or authorized) workers here, it is everyone’s guess that the figure could just as well be doubled given the illegal workers coming and going and the recently ‘malaysianized’ foreigners.

So today we have a situation where foreign workers are not only taking back money by the millions from the country, but are also leaving us with a youth population that knows nothing about housekeeping, building and construction, harvesting the fields, trading, and a long list of economic activities, survival skills and know-how.

And let us cut the bull out of that argument that the nation is advancing and therefore Malaysians will not take on menial tasks. Take a look at the West or the East if you will. Their retired folks are gainfully engaged. Their youth population has the option to go into any of the industries that BN has ‘pajak’ to the foreign cheap substitute.

No small wonder then that we are now wrestling with Mat Rempits, drug addiction – including steroids, aesthetic and designer drugs, house break-ins, street crimes and what have you.

The BN led government has failed to ensure technology transfer to all Malaysians. They have failed to build alternative industries to keep Malaysians as economically viable. They have failed to keep the wealth of the nation within its borders. True?

Instead they absorbed the compromised-graduates into the civil service and we all know that half of them are only clocking the punch cards as there is no work. Or if there is work, much of it is redundant, repetitive and unproductive. Ask the traffic cops who man the stations and they will tell you many more stories of doing ‘bodoh punya kerja’.

Have we also not heard the all too often song that Malaysians are shying away from the jobs available and so we have to give it to the foreign workers?

It is indeed a wonder how the politicians can get away with such answers. Either Malaysians are fools or they are far too exhausted to even whimper.

We know that unhealthy profit taking is the only motivator for all those hiring foreign workers. Not nationhood. Period.

In any case, if the BN campers knew that Malaysia would not be an attractive cheap labor market eventually, then there are two questions that beg serious answers.

Firstly, then why did the Tun Dr who helmed the nation for 22 years pawn our citizens into cheap labor marketplace in the first place? Why did he take this short cut if not to push his own agenda for power and control?

Secondly, what were all the BN campers doing all these 30 years – why did they not map out strategic master plan to re-engage and transform our labor market into self-reliance?

We could have created our own knowledgeable workforce of construction and plantation workers, maids, traders and cottage industry hands by institutionalizing these sectors. We could have made it if the lords of contemporary Malaysia had kept interest of the rakyat as a priority above profit-taking and self enrichment in that process.

Today, our friends from neighboring countries are enriching their own nations with wealth brought in from the global market place. More there are also enriching their nation with craft and skills that will keep the country in good stead should the world economy crash.

But we – what have we got? The Abu, Ah Chong and Muthu can hardly bang a nail in concrete; the Siti, Swee Wong and Meenachi hardly know much about housekeeping and knitting yarn let alone growing chili in the back yard.

You can have all the skyscrapers. You can have all the flyovers. But when CORRUPTION and SELF INTEREST has blinded you, you leave the population paralyzed in the face of a global meltdown. And when the tides hits our shores do we blame the Soros and Jews again, just like the Tun Dr did before?

Thanks to BN. And thanks to all Malaysians too for believing the Tun Doctor’s dream for far too long, out of fear and passive submission.

Today, while half the working population is clinging on to their jobs for dear life, another half is drifting without much hope given the economic and financial storms brewing across the globe. And between these extremes is a tiny fraction enjoying the spoils of patronage for the new gurus of Malaysia – the POLITICIANS TURNED TYCOONS.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BN IS NOT FOREVER, NOR IS MAHATHIRISM by J.D. Lovrenciear

2012-01-22T07:29:00.000+08:00

This past decade has seen Malaysians politics boil and simmer, simmer and boil again. All these are puncturing too many holes in the armour of our economy while steadily shredding at the seams of our social cohesion.

For how long will we continue to be battered by the politicians who are hell bent in their determination to hold on to power is even beyond the soothsayers prediction.

But as long as BN politicians are determined and resolute to remain in power at all costs – even at the expense of democratic principles, then this nation will only sink deeper into the gutter of a failed nation status.

But looking at the daily unfolding of political drama after drama, it is everyone’s best that the rakyat are increasing getting fed up. Like in all nations across the globe, perhaps our youth will when tested to the limits someday soon, burst the seams of social order.

Is this what the BN is waiting and plotting for?

Not only are we the citizens worried about the looming global financial crisis, but even trying to grapple with the runaway cost of living is already a nightmare.

Civil servants are also scoffing at all the political rubbish pilling up. Same too goes to our men and women in blue. Talk to them over a cup of teh tarik and they will not shy from telling you “tak tahu lah apa sudah jadi sekarang”.

Whichever camp you belong to, let us face the fact – by virtue of the fact that BN has been in command of the nation’s political governance all these decades since independence, it must take absolute responsibility for the current state of crisis waiting to explode.

What BN is contributing and experiencing speaks volumes about the bankrupt leadership. And one need not be a management guru or leadership expert to decipher this, really.

BN should not blame the rakyat or the opposition camp for the state of mismanaged politics and bad governance that BN is being labeled with. If only BN had led wisely, the opposition would not be a threat; if only BN politicians had not succumbed to greed and corruption, BN would not have the rakyat abandoning them.

BN, you got it?

If truly people choose BN again, then walk in and get on with the business entrusted. If they lose, then pack and leave peacefully with a resolute will to be more transformed to the liking of the electorate by the next general elections.

BN must stop all these political scheming, talking down to the populace, dishing out threats, continuing to wallow in corruption and scaffolding individuals in their camps who have been alleged to have amassed illicit wealth, testing the justice system of the nation, and what not.

Already the longest serving Prime Minister has failed the citizens miserably. Instead of using his track record, power and influence to show the erring politicians the way forward, he has today become the ridicule of the entire nation. Even senior journalist in neighboring countries have not sparred their ink on the Tun Dr. Why?

For those of us who travel in and out of the country, we have first-hand experience of how many citizens in other countries are beginning to look at Malaysia with great suspicion. It could be far worse with potential investors though. In fact even newspapers in other countries are beginning to identify the serious state of political affairs in the country.

If there is any word that can best describe our current situation, it is this – we are in a mess.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

GONG XI FA CAI

2012-01-21T19:40:00.000+08:00

In just a few hours from now, Malaysian Chinese will celebrate Gong Xi Fa Cai to usher in the ‘Year of the Dragon’. May my family and I take this opportunity of wishing all Malaysian Chinese a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

DECLARATION OF ASSETS – WILL THIS RAISE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND TRUST?

2012-01-20T18:04:00.001+08:00

The MACC Corruption Prevention Advisory Board has recommended to the PM that ‘Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers and their immediate family members take a statutory declaration to declare their assets and records to be kept with the MACC’. Whilst I agree with this proposal, I would further add that Secretaries and all other political appointees staffing the office of Ministers and Deputy Ministers must also be required to declare their assets too. I am told that these are the people that act as ‘gate keepers’ and they would do the ‘negotiation’ first with the businessman prior to them being brought in to see their bosses. There have been talks of such cases in the past, and the recent revelation of secretaries receiving monthly payment from businessman may proof that such allegations are true.

Although the recommendation may sound good and well intended, I however do not believe that it will gain the support of those affected. As at now, there is already resistance from Minister in PM Department Nazri Aziz who felt that Cabinet Ministers and their family members should not submit their declaration to the MACC; rather it should only be submitted to the PM. He went further to say that family members should not be required to declare their assets for this may be dangerous.

Honestly, I do not know what Nazri Aziz means by dangerous. Does he mean that exposing too much of the family’s wealth can be the subject of a public investigation? Why has Nazri Aziz to fear if the declaration is honest, truthful and that the assets are not obtained through corrupt means? If PM Najib does accept Nazri Aziz’s proposal, then this defeats the purpose of being transparent and it would only raise public perception that if the declaration is to be submitted for the eyes of the PM only, then the declaration will be subject to abuse and the details in the declaration will not be honest and truthful. If the PM does accept Nazri Aziz’s proposal, the question asked would then be, “who would be scrutinizing the PM’s declaration?”

Regardless of how the proposal is to be implemented (if ever it is to be implemented), I still believe that the Penang government’s method is the most acceptable for the moment. It even allows the people to have access to the declaration by having it posted in the government’s website. There is nothing to fear if one is honest and incorruptible, and I am quite sure this method will be most welcomed by the people. However, I note that the declaration does not include family members which can be a cause of public mistrust and suspicion.

I would say that corruption among politicians (ministers and deputy ministers included) today is already a household word and is an embedded culture; a cancer of sort. I do not need to justify my statement because it is already in public domain. I do not see any will by the government to eradicate this ‘cancerous disease’ that is well rooted in every nook and corner of the civil service, and in the confines of the offices of some of our political masters. I fear the worse for this country if corruption cannot be uprooted, and if nothing drastic is done, rest assured this bless country of ours is doomed to failure.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NFC – THE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL

2012-01-18T22:49:00.000+08:00

Absurdity is the only word to describe the instruction by PM Najib to both DPM Muhyiddin Yasin and Agriculture Minister Noh Omar to look into the NFC fiasco. I think the instruction comes a bit too late since the case is now being investigated by the police and MACC. And what good is Muhyiddin and Noh Omar to the case now, particularly Muhyiddin who is deemed a party to the fiasco; him being the Agriculture Minister then to have approved the project to NFC. Now, it is just like asking someone to investigate a break in, when that someone was involved in the incident itself.

It was also reported that when a reporter had asked Noh Omar about the case, he conveniently said that the case be best referred to Muhyiddin. Now, what sort of an answer is this? It only shows how irresponsible he is, despite being instructed by PM Najib to look into the case. This answer would mean that the burden now rest solely upon Muhyiddin and Noh Omar wants to have nothing to do with it. This is the state that UMNO ministers are in now, where responsibility and accountability are taken for granted, despite Noh Omar being the present Agriculture Minister. The least he could have answered was that the matter is currently being looked at, although such an answer may sound equally stupid.

Shahrizat is now on a three weeks leave, hopefully to ponder over her fate and that of her family. I do not wish to speculate what will become of her when she is back from leave, and hopefully by then Malaysians would have a better insight as to how the case will proceed i.e. will there be charges leveled at the owners of the NFC or otherwise. I don’t believe that Shahrizat would be asked by the party leadership to resign knowing that she could bring others down with her over the NFC issue. The only choice that the party leadership has is for her to voluntarily exit the party and with ‘conditions’ attached.

As of now, the focus on the NFC fiasco is the misappropriation and abuse by the NFC management’s handling of the project where accusation is targeted at Shahrizat’s husband and her three children. But little attention is given to the people and authorities that were a party to have approved the project. Had the project being closely monitored and procedures abided strictly by the relevant government authorities, I think the project could have been saved from the mess that was reported. I am also not expecting that the approval was without a ‘side deal’ to benefit someone of influence or simply a ‘toll keeper’.

Looking back at the case, surely Muhyiddin who was the Agriculture Minister then has a lot to answer. And for him to absolve blame would tantamount to an act of betrayal, cowardice and dishonesty to the solemn pledge he made upon assuming the post of the Agriculture Minister. And now being the DPM, he has to show greater courage and forthrightness in what he does since this is a case of serious public interest. He can no longer hide the truth; neither can he lie because the facts are all in public domain. I think Muhyiddin is now trapped between the two evils and the only way out of his predicament is to reveal the truth, although this may be damaging to the party and to his close associate that had a hand in approving the project. This act may also be the cause of his final demise from politics, which I believe he fears most.

Clearly, the NFC fiasco has grown from bad to worse. The deeper you prod, the more is revealed, and now out comes the credit card spending amounting to RM600 thousand by NFC. Now, it would be interesting to know what was actually spent. I hope it is not for some personal luxury items like expensive watches, bags, shoes, perfumes and clothing that bears exclusive and branded names. I think there is that tendency to do the aforesaid because the money isn’t theirs.

Finally, let’s await the outcome of the investigation by the police and MACC. I would definitely not want to listen to what Muhyiddin or Noh Omar has to say about the case, and it would be best that they lay off from having to do anything with the ongoing investigations. Actually, they ought to be investigated too rather than being asked to look into the case, as ordered by PM Najib.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

TAN SRI KADIR SHEIKH FADZIR DROPPED A BOMB SHELL

2012-01-18T11:28:00.002+08:00

Former Tourism Minster Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir has dropped a ‘bomb shell’ that will now proof for certain that money had been widely used by UMNO to buy votes in previous elections. In the past this issue has been widely talked about but there wasn’t anyone from within UMNO that dared to come forward to substantiate and confirm such an allegation. Since the statement was made, there has not been any single rebuttal by any member of the ruling UMNO party; certainly not from the party’s top leadership. Silence is golden they say, but in this particular case, silence is a confession of guilt.

With this revelation, it puts to rest the perception that I have had since the 2004 election, and that of many others, that UMNO had continuously won the elections through devious and corrupt means. It is now proven that UMNO is a party of cheaters and for that, all those that had won the election through the aforesaid means does not deserve the allowances paid to them, and calling them the ‘Yang Berhormat’ is utter disgrace and a mockery. It is more appropriate that such elected members be called the “Yang Penipu’. You may think that I am being rude and hard on these cheaters, but what better expression can I use to describe them.

I had been a leader of men and it dawn in me that being a leader comes with responsibilities. I have to gain respect from the men I command and lead, and I can only achieve this by showing to them my exemplary character and behavior; both in words and action. Had I been a leader that was unscrupulous and rose up the ranks through devious means, I ought to be mocked and shamed wherever I go. I am not saying that I am an exemplary leader, but I am convinced that I have not bribed or bad mouth anyone to get to where I was in my career in the Army. How my superiors viewed me wasn’t important, but how my subordinates had looked upon me, I think is more relevant.

The upcoming election will be a difficult one for both the BN and PR. UMNO/BN has declared this election to be a ‘Mother of all Battles’. PR too sees this election to be their ‘Day of Judgment’ that will determine whether the party sinks or be kept afloat. Both parties have their strength and weaknesses. UMNO/BN has a proven record of ruling the country (for better or for worse) since independence, while the PR has the four states to proof their worthiness. UMNO/BN of late seems to be mired in controversies (corruption, misappropriation and abuses), while the PR seems to be shaken by the sacking of its PAS Selangor state exco member Dato Hassan Ali that can be a torn in the PR’s efforts at winning the elections.

Surely UMNO/BN has all the resources, especially the money (taxpayers money of course) to be handed out to those with a household income of less than RM3000 and some other cash handout as a bait (this was vehemently denied by DPM Muhyiddin) to win votes. I say this is because if it was an honest gesture to help relieve the people’s suffering, it should have been done many years ago on a regular basis; not a one off and at a time when the election is just around the corner. Muhyiddin can say what he wants but clearly, he cannot hide the ulterior motives behind the cash handouts to Malaysian anymore. UMNO/BN is known for this and watch my word; more cash handouts will be delivered as the election draws near. Where the money is coming from, God knows.

With vote buying or not, UMNO/BN’s scheming tactics at winning the election will now be under close scrutiny; not only by concerned Malaysians voters, but by some of their own party members who are clearly fed up with the cheating that has been going on in UMNO/BN. This cheating scheme has gone long enough, and Malaysians can no longer stand by to watch and be govern by a party that is elected through the most unscrupulous and devious means. I will expect the people to rise against a government that is elected by such means.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

RAJA NONG CHIK – STOP YOUR DAY DREAMING!

2012-01-16T21:16:00.000+08:00

I was with a group of retirees sharing their normal tea tarik session this morning at Putrajaya. And being retirees what else could we be talking about other than about our children, grandchildren and most of all, what need to be done to keep our mind and body healthy. And being retirees, this does not mean that we do not keep abreast with all that is happening in the country today. On the contrary, our level of awareness has peaked up and we are more concern now about what is happening to the country today, than during the time when we were all working. The reason is simply that time is now at our pleasure to read and to reason out, and to be able to make a comparison with all that we see happening to the country today, with that of the past.

They all having to know that I am a blogger had asked me to comment on the recent statement made by FT Minister Raja Nong Chik that the Chinese community at Lembah Pantai are beginning to be drawn towards the BN. I said, “Yes, I am aware of that statement by Raja Nong Chik, but I believe he must be day dreaming when he uttered that statement”. I do not know on what basis of facts was used by the minister to come out with such a statement. If it was Shahrizat to have said that, then I do have some reason to believe it. But having to come from Raja Nong Chik who is virtually a ‘novice’ in the Lembah Pantai constituency is hard for me to believe. Is it because after handing over hampers and ‘ang pow’ to some 400 odd elderly Chinese, and presumably after having a quick brief by the MCA representatives is enough to convince Raja Nong Chick that the Chinese at Lembah Pantai will vote for the BN this time around?

Now, let me say this to Raja Nong Chik and to his MCA ‘advisors’ – once again, please stop your day dreaming. The reason I say this is firstly, Raja Nong Chik isn’t an elected representative and he became a minister through the ‘rear door’. They should know that the Lembah Pantai voters are not the kampung type where they can be easily manipulated once a year with hampers and ‘ang pows’. You give, they take and after all, the money for the hampers and ‘ang pows’ does not come from their personal pockets. If the money is from the allocation provided by the government, then it is public money and for this, the entire elderly Chinese community throughout the country deserves the same gift of hampers and ‘ang pows’.

Secondly, Lembah Pantai constituents are of the middle and higher income group; hence they are not illiterates; rather they are a learned lot. They are fully aware of what is going on to the country today, and can differentiate lies from truth; rhetoric or otherwise. When even the super mama Shahrizat Jalil could be trounced by a virtually unknown Nurul Izzah in the last elections, this time who is Raja Nong Chik to take on the jewel of PKR Nurul Izzah. Does he not know that Nurul Izzah has got much stronger and more popular today? Just walk the streets at the Lembah Pantai constituency and one can sense her popularity. And even if BN were to use the usual money tactics to buy votes, they can be terribly mistaken this time? Was it not the popular former Tourism Minister Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir who said that money (lots of it) was used to buy votes in previous elections? Of course the voters will take the money handed to them, but this does not guarantee the electorates will vote for the BN candidate – not now.

Thirdly, Lembah Pantai has a large number of young voters and there is no denying that this time around, it is the young voters that will make that critical decision as to which party will be chosen to govern the country. We have seen how the youth (especially university/college students) have daringly come forward to make their voices heard at public forums, in direct challenge to the rulings imposed by the government. This new form of public opinion and awareness is unheard off before. There is the obvious realization that their voices can no longer be subdued by archaic government rulings, and that they want to have a role in the political, economic and social development of the country; especially that affecting their life as matured university students. They no longer want to be cocooned to the academic trap, and to be seen as school children; to be told what can be done and what cannot be done.

Finally, if someone were to ask me this question,”Where then should Raja Nong Chik contest, given that PM Najib thinks he is a winnable candidate and wants to still make him a minister; this time through the ‘front door’? My answer would be this – “Dump Tengku (?) Adnan out of Putrajaya and bring in Raja Nong Chik”. I think Tengku (?) Adnan has had enough as a minister. Let’s see if PM Najib takes this bite.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BBC AND ANWAR ON ‘ARCHAIC LAWS’ by Hj. Mokhtar Stork

2012-01-16T11:23:00.000+08:00

I found it interesting when look at the array of local newspapers available today concerning the BBC interview with Anwar Ibrahim. What I found amazing was that the interview made the headlines on the front page of a Malay vernacular paper while in the STAR, and English tabloid, it only occupied a very small unnoticeable column on page 12.

The English version was straight forward while the Malay version had other motives. I guess it is a battle of the minds within the Malay Muslim community. Even though Anwar meant well, but the usual twist and turn makes it look like he is promoting gayism and of course its activities, all unacceptable in Islam. It would be better if Anwar avoided these bobby traps and get down to doing what needs to be done.

What I find equally amazing is that people who have plundered the country’s wealth, murders etc, have yet to be tried justly and punished or may have been tried and given holiday sentences, to be viewed by the same community in general with indifference but yet when it comes to sodomy, there is s hue and cry. Are not all kinds of offences treated with severity in Islam, but yet SODOMY occupies the headlines!

When further reflect on this issue, is it not archaic when we view the 20 year prison term in comparison to one year for plunder the nation’s wealth? I definitely believe that such laws are outdated while those in practice truly a joke.

In concluding, it can be said that there is a need to look at justice with a conscience rather than to manipulate it to serve specific interest.

Note: Hj. Mokhtar Stork blogs on http://thinkaloudtoday.wordpress.com

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WILL PR’S BASTION BE BREACHED?

2012-01-14T13:42:00.002+08:00

PM Najib has been on the offensive to retake the wealthiest state in the peninsular i.e. Selangor, lost to the PR coalition during the 2008 elections. As a result of the change of government, many startling issues have surfaced, especially with regards to poor corporate governance of the BN government resulting in loss of state revenue through unscrupulous deals involving state officials and politicians alike, and even the mismanagement of government owned business entities. I would simply sum it up by saying that leaders of the previous government threats the business entities as their personal ATM where money can just be disbursed to suite their whims and fancies. Otherwise, why had Selangor being a highly resource rich state be in the red over many years under the BN government, in stark contrast to the present government where in over just two years were able to record a surplus in state revenue; thus reclaiming itself to be the richest state in the Federation. Records of the success of the PR government are readily available in the various new media, but conveniently shielded out in the mainstream media.

Over the last few months and culminating in the grand festivities to welcome the New Year in Shah Alam, Selangor, the federal government has been doing a lot of publicity by announcing projects in the state that would supposedly appeal to the people, in the hope of winning their votes. MB aspirant and Selangor UMNO Deputy Liaison chief Noh Omar has been on a fault finding mission to discredit the state government where ever the opportunity arises, unknown to himself that what the PR state government is doing now is to undo the wrongs of the previous government. One obvious example is to stamp the illegal extraction of sand by unscrupulous contractors and because of this, there is now an increase in state revenue over the extraction of sand through proper and well enforced regulatory measures.

Yesterday, PM Najib during his visit to the state, he had made the usual promises and pledges e.g. to reduce the rental rates of tenants at the PKNS complex and promise to build a surau and a Hindu temple at the Taman Rimba Jaya housing area; supposedly with a caveat i.e. to vote in the UMNO/BN government during the upcoming election. I think PM Najib’s approach to solving the people’s problem is too amateurish and lacks sincerity. The reason I say this is because he perceives the people of Selangor differently, since the state is governed by the opposition. Had he been sincere and is wholeheartedly willing to help, he only need to call upon the Menteri Besar to discuss how best to solve the people’s problems. What is there to be selfish about? Aren’t the people of Selangor Malaysians themselves?

Being born in Selangor, I think I have a better understanding and feel for the people of the state. I must declare that I am thoroughly frustrated with the UMNO/BN government in the past who sees themselves as rulers rather than a servant of the people. I have never been associated with any single elected representative because I do not see myself being of the same league with them. My hatred for them culminated in the broom presentation incident (if my readers could remember) by the then MB Khir Toyo to one of the President of a local council as a mark of displeasure at the poor performance of the council. The incident is the most shameful incident ever for the recipient of the broom and a show of absolute arrogance by the MB. I did say to some of my kampong folks that had the recipient be me, I would have thrown the broom back at the MB face.

Looking back at all that has occurred to Khir Toyo since being dethroned as the MB, I think he is now being punished for his arrogance. It is Allah’s will that he be found guilty in his recent court case and he ought to know this. Allah gives and Allah takes it away, so they say.

If anyone were to ask me what would be the chance of UMNO/BN winning back Selangor. My straight answer is – not for now – and not in the future. PR bastion i.e. Selangor will remain firm and unshaken.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

KUGAN – A SYMBOL OF POLICE BRUTALITY

2012-01-14T06:49:00.001+08:00

I had in some earlier articles mentioned the name Kugan; a 23 year old Indian boy who was found dead in police custody some three years ago in the Taipan police station, Subang Jaya. The name is now a symbol of police brutality that is commonly associated with dictatorial regimes. I am glad that the case is once again brought to public notice by the lawyers representing Kugan’s family members who has sought that justice be brought against those responsible for Kugan’s death. Having seen photos of Kugan’s dead body, I am very certain that he did not die a natural death as the police had alleged; rather Kugan had died a violent death of beatings and torture, all in the hands of the police. Surely Kugan did not beat himself to death; just like the Anwar’s black eye incident where the IGP then had said that the black eye was self inflicted; only to know later that the IGP was a blatant liar.

Till this day, I cannot understand nor could I accept the lies perpetrated by those that had caused the death of Kugan; directly or otherwise. Everyone, from the police to the doctors that had examined the body of Kugan had lied through and through, without any sense of guilt and fear that they all will be answerable and questioned in their graves. Yes, they may escape the wrath of the law now because of the power they yield, but one has to believe that God’s punishment in the hereafter is most severe. As I have said before, those who had caused Kugan’s death and the death of the hundreds more in police custody can have their freedom today, but their guilt cannot escape them. With blood in their hands, it will linger in their minds and hearts till they finally face the Creator.

As the lawyer of the family of Kugan had said that this is the most heinous crime committed by the police upon a yet to be proven offender, but the police finds it irrelevant to take up the case to prosecute the murders despite the knowledge that a grievous crime had occurred under their charge. Till this day, not a single person has been charge and the case remained unheard; safe in the vaults of the Taipan police station. For all we know, all the files may have gone missing.

I can now appreciate and understand the reason why retired senior police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim is so vehemently passionate and persistent to bring to justice the abuses, fabrication and misconduct by AG Gani Patail and former IGP Musa Hassan, particularly in the case involving Anwar Ibrahim black eye incident of 1998. Despite the evidences detailed out by Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim in several revelations against the two to the media, nothing has been done, let alone be acted upon by the relevant authorities in the government. The silence is indeed deafening, but this is the sorry state of affairs of the nation today where the powerful rules as it wishes and they do absolutely no wrong. It is only the weak and meek that get to answer for the slightest mistakes made. And as Anwar Ibrahim would say, “a policeman that takes RM50 from someone is called corruption, but for the well connected, taking RM500 million is called commission”. I do not believe that under the present regime, Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim’s lone voice of reason will ever be heard. There is too much at stake and if all the allegations are to be heard, then those in power today and the past would have a lot to answer.

Finally, let’s hope that Kugan’s family gets the justice that they so deserve. Likewise, the hundreds more that had mysteriously died in police custody. The same can also be said of the death of Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sharbani whose cause of death too remains a mystery that makes a good Bollywood movie. And how many more mysterious deaths will continue occur in the hands of the authorities before we Malaysians can finally be assured that justice has no bounds and limits – rather justice is equal for all.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

KUDOS CM LIM GUAN ENG

2012-01-13T20:43:00.001+08:00

I can only say, CONGRATULATIONS to Penang CM Lim Guan Eng for being the first state government to have all the Exco members declare publicly their personal assets. This is a fine example of what leadership is all about – truthful and honest to the people that had voted them in? It takes a Chinese CM to do what a Malay CM or PM should be doing all along, and aren’t the Malay leaders, especially UMNO leaders that has held the reins of power for more than five decades not ashamed? If CM Lim Guan Eng has the courage to order his Exco members to declare their personal assets, why can’t PM Najib do it to all his ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries? And mind you, the declaration can be viewed by everyone in the state government’s web page.

The answer to above question posed is simple – CM Lim Guan Eng isn’t corrupt and he does not have the wealth to boast around. No Bali-like palatial home, no exclusive German made imported cars (not one but many) and no private holidays and world trips travelling on First Class at public expense. Can we say that of our UMNO/BN leaders? Surely no – and we have seen examples of the luxuries enjoyed by some UMNO/BN leaders that we know isn’t from their honest and hard earned earnings. I think CM Lim Guan Eng leadership example is more Muslim than most Muslims in this country has shown themselves to be.

CM Lim Guan Eng has shown to us what a PR government should be doing in projecting its leaders as trustworthy and honest elected representatives. My only desire is to see the remaining three PR state governments do likewise, and I am quite sure this will appeal to the electorates.

I do not think the present UMNO/BN leadership has the will nor the desire to do what CM Lim Guan Eng had done. They can no longer hide their wealth because it is too obvious. Please don’t get me wrong here. I am not implying that all UMNO/BN leaders are corrupt and unscrupulous, because I know some are God fearing and plain honest. I do not wish to name them here; neither do I wish to list those that are unscrupulous. I think everyone knows how to distinguish the good from the bad.

To CM Lim Guan Eng, let me tell you this. Please keep up the good and exemplary work. As a Malay, I salute you for your honesty, sincerity, will and commitment to transform Penang into a state that is free of corruption. We have not had this for the last 50 odd years and the example that you have shown, I am sure will be a ‘pace setter’ for other PR state governments to emulate.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BEWARE OF THE NUMBER 13

2012-01-12T22:26:00.002+08:00

Sodomy II is now over after a long and perilous trial. It is not Anwar Ibrahim that I cared less, but I cared more for his family members. I sense the agony, restlessness, fear and uncertainty that the family members had gone through all these years. I being a father of three children and a grandfather of four grand children could sense the suffering endured by Dr. Wan Azizah, her children and grandchildren. It is because of such great feelings of sympathy that I had for Anwar’s family that had influenced me to slant most of my writings to favour Anwar Ibrahim. I am truly amazed at the strength of Dr. Wan Azizah to be able to withstand the persistent onslaught against her husband by UMNO, and to be able to keep the family glued together in times of absolute hardship. With the trial over, I hope Anwar’s family members can now go on with their lives in the comfort that they do not have to endure many more trips to the Jalan Duta High Court.

The slandering, smearing, scurrilous attacks and character assassination of Anwar and his family by UMNO and their cohorts however will not cease. Even as I write, I could already hear voices of dissent against Anwar, and expectedly from none other than Ummi Hafilda, the sister of PKR’s Azmin Ali. Isn’t this the woman that was embroiled in Anwar Ibrahim’s first sodomy charge? And wasn’t she the woman that was renounced by her own father for causing a feud within the family? To be renounced by her own father is serious and hell awaits her if she does not repent and seek forgiveness from her father. I do not know if she had ever sought forgiveness from her father before he died. Ummi Hafilda has vowed to continue her personal vendetta and scurrilous attacks against the three A’s i.e. Anwar, Azizah and Azmin. I am quite sure she will be a super campaigner for UMNO in the run up to the election, slandering everyone that is associated with Anwar including his own blood brother Azmin. You call this an honorable lady? It’s only UMNO that honors’ her. So Ummi, please keep on slandering and smearing others to your heart's contend. And after you have finished, take a look at the mirror and ask yourself if you have never sinned in your lifetime.

From the statements made by UMNO/BN leaders following Anwar’s not guilty verdict, there isn’t the obvious fear shown by them that more trouble can be expected from Anwar, given his new found freedom. The show of ‘confidence’ can either mean that UMNO/BN is fully equipped and ready to take on the full brunt of Anwar’s onslaught, or that the party is now too confused and digging hard to device new strategies to counter Anwar’s new wave of popularity that is so obviously seen at all his political rallies. This new wave of popularity is a photo copy of the scene that led to PR unexpected victory in denying UMNO/BN their two third majority during the 2008 GE.

While PR leaders are already in the forefront in their daily political rallies, UMNO/BN leaders are still tugged in the comfort of their stately homes, officiating functions and possibly attending dinners as its guest of honour. Maybe, some would return home on the weekends to their constituencies for a meet-the-members session and to hand out a gift or two.

It is interesting to make a comparison on the people’s appeal and response at UMNO/BN’s and PR political rallies. I note that there is an obvious mismatch between the two political parties, notably in the quality of the speakers and their fluency at articulating issues. I think PR has an upper hand at this. PR also seems to have a retinue of young and able speakers at any particular rally and their appearance is pleasantly received by the audience who are also generally young. I wonder why is the UMNO genius Khairy Jamaluddin so quite now? Has he not started his rallies? I am just waiting to hear him debate with PR’s Rafizi over the NFC scandal.

In UMNO/BN it is only PM Najib that seems to be making his rounds at meet-the-people sessions, but the audiences that attend his political rallies are certainly far short of the numbers attending Anwar Ibrahim’s rallies. If this can be taken as a measure of popularity, I think Anwar Ibrahim is one up on PM Najib. Anwar Ibrahim’s oratory skills and the way he appeals to the audience to communicate with him is no match for PM Najib. PM Naijb’s is too stereotype in his speech and presentation. He also does have the right vocal to attract the audience attention.

I think UMNO/BN has yet to be awakened to the political realities that surround them; made worse by the recent corruption scandals plaguing the party leaders. Despite the obvious misdeeds, PM Najib has yet to level blame on anyone of them. On the contrary, PM Najib has declared that there are no claims of corruption against anyone of them i.e. Shahrizat, Awang Adek, Jamil Khir and I suppose this includes the two aides of Ministers. And what about Azalina Othman Said? A decision like this I think will be the cause for the eventual downfall of PM Najib and that of his party.

If indeed UMNO/BN is to fall this upcoming GE, then it is the number 13 that is to be blamed.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

MORE EXPOSURES FROM WHISTLEBLOWER 711

2012-01-12T06:39:00.002+08:00

‘The Whistleblower 711’ blogger has now made another revelation of alleged corruption involving former Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said when it was shown that she had received a CIMB Cheque amounting to RM300,000 on 7 April 2011 from one Dato Yahya Abdul Jalil of Advance Maintenance Precision Management Sdn Bhd, for unknown purpose. You know, I have not seen that kind of money in my entire life.

Earlier this same blogger had exposed what is believed to be allegation of corrupt practice involving aides of honourable Ministers and including one Deputy Minister Awang Adek himself (view my earlier article dated 28 December 2011 titled ‘Corruption – A Definition by UMNO’) and the giver is the same Dato Yahya Abdul Jalil. I suppose Dato Yahya must be an extremely wealthy person (I think he must be an UMNO member) and a generous one at that. And DPM Muhyiddin Yasin had said that he would do an internal investigation of the alleged corruption of his aide. Would you believe this?

I do not know Azalina Othman’s reaction to the allegation. Will she also claim that the money is a contribution towards her party work and that she has all the receipts to prove? The cheque was made payable in the name of Azalina Othman and this would mean that it has to be credited into her personal account. This seems a mirror image of Awang Adek’s case where he said that the money received and credited into his personal account was meant for party work for his constituency. What else can he say, but let’s wait awhile to see if Azalina Othman does come out with a statement to rebut the allegation. Dare you Azalina?

You see, despite all that has been said and written about the rampant corruption within UMNO involving every level within the party hierarchy, nothing can stop their ferocious appetite and greed for money. It does not really matter how it is done so long as money flows into their pockets. Fear for Allah’s wrath means nothing to them, and they shamelessly attend prayers sporting their recognizable high ‘Songkok Hitam’ and ‘Baju Melayu’, pretending to be good Muslims. I say to such people that they are a bunch of hypocrites and unworthy of being Malays and a Muslim. They all ought to be ashamed, but shame isn’t a word that they know off. And how could they be ashamed when even their Religious Affairs Minister unashamedly used ‘Zakat’ money to pay off his legal fees. What an in despicable act for a person learned in religion.

Now getting back at Azalina Othman, I have heard lots of stories about her when she was Tourism Minister. Not the so good ones though, and in sharp contrast to Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir when he was the Tourism Minister, who was very much liked by the Ministry’s staffs. I think that’s the reason why Azalina Othman did not last very long as a Minister. I don’t think she is any more a winnable candidate for the upcoming election by PM Najib’s definition.

The 13th General Election is just around the corner they say, and corruption will be a major issue to be talked about by the opposition during the campaigning. This will not be easy for PM Najib and his fellow ministers to defend. New exposures are being revealed every other day creating new challenges for the MACC to act speedily in order to satisfy the public’s urge for a corrupt free government.

And by the way things are going I do not think I could see my country be corrupt free during my life time if UMNO were to be back in power after the election. And if there were to be a change in government, I am not too optimistic either that the country will be absolutely free of corruption, although I believe corruption will be reduced drastically.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

EXPLOSION – WHO COULD HAVE DONE IT?

2012-01-11T14:24:00.001+08:00

Has anyone given a serious thought as to who were the people likely to be involved in planting the explosives during the ‘Free Anwar’ rally at the Jalan Duta Court complex Monday last, other than what was commented by the police? Has anyone seriously argued or reasoned out what was the real motive behind the planting of the explosives?

It was reported that the explosives were time activated and placed under a police cone. We were told that the police had cleared the area around the court complex a day before and continued to maintain surveillance of the area till the very last minute. I am told that there were several hundred policemen deployed to maintain tight security around the court complex a day before, and continued their presence until the crowd gradually dispersed after the verdict on Anwar Ibrahim was announced.

What comes to mind about this peculiar incident is that the nature of explosives used (as described by the police) cannot be prepared by any ordinary person. It has to be done by someone with a good knowledge in the handling of explosive and if it is to be timed activated, the process is even more difficult. With this in mind therefore, the operation to plant the explosive cannot be done in haste; rather it has to be deliberately done and this would involve more than one person. One must be reminded that for an explosion to occur there has to be at least three basic components used i.e. detonating cord, detonator and the charge. I am to remind my readers that these three basic components are not readily available in the sundry shop or super market. These are highly controlled items available only to the military, police and companies involved in quarry blasting.

To most, the immediate reaction to this incident is to square blame on the people that attended the rally, and this would mean supporters of the opposition and their sympathizers. I detest to such a view because I know too well that it is beyond the crowd’s ability or intent to deliberately plant explosives without being detected, and of all places under a police cone. If at all the crowd wanted to be unruly, they do not need explosives to cause a riot. Even their bare hands could be equally destructive.

Now, let’s back track to the Reformasi Movement of 1998 and the recent Bersih 2.0 rally. Were there explosive used? Yes, the police did find some ‘Molotov cocktail’ during the Bersih 2.0 rally but even that, I believe it wasn’t the work of members of the rally. It was some flimsy job by some ‘agent provocateurs’ who let the find by the police who then claimed that it is the work of members of the rally. How convenient.

Now, in the case of the explosion at the Jalan Duta court complex, I again say that it isn’t the work of anyone from the crowd because they had no interest in being riotous, even if the verdict on Anwar Ibrahim was a guilty verdict. I do not wish to place blame on anyone but my gut feeling says that some professional hands maybe involved.

I did speak to some of my military friends about the incident, and one responded by saying that this is a job done by someone stupid who thinks that we are all stupid to place the blame on the rally. Now, who could that someone stupid be? Your guess is as good as mine.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

FORMING A NEW GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE PR’S PRIMARY FOCUS, BUT IMPROVING PR’S 2008 ELECTION GAIN IS.

2012-01-10T20:31:00.002+08:00

The acquittal verdict by the presiding judge in the Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy charge on Monday will be headline news for many more weeks to come, particularly in the new media and blogs. Seriously, I did not expect an acquittal verdict, and I had even wrote earlier that Anwar’s position is a forgone case. I would not even believe the statements made by Anwar’s defence team that they had a good chance of winning the case, simply because I am greatly influence by previous court judgment, whereby cases brought up against the opposition would normally end up in them (opposition) being the loser.

I am not at all elated by the acquittal because I believe there are many more cases; and serious ones too, that have not been accorded due justice. Here, I am talking about the numerous incidents of death in police custody, and not a single policeman has been charged, tried, found guilty and sentenced for causing such death. I am not going to list them here as these are renowned cases where justice simply took a blind course. Clearly, there isn’t the will by the authorities to prosecute their kind and this leaves the perpetrators to roam freely, despite the guilt of being an accomplished in the murderous scheme.

I am also not too concern by the comments made by some of our UMNO leaders and their likes that the acquittal verdict on Anwar is proof that the judiciary wasn’t in anyway influenced by the government. I hope such comments coming from the PM, DPM, Rais Yatim and even from Tun Dr. Mahathir are sincere and come from deep in their heart. Honestly, I have serious doubts because it is a known fact that since Anwar’s sacking in 1998, he has been UMNO’s arch enemy and surely UMNO does want to see its enemy survive the political turmoil. They would rather like to see Anwar being cast away in oblivion. This is a fact that they all cannot deny.

I do not want to prejudge the course of action that the prosecution would want to take, but surely we cannot deny them their rights for an appeal. And should the prosecution wins the appeal and the acquittal verdict reversed to one of guilty as charged, then there is no justifiable reason for anyone to now say that the judgment is being influenced by the government. So you see this is the reason why I do not want to believe in any of the comments made by our UMNO leaders. In this regards, let us all be reminded of the illegal take-over by UMNO of the Perak state government following the 2008 election that an earlier judgment in favour of the PR was subsequently reversed in favour of UMNO. This is political trickery and a ploy of the highest order that could only happen in Boleh Land.

As for Anwar and PR, please do not for once be too certain that your chances of winning the upcoming election and of forming a new government is easily within grasp. You do not know what’s up the sleeves of the BN, and you ought to know too well the enormous resources (I mean money) within their control. Do you need to be reminded of how one particular UMNO Pekan candidate who was certain to lose the election, could suddenly become a winner by some miraculous stroke of luck? This can also happen to Anwar and the rest at their own turf. Anwar and PR have to set aside any thoughts of forming a new government as yet and to focus their sights on improving their gains in the last 2008 elections.

A strong and credible opposition is what this country desires, regardless who wins the election.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHY WAS ANWAR REALLY ACQUITTED?

2012-01-10T17:04:00.001+08:00

Got this comment via email. Interesting reading and I’d like you be the judge.

THE JUDGE GAVE A SIMPLE explanation that the DNA sample could have been contaminated. He could have come to this conclusion a long time ago and decided then that there was no case to answer. However, he did not do that and instead said that Anwar had a case to answer and hence the trial.

Remember also at one stage Anwar wanted the judge to be replaced because the judge had made comments that implied that Anwar was guilty. In any democratic country the case would have been thrown out based on the evidence presented.

Saiful even admitted that it was consensual sex so they change the charge. Saiful even had an audience with the PM to discuss this case – of course PM said he met Saiful to discuss about his scholarship!

Everything was pointing to a conviction by hook or by crook. Surprise, surprise the judge decided to acquit Anwar. What made the judge make a 180 degree turn around? Now, all the ministers and the good old Doc is saying, “there is no such thing as interference with the judiciary system”.

They must think we were born yesterday. Anwar was the biggest threat to UMNO and they are doing everything they can to hang on to power. So why was he acquitted?

So far I have not seen any pictures in the internet about the heavy presence of the FRU like they had the Bersih rally. I even got the impression that there was not much police presence. It is as if they knew that he was going to be acquitted.

I would guess that 90% of people would have thought that Anwar would have been convicted for a case that should not have gone to trial in the first place.

To me this verdict smells. What is the real answer why he was acquitted? Did Anwar do a deal? I am not debating the issue whether Anwar was guilty or not. To me the more interesting take from this is why was the decision so contrary to everyone’s expectation?

Let’s keep an eye on Anwar’s behavior from now onwards. Let’s wait and hear the things Anwar talks about from now onwards.

His first words after the acquittal was he is surprised and vindicated – “We have an agenda. Will focus on elections”. Hmmmmm.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NOW THAT THE MALAYSIAN SPRING HAS BEEN SPARED, LET THE SUNSHINE IN DSAI by J.D. Lovrenciear

2012-01-09T14:47:00.001+08:00

At last all Malaysians can heave a sigh of relief and sing prayerfully with hope. The acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim this morning has potentially saved the nation from a worrisome ‘Malaysian Spring’.

It also gives the Malaysian judiciary a small opening in the window to ejaculate from the jaws of political injustice and reinstate the purity of democratic justice. It is now up to the entire judiciary to swing wide open its door to let the winds of democracy smoothly sailing the world to come full breath into the country too.

Indeed, the ruling party has wasted the rakyat’s wealth – in terms of costs and time, in its disgusting, persistent and vendetta-filled political agenda to finish-off a man who continues to give hope for a better Malaysia for all.

The time has come with wisdom as we Malaysian’s have been spared a nasty Spring, and now can jump-start our journey to a sunshine Malaysia. This now is in the hands of Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) and his leadership partners in the coalition Pakatan pool. Malaysians must pray, hope and insist that the coalition move on a steady steam to build a hopeful and inspired nation that can nurture its people, the Rulers and the nation of tomorrow.

And for this to happen, all those who only have the hope for a fair Malaysia and its future generations at heart must come together without any conditions. It is time to rise, and continue this journey to cleanse this country of all the ill-doings of past and present politicians who have greedily thrived on corrupt ways to self enrichment.

Just look at the way the politicians have been leading their lives. Just look at the way they build palaces for themselves. Just count the flashy cars in their garage. Or take into account the splashing overseas trips their families frolic in. Or even the obscenely expensive jewelry and artifacts that hug their silken clothes, and the oversized rings and handbags that they shamelessly flash in all public settings.

Rings and bells? Of course! But let us not waste time on these filthy stories. It is time to cusp the early rays of sunshine in our bosom.
Let us rid all these opulence and give back to the rakyat and the nation what rightfully belongs to all Malaysians.

The time has come to a high note. We should move on to build our summer of tomorrow. Let us in the sunshine hope. DSAI, you have to deliver now Sir.

It is now or never. The rakyat must galvanize this God given new hope and it needs every citizen’s contribution.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

OF THREATS, INTIMIDATION AND FEAR

2011-12-31T14:20:00.000+08:00

I am witnessed to the hardship and inconvenience that my grandmother had to face during the period of first Malayan Emergency, with food rationing, security checks and curfew. However, as a child I never knew what all these meant, despite seeing soldiers of the Commonwealth Forces passing through the village hunting down the Communist Terrorist (CT). There was not to be the slightest fear in me.

And when I decided to join the Army, I was witnessed to the entire period of the resurgence of the Communist Insurgency. It was only then that I knew how difficult it was to seek out the CTs and the hardship that the security forces had to face. It was not only the difficulties of having to toil the jungle areas for months on end, but being newly married and having to raise a family, I sometimes found my personal life overbearingly difficult, and at times emotional.

Today, the country had since 1989 freed itself from the CT menace. We can proudly claim to be the only country in the world that had fought communist terrorism over several decades and won. It had taken hundreds of lives of our security forces though, whose death were certainly not in vain. These fallen men will be forever remembered for their sacrifices for generations to come, and they are truly our national heroes. For those (security forces) who had served the country during the period of the Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation and the Communist Insurgency and are still alive today will appreciate and understand the meaning of peace and security, and how much it matters to them and to the country.

The country today is safe and is at peace. People from all walks of life are free to travel around the length and breadth of the country without the fear of the communist threat. There are no more curfews, food rationing, security road checks, wanton murders and house to house searches for CT sympathizers. Members of the security forces no longer operates in deep jungle areas for long duration, laying ambush and be shot at, be maimed by anti personal mines and bobby traps and to conduct long and treacherous foot patrols. Children no longer miss their father for long period of time, and the constant fear that their father may not come home alive. Ask any wife then, and that was the most common fear that they all harbored in their hearts.

A few days ago, I read that there were some irresponsible people who had openly commented that the country will be in turmoil if de facto PR leader Anwar Ibrahim gets a prison sentence on January 9, 2012. I do not know the basis of their argument and rationalization for them to have derived at such an assessment and conclusion.

Utusan Melayu’s Awang Selamat and Perkasa’s boisterous Ibrahim Ali, the two people that had come out with that conclusion should be grilled for making such ‘startling, irresponsible and ridiculous statement’ that can cause fear and apprehension among the peace loving public. But being somewhat of a ‘government’s spokesmen’, they are deemed untouchable, protected and out of reach of the law. Both, I think never held a rifle before nor had they spend time in the jungle seeking out the CTs. They have neither experienced the tumultuous period of the 13 May nor knew the difficulties and challenges faced by our security forces in warding off the threat posed during the Indonesian Confrontation. I believe they were living off their comforts of home since birth.

I would advise that these two people keep their gap shut, for I know they will be the first people to hide under the skirts of their wives if there were to be trouble in the country. Didn’t Ibrahim Ali threatened to use his ‘warriors’ to challenge Bersih 2.0, but conveniently kept away from being involved during the rally? He lost his keris and that’s the reason why. And for Awang Selamat, please do not hide behind a pseudonym. I say that your nonsensical column in Utusan Malaysia will cease after GE 13. Both are simply cowards and are cheap ‘war mongers’ – that’s what they are good at.

If someone were to ask me how do I assess the situation on 9 January? I would say, “Yes, the situation will be tense but not riotous. Even if they were to be riots, it will be confirm to urban areas (notably KL) and not widespread throughout the country. It will not be anything bigger than the riots experienced during the ‘Reformasi Movement’ of 1998. I think the police can manage the entire situation and certainly I do not believe the Armed Forces should be deployed at all – whatever are the circumstances. Should the Armed Forces be deployed, it can only be done after due consultation and with the royal consent of HRH the Yang DiPertuan Agong, him being the Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces.

Political expedient should not be the primary reason to deploy the Armed Forces. And the Armed Forces should not take the dictates of the political masters. The ultimate reason to deploy the Armed Forces is for the protection of the people; and not otherwise.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE ‘PIG’ AND ‘LEMBU’ SAGA IS OUTDATED AND STINKS TO HIGH HEAVENS by Anon

2011-12-31T10:29:00.001+08:00

It looks like as the New Year 2012 makes its entry, Malaysians are again being pitted one against another. The riling up of the rakyat using the ‘pig’ and ‘lembu’ strategy – i.e. finding pig heads at a mosque in Johor is now making its round.

We have heard about the carrying of ‘lembu’ heads before.

This definitely stinks of a gutter-political strategy. And mind you take note of its timing. It strikes just as DSAI is making a nation-wide road show in the wake of and ahead of the January 9, 2012 court case verdict pending.

If Malaysians should at all get riled up and start glaring their fangs in the wake of such ‘pig’ and ‘lembu’ heads reporting, then we can only say that Malaysians deserve the kind of politicians they have.

Hopefully Malaysians will wake up to the year 2012 and realize that the world has already torpedoed thirteen years into the 21st Century. This is not the Dark Ages nor the Middle Ages, please!

• Malaysians better wake up to the fact that the war is about tyranny verses democracy today.

• Malaysians better be wiser of the fact that citizens determine their government and not politicians breathing down all the time, telling their rakyat what they should do.

• Malaysians must be smart enough and sensible enough to say: Enough is enough; the buck stops right here!

• Above all Malaysians must take responsibility and cleanse this nation of all the politician-crooks who are using religion and royalty issues to destabilize this nation.

The day Malaysians can come together as a one nation of people and say: Malaysia is for all Malaysians, that is the day this God-blessed nation can come out of the deep ravine that deceitful tyrants have plunged us all into this past decade.

When will that day be? If it is not 2012 then when?!

WISHING ALL MALAYSIANS A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

2012 – LEADERSHIP VACUUM HAUNTS MALAYSIA’S FUTURE by Anon

2011-12-30T04:42:00.001+08:00

The unrelenting agenda to annihilate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim - since his unceremonious sacking by his one-time compatriot Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, continues to haunt Malaysians with that huge leadership vacuum that the nation is trapped in right into 2012.

At a time and moment in history this century, when nations are aspiring to strengthen leadership, we on the other hand are bent on crucifying born leaders.

Whichever camp we swear to support, the objective mind dictates that Malaysians are desperately in need of a born leader to take the nation to the next frontier to battle the global challenges that loom in the future ahead of us as we enter 2012.

Leaders are hard to come by. Tried, tested and proven leaders are an indispensable asset for nation building. Anwar Ibrahim by any measure meets the bill of being able to lead this country to its next destination on the social, economic, environmental and political paradigm.

Yet, UMNO is hell-bent in making sure that this icon of the rakyat is crucified at all costs.

The coalition of ‘opposition-led’ political parties is making such headway – never seen throughout the regime of the Tun Doctor and this is best explained by the leadership of one man, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Yet this is the very leader that the UMNO and BN battalion is bent on wrecking.

While nations across the globe are sacking failed tyrants and raising true-democracy leaders, we are busy buried in annihilating a blue-chip leader all in the name of greed and tyranny.

If UMNO does have a true leader, the people will not have to hesitate. They will fall in line, rock solid, behind that leader. Can we say this of UMNO and BN right now?

The time is drawing very close for Malaysians who have only this nation to call their home to rise to protect their homeland at all costs. Whether we like it or dislike it; whether we fear it or are brave enough to face it; whether we are principled enough to stand up to it or otherwise – the truth is Malaysia is at the very crucial brink of joining nations that are well into their efforts to be re-born.

The ‘Spring’ and ‘Jasmine’ revolutions are global signs of our times. They indicate that the world has entered into a cleansing phase no different from the renaissance or the industrial revolution or the independence declarations we witnessed all across this planet in bygone eras.

And so, for as long as the political parties keep leadership-crucification a top agenda, we will only be nearing the gates of revolution no different from the Spring and Jasmine versions that the world is currently bearing witness to.

After all, whether we recognize or deny, know or live in oblivion, the world is today hemmed inside a globally networked society. And the lubricating technology of communication sets an ideal climate for mass uprising at all costs. The fall of the Iron and bamboo curtains were mere clarion calls. The Spring and Jasmine revolutions are definite warnings to stubborn and myopic political parties and despots.

The point is, while there is still a window to escape the pains of a revolution, will the conspirators of anti-leadership quit? Will those who still have any moral fiber in their veins left, rise to save this nation?

There is only one defining truth or option left for Malaysia. And that is, do not kill the goose for the love of the golden eggs you want to haul away into your own nest. Malaysians have a right to have star leadership to lead them. And everyone too has a duty to let that star leader to prevail. Anything that comes in between this fusion will lead to revolution.

Ministers, what is your take on this? Mind you, be objective!

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

JAMIL KHIR - DIMANA LETAKNYA KEJUJURAN ANDA

2011-12-29T06:02:00.003+08:00

SEORANG AMIL KENA JEL EMPAT TAHUN,TIGA ROTAN KERANA SALAHGUNA WANG ZAKAT. BAGAIMANA PULA DENGAN MENTERI?
Oleh Datuk Mat Zain bin Hamzah

Penulisan ini, adalah lanjutan kepada perkara salahguna wang zakat MAIWP.

Seorang amil bernama Reduan Mohd.Said(Reduan) berusia 28 tahun, telah dikenakan hukuman penjara empat tahun dan menerima tiga sebatan, yang dijatuhkan oleh Mahkamah Mejistret Kulai, Johor pada 2 November 2011,kerana telah melakukan pecah amanah wang zakat berjumlah RM19,510.00 diantara 16.8.2010 hingga 4.9.2011.

Ketika kejadian, tertuduh dikatakan merupakan seorang imam disebuah Masjid di-Kulaijaya.Beliau dikatakan dilantik sebagai amil oleh Majlis Agama Islam Johor (MAIJ) bagi mengutip zakat fitrah dan derma anak yatim di-Daerah tersebut.

Hukuman dijatuhkan oleh Mejistret Zaiton Anuar, manakala pendakwaan dijalankan oleh Timbalan Pendakwa Raya,A Karthiyanini.Tertuduh didakwa dibawah Seksyen 408 Kanun Keseksaan.

Reduan dilaporkan telah menyerah diri di-Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Kulaijaya, setelah pihak Polis menyiarkan gambar beliau dalam televisyen dan akhbar untuk mengesan dan menangkap beliau.

Persoalannya:

Sekiranya Polis Johor, sanggup bersusah payah menyiasat,mengesan, termasuk menyiarkan gambar saspek dalam televisyen dan akhbar, sehingga tertangkapnya Reduan dalam kes diatas, dan dihadapkan kemuka pengadilan, kerana menyalahguna wang zakat RM19,510.00,maka sewajarnya Polis Kuala Lumpur juga, mengambil tindakan yang serupa dalam kes salahguna wang zakat MAIWP, berjumlah RM 32,150.00 oleh Dato Seri Jamil Khir,Dato Che Mat Che Ali dan En.Shamsuddin Hussain.

Reduan dihukum sedemikian kerana kesalahan salahguna wang zakat.Jamil Khir,Che Mat dan Shamsuddin juga telah salahguna wang zakat.Persoalannya mengapa tindakan terhadap dua kes sama berat ini berlainan?.Dalam undang-undang semua orang mempunyai hak samarata dan patut dilayan samarata.Jika dikenakan tindakan pula, hendaklah adil dan saksama.Dalam Al’Quran pun begitu juga.

Saya percaya, Reduan telah menyerah diri kepada Polis, setelah gambarnya tersiar di-televisyen dan akhbar, akibat malu serta aib yang amat sangat, kerana beliau sebagai seorang imam disebuah Masjid telah menyalahgunakan wang zakat fitrah, yang beliau tahu , sepatutnya diagihkan kepada gulongan asnaf,fakir miskin dan anak yatim.Beliau insaf bahawa perbuatannya itu adalah satu dosa besar mengikut Al Quran.

Reduan mengambil tanggungjawab akan kesalahan itu, serta mengaku salah apabila pertuduhan dibacakan.Dilaporkan beliau sedang menjalani hukuman undang-undang jenayah. Manakala Undang-Undang Allah pula,Wallhua’lam.

Dengan contoh yang ada dihadapan mata sendiri sekarang ini,kita tunggu dan lihat sama ada Jamil Khir,Che Mat dan Shamsuddin akan mengambil tindakan “gentlemen” yang sama, sepertimana dilakukan oleh Reduan.Dengan menyerah diri mereka dan hadapi pertuduhan, ataupun mereka akan mencabar peruntukkan undang-undang dan Al’Quran.Ataupun mereka akan terus cuba menegakkan benang basah masing-masing dan menyalahkan orang lain pula.

Kita berharap Jamil Khir tidak akan memberi “standard reply” sepertimana Menteri-Menteri lain yang bermasaalah,menjawab akan menyerahkan perkara tersebut untuk diputuskan oleh Presiden Parti atau Perdana Menteri.

Saya percaya rakyat juga menunggu reaksi Polis dalam menangani kes ini,sama ada tindakan yang mereka kenakan terhadap Reduan, akan dikenakan juga keatas Jamil Khir,Che Mat dan Shamsuddin,tanpa memilih bulu sepertimana yang Bukit Aman sering janjikan.

Sekiranya Pendakwa Raya memutuskan apa yang dilakukan oleh Jamil Khir dan dua yang lain, bukan merupakan suatu kesalahan jenayah,maka jelas beliau mengamalkan pendakwaan berpilih,kerana beliau telah pun menuduh Reduan bagi kesalahan menyalahguna wang zakat awal bulan lalu.

Kita akui Pendakwa Raya mempunyai kuasa untuk tidak meneruskan pertuduhan jenayah, namun beliau tidak ada kuasa untuk mengubah hukum yang telah ditentukan dalam Al’Quran.

Polis dan Pendakwa Raya wajar sedar, bahawa Jamil Khir dan dua yang lain itu,yang terlebih dahulu menyalahgunakan wang zakat itu, dengan amaun yang lebih banyak dalam bulan April 2010, jika dibandingkan dengan penyalahgunaan oleh Reduan pada bulan Ogos 2010 dengan amaun yang lebih kecil.Mungkin Reduan terikut-ikut jejak langkah Menteri.

Penutup.

Sekiranya Jamil Khir,seorang Menteri yang bertanggung jawab keatas hal ehwal,kemajuan dan pembagunan Agama Islam,tidak sanggup untuk berkurban menggunakan harta beliau sendiri untuk sementara waktu sahaja, sedangkan beliau mampu,tetapi lebih rela menyalahgunakan wang zakat pula, oleh kerana beliau mempunyai kuasa,maka….bagaimanakah kita mengharapkan Muslimin,yang kais pagi,makan pagi untuk berkurban menegakkan Islam?.

Sebelum kita mencabar orang lain,lebih bermunafaat jika kita sama-sama memperelokkan sikap kita sendiri terhadap Islam dahulu.Janganlah asyik bimbang dengan ancaman-ancaman yang tidak ujud atau sengaja diujudkan,kononnya ada pihak lain yang cuba merosakkan Islam,sedangkan Menteri dan Pegawai-Pegawai Kanan yang dipertanggung jawabkan menegakkan syiar Islam sendiri, yang menjatuhkan maruah dan kesucian Islam.

Wassalam.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

SHAME ON YOU - JAMIL KHIR AND CHE MAT

2011-12-28T12:36:00.002+08:00

What can I say of this two people; Minister in PM’s Department in Charge of Islamic Affairs Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and Director Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council Datu Che Mat Che Ali who was alleged to have misappropriated zakat fund amounting to RM63,650 to settle their personal legal fee, being respondents in Anwar Ibrahim’s qazaf application. The alleged abuse of zakat fund by the two was recorded in the Auditor General report for 2010.

Any Muslim would know that to abuse the zakat fund (even for taking a single sen), more so for a personal reason is a sin, and they being people learned in religion should know the consequences. Do they not know that they will have to answer their sins to Allah SWT in the hereafter? Or are they thinking that being a government paid religious official, they will be accorded a special preference in hell? I think it would have been less grievous a sin if they had borrowed money from someone to settle their legal fee. Are the two not rich enough to pay up? I think that amount is a paltry sum for Jamil Khir in particular who is said to have built himself a palatial home.

I think right minded citizens of this country ought to be thankful to former KL CID Chief Datuk Mat Zain Hamzah for highlighting this abuse and for being persistent in criticizing and commenting all that is wrong about this country, particularly with regards to the abuse of power by the powers that be, corruption and the misappropriation of justice. What baffles me is that despite the many critical comments that Datuk Mat Zain had written and published, not one single person within the government dare to act against him. Not the AG, not the IGP and not a single Minister. I would ask – why is this so? And the only logical answer that I can think of is that what all has been revealed by Datuk Mat Zain is true and cannot be challenged. Indeed, Datuk Mat Zain is a lone crusader for good against evil.

Being a colleague of Jamil Khir while I was in the military service, I am ashamed at what he did, if the allegation is proven to be true. I simply cannot accept a person like him with strong religious credentials and a ‘pendakwah’ to have done the unthinkable; an act that is sacrileges. He not only shamed the Armed Forces from where he was trained and served, but more importantly to desecrate the office that he now holds i.e. Minister in the PM Department in charge of Islamic religious affairs.

I do not know whether the PM or anyone within the government will act against the two for abuse and misappropriation of zakat fund. Or will they be given a tap on the back and be let off with a warning? I do not think the two will be ask to vacate their position or for them to voluntarily discharge themselves from their post – that’s the last think that could happen and there are several examples to cite; unlike the Japanese and Korean people where shame is unacceptable to them. To such people, it is more honourable to take their own life than to face shame. And having paid back the money does not absolve them of their sin.

Finally a food for thought from Sheikh Imran Hosein when he wrote, quote “There is a peculiar definition about ‘ulamak’ that all must know: Establishment Ulamak equals Islamic scholars that the government provides them with comfortable living in the secularized Muslim world”, unquote.

Do you not think that the quotation fits the two ‘ulamak’ that I have mentioned above?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

CORRUPTION – A DEFINITION BY UMNO

2011-12-28T07:40:00.002+08:00

UMNO members are living in a strange world; so different from the world that we live in. They have their own rules and definition when confronted with the issue of corruption. Money politics isn’t corruption (by UMNO’s definition) and a criminal offence; hence there is no necessity to bring the offender to face the court of law. MACC and the police too have no jurisdiction over the offender, and the authority to deal with such cases is UMNO itself. Money politics, an UMNO creation have given us new meaning and definition.

We have seen how UMNO dealt with offenders of money politics in the recent past. I suppose Isa Samad was suspended from UMNO and lost his ministerial post because he may have offered his supporters an exceedingly larger sum of money than Ali Rustam and Khairy Jalamluddin could offer to their supporters. Ali Rustam and Khairy Jamaluddin, though found to be involved in money politics, were both left with a warning and were allowed to retain their position in UMNO. So you see, there are distinct grade of offences in UMNO’s money politics. I suppose the more you give the severe the punishment. Conversely, the lesser you give, the lesser the punishment.

The Isa Samad case has proven to us that being punished for money politics has its reward at a later date. Being out in the wilderness for a number of years, Isa Samad today is back in the limelight. He won back his state seat during a by-election at Bagan Pinang, Negeri Sembilan and was further rewarded as Felda’s Chairman. He is now making his presence felt as Felda Chairman with a proposal to go for listing the Felda Global Venture Holding. The opposition to the listing is strong and if this issue is not handled well, it may cause a serious setback for UMNO during the elections. Be warned that UMNO can no longer say that Felda settlers are their ‘fix deposit’ during the upcoming elections. The split among the Felda settlers are too obvious now and the opposition is exploiting it.

Next is Deputy Minister Awang Adek who confesses to have received a regular ‘cash donation’ to support his branch activities credited into his personal bank account. He believes there is nothing criminal about this arrangement and could show proof that all the monies received goes towards the branch activities. What a clever way to deflect an allegation.

I think Awang Adek is unable to differentiate between what is criminally wrong and what is morally right. He being a highly educated person is utterly confused. Let me tell Awang Adek this - that for someone (who is obviously known to you) to credit donations towards your branch activities into your personal account may not be criminally wrong, but surely it is morally incorrect. A person with integrity, honest and sincere (traits of a good leader) would not do what Awang Adek had done. By doing what he did would be seen by others as someone who is dishonest and untrustworthy. That is what I now think of him. Wasn’t he able to think of a better way to receive donation, other than having it credited into his personal account? Now, let’s say that he was an opposition member. Guess what will happen to him? I think another tragedy at the 14 floor Marsalam building in Shah Alam would have occurred.

Besides Awang Adek, aides of two notable politicians were also found to have received monthly contribution from a contractor,exposed by blogger Whistleblower711. Some months ago, we also had another aide to a minister with bundles of unexplained cash found in his house, but that news now has gone into silent mode. It was only yesterday, DPM Muhyiddin when asked about the alleged corruption of his aide said that he is looking into the case and will act accordingly. This case has been quite a while and why hasn’t Muhyiddin reported it to the authorities? What kept him so long to investigate? I smell a stink here? I can tell you that nothing will happen to all of them, unlike what happened to TBH and for a meager sum of RM2,000, he lost his life for it. What sort of justice is this? They can all hide such cases now, but let me tell them that a ‘stink’ like this cannot be kept hidden for too long. It is bound to explode sometime.

So you see, UMNO has set a new definition for corruption for this country. The term corruption only applies to others but not to themselves. They will undertake their own investigation and award ‘punishment’ accordingly and would later reward the offenders for their misfortunes. Say what you like, it is because of this that I believe corruption in UMNO will never cease. I am not the only person to believe in this, but many others and even from among UMNO members themselves.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

2011-12-27T11:45:00.002+08:00

Malaysians will in the next few days be bidding farewell to 2011 and welcoming 2012. Now, what is in store for Malaysians in the New Year and the years after? Will there be continued peace and prosperity? Will there be greater tolerance, compromises and most of all racial harmony among Malaysians of all races and varying religious denominations?

Will Malaysians be truly a 1 Malaysian society that PM Najib had aspired, or will it remain rhetorical and an unachievable symbol? Will we continue to see race and religious based NGO’s and their noisy commotion, propagating their alienable rights to almost everything under the sun? Will we see an earnest desire and a will to curb corruption and abuse of power by the ruling elite (whoever is to rule the country after GE 13)? Will there be greater transparency in dealing businesses with the government and where corporate governance is applied to the hilt, and favoritism, cronyism, tricksters, plunderers and manipulators are things of the past?

I think it is not too difficult to change if there is the will to do so. As of now, I do not see a serious will to change and the moment a change (I mean for the better) is proposed, there will be interested or vested parties clamoring to deny changes from taking place. There will be protest and the reason for not wanting to change; they say is to protect the interest of a particular race and religion. Race and religion seems the surest way of putting the government at ransom and to withdraw any proposal for change, rather than to view the proposal as one of a national need and interest to serve all.

Clearly, this country needs a strong and a committed leader that is able to steer the country towards a better future. We certainly lack that kind of leadership. The country has seen too much of ‘flip-flops’ and inconsistencies at decision making; the latest being the deferred implementation of the new remuneration scheme for civil servants. The question being asked is how the government could implement a new pay scheme affecting more than a million civil servants without consulting the civil servants themselves. Ignoring CUEPACS is a serious affair and doesn’t the government know this? This is what I term as ‘dictatorial tendencies’ that has got into the heads of the authorities who think that the power and authority entrusted upon them rules the day. I can tell them that no power rules the day; it is the voices of the people that rule the day.

2012 can be the most challenging year for the country. With the 13th General Election drawing close, uncertainties and concerns as to where our future leaders will lead the country are being asked. Should UMNO/BN retain power, are they to continue doing what they have done for the last 54 odd years? Or are they going to be a ‘reformed’ government that is committed towards the betterment of society – a government that is just and with the serious will to eradicate corruption and abuse of power.
Now what if a new government were to take shape after the election? This will be an ‘inexperienced’ government so to speak. And can we be assured that this new government can perform better than the previous government? If we were to look at the performance of the opposition held states today, we could be safe in our mind that we can expect the semblance of a fairly good ruling government. But how will they perform ruling the entire nation is something that I do not wish to predict.

Whatever be the outcome of the elections, the future of our nation for 2012 and the years after will rest upon the government that the people elect. Let’s vote wisely to put in place a government that truly serves the people.

Finally, I wish to take the opportunity to wish you all my avid readers a Happy an Prosperous New Year.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

MALAYS VERSUS MALAYS

2011-12-26T16:33:00.002+08:00

Why have there been over the last few years and in the more recent months, a mounting challenge and rejection towards UMNO/BN? Why has there been so much talk by party elders that UMNO no longer holds true to its pledges that were so beautifully crafted by its founding fathers? Arrogance, thievery, abuse, denials and corruption seem to be the pledges that UMNO/BN now upholds. Honour, trust worthiness, forthrightness, dignity and honestly aren’t important any more. Aren’t these the very traits that Malays and Muslims should be upholding? But why are these traits so blatantly ignored? It is greed – nothing else – worldly greed, and they think that all that they have acquired in this world (illegally or otherwise) will serve them in the hereafter.

I could understand if it is the non Malays that are increasingly distasteful and critical towards UMNO (supposedly to represent the Malay race), but that simply isn’t the case today. It is the Malays; their brethrens that have gotten tired of UMNO, which had caused the Malays to be divided into factions, i.e. UMNO Malays and non UMNO Malays. Tell me which super rich Malays has survived without any political connections? And none will ever dare tell the truth.

Factional disagreement has become so apparent today; hence the creation of ABU (Asalkan Bukan UMNO or Anything But UMNO) led predominantly by Malay groups is a case in point. And the most recent being the unequivocal demand by university student groups for greater freedom of expression and the abolishment of UUCA, and they daringly challenge the government with a mammoth student protest, should their demands be ignored. These student groups are again led predominantly by Malays with a conscience and determination to rid off any ruling that stifle their academic freedom.

Are we not witnessing a new generation of Malay youth that are no longer foolish and can be easily cowed? These are students that know their rights and are willing to face the consequences of their actions? Adam Adli and several others represents that new generation of youth; a reformist at heart, that has all the making of our future leaders with great potential.

Out of curiosity, I goggle “UMNO” and the opening sentence reads, “UMNO emphasizes as its foundation the struggle to uphold the aspiration of Malay nationalism and the dignity of race, religion and country. The party also aspires to protect the Malay culture as the national culture and to uphold, defend and expand Islam”. These are princely statements that aim to nurture the Malay race into a respectable, reputable, honorable and dignified, and ultimately a God fearing race.

But what has UMNO turn itself to be today? How shameless can they be to talk about ‘ketuanan Melayu’ when it isn’t what the founding fathers wanted the party to uphold. How shameless can they be when they keep saying that the Malays are poor, when they (UMNO) had for the last 50 odd years been entrusted with the responsibility to better the living standards of the Malays? How shameless can they be when they outrageously and unashamedly defend something that is deemed morally and criminally wrong, just because the offender or perpetrator is of their kind? Even dignity and honour is trampled with, and even the position of our Rulers was once challenged. It is arrogance, power, greed and self preserving interest that have overawed them. To deny every wrong doing seems the only way of self survival.

Yes, the Malays are poor (a claim by UMNO), but certainly not among the UMNO elites and their cronies. This is the problem with UMNO that had themselve to blame for creating a division among their own race, and that division is getting wider by the day. That division has now become so intense that many moral and religious values that are so deeply entrenched among the Malays are deliberately cast aside. Sex and scandalous remarks of others takes center stage. Lies to demean and to cast others as unworthy of being human rule the day. Even swearing in mosques is fashionable; a recourse to proof ones innocence and having no thought of fearing God’s retributions. Who preaches to them to take swearing in the name of Allah SWT so lightly?

Never has there been in the last 50 odd years an opposition worthy as it is today. I think this is good for democracy to work where dictatorial tendencies, long the practice among some UMNO/BN elites are slowly being cast away. Check and balance are in place. Close scrutiny is kept over every deal made and there is also now greater awareness among the general public of government spending and activities.

Let us hope that such strong opposition will prevail after the general elections (regardless which party wins) for this country to move ahead and for democracy to survive. I will keep criticizing UMNO/BN for I think I love my country and my race more.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE BEEF INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA VIS A VIS THE NATIONAL FEEDLOT CORPORATION

2011-12-25T06:28:00.003+08:00

First, there was the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) of the Ministry of Agriculture. Then, the DVS was responsible for all livestock industries in Malaysia, and catered for both the health and production activities of the livestock.

It was not totally successful as insufficient support was provided to DVS, and the scale of operations was too large to handle for the Department. In the course of the country’s overall agricultural development, the University of Malaya, University Putra (then College of Agriculture) and MARDI got into the act to provide Research and Development support for the livestock industry, which included work with Dairy and Beef cattle, Buffaloes, Goats & Sheep, Poultry and Pigs , mainly. This was a positive step by the Government.

Having established this back-up system for the improvement of livestock in Malaysia, through proper research and application, the Governmentrealized that a lot more needed to be done. This was based on the fact that livestock numbers, especially cattle and buffaloes, were dwindling on a regular basis. Essentially, the production and reproduction of stock was not keepingpace with the slaughter of the animals for local consumption. There was, and is, negative growth in these two sectors.

To counter this, the Government set up Majuternak, as a production organization, to multiply cattle numbers. And, to ensure its success, it opened up production farms around the country and bought thousands of pure and cross bread cattle to fast tract the cattle reproduction process. This was a very practical and sound approach to increasing livestock numbers in the country. Moreover it was controlled by the Government, rather than the earlier practiced “Pawah” scheme, which was a failure. This is because the livestock were distributed to “selected people” rather than farmers with proven track records.

However, over a period of years, Majuternak’s role was taken over by DVS-for reasons unknown. And, the future of Malaysian’s cattle industry came to a grinding halt! The new production farms were given to DVS who eventually privatized these farms to some private operators. Farms in Sisek, Behrang Ulu, Batu Arang and Jelai Gemas were reduced drastically in size and converted to other uses like oil palm, townships, and even for Proton’s expansion. Presently only parts of the original farms in Kluang, Jelai Gemas, Ulu Lepar,Tersat and Tanah Merah remain. All this obviously affected the overall contribution in increasing livestock numbers, specifically cattle.

The end result, Malaysia is back to square one! We are in negative growth as far as cattle, buffalo, goat and sheep production are concerned. However, in the euphoria of producing Halal products, and the demand for Halal meat in Malaysia and the Middle EasternMuslim nations, the Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture decided to set up the National Feedlot Corporation to increase the country’s beef production. In the process the Government provided RM80 Million to develop the infrastructure, and anadditional RM250 Million to produce the beef via Feedlot Operations.

Sounds great. So what?

Today, everyone talks about Feedlot Fattening. I wonder if any real thought has been given to this programme? Essentially, Feedlot Fattening of cattle is a manufacturing process, involving two basic raw materials: young steers (male calves) of superior genetic material, with the potential to grow quickly, and a feed mix that provides maximum nutrition to achieve maximum growth, in the shortest possible time to achieve an economic and profitable enterprise. Of course the two principle ingredients have to be put together and managed properly, to achieve profitable results.

Grand Idea-Great Vision-Fantastic Potential. And, Malaysia becomes a Halal meat Producer and Exporter! Wait a minute. Let’s look again at the proposal. First question- do we have the raw material? A resounding, NO! So what do we do? We IMPORT the raw material to produce the finished product. Simple and common sense manufacturing practices will tell us that we are at the mercy of the raw material producers who will dictate the terms and costs of our end product- Halal Beef.

At the beginning we might get good prices for both raw materials. The primary producers can entice us to get into Feedlot Fattening by providing competitive prices. But, once we are into it, they can and will control the prices, so that we, the Feedlot operators, will be at their mercy. This applies to both steers and feeds. When this happens, what do we do? How do we control the price of the beef that is produced? How do we sell Halal beef that is affordable to the consumer? The prices will be too high, and we will end up losing our investment.

For decades, in Malaysia, the poultry and pig industry has had to struggle with the cost of imported feeds, in their production. Fortunately, at least the livestock components were being produced here. And, the producers of eggs, broilers and pork, working diligently with a combination of various feeds could still produce their products in a commercially viable manner.

The situation with regards to beef is totally different. We have no stock of our own to fatten, and we have insufficient feeds of our own to feed. However, Malaysia does produce a fair amount of palm kernel cake (PKC) which is an extremely good feed for fattening animals. However, literally 90% or more of this is exported because of better prices overseas. The Government should look at subsidizing the cost of PKC for use by local farmers or set an export tax to encourage local sales. Also, Oil Palm Fronds (OPF) should be promoted to be used as feed for these animals. Again, what is processed and produced locally is mostly exported. Even then, we are far short of the feeds required to produce Beef for export, let alone for our own consumption!

We need to be realistic and honest with ourselves. Stop this grandiose programme that will fail in the long term without proper planning and development of our own primary raw materials-stock and feed.

The Government needs to revert to a Majuternak like development programme. The private sector cannot and will not do this. The basic drawback is the availability of land, and the associated cost of development. Without the Government providing this essential commodity at a reasonable economic price, the private sector cannot embark on profitable and successful large-scale cattle farming.

The Honorable Minister of Agriculture has previously stated that we need up to 900,000 ha of land for ruminant production, and he encouraged plantation companies to utilize their land for cattle / goat and sheep production. This is a very positive approach to long-term ruminant development plans for Malaysia. But, it seems that it has fallen on deaf ears!

Pardon the cliché, but the Government must now take the “Bull by its horns” and tackle the issue of land alienation, for livestock production, at practical costs, and embark on a multiplication programme, on its own or in partnership with the private sector.

As far as technical and research and information for the multiplication of livestock and feeds is concerned, University Malaya, University Putra, MARDI, UKM and USM have all got more than sufficient applicable results available. And, there are sufficient experienced hands-on professionals to manage these production centers.

This is only an introduction to the present situation with regards to ruminant -cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats- production and problems in Malaysia.

The Honorable Minister and his Ministry must seriously review the proposals for improving livestock production, and not be hasty about overnight success. And even though as one Khazanah National Berhad official said, the gestation period for livestock production is too long, let us not forget that rubber, and, now, the Oil Palm industry took decades to be where it is. We can do same for the livestock production.

Malaysia can become a nett exporter of beef, especially, if the programme is set firmly and followed through on a long- term basis, without changes, every time a new man helms the relevant agency.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NFC SAGA

2011-12-25T06:28:00.000+08:00

I received this article via email and I thought I will share it will my readers.

THE NATIONAL FEEDLOT CORPORATION SAGA

The National Feedlot Corporation Saga has been in the news ever since the Auditor General’s report highlighted the fact that the NFC was only successfully operating at 41%. In fact, the AG should have stated that it was operating at a failure rate of 59%.

There are two aspects to this state of affairs. One is a question of Policy by the Government, with regards to setting up such a huge Feedlot operation without proper study.

The other is the question of Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT), with regards to the financial and fiduciary responsibility of the operators of the NFC.

The first part is dealt in the broad report that is attached, as a Policy paper. The second part, CBT, is the question that is being debated presently, and being investigated by the Police and MACC.

The Criminal Beach of Trust focuses on the word Trust. A project and funds provided to an enterprise and its operators is based on trust. Trust to perform diligently and honestly, and to keep with the purpose of the project, to ensure its success.

The NFC has failed miserably in this aspect.

It has broken the Trust that was implicit in its engagement to produce beef for the nation. The Trust it was given to increase beef production was betrayed when it employed the loan funds to invest in any other business, in this instance, the purchase of two condominiums, which the NFC itself admitted.

The funds invested in the condominiums could and should have been invested in producing its own calves and its own feed for the fattening operations.

After all, the NFC was given about 5000 acres of land to carry out the operation. In as much as the land itself was considered marginal, many types of fodder crops could have been grown as feed for a multiplication programme that would have given value addition to the operation of NFC. This is especially so in the long term.

Quite obviously the operators of the NFC did not have sufficient knowledge of the industry, nor did they seek the advice of qualified consultants, with more than sufficient knowledge to assist the development.

In conclusion, the NFC and its operators should be charged for CBT, removed, and a group of competent and qualified consultants appointed to run the operations, after careful review and study of the present set up.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

2011-12-24T16:30:00.000+08:00

Christmas is just a few hours away and Malaysians once again share with Christian friends and their families their joyous moments.

To all my friends and loyal readers of the Christian faith, my wife and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Being Christians, it teaches you to do good on to yourself and towards others, and let us hope that all Malaysians of the Christian faith sets themselves a fine example of what a Malaysian ought to be.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WILL ANWAR IBRAHIM BE INCARCERATED?

2011-12-24T07:38:00.004+08:00

Someone had just posed me this question – Will Anwar Ibrahim be incarcerated? My instantaneous response to him was that, “I am not the judge, and even if I were the judge, I will not give you the answer”. That’s the oft-question ask when the name of Anwar Ibrahim is toyed with in coffee shop conversation nowadays, and the court’s decision on Anwar Ibrahim will be known in a few days i.e. reportedly on Monday 9th January 2012.

The story goes that Anwar Ibrahim stands a hopeless chance at getting an acquittal, if we were to base it on an earlier trial of about a similar offence in 1998. PKR has to brace itself for the worst case scenario where a leadership vacuum in the party will occur if Anwar Ibrahim is found guilty and is sentence to a jail term. I think that leadership vacuum will also be felt in the PR, but how this will affect the coalition’s chances in the upcoming elections is difficult to predict.

There have also been numerous assessments citing the possibility of PR winning the elections i.e. with or without Anwar Ibrahim. Some believe that Anwar Ibrahim isn’t a critical factor in winning the elections anymore, and neither is there the ‘sympathy factor’ that impacted upon PR successes in the 2008 general elections. What are more important now are issues and exposures affecting UMNO/BN today that are most likely to weaken BN’s reputation in the run up to the elections. And issues and exposures detailing UMNO/BN 50 odd years of wrong doing are slowly emerging. Even former PM Tun Dr. Mahathir 20 odd years of rule is not spared of public debate and criticism.

Even if Anwar Ibrahim were to be acquitted and assumes the premiership (should PR win the election), at best he would only last one term as he would breach his 70th birthday at the end of that term. It is for this reason that I think, PR should start developing and identifying a second tier leaders that are reasonably young capable (free of all the worldly vices) of taking over the leadership, so that when a leadership change does occur, the transition would be smooth. I believe the PR leadership today is not devoid of young and able leaders that are not seen to have been infected or to have been influence by the ‘evils and vices of politics’. This is simply because they all have not savored political power, but once in power I certainly am not ruling out the chances of them emulating the inherent adverse qualities of the present UMNO/BN leadership. This will be the biggest challenge for the PR leadership.

So with the uncertain future of Anwar Ibrahim, the PR leadership now has a daunting task at hand to decide upon a ‘replacement’ for Anwar Ibrahim. That replacement has to be decided and made known now so that there will be a clear transition in the change of leadership, should Anwar Ibrahim be incarcerated and the PR wins the election. As of now, that replacement isn’t quite certain and PR cannot place their bet on Anwar Ibrahim getting an acquittal. PR has to start working on the worst case scenario now.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WILL THERE BE A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT POST GE 13?

2011-12-23T07:52:00.002+08:00

Has anyone wondered what will the scene be like if UMNO/BN were to be defeated in the 13th GE? Will there be an orderly changeover of government or are we expecting otherwise; a state of calamity, instability, chaos and public disorder? These are the concerns that I am beginning to have, and I suppose many likeminded and peace loving citizens would feel apprehensive, more so with the revelation of more of UMNO/BN leader’s wrong doing, and the persistent war mongering by Malay NGO’s; fearful of the loss of ‘ketuanan Melayu’and their self proclaimed inalienable rights and privileges.

Awang Selamat of Utusan Malaysia must have crystal gazed and has predicted an uncertain political, social and economic environment will envelop this country should PR reign after the 13th GE. But what Awang Selamat did not do is to crystal gazed his own future and that of Utusan Malaysia, should there be a change of government. I think he believes it is only UMNO/BN that has the right to rule this country, regardless of the unstoppable and endemic corruption that is going on among politicians and government officials, the flight of illicit money out of the country that runs into billions, the phenomenal increase in deficit spending that has reached almost half a trillion that could bankrupt the country, and the ease at which the government seems to be flushing money for projects that is likely to end up in failure – PKFZ and NFC are cases in point. Just watch, the act of flushing money will heighten as the general election draws near. My kampong folks are only waiting for the roads and lanes to be resurfaced and possibly lighted up.

Someone commented to me recently that every government project would end up in failure if the hands of politicians and cronies are deep in it. Let’s watch the outcome of the proposed listing of Felda Global Venture; supposedly to generate a windfall for the Felda settlers; masterminded by the infamous, Isa Samad. I do not know what is there in him that had softened up PM Najib to appoint him Felda’s Chairman. I suppose Isa Samad’s past record of being barred from UMNO after being found guilty of money politics qualifies him to the Chairmanship of Felda. What about the Chairman of Felcra then? You know who is he? I think he is one of those porn CD peddlers.

This nation of ours has not experience a changeover of government following a legitimate and democratically held election. If the takeover of the states of Pulau Pinang, Selangor, Kedah and Perak following the 2008 general election can be cited as an example, than we can be rest assured that there will be some semblance of an orderly changeover. But my fear is that this involves a changeover of government for the entire nation where there is likelihood that some states aren’t quite ready to handover for a prescribed reason. It is not easy to hand over power to someone else after more than five decades of continuous rule, and knowing that the loss would badly affect the livelihood i.e. income, businesses and privileges of many who are already well entrenched in their comfort zone.

We have also seen the ‘force retake’ of the Perak government by BN lawmakers following the shift of allegiance of three PR lawmakers towards the BN. Although the incident in Perak was found to be legitimate by the courts, it somehow does not satisfy the people of Perak that had voted in the PR government. This is understandable because voters felt cheated by the three PR lawmakers that had jumped into the clutches of the UMNO/BN, which caused the PR government to be swept out.

Having had the experience of being swept out, PR should no longer rely on a marginal win. PR has to win hugely to avoid a similar situation from happening at the federal level. PR should know too that it is money that can sway allegiances, and I believe there is no lack of money in UMNO/BN coffers. If say you need ten people to shift allegiance and the payout is RM1 million per person, that totals only RM10 million; a fraction of the billions given out to PKFZ, or of the RM500 million commission received for the two submarines or even the RM250 million soft loan for the failed NFC project. I think this shift in allegiance need to be watched closely in the next general election because UMNO/BN has too much to lose if PR were to form the next government. As the saying goes – ‘desperate people do desperate things’.

As I have said in an earlier posting, the sudden surge in the exposures of UMNO/BN wrong doing is the will of Allah SWT and what is worse; at a time nearing the general election. I believe it is Allah way of telling the government that enough is enough, and for UMNO to believe that all that is being exposed can no longer be kept out of public notice. My final word to UMNO/BN - CHANGE OR BE CHANGED

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE INDELIBLE INK – TO USE OR NOT TO USE

2011-12-21T18:55:00.000+08:00

The people that make up the government of Malaysia are an unusual breed of people that does things that nobody else would do. For example, take the indelible ink that is proposed to be use for the upcoming general elections. Before the ink can be accepted for use, the government would require it to be scientifically tested, supposedly to ensure that the chemical content of the ink does not contain any ‘haram’ ingredients that forbid Muslims from performing their religious obligation. Once the test is done, JAKIM would then give its approval. This however is not the end of the story. The Election Commission will look at the legal aspects; hence the AG has to be consulted.

I do not know who else need to be consulted. Will the police, bomba, JPJ, PWD, Syabas and others be consulted? Or whether Parliament needs to pass a Bill to sanction the use of the indelible ink? You see, how long winded the process takes just to use the indelible ink, whereas the recent election in Iraq, Yemen, India and in many other countries, the indelible ink was used. A number are Muslim state and there wasn’t any hue and cry about the ink being haram. I suppose Malaysian Muslims are more Islamic than their brethrens in the Muslim world. Or is it because the users of the indelible ink are mostly from third world countries; hence we don’t want to be seen to do what a third world country does.

I remembered that the indelible ink was suppose to be used during the 2008 general election, but was withdrawn the last minute for reasons best known to the authorities. I do not know if there were any scientific test carried out on the ink, or the withdrawal of the ink has anything to do with JAKIM or was it constrained by legal impediment. The decision not to use the indelible ink resulted in the lost of tax payers money amounting to a few million. I suppose to the Malaysian government, this amount is no big deal.

If the authorities are so concern about the issue of ‘halal-haram’ that impinge upon the performance of Malaysian Muslims religious obligations, then I would also advice the authorities, particularly the Islamic religious authorities to start issuing edicts relating to corruption, slander, lies, breach of trust, acts of thievery and abuse of authority and power. These are acts that are so blatantly and shamelessly displayed by our Muslim leaders today that they seem to fear no one, not even Allah wrath. I would like to see the ‘Muftis’ and various religious groups to come forward to reprimand those Muslim leaders that have done wrong, and to guide them to be righteous, reformed and be God fearing Muslims. There are many, and some are still languishing in their newly acquired wealth.

I do not want to predict the use of the indelible ink or otherwise, because as I have alluded earlier, the people that makes up the Malaysian government are an unusual breed of people. They can say YES today, and the next moment they will say NO. Regardless of what the decision would be, I hope the government will take serious note on the wishes of the people. It is clear that the people want the indelible ink to be used and if this is ignored, I fear the consequences would be hard on the government.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE SHAME OF BEING CALLED A THIEF, A LIAR AND A CORRUPT POLITICIAN

2011-12-20T22:35:00.002+08:00

Do you not see how stupid is Perkasa? They say that the Malays (I suppose referring to Perkasa Malays) will not come out to vote during the upcoming general elections if the Election Commission proceeds with the use of the indelible ink. I challenge Perkasa to do so, and let’s see who is going to lose this election. If Perkasa does not know who is going to lose, then let me tell them that it will be UMNO that is going to lose. And if that were to happen, I can tell you that many will be dragged to the courts to answer for their 54 years of wrong doing. And if ever I were to see so many politicians being dragged to the courts after a new government is formed, then I will say that these politicians deserve the wrath of Allah SWT on earth, and what awaits them in the hereafter will only be known to them when they go six feet down under.

Now, the Shahrizat’s family lembu fiasco is not over yet. Having ‘stolen’ NFC’s money to buy themselves the luxuries that we the ordinary people could not possibly acquire in our lifetime, another explosive story of Shahrizat’s family greed and thievery acquisition of another luxury condo costing RM10 million in Singapore have now surfaced. No wonder they say that NFC was making a loss, but that loss is actually Shahrizat family’s gain. Now with this latest exposure, let’s hear what PM Najib, DPM Muhyiddin, Khairy Jamaluddin and Noh Omar have got to say. I bet all will be acting dumb and mute like the three monkeys; see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.

Please forgive me for using such hush words on our leaders, but this old soldier is sick and tired of listening and reading about the many exposures of wrong doings by UMNO politicians. What saddens me most is that all the perpetrators are Malays and claiming themselves Muslims – and yet UMNO and Perkasa have the audacity to talk about ‘ketuanan Melayu’ and defending the Malay rights and Islam. What rights are they talking about when they have shown themselves to be thieves and liars? What defence are they talking about when they are the ones to deliberately breach and to consecrate the religion of Islam? Do they not know what awaits them in hell for being thieves, corrupt and liars?

I can now say that Shahrizat has been lying to us since day one, claiming that she does not know anything about the NFC affairs. What a bluff she is, and yet Wanita UMNO gave her a standing ovation for all the denials and lies. I think she is a poor example of a wife and a mother, and definitely she isn’t the kind of leader that we Malaysians would want to have. Why doesn’t PM Najib ask Shahrizat to swear in the name of Allah SWT; just like what PM Najib himself had done before, or Saiful Bokhari, or even the porn CD distributor?

Now speaking about corruption, I read about these two secretaries serving the two most powerful politicians of the country i.e. PM Najib and DPM Muhyiddin, are alleged to be corrupt (view Whistleblower711 for details). For this to happen right under the very nose of our two powerful leaders is unbelievable and unacceptable. Whistleblower711 also alleged that a senator Deputy Minister is also on the take from a contractor since January this year, and that contractor is also an UMNO member. So you see how corrupt the people in UMNO are, and one cannot be wrong to say that UMNO is corrupt to the core. I have my sympathies for those who are not corrupt, but coming from the same mould, they will have to face the wrath of the people and bear the shame for being associated with a group of corruptors.

I believe the recent exposure of corrupt practices and wrong doings by UMNO politicians is the will of Allah SWT. If UMNO leaders does not see this, than they deserve to be kicked out during the upcoming GE. I do not wish to see this country of ours go to ruins, being led by leaders that are dishonest, lacking in integrity, corrupt and bleeds this country for their own self interest. We have seen far too many of such leaders and I personally can no longer bear to be led by leaders of this kind. If UMNO cannot change its bad leaders, than it will be the rakyat that will change them.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NOH OMAR – SPEAK SENSIBLY

2011-12-20T08:55:00.001+08:00

I watched the news on TV3 last night, only to catch a glimpse of Agriculture Minister Noh Omar speaks about some proposed federal development funding for the state of Selangor. Being the Agriculture Minister, I would expect him to speak about his grand idea of how the federal funding will be used to benefit farmers in the state. I would expect that such funding is to further reinforce state funding.

He spoke about the many federal funded projects lined up for the state but did not elaborate what are the natures of the projects. Of course, he quoted some costs that the federal government would be providing for the projects. The amount would sound attractive to most, but certainly not me, simply because I am not a contractor or a possible benefactor of any state projects that are either state or federal funded.

I continued to listen to Noh Omar speaking, and I was horrified to hear him say that people (I suppose he was referring to the people of Selangor) must know that the funds for the projects are from the federal government (supposedly referring to UMNO/BN). He quoted a particular infrastructure project for the Shah Alam municipality, just to impress viewers and the people of Selangor in particular that the fund for the project isn’t from the state government. What arrogance is this?

So you see the kind of mind set that this Selangor parliamentarian has. He thinks that the federal fund belongs to UMNO/BN, or maybe it is from his own pocket. Does he not know that the Selangor government and its people also contribute towards the federal coffer? I think Selangor being the riches state in the federation must be the largest contributor to the federal coffer. It is the people’s money my dear Noh Omar, and even if you say the money is from the federal government, the people of Selangor too have a share in the money.

Noh Omar can go around the state saying all that he has said on TV, but the people of Selangor aren’t that stupid anymore. They have had enough of 50 odd years of UMNO rule that only saw the wealth of the state being robbed by a handful of Malay elite. Do I need to mention who the Malay elite are? Ask my kampong folks in Ulu Langat; they will tell you.

My brotherly advice to Noh Omar is to always think before you speak. Even the pay and allowances that you get is not from UMNO/BN; it is from tax payer’s money. So please do not make any distinction between federal or state funding. The source of funding is still from the people.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHERE ARE YOU BIGDOG?

2011-12-15T05:24:00.002+08:00

It has been a week that I posed a challenged to Bigdog aka Mohammed Zakhir Mohammed, to come out and face Brig Jen Dato Abdullah Mohammed over the former’s accusation that the latter had joined PKR with 50 other retired armed forces personals (refer to my article posted on Thursday, December 8, 2011 titled ‘Bigdog – A liar of the highest order).

I had provided Bigdog my hand phone number and suggested that he decides the place and time of the meeting at his own choosing. As at today, Bigdog hasn’t responded, although many had called me that they too wish to be around, if the meeting materialized. I do not really know why others have a special interest in Bigdog. I never had any interest in Bigdog before this issue came to light.

Come on Bigdog, don’t tell me you have chickened out? I can assure you that there will not be any punches thrown at you by Brig Jen Dato Abdullah, because I know him to be a true gentleman. What he wants is an honest answer from you to clear his name.

For your information, Brig Jen Dato Abdullah is a well known figure in the Armed Forces. I being his neighbor before, can vouch that he is an honorable person who had served his country with distinction. However, the lies that you had so willfully written about him, and so daringly posted in your blog has somewhat smeared his good reputation. And it is an apology that he wants from you. Is this asking too much?

I have been told that you are close to some political masters, and this must have given you the audacity to post something that is false without regards as to who the person is. If this is true then you are worse than a roden that scrounges filth and stale foodstuff in stinking alleys and potholes. I do not care who your political masters are, because liars are people that Brig Jen Dato Abdullah and I hate most, and they ought to be taught some manners. I hate telling you this, but that is what you portray yourself to be – a coward and an incorrigible liar.

My final word to you Bigdog – please do not take retired military officers for granted because we are no fools.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

PM NAJIB’S PREDICAMENT

2011-12-14T08:17:00.002+08:00

There are now calls for DPM Muhyiddin Yasin to quit for being an accessory to the failed NFC project that has rattled Sharizat, her family members and the UMNO fraternity, with allegations of a criminal breach of thrust. Muhyiddin was the Agriculture Minister then when the project was approved, and a soft loan amounting RM250 million. Muhyiddin is therefore deemed accountable, though not necessarily responsible for the ‘mess’ the NFC has created.

As I had alluded in an earlier posting, Muhyiddin wasn’t the first to defend Shahrizat, but it was Noh Omar, the present Agriculture Minister who poked his nose into something he wasn’t quite sure about. Then, it was followed by Khairy Jamaluddin who yielded enormous power at level 4 of the PM’s Department; him being the SIL of then PM Abdullah Badawi, who is believed to have a hand in approving the project. When the debate over the NFC got heated up, Agriculture Minister Noh Omar took a retreat, curled his tail and went into hibernation. Likewise, Khairy Jamaluddin who had earlier agreed to debate the issue with PKR’s Rafizi Rahim, has for now thrown in the towel. Muhyiddin was a bit wiser. He believes that silence is not an acknowledgement of guilt.

I do not know what is in the mind of PM Najib and the leadership of UMNO over this issue. I view this NFC fiasco as a scaled down PKFZ debacle where the ‘actors’ are of the same make and brand i.e. UMNO/BN. There is now the unusual silence from Shahrizat including those of her boisterous Wanita mates. Shahrizat isn’t anymore the same Wanita boss that spoke from the rostrum during the UMNO General Assembly with her theatrical tirade mimicking Aldof Hitler; blaming the opposition, and not herself. The mainstream media as we knew from the start wasn’t too keen in reporting. Least, they are seen to play to the gallery of the opposition.

Be that as it may, this ‘scandalous issue’ that had brought shame to the nation, and more so to UMNO that is already mired in numerous cases of corruption and abuses of power, is not going to be cast away by the rakyat that easily. This involves a huge amount of tax payer’s money; an amount that could otherwise be utilised to serve the dire need of the rakyat, rather than enriching a government minister’s family members. I do not know if others (cronies and the like) had a share in the ‘spoils’, but I believe they do.

Let me tell you this – the upcoming GE will be tough for UMNO/BN, and this NFC scandal has negated the chances of UMNO/BN narrowing their 2008 losses. Tun Dr. Mahathir can say otherwise, but he does not see the reality on the ground that is so obvious in the cities, kampongs and among the marginalized estate and farm workers. The government can keep throwing cash handouts to rally the support of the rakyat, but when the coffer goes dry and the rakyat begins to demand for more, then that’s when the problem starts. Or, is the government resigns to the fact that this will no longer be their problem after the 13 GE?

To the UMNO/BN leadership, time is no longer in their favour and the tide of change is fast being felt by Malaysians. The rakyat knows what they want – a government that is trustworthy, responsible, incorruptible, not abusive, just and fair. It is changes to the UMNO/BN leadership that the rakyat wants, and if the leaders do not change and are stuck to their old mould, than be rest assured; it will be the rakyat that will eventually change them.

To the opposition PR, the path to Putrajaya will not be easy. While the PR has an edge in the urban areas, the rural front will still be decisive in ensuring whether it is BN or PR to helm the government post the 13th GE. And should Muhyiddin, Shahrizat and Khairy Jamaluddin decides to go for the polls, they will have a lot of questions to answer.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WAS THERE A BREACH IN SECURITY PROCEDURES BY THE RMN?

2011-12-13T15:28:00.001+08:00

I was asked recently this question – how could the RMN allow bloggers Bigdog and Papagoma to set foot inside the submarine during LIMA recently? Was the RMN ignorant of who the two bloggers were, their official status and whether both were officially accredited and sanctioned by the military intelligence to board a naval craft?

I would agree if both were senior government officials who would have taken the oath of secrecy and properly vetted by a government intelligence agency. And what is even worse is that these two unauthorized bloggers were permitted to take photos inside the submarine, when I am fully aware that photographs are prohibited even to be taken inside an RMN installation. Isn’t this the ruling imposed for visitors coming to visit the RNM submarine base in Sempagar Bay, Sabah?

I think there is a serious breach of security here that must be answered by the RMN. I do not know if the two bloggers were sanctioned by the Chief of Navy, and even then I think it is a wrongful decision. I have spoken to some of my navy colleagues (fairly senior ones) that have retired, and they are quite puzzled and certainly not amused.

Certainly, what is done cannot be undone. But the least the RMN can do now is to tell the two bloggers to seal their gap, and not to be too overly excited to claim that they are the first bloggers to board the RMN submarine. I would also suggest that the RMN review its security procedures relating to visit by civilian visitors immediately.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

AWANG SELAMAT – LEAVE TUAN GURU NIK AZIZ ALONE

2011-12-13T06:39:00.001+08:00

Who is this Awang Selamat of Utusan Malaysia to suggest that Kelantan Menteri Besar Tuan Guru Nik Aziz should step down as he is “physically getting weaker, his mind is not as sharp as it once was, his hearing and speech are also not as good”. I can expect such a comment to come from Awang Selamat, as we all know for whom he writes, serve and speak in his column, in Utusan Malaysia.

Now, may I ask Awang Selamat this question – between Tuan Guru Nik Aziz and your chosen leader within the UMNO elite, who do you think you could trust for honesty, incorruptible, subservient to Allah, pious, patience and a heart filled with humbleness and generosity. Name me one from the current crop of UMNO leaders with such personal traits. I say to you now that there is no one from among the present crop of UMNO leaders that are anything close to the personal traits that I have described. I tell you now that these are the personal traits that are inherent in Tuan Guru Nik Aziz, and if someone were to say that he loves Tuan Guru Nik Aziz, it comes from his heart. One gets nothing in return; only a warm smile and a sincere salam from Tuan Guru Nik Aziz.

Now, compare this with anyone of your preferred UMNO leader. Do you see genuine humbleness and generosity in anyone of them? Are they totally free from corrupt practice i.e. not having taken even a sen from someone? Are they free from abusing the powers of their office? Now, don’t get me wrong please. I am not accusing that all UMNO leaders are corrupt and have lined their pockets with ill gotten money. There may be some good ones and some bad ones too, and I know that you know who the bad and good ones are. You have seen a bad one recently; abusing public money to buy all the luxuries that you and I could never afford in our lifetime. You call this an honest person. I’ll call this person a thief.

Please Awang Selamat, age is no factor. Anyway, Tuan Guru Nik Aziz does not rule like an Egyptian pharaoh. I am quite sure he has his advisors whom he consults with. Had he ruled like an Egyptian pharaoh, he would not have lasted even a term. Surely, he knows when is the right time to leave (you don’t need to tell him) but as of now, the party and the people in Kelantan still wants him to lead the state. And what’s wrong with that?

Yes, Kelantan may be a poor state; unlike some other states with a skyscrapers to show. But being poor does not mean that the people are not happy, disillusion and mired in poverty. If you were to talk about poverty, it is everywhere and who do you blame for this. Sure, you will blame it on the state government, but do you not know that the BN/UMNO government has rule the country for more than five decades? Are you saying that they should not be blamed?

My advice to Awang Selamat is simply this i.e. please do what you are good at i.e. writing silly commentaries in your Utusan Malaysia column. But do not teach what the Kelantan people want; in particular with regards to the position of Tuan Guru Nik Aziz as the Kelantan Menteri Besar. You will do great justice to this country and to UMNO in particular if you were to write about corruption that has infected UMNO and the country today. If you can save UMNO from corruption, you will save this country. And for a start, why don’t you comment on the NFC fiasco that involves an UMNO minister?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

IS SEX TOURISM MALAYSIA’S NEW BRAND?

2011-12-12T20:13:00.001+08:00

What exactly is going wrong with Malaysia’s tourism trade? Take a walk at the Federal capital’s tourist heart beat belt in Bukit Bintang / Raja Chulan / Jalan Sultan Ismail and it would not need a social scientists to figure out the daring and flourishing sex trade.

What are we selling? Rows and rows of massage parlors are screaming amidst the shopping attractions. The signature trade sees women – almost all of them foreign nationals, spilling onto the walkways with laminated brochures of the types of massages one can have.

The canvassing and soliciting women are dressed in short skirts, revealing tops and decorated to entice tourists. And surely, Malaysians are also patrons.

Why are we allowing such trade to flourish all over the country? Yes, is it also not true that all over the country, in every Taman even in suburbs we now see huge signboards screaming from shop lots announcing ‘body massage’?

What, are all Malaysians now desperately in need of massage? And why are all these outfits employing foreign women by the hundreds operating from premises that are far too private and shady?

What are the authorities doing? Are they so blind that they do not know what is happening in the country?

We call ourselves an Islamic nation. But look at the streets of Bukit Bintang. Look at the thousands of foreign women recruited from China, Thailand and Philippines – even African nationals to provide massage.

It is about time that the Ministers spoke up with honesty. It is about time that NGOs come forward to audit this scam called ‘massage’ services and spilled the beans in the public foyer. It is about time that leaders of religious organizations took to the pulpits of their congregation to demand an immediate stop to this sex trade done now with so much brazenness and total disregard for the values and morals of a nation that professes to be an icon of hope for the generations to come.

Yes, massage is a therapy. But why do we need to do it in dimly lit rooms that are shrouded in questionable privacy?

Massage is helpful and refreshes a tired body. But do we need sexily clad women – all of them foreign nationals, to provide such services?

It is about time that massage services comes under the health ministry’s purview and not one of businessmen and scoundrels. Failing which, we are all kidding ourselves.

Pray the authorities respond in an accountable and responsible manner to this sinful and scheming operation that seems to have gone beyond all decency.

The religious minister in the prime minister’s department too should respond. Is what is happening acceptable?

Perhaps, NGOs dedicated to human rights and fighting abuse of women too should go out onto the streets – with police escorts, to interview all these women who are being enticed to come into the country to ply their services. There in all likelihood, is a thread that will expose the sordid employment and work permit abuses that Malaysians would puke on reading.

And the accountable media in the country must expose all the total truth without fearing the crooks and collaborators – whoever they are, but by the fear of God and the sacred values of the Malaysian society.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

MALAYSIA GETS A NEW KING

2011-12-12T16:05:00.002+08:00

Today, 12th December 2011 marks the end of a five year reign of Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin as the 13th Yang Di Pertuan Agong of the nation. He was appointed the Yang Di Pertuan Agong on 13th December 2006 at the age of 44 years old, taking over from Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, the present ruler of the state of Perlis.

In a simple but yet colourful ceremony at the Parliament this morning, Malaysians and foreign dignitaries bid farewell to Tuanku Mizan and his consort, prior to their departure for their home state of Terengganu. Tuanku Mizan shall be remembered for his sporting prowess in horse endurance riding and his athletic physical appearance. For members of the Armed Forces, a new and modern military hospital at Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur bears his name.

Taking over as the 14th Yang Di Pertuan Agong is Tuanku Abdul Halim Badlishah, the ruler of the state of Kedah. This will the second time Tuanku Abdul Halim is appointed the Yang Di Pertuan Agong; the first time being from 21st September 1970 till 20th September 1975, when he was 43 years of age.

Malaysians, in bidding farewell to Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin for a glorious five year reign, looks forward to welcoming Tuanku Abdul Halim Badlishah as the 14th Yang Di Pertuan Agong of our nation.

As a retiree of the Armed Forces for almost 13 years now, I miss the many official functions that are associated with the presence of the Yang Di Pertuan Agong and his consort, especially during the Armed Forces Day parade and dinner.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

ABDUL TAIB MAHMUD – THE UNTOUCHABLE

2011-12-12T09:36:00.001+08:00

PM Mohd Najib Tun Razak was all praise for the Sarawak government during his address to delegates attending the SUPP General Assembly in Kuching recently. He say that “the future of Sarawak to achieve a develop status is more guaranteed if the BN government continues to lead the state”. He then pledged that he will work closely with the Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud (ATM) “to ensure that all the planned agendas for development for the rakyat becomes a reality”.

What else can Najib say other than praises for ATM who has held the helm of the Sarawak government for more than three decades? With ATM being such a lofty figure in the Sarawak political landscape, are we not to believe that Najib needs ATM more than the latter need the former? The entire nation knows that the Sarawak BN plays a significant role in determining the rise and fall of the BN at the national level. The voter’s statistics are there for all to see.

Based on the last Sarawak state election held on April 16, 2011, it was clear that Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the BN headed by ATM had swept all 35 seats that the party contested, making it the largest single party to have won the election. SUPP, also a component party of the BN fared poorly having lost 8 seats including its leader George Chan and former Deputy Chief Minister.

If someone were to ask, with such ‘massive people support’ towards ATM, and the enormous resources at his disposal, could Sarawak not become a fully autonomous state off the Malaysian federation? My immediate answer would be, YES. If the Sarawak Report that chronicles the enormous personal wealth of ATM and his family members is to be believed, than my answer would be a double YES.

Having viewed what all is revealed in Sarawak Report, and assuming that it is true, I would say that ATM undoubtedly is even richer than the Sultan of Brunei, and beats all of Malaysia’s rich and famous. Despite all that is revealed in Sarawak Report, ATM has yet to deny the reports, and instead attempted to do a ‘double’ of Sarawak Report to deceive the public, and trumpets that his family members are all shrewd and clever at doing genuine business. He believes that his position as the longest serving Chief Minister has no influence over the business successes of his family members. And it is unbelievable that Sarawakians that had continuously voted him in is not able to distinguish lies from truth.

As for PM Najib, I trust he wouldn’t dare raise any issue relating to ATM wealth and that of his family members, or to talk to him (ATM) about handing over the helm of power. Of course, people in UMNO would dare ask Tuan Guru Nik Aziz to leave; because Tuan Guru isn’t anything like ATM. Tuan Guru is not in business nor does he resides in a palatial home perched on acres of land.

So, it is the power and wealth that ATM yields that frightens our national leaders to open their gap to say anything adverse against ATM. It is this fear too that can cause the BN to fall, and with such inherent fear of ATM, Najib therefore finds it expedient to allow ATM to do all the bargaining – corruption or no corruption; that does not really matter. Retaining power by whatever means does.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BREAKING NEWS – BIGDOG BOARDS RMN SUBMARINE

2011-12-11T18:56:00.001+08:00

Someone called me to quickly view Bigdog aka Mohammed Zakhir Mohammed’s blog and to read an article of him boarding the RMN submarine berth at Langkawi for LIMA 2011. I reluctantly viewed the blog and upon reading the first paragraph itself, I began to get spells of dizziness and nausea.

The paragraph goes like this, “I was in Langkawi for the LIMA 2011 this week. I was given the trust by the Minister of Defence and Chief of Navy, to be given the honour of the first new media practitioner and blogger to go inside Perdana Class submarine, KD Tun Razak”. Scrolling down the article was a photo of Bigdog taken at the officer’s cabin of the submarine. From the photo, he appears to be physically a large person and for that size, he does not fit being a crew of any submarine. Submariner’s work in confine spaces and being XXL in size, he is unacceptable not only to the navy, but to all other service of the Malaysian Armed Forces.

Having declared himself as being given the TRUST and HONOUR as the FIRST new media practitioner and blogger to board an RMN submarine, he then deserve to be awarded a FIRST BLOGGER TO BOARD A SUBMARINE MEDAL by the Defence Ministry. It is just like Neil Alden Armstrong being awarded the CONGRESSIONAL SPACE MEDAL OF HONOUR for being the first person to set foot upon the moon. I hope the Chief of Navy will not place a plaque in the officer’s cabin that reads, “BIGDOG WAS HERE” in honour of Mohammed Zakir Mohammed.

Curiosity has now set in me to begin asking this silly question - how did Bigdog get an invite to visit the submarine? He must be someone very special; a preferred blogger among the many other bloggers roaming cyberspace (me included). From his writings, he sounded like someone align to the powers that be, and hence the preferential treatment and the only blogger to board an RMN submarine. You all know what this mean.

And what a coincidence – he must be in the submarine together with Penang Chief Minister Lim Eng Guan. If this was so, then he was a sort of ‘marker’ to keep a close watch on Lim Eng Guan and to snarl him around.

So Bigdog, I must congratulate you for being the first blogger to board a submarine, and I look forward to you being honoured with a Datukship for this, in the near future.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

EZAM MOHD NOR – OLD HABITS DIE HARD

2011-12-11T09:52:00.002+08:00

This Ezam Mohd Nor is spewing loads of rubbish again, and of all people, to students of the UIAM. In the first instant, how on hell was he, a politician at that, be permitted to address students and to speak about politics and claiming that there are Malay traitors in our midst working in cohort with the DAP “bent on destroying the multi-racial foundation of Malaysia so it can turn the country into another Singapore”. He claimed that we had “lost an island (I suppose referring to Singapore) ” because of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew and “the same fate awaited the rest of the country if they (I suppose referring to Malaysian) stood idly by”.

Here, I would just like to ask – who are the Malay traitors that Ezam is referring to? Was he referring to any particular personality in the opposition? And why wouldn’t he name that person out loud and clear? Are you too afraid Ezam? The word traitor is a damning word to use upon someone, and if I were to call Ezam a traitor for having jumped the UMNO boat onto the PKR boat, and soon after back into UMNO’s boat, would Ezam like it? And you know, I am still waiting for the many boxes that reportedly hold the many mysteries of UMNO’s corrupt practices that Ezam had promised to expose when he was in PKR. Till this day, the boxes are nowhere to be seen, and would you still believe in Ezam?

And may I also ask – who actually ‘gave away’ the island of Singapore to Lee Kuan Yew, just by a stroke of a pen? Was it anyone person from the opposition today; be it a Malay, Chinese or an Indian? I would advice Ezam to read up his history, because he was too young to understand the causes that led to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia. Why don’t Ezam blame it on Tengku Abdul Rahman who was the UMNO President then? Surely, Ezam wouldn’t dare because he would be deprived of his Senatorship by a stroke of a pen too.

I think Ezam has made a grievous error by speaking to student of UIAM who by and large are sickened at the way the government had acted against Prof Dr. Aziz Bari. Don’t be fooled by the reception given to Ezam by the students that only represents a fraction of the UIAM’s population. We do not know how the rest of the student population would react to Ezam’s appearance at the university. Students being what they are, are a curious lot and the desire for knowledge may have been the reason for their presence at Ezam’s talk – but not to hear a load of rubbish.

To UIAM’s management, I ask, if you have allowed an UMNO politician to spew rubbish to your students, would you dare to allow an opposition politician to do likewise?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WILL MALAYSIA SEE A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT?

2011-12-11T06:28:00.002+08:00

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has gone in full gear to ready the party for the upcoming General Election (GE) that will happen anytime next year. ‘Ceramah’ are being organized on a daily basis and this has been going on endlessly since the 2008 GE. I think the PR strategy is to exploit the momentum of their 2008 GE successes, despite the occasional hiccups within the loose coalition over some teething issues. Today, PR is much stronger and is able to galvanize themselves into a credible force to challenge their political foe in the upcoming GE. The strength in PR today can further be strengthened by their successes in governing the states captured by them during the previous GE.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) strategy is to weaken PR morally by exploiting what apparent weaknesses found in PR’s leadership and in the states it governs. I think this strategy has backfired for many reasons, some of which are enumerated below;

1. Exposing moral issues of individual PR party leaders can only lead to a counter expose of moral issues perpetrated by BN leaders, and there are many to list.

2. To attack the PR controlled states for poor governance is of little bearing because it is quite illogical for a 3 year old government to outclass and outdo 54 years governance by the BN government. Issues of corruption and abuse of power of BN years of governance can be exposed in tons. However, this should not be the issue to be taken up by PR to discredit the BN government, because time is not in the favour of a newly appointed PR government. The PR government has to immediately prove that theirs is a better government by formulating policies that will appease the rakyat, in a way that the rakyat see changes and hope for the future.

3. Using a language of threat to arouse people’s support is a poor showing of one’s character and upbringing. This has been PM Najib’s major failure and his use of such language surprised me. Certainly, his late father would not have used such a language ever. PM Najib needs a brushing in interpersonal relations to improve his oratory skills. Remember the 'crushed bones' and 'you help me and I help you' statements.

4. Using race and religion to garner Malay support, but this strategy has turned not only non Malays outside the BN to feel ‘uncomfortable’, but a similar feeling is felt from among non Malay component parties of the BN. Likewise, moderate and likeminded Malays that are apolitical have made their displeasure known that this strategy is damning UMNO itself.

5. Some agencies of the government are of little help in trying to portray BN as a people’s government. Instead, what they seemed to be doing are to act subservient to the wishes of the political masters. This is very obvious in the actions taken by the police and the judiciary in particular. The Election Commission and the MACC too has also come under heavy criticism from the opposition and civil society alike.

6. All government controlled media (print and electronic) are notorious for being the mouth piece of the BN government i.e. everything is right with the BN and nothing is good with the opposition. And it is because of this that the rakyat now rely more on bloggers that are flourishing on a daily basis. Fair reporting is not what the government controlled media seems to believes in. One only needs to click randomly to any blog and to feel the frustration that bloggers has towards the ruling government. I say this in all sincerity.

Seriously, UMNO’s new approach and strategy to deal with the opposition has to be carefully worked out, and traditional ways are no longer effective. Even seeking an alliance with PERKASA or PEKIDA will not help. I say this because UMNO has failed to think of winning the support of the other races i.e. Chinese, Indians and other indigenous races, and supporting PERKASA and PERKIDA will only distance the support of these races away from UMNO. Even now, there is a distancing of its BN partners from UMNO, and if UMNO were to rely solely on Malay support, the party is doomed.

Winning today’s election is all about winning the hearts of the population, and ours is a multi racial and religious society where we have no other option, but to be living together. Because of UMNO’s narrow and skewed view (they still talk about Malay supremacy) of the other races, UMNO has not only lost its non Malay support, but has also lost its Malay support, particularly the urban Malays. If at all there is any support left, it is from the rural Malays, and even this is dwindling too.

With all that I have said of UMNO, would that mean that PR now has a better chance of making major inroads into BN controlled states, and eventually winning the next GE? My answer is YES, if UMNO/BN continues to do all that I have listed above, and think that their 54 years of ‘good deeds’ is sufficient proof to rally the rakyat’s continued support for the BN. UMNO must realize that the consequence of them losing is real, and PR has all to gain from UMNO’s weaknesses. For a democracy to strive, a change in government is only natural.

While PR has gone in full gear drawing crowds at their ‘ceramah’, UMNO/BN on the other hand is still in deep slumber, relying only on the mainstream media as its propaganda machine. In the area that I reside, ‘ceramah’ by the opposition is carried out on a daily basis. If it is not a PR ‘ceramah’, it is the individual component party that does the ‘ceramah’. Now, may I ask where are the big boys of UMNO/BN? UMNO/BN strategy is to win the urban lot first, and winning the urban lot will naturally spill over into the rural areas. This is UMNO/BN biggest failure. Winning Putrajaya, an urban constituency with a meager voter population does not constitute a major victory for the BN. Winning Kuala Lumpur does.

Finally, the million ringgit question – will Malaysia see a change in government in the next GE? My answer is YES, not that I am pro PR and anti BN or vice versa, but I notice a sincere desire in the rakyat to see a change. I suppose the Arab Spring must have some influence in the rakyat’s changing desires.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BOOK BY LEE KUAN YEW BANNED BY JAKIM

2011-12-10T18:31:00.002+08:00

What’s wrong with JAKIM to have passed an ‘edict’ that the book titled, ‘Lee Kuan Yew: Truth to keep Singapore going’ is haram; hence the book shall be banned. I have not read the book, but what is so ‘revealing’ in the book that had JAKIM declared the book haram. Please say it out explicitly.

I am sorry to say this, but I think this is a thoughtless decision that has made the non Muslims in this country highly suspicious and weary of the Malays and Muslims. If JAKIM is so concern about the Muslim mind being influence or adulterated by what they think is bad and contrary to the teachings of Islam, then most books written about Islam that are sold openly in bookshop throughout the country ought to be declared haram as well. And why not ban books of the other faith because isn’t such book likely to influence Muslims as well?

I think JAKIM must be having the view that all Muslims in this country are weak in their faith towards their religion Islam. I say that such a view, if ever there is one is utter rubbish. Throughout my lifetime, and that’s past half a century, I am yet to hear a Muslim (regardless of their race) say something that is adverse and contrary to their faith i.e. Islam. We do often hear a Muslim criticizing another Muslim in their conduct of the faith, but never dare go against the contents of the Koran and the sayings and teaching of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Blasphemy is a dreaded word among Muslims and to be accused of being one, is like walking this earth without a soul.

The book by Lee Kuan Yew, I think is not meant to be read by any Dick, Tom and Harry. It is only bought and read by people of sound knowledge and understanding. If the book is read by Muslims, I do not think they can be easily influence by what is written, because such readers have sufficient knowledge and understanding of their religion to defend and differentiate truth from false. In fact, I am of the view that the more one understand how others perceive Islam; negatively or otherwise, the stronger and more determine will they be defending their faith. I have no doubt about this.

In the present day environment enveloping this country, because of political expediency, politicians in particular have used religion indiscriminately as a tool to frighten others (particular non Muslims) simply to buttress their own position and political survival. PERKASA is one outfit that consistently does that, and now they talk about the revival of the Keris Taming Sari to defend their Malay rights. What rights are they talking about now, when those rights have been taken away from them by their own brethrens over the last 54 years?

Now, there appears to be a conflicting statement over the ‘haram’ issue coming from the Minister in the PM Department in charge of Islamic Religious Affairs. How will be book end is much awaited.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

SHAHRIZAT JALIL – A CALL FOR HER RESIGNATION

2011-12-10T08:47:00.001+08:00

The ‘Malaysian Maverick’ has finally spoken. Tun Dr Mahathir was reported to have suggested that Women Minister Shahrizat Jalil, whose family members are embroiled in the NFC fiasco “should leave before being chased out by her party”. Those words can be summed up as being in agreement that the NFC fiasco has burdened the party and its leadership to the extent that it is beginning to threaten the very survival of the government itself. If this is still not understood by Shahrizat and all those within the party that had supported her, then UMNO is in very serious problem. I think, it is not only Shahrizat that has to go, but including her staunch supporters i.e. Khairy Jamaluddin, Noh Omar and including Muhyiddin Yasin himself, for misleading the party with poor reasoning and wrongful judgment.

As I have said in some previous postings, this issue was badly handled by the party and government. It was the Agriculture Minister Nor Omar who beat them all by coming to the defence of the project, when he himself isn’t quite sure what the project was all about. Then came Khairy Jamaluddin, who for whatever reason, chipped in with his own version of the project of which he wasn’t part off. Or was he directly involved, since he was the powerful 28 years old in full reign at Level 4 of the Prime Minister’s Department then? In the case of Muhyiddin Yasin who was then the Agriculture Minister when the project was approved, he was in his quiet self contemplating what all to say if being questioned. Even PM Najib dipped his hand into the issue by issuing a statement, while he was abroad.

So you see, while the NFC was deemed a mess by the Auditor General, UMNO and its ministers thinks otherwise, and has made the mess into a bigger mess. It is similar to what most people would say – “if you want to defend a lie, you need to defend it with a bigger lie”. Now the NFC fiasco has become so indefensible that the only way out of the predicament for the party is to ask Shahrizat to leave.

Now, since the NFC issue has been blown up to untold proportion, it would be better for Sharizat to leave and to spare her colleagues in the party and government the agony of defending her personal and private matter. But Shahrizat has said that she will not leave because she thinks that this is a ploy by the opposition to get at her. Now that Tun Dr Mahathir has said his piece, we will have to leave it to Shahrizat to decide herself; not the party or for Najib to make the official announcement.

As for her supporters, I think it would also be best that they too consider leaving for it was because of them that had boosted the morale and spirit of Shahrizat to act like a Hindustani heroine during the UMNO General Assembly, which became so popular on You Tube. I simply could not believe my eyes upon seeing her act.

To Khairy Jamaluddin, the challenge to a debate with PKR’s Rafizi Ramli over the NFC is long awaited. Surely, Khairy being in the know about the origins of the NFC should stand a better chance at defeating Rafizi in the debate.

Finally, my brotherly advice to Shahrizat is this – “It’s over to you now. The problem is your family’s own creation that has to be resolved by your own family members. Dragging the party into the mess isn’t right. So have the courage to do what is right for yourself and the family”.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

DAMNED IF IT’S NAJIB, DAMNED IF IT’S MOHD NAJIB

2011-12-09T21:12:00.004+08:00

The article below was extracted from an email send to me, and posted in this blog with the permission of the author i.e. Datuk Mat Zain bin Ibrahim

I have been asked by several people to clarify a couple of my remarks in particular, what I meant by “The Prime Minister is in a blind following his affidavits in support and in reply dated Sept 21st and Sept 23rd respectively”, as reported by Malaysiakini on 5 December 2011.

Quite simply, it means that our Prime Minister who is 58 years old and going 59 is still uncertain and unsure of his own name.

If he now declares his name as just “Najib” with no “Mohd” (pronounced as Muhammad) before the name Najib, then some of the following can happen;

1. He can be accused as having lied or misled the Agong and all Malaysians when he affirmed his name a Muhammad Najib during his swearing-in-ceremony as the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia on 3 April 2009. He should know that the people are also mindful of the fact that he affirmed his oath in the name of Allah and which has been put on official records.

2. The validity of his oath can be challenged as well as whether he is legally our Prime Minister or otherwise and the various other issues that could be raised as a result of it.

3. It can also be taken to mean that PM formally denounced the name “Muhammad” from his name. Personally, being a Muslim I can’t help feeling sad and sorry over what the PM did for whatever the reasons.

If now he declares his name as “Mohd Najib” instead, then some of the following can and should happen;

1. That both his affidavits affirmed before a Commissioner of Oath on 21st and 23rd Sept, and that of his wife affirmed on 21st Sept 2011 can be declared not only as null and void, but as false affidavits as well, based on the issue of his name alone without having to touch on the other averments in question.

2. The PM is liable to be charged for making false declarations and knowingly uses the said false declarations in a judicial proceeding. In line with the actions taken by the AG against Sharma Kumari Shukla who subsequently was handed a three years jail sentence for each one of the two offences.

That being the case, can we expect the AG to charge PM Najib then? The answer is absolutely NO. For so long as Gani Patail is still the AG, the chosen few can get away with murder or rape or daylight robbery or all three put together.

If this AG has been a fair person, the he would have charged Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik for making a false Statutory Declaration during the same time he took actions on Sharma Kumari. After all, he was the one who endorsed the proposed charges against Rahim, but later twisted the evidence instead.

What are the rakyat’s opinion then? My view is still, taking to the streets at this juncture is not the option. Some people may get hurt and many would be arrested. You cannot fight fire with fire. What the rakyat can do in the meantime is to be composed and wait for the nomination day which is just around the corner, amongst them.

When PM Najib files his nomination papers, ost likely in Pekan, he is expected to state his name as Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak as in previous elections. If he does that this time, then he faces the risks of being disqualified for filing his nomination form using a name which is not his name. For all intent and purpose, he has formally denounced the name Muhammad as his name by way of two affidavits. The Returning Officer (RO) shall take the affidavits as evidence to that effect.

Say, this time around PM Najib states his name as Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak to neutralized the setbacks of the affidavits, still he can be disqualified for not using his full name in the nomination form. The recordings of the oath taking ceremony of 3rd April 2009 where PM affirmed in the name of Allah before YDP Agong that his full name is Mohd Najib can be produced to the RO as evidence.

So, whichever name he chooses, whether Najib or Mohd Najib, it is still contentious and the RO can disqualify him from contesting, although everybody knows, is unlikely to happen. But God works in mysterious ways they say. It has happened many years before, in one little state up north, where the future MB was disqualified on nomination day and an unknown took the seat uncontested.

What I am trying to highlight here is that the issue of PM’s name is not just a minor problem that can be easily fixed. At least one ordinary citizen, a women have gone to jail for this. We cannot take this matter lightly, just because this time the person involved is the Prime Minister. No one is above the law. We are equal before the law which our PM is very fond of saying.

Had he got confused with some technical or medical terms or legal jargons, the rakyat can understand. But for the Prime Minister to be confused or forgets his own name, something must be very wrong somewhere and the rakyat ought to be concerned. For that matter, it is incumbent upon the Cabinet members to view this matter with utmost urgency.

The PM cannot say that it was due to some typo errors or that someone else prepared his notes and he just read or signed it. If he says that, then he must also be prepared to admit publicly that he knows nothing of the 2012 Budget; he merely signed and presented them. That he too is not aware what’s inside the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011; he simply approved and read them in Parliament.

When the PM is uncertain and unsure of his name, then he has no right to claim to be certain or sure what is good or what is bad for the rakyat. Let alone to lead our beloved country going forward.

The PM cannot keep on maintaining a deafening silence on matter such as this. He must come clean on the confusion and fast. He must be made aware that there’s no expiry date for any affidavits once filed and there’s no such thing as time-barred for any criminal proceedings. No amount of pledges or gatherings of loyalist to show the so called undivided support can indemnify the PM of his culpabilities.

He should be accountable to some of his own misjudgments. He cannot continuously throw the burden for others to shoulder or make the rakyat pay for his and his ministers’ blunders.

He must also realized that should he be fortunate enough to be allowed to contest and wins this time, he will be invited to take his oath of office as Prime Minister again before the new Yang Di-Pertian Agong. When the Agong himself is bound by the Constitution to state his full name when the King takes his oath of office soon, so which name will PM Najib use then? Damned if he chooses Najib; damned if he chose Mohd Najib.

Unless, if the UMNO President says he takes precedence over the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, then I rest my case.

Salam sejahtera.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NEW FACES – WHAT IT MEANS TO UMNO

2011-12-09T11:21:00.002+08:00

The UMNO leadership has reaffirmed that the party will field more new faces in the upcoming general elections. While the idea is good, I think the party leadership needs to satisfy these questions; though not exhaustive.

First, who are the new faces? I presume the word ‘new faces’ here do not reflect an age limit, but to mean that the candidate is of a suitable age and a ‘first timer’ to appear in the party hierarchy. I also think that these new faces are those that have been lingering at the ‘periphery’ of UMNO politics – often seen but seldom heard.

Second, how will the selection process be made? Deciding upon a process of selection I think will be tough, and it will be much tougher to implement that process. I suppose the party will have to establish a set of criteria or traits that a candidate need to have. I can list some based on what I observe of an UMNO politicians, as an outsider. For me, I view politicians as leaders; hence it is the leadership traits that are important, that should form the primary basis of selection, and there are many.

Third, how will the grass root members respond? This is a touchy issue. To ignore grass root support is to invite disaster, and to seek consensus all the time is a never ending process. How then will the party leaders circumvent or overcome this thriving issue will be their greatest challenge. In this regards, the party has learnt many bad lessons in the past, one of which is to choose and place a candidate in a constituency that is foreign to the candidate, especially so in a rural constituency. To prove my point, just try and place PM Najib; the party’s most winnable candidate so to speak, to contest in my kampong Ulu Langat and I can assure you that he may lose. Or have KJ instead; this so-called highly rated youth leader, he too is certain to lose.

UMNO is known as a party of patronage and this ‘culture’ is too difficult to eradicate now. I think the statement by PM Naijb to field new faces must have caused some concern within the party ranks, especially those that are comfortable and well entrenched in ranking position in the party. Even the post of a Ketua Bahagian which is a fiercely fought post, I am told comes with a number of perks, and is a step closer towards acquiring a ministerial position. How then could the leadership ignore such members that are already having some power of influence, and to choose someone that is outside the realm of the party leadership?

Based on the above analysis, I think the new faces referred to by the party leadership will eventually come from those that are already holding some position of influence within the party. Some have held their position for quite awhile, and it is only being human that they too aspire to advance up the political ladder. Such will be the group that will be slighted if they are ignored and are likely to sabotage the party, and the party has experience this before. And the spirit of volunteerism to appeal to individuals to leave on their own accord is never UMNO’s culture.

And taking the example of our previous PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, wasn’t he being forced out? In the case of Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rastum and Rembau parliamentarian KJ who both were found to have been involved in money politics (coincidently not a crime in UMNO, but morally wrong), did they voluntarily resign? You know the answer.

I don’t think UMNO lacks members that are qualified and make good future leaders. But the problem with the party (I am told) is that the ‘herd mentality’ is so strong that it is difficult ousting someone from a position although he/she is proven not to be performing or has done something wrong. I also believe that this ‘herd mentality’ had a defining role in putting back Isa Samad as the candidate for the Teluk Kemang by-election and subsequently appointed FELDA’s Chairman. His past wrong doing does not really matter to the party, and I think this is UMNO’s biggest sin.

Finally, I say this in no uncertain terms that a leader that is tarnished loses all morality to lead, and sadly UMNO has many such leaders. I am just too keen to see who these new faces are to contest in the upcoming GE, and my only hope is not those tarnished, recycled or reconditioned ones.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

BIGDOG – A LIAR OF THE HIGHEST ORDER

2011-12-08T14:50:00.004+08:00

I refer to an article posted by blogger bigdog (view hhtp://bigdogdotcom.wordpress) dated 25 November titled ‘Panglima bersara sertai PKR kerana bermasalah’ and my response to that article posted in this blog on Monday 28, November titled, ‘What is so wrong in befriending the opposition’.

In the first instant, let me say that bigdog is an obvious UMNO apple polisher (something I hate most) who worships all that is UMNO. He only shows half a face i.e. the top half and I can only guess what the bottom half of his face looks like. Does the name bigdog have anything to do with the bottom half of his face? He does not have a name either and therefore I have to call him bigbog. That’s not a nice name isn’t it?

I do not know if bigdog is the author of the article or whether the article was a cut and paste from another blog. If it was a cut and paste, I demand that bigdog reveals the blog name and the name of the author.

Now, over the last few days, I met several friends from the Armed Forces to seek further verification and clarification on the existence of Brig Jen Dato Abdullah Mohammed (Retired) whose name was referred to in the above titled posting by bigdog. After much discussion, it confirmed my guess that the officer isn’t from the army and all that was written about him were fabricated lies. Even the title of the article which implied that the officer joined PKR because he is saddled with a problem isn’t true and misleading.

Having got to the bottom of the story, I now wish to list down some facts that was revealed to me concerning the officer, in relation to the article by bigdog. I believe the officer to be the person referred to by bigdog. I do not wish to reveal the armed service of the officer, simply to allow bigdog and his ‘mole’ do a bit of searching themselves. The facts are enumerated below:

Fact No. 1 – The officer denies joining PKR or any other political party, and disclaimed having paid RM200 for a life party membership.

Fact No. 2 – The article claims that the officer was in Port Dickson (PD) on 24 November, but in reality the officer wasn’t anywhere in PD on that day.

Fact No 3 - The officer denies having brought along 50 other retired military personals to join PKR. These 50 personals never existed.

Fact No 4 – Since the officer isn’t from the army, what has he got to do with the claim that he knows about the purchases of the 8x8 Armoured vehicles by army. The officer has no dealings with army or the Defence Ministry on any army related equipment purchase.

Based on the above, I challenged bigdog to show proof of the following in his blog:

1. A copy of the PKR membership application form duly signed by the officer.

2. A copy of the membership payment receipt.

3. The list of the 50 retired military personals that had joined PKR.

I also challenged bigdog to a personal meeting with the concerned officer at a time and place of his (bigdog) choosing by calling me at this handphone number – 0123876061. Until and unless bigdog is able to furnish the items listed above in his blog, he then can be called A LIAR OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE FEAR FACTOR – THE SABAH GOVERNMENT

2011-12-08T06:30:00.000+08:00

It is obvious now that there is a growing fear by the Sabah government of anyone that they consider a political threat to their survival. Even the sight of MCLM President Haris Ibrahim at the Kota Kinabalu airport has send shivers in the spin of the Sabah leadership when he was denied entry into the state. Haris Ibrahim is merely the President of an NGO and an activist, and has yet to affirm himself as a candidate in the upcoming GE. He did not even say under which political banner would he be contesting, and in all probability, he would be contesting as an independent candidate. This being so, why is the Sabah government so afraid of him? I think, to most in Sabah the name of Haris Ibrahim is yet unknown and I don’t believe he has made any substantial impact in Sabah politics.

If Haris Ibrahim was not allowed to pass the gates at Kota Kinabalu airport, and if such fear persist, what about Anuar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang or Ustaz Hadi Awang then? I am quite sure, they all will not be allowed to even board the aircraft at KLIA, or the airline would refuse to sell them the tickets. This is the fear that the Sabah government has for the opposition today that I find it amusing and outright silly. I think the cause for this fear is the doing of the Sabah government itself where too many ‘hidden agendas’ are slowly beginning to surface; the most revealing being the issuance of ID’s to illegal immigrants (Indonesians and Philippines) over the years to prop up support for the Sabah government during elections. The Sabah government can go on denying this, but it is the people that know best.

The Sabah government has to understand that depriving Malaysian national the freedom to travel within his own country is at the detriment of the government itself. Although both Sabah and Sarawak has the power to deny individuals (even Malaysian nationals) from entering the state, but this power should be applied judiciously and with sound reasoning. It should not be applied for some insidious and fictitious reasons to justify the self centered and selfish needs of its political leaders. In the case of Haris Ibrahim, no reason was given, and this could give rise to lots of negative perception about the state leadership. It is true that someone has said to me recently that the Sabah government and the Chief Minister in particular is now even too afraid of his own shadow. Why is this so, unless he has too many skeletons to hide from Haris Ibrahim. And the unique nature of skeletons is that it is not too easy to dispose off. It will keep haunting you.

With the advent of technologies especially in the area of IT, one need not go anywhere to appear before an audience. What is required is a large screen, a computer and a projector to show to an audience in real time, the image of the speaker located some hundreds of miles away. This video teleconference method can be used at several places simultaneously without the speaker having to move anywhere. If this method is to be used, then Haris Ibrahim, Anuar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Ustaz Hadi Awang need not be travelling to Sabah and Sarawak for the campaigning in the next GE. Understandably, this method may not have the required impact of a live speaker, but the messages can anyhow be passed quite effectively.

To the Sabah state government, let me say this, that what you did to Haris Ibrahim is outrageous and smacks of insanity. You can do it once upon him, but when the people begin to know the truth and reason, and then there is nothing to stop them for knowing more until the groundswell of support becomes too overbearing and uncontrollable; this then signals the beginning of your last days in office.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE PASSING OF A PIONEERING COMMANDO

2011-12-07T16:30:00.002+08:00

I attended a funeral this morning of Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli Ismail (Retired) who passed away peacefully evening Tuesday 6 December at his home in Damansara Jaya, Kuala Lumpur. He was 68 year old. I was informed about the death of Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli by the Retired Armed Forces Officers’ Club (RAFOC) secretariat via SMS; a messaging service extended to all members of RAFOC.

The late Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli was commissioned into the Royal Malay Regiment in 1962. Upon the formation of the Malaysian Special Service Unit (later to be redesignated Rejimen Gerak Khas Malaysia) in 1965, Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli then a Lieutenant, together with three other officers i.e. Maj Abu Hassan Abdullah, Lt Ghazali Ibrahim and Lt Hussin Awang Senik and including nine other ranks became the first group of Malaysian army personnel to undergo basic commando training under the prestigious 40 Commando, British Royal Marines at Majidee Camp, Johor Bahru. These 13young men were to be the pioneer of what is today the Rejimen Gerak Khas Malaysia (RGKM), generally known as the Malaysian Army Commandos.

Sometimes back in 1967, while I was on the firing range for a shooting exercise with my platoon at Pulau Tekong (this island now belongs to Singapore), I came across the young Lt Mohd Ramli adorning his green beret, for the first time on a raiding exercise on the island with some other young commandos. To get to Pulau Tekong, we had to be ferried on a British landing craft from Changi, Singapore. There wasn’t any access to the island from the Malaysian side then, and I wondered how did Lt Mohd Ramli and his raiding party managed to land on the island? I wasn’t too bothered to know, and neither would they want to tell me, if I had asked.

To all his officers and men in the commandos, Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli is known for having a love for sports, training, books and the care for his soldiers, especially the food that they are being fed with. He loves visiting the other ranks cookhouse unnoticed, and to see for himself, the menu cooked for the day. It is for this very reason that cooks under his command are at all times alert to his coming, and are forced to constantly keep the cookhouse and its surroundings, clean and tidy. I have never served Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli at anytime during my career, but having met him on several occasions, I find him easy going, kind and someone with a good knowledge in military history.

What I witnessed at the funeral of the late Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli was something that I as a retired military person am extremely proud. Those that were at the graveyard were not only his military friends that have all retired, but including serving military officers and men proudly in their uniforms, who willingly extended a hand in organizing the entire funeral service. Most of the serving officers and men may not know Maj Gen Dato Mohd Ramli, let alone having served him, but the spirit of loyalty towards an old soldier is assured and an everlasting one. This is the loyalty that each and every officer and soldier has towards their friends and seniors, which strikingly differs from that of politicians. This is what I term as an ‘embedded culture’. Certainly, military officers and soldiers do not need to have their pledge of loyalty written on paper.

Here, I would also like to mention that the role played by RAFOC in disseminating information regarding death or sickness of its members and non members, is commendable. Besides disseminating the information via SMS, such information is also posted in RAFOC’s website at www.rafoc.org.my. RAFOC, I am told is growing in its membership, and it is this very simple, unselfish,caring and interpersonal approach to its members that makes RAFOC relevant.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

LOYALTY A PLEDGE ON PAPER – A NEW UMNO INVENTION

2011-12-06T08:25:00.003+08:00

Why need a loyalty pledge on paper for all UMNO leaders and elected representatives? This was a proposal by Mukhriz Mahathir announced in Kodiang, Alor Setar recently when he said, “Saya harap setiap orang (pemimpin dan wakil rakyat UMNO) menandatangan akujanji bagi membuktikan mereka mengutamakan kepentingan parti, menyokong, berkerjasama dan kerja keras bagi memastikan kemenangan calon yang terpilih”.

This has never been done before in UMNO’s 60 odd years history, and why has it to be done now? The only logical answer that I can think of is that UNMO no longer trust its members, and even if the loyalty pledge is made, does that guarantee the person honors his pledge? Now, if that person reneged on the pledge, what action can the party take? UMNO cannot send the person to prison; can they? The least that UMNO can do is to suspend or sack the person, but doing this may incur the wrath of some party quarters itself and that isn’t good for the party. This has occurred to the party before where loyalists to the person being punished has shied away from the party or even demonstrated against the party. UMNO surely does not want a repeat of the 2008 elections – do they?

Now, it looks like UMNO is showing signs of desperation and lacking in ideas. By adopting a loyalty pledge is akin to someone who wants to join a secret society. I am told that all adherents of the Free Mason have to sign a loyalty pledge and I hope this idea isn’t derived from that. The idea of a loyalty pledge on paper sounds so absurd that it would appear that no party member can be trusted, and that members are forced to prove their loyalty by committing it on a piece of document. I just wonder what would be the wordings of the pledge.

If I were an UMNO elected representative, I would certainly object to this kind of proposal if it was forced upon me. It degrades and questions my integrity. I do not know the reaction of the present crop of UMNO members who are by and large mere followers; the yes men so to speak. This is the UMNO of the new millennium where loyalty has to be demanded off its members which are normally accompanied by promises of material gains. Isn’t this the reason why there has always been so much of infighting among members even for a mediocre post like a Ketua Cawangan? I did not say this – it was told to me by some UMNO members, and I am not surprised.

For Mukhriz Mahathir to have come with the proposal surprises me, for I have all along perceive him to be a reformer. Reformer he is, but for the wrong purpose. This proposal has changed my perception of Mukhriz Mahathir since, and I begin to imagine what else he can do to further unveil the inherent weaknesses of his leadership within the party. UMNO, as I knew it, was build upon trust and unquestioned loyalty of its members towards the party (not to individuals) and I think this is no longer true today.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

KEDAI 1 MALAYSIA

2011-12-05T08:09:00.003+08:00

The truth is now revealed. A total of 13 food products sold at Kedai 1 Malaysia outlet did not comply with the Food Regulation 1985. The Health Ministry has ordered the manufacturers of the products to conduct random laboratory test on all 250 food items sold at Kedai I Malaysia.

The Kedai 1 Malaysia was launched by PM Najib in June this year whose purpose was to provide cheaper grocery items for the rakyat at a time when cost of such items has spiraled to unimaginable levels. When launching the first Kedai 1 Malaysia at Kelana Jaya LRT Station, PM Najib said, “It is (1 Malaysia) not ceremonial, rhetoric or something distant. It has moved forward to offering the people products and services that meet their needs”. The products sold at Kedai 1 Malaysia were to be priced at 30% to 40% lower than market prices and to be operated by Mydin Mohammad Holding Bhd.

Malaysians consumers has once again been hoodwinked by unscrupulous food manufacturers and retailers into believing that the grocery items sold at Kedai 1 Malaysia are of fine consumable quality and reasonably cheaper. It was in early November when opposition parliamentarian Nurrul Izzah and Tony Phua conducted tests on some canned food items and found that the food content did not meet the specification labeled on the can. When a complaint was launched, the initial reaction by the shop owner was to deny (already an embedded culture among Malaysians) this despite providing visible proof. The same goes for the authorities who reacted likewise, supposedly thinking that this is another opposition ploy to discredit the government.

While Malaysians welcomed the government’s effort to provide the rakyat with cheaper food, the health authorities obviously wasn’t too concern about the quality of the food. It surely does not require the opposition parliamentarians to do the check to ensure that the food sold a Kedai 1 Malaysia meets the health and safety specifications; rather it is the responsibility of the health authorities. Obviously the health authorities have failed the rakyat this time and had unduly caused health concern to the rakyat, besides having short changed them.

Now, getting at what PM Najib had said at the launch of the first Kedai 1 Malaysia, it is obvious now that the concept of Kedai 1 Malaysia is mere rhetoric; not an honest and sincere initiative of providing the rakyat with cheaper and good quality grocery products, but a business concern where profit making is utmost. And to the owner of Kedai 1 Malaysia, I say that it is a crime to sell and feed the rakyat with food that do not meet the health and safety standards, and it is even worse when the content is short changed.

I just wonder if any of our minister’s families ever patronized Kedai 1 Malaysia. If they haven’t, why don’t they try?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHO IS MORE A PONDAN?

2011-12-03T22:10:00.000+08:00

Home Minister and UMNO Vice President Hishamuddin Hussein in response to Shahrizat’s alleged involvement in the NFC affair and the demand by some UMNO quarters that she ought to resign, said that it is the rakyat that will decide whether Shahrizat is a liability to UMNO or otherwise. Now, what sort of a statement is this? Please Hishamuddin, this issue is a creation by an UMNO senior minister, and isn’t it logical that it should be resolved by UMNO?

Surely, it has to be UMNO that has to decide whether Shahrizat is a liablilty or not? Don’t Hishamuddin already know that the rakyat has made a stand i.e. that Shahrizat ought to resign regardless of whether she is involved or not? I think Hishamuddin is trying to deflect responsibility and is in constant fear of being unpopular if he says that it is UMNO that has to decide whether Shahrizat is a liability to the party. Do you see any wisdom in the statement or has Hishamuddin simply lost confidence in his own party to make a right decision that he now requires the rakyat to make the decision for the party? I sense Hishamuddin is already in a confused state of mind for not being able to distinguish party responsibility with that of the rakyat’s responsibility. Surely, the term rakyat is not synonymous with UMNO.

Now, UMNO has accused the opposition as PONDAN, and I think Hishamuddin has himself proven to be a PONDAN by playing to the gallery and not wanting to confront head on, the NFC mess and Shahrizat by saying that this issue has dragged the party to disrepute. As I have said in my earlier writings that the cheering and clapping of Wanita UMNO during the speech by Shahrizat do not represent an approval by the entire women population of Malaysia. To prove my point, I challenge Hishamuddin to nominate Shahrizat to stand as a candidate in the Lembah Pantai constituency once again against PKR Nurul Izzah. If Shahrizat isn’t confident, send her back to contest in any constituency in her own native state of Pulau Pinang. Still, if she isn’t comfortable in her native state, than just place her anywhere; preferably Putrajaya.

Now, let me offer UMNO a solution as to how I would have handled the NFC issue if I were Hishamuddin or PM Najib.

First, assuming that I were Hishamuddin, I would have told Shahrizat that the NFC fiasco is a private matter involving her (although she insist that she has nothing to do with NFC) and her family members. This being so, Shahrizat shouldn’t drag the issue along with UMNO, although she is an UMNO minister. Hence, she should have been barred from raising the issue during her speech to Wanita UMNO. By dragging UMNO into the melee, Shahrizat has placed the burden upon the party. In other words, the burden now lies upon the shoulders of the party leadership, particularly PM Najib to respond to the wrong doing of his minister’s family members, while Shahrizat awaits the outcome.

Second, if I were the PM, I would just ask Shahrizat to take leave from the General Assembly to solve her private problem with her family. I would have told her not to involve UMNO, although it was the UMNO government that had approved the soft loan. The burden lies solely upon Shahrizat and her family. I would then call Shahrizat to the office and quietly tell her to resign, giving the excuse that her period of Senatorship has run out of date. By doing this, I would have save UMNO from the embarrassment of having to deal with a problematic matter involving an UMNO minister, and to allow time and space for Shahrizat to solve the problem. This being a public funded project, I would instruct the MACC and the police to act speedily, and to refrain anyone from making any statement until the entire investigation process is over. At the end of the investigation, I will explain to the rakyat (not to UMNO) the position of the government with regards to the findings and the courses of action to take.

I am quite sure that the UMNO leadership has been jolted by the NFC fiasco, and worse still appearing at a time when the election is near. I think it is now too late for UMNO to retract its support for Shahrizat and to deny any claim that UMNO is involved because this issue has sunk deep into the heart of the party. I blame it on the entire UMNO leadership for the lack of due thought and their refusal to acknowledge that the NFC was indeed a mess.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

SHAHRIZAT IN DEFENCE OF NFC

2011-12-03T08:08:00.001+08:00

I was asked by a friend to view the 1.32 minutes video of Shahrizat lambasting PKR and claiming her innocence over the NFC affair. Actually, I was tempted to view the video much earlier but I thought it would be a waste of time because I have read so much what the video was all about. But having viewed the video reluctantly, I felt entertained and somewhat hilarious at what I saw – a Hindustani look alike lady at the top of her voice and gesturing aggressively at an audience that seems to enjoy the antics (some unwomanly) of the lady.

To Shahrizat, let me say this – that you have got it all wrong, and the General Assembly is certainly not the forum to defend the alleged wrong doing of your family members. Just leave that to the police, and are you not having some comfort when the Deputy IGP commented that so far the police investigation of the NFC hasn’t revealed any evidence of impropriety. The alleged wrong doing is a private matter that has to be resolved by your family members, and since you yourself have said that you have nothing to do with the NFC affair, then why raised it at the assembly? Defend it in the court when the case gets dragged into the court.

In defending the NFC and that of her family, Shahrizat took to tasked PKR Wanita Chief Zuraida Kamaruddin and challenged her to asked PKR President Dr. Wan Azizah to resign. Now, what is the connection between the NFC and seeking Dr. Wan Azizah’s resignation? Is Dr. Wan Azizah in connivance with the NFC affair? If Shahrizat has a grudge to settle with Zuraida, why get Dr. Wan Azizah into the fry? Just get directly at Zuraida. Using such an argument makes Shahrizat, a lawyer herself looked lame, desperate, lost, and unprincipled and lacking in reasonable judgment.

What I think is most hilarious are the ‘court jester’ like support that Shahrizat gets from her predominantly women audience i.e. the clapping, cheers and laughter. Having seen the spontaneous reaction of the audience, I now believe Shahrizat makes an excellent actress. It is so obvious that her audiences are all blind and ignorant of the truth, and if this is the nature of UMNO Wanita today i.e. to blindly support an act that is deemed wrong by many, then I dare say that this wing of UMNO is doomed to failure.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

TAJUDDIN ABDUL RAHMAN – A SUPER DOPER CLAIRVOYANT

2011-12-03T06:55:00.002+08:00

Who is this obscure UMNO parliamentarian Tajuddin Abdul Rahman who claim that leaders in the opposition are inexperience, knows nothing about managing the economy, will appoint a Prime Minister who is a non Malay and predicts that the share market is doom if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) were to govern the country. This man must be a super doper clairvoyant who knows the worse about others and the future, except not knowing about him and what his fate will be if PR does take over the government. He gave the impression that all is damn with others, but with the exception of himself. I thought that if he was smart, why wasn’t he made the Prime Minister or given a ministerial post or be elected to a top party post? I think he simply isn’t smart – that’s the reason why he is just an ordinary parliamentarian at 60 years old and with nothing to prove his scholarly attributes and Machiavellian managerial, political and economic skills. And at 60, he might as well forget being a winnable candidate in the upcoming election. This reminds me of a complaint by Tun Mahathir made recently when he said that UMNO now lacks leaders of quality, and I think Tajuddin is surely one of them.

I just do not understand what is happening to UMNO today, and this year’s General Assembly is nothing more than an assembly of red and white attired men and women to spew condemnation at the opposition, to arouse race and religious suspicion, and to support what is morally wrong undertaken by its members. There is absolutely nothing in the speeches of its leaders that dare to accuse and challenge the many wrong doings of its top leaders; but with the exception of a lady delegate from Pahang Datuk Wan Amizan Wan Abdul Razak who claimed that the NFC scandal has brought difficulties and disrepute to the party. Now, where are the champions of UMNO i.e. I mean the men that are suppose to lead the party? Not a whimper – just dumb and mute, or have they chosen to wear skirts now? All that they dare talk about are words to ‘apple polish’ their bosses so that they look good. They being stupid do not really matter.

I was in a taxi travelling home yesterday morning and the driver was an Indian man from Kedah who spoke fluent Malay with a typical Kedah accent. I noticed he had an Indian local daily placed on the front seat beside him. I asked him, “What’s the prime news in the daily”. He said it is all about the UMNO General Assembly, and laughingly he said.”Depa ni dok cakap cakap saja. Susah kami depa tak tau dan saya ni dah pandu taxi hampir 20 tahun. Tadi saya baru hantak ramai orang UMNO dan depa dok cakap pasai cara nak jadi kaya saja” I just keep listening to him and finally he said, “Pilihan raya in saya tak tau lah. Mungkin UMNO tumbang kot. Itu kata orang kampong saya”. From the short conversation that I had with the taxi driver, I sense he is politically active and conscious of the happenings within the country, and the remarks that he uttered to me can strongly influence the minds of an unsuspecting passengers. I believe taxi drivers make excellent front liners to the politically conscious rakyat, and can also act as a ‘propaganda machine’ of any political party.

And to go back to Tajuddin and his nonsensical claims, I wish to invite him to seriously read the Auditor General’s (AG) report on the performance of all the states governed by the opposition to see what these states have achieved since the takeover from the BN in 2008. I think Tajuddin is blind to the reality that the opposition controlled states had outperformed their BN predecessors, for he should be ashamed if he had read the AG report carefully. The report wasn’t prepared by the opposition, but by a legally constituted and neutral body manned by people of the highest integrity. And if Tajuddin does not believe in what was provided in the AG report, than he had better not open his big mouth and spew nonsense. Let me tell Tajuddin this, that the opposition controlled states was able to rein on corruption which the BN governing states simply couldn’t. And wasn’t it Tun Mahathir who claimed that UMNO is corrupt from top to bottom? Now, what else has Tajuddin got to say to this?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

KHALID BAKAR’S COMMENT INAPPROPRIATE

2011-12-02T07:28:00.003+08:00

I find it perplexing and weird that Deputy IGP Khalid Bakar should come out with a comment that the investigation into the NFC fiasco has not revealed any element of corruption; worse still at a time to coincide with the UMNO’s General Assembly. Why has Khalid to make such a comment now when the issue is being debated profusely within and outside UMNO? What right has he to make that comment when investigation is still ongoing? Is he preempting a decision that the case will eventually be thrown out of the window? Pardon me for saying this i.e. that Khalid’s comment stinks and I think that’s generally the perception of the rakyat.

I am quite sure by now public perception towards Khalid and the comment he made isn’t going to be favourable. I am already beginning to hear all kind of negative remarks about Khalid with some calling him a stooge (kuda tunggangan) of UMNO. Certainly, his action points to that and the public cannot be blamed for this. What Khalid did, I am certain will further erode the confidence and support of the rakyat towards the police force that is already in tatters, blamed in part to the previous police leadership.

Being a professional police officer, Khalid should have known when and when not to make a comment or statement that has generated so much of public interest, concern and even anger. Shahrizat had demonstrated her anger at the UMNO general assembly (that isn’t the right forum), but she also ought to know that public anger and distaste towards her may be even worse. Set aside how UMNO views the case, but when it is of public interest, Khalid ought to be extremely careful not to further arouse public anger.

NFC involves RM250 million of tax payers money and this is no small amount, given to the family of a minister. This can be construed as cronyism, and if it isn’t cronyism, what else can it be called. It would have been different if the project was funded by a commercial bank. And I don’t think anyone would have bothered if the project fails or otherwise.

Now, how is UMNO going to defend such an act and say that the party does not condone cronyism, when the very act is so obviously done under their very noses? You know, if a similar case were to occur in Japan or Korea, and regardless of whosoever is involved, the answer is suicide. And in China, the person would have been executed. Of course, I am not telling Shahrizat or anyone of her family to hang themselves, but at least be modest enough not react in a way that she did during the assembly……...it was unnecessary and shameful. Shahrizat ought to remember too that the accolades and support she received does not reflect a similar sentiment, that of all Malaysian women. The proof of her support can only be determined during the upcoming elections i.e. if she still aspires to contest in her previous constituency.

Finally to Deputy IGP Khalid Bakar please be more careful in what you do or say. Remain professional and apolitical, and never for once be perceived to support an ‘ailing politician’ like the way you did. This is what the rakyat wants of you.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE

2011-12-01T08:41:00.000+08:00

The NFC controversy has now taken a new turn despite denials by Shahrizat and lambasting the opposition for spreading insinuations that she was also involved in the project, and calling for her resignation. I have never seen Shahrizat more angry, and her gestures and facial expressions during her speech in disclaiming her involvement in the NFC affairs makes good caricatures’ by cartoonist Zanur and Lat. Actually, she does not need to do what she did during the speech if she isn’t involved, but to await the findings by the police in their investigation on the project. I do not know how long the investigation will take.

Now, soon after the speech, more revelations concerning the financial irregularities and mismanagement of the NFC were exposed by the opposition. This time it is the purchase of a Mercedes Benz CLS350 costing RM534,622, a plot of land in Putrajaya (no value mentioned) and a cash disbursement of RM588,585 to a company in Singapore that is said to belong to the Shahrizat’s family. If such revelations and allegations are true, the spending pattern of Shahrizat’s family equals that of those personalities found in the Forbes rich list. Out of sheer curiosity, I goggled Frobes for names of Shahrizat family members, but found none. Had I found a name, then I would believe that all the spending incurred by the Shahrizat family were their own, and not taken from the NFC soft loan.

I now believe that the opposition has many more revelations to make, and I think it is for this very reason that UMNO, especially the youth wing, is hell bent in defending Shahrizat, and what better time than during the UMNO General Assembly. The delegates has to be convinced now that Shahrizat is innocent and that it is all lies by the opposition, and not after the delegates have all returned and to be influenced by others into believing the allegations. Actually, it is not difficult to convince the delegates because there are all feted with gifts, free hotel accommodation, food and most probably some cash to go shopping. As the Malays would say, “Kalau orang berbudi, kita harus berterima kasih”. And I think, this is the very reason why everything that is being said during the assembly will get a resounding response “KAMI BERSETUJU” from the delegates.

While browsing the net, I read a statement made by UMNO Youth Information Chief Rezal Merican when he said “UMNO has reached a critical level in light of the upcoming polls and that its members had a duty to defend ‘family’”. Rezal had used the words ‘critical level’ and this words conjures a state of heightened fear and uncertainties that something may go wrong during the election. He also used the word ‘family’ and I suppose he is referring it to UMNO, and probably, this includes the Shahrizat family.

UMNO has gone through many challenges and survived. But I think this time around and with a strong and determined opposition, UMNO has been made to go on the defensive. The state within UMNO today isn’t what it was 20 years ago and as Tun Mahathir has lamented recently, UMNO is now void of good and able leaders. I suppose what UMNO has today are left over’s, meek, lacking in intellectualism, arrogant and can be silence the moment their masters waves its wand. Wasn’t this a comment made by UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh himself when he said that UMNO members today cannot make their voices heard and in requires approval from the leadership first?

For Shahrizat, please remain in your defensive mode, until your defence is breached and that you can no longer defend the indefensible. It will only be then, that you may decide to quit or otherwise. Or do you now think, after all that has been revealed by the opposition that you deserve to go?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

MUHYIDDIN DID AN OPPOSITION BASHING

2011-11-30T12:39:00.000+08:00

Opposition bashing! Yes, that’s the theme of UMNO Deputy President Muhyiddin’s speech to Wanita, Youth and Puteri delegates at the opening of the party’s general assembly. I wouldn’t want to repeat what all was said by Muhyiddin, but I can only describe the speech as one of the most idiotic speeches ever in the history of the assembly from a statesman who aspires to lead the nation one day. The audience may have given Muhyiddin a standing ovation after the speech (this is standard procedure), but the fact that by ‘criminalizing’ and bad mouthing all that is opposition, Muhyiddin had exposed his own weakness and that of his party i.e. the fear for the opposition and the party’s uncertain fate in the upcoming general election is very real. I think Muhyiddin knows this and what best he can do to distract the delegates off the many distressing issues infecting the party, other than to criminalize and bad mouth the opposition. In military tactics, this is called a ruse or feign. But be warn, that such tactics do not guarantee success.

Say what you want, but I think what Muhyiddin did was shameful. As the party’s Deputy President cum Deputy Prime Minister of the country, he should have shown his true leadership prowess by appealing to the audiences all that he aspires of the party and its members, particularly now in the face of an impending general election – the mother of all elections, he claims. He should highlight the weakness and failures of the party (there are numerous) and to outline the corrective measures that he wishes to take to rid the party of such weaknesses. He should focus his thoughts on how to win the upcoming general election that is threatening the party’s survival by outlining new strategies that should appeal to the voters. He should make a stand on how party members should act and talk henceforth in order to garner public support. He should articulate on how he sees the party in the future and the kind of leaders that should be leading it. Such are the issues and many others that Muhyiddin should have addressed, but not by bashing the opposition. And if someone were to ask me how would I grade Muhyiddin? I would answer by saying that Muhyiddin is no better than a leader of a third world country who seems lost in his own world and devoid of intellectualism, maturity and progressive ideas. I think President Mugabe is far more intellectual and speaks in more constructive tone.

They say that this year’s UMNO General Assembly is the last before PM Najib calls for the 13th General Elections, believe to be anytime next year. Coincidently the number 13, to some strikes a superstitious eerie feeling that something isn’t going to be right for some people. I am not a soothsayer nor am I a superstitious person, but of late the nation seems to be struck by a number of contentious issues blamed on the government i.e. NFC fiasco, and the most recent being the government’s handling and passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill amid opposition from activist and civil society.

I also read that Felda Chairman Isa Samad too had made a mess of himself by ridiculing some Felda members in Pahang, knowing full well that Felda settlers form a substantial voter’s pool that may well decide the fate of UMNO/BN during an election. Isa Samad may have overlooked that Felda does not belong to him; rather it belongs to the settlers, and that his past record in politics too is much to be desired.

The above are some of the issues that the rakyat can turn against the government, besides the controversy caused by Rosmah Mansor recently over the multimillion ringgit ring that she denied purchasing and the expensive handbags. Rosmah may not have sense the anger and frustration of the rakyat in the way she spends and the extravagant lifestyle she appears to lead. There is no hiding the fact that the Mak Chik’s in the kampongs are well aware of this too, and this spells certain disaster for her mate i.e. PM Najib. How is she going to appear with Najib during the campaigning and the responses she gets is much awaited by the electorates.

Finally, UMNO leaders bashing of the opposition throughout the general assembly can backfire, for there is already too much that the rakyat knows that UMNO/BN seems oblivious. While UMNO is too engross with party affairs, the opposition is already out in force campaigning. Indeed, and taking the words of Muhyiddin, the upcoming general election will be the “mother of all elections”.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

AHMAD MASLAN – PLEASE WAKE UP!

2011-11-29T16:06:00.003+08:00

Have anyone read what UMNO Information Chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said should Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win the upcoming election? For those who have not read it, this was what he said i.e. “the Malay language will be lost, say goodbye to the Malay Sultans, say goodbye to Islam”.

Now, can anyone believe in what he said? Even the cows at NFC would be laughing, even though the cows do not understand what was being said. I think this Ahmad Maslan fella must have his brains at his knees, or has he any brains left? The only reason I can think of for him to come out with such a preposterous statement is the fear that he would lose the upcoming elections. I can imagine what will happen to him if he loses. He had better say goodbye to luxurious lifestyle (if he has one now), say goodbye to his friends, say goodbye to his businesses (if he has any).

I do not know how old is Ahmad Maslan; definitely not as old as I am. You see, I was schooled at the time when the British were the masters, and I have not lost my Malay language or my religion. The Malay rulers survived under British rule and some were even accorded protection by the British. Today, the Malay rulers still resides in regal splendor and Malaysians of all races fully respect and acknowledge the Malay rulers role in society.

I think Ahmad Maslan must have been born during the Constitutional Crisis of the 1993.Does he not remember which political party and the leaders that had gone after the throats of the Malay rulers during the crisis? Even the gentle Kedah Sultan was not spared of the blistering attacks by of all people, the Malays themselves.

Can I ask Ahmad Maslan if there were any Chinese or Indians that sided UMNO in criticizing the Malay rulers then? My answer (if Ahmad Maslan wasn’t born then) is that the Chinese and Indians were completely out of the scene. They did not do what UMNO did to the Malay rulers i.e. to be ‘kurang ajar pada Raja Raja’. Sorry, Ahmad Maslan for saying this, and I also wish to say that what the Malays have lost today is the doing of UMNO itself. Don’t you blame it on the other races? UMNO were the ‘rulers’ since 1957, and I can also say that if UMNO wasn’t greedy and had followed religiously the party’s avowed principles, the Malays will not be what they are today.

I feel sorry for Ahmad Maslan who is perpetually lost in his selfish ways, but I feel even sorrier for my race. I think it is only now that the Malays have awakened to realize how much they have lost due in part to the selfish actions of its own brethrens i.e. UMNO.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHAT IS SO WRONG IN BEFRIENDING THE OPPOSITION?

2011-11-28T23:51:00.002+08:00

I was referred to during a conversation with a friend of an article titled PANGLIMA BERSARA SERTAI PKR KERANA BERMASALAH posted in a blog bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com.

I have no interest in knowing who the blogger is, but I certainly have interest in correcting the facts posted in the blog and to counter some issues that he has written.

First, the writer says that the senior military officer whom he named as Brig Jen Dato Abdullah bin Mohamed (Retired) 67 years of age, was the Commander of an Army unit, had on 24 November 2011 joined the PKR and paid RM200 for a life membership at the PKR’s office, Port Dickson. Dato Abdullah, together with 50 other retired military officers and ranks of the Armed Forces acceptance into PKR will be announced by Anuar Ibrahim when the latter makes a scheduled visit to Port Dickson on 25 December 2011.

The writer alleged that the reason Dato Abdullah and the others joined PKR is to expose the audit on the recent purchase of the 8x8 Armoured Vehicles for the Army that were purchased at 7 times the original price. The writer accused the PKR of wanting to solicit the knowledge of Dato Abdullah and the others in party’s investigation (should the investigation be carried out) relating to the purchase of the armoured vehicles for the party’s personal gain. Whatever is revealed during the investigation will be used by PKR during its campaign; purportedly aimed at discrediting (politik kebencian) the government.

First, let me correct a vital error in fact i.e. that I am certain Brig Jen Dato Abdullah bin Mohamed (Retired) is not an army officer as alleged. I am of his age, and I being from the army am fully aware of names of senior military officers of my era. I do not know if there is an officer by that name in the other two services of the Armed Forces.

Second, what is so wrong if Dato Abdullah and the 50 others want to join PKR? Is it an offence for retired military men/women to join a political party of their choice? Is the writer suggesting that they should only join UMNO or any other party within the BN coalition? What is so dreadful and unacceptable in them joining an opposition party? Is the writer suggesting that it is only the BN that has the right to govern the country for another 100 years?

Third, if Dato Abdullah and the others are privy to the dealings in the purchase of the armoured vehicles, what is so wrong for them to expose the dealings if the dealings are deemed to be dubious and are mired in corruption, impropriety, falsification by those involved in making the deal? Are they not doing what is desired by civil society? They being Muslims, I think are committed to reveal and to expose any wrong doing, for if they are to remain quite, is to condone such impropriety. Any other religion for that matter does not condone the obvious wrong doing of others.

To blogger bigdog, I have this to say – I and many others that had served the Armed Forces faithfully has this obvious hatred for corruption. I have known how corrupt some Armed Forces personal were, and how lucky they were not to be caught and jailed. I believe you know too the corruption that goes on among politicians and government officials till this very day, but you chose to ignore that such act do exist and instead turn a blind eye. By doing this, I say that you are in connivance with the devil.

Finally, let me tell blogger bigdog that I am also of the opinion that the RM7 billion purchases of 200 odd armoured vehicles are highly inflated. And for saying this, are you now going to say that I too am a voice of the opposition? So stop being paranoid at seeing retired military officers and ranks joining the opposition party, for this is part of a burgeoning process of creating the best democracy for the country. And isn’t this also the aspiration of PM Najib?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

LEARNING FROM THE MILITARY

2011-11-28T10:18:00.003+08:00

Some UMNO leaders have referred Women Minister Shahrizat Jalil a liability to the party and called for her resignation. This call is in obvious reference to the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) public uproar caused by Shahrizat’s husband Dr. Ismail Salleh, who in turn had justified that the NFC is managing well and “is on track to produce 60,000 head of cattle by 2015”. Dr. Ismail Salleh even declared that the purchase of the two exclusive condos at RM6.9 million each from NFC’s fund as valid investment generating a monthly income of RM70,000 per unit of condo to the company; ignoring the moral justification in spending something that is unrelated to the NFC project. If Dr. Ismail Salleh believes that public criticism against him relating to the alleged mismanagement of the NFC is done in bad taste and deemed malicious, then I think the Auditor General ought to be blame for having reported that the NFC was in a ‘mess’, and not the opposition or members of the public. The primary reason for the public uproar is because the public is concern as it is their money that is at stake; not that of any individual or party.

I believe the upcoming UMNO General Assembly would be tough for Shahrizat being the party’s Wanita Chief to defend the criticism labeled at her and the action of her husband by some party members over the NFC affairs. How will she disentangle herself from the NFC fiasco and to defend the call for her resignation from party members, will be her fiercest challenge ever as a minister and the Wanita Chief. I believe too that the NFC issue is now a bane to the party’s leadership in the upcoming UMNO General Assembly, and if this issue is allowed to be debated, it could well be the downfall of Shahrizat. But if the party refrains from debating the issue, it will be fodder for the opposition to claim that UMNO is a party that condones abuses and the mismanagement of public fund, allows preferential treatment to cronies and protects acts of corrupt practices by those closely associated with the top party leadership. Indeed, UMNO is in dilemma caused by the family members of Shahrizat, and the party has to resolve this before the general elections.

The recent statement by UMNO Deputy President Muhyiddin Yasin that the upcoming general election will be the ‘mother of all elections’, I believe is in reference to the many unsettled issues plaguing the party, and the NFC fiasco could well be one of the issues. It also signals that all is not too well within the party caused primarily by the doings of the party members themselves. I also believe that Muhyiddin now recognizes that the opposition is no longer to be taken for granted; rather the opposition is a party that has gained strength since the 2008 general elections. This warning however does not go down well with some party leaders who remain complacent in the belief that all is in the party’s favour. If the warnings of the likes of Tun Mahathir, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and the ‘old guards’ of UMNO that the party is slipping into oblivion and is beyond redemption is ignored, then I can confidently say that UMNO’s death is inevitable and Putrajaya will be lost forever. What will happen to the UMNO/BN leaders then following their eviction from power is anyone’s guess.

Now, PKR’s daring expose to stage its national congress at the very heart of UMNO’s bastion i.e. Johor recently is not to be taken lightly. Rather, it should serve as a barometer of support that Johoreans too are ready to shift their allegiance in PKR’s favour, given the party’s successes in governing the states controlled by the opposition. Here again, it is the Auditor General’s report that had claimed the successes of the opposition held states, notably Selangor and Penang that were ravaged by poor governance, mismanagement and incompetency by the leaders of the previously held government. People are now beginning to question where and what has the previous government done wrong and what has the present state government done to deserve a good billing by the Auditor General. UMNO/BN has to accept their past failures and no amount of denying, justification and accusation could redeem themselves of their wrongdoings.

And taking the lessons that I have been taught in the military, acknowledging defeat and failure today is the precursor to success in the future. And to withdraw is not an acknowledgement of defeat, but it is survive and to consolidate to fight another battle. Certainly, UMNO/BN can learn a lot from the military to win their political battle.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WINNING THE GENERAL ELECTION

2011-11-28T00:44:00.001+08:00

I have been receiving calls, SMS and emails over the last few days from persons I know and from some others whom I do not know, seeking to find out whether I still ‘exit’ or otherwise. Actually, my long silence was because I have been out travelling south to visit friends that I had missed since leaving the military service. It has now been almost 13 years since I discarded my uniform, and I suddenly felt a dying urge to meet up with those that had served me; particularly those who were with me early in my military career. It sure gave me great pleasure and satisfaction to meet them once again in their period of retirement and what is most satisfying is to know that most of their children have families of their own and are leading a successful life.

I have wanted to write during my travels but at the age of 68 this November, I realize how exerting my body gets after having been on the road for an entire day.

I am now back to what I was, and the first thing I did was to try and capture all that was available in the new media. I wasn’t surprise to read that the PKR has thrown its biggest threat and challenge ever i.e. that they will take to the streets and force the government out if fraud is still prevalent in the upcoming general election. They also warned that any move to restrict the party of a peaceful gathering (to protest against an election fraud) will be met with street demonstrations that would be on a much larger scale than Bersih 2.0. They accused the Peaceful Assembly Bill tabled in Parliament recently as a move to thwart and deny any form of gathering and protest.

This is indeed a scary proposition, and if Bersih 2.0 could gather more than 50 thousand protestors, I think the next Bersih gathering (if ever it is to be organized) could easily marshal a much larger crowd. I am not saying this out of jest for there is already a brewing dissatisfaction and hatred against the government, particularly from among the younger generation for what they believe is the utter incompetence of the government to rein on the many issues inflicting society and the mismanagement of the country’s wealth. They see the recent government spending mirrors that of compulsive spender that treats the nation’s wealth as its very own Auto Teller Machine.

I say this without any inhibition, and what comes to mind is the poor handling by the government over the National Feedlot Center fiasco that puts the government at its worse in the eyes of civil society. They say that the NFC fiasco is outright abuse and thievery by those in power and the government’s inaction to support the Auditor General’s report has brought only shame to the nation. Sadly, ministers and politicians that had come out in support of the NFC are shameless idiots that clearly do not understand the difference between what is righteous and what is wrong, and the anger that they had caused from among civil society by supporting something that is so obviously wrong. I was told recently that the level of corruption and graft from among government officials (our sacred civil service) has reached a level that is beyond redemption and this is quite obvious when you see some shamelessly living beyond their means. Otherwise, how could there be so much of financial abuses and mismanagement as reflected in the Auditor General’s report? And why have the government; its ministers and some politicians in particular acted adversely against the Auditor General’s report is mind boggling. Are they saying that the Auditor General had lied, aimed at discrediting the government? Sure, the NFC fiasco has impacted upon the BN government’s image and popularity, and what is worse; I think the BN government has lost several thousand votes because of its poor handling of the NFC.

As I was writing this article, I received an SMS telling me that parents are not too pleased to see BN politicians (some Ketua Bahagian or Ketua Cawangan) handing out the RM100 cash awards to students at some schools recently. They questioned whether the cash award is from the government i.e. tax payers money, or is it from party fund. If it is from tax payer’s money, then politicians have no reason to be handing the cash award. It should be the teachers themselves or some education department officials (not politicians) that should be handing the cash award. It is public knowledge that the money is not from the BN party and rightfully, BN politicians should be out of this. But why has the Education Department allowed BN politicians to become Santa Claus, knowing that Christmas is still 3 weeks away? Or were there instructions from the Education Department itself to please the political masters?

I think this cash award to students by the government has gone a bit too far. I would agree if the cash award is given to students of rural schools like those in the estates and in the interior of Sabah, Sarawak and some in the peninsular. But extending it to students of private schools and to some well funded and premier schools, I think is stretching charity too far. I would have thought the money could be better used to upgrade schools that are in dire need of repairs; mainly rural schools.

With the GE nearing, there is already the excitement in the BN and the PR to go on an early campaign drive. While the BN has the mainstream media (MSM) to act as their ‘propaganda machine’, the PR has started their ground campaign into some of BN’s stronghold, example the state of Johor and FELDA schemes. I think the BN should no longer be over reliant on the MSM to lead their campaigning, as most urban viewers/readers of the MSM has little to believe in the MSM. Rather, the new media has now taken the lead in reporting and there is no denying that the new media will be the people’s focus in the days and weeks leading to the upcoming GE. I now believe that who so ever wins the new media campaign, wins the GE.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

CAN UMNO/BN SURVIVE THE NFC FIASCO?

2011-11-13T15:57:00.001+08:00

The National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) fiasco has created more liars and cheats from among the ruling elite, and the PM himself is no exception. I do not wish to comment on the denials made by the Agriculture Minister Noh Omar in defence of Shahrizat’s failed family business, for the former is perpetually lost in his own job and ministry. And in fairness to Noh Omar, he should not be the person to speak out about something that he wasn’t involved in. Rather, it is DPM Muhyiddin that should do all the explanation since it was during his tenure as the Agriculture Minister that the NFC project was approved. Sadly, Muhyiddin has not uttered a word and has left it to others to say their piece. Now we all know Muhyiddin i.e. a person who does not take responsibility for a failure of his own doing. And mind you, he is slated to be the next PM – a scary proposition.

One particular person who thinks he can correct something that is obviously wrong is UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin. People say that he is smart because he is a graduate of the prestigious Oxford University, but sometimes smart people can say stupid things as well. This is the dilemma that Khairy has for being proclaimed by his loyalist as being smart, and it is because of this that everything he does and say is subject to public scrutiny. Khairy is definitely unlike Noh Omar because the latter can say anything he wishes but gets very little or no attention. The reason is obvious i.e. Noh Omar does not have the ‘credentials’ of a smart person, and Selangoreans in particular does not think highly of him either.

Khairy Jamaluddin comments concerning the purchase of a RM9.8 million luxury condo at Bangsar by NFC has come under severe criticism from the opposition members and likeminded Malaysians. Khairy thinks that the purchase of the condo being part of NFC’s investment is quite in order since the condo can bring home substantial returns in the future. But Khairy obviously has overlooked the terms and conditions’ relating to the usage of the loan that I believe is only meant for NFC’s related business ventures. But what has purchasing a condo got to do with NFC’s related business ventures, unless the condo is meant to house the cows. I think Khairy knows this, but he thinks he can outsmart others with his mediocre and thoughtless comment. Former Health Minister Chua Jui Meng has this to say of Khairy’s comment - “This is the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard from someone who is thought to be smart”. And didn’t I say that some smart people can also be saying stupid things? So you now know that Khairy is not that smart after all.

To date, only a handful of people have come forward in defence of the NFC i.e. PM Najib, Noh Omar, Khairy and Shahrizat herself. But one particular person that have till now remained silent (besides Muhyiddin) is the owner of NFC itself i.e. the husband of Shahrizat. My I ask – why is this so? Is he clinging on to his wife to take on the full brunt of public criticism? To remain silent is a confession of guilt. I am told that Shahrizat’s husband has all the qualifications and credentials (including their children) to managed the NFC project successfully. So why this unexplained failure when a full disbursement of public funding has been made to NFC? Are we to believe that the AG report isn’t correct and need to be redone? Here, we are talking about a RM200 million public funded project; not a 200 ringgit public funded project. And it is for this reason the public wants answers and they want to know what will be the fate of such huge losses.

Let me be blunt with Shahrizat and her entire family members that what you all did is an act amounting to a criminal breach of trust (CBT). You claim to be Muslims and do you not know what the Koran say about someone who breaches ‘Amanah’. You being in power today may escape the worldly punishment, but you will not escape questioning on the Day of Judgment.

I personally think the NFC’s case is indefensible, and not only will this NFC fiasco hurt Shahrizat in her quest for a candidacy in the next GE, but this will also caused reasonable doubts on her position as the UMNO Wanita chief. Certainly, the weaker sex does not want a leader that is embroiled in ‘scandals’. The nett effect of this NFC fiasco will be upon the shoulders of PM Najib who will have to defend UMNO/BN to survive the upcoming GE. I know this will be a daunting task for PM Najib.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A HAJJAH AND A HAJI

2011-11-13T07:07:00.002+08:00

PM Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor, both have performed the Haj a number of times, and by ‘convention’ they should be addressed as Haji Najib Tun Razak and Hajjah Rosmah Mansor. But for some reason, I have not heard anyone honouring them as such.

Back at my kampong, a Hajjah and a Haji is usually accorded with respect and dignity, and for someone that had just returned from performing the Haj, he or she usually gets a rousing welcome by the kampong folks and including the recitation of a doa to grace his or her return. They claim that to receive someone that had just returned from Mecca is to seek their blessing, and usually one is offered some dried fruits and a taste of ‘air zam zam’.

I remembered the day my father left on a pilgrimage for Mecca, and that was back in the early 50’s. We had to send him to the KL railway station for his trip to Penang; thence to board a ship specially chartered for pilgrims to the holy land. At the railway station, and just about the train was to depart, someone would recite the Azan. As a child, I do not know the significance of reciting the Azan for those performing the pilgrimage, for I only know that the Azan is a call to prayers. I remembered shedding tears upon seeing my father bidding farewell to me and my other siblings. What saddens me upon returning home was that I would no longer have my father to accompany me to sleep at night for the next few months.

It was several months later that my father returned home upon completing the Haj, and I remembered his friends would all gather at our house to welcome him and for the customary ‘doa selamat’. That was the first time I heard someone addressed my father as Tuan Haji Raji, and I could hardly understand the reason for this. Sometimes, I would meet my father’s friends at the market place and they would usually ask, “awak ni anak Tuan Haji Raji ke?”. Certainly, I sensed the respect and dignity accorded to my father who is already a Haji, and I being referred to as ‘anak Tuan Haji Raji’.

Now, both Rosmah and Najib have just returned from performing the Haj, but why wouldn’t they be addressed as Puan Hajjah Rosmah and Tuan Haji Najib? What’s stopping people and including the media from addressing them as such? Will they be seen to be less honourable and dignified by addressing them as such? Or are their honorific titles of Dato Seri and Datin Seri takes precedence over any other titles? I would certainly like to address them with their new found ‘titles’. Besides addressing them as such, I would also love to see Puan Hajjah Rosmah adorn the ‘mini telekong’ to cover her exposed hair like most Hajjah do, and Tuan Haji Najib to wear the ‘kopiah putih’. This would certainly change their image; one of a good and obedient Muslim leader; something that the highly priced APCO and the British Public Relations company weren’t able to do. And above all things, the Malay kampong folks would be pleased to see Tuan Haji Najib and Puan Hajjah Rosmah present themselves with this new image.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

POWER IS MIGHT AND RIGHT IN BOLEH LAND

2011-11-12T09:39:00.002+08:00

Even before Anuar Ibrahim’s sodomy 2 trial comes to an end, he now faces new charges, this time filed by the police themselves, reportedly under Section 182 of the Penal Code for giving ‘false information to injure another person’. The charge is related to a report that Anuar made to the police against the famous Datuk T sex video that alleges the porn star in the video was Anuar himself.

If anyone were to ask me why have the police taken the initiative to file a new charge against Anuar now, and not at the time when the report was made? My layman’s answer to this question is simply this i.e. it is a deliberate attempt by the authorities to continuously persecute Anuar with charges upon charges, till he can no longer withstand the ‘barrages’ heaped upon him. And what is even worse is that the charge is filed at a time when Anuar is in the midst of an ongoing trial for alleged sodomy and with the GE nearing. I think the entire scheme is to obliterate Anuar’s name completely from the face of the earth, and even when he is dead. To me, what the police have done is the most outrageous thing that no righteous person can ever forgive. I say to all that I have had enough of this deliberate persecution of Anuar, and I take great pity for the sufferings that he had endured and by his entire family.

Now, having said the above, I can sense that many will say that I am a staunch Anuar’s favorite, and an ungrateful retired government servant who shamelessly strived on a paltry government pension. For those who hold such a perception, I would like to say this to them, that I am no Anuar’s favorite, neither am I a staunch favorite of Najib. I am for fair and equitable justice for all, but certainly not the kind of justice that Anuar has to go through since his release from prison.

Both Anuar and including Najib (me included) must have committed errors in their lives and this is quite normal of a human being. But why is Anuar being targeted relentlessly for persecution (including that of his innocent family), whereas there are some VVIP’s (you know who) and many more who are just given a reprieve with a soft warning for a crime. If sex is the reason for the authorities to relentlessly prosecute and persecute Anuar, then why not prosecute that MCA leader who admitted to having a sex tryst with a woman other than his wife? Or why was that ‘Raba Raba’ politician be let scot free and was subsequently rewarded with an Ambassadorial post in a foreign land? And I am told too that Najib himself isn’t that clean of his sex vices; yet he is the PM today and none of his party members are complaining? And don’t forget that former Malacca Chief Minister who committed one of the most outrageous and henious crimes i.e. having sex with one underage girl, but never served a jail sentence nor was he whipped?

From the above examples, it is crystal clear that those politicians in power are treated differently from politicians that do not hold any power. This is the uniqueness of Boleh Land where power is might and right, and the powerless remains weak and has little or no right. There seems to be no justice; rather selective justice for the powerless and it is not only me that is witnessed to such injustices, but including the entire civilized world. These are the issues and acts that I violently opposed to, that I have been constantly writing about in some previous postings.

Finally, I have this to say, and setting aside your political leaning and affiliation – do you honestly think that Anuar and including his family members has been treated justifiably by the authorities since getting out of prison? Do they truly deserve such treatment? And compare that with the treatment accorded by the authorities for the ‘crimes’ committed by those powerful politicians that I have mentioned above. Do you not see the disparity and imbalances in the treatment of Anuar in comparison with the others? I ask you to seek you conscience and please be humane and passionate for once.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NFC – FROM COWS TO CONDO

2011-11-11T08:15:00.003+08:00

The more I read about the National Feedlot Center (NFC) involving the Welfare Minister Shahrizat Jalil and her family members, the more I believe in the report by the Auditor General concerning the ‘mess’ observed on the project. And if the scandalous act by the management of the NFC proves to be true and is proven as such, then I can only say this i.e. send all of them to serve a prison term and a sacking for lady Welfare Minister. I see no other kinder judgment except only a prison term for such thievery and squandering of taxpayer’s money that the government seems not to be too concern about.

Ministers and some UMNO leaders have come out in defence of the project including the PM himself, but strangely the then Agriculture Minister who would have known about the project when it was approved during his tenure has remained mute till this day. Why is he too scared to open his mouth and has allowed the present Agriculture Minister Noh Omar to say his piece, knowing full well that what come out from Noh Omar are denials.

Now we are told that RM9.8 million of the loan intended for the NFC project was used to purchase an exclusive ‘One Menerung’ condo at Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. I do not know what ‘menerung’ means, but to me a strange word means strange things. I hope the word has nothing to do with the dubious deals carried out by the Shahrizat family in the purchase of the exclusive condo (if it is true). And I can only laugh when opposition leader Saifuddin Nasution asked whether the condo was purchased for the cows. And if it does, these cows must be one of the most unique cows in the world adorning golden hoofs, I suppose.

Shahrizat has now to come out clean and fast off the many allegations made against her and her family members concerning the NFC affair. It has gone far too deep and the more she denies of any wrong doing, the more revelations will be made that will hurt her chances for a candidacy in the upcoming GE. The condo being in Bangsar (her former constituency) is sure to become a hot topic during the election campaign.

I am surprised at the amount of information revealed by the opposition concerning the NFC affair, and this confirms what was told to me by some government officials that moles does exist in about every ministry and department of the government. Even the highest level of government is not free of such moles. Whether this is good or bad, I do not know, but what I do know is that there is already a sense of frustration and anger among some honest and likeminded government officials that they have had enough of the abuses by the government, that is gradually being exposed by the opposition.

Finally, I only have praise and my highest respect for the Auditor General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang for coming out with such revealing reports. He could have hidden a lot of ‘skeletons’ but choose not to. Such is Ambrin Buang, a man of integrity that takes his job with full responsibility without fear or favour. If only we can have the likes of Ambrin Buang heading ministries and departments, I think the BN is assured of ruling the country for another 100 years.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE INDELIBLE INK – TO USE OR NOT TO USE

2011-11-10T23:14:00.002+08:00

May I ask, “What’s so unconstitutional about allowing the use of the indelible ink in the upcoming GE?” AG Gani Patail opined that (he believes) the Federal Constitution does not allow the authorities to force a voter to be marked with permanent ink. But the nine member panel of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that was formed to look into the electoral reforms demanded by Bersih 2.0 however does not agree with the AG. Now, is this another of the AG’s trickery to ascertain the BN government’s opportunity of winning the next GE by disallowing the use of the indelible ink? There is already a growing perception that this is another of the AG’s trickery, and even the driver of the taxi that I rode in this afternoon think so.

India, the world’s largest democracy has been using the indelible ink, and what is so unique about our constitution that has ‘outlawed’ the use of the indelible ink? Why has India to use the indelible ink when they are said to be the true practitioner of democracy? They don’t need to, and I don’t think we have reached the same level as India with regards to the practice of democracy, and it is for this reason that we should be using the indelible ink during the elections, instead of India. I am no constitutional lawyer, but the AG’s opinion sound rather odd to me. I hope Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, a constitutional expert can throw some light into this issue for all Malaysians to be conscious of the truth.

In a recent interview via email with Malaysiakini, former EC boss Tan Sri Abd Rashid had reaffirmed his support in the use of the indelible ink for the 2008 GE that was withdrawn during the final hours prior to the elections. In a media interview he made at the time, Abd Rashid claimed that the decision not to use the indelible was for security reasons, but did not reveal the source that had influence him to make that decision. I now believe that Abd Rashid was pressured (or was he ordered) by someone to withdraw the decision that he had in the first instant wanted to use of the indelible ink. I just wonder what happened to the indelible ink purchased from India at the costs of RM 1.2 million of taxpayers’ money for the 2008 GE? Hope it wasn’t drained out into the South China Sea.

Badrul Hisham aka Chegubard in a recent press conference has vowed that he would organize a much larger Bersih-like rally if he finds that the government does not heed to the electoral demands of Bersih 2.0 first before calling for the GE; believed to be held early next year. A Bersih 3.0 is not what all like-minded Malaysians would like to see happening to the country. I believe that should Bersih 3.0 proceed, it would be the youth that will be taking the lead. And did we not see in recent times how the youth were able to galvanize themselves into a strong and potent force to rally and protest in the UIA’s Prof Abdul Aziz Bari’s case? And have we not witnessed the massive support of our youth towards the Bersih 2.0 rally overseas? These are clear signs of growing popular people’s protest that our government cannot ignore, and I am not at all surprised that to ignore would only lead to serious consequences to the government, even leading to the possibility in the change of government by force. We have seen such trends in the North African Muslim states recently where powerful governments were brought to its knees by a popular people’s uprising against a repressive government. Let this be a warning to ourselves that such a trend could happen to us at anytime.

Enough has been said that the 13th GE will be a ‘mother of all battles’ of sort. It is a do-or-die for the opposition and similarly, PM Najib has vowed to defend Putrajaya even if bones and bodies were to be crushed. These are strong statements citing the desperation of the BN government to defend itself from relieving power. Likewise, in the case of the opposition, losing this election would not only diminish all hopes of them making any sizable inroads into Putrajaya in the future, but what is worse I think the opposition’s failure would call for an end to their challenge.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

ARE WE HEADING FOR DOOMS DAY?

2011-11-02T21:12:00.001+08:00

My last posting was ‘WHO CARES’ that reflects my utter frustration at the manner in which our national leaders react to the massive ‘fraud’ inherent within the recently released Auditor General’s (AG) report. Their response is one of shameless denial; this despite the obvious detailed observations and comments recorded by the AG, that even an infant would know that there is a lot wrong in the financial management of government funds by ministries and departments. This is not my first exposure to the AG report; rather I have read some previous ones too. But this report I think is the worse ever to reflect the government’s mismanagement of its finances and spending, and what we get in return are denials upon denials by our national leaders. If denials are the only response that our leaders knows best, than I say that we might as well do away with the AG report.

Have we not read how silly the response we get from the Agriculture Minister Noh Omar regarding the financial mismanagement of the National Feedlot Centre (NFC)? If he does not know anything, it is better that he shut up. And what about the response from Tourism Minister Yen Yen that does not make any sense to me. Now, I have been told that even our PM in his written response has defended the failed NFC for reasons best known to him. Of course, being the PM he has no other choice but to defend the lady minister and her family members; rightfully or wrongfully. That’s the essence of a true UMNO leader. I think I would have done the same if I were the PM.

Now, I am told that the MACC finds that there isn’t any financial irregularities involved in the purchase of two pairs of night vision goggles by the Marine Park Department at ten times higher than the market price, and this is blamed on improper market survey. What stupidity is this? Does this mean that no one is to be blamed, and that the ‘improper market survey’ is at fault? My intuition tells me that there is a deliberate attempt by someone to cheat, and that cheat must be brought to justice. I now say that even the MACC investigators are not doing justice by making such remarks and judgment that only makes a mockery of them supposedly being the experts in the art of fighting and investigating corruption. I now believe that these investigators are incompetent and they need to learn much more. Why don’t they learn from the Hongkies?

And what about the statement made by Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni when he said that RM407 billion national debt that grew 12.3% last year (I believe it is constantly growing) was “manageable as it had yet to breach critical threshold”. Does this mean that we have to wait till it reaches the threshold for us to start panicking? And that will certainly come if our leaders continue to remain complacent and play ignorant that the financial woe of the country isn’t too worrying. The same can be said of the country’s external debt that has yet to breach the threshold of RM35 billion. It will certainly come if we are not careful.

Idris Jala has once again reminded us that “the country will go bankrupt if it spends borrowed money on operating expenditure such as subsidies instead of investing the cash” Idris Jala’s argument is simple i.e. if our growth is dismal and if we do not cut on operating expenditure, then we are heading for ‘dooms day’. Just read what other renowned economist and financial gurus say of our economy and it does not sound good. So stop listening to some of those ‘half baked politicians’ who only knows nothing better to do, other than to spew sex stories.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHO CARES!

2011-11-02T10:19:00.002+08:00

WHO CARES IF OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN NO LONGER SPEAK ENGLISH
WHO CARES IF PRICES OF GOODS ARE INFLATED 100 TIMES
WHO CARES IF THIS COUNTRY IS ABOUT TO GO BANKRUPT
WHO CARES IF OUR ROADS ARE LITTERED WITH POT HOLES
WHO CARES IF FOREIGNERS CAN EASILY ATTAIN A RED ID
WHO CARES IF PEOPLE DIES WHILE IN THE CUSTODY OF OUR AUTHORITIES
WHO CARES ABOUT CORRUPTION THAT HAS INFECTED THE CORE OF SOCIETY
WHO CARES IF MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS ARE MADE LEGAL
WHO CARES ABOUT THE PERSISTANT DENIALS MADE BY OUR LEADERS
WHO CARES IF YOUR KAMPUNG FOLKS REMAIN DESTITUTE AND OUR LEADERS AND THEIR FAMILIES GOES ON A SPENDING SPREE
WHO CARES ABOUT SOLVING THE MASSIVE TRAFFIC THAT POLUTE THE CITY
WHO CARES IF THE KL CITY CENTER IS INFESTED WITH FILTH AND RODENTS
WHO CARES IF SOMEONE DIES BECAUSE OF A SNATCH THIEF
WHO CARES IF SOMEONE JUMPS OFF THE MACC BUILDING
WHO CARES IF OUR ELECTION IS RIGGED AND SQUANDRALS GET ELECTED
WHO CARES…………..AND MANY MORE WHO CARES
AND DO YOU CARE?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

STUDENT’S REAWAKENING

2011-11-01T06:21:00.002+08:00

It now appears that Prof Abdul Aziz Bari’s case can be more explosive than the authorities could handle. University students have reawakened to what I believe are the ‘malice’s’ of the authorities that had all the while kept students remote from the happenings and realities of the outside world. Student’s don’t seem to have a voice, nor are the authorities willing to offer a sympathetic ear. Any actions taken by students are deemed a violation of the rules governing student’s code of conduct and behavior. Opposing voices are not welcomed and if there is anything that need to be said, it must be something soothing to the ears of the authorities. Such inhibition not only applies to students, but it would seem to include the academic staff as well as seen in the recent ‘Prof Abdul Aziz Bari saga’.

It is such a pity that university students today are cocooned in their own little kingdom by such inhibitive rules and regulations pertaining to their code of conduct and behavior. Strange though it may seem, our authorities have yet to recognized that university students are no longer kids; rather they are matured adults with enough capacity to think, rationalized and act in their best interest, and in the interest of their fellow students, universities and colleges. And why is it so wrong that they be forbidden to participate in political rallies or even be a member of a political party and to make their voices heard? Do we not recognized that the development of one’s interest and inclination towards politics (or any other interests) should begin early in their life, and by the time they graduate, they are fully prepared to be actively involved in politics or other activities of their interest.

The action taken by students from various universities to rally and protest against the suspension of Prof Abdul Aziz Bari over a professional opinion he made concerning the Selangor Sultan’s statement on the DUMC affair is to me a healthy start to the student’s right to the freedom of expression and assembly. There wasn’t any stone throwing, burning and damaging public property or causing bodily hurt and injuries. Although there were police helicopters flying overhead during the rally, there wasn’t any tear gas or chemical laced water cannons being sprayed at the students. I think, had there been tear gas or water cannon, the situation could turn ugly. Please remember that we are dealing with the youth who are highly inspired, motivated and believe in their cause. They are bound to retaliate riotously when they are intimidated, challenged and abused, like what was seen during the Bersih 2.0rally. Such were the incidences witnessed in most student/youth rallies throughout the world. And having viewed the mass UIA student's rally on video, I have no doubt that the students would have reacted riotously if the police had acted against them.

Youth movements and assemblies today cannot be seen as having a negative impact on the country. Such a perception has to go. On the contrary, I view student’s rights to an assembly and protest as healthy and a sign of student’s maturity at collective expression, active participation, confrontational in purpose and principled in their cause. University students must end up being leaders of society, and not being mere followers. Such like leadership qualities can best be developed while being a university student.

As I have alluded earlier, the Prof Abdul Aziz Bari’s case can be more ‘explosive’ than the authorities could handle. Sure enough, the professor had received a package with a bullet and a life threatening letter from someone that I would call a coward and the scum of the earth. The student’s demands especially with regards to their freedom of expression including that of the academic staffs have yet to be met and if this isn’t done, students have said that a much larger rally will be held. Let’s hear aloud what the Higher Education Minister has got to say about this. Surprisingly, he has remained mute all the while.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NOH OMAR – THE MUMBLING OF FIGURES

2011-10-31T20:39:00.002+08:00

Finally, it is the Agriculture Minister Noh Omar (not the former Agriculture Minister Muhyiddin Yassin) that was asked to answer to the failed National Feedlot Centre (NFC) run by the husband and family members of an UNMO lady minister that was government funded by a RM73 million soft loan. Noh Omar said that the NFC has met its target for producing 8,000 cattle by 2010, against only 5,742 cattle that was reported by the Auditor General (AG) in its recently released report.

Now, who is lying and who is not. Can the AG lie? Or is the minister telling the truth? If you were to ask me for an opinion, I would definitely say that the AG wouldn’t lie. But at the same time, I would also expect that the honourable minister shouldn’t be lying too.

The onus to prove who is lying and who isn’t, I believe lies with the minister. I say this because, the AG report is comprehensive enough, and I believe every detail of the NFC’s business transaction is provided in the report. The AG therefore does not have to make any further clarification with regards to its findings. This should be well understood by all.

Noh Omar in making his ‘defence’ of the NFC was merely stating a figure without any explicit explanation or argument. He has to be clear as to the source of his answers and to detail out explicitly how he had derived at such figures. That’s the major difference between the findings of the AG, and that of the minister. What we need is substantiated figures; not mere numbers plucked from the sky……so they say.

I am certainly not convinced with Noh Omar’s explanation and all tax payers’ wants to know the truth. Please remember that the GE is near and the people cannot be fooled anymore by unsubstantiated and doubtful answers. And there are many more issues arising from the AG report that need answers and if these issues are not handled well, it will become ‘fodder’ for the opposition during the upcoming GE that will leave the BN defenseless.

Just wonder where is Muhyiddin? He certainly wasn’t helping Noh Omar with the answers.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

NG YEN YEN – YOU ARE SO WRONG IN MOST ASPECTS OF DECISION MAKING

2011-10-30T23:58:00.001+08:00

Didn’t I tell you that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen has all the justification and reason for the excessive spending and other financial woes of her ministry, as published in the Auditor General‘s report revealed recently? She claimed that by going for the Direct Negotiation, the ministry had saved millions of ringgit, and this is quite the contrary to the AG’s report.

All along, it was argued that Direct Negotiation for the award of tenders has been the subject of abuse; hence the government preferred the Open Tender where it was normal that the lowest bidder usually wins the tender. If the Open Tender system is the preferred policy for tender bidding by the ministries/departments, then who is Yen Yen to set her own rule and to ignore a government ruling? You see, if a minister herself cannot even abide by its own government ruling, how then would you expect others in the ministry to abide by such a ruling?

Yen Yen is reported to have said that she has had the approval of the Finance Ministry to proceed with the Direct Negotiation, which I am not easily convinced. Having known the workings of the Finance Ministry, it is not as easy as one thinks, to convince the ministry to renege on a policy or ruling that the ministry itself has formulated. The effect of this is that if a particular ministry is allowed to breach or is allowed the option to elect a policy, then other ministries can also do the same. If this be the case, then the Finance Ministry might as well not have such a policy, or any other policies. Let it be a ‘free for all’ or ‘do as you wish’ policy.

In any tender exercise, cost, performance, experience and ability of the bidder are some of the most important criteria in deciding the winning bidder. It is argued that a winning bidder can best be determined only through the Open Tender system. Of course the Open Tender system too can have its flaws when the Tender Board Members are themselves a dishonest and corrupt lot.

In the case of Direct Negotiation, it can just be decided by a stroke of a pen where awarding the tender sometimes does not even require the bidder to meet all the criteria required of a bidder. This is where tenders can easily be awarded to friends, family members and cronies as is usually the case. Costs will be decided between the approving authority and the bidder and this is where inflating the costs takes place i.e. the costlier, the better. We have seen far too many of such cases and it is still happening today. It is for this reason that I cannot agree to the argument put forth by Yen Yen when she says that the Direct Negotiation system is costs saving for her ministry, unless she can prove otherwise.

I can only say this to Yen Yen that the Finance Ministry when formulating and deciding upon a policy must have gone through a series of discussion and meetings, and once a policy has been decided, the policy cannot be wrong. Exception to a policy being formulated and decided upon, I think is not normal.

I also believe the AG cannot be wrong in its findings because of the serious repercussion it will bear upon the AG, if the findings are incorrect; worse still if it is false. Auditing a ministry/department is not something as easy as ABC. It requires meticulous work and the auditors are people of the highest integrity. And I know for one that the AG Tan Sri Ambrin Buang has all the traits of a man that possess the highest integrity, hard working, professional and most of all, he is thoroughly an honest person.

Now, based on the above reasoning and argument, I think Yen Yen is wrong in every aspect of her decision making and argument, and it is because of this that her ministry is now being placed under public scrutiny. And can someone tell me, how was Tourism Ministry able to save RM28 million via the Direct Negotiation as she had claimed? If what she claim is true, Yen Yen ought to be awarded the Pingat Selamatkan Wang Negara (PSWN),created solely for her.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

MUHYIDDIN – PLEASE BE MORE RESPONSIBLE!

2011-10-30T10:15:00.003+08:00

DPM Muhyiddin Yassin sure has a lot to answer regarding the failure of the National Feedlot Centre to meet its target of breeding 8,000 cows after more than two years of operations, and after having received a soft loan (why soft loan?) from the government of RM250 million (that’s a lot of people’s money you know?). The failure of the National Feedlot Centre was one of the more pronounced failures exposed in the recently released Auditor General’s report.

Muhyiddin who was the Agriculture Minister then, has reportedly thrown the buck to current Agriculture Minister Noh Omar to answer questions for the failure. You know, Noh Omar is already finding it hard to seek answers to the RM110 million incentives promised to 73,000 odd farmers to increase the national rice output that has yet to be disbursed to the farmers. Besides that, Noh Omar is struggling with his popularity status in Selangor and if he does not perform, I see little hope that he can be categorized as a ‘winnable candidate’ for the upcoming GE, and obviously the ‘exit door’ policy will be forced upon him by the party. There is already so much of talk in Selangor that there is a popularity struggle between Noh Omar and Ezam Nor as to who should lead the state during the next GE, and a win for BN will see either one becoming the MB.

I think, Muhyiddin’s descision of throwing the buck at Noh Omar is an irresponsible act at its worse. Mind you, Muhyiddin was the minister then, and I believe he had a hand in the approval of the soft loan and of all people; to the husband of a lady UMNO minister. Does he not know that it would be quite improper; unethical to say the least (though not legally wrong, but morally incorrect) to approve such an enormous sum of money to the husband of a minister? Does he not know that this act will be subjected to public scrutiny? If my memory hasn’t faded, I think the loan was approved prior to the 2008 GE. And if indeed it was approved prior to the 2008 GE, do you not smell something sinister here? And who was the lady minister then? Wasn’t she the head of the Wanita UMNO wing where women votes really counts.

Now, Muhyiddin has the audacity to say that, “There is nothing unusual or wrong. The audit found weakness which will be explained”. What kind of a lame statement is this, coming from a senior minister who is the PM designate, as most would say? How can a stupid person like me accept that there is nothing ‘unusual and wrong’ when RM250 million of public money has already been spent without the project achieving its target after more than two years?

The question remains - who is going to explain the failure? Surely it is not going to be Noh Omar for reasons I have describe above? And why has Muhyiddin avoided answering a failure of his own doing? If this is the sort of leaders that this country continue's to have, than I can only say that this country is going to the dogs. I now begin to wonder too; how much of the soft loan (or was it an outright grant)given to the lady minister’s husband has been recovered. Was this reflected in the Auditor General’s report?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

DATUK MAT ZAIN IBRAHIM – THE NATION LAUDS YOUR PERSISTENCE

2011-10-27T18:19:00.004+08:00

We are yet to hear former senior police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim throwing in the towel over his endless lone crusade to bring to the fore the malpractices and abuses of the AG Gani Patail and former IGP Musa Hassan in their handling of the Anuar Ibrahim’s sodomy case of 1998. Letter upon letters have been send to the relevant authorities and the same had also been posted in various blogs and the new media. The authorities chose to remained mute, deaf and dumb, and even the accused i.e. Gani Patial and Musa Hassan dare not act, let alone open their gap. I now believe that what has been written and exposed by Mat Zain is the truth, and the eerie silence of the authorities, Gani Patail and Musa Hassan proves more of their guilt than innocence.

I have known Mat Zain back in the early 80’s when he was the OCPD at Kangar, Perlis when I was then the Commanding Officer of 9th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment based at Kepala Batas, Alor Setar, Kedah. We met on several occasions at dinner sessions and for him to have risen to become the senior investigating officer in the Anuar Ibrahim’s black eye incident is no surprise to me. I believe, he was chosen for his honesty and integrity in investigating high profile cases, without fear or favour; the hallmark of a thrust worthy and sincere police officer. I have tried to contact him on several occasions to renew old acquaintance, but I haven’t had the opportunity.

Now, Mat Zain is back with renewed rage at what he sees the ineptness and lethargy of our political master to not lift a finger to view the alleged abuse of power, corruption and fabrication of evidence by Gani Patail that had exposed the judiciary to odium. Mat Zain had also accused Gani Patail of ‘screening criminal wrongdoing, abuse of power and corrupt practices linked to VVIPs, prominent corporate figures and senior government officials, involving property and cash to the tune of several hundred of millions of ringgit, traceable to the early 90’s’. These are serious accusations that resemble cases involving high profile figures and activities of the Mafia’s in some South American states and even in Russia. Now, are already we a nation that resembles these states or worse?

What fascinates me too is the silence of our PM himself whom Mat Zain claims to have full knowledge of the abuses perpetrated by the nation’s most senior lawyer. I suppose the present top police hierarchy knows too, but why the silence? If Mat Zain isn’t telling the truth, why not charge him. And despite repeated and persistent accusations by Mat Zain, the government finds it fit to just close all cases against Gani Patail who is now seen to be untouchable by the law. Even our national leader’s hands are tight when it involves the AG. You and I know that the AG is another human being, just like anyone else and don’t tell me he is different. Having gone to the holy land Mecca thus absolves him of all worldly sins?

I sense that the government has a lot to lose if Gani Patail is being investigated and brought to justice. For all you know, bringing Gani Patail to justice can have dire consequences upon the government, and of which the government can ill afford at the moment. Gani Patail may have lots up his sleeves and his revelation in court can be disastrous for some important personalities.

I may be wrong in assuming this, but Mat Zain too cannot be wrong in making all the accusations? Mat Zain has proven himself to have stood by what he says, but the government’s response is one that shows a lack of will and commitment to act on all that Mat Zain had revealed, for some unknown reason.

So the accusations are not likely to cease and to Mat Zain, he will only have to wait awhile when justice eventually catches on the people that he wants prosecuted. His persistence will surely be rewarded – God willing.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

RAHIM NOR – A PALE OF WHAT HE WAS BEFORE

2011-10-27T10:50:00.003+08:00

I see a pathetic face in the person of the former IGP Tan Sri Rahim Nor who has foolishly associated himself with Perkasa and was honoured with the ‘selempang merah’ (red sash). I have the slightest idea the significance of wearing the ‘selempang merah’. Does it mean that TS Rahim Nor is acknowledged a Malay warrior? Or does the sash entitle him to an honorific title of ‘Perwira Melayu Terbilang (PMT)’ or some other titles that supersedes the title of Tan Sri?

TS Rahim Nor was an honoured guest at the 2nd Perkasa General Assembly held recently. Another notable character at the assembly was Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah of the ‘Tiga Datuk’ fame. You see, TS Rahim Nor and Datuk Shazryl Eskay both have something in common i.e. have appeared before the court and sentenced; the former was ordered to spent time in prison (though brief) for punching Anuar Ibrahim, and the latter fined for being involved in the screening of the alleged sex video of Anuar Ibrahim. You see the common association both had with Anuar Ibrahim that caused them to be sentenced. I am surprised that the other two Datuk’s were not honoured by Perkasa.

During a speech, TS Rahim Nor said that he likened the rise of the human rights movement in Malaysia to communism. He went further to say that “Every century has its wave and we cannot avoid being hit by this wave. Now, it’s the human rights wave. Before that it was the wave of Maxism, Socialism”.

Honestly, I cannot see the logic of likening human rights with communism for the two are markedly opposed in its philosophy, meaning and purpose. Human rights, as I know it is a universally acceptable requirement and demand; whereas I would described communism as some conceited idea of a ‘mad man’. And have we not seen the disaster communism has done to the human race? On the contrary, has human rights been associated with violence, murders, corruption, abuses and the many other worldly woes? And did we not fight communism in this country to defend our rights i.e. human rights? I suggest TS Rahim Nor should do a bit of reading on the subject before he makes such a comparison, and coming from someone who was once a powerful national figure and saying something that is out of context, is laughable.

My advice to TS Rahim Nor is to disassociate himself from Perkasa, for there is nothing left in him to champion the cause of Perkasa. I know TS Rahim Nor is a Malay and like all Malays, he holds dearly to his roots, but not the manner in which Perkasa seems to be propagating the Malay cause. I think TS Rahim Nor could do better justice if he involves himself with the Persatuan Persara Polis Diraja Malaysia, or any other association aimed at improving the police force in its fight against corruption from among members of the force, and to help rebuild the trust and confidence of the public towards the force.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHAT NEXT ON PROF ABDUL AZIZ BARI?

2011-10-26T09:53:00.002+08:00

Prof Abdul Aziz Bari may have his suspension repealed by the university authorities, but the pressure placed upon him by other investigation authorities is yet to be over. They say that the police have completed taking statements from the professor, but what is laughable is the manner the police had conducted the investigation. Besides the statements taken, the police reportedly had conveniently taken away the professor’s computer (laptop I suppose) and even taken photographs of his house.

Now what stupidity is this? Are they trying to see if the professor had downloaded pornography onto his computer like one airline pilot did i.e reportedly the son of a former senior government official? And what about taking snap shots of the house? Are the authorities trying to nail the professor for corruption for building a house beyond his means? Have they not looked into the professor’s bed room to search if he had kept excessive cash under the mattress or anywhere inside the house, like one personal officer of a minister who was idiot enough to have kept excessive cash in his room? I think the police were merely trying to intimidate the professor, and I know the professor is not a weakling to be easily intimidated. Let us all wish and pray for the professor’s safety and wellbeing.

Now, if the police were looking for corruption, they need not look at academicians like Professor Abdul Aziz Bari. Academicians only collect books, read, teach and undertake research work. They do not deal with contractors or businessmen. Go and have a look at the houses of some of our ministers, politicians, Menteri Besars and even some senior government officials? You can surely find that the houses they built are beyond their means. Why don’t they take pictures of the houses owned by the Sarawak CM for instant? Do I need to say more? I know of a retired professor who does nothing else but reading, writing books; coiled up in his room and know next to nothing about doing business. This is unlike some senior retired government officials who are appointed Chairman or directorship in companies that they once had dealings with, when they were in the service. Do I need to name some of them?

The police have done their job, and who next will home onto Professor Abdul Aziz Bari? The MACC, Immigration, Custom, EC, JKR, JPJ and the religious departments? I hope not, but if the police cannot find sufficient evidences to nail the professor, they might as well have others to do their job too? If this were too happen, I say that we have all have gone crazy (including me) and Malaysians will no longer find this country a peaceful and likeable place to live and retire.

Let’s hope the authorities are sensible enough to do the right thing, at least in the case of this innocent professor.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

AUDITOR GENERAL’S REPORT – NO END TO FINANCIAL ABUSE

2011-10-26T07:52:00.002+08:00

Malaysians ought to be thankful to the Auditor General (AG) Tan Sri Ambrin Buang for having been meticulous in auditing the government’s spending and to come out with a report that I believe is unbiased, truthful and reflects the factual state of the ministries/government agencies financial management. I have been reading some of his previous reports and I sense that the AG seems a highly principled person that does his work with passion, honest, forthright and without fear or favor.

What has been revealed in his latest report (though late) that appeared in the media thus far can be frightening to say the least? Frightening, because if nothing serious is done to check the manner in which government manages it’s spending, this country is destined towards financial and economic mayhem. If that were to happen, then we are in the same league with Greece and with some other EU countries. Who suffers? Certainly not for the rich and famous, but it is the ordinary people that suffers.

National debt rose by 12% to over RM407 billion last year, and billions more in external debt making us I think, one of the worse debtor nation in the world. I wonder how the government could be spending so freely, and disbursing money to ‘any dick, tom and harry’ as though the government assumes itself to be a huge mobile ATM machine. That is what our DPM and PM has been doing; doling cash (they call it financial aid) as if the money belongs to them at every ‘meet-the-people session’; the latest being the announcement made by the PM of a RM1 million education grant for children of former policemen, from the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad. This has been the talk of the town, and do they not know this? I just wonder how many retired policemen still has school going children, when they retire at the age of 58 or is it 60 now?. Or is the PM thinking of the grandchildren or great grandchildren of our policemen that were killed in the Bukit Kepong tragedy?

From what I read, nine government ministries have overspent to the tune of RM3.73 billion that includes the Home Ministry and Education Ministry. This means that the ministries were either weak in their financial management or were at the outset poor at working out a budget. I have so often heard people say that finishing off the allocation early show good financial management, and asking for more allocation means that the ministry is working hard to ensure a better performance. No one talks about prudent spending and a saving would mean that future allocation will be slashed.

What caught my eye is the over payment by the Tourism Ministry of nearly RM270 million for advertisement that was not carried via the open tender. And does the minister not know that direct negotiated tender or selective tender system is subject to abuse? This ministry has somewhat been setting records for spending public money all for the wrong reasons, and the minister seems to have all the answers and justifications for such spending. And can someone tell me how much will it costs to purchase 1000 racks for hold tourism brochures? The ministry spends RM1.95 million for that purpose and would you believe that? And having spent that much of money, they could not account for 149 racks that had gone missing. I suppose someone must have taken it home or resold it for scrap metal or had eaten it up. This is the state of our Tourism Ministry where wastage is not their concern since it is not their money, and who really cares.

I do not wish to list all other abuses in the financial management of ministries/agencies detailed out in the AG report, because it is obvious in public domain. But what I would like to say is the manner in which the KSN responded to these abuses i.e. that “we will ensure that such abuses do not occur again” or words to the effect. I get sick when I hear such words because I know it doesn’t mean anything and there is no will to ensure that such abuses will not be repeated, unless he proves otherwise.

I have also read that the Public Account Committee (PAC) will investigate seven ministries and agencies for weak financial management. I hope at the end of the investigation, and if it is found that there was a deliberate breach at financial mismanagement; then someone must be made responsible, accountable and appropriate action taken, regardless of the status of the official responsible. My question then will be - does PAC have the will and morale courage to recommend appropriate action upon those responsible for the financial mismanagement? My answer is a flat NO. I just wonder whether ministers or KSU’s will be called up to face the PAC. This, we will have to wait and see.

This AG Report is certainly a bad Deepavali gift, not only to Malaysian Indians but to all Malaysians.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

SLANDER – A NEW POLITICAL TOOL

2011-10-24T09:50:00.002+08:00

The claim by a pro UMNO blogger that the son of Penang CM Lim Guan Eng (LGE) had molested a girl has been circulating in the media for far too long. It appears that Malaysians has the propensity to sensationalize stories relating to sex involving individuals without due regards to whether such stories are true or otherwise, and its consequences.

Now is it found that the allegation is not true, but the reputation of the LGE and his family and in particular the son has been sullied to the point the boy will now find it hard to be his usual self among his peers and many friends.

This is a sorry state of affairs of the country today and it gets no better by the day, all in the name of political survival, and I suppose in the spirit of Malaysia Boleh. I now think that the theme Malaysia Boleh is a curse and should be disregarded; just as 1 Malaysia, which is to me a misunderstood concept. Coming out with high sounding and melodious themes and pronouncements has little meaning if society does not understand it and is continuously in breach of its aspired aims and objectives. Do we not see what had happened to Islam Hadhari, a concept that was perpetuated during the Abdullah Badawi era that is now silent? I have yet to hear anything being said about it by our Religious Minister.

The sex issue allegedly involving LGE’s son should not have happened if we have cared for the sentiment and sensitivity of others, more so when we are a multi racial and multi religious society. We preach to others that despite Malaysians being a multi racial and multi religious society, we have lived in harmony devoid of any racial and religious misunderstanding. Our leaders take pride in making such pronouncement and lecturing to the world about how we manage to live as one Malaysian society, but the reality at home is quite the contrary.

Clearly, I do not have any reason to doubt that the issue relating to LGE’s son is politically motivated. If it is true that the story was originated from a pro UMNO blog, then UMNO has to share the blame and not distanced itself only when the truth is revealed. All that had been said and commented by UMNO leaders prior to the truth being revealed show that they are in agreement with the story. They can say whatever they like in whatever form and language, but the truth of the matter is that they had said nothing to deny the story and to condemn it. Just listened to the comments made by Muhyiddin on the matter which is disgusting. And even PM Najib who has been silent all the while has now made his comments by saying that family issues should not be politicized, but short of saying that the pro UMNO blogger had spewed lies. I think Najib’s comments came a bit too late.

Now, many will say that I sound like a pro DAP person. I say to all and sundry that I am not. The basis of my writing is simply to speak out the truth and to be sympathetic to someone who has been slandered (Fitnah) and has suffered because of this. I do not care if the person being slandered is a Chinese, Indian, Malay or some alien nationality, because in the eyes of Islam, slander is a grievous crime.

Clearly, this is a case of slander and the person that had exposed the story has committed a grievous crime and ought to be punished.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

DEEPAVALI GREETINGS

2011-10-23T18:42:00.001+08:00

To all my Indian friends of the Hindu faith, my wife and I wish you a Happy Deepavali. To my neighbours with whom I had befriended during my formative years; where ever you are, my thoughts of you all are still fresh in mind. To my classmates and course mates, meeting you at reunions bring back fond memories. And to all others that I have known, in particular to the officers and men that had served me, I thank you for your loyalty and support that had made me to be what I am.

We are all Malaysians, and my wife and I wish to share with all of you, your joyous moment in celebrating Deepavali.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

GAINING INROAD INTO SELANGOR – PR’S BASTION

2011-10-23T08:07:00.002+08:00

DPM Muhyiddin Yasin is reported to have said that, “a blue wave (referring to the colour of BN) is in sight in Selangor indicating that the people desire to return to BN rule in the state”. And in some other forum, Muhyiddin had said that he is worried about the infighting within the component parties (UMNO included I suppose) that can disrupt BN chances of winning the next GE. Can you not see the confusion and uncertainty in Muhyiddin mental faculty when he makes contradicting statements about the party’s position for the upcoming GE, in a matter of days?

Being a Selangorean, I think I know my state better than others, more so from someone from Johore, Perak, Pahang or Malacca. In all honestly, I can also feel the pulse of my Selangor mates and let me tell you that getting back Selangor as claimed by Muhyiddin is not going to be that easy. Muhyiddin may be right in saying that businessmen in Selangor are not too happy with the state government because contract are not easy to secure. I think the businessmen that complained to Muhyiddin are those from UMNO who had been getting favored contracts from the previous state government. I know this because I too get complaints from non UMNO businessmen that the state government has done away with the practice of favoritism and cronyism in the award of businesses. I even had a PR contractor who complained to me. So why the fuss about not getting contracts, where every bidder is seen as equal and where they now trade on a level playing field. Surely, we do not wish to see another fiasco like the problematic construction of the new hospital in Selangor that remained uncompleted. Was it not the job of a crony or some favored contractor? Had the award be done professionally, I do not think this fiasco would have occurred.

My advice to Muhyiddin is not to listen to the ‘chanting’ and ‘sermons’ from any Selangor UMNO/BN leaders; surely not from Noh Omar and the left over’s of the MCA and MIC leaders. And hasn’t PM Najib realized this when he said that he can no longer believe the ‘goodies’ that he is so often fed by some ‘pencancai’ around him. I believe, these are the same ‘pencacai’ that surround Muhyiddin now and are singing the same old song that Muhyiddin wants to listen. And let me tell you this, that Selangor UMNO/BN will be facing the biggest challenge of their life to regain Selangor if UMNO/BN is not willing to do a massive shakeup within the party’s leadership. I now say that they all need to go.

I am not being unjustifiably pessimistic of UMNO/BN chances of winning the next GE, and neither am I being overly optimistic of PR gaining a bigger majority in the next GE. PR has to work much harder despite its good performance in managing the state, and this should not be a cause for complacency.

My final advice to Muhyiddin is to take some lessons from fighting a battle i.e. seek out the weaknesses of the adversary, plan a ruse, optimize resources where a win can be assured and exploit the win, and finally be consistent in the execution of the plan.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IN THE POST GADDAFI ERA?

2011-10-23T05:49:00.004+08:00

As I watched the video of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi’s final moments of his life, I can’t help but felt a sense of pity for him. There have been reports that Gaddafi was responsible for the death of about 35,000 Libyans throughout his 42 years rule where he held the country with an iron fist. But the good side of his rule is that Gaddafi provided his people with free education and that accounts for the high literacy rate. Automobile fuel is cheap and the government offers a sizable grant for those who want to purchase a car. Couples who want to get married get cash incentive from the government. Libya has no external debt (unlike us) and income derived from oil is in the billions per day. Libya is acclaimed as one of the wealthiest countries in the world; its GDP per capita is much higher than that of developed countries like S. Korea, Spain, Italy and even Singapore.

As of yesterday, news has it that the body of Gaddafi now lies in a vegetable and onion freezer, and on display in the city of Misrata at a local shopping center. Where and how he is to be buried is still unclear, but reports have it that his burial site will eventually be kept a secret.

As a Muslim, I would not agree to the way Gaddafi met his end. He should have been kept alive and to face justice by the court. Even if he is ordered to die by the court’s ruling, that is not to be the final and ultimate judgment. That final and ultimate judgment will be God’s judgment in the hereafter. The people that had caused Gaddafi’s death are not the authority to impose the death sentence, and I would say that they are murderers and they will also face God’s ultimate judgment in the hereafter.

Talking about murderers, I know that there are many murderers on the loose in this country; some are even government salaried. I have talked about it in some of my earlier writings, and I believe you know who these government salaried murderers are. We know that there has been much death in the custody of our authorities, but little do we know the actual cause of death other than the version published by the authorities themselves.

So the mystery lingers and the families of the decease suffer. But don’t they (authorities) know that those who were a party to the death will also face the ultimate judgment in the hereafter? Regardless of who the dead person is; Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, Hindus or atheist, God does not differentiate race or religion of the murderer and the punishment is universal i.e. HELL. I just do not know how one feel to have murdered someone or have been an accomplish to a murder, and are left free to roam the streets. The same can also be said of the government salaried murderers.

Gaddafi has met his fate, but the fate of the Libyan people is yet to be seen and known. Is it going to be better where freedom reigns? Or will it be worse? Already there has been extra judicial killings and with the vast amount of weapons in the hands of the people; I do not see a settled Libya in the many months to come. Factional issues will flare up and this can be a cause of another civil war; a much bloodier war than that of disposing Gaddafi.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

TO TALK OR NOT TO TALK

2011-10-22T14:20:00.003+08:00

If UIA Constitutional law expert Prof Abdul Aziz Bari can be suspended by the authorities for expressing his professional opinion regarding the recent decree by the Selangor Sultan over the controversial JAIS raid on DUMC, then guess what will happen to us if we were to do the same. This is indeed a dangerous trend and precedence when university professors are made to be subservient to the wishes and thinking of the political masters, who think they (political masters) are experts in everything that goes on in the country, but in reality they are not.

Prof Abdul Aziz Bari is an acclaimed constitutional law expert and I have been reading a number of his comments and opinions over a number of issues, and I gain a lot of knowledge by it. And may I ask - who are these people that had criticized and demanded the suspension of the professor? Are they law experts themselves of the standing of the professor? The obvious answer is NO – they are merely some lowly self centered politicians desperately demanding that they be heard, and awaiting to be disposed off during the up-coming GE. If you look at the record of some, they are rejects of one political party and hops into another political party unashamedly pleading to their ‘masters’ that they be given a new lease of life to exist. Do I need to name them? I think you all know who there are – don’t you?

This is the mockery of the entire political system of the country today where voices of reason and conscience can no longer be heard and accepted. What need to be heard must be good for the hearing of our political masters and the many ‘pencacai’s’ that surround them. And anything that goes against their liking must be silence at all costs even if it is an opinion or an advice. The ‘killing’ will be done by the ‘pencacai’ and anything goes, and the trend now it seems, stories about sex (regardless if it is true or otherwise) makes good killing. And haven’t the son of Penang CM Lim Guan Eng been a victim of such scurrilous and vile attacks by you know who! Anuar Ibrahim is fighting for his life in court because of this. But what about the bottom grabber, the money laundering MB and the many corruptors and looters that gleefully lingers around the corridors of power?

The ‘masters-that-be’ knows all; his words are sacrosanct and must be obeyed; just like the days of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Haven’t we all learned from the events in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria and most recently Libya? I hope Malaysians are not like the North African Muslim nations, and God forbid that what had happened there does not happen here. But believe me, if the people are stressed out, anything can happen, and the youth today are no longer docile but are a conscious and a thinking lot. And isn’t this the reason why PM Najib has invited football fans to his Seri Perdana Residence to watch the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City this Sunday night. I know the crowd will be mainly the youth.

Now, let me tell you this; there are already voices of dissent being heard, and it gets much louder by the day, over a number of issues that’s happening in the country today. Believe me, the judiciary is no longer held in high esteem, the police are seen as a tool of its political masters and the MACC has lost its credibility to even justify its existence when they themselves are seen to be abusive, inefficient and ‘corrupt’. Do I need to name the rest i.e. immigration, customs, EC where acts of abuse and corruption have been ceremoniously associated with them? There will always be something that ordinary Malaysians can talk about in reference to one or some of the departments that I have just named. I have heard it all and I bleed every time I hear such demeaning and disparaging acts concerning these departments whose very existence is to provide service to the people.

Now, going back to Prof Abdul Aziz Bari and the opinion he made is merely a fraction of what was said by our UMNO leaders during the 1993 Constitutional Crisis involving the Malay rulers. Certainly, Prof Abdul Aziz Bari was more refined in the use of his language when making a professional opinion, and he wasn’t at all condemning the Selangor Sultan or used words to belittle the Sultan. I would like to ask - have the Selangor Sultan himself made a pronouncement that he was hurt by what Prof Abdul Aziz Bari said? No the Selangor Sultan has not, and why has there been so much of hue and cry about this?

Although I was in Cambodia during the 1993 Constitutional Crisis, I watched every bit of the news regarding the crisis on satellite TV at how the government would run down the royalties unashamedly on a daily basis. I don’t need to quote statements made by some of our political masters, especially UMNO leaders then, against the Malay rulers that were published in the local print media, because it is already in public domain. And now they claim that they are a party that uphold and defend the rights of the Malay rulers. Am I to believe this and be easily convinced after all they did and acted against the Malay rulers? I’ll be a fool if I were to say yes.

This takes me to an article that I wrote in May 3, 2011 titled “Malay Disunity – A Cause For Malaysian Disunity”, and I would like to say it again that there is something in the Malays (my race) that is damning and partly a cause for today’s misfortunes. The act of FITNAH seems to be synonymous with the Malays now, and it is getting more prevalent and daring, despite the abhorrence Islam placed upon such acts. If such act does not ceased and punitive actions are not taken upon the perpetrators of FITNAH, then all can be rest assured that talks of MALAY UNITY might as well be thrown into the drain.

In the case of Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, it was obviously a Malay that had caused all the problem, and may I ask – what next?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

HIMPUN - MY GROWING FEAR

2011-10-21T09:11:00.002+08:00

Am I pleased to know that opposition party leaders have decided to disassociate themselves with the planned mammoth Anti-Apostasy Rally (Himpun) to be held at Shah Alam tomorrow Saturday 22, October that is reportedly organized by Muslim NGO’s. Who else can be the rally hero’s other the born again UMNO member Ezam Md Noor and the incorrigible Ibrahim Ali.

Although the organizers can deny the involvement of politicians such as the two that I have mentioned, but believe you me, this rally will be nothing more than a political rally that can fuel further mistrust, divide, anger and fear among multi racial and religious Malaysians. This rally is planned to assemble a million Muslims to be packed like sardines at Stadium Shah Alam.

And interestingly, the Home Minister, police and even Jamil Khir (Religious Minister) can be so easily convinced by the smooth talking organizers’ of the numbers that is likely to attend the rally, and that all will be well and orderly – hence a permit for the rally was issued in double quick time. Do you not see the marked disparity here when Bersih, a multi racial rally demanding for free, fair and clean elections was made illegal and was forcibly dispersed with tear gas and water cannons. Bersih has nothing to do with racial and religious issues, but was merely a voice of conscience for the good of all Malaysians.

Can anyone believe a million people assembled in a stadium that could only accommodate about 50,000 people? Where are the rest to be assembled? Surely the rally will spill out of the stadium, and how sure are the authorities that these people will remain orderly, quiet and obedient to their organizers? Knowing full well the way a rally is organized by pro UMNO linked NGO’s, issues that hinges upon racial and religious sentiments are sure to flare up. And with a million people flooding the stadium and Shah Alam, how the hell can the police ensure that there will not be breaches of security.

I think gathering a million people is utter nonsense and if indeed a million people can be gathered for the rally, this will go into the Guinness Book of Record as the largest congregation of people ever to take place at one single location i.e. in a stadium. I hope Al Jazeera, CNN and BBC will be there to record the event. I know TV3and RTM will be there too. And once again, how on hell can the authorities be so convinced?

My next concern is what if other Malaysians of different faith decide to do a similar rally? Deputy Education Minister Fuad Zarkashi was reported to have said that they too can organize a rally. But I think I am no fool to believe in such a talk. Even an assembly at the Chinese Assembly Hall had caused the consternation of Malays and what more an assembly of a million Malaysians of other faith. I think Ibrahim Ali would be the first Homo sapiens to raise an objection to such rally.

I honestly think that the organizers have not seriously thought about the consequences of the rally. Neither have they ever thought of some better and effective ways of reaching out to Muslim Malaysians about their (organizers) concerns affecting the Muslim Malaysian’s religious beliefs. Why not look at how and what are the state religious departments programmes to curb apostasy among Muslims. Why not think of using the mosques, especially during Friday prayers to continuously drum in issues relating to apostasy and other associated issues to the congregation? Next look at what the mainstream media can offer, especially the electronic media. Now, does anyone realize that our electronic media today is infested with programmes that does more harm than good to the younger generation; the Malay word to describe such programmes are – ‘program-program yang menghayalkan’. Now, who is to be blamed if the Muslim youth goes astray? Please take a hard look at this.

Finally, time is ticking fast and deep in my heart, I hope nothing untoward will happen during the rally. And may the speakers be sensible enough not to raise issues that will hurt Malaysian of other faith.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

A LESSON IN HEROISM – THE SOMALIA EPISODE

2011-10-21T00:11:00.004+08:00

On September 5, 2011, I posted an article titled, ‘The making of a hero out of our own stupidity’ that commented on the shooting incident in Somalia involving a Bernama photographer Noramfaizul Mohd Nor that led to his untimely death. Noramfaizul was on a humanitarian mission organized by Putra 1 Malaysia Club; an UMNO outfit headed by one Datuk Abdul Azeez Abd Rahim. While we ought to grieve the lost of an innocent life, I somehow think the government has been over zealous in the manner it handled the incident, that I as a former soldier finds it somewhat of a mockery.

My simple argument and reasoning is this - firstly, it is pointless to glorify a dead person when Noramfaizul’s death was the result of the organizers’ sheer stupidity in putting civilians in harm’s way, knowing full well that Somalia is the most unsafe country in the world. Didn’t the organizers know that at the height of the Somalian civil war, Malaysian soldiers have lost their lives and almost an entire platoon of Pakistani soldiers too was killed? Even the most powerful military in the world i.e the USA found it difficult to deal with Somalian rebels, and remember 'The Black Hawk Down' USA propoganda movie?

Here, I am not implying that the humanitarian mission was a worthless cause, but what I am saying is that going into a country like Somalia (despite the presence of the African Union peacekeeping troops) is still dangerous and venturing into that country by people who are clueless about the dangers confronting them smacks of ignorance and stupidity.

Secondly, I think conferring the status of a National Hero upon Noramfaizul who died without him knowing what actually killed him and in such haste, I think is most inappropriate. I do not know the basis upon which Noramfaizul was conferred a National Hero, but I do know there are a set of criterions and eligibilities upon which one is conferred an award for valor by the government, such as the SP, PGB and other gallantry awards. Such award generally relates to actions in the face of an enemy in combat. But in the case of Noramfaizul, can his death be classified as death in combat in the face of an enemy? Maybe the Malacca state government that had conferred Noramfaizul with a gallantry award can explain the rational for such an award. We know that history does tell us that Malacca had many warriors in the past (Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat and others) but I think none of the ‘Hangs’ are ever conferred the status of national or state heroes. I am not surprise that one day an award of a similar nature will be conferred to someone who died from being knocked down by a motorcycle while on duty in some war thorn country.

Thirdly, I do not know if an insurance payment of almost half a million ringgit to the family of Noramfaizul could dampen their sorrow and grief at having lost someone dear. And half a million ringgit is not an amount that the next of kin of a soldier who dies in combat is paid by its group insurance. It is far less and it is certainly not front page news in the media. I suppose, dead soldiers has little news value; unlike national sportsman and sports woman who even failed to make a cut at international sport circuit.

Fourthly, the reception given to Noramfaizul at the airport upon his arrival is like a grand circus, including the clowns and court jesters. I am not saying that he does not deserve a ‘grand reception party’ and a full police escort right to his grave site. What concerns me is that those VVIPs that were present at the airport had all the time to be away from their offices and to accompany a funeral motorcade, then to be in their office; thinking, dealing and solving national issues. Who does not sympathize with the family of Noramfaizul; I certainly do, but the least I could do is to recite the first surah of the Koran in remembrance of Noramfaizul in my prayers.

And if I could relate my experience having return home with my troops after a 15 months successful UN peacekeeping tour in Cambodia, the reception party that received us at the Johore Bahru airport was merely the Brigade Commander and of course our families. We returned home minus one soldier who died in Cambodia. There wasn’t a single VVIP and I am not at all disappointed. I think, what is more important is that we as soldiers had presented and performed well Cambodia and most of all, maintained the good name of the country.

To the organizers of the Somalian humanitarian mission, let this be a lesson to you, and if you think you want to be a hero in a country like Somalia or to any other war thorn country, my brotherly advice to you is to seek the professional advice from those soldiers that had served the country, and there are many that you can seek from.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

IS MALAYSIA A LAND OF ABUSERS AND TORTURERS?

2011-10-19T11:13:00.004+08:00

I am saddened by the news that Cambodian maids have become subjects of abuse and torture by their employers; a number have since met their demise. The Cambodian Ambassador Princess Norodom Arunasmy has cited three cases of abuse on maids that resulted in death, but the police denied this number. This must have resulted in a recent ruling by the Cambodian government that maids are no longer for hire to Malaysia. Isn’t this a damning insult to the country and Malaysians ought to be ashamed by this.

Earlier, it was the Indonesian government that had stopped Indonesian maids from working in Malaysia and incidents of abuse and torture of Indonesian maids by employers has repeatedly appeared in the news. But what disgusts me most is the manner in which cases are referred to the courts that usually takes several years to conclude. Isn’t there a much speedier way of handling such cases that will give confidence to the aggrieved maids and their families that our system of justice takes a serious view over cases of abuse and torture of foreign maids?

Malaysians claims to be civilized, but such brutality meted upon a fellow human being; more so upon an innocent foreign maid makes us more of a savage of the prehistoric era. To own a maid, the employer must be someone of a sound social, economic and educational standing. But how come they are so brutal, sadistic and abusive, where a normal person with enough senses would not even harm a cat or a dog. This makes me to believe that any employer that had ill treated their maid must be an insane person with animalistic instinct and does not deserve to be called a human being.

An speaking about Cambodian maids, let me say my piece about hiring a maid to upkeep my Headquarters when I was serving the UN in Cambodia during the tumultuous period of the Cambodian civil war back in 1992 which I chronicled in my book titled “United Nations Peacekeeping Operations - The Malaysian Experience in Cambodia”

The maid that we hired was a married woman in her early forties who was responsible, caring and was never late for work. The moment she arrives at the Headquarters, she would greet us with folded palms brought close to her body and with her head bowed. This is the usual Cambodian way of greeting people, and we all would reciprocate with a similar greeting. This first morning greeting is enough to make us feel honored and respected. There is so much of kindness in her and she went about her daily chores without uttering a word; let alone to complaint about anything. She would not budge into anyone’s office without a greeting, and I believe such personal character of Cambodian women prevails in most other Cambodian women, especially those from the rural areas.

Cambodian women are naturally shy and because of this they tend to fear at doing something that they are not too familiar with. However, being employed as maids, the onus is upon the employer to teach and show what and how the house work needs to be done. I suppose these maids must have gone through some basic lessons in housekeeping by their agents in Cambodia, but there are still many things that they do not know, and this must be taught and shown to them by their employer.

The experience I had in hiring maid in Cambodia, I cannot understand what drove the Malaysian employers to abuse and torture their maid. Even if the maid had faulted, abuse and torture is not the answer to discipline and teach the maid. Even animals too will not do this to their kind, so what are we then? – an animal or a human being.

I would like to see that both Cambodia and Indonesia stops sending maids to Malaysia, unless and until the two countries are fully satisfied that a thorough investigation of such abuses and torture are carried out by the Malaysian authorities and a formal finding presented to both the foreign governments. When the Somali government can conduct an investigation on the death of the Bernama photographer and a report submitted to the Malaysian government, why can’t we do the same for the abused Cambodian and Indonesian maids? Are we too proud to do that, or are we just too ignorant?

My only hope is for the authorities to act swiftly in cases of abuse of maids, and not to go around denying upon being told. Denying is not the answer, but swift and speedy action is.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

SHARING SOMEONE’S THOUGHTS

2011-10-18T20:11:00.002+08:00

I received this write-up from someone that I thought is worthy of discussion and some soul searching. Some of the thoughts put into this write-up may cause the displeasure of some, but let’s open our argumentative minds a bit to see if Strategic Thoughts piece makes any sense to use.

BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY – MY TWO CENTS PERCEPTION by Synthetic Thoughts

The two clearly distinct roles of the Armed Forces (AF) are:
1. In peace – To Train for War
2. In a Declaration of War – Defend the sovereignty of the nation by engaging and destroying the enemy.

Having said that, let us now examine the ‘new tasks’ assigned by the government to the AF under the guise of a Blue Ocean Strategy.

Firstly, policing is NOT AN AF DEFINED ROLE. It actually skirts around the misuse of competent resources. Policing is the competency of the Police, and combat is the competency of the AF and never the two should mix. Yes, everyone is responsible for security they say, but surely there are levels of security and layers of responsibility by respective organizations.

My contention is that Military/Police joint patrols are uncalled for and smells of a hidden agenda.

Let us see some new developments.

The Territorial Army (TA) is re-designated into Parliamentary Constituencies. For what - Better Command - Better Control - Cost Effectiveness?

In fact, I always thought that the TA is to ‘mirror’ the structure of the regular force, and thus the Command and Control should be within the designated geographical HQ locations of the regular force. The manpower, training and logistics are all interdependent to achieve commonality and smooth adherence of the SOP. I shudder to think how the Command and Control is now reorganized to address the re-designation on TA units/formations into Parliamentary Constituencies. Pardon me for saying this -I smell a hidden agenda.

Then, there is an attempt now to increase a few fold the strength of the RELA, and for what? Has the internal security situation deteriorate so much that there is a need for this? Or has the Home Minister decided that he needs more clout to harass the public, foreigners, sinners, fornicators etc. Do we need a publicly funded private army (sort of) at the beck and call of politicians? Are these RELA also to be organized according to Parliamentary Constituencies? Pardon me again for saying this, but this is the public’s perception, and it smells something fishy here too.

Call me old fashioned, but I was made to believe that all the while, the separation of roles, tasks and powers of the Military and Police was healthy for the nation; well intended and in fact kept a sense of check and balance.

I feel now that there is compromise in this. So, what next?

Am I wrong to suppose that in the near future all security agencies in the country would come under a single ministry, say the Ministry of Security directly under the PM’s Department? And then, we have an individual in the nation’s executive to single handedly unleash the power of the military for political survival. This certainly is not my view of democracy. There is no perceived gain; only potential pain.

Such nonsense must cease, here and now.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

EATING HUMBLE PIE

2011-10-17T15:49:00.001+08:00

Quote “Please humble yourselves. There is no guarantee we can rule forever. We are facing a whole new political landscape today and are assessed and judged by the people each day” Unquote.

The above was a quotation from PM Najib during Sunday’s Negeri Sembilan BN Convention.

At long last, PM Najib is beginning to say something sensible about the current state of the ruling party, and his concern that the up-coming GE would be a difficult one. I am rather surprise with this sudden change in PM Najib’s assessment on the fate of BN and likely outcome of the next GE. This is in deep contrast with what was thought off by his Deputy Muhyiddin Yasin when he said the nation would go bankrupt if the opposition were to rule. I remembered too that Senator Idris Jala by his estimation did say that the country would go bankrupt by 2019, and all hell broke loose soon after. It wasn’t the opposition that said that; it was a ‘solicited member’ of the ruling government.

PM Najib no longer talks about ‘crushing dead bodies’ to defend Putrajaya or to do what is necessary to win back the ‘jewel of the nation’ i.e. Selangor. Indeed, PM Najib had humbled himself by saying what is in his heart, and not to say anything that he hears from his ‘pak pencacai’ that clings to him like leeches.

You see, one can easily identify a ‘pak pencacai’ merely by looking at the way they dress, talk and move around. You so often see them loitering around KLIA awaiting the return of the PM or DPM from an overseas visit. They would rush in at the sight of the PM or DPM and quickly kiss their hands. I have seen lots of them while I was in service and let me tell you this, that I have never in my life kiss anyone’s hand except that of my parents, my closest uncles and aunties; not even the hands of Royalties. As a soldier, I accord them (Royalties) the smartest salute and that has been the training.

Honestly, I am pleased that PM Najib has now acknowledged that there are some of his people that always say rosy things concerning the state of the party, which in actual fact is the contrary. If indeed PM Najib has identified them, my brotherly advice is to ignore them, and be forthright by saying to them that their advice is no longer needed. My advice may sound hard, but as a leader one cannot be taken for a ride all the time when untruth is being advised to him.

Now to get at what was said by DPM Muhyiddin that the country would go bankrupt if ruled by the opposition, just let me asked this – are any of the states ruled by the opposition bankrupt? On the contrary the four opposition held states have done reasonably well; much better than before. Kelantan despite being ‘victimized’ is still very much alive; notably free of the scourge of corruption. Selangor and Penang have performed outstandingly with surplus state revenue. Please do not deny this Muhyiddin, and I guess this is the very reason why the ruling government is so determine to get back Selangor and Penang, where only a miracle can change the ruling status of the two states.

I do not know much about Kedah that has always been a poor state even during the previous rule. But from what I read, the PAS government has alleged that problems saddled by the state today are merely the ‘left-overs’ from the previous government. I read too that the state opposition members are beginning to question the PAS government of its failures, oblivious to the fact that the problems were of their doing when they (BN/UMNO) had been ruling the state for 54 years.

Much that I would like to predict the outcome of the up-coming GE now; I thought I would rather wait to see how each state performs and the conduct of its leaders. I do not believe that the election would be held anytime before the close of this year; certainly not before the effects of the 2012 Budget is felt by the rakyat.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

QUESTIONING SUHAKAM!

2011-10-17T07:35:00.002+08:00

Perkasa boss Ibrahim Ali is up to his nonsensical antics again. This time he took to task SUHAKAM for conducting an inquiry into allegations that there was human rights violation by the authorities i.e. police against participants of the Bersih 2.0 rally. He wants SUHAKAM to explain “why it considered human rights violation to have occurred during the rally, when both the event and its organizers were deemed illegal by the government”. He further said that “by entertaining the complaints by illegal groups like Bersih 2.0, SUHAKAM has given recognition to other illegal groups as well”.

Now, can you not sense the stupidity of this Perkasa boss? Firstly, who is he to ask for an explanation from SUHAKAM pertaining to any investigation carried out by SUHAKAM? Secondly, does he not know that SUHAKAM was established by an Act of Parliament; as such SUHAKAM reports to Parliament (though some say that SUHAKAM reports to the government) on all outcomes of investigations carried out; not to individual(s) or an NGO like Perkasa. Thirdly, does he not know that it is incumbent upon SUHAKAM to investigate any report(s) that hinges on human right issues lodged by individual(s)/parties/bodies; regardless of whether such individual(s)/parties/bodies are deemed illegal or otherwise?

Yes, Bersih 2.0 was declared an illegal entity by the government, but that does not mean those involved in the rally that had their rights violated and abused by the authorities cannot lodge a report to SUHAKAM. On the contrary, those violated and abused persons have every right to lodge a report and it is incumbent upon SUHAKAM to accept and act (without prejudice) on the report.

Again I ask - who is this Ibrahim Ali to question SUHAKAM roles and responsibilities explicitly prescribed in the Act of Parliament. By posing such questions, Ibrahim Ali has questioned the integrity of SUHAKAM. And as far as I know, no government minister has posed similar questions to SUHAKAM. I think it is high time the authorities pulled up Ibrahim Ali for being so ignorant of an Act of Parliament and for making a mockery of him being a law maker himself. Now you see the level of knowledge that some our law makers inhibit.

Personally, I have had enough of Ibrahim Ali’s antics from the very moment Perkasa was formed. I see there is nothing that he does that contributes meaningfully towards the betterment of our multi racial society, other than igniting racial and religious sentiments to the detriment of our multi racial society. He thinks himself to be the ‘spokesperson’ or some kind of a ‘custodian’ of Malay rights, which is rightfully the responsibility of UMNO. Or is he now assuming that role and responsibility where UMNO has failed?

I say this and I will say it many time over that Ibrahim Ali’s antics and what he claims to be fighting for, is a serious bane to UMNO. UMNO cannot rely totally on the Malay votes anymore to win the next election. It is well known to all that Malay votes are now split asunder. UMNO cannot deny this and in order to win the next GE, they have to woo the support of the Chinese and Indian voters through their coalition partners that are themselves in disarray. I don’t think giving instant MyKad to ‘illegal’s made legal’ which the opposition has accused the government of doing, could be the immediate remedy to ensure the government remains in power.

Finally, what else need I say of Ibrahim Ali, but to just leave it to UMNO/BN to deal with the Perkasa boss the best they can?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

THE INDIAN COMMUNITY – A MARGINALISED COMMUNITY?

2011-10-16T11:53:00.003+08:00

PM Najib in his address to the Indian community at the 1Malaysia Deepavali Carnival in Klang last night said that the government will strive to ensure that the Indian community will have a better future. He went further to say that “there must be a feeling that the Malaysian soil is the place of birth of all races”.

What Najib said has been said repeatedly by other leaders and including the MIC leaders themselves. This statement is nothing new and I can assure everyone that the same statement will be uttered many times more by our leaders as GE gets closer.

I have been writing about the plight of the Indian community in some earlier postings because I can claim that I know them better than most Malaysians. You know, I grew up among Indian neighbors (my father being a government servant, and we live in a government quarters in a predominantly Indian neighborhood) and I can even tell you their likes/dislikes, cultural and social sensitivities. That is the sort of attachment I have for my Indian friends and if one does not have such an attachment, one cannot claim to have understood the Indian community.

Leaders can say what they want, promise them the sky even, but I know in the end the promises made are either unfulfilled or merely ‘pulling wool over their eyes’. I have seen this being said and done many times and that is why I say the Indian community in this country is the most marginalized community, and neither their own leaders care about it. I am not blaming the former MIC boss Samy Velu for this, but him having been at the helm of the MIC for umpteen years should have ensured his community deserve better treatment and to save them from their economic and social doldrums’.

Now, have anyone had a look at the schools in the estates? Have anyone walked into their estate homes, talked and sat over meals with them? Have anyone bothered to ask whether their earnings are sufficient to maintain their growing families? Have anyone bothered to do a study as to how many of their children get to receive a tertiary education? There are many more ‘haves’ that I can write about, but suffice for me to say that the Indian community, particularly those living in the estate will continue to remain in the form that they have been all these years. I can only say, “Wake up to the realities facing the Indian community, and stop making any more promises”.

To PM Naijb, he ought to visit the estates more often in his meet the people session; not just meeting them at the Community Hall that are been given an instant facelift, and to utter more promises, if he seriously believe that the Indian community are Malaysians as well.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

KUDOS SELANGOR!

2011-10-15T14:47:00.001+08:00

Am I not proud to be a rakyat of the state of Selangor? I can boastfully say that I am extremely proud to be one. I am from Kampung Sg. Serai, Ulu Langat, Selangor, born 67 years ago during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. I was too little then to know the atrocities carried out by the Japanese soldiers upon my kampong folks; only to hear some horrific stories of the Japanese occupation related to me by my parents. One story has it that in order to solicit information from a person, the Japanese would bloat a person’s tummy with soap water and when the tummy is filled; a wooden plank is placed on the person’s tummy to be stepped upon vigorously until the person vomits. This was then repeated several times until the Japanese gets what they wanted from the person.

Then came the First Malayan Emergency and I was a bit older. As a child, seeing soldiers roaming the jungle behind my grandmother’s house excites me. The soldiers were of mixed nationalities i.e. British, Africans, Gurkhas and some others from the Commonwealth countries. There were also some Malay soldiers though, and I can still remember the soldiers were from 6th Battalion Royal Malay Regiment that was camped at Batu 9, Cheras-Ulu Langat road junction. This was the battalion that I first served upon being commissioned as a military officer in 1966.

I have seen dead communist terrorist (CT) being carried out ‘unceremoniously’ from the jungle areas. Lining up the road and showing a ‘thumbs up’ at passing British soldiers will get us a few imported English manufactured chocolates and biscuits. I also know of a number of my village elders that had gone missing; and their bodies never to be found till this day. They were believed to have been kidnapped by CTs and killed, supposedly for being an agent of the British government. I do not know if the British have ever rewarded these missing persons or claimed that they were their agents. I don’t think so, and I am yet to hear anything being said about them and the truth about their disappearance. If indeed, they died because they were deemed a British informant/sympathizer, are their families not granted a similar privilege accorded to former soldiers, policemen and auxiliary police that served the British during the First Malayan Emergency for a one-off RM3000 handout as ‘decreed’ by PM Najib recently?

I read the writings of Noaz Nair in an article titled ‘ Khalid: Better than all past UMNO MB’s combined, but can he retain Selangor’, posted in the Malaysia Chronicle dated Saturday, 15 October 2011. I am even more proud now having read the article when it says that Selangor is the most prosperous and developed state in the country, with the highest GDP. Not only has Selangor done well economically, but the four opposition-held states i.e. Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan collectively accounts for 53% of the country’s FDI at RM25 billion of the total RM47.2 billion. If the four opposition-held states can come with such startling achievement, why can’t the other states perform well too? And don’t tell me they (BN controlled states) require another 54 years to come to level the achievement of the four opposition-held states.

And this reminds me of a statement made by a friend recently when he said, “Just look at Singapore; a state void of any natural resources can achieve tremendous economic achievement; but Malaysia endowed with numerous natural resource is way off its mark – why is this so?” The only answer that I can think of is what I have been saying all along – CORRUPTION, INCOMPETENT LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATORS and my crusade against corruption will continue for as long as I can think and write.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION