Archive for September, 2017
Pakatan Harapan Selangor must be all-systems-go to ensure that the four component PH parties win the majority of the Selangor state assembly seats to continue to govern the state even in a three-cornered contest with PAS as spoiler
Pakatan Harapan Selangor must be all-systems-go to ensure that the four component PH parties win the majority of the Selangor state assembly seats to continue to govern the state even in a three-cornered contest with PAS as spoiler
I welcome the formation of Selangor Pakatan Harapan by the Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) Selangor must be all-systems-go to ensure that the four component (PH) parties, DAP, PKR, Amanah and Pribumi Bersatu, win the majority of state assembly seats in Selangor in the 14GE to continue to govern the state, even in three-cornered contests with PAS as the spoiler.
Selangor is one of the five states which PAS under the leadership of Datuk Seri Hadi Awang had announced as the target of PAS to form state governments in the next general election – the others being Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Kedah.
I do not see PAS has having the remotest possibility of winning the Selangor State Government on its own steam. In fact, PAS in Selangor will be struggling just to win one State Assembly seat in the next general election. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian Leader, Under Corruption Cloud, Will Meet With Trump
Posted by Kit in Mahathir, Najib Razak on Sunday, 10 September 2017
By RICHARD C. PADDOCK
New York Times
SEPT. 9, 2017
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — For more than a year, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia has been under the cloud of a corruption investigation by the United States Department of Justice. On Tuesday, his scheduled visit to see President Trump at the White House may give him a chance to offset the political damage.
The Justice Department had concentrated for more than a year on seizing $1.7 billion in assets, including jewelry, real estate and Hollywood movie rights, that it says Mr. Najib’s family members and associates acquired with money diverted from a Malaysian government fund that he headed.
But in August, the department indicated it would shift its focus to a criminal investigation into the missing money, which is estimated to total more than $3.5 billion. Officials say much of it was laundered through United States financial institutions.
Now, Mr. Trump’s invitation to visit the White House comes at a perfect time for Mr. Najib and could give him a much-needed dose of legitimacy at home as a general election nears. Read the rest of this entry »
UMNO/BN should stop insulting intelligence of Malaysians thinking Malays can be deceived into believing that Mahathir has become my puppet while the Chinese will believe that I have become Mahathir’s stooge
UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers should stop insulting the intelligence of Malaysians thinking Malays can be deceived into believing that Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has become my puppet while the Chinese will believe that I have become Mahathir’s stooge.
Any primary school student will know that it is not possible Mahathir has become my stooge and I have become Mahathir’s puppet, one at the same time.
Furtheremore, both allegations are lies and falsehoods of the most heinous variety.
Mahathir is not my puppet and I am not Mahathir’s stooge. Read the rest of this entry »
My three personal objectives in the 14th GE: for Pakatan Harapan to capture power in (I) Putrajaya (ii) Johore and (iii) Malacca
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Harapan on Saturday, 9 September 2017
When I left Malacca in 1986 to contest in Tanjong parliamentary seat in Penang, the objective was to make a bid to capture the Penang State Government.
That was the highest political ambition of the DAP three decades ago.
But we did not succeed in the two serious bids to capture the Penang State Government in the 1990 and 1995 general elections, although we laid the basis for the DAP’s eventual win of the DAP-led Penang State Government in the 2008 and 2013 general elections.
If ten years ago, in 2007, anyone had asked whether it was possible to topple the UMNO/BN coalition government in Malaysia, the answer would a categorical “No” and the questioner would even be viewed as to whether he is a bit crazy to ask such a question.
But there has been a sea-change in the political landscape in Malaysia, and we are aiming not only for a change of Federal Government in Putrajaya, but even talking about a change of government in several states. Read the rest of this entry »
By clumsy and Luddite block of Steam because of “Fight of Gods” computer game, Salleh has caused greater global embarrassment to Malaysia than all the five Prime Ministers put together in 60 years
By his clumsy and Luddite block of Steam because of “Fight of Gods” computer game, the Minister for Multimedia and Communications Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak has caused greater embarrassment to Malaysia than all the five Prime Ministers put together in 60 years.
Yesterday, Salleh ordered that the popular gaming provider, Steam, be blocked over its failure to prevent Malaysians from downloading the controversial new computer game “Fight of Gods”.
The block order to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was rescinded by Salleh this morning.
In this period of blockade of Steam, Malaysia came into the radar of consciousness of hundreds of millions of youth in the world, who otherwise have never thought of Malaysia, but unfortunately in the most embarrassing and worst possible light – with Malaysia the butt of global outrage and frustration by tens even hundreds of millions of computer gamers, reinforcing the impression that Malaysia is very intolerant and has a closed mentality, totally contradictory to an open, inclusive and tolerant approach.
Isn’t it possible for Salleh and the MCMC to carry out their duties under the Communications and Multimedia Act without causing such colossal damage to Malaysia’s international standing and reputation – as if the country’s infamy and ignominy in the last two years as a global kleptocracy as a result of the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal is not bad enough!
Malaysia needs a Minister and IT experts to man the MCMC who are savvy enough to know the far-reaching implications of every move to ban or block Internet communications, and not to have a Minister for Multimedia Communications or those who helm the MCMC to behave like bulls in China shops. Read the rest of this entry »
Which is Which – MCA’s Star Online’s two reports yesterday: “PM’s aide: DAP is ‘Top Dog’ in Pakatan” and “MCA: Dr M controlling Pakatan Harapan”
Posted by Kit in MCA, Media, Najib Razak on Friday, 8 September 2017
MCA’s Star Online carried two reports yesterday: “PM’s aide: DAP is ‘Top Dog’ in Pakatan” and “MCA: Dr M controlling Pakatan Harapan”.
Which is which?
The timeline for the first report was 11.56 pm yesterday while the time-line for the second report was 7.04 pm.
In the “PM’s aide: DAP is ‘Top Dog’ in Pakatan”, the press secretary to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad was quoted as saying that I am the “de facto leader cleverly pulling the strings and dictating Pakatan Harapan’s narrative and appearance” while in the report “MCA: Dr M controlling Pakatan Harapan”, the MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker was quoted as saying that former premier Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is controlling Pakatan Haran despite Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia being the “newest” kid on the block and “calling the shots in the Opposition pact”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Aung San Suu Kyi must end her silence and speak up for justice and human rights for the Rohingyas and protect them from ethnic cleansing
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, International on Friday, 8 September 2017
During the 15 of the 21 years from 1989 to 2010 when she became one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners, I have issued countless statements espousing her freedom and her cause for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.
It is heart-breaking to watch her silence and failure to speak up and end the violence, horrors and human rights violations perpetrated on the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.
I fully endorse the call by another Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu who have come out of retirement to issue a heart-felt letter to Aung San Suu Kyi, calling on her to end the violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. Read the rest of this entry »
Attorney-General Apandi should be part of Najib’s delegation to Washington to meet up with US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to ascertain what evidence the US Government has to pursue the 1MDB case against 1MDB conspirators including “MO1”
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 8 September 2017
Yesterday, I suggested that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Dzulkifli Ahmad should accompany the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the latter’s trip of Washington so that Dzulkifli can meet his counterparts in the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to ascertain the basis and latest status of US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations into the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal as well as to learn the FBI investigation techniques which had enabled FBI to amass a mountain of evidence about criminal aspects of 1MDB scandal but which is beyond the present investigatory capabilities and prowess of MACC.
However, Najib’s delegation to the United States would be incomplete without the participation of the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali himself, especially as Malaysia had been tarred with the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy precisely because of the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s largest kleptocratic litigation in US history to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets around the world, particularly in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Apandi should meet with US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to ascertain what evidence the US Government has to pursue the 1MDB case against 1MDB conspirators including “MO1”.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Real Test for US-Malaysia Relations in the Trump Era
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak on Friday, 8 September 2017
By Prashanth Parameswaran
The Diplomat
September 06, 2017
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s first White House visit is a chance to address broader challenges in bilateral ties.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Predictably, the chatter ahead of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s visit to the White House next week has focused either on specific deliverables, like potential defense deals, or thorny issues like a high-profile corruption scandal implicating the premier. While both sides are expected to make some headline-worthy progress in the heavily scrutinized visit, the true test for U.S.-Malaysia relations lies less in the successful conduct of this interaction and more in the ability of both sides to manage the challenges likely to relations further down the line.
For all the focus on Najib himself, the reality is that the United States and Malaysia have successfully cooperated on a range of issues under six prime ministers since the Southeast Asian state’s independence despite disagreements on matters such as economic policy, human rights, and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East (See: “Getting to Full Bloom in US-Malaysia Relations”). And even though bilateral ties had hit new heights under Barack Obama – with both sides elevating ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership and Malaysia becoming a member of key U.S.-led initiatives, be it the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL – incidents like the 1MDB scandal and issues like human trafficking continued to pose complications for ties (See: “Malaysia in 2015: Crises of Confidence”). Read the rest of this entry »
Trump’s Malaysia Swamp
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 8 September 2017
By The Editorial Board
Wall Street Journal
Sept. 6, 2017
Did Tillerson tell his boss he’s repeating an Obama mistake?
A visit to the White House is a diplomatic plum that world leaders covet. So why is President Trump bestowing this honor on Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who jailed an opposition leader and is a suspect in a corruption scandal that spans the globe?
Mr. Najib will visit the White House next week for a presidential photo-op that could help him win the next general election and imperil Malaysia’s democracy. Yet it isn’t clear that Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are getting anything in return for associating with a leader their own Justice Department is investigating. This could set them up for a repeat of the way Mr. Najib humiliated Barack Obama. Read the rest of this entry »
MACC Chief Commissioner Dzulkifli should accompany Najib to Washington to meet FBI head so that he could report to Malaysians the basis and status of US Department of Justice’s multi-billion dollar kleptocratic investigations into 1MDB scandal
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Thursday, 7 September 2017
I do not think the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should accept the invitation to visit the White House and meet with US President Trump next Tuesday, as it would put him in an inferior position as if a supplicant after being branded as a kleptocrat and “MO1” by the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s largest kleptocratic litigation in US history and had done nothing since the DOJ action in July last year to clear or cleanse the Malaysian government of implication in the 1MDB scandal or challenge the appellation of Malaysia as a “global kleptocracy”.
But if the Prime Minister insists on visiting Washington and meeting Trump as scheduled, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad should accompany Najib to Washington to meet with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) head so that he could report back to Malaysians on the basis and status of the US DOJ’s kleptocratic investigations into the 1MDB scandal. Read the rest of this entry »
Saravanan has given the new IGP the first test of his professionalism on Fuzi’s second day as the No. 1 Policeman in the country
I congratulate Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun’s appointment as the new Inspector-General of Police and welcome his commitment on assuming the post that he would tackle long-standing police problems like deaths in police custody and corruption in the police force.
I also commend the Malaysian police for its success in thwarting a plan by a member of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group to attack the closing ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games last week.
Fuzi revealed on Tuesday that the suspected attacker, a 25-year old Philippine national, had been involved in fighting, kidnapping and beheading of foreign hostages in the Philippines.
The new IGP can be assured of the DAP’s full support in police efforts to ensure the safety and security of Malaysians in the their own country, whether in the homes, streets or public places, and to restore public confidence in the professionalism and non-partisanship of the police to fight and reduce crime and unlawful activities in Malaysia.
This is why DAP Members of Parliament are asking the Police for a briefing on the terrorist threat by Islamic State and other organizations in Malaysia.
What cannot pass notice however is that the MIC Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports M. Saravanan, has given Fuzi the first test of his professionalism as the new IGP on his second day as the No. 1 Policeman in the country. Read the rest of this entry »
Please grow up, MACC Chief Commissioner!
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Today, the international press reported that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigator conducting criminal investigation into 1MDB-linked funds is encountering problems as several possible witnesses are too scared to speak out.
US media network Bloomberg reported that some people in “certain foreign countries” already assisting the criminal probe, are concerned for their safety, while others say it’s too dangerous to co-operate, FBI said in a Federal Court filing in Los Angeles yesterday.
The report said FBI has requested to keep the names of its informants secret from the alleged masterminds of the 1MDB conspiracy.
Individuals who were otherwise willing to provide information said they were worried about putting “the safety and security of both themselves and their families at serious risk,” FBI said in its filing.
FBI also cited Malaysian news reports, where local officials arrested due to their role in probing the 1MDB embezzlement and the driver of former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, who was shot at his house in Ampang Perdana late last month. Read the rest of this entry »
1MDB Stolen Funds Witnesses Are Scared to Talk, FBI Says
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 6 September 2017
By Edvard Pettersson
Bloomberg
September 6, 2017
Possible witnesses to the alleged looting of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Bhd are too scared to talk to U.S. investigators because they fear retaliation, according the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Some people in “certain foreign countries” already assisting the criminal probe are concerned for their safety, while others say it’s too dangerous to cooperate, according to an FBI request to keep the names of its informants secret from the alleged masterminds of the 1MDB conspiracy.
Individuals who would otherwise be willing to provide information have told the government they’re worried about putting “the safety and security of both themselves and their families at serious risk,” the FBI said Tuesday in a federal court filing in Los Angeles. Read the rest of this entry »
International drama of “MO1” visits White House and meets US President Trump begins next week – is it a national honour or a national shame for Malaysia?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Next week, a new drama will be enacted on the world stage – “MO1” visits the White House and meets US President Trump.
Will it be a national honour or a national shame for Malaysia?
In fact, the Najib-Trump meeting at the White House next Tuesday on Sept. 12 has sparked two questions:
First, is it right for Trump to invite Najib to visit him in White House?
Second, is it proper for Najib to accept Trump’s invitation to visit the White House to meet Trump?
The first question would have to be posed and answered by American political leaders and opinion makers.
Already there is an opinion piece in Washington Post yesterday entitled “Trump’s hosting of Malaysia’s prime minister marks another setback for the rule of law”, pointing to the “striking”: similarities between the two leaders – with both of them “wrapped up in major investigations that involve the US Justice Department”. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib’s 4 failures
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building, NEM on Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Athena Angel
The Malaysian Insight
Sept. 5, 2017
“THERE go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader.” – Alexandre Ledru-Rollin
Most Malaysians are feeling economically worse off today than they were 10 years ago, youth unemployment spiked by 13% last year, Malaysia is less respected around the world, inflation is making it harder for Malaysians to buy the things they need, and a recent Pew survey found that 73% of Malaysians expected the country’s economic situation to worsen or stay the same over the following 12 months.
Najib Razak is feeling nervous about this lack of success. He has four big failures to be ashamed of. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib’s statement on “Give us two-thirds to end unilateral conversion” is the Prime Minister’s second most irresponsible and morally reprehensible action after the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal which turned Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Najib Razak, Parliament, Religion on Tuesday, 5 September 2017
I am shocked beyond words by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s most cynical, contemptible and hypocritical urging to women to give Barisan Nasional to rule with two-thirds majority if they would like to see the proposed Section 88A introduced in the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act (LRA).
This is Najib’s second most irresponsible and morally reprehensible action under his premiership after the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal which turned Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy. Read the rest of this entry »
Trump’s hosting of Malaysia’s prime minister marks another setback for the rule of law
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak on Tuesday, 5 September 2017
By Josh Rogin
Global Opinions
Washington Post
September 3, 2017
When President Trump hosts Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at the White House next week, he may find he has quite a lot in common with the Southeast Asian leader, who is a nationalist with authoritarian tendencies. But that doesn’t mean rolling out the red carpet for him is a good idea.
The similarities between the two leaders are striking. Both Trump and Najib are wrapped up in major investigations that involve the U.S. Justice Department. Both have fired top law enforcement officials in their own governments to try to influence those investigations. Both play politically toward their rural, ethnically homogeneous base and use nationalist rhetoric to stir up anger against their more urban, ethnic opposition. Both men won their last election despite losing the popular vote. Both love golf, and they even played together once. Read the rest of this entry »
For first time, Najib’s right-hand man has admitted that UMNO/BN could lose the Federal government in forthcoming 14GE
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Malays, Najib Razak, UMNO on Tuesday, 5 September 2017
I thank the Minister for Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak for his candour in admitting that Malaysians are now on the cusp of major political changes with the possible defeat of UMNO/BN and the formation of a Pakatan Harapan Federal Government in the forthcoming 14th general election because of three factors:
• UMNO has lost the support of the majority of Malays in the country.
• UMNO losing support of the majority of the 1.6 million civil servants in the country.
• the highest percentage of UMNO members (at present, 3.5 million UMNO members) in UMNO history likely to vote against UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and UMNO in the 14GE.
What are the reasons and causes for UMNO losing the support of the Malays and facing the prospect of losing the majority support of 1.6 million civil servants and the highest percentage of UMNO rank-and-file voting against the UMNO President and UMNO in UMNO history?
Read the rest of this entry »
A Pakatan Harapan Johore State Government will ensure that Johore will be among the top five states with the highest per capita GDP in the country, and not at present listed as even below Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Pahang
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Harapan on Monday, 4 September 2017
Malaysians are on the threshold of the 14th General Elections.
The four parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition – DAP, PKR, Amanah and Pribumi Bersatu – must give hope and confidence to the voters that in the forthcoming general elections, which could take place within weeks or months, a seismic political change is possible, which includes the change to a Pakatan Harapan government both in Putrajaya and Nusajaya to form a Pakatan Harapan Federal Government as well as a Pakatan Harapan Johore state government.
There are three things a Pakatan Harapan Johore State Government can do if PH is given the mandate to take over Nusajaya in the 14th General Election.
Firstly, I agree with the Chairman of the PPBM Batu Pahat Division, Drs. Mohd Zaid Md Yusuf that there should be a public inquiry into the Johore GLCs to curb the abuses of power, breaches of trust and deviations in the state institutions to ensure that their foremost and primary task is to promote the welfare of the people and not to enrich a few in the state.
Secondly, a Pakatan Harapan must ensure that Johore can become one of the top five states with the highest per capita GDP, and not as at present, when Johore is listed as No. 9 among the list of state GDPs in Malaysia – even below Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Pahang.
Read the rest of this entry »
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