Archive for category Defence
Scorpene subs: The French edge closer to Najib
Posted by Kit in Defence, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 20 July 2011
John Berthelsen
Malaysiakini
Jul 20, 11
The noose could be tightening on one of Malaysia’s greatest military procurement scandals, the US$1 billion purchase of French-built Scorpene submarines, commissioned by then-Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak in 2002.
The latest developments come at a time when Najib, as prime minister, toured Europe, meeting with Queen Elizabeth and Pope Benedict XVI in an effort to repair an image battered by an ugly crackdown on July 9 against tens of thousands of protesters asking for reforms of Malaysia’s electoral system, which is regarded as rigged to keep the ruling national coalition in power.
The scandal allegedly involves French politicians, the giant state-owned defence contractor DCNS and politicians and military procurement units across the world.
The scandal netted a company owned by Najib’s close friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, €114 million in “commissions”, according to testimony in Malaysia’s Parliament. Some of the money is rumoured to have been kicked back to French and Malaysian politicians. Read the rest of this entry »
We were soldiers
Posted by Kit in Defence, Good Governance on Sunday, 12 June 2011
by drrafick
June 11, 2011
1.I read with interest the statement by Zahid Hamidi on Malaysian Mirror where he refuted claims that former members of the Armed Forces (AF) are opposing the government. Apparently he made the comments in view of claims by some that many ex-servicemen opposed the government by expressing their views on the Internet. I am not sure whether me and Arshad Raji can be considered in the same category with other since we are ex-serviceman. I know many ex-servicemen do not blog but express their frustration with BN over my blog and at coffee shops.
2.Are we really frustrated with the government or with the politicians that governs the machinery? Personally on occasion I am frustrated with both. I am fed up with the hypocrite politicians. I am sick and tired with politicians that divide the nation. I am fed up with the politicians who make decisions that bring misery to the people. I am fed up with this “legal robbers” that drain the nation’s wealth and who makes lousy decisions that burden the people. The list about the politicians does not end there. Read the rest of this entry »
Wikileaks: Malaysian firm tried to buy China missile parts
By Shannon Teoh
June 10, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — A Malaysian company with links to Iran tried to buy gyroscopes used for guiding missiles from China, according to a leaked United States diplomatic cable.
According to the cable released by whistleblower website Wikileaks, the US Department of State asked China in December 2009 to block the sale of TRS-500 gyroscopes from China firm VibTel Industrial to Electronics Component Limited (ECL).
The cable, which was published today on news portal Malaysia Today, said that the US embassy in Beijing was ordered to share information with Chinese officials to assist “your ability to prevent the transfer of these gyroscopes by VibTel Industrial Co. to ECL.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Perimekar: Chronicle of a death foretold?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Crime, Defence, Najib Razak on Thursday, 2 June 2011
By Céline Boileau | June 1, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Businessman Lodin Wok Kamaruddin has recently been cited by WikiLeaks as one of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close friends.
What WikiLeaks didn’t reveal is that Lodin Wok was also one of the directors of Perimekar Sdn Bhd until last year.
Last year too, the company registered huge losses.
Perimekar had acted as the go-between for the procurement of two French-made submarines by the Malaysian Defence Ministry. In the process, the company made RM534.8 million in commission.
Read the rest of this entry »
Ethnic Indian appointed as Singapore Army Chief
By Krishna Singh
7th Rangers (Mechanized)
Singapore: The appointment of Brigadier-General Ravinder Singh, a Sikh, as the next chief of the Singapore Army is the culmination of a long tradition of the community serving in uniform, both as policemen and in the armed forces, in the city-state.
Their role in Singapore belies their small number: There are only an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Sikhs in Singapore, a nation of five million people. Their number is small even when compared to 100,000 Sikhs living in Malaysia. Sikhs came to this part of Southeast Asia as soldiers and policemen during the British era.
Read the rest of this entry »
Missing the ocean for the ships
Posted by Kit in Defence, Zairil Khir Johari on Thursday, 10 February 2011
by Zairil Khir Johari
The Malaysian Insider
February 10, 2011
FEB 10 — Our government recently announced that it has decided to set aside RM6 billion for the purchase of six offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Royal Malaysian Navy. These OPVs are to be produced by Boustead Naval Shipyard, Malaysia’s only naval shipyard company.
This comes up to roughly RM1 billion for each boat with all its trimmings: guns, radars, missiles and what have you. It is a princely sum to be sure, but security is without doubt an important national concern. This fact should not be underestimated. However, it also does not mean that we can discard transparency and due diligence, two characteristics that are rarely associated with the arms industry.
I would like to raise some questions about this project, due in no small part to the chequered history of defence deals concluded by our government in recent times. Firstly, let us talk about need. From what I gather, these OPVs should more appropriately be called Second Generation Patrol Vessels, or SGPVs. The name is also a misnomer for it belies the fact that they are corvette-type warships rather than “patrol boats.” Read the rest of this entry »
Lessons from WikiLeaks for Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Articles, Defence, Good Governance, Najib Razak on Monday, 27 December 2010
by AB Sulaiman
Malaysiakini
Dec 27 10
COMMENT
In the last few weeks, WikiLeaks has been the focus of the world’s attention. Founder Julian Assange has followed the principle that a government might have secrets but these are not to be used to cover abuses. Bad government is bad for the country; that seems to be his credo.
So he leaked out inter-governmental documents despite the ‘secret’ or other similar labels stamped on them. It looks like human rights, open democracy and light-speed push button communication offered by the Internet has combined in a new version of the perfect storm, wreaking havoc to secretive cross-border communications.
Thanks to WikiLeaks we are now able to taste not only more of the spice of the hot curry of international politics but also to know the ‘off the record so please do not quote me’ other people’s views of us.
Is WikiLeaks good or bad; is it morally sound, is it legally tenable? And should we embrace this new communication ‘medium’ with all gusto and enthusiasm?
I am no expert on the question of the morality and legality of this issue. But I am of the view that WikiLeaks is decidedly good for the country.
My reasons are basic. I am in favour of the good old fashioned way of running a country, especially one like ours whose buzzword is ‘nation-building’. Read the rest of this entry »
Patriotism in perspective
Posted by Kit in Articles, Defence, nation building on Monday, 29 November 2010
By AB Sulaiman
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated recently that there have been too few non-Malays serving in the armed forces because “they lacked patriotism”. Malaysian politicians are not renowned for coining any worthwhile wisdom, and this one may prove hard to beat.
Sure enough this statement angered the public. But it’s so very odd. Where else have we heard an incumbent defence minister claiming his own illustrious soldiers and pool of citizens as not patriotic enough? In this writing I am trying to have a modicum of understanding to this bizarre situation.
Thanabalasingam, the former Navy chief, and Goh Seng Toh, a retired general, came up with their disappointment and anger, the former describing the minister’s remark as “it hurts,” and the latter with “unfair, stupid and racist”.
D Swami, a retired officer, then wrote on CPI of many cases of (non-Malay) military officers showing patriotism in warfare both within the country and abroad. They have clearly denied the ministerial accusation.
Read the rest of this entry »
8 motions to dock ministers’ salaries next week
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Defence, Law & Order, Parliament, Tourism, Transport on Saturday, 27 November 2010
S Pathmawathy
Malaysiakini
Nov 27, 10
Several opposition parliamentarians have vented their displeasure at certain targeted ministers and two high ranking civil servant by filing motions to slash their salaries by RM10. One was RM100, the set limit.
The current parliament sitting saw eight pay-cut motions being tabled, several being high-profile ministries.
So far two such motions filed by Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) had named attorney-general (AG) Abdul Gani Patail and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Abu Kassim, both shot down by the Dewan Rakyat.
Lim’s motion against Abdul Gani claimed that the AG stood accused of fabricating evidence in Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s “black eye” case in 1998.
Meanwhile, he wanted the House to punish Abu Kassim (below) because for the last 16 years Malaysia’s score had been the worst in Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index for the Asia-Pacific region.
“It’s my impression that the these are the highest number of salary deduction motions in one sitting,” said Lim, a veteran legislator.
The sitting is now debating the next Budget or Supply Bill 2011 is in its committee stage, so the remaining six motions filed under Standing Orders 66(9) will be dealt with from next week.
According to accepted practice these motions ultimately mean a vote of no confidence in the ability of the respective ministers. Read the rest of this entry »
In the military, the non-Malay is ridden like a horse
Posted by Kit in Articles, Defence, nation building on Friday, 26 November 2010
Written by Major (Rtd) D.Swami
Friday, 26 November 2010
Centre for Policy Initiatives
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remarked that non-Malays shun a military career because they lacked patriotism. His sense of history and of the contributions of the Chinese, Indians and our brothers from East Malaysia towards the sovereignty of Malaysia leaves something to be desired. Zahid’s is a racist and bigoted view, pure and simple.
I’ve previously blogged about the winners of valour awards, not including those who had laid down their lives, are maimed, and not forgetting the non-Malay police officers.
I guess when the Chinese and Indians were bleeding and dying for this country, Zahid might just have been a dirty glint in his father’s eyes. I am not insulting this dull fellow, just that this shallow-minded individual needs some input regarding who was the first Malaysian to be awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani. He was a Chinese! Sergeant Chong Yong Chin PGB of the First Federation Regiment.
Dey Zahid, I suppose you did not know that. Insults have to be politely reciprocated with civility, I am doing just that. Read the rest of this entry »
1Malay(sian) Armed Forces
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Defence, Letters, public service on Saturday, 20 November 2010
Letters
by Zairil Khir Johari
Being Defence Minister must sit well with Zahid Hamidi, for it has turned him into a trigger-happy man. Now, if only he could move his aim away from his own foot.
In my last post I highlighted his jingoistic call to stand up against the ‘neo-colonial’ government of Penang. And just when you think that such a marvelous statement could not be outdone in asininity, he follows it up with this classic piece of pronouncement:
“The reasons (for the low participation of non-Malays in the armed forces) could be because of a fear towards a tight discipline. It could be because of a low spirit of patriotism. It could be because certain ethnic groups had a negative perception of the armed forces and did not encourage participation,” said the minister.
Bravo. As expected, a commotion soon ensued, with denouncements and debates from both sides of the fence. Certainly, such a statement is nothing less than a stinging insult to the countless deeds and sacrifices made by non-Malay servicemen over the course of our country’s history.
Yet at the same time, it does raise a pertinent question. Why does there seem to be such dismal interest in the armed services amongst the non-Malay community (recruitment of non-Malay personnel from 2008-2009 is a paltry 1.2%)? Read the rest of this entry »
Ex-servicemen launch broadside at Zahid Hamidi
Posted by Kit in Defence, nation building on Thursday, 18 November 2010
By Joseph Sipalan
Nov 18, 10
When Admiral (rtd) K Thanabalasingam ascended to the position of the nation’s first ever local chief of Navy,it would have never crossed his mind that his loyalty to the country would be questioned.
Having spearheaded the navy’s mission to protect Malaysia from numerous threats that arose in the 1960s-1970s period, the former naval chief spoke in disbelief at Defence Minister Zahid Hamid’s recent statement that patriotism among non-Malays was “not strong enough” for being reluctant to sign up with the Armed Forces.
“I don’t understand how such a statement came about… I’ve been through a lot, and I don’t care who says it, it hurts me. I am a Malaysian born and bred, and I intend to die here,” Thanabalasingam (left) said when contacted by Malaysiakini.
Read the rest of this entry »
Patriotism & the Little Napoleans
Posted by Kit in Defence, nation building, Police on Sunday, 14 November 2010
By Damian Denis
In 1995/6 after my STPM exams I went to the Penang Police HQ (Penang Rd) to apply for the post of Police Inspector. The requirement was a STPM qualification at that time.
Once there we were given a physical routine check up and those who were qualified were given the application form. Simple as that!
But went it came to my turn the officer in charge refuse to hand-over the application form to me on the basis that my STPM results were good. My physical check up was fine.
He said “kamu tak payahlah masuk polis. Buang masa aje dengan result yg bagus cam tu”. (You don’t need to enter the Police Force. Just a waste of time since you have a good STPM results.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Non-Malay patriotism: what is the truth
Posted by Kit in Defence, nation building on Thursday, 11 November 2010
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should be commended for stating in Parliament that the reason Chinese and Indians made up only a tiny proportion of Army recruits was because their “patriotism spirit is not high enough”. This is because he has inadvertently brought out into the open a perception which is shared by the majority of Malay leaders and also possibly by a very large proportion of the Malay population. It is a perception that should not be suppressed – on the contrary, it needs to be fully aired and dissected so that rational thinking and fact-based policy formulation shall prevail.
What has been criticized as a “racially biased, shallow and chauvinistic” statement questioning the loyalty of young Malaysians may in fact be correct. Non-Malays may be much less patriotic than Malays which accounts for their low enrolment in the military and civil service, as well as for their lack of participation in other national activities when patriotism and loyalty to the country are showcased. But it could also be wrong as it ignores other factors that may be instrumental in explaining the low number of recruits.
Read the rest of this entry »
Traitors – A Trademark & Tradition of Umno!
Posted by Kit in Defence, Martin Jalleh, UMNO on Tuesday, 31 August 2010
By Martin Jalleh
The Umno-dominated government stubbornly sticks to the same old tricks to try to sink the Opposition. One such stale attempt is to label as “traitors” those who refuse to suck up to its spent elite leaders.
And so Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid (AZ) who apparently ran out of steam to shut the Opposition up on the Scorpene submarines scandal, resorted to calling Nurul Izzah a “traitor”.
It seems that the Member of Parliament (MP) has stained the nation’s image by revealing on 4 Aug. 2010 in an interview with Kompas, a newspaper in Indonesia, that the country’s first submarine cannot dive.
Below are his comments (in bold) followed by a response which when added up points to the ironic conclusion that it is the Defence Minister and Umno who could be the real traitors after all!
Read the rest of this entry »
Can Najib guarantee safety of ex-RMAF sergeant Thamendran while awaiting trial of theft of two jet-fighter engines?
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Corruption, Court, Defence, Law & Order, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 20 July 2010
It is another international infamy for Malaysia that former RMAF sergeant N. Tharmendran, 42, feels comparatively safer in Sungai Buloh prison while he awaits trial for the theft of two jet-fighter engines than to be out of jail.
It was only 11 days ago he was freed when he and his family successfully waged a six-month battle to reduce his RM150,000 bail to RM50,000.
It is a terrible indictment on the system of governance in Malaysia that a person should feel safer in prison custody than to be out as a free man, for fear of being abducted and tortured again by military intelligence officers, as Tharmendran had alleged that he had been previously detained and tortured by military intelligence for three weeks and the “favourite torture” was to make him wear a crash helmet where he was repeatedly hit as hard as possible.
Thamendran’s personal safety and welfare while he awaits trial for theft of two jet-fighter engines has again put national and international focus on “institutional degradation” which the New Economic Model had identified as one of the causes of Malaysia’s economic stagnation and “declining growth trajectory”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Another international infamy for Malaysia
Tweets:
Another international infamy for Malaysia http://bit.ly/bREG7C Ex-airman back to jail after losing protection bid
07/19/2010 06:31 PM
Where othr civilized countries a person safer in prison than outside? http://bit.ly/c2PFs6 No protection order, so ex-airman chooses jail
07/19/2010 06:38 PM
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Ex-airman back to jail after losing protection bid
By Boo Su-Lyn | The Malaysian Insider
PETALING JAYA, July 19 — Former air force sergeant N. Tharmendran is returning to prison today after losing his bid for a court protection order against Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officers he claims intend to abduct him.
Read the rest of this entry »
Ku Li on corruption and Exocet missiles
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Defence, Razaleigh Hamzah on Sunday, 20 June 2010
Below is an extract of the speech by Umno veteran politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah at the launch of ‘The Shafee Yahaya Story – Estate Boy to ACA Chief’, a book written by Shafee’s wife Kalsom Taib.
The word ‘corruption’ comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to break’ or ‘to destroy’. Corruption is a cancer that steals from the poor, eats away at governance and moral fibre, and destroys trust.
Although corruption exists in both the private and public sector, the corruption of the public sector is a more fundamental evil. This is because the public sector is the enforcer and arbiter of the rules that hold us together, the custodians of our common resources.
It is time we recognise corruption as the single biggest threat to our nation. In our economy, corruption is the root of our inability to make the economic leap that we know we are capable of. There is no other reason why a country so blessed with natural resources, a favourable climate and such immense talent should not have done a lot better than we have.
Read the rest of this entry »
Dad: Son ‘beaten like a cow,’ framed of engine theft
By Joseph Sipalan and Gavaskar Brian Raj | Malaysiakini
The father of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) sergeant N Tharmendran today alleged that his son was tortured and forced to confess to the theft of two jet engines while under remand.
“They beat him like a cow,” said N Nagarajah, 71, after lodging a police report on the matter at the Brickfields police headquarters today.
Nagarajah was accompanied by human rights lawyer N Surendran and three PR members of parliament – DAP’s M Manogaran (Teluk Intan) and PKR’s S Manikavasagam (Kapar) and Low Gwo Burne (Kelana Jaya).
Nagarajah claimed that two RMAF officers, a Major Azam and a Major Ismail, had beaten and mistreated his son over a period of nearly three weeks from July 2 to 17 last year.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian Submarine Scandal Continues
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Defence, Najib Razak on Thursday, 29 April 2010
Asia Sentinel
by Hamish McKenzie
28 April 2010
French Lawyer Looks for Answers for Scandal in Kuala Lumpur
Joseph Breham, one of a team of lawyers looking into allegations of corruption in a Malaysian submarine purchase from a French defense conglomerate, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday that he had filed a 10-page inquiry with the French courts that calls into question the actions of a company with close ties to the Malaysian Prime Minister’s best friend and aide, Abdul Razak Baginda.
Breham is also expected to question several witnesses in Kuala Lumpur about the case, which has broken into the open after years of silence in Malaysia. The inquiry, which now rests with independent French prosecutors, is directed at a €114 million (US$151.1 million) commission paid to a company called Perimekar, which Breham’s legal team suggests was established in 2001 purely for the purpose of receiving the kickback. Najib Tun Razak, then Malaysia’s defense minister, led the negotiations with the French government to buy the two Scorpene-class submarines, build by Armaris, a subsidary of the French defense giant DCN, and to lease a third a few months later, in 2002.
Political reformers in Malaysia say they are placing their hopes on the French investigation to get to the bottom of the payment to Perimekar and its implications because, they say, there is little hope that the Malaysian justice system will bring the truth to light. Despite repeated requests for information by opposition leaders in Malaysia’s parliament, Najib and other top members of the government have refused to answer. Read the rest of this entry »
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