Zahid’s claim that Malaysia wants to be top 30 of some 200 countries by 2020 as non-corrupt country busted by Najib’s twin mega scandals, causing Malaysia to be ranked third among the world’s “worst corruption scandals in 2015”
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak, Zahid on Sunday, 3 January 2016, 3:43 pm
Malaysia has this week achieved the dubious international dishonour of being named the third most corrupt country in the world because of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion donation and RM55 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals.
This has busted Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi’s claim that Malaysia wants to be the top 30 by 2020 as a non-corrupt country, as with Malaysia ranked third with the world’s “worst corruption scandals in 2015”, as nobody believes that the goal of Malaysia becoming the top 30 out of some 200 countries in the world in 2020 in terms of being least corrupt is within the realm of reality or practicability.
When Najib became Prime Minister in 2009, one of his major policy initiatives was the National Transformation Programme in which anti-corruption was one of the primary agendas.
Some seven years later, Najib’s National Transformation Programme proves to be a great failure when it suffered an irreparable damage as Malaysia was named third place in the ForeignPolicy website ranking of the world’s “worst corruption scandals in 2015”. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP and Pakatan Harapan prepared to work and co-operate with disaffected UMNO leaders, branches and members in a new political realignment to “Save Malaysia” from rampant corruption, widespread socio-economic injustices and nation-building failures
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Pakatan Harapan on Sunday, 3 January 2016, 8:42 am
The start of the new year 2016 has not been an auspicious one – with the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s most disappointing New Year message claiming that his RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM55 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals are no more issues in the country, as if by a magician’s wand, they have disappeared into thin air!
This is the worst example of denial syndrome in the nation’s history, where the Prime Minister is openly denying the existence of a problem and scandal which he himself could not possibly believe in.
In fact, just three days ago, Malaysia was catapulted into the stratosphere when we won the international dishonour of being named the world’s third most corrupt nation in 2015 thanks to Najib’s twin mega scandals.
Just now, we made history for Malaysia when the people of Kluang displayed the placard “Mana RM2.6 billion?” as a reply to Najib’s New Year Message, not only on behalf of Kluang but of Malaysia, that the RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM55 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals remain very alive and are the leading issues of the nation for this year, and that Malaysians expect Najib to address them and not to continue to run and hide. Read the rest of this entry »
Is pro-BN NGO alliance seriously suggesting that IGP Khalid should be disciplined for police negligence in failing to act on the allegations that DAP was offered RM1.2 billion by Israel in exchange for a Israeli naval base in Port Dickson?
Is the pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) non-government organisations (NGO) alliance seriously suggesting that the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar should be disciplined for police negligence in failing to act on the allegations that DAP was offered RM1.2 billion by Israel if we win the general elections in exchange for the building of an Israeli naval base in Port Dickson?
This would appear to be the case, as the Pro-BN NGO alliance president Zulkarnain Mahdar wants police to investigate allegations by the PAS Research Centre director Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki that the DAP was offered RM1.2 billion by Israel in exchange for an Israeli naval base in Port Dickson, on the ground that if these allegations were true, it would be a huge disaster for Malaysia that should not be left ignored as it involved national security and sensitivities o the Muslims.
I would fully agree with Zulkarnain and go one step further, that if the allegations were true, it would highlight a serious and inexcusable police negligence as such allegations were first made some four years ago, and Khalid should explain why the Police had been guilty of such a grave dereliction of duty in the past four years in its failure to protect the security interests of the country.
I do not want to comment on the intellectual, moral, religious and political credibility of a senior political leader who could believe in such lies and falsehood as to now recycle them, when for the past four years, he and his political “soul mates” had no problems with such “security” and “Muslim sensitivity” concerns as none of them had once asked the DAP about such wild allegations when they were with the DAP in the same political coalition. Read the rest of this entry »
Senior political leader who lied about the DAP being offered RM1.2 billion in exchange for an Israeli naval base in Port Dickson will have to pay the heavy price in court for making false and defamatory statement
Posted by Kit in DAP, Islam, Najib Razak, Pakatan Harapan, PAS on Saturday, 2 January 2016, 7:44 am
There is recently a culture of political desperation in the country.
This could be seen from the New Year Message by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday claiming that his twin RM2.6 billion and 1MDB mega scandals are no more, when they are never more alive and kicking, growing ever bigger in scale and impact, that Malaysia has just been “crowned” as the world’s third most corrupt country – thanks to Najib’s twin mega scandals!
What beggars the imagination is how Najib could make such an outrageous claim when he himself could not possibly believe it, unless he has left the real world of politics and entered the world of make-believe!
Another example of such political desperation is the regurgitation of wild and reckless allegation by a senior political leader of another political party about the DAP’s ties with Israel, and the preposterous allegation that the DAP was offered RM1.2 billion by Israel if we win the general elections in exchange for the building of an Israeli naval base in Port Dickson.
Senior political leaders from other political parties who lied about the DAP, like the one who made the preposterous allegation about the DAP being offered RM1.2 billion in exchange for an Israeli naval base in Port Dickson, will have to pay the heavy price for such baseless and reckless allegations in the courts.
All political leader must learn the hard lesson that they cannot just get away with lies or the most preposterous allegations, or seek refuge for their nefarious and dastardly deeds by claiming they were merely recycling such lies and falsehoods by “men of straw” or some insubstantial characters!
According to Al-Quran, slander is a crime worse than murder. Read the rest of this entry »
Does Najib really believe that all Malaysians wake up this morning fully relieved that the twin mega scandals have disappeared into thin air?
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 1 January 2016, 1:46 pm
If Malaysians wake up this morning with the feeling, hey presto, the 1MDB scandal has disappeared into thin air, then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be fully vindicated with his upbeat 2016 New Year Message that he had delivered what he had promised in June last year that all the problems facing 1MDB will be resolved by the end of 2015.
If a poll is conducted among Malaysians, I dare say that there is not a single person who in the past year had been haunted and hounded by the 1MDB issue would feel on waking up this morning of being fully relieved of the pressures of the accountability, transparency, good governance and integrity dimensions and implications of the scandal.
In fact, the reverse is the case.
Najib’s twin RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM55 billion 1MDB mega scandals have by the end of the year become even bigger and more overwhelming than at any time of last year, as both mega scandals have achieved the virtually impossible feat of accumulating like a snowball even more questions than answers with each passing month! Read the rest of this entry »
West Grapples for a Response to Islamic State
Posted by Kit in Islamic state on Friday, 1 January 2016, 10:32 am
by Yaroslav Trofimov
Wall Street Journal
Dec. 31, 2015
Finding a strategy to defeat Islamic State will be the focus of political debate in the West
Feeling the pressure on its home turf in Syria and Iraq, Islamic State has taken the war to its enemies’ homes by launching terrorist attacks overseas—and promised more such carnage in 2016.
How to respond to the threat is becoming the focus of political debate on both sides of the Atlantic — with consequences that shape the future of the Middle East and the West.
In the main goal of terrorism — to terrorize — Islamic State has already succeeded. Security has become the main issue for the presidential campaign in the U.S., where a recent poll found that more people fear an imminent terrorist attack now than either right after Sept. 11, 2001 or any time since. France has lived in a state of emergency since Islamic State killed 130 people in November in Paris. In Egypt, the struggling tourism industry collapsed after the October downing of a Russian airliner.
This anxiety feeds, to a large extent, on a sense of impotence. A year and a half since the U.S. began military action against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, leading a coalition of 65 nations, the extremist group has managed to retain the bulk of its territory while spawning new affiliates around the world.
The entrance of Russia and France into the campaign against Islamic State in Syria in recent months has, so far, produced only limited results. Read the rest of this entry »
Ramadi residents describe their nightmare escape from Islamic State
Posted by Kit in Islamic state on Friday, 1 January 2016, 10:19 am
By Mustafa Salim
Washington Post
December 31 2015
HABBANIYAH, Iraq — Residents of the Iraqi city of Ramadi who escaped the recent battle there are describing the horrors of life under the Islamic State and their relief at being rescued by the Iraqi army when it recaptured most of the city earlier this week.
Many of the families had made a brave dash for safety across the front lines to escape attempts by retreating Islamic State fighters to take them as human shields.
But the men who got away have now been detained by Iraqi security forces for investigation, in a reminder of the deep suspicion with which those who have been living under Islamic State rule are regarded by the Iraqi government. Read the rest of this entry »
What Twitter really means for Islamic State supporters
Posted by Kit in Islamic state, IT on Friday, 1 January 2016, 10:08 am
Amanath Amarasingam
War on the Rocks
December 30, 2015
Abu Ahmad, one of Islamic State’s most active supporters online says he has had over 90 Twitter accounts suspended, but is not planning to slow down. He is a trusted member of what has come to be called the Baqiya family, a loose network of Islamic State supporters from around the world who share news, develop close friendships, and help each other when members get arrested or come under law enforcement surveillance. Abu Ahmad, as with all Baqiya members, agreed to talk to me on the condition that his real name and location not be published.
While Islamic State social media accounts used to flourish, Twitter has now been suspending the accounts of fighters and supporters alike. Scholars and analysts continue to debate whether this is effective and worthwhile.
For over two years now, I have co-directed a study of Western foreign fighters based at the University of Waterloo and have been interviewing — on Skype and various text messaging platforms — several dozen fighters and members of this Baqiya family. A few things are clear: First, while Twitter suspensions certainly disrupt their ability to seamlessly spread information, they have developed innovative and effective ways of coming back online. Second, these youth receive an enormous amount of emotional and social benefits from participating in their online “family.” Read the rest of this entry »
WSJ’s Last Bombshell For The Year – Najib’s $700 Million Came From 1MDB
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak on Thursday, 31 December 2015, 3:57 pm
financetwitter.com
29 Dec 2015
If 2014 was the year of Malaysia Airlines where it lost two Boeing 777s, one disappeared while another shot down; the year 2015 is definitely the year of Prime Minister Najib Razak. The prime minister’s multi-billion dollar scandals easily eclipse any other financial scandals one could imagine in the history of the country, including Mahathir’s.
The Wall Street Journal dropped another bombshell (*yawn*) yesterday, Dec 28, 2015, linking the highly explosive RM42 billion 1MDB scandal with PM Najib Razak’s private banking account, which had suddenly swollen with US$700 million (then RM2.6 billion but now RM3 billion due to ringgit depreciation) from some unknown generous donor(s).
Najib had called and met a group of senior (UMNO) leaders in July to remind them everyone had benefited from the money. A cabinet minister who was present claimed the prime minister said the US$700 million funds weren’t used for his personal enrichment, but channelled to politicians or into spending on projects aimed at helping the ruling party win elections in 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
Shame of shame – Malaysia named among world’s six “worst corruption scandals of 2015”
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Thursday, 31 December 2015, 11:57 am
It is a shame of shame – Malaysia named among the world’s six “worst corruption scandals of 2015” by the international website, foreignpolicy.com, which is published daily online by the Slate Group, a division orf Washington Post Company.
A report uploaded on Dec. 29 (Washington time), entitled “The worst corruption scandals of 2015” said that “massive corruption scandals embroiled world leaders, high court judges, and the men who run the world’s soccer industry, among many others” in 2015.
Heading the list of infamy was the FIFA (the Federation Internationale de Football Association) corruption, followed by Nigeria, with Malaysia in a dishourable third place.
The rest were taken up by Honduras and Guatemala which took fourth place, Ghanian judges and the UN General Assembly fifth and sixth places.
The infamous plaque of dishonour for Malaysia cited as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
1MDB’s love affair with the Arab world
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Thursday, 31 December 2015, 11:50 am
By Khairie Hisyam | Kinibiz
DECEMBER 21, 2015 8:00AM
From its first ever deal seven years ago, controversial 1MDB has had a persistent association with parties from the Arab world. The pressing question, on account of its mysterious and self-harming decisions while benefitting these friends, is why.
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When it was first set up as Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) in early 2009, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) set out to drive strategic development of national interests. After it was taken over by the federal government by mid-2009, however, the meaning of “strategic” seems to have taken an Arabic flavour.
The company’s board of advisors, for starters, count two prominent Middle Easterners as advisors – former Qatar prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani as special advisor while advisor Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak is CEO of Mubadala Development Co, an investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi emirate in the United Arab Emirates.
Read the rest of this entry »
Time has come for realignment of progressive political forces to save Malaysia and to keep faith with the vision of an united, inclusive, moderate, democratic and prosperous Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building on Thursday, 31 December 2015, 9:28 am
(2016 New Year Message on 31.12.2015)
Twenty-eight years ago, many DAP leaders and Members of Parliament, including the late Karpal Singh and P. Patto, the Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, the Deputy Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw and I were incarcerated under the infamous Internal Security Act in Kamunting because we opposed the “shits” (to use the colourful vocabulary of the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi) of the lopsided highway privatisation contract which the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mahathir Mohamad wanted to impose not only on Malaysians but future generations as well.
Today, while railing against these “shits” of the past UMNO administrations, of which the present top UMNO leader were themselves party to but had done nothing to ameliorate, the incumbent UMNO leadership is trying to impose even worse “shits” on the present and future generations of Malaysians through major betrayals of trust like the RM2.6 billion “donation” and the RM55 billion 1MBD twin mega scandals.
To fight the worse “shits” of the present, all forces and contributions are welcome, including those who were responsible for the “shits” of the past, like Tun Mahathir Mohamad.
The year 2015 had indeed been an “annus horribilis” for Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
The UMNO Rednecks and their Cohorts
Posted by Kit in DAP, Malays, Najib Razak, UMNO on Thursday, 31 December 2015, 6:35 am
Sakmongkol AK47
December 30, 2015
Who is the typical UMNO redneck? The answer is- he or she is someone who blames the Chinese forever as the source of their unhappiness.
The other favourite bete noire is Dr Mahathir. On this I am really surprised. If the UMNO people can turn on their own while he is still UMNO, this speaks volumes on the morality of UMNO people. Suddenly he is also the cause of all the problems. Najib has merely inherited the problems. The lopsided contracts with IPPs, the ERL, KLIA , Proton etc.etc.
Where is the cut-off point? Najib was preceded by Pak Lah. Pak Lah’s tenure ought to have extinguished all links to Mahathir. Najib should take responsibility over his tenure because the people gave him the mandate. They did not give to Dr Mahathir.
In any case, people are asking about 1MDB, the RM2.6 billion into his private account while in his public capacity as UMNO president and PM, the money from SRC. These issues are the makings of Najib. So how is the link to Mahathir established? Read the rest of this entry »
A virtually impossible feat – Najib’s twin mega scandals entering new year in 36 hours with even more questions than answers
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Media, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 30 December 2015, 1:19 pm
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s twin mega scandals – the RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM55 billion 1MDB – have performed a virtually impossible feat, entering the new year in some 36 hours with even more questions than answers.
This, despite being the subject of multiple investigations inside the country – at one time, even by the highest-powered multi-agency Special Task Force under four “Tan Sris” led by the then Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail himself until Gani was summarily sacked in a government purge on July 28 whose victims included the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Special Task Force dissolved – and the target of separate investigations by at least seven foreign countries, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and United States.
How could this happen?
On Monday (Dec. 28), Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi urged the people not to fall for the latest report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) which cited an unknown source in explaining how US$850 million was transferred from 1MDB to a phantom offshore entity. Read the rest of this entry »
How 1MDB overpaid for its power assets
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 30 December 2015, 12:05 pm
BY KHAIRIE HISYAM | Kinibiz
DECEMBER 20, 2015 10:30AM
On Nov 23, 2015, 1MDB announced that it has signed a deal with China General Nuclear to sell its power assets in return for RM9.83 billion in cash. This sale at a massive loss brings full circle its questionable purchases of the power assets while paying grossly inflated figures several years ago.
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Most of 1MDB’s power assets were acquired within a 16-month time frame between March 2012 and July 2013. The spending spree raised many questions at the time, which remain unsatisfactorily unanswered as at writing time.
The underlying logic of buying over independent power producers (IPPs), as understood by market observers, would likely be the strong cash flow. Read the rest of this entry »
Ahmad Maslan wins Crown of Clowns 2015?
By Martin Jalleh
1MDB and the Money Network of Malaysian Politics
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 29 December 2015, 5:03 pm
by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope
Wall Street Journal
Dec. 28, 2015
Prime Minister Najib Razak tapped wealth fund to ease ruling-party’s victory
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was fighting for his political life this summer after revelations that almost $700 million from an undisclosed source had entered his personal bank accounts.
Under pressure within his party to resign, he called together a group of senior leaders in July to remind them everyone had benefited from the money.
The funds, Mr. Najib said, weren’t used for his personal enrichment. Instead, they were channeled to politicians or into spending on projects aimed at helping the ruling party win elections in 2013, he said, according to a cabinet minister who was present.
“I took the money to spend for us,” the minister quoted Mr. Najib as saying. Read the rest of this entry »
The RM7 bil PetroSaudi caper
By P. Gunasegaram | Kinibiz
DECEMBER 19, 2015 10:30AM
First, it was a JV, and some US$700 million out of US$1 billion initial capital ended up in an unrelated company linked to Jho Low. And then it became a loan, and then it became an equity stake and an option which was subsequently sold and invested, over RM7 billion, in the Cayman Islands and redeemed. As much as RM4.2 billion could have gone into extinguishing an option. The rest is still somewhere out there.
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The first major investment that 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) made – an injection of US$1 billion into a joint venture (JV) with PetroSaudi Holdings (Cayman) Ltd, 1MDB-PetroSaudi Ltd – ended in tragedy as US$700 million was immediately siphoned off to a company allegedly related to Jho Low, Good Star Ltd.
Basically, 1MDB injected US$1 billion cash into the JV but PetroSaudi’s share was an asset dubiously valued at US$1.5 billion. The valuation report was presented on the day the valuer was appointed.
While 1MDB was supposed to have injected the US$1 billion into the JV, the JV inexplicably received just US$300 million, with the remaining US$700 million being transferred to a company which was totally unrelated to the JV. Leaked emails indicate that the company, Good Star Ltd, was related to Jho Low.
This was one of the most shocking revelations about 1MDB and although it happened way back in 2009, some six years ago, this was revealed in reports only this year.
Sources say the 1MDB board was extremely unhappy with this then and instructed the management to get the US$700 million back but this was not done. Two board members, Mohd Bakke Salleh and Azlan Mohd Zainol, resigned because of this, the former in October 2009 and the latter in January 2010.
For the first three years of its life since 2009, 1MDB’s sorry role was to put money into the JV and fund PetroSaudi. As at end of Mar 31, 2012, its financial year-end, 87 sen of every ringgit borrowed of RM7.9 billion, or some RM6.9 billion, went into the JV. Read the rest of this entry »
More pain ahead seen for Malaysia economy
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Economics on Tuesday, 29 December 2015, 9:37 am
By Pauline Ng
Singapore Business Times
Dec 29, 2015
Slumping ringgit, oil prices, business and consumer sentiment add up to a pessimistic 2016 outlook
Currency analysts predict further devaluation in the ringgit in 2016 with projections ranging from 4.49 to 5.00 to the greenback from about 4.30 at year end.
Kuala Lumpur –
“KU” or bitter was the Chinese character most picked by Malaysian Chinese businesses to characterise 2015 which saw the introduction of a consumption tax, public transport hikes and numerous other cost increases made worse by a tanking ringgit that has lost nearly a fourth of its value against the US dollar over the year after dropping 8 per cent in the previous year.
Sadly, the signs are pointing to an even more tumultuous 2016.
With global oil prices slumping below US$40 a barrel – bad news for oil producers such as Malaysia – and business and consumer sentiment stuck at lows last seen during the global financial crisis of 2008, the reality of a diminishing ringgit is expected to hit businesses even harder in the new year because of price adjustments for new stocks.
In truth, there have been a number of price revisions in the past year, especially in April when a 6 per cent Goods & Services Tax (GST) kicked in. Read the rest of this entry »
Very soon, comedians like Harith would have to call it a day because Ministers like Ahmad Maslan, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Paul Low and even Najib would have taken over their jobs
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Najib Razak, Parliament on Tuesday, 29 December 2015, 8:50 am
When comedians like Harith Iskandar pillory Ministers not just on stage, but in the public domain, the stocks of His Majesty’s Ministers and Deputy Ministers have fallen to a new low.
Harith is right that going by Ahmad’s definition that the deputy minister has got three jobs as Pontian MP, deputy international trade and industry minister and Umno information chief, he (Harith) would have got six jobs – as comedian, emcee, writer, actor, coach and director!
However, as Harith rightly pointed out, it does not mean he has six jobs but only that he does six different things.
In fact, going by Ahmad’s definition, the person having the most jobs in the country would be none other than the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself. Read the rest of this entry »
