RM160m to solve Najib’s problem?
Posted by Kit in Defence, Good Governance, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 8 January 2013, 9:40 am
Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 8, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
The object of the whole LTAT exercise seems to be to save Raja Ropiah, people from Mindef and even LTAT – players who may all have a hand in the exercise.
COMMENT
You know how government-linked companies (GLCs) screws us? In order to deceive people, they build themselves a byzantine maze with sister companies, brother companies, son-companies, grandson-companies and great-great grandson companies.
It will take a financial sleuth some time to trace the trail of deception and corruption.
Take the maze of companies involved in the Deepak Jaikishan-Raja Ropiaah Abdullah scam.
LTAT (Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera) is the parent company. Boustead Holdings Bhd is the son-company. Baktiwira is the grandson company. And Jendela Hikmat is the great-great grandson company. Then there is Guppyunit
Umno has a system already in place. At every level, an Umno GLC infuses the culture of deception and corruption. Every level it skims off the milk.
The question is, why is LTAT so friendly with Raja Ropiaah? Why is Raja Ropiaah so special to Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and its minister then?
One thing is known. The object of the whole LTAT exercise seems to be to save Raja Ropiaah, the people from Mindef and even LTAT – players who may all have a hand in the exercise. Read the rest of this entry »
My aspiration for Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Constitution, Religion on Tuesday, 8 January 2013, 1:51 am
— Amirah Ali
(loyarburok.com)
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 07, 2013
JAN 7 — When a friend informed me about the desecration of churches and mosques in Malaysia on January 7, 2010, I felt extremely angry, disappointed and worst of all, helpless. I had been reading about the “Allah” issue for a few days while juggling my university assignments at graduate school overseas. The shock and anger from the news made me forget about the horrible freezing winter. As I started to think about my beloved Tanahair, I asked to myself, “God, why?”
To me, Malaysia is like a beautiful hidden treasure in the deep sea. It has so much potential. It has so much richness and opportunity, but is also filled with many “eggshells” that one must carefully tread around, especially on religion and race. Growing up in Malaysia, I wondered why I did not feel at home despite living my entire life there.
As a child, I was convinced that something was wrong with me. I could not talk to anyone about my thoughts. When I sought guidance from my teachers, I was scolded for asking certain questions and expressing certain opinions. However, as an adult at graduate school overseas, I discovered there are many people who shared my thoughts and ideas. The same questions I was discouraged from asking in Tanahair are commonly discussed as part of university courses where students were expected to answer by thinking critically. For the first time in my life, I felt I was normal. It was then I realised the answer; it was because I could not be myself in Malaysia.
As I learned more on the desecration of houses of worship in Tanahair, I felt a big urge to do something about it. I did not want to feel helpless anymore. I wanted to express my emotions and thoughts about the issue, although it was a difficult thing for me to do as a quiet and private person. I thought of writing something but nothing sounded right. I felt like giving up many times. Read the rest of this entry »
94-Day Countdown to 13GE – Test of UMNO confidence that 2008 tsunami has been halted is for Najib to declare that UMNO/BN would accept verdict of voters in 13GE including change of government in Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament on Monday, 7 January 2013, 1:45 pm
Recently, UMNO leaders are exuding supreme confidence, at least to the public, about the 13th General Elections.
UMNO information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan for instance has declared that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has halted the “political tsunami” of 2008 with his various transformation pledges and programmes since April 2009.
He said: “In 2008, we were worried of the ‘political tsunami’ but in 2013, I am confident it has ended.”
It was also Ahmad who last month expressed confidence that the Barisan Nasional would wrest back 20 parliamentary seats held by Pakatan Rakyat to secure two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 13GE – retaining the 140 parliamentary seats it won and capture five of the 23 seats held by PAS, five of 29 held by DAP and 10 of the 31 PKR seats.
The question that immediately comes to mind is why Najib keeps vacillating about the 13th general elections date if the UMNO leadership is so supremely confident about halting the political tsunami of 2008 and regain its two-thirds parliamentary majority – not to mention winning back all the five states lost to Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general elections? Read the rest of this entry »
Pengiraan Detik 94 Hari ke PRU13 – Untuk menguji keyakinan UMNO bahawa tsunami 2008 telah dihentikan Najib perlu mengisytiharkan bahawa UMNO/BN akan menerima keputusan pengundi dalam PRU13 termasuklah pertukaran kerajaan di Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament on Monday, 7 January 2013, 3:03 pm
Baru-baru ini pemimpin UMNO kelihatan penuh yakin, sekurang-kurangnya pada umum, berkenaan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13.
Ketua Penerangan UMNO, Datuk Ahmad Maslan contohnya telah mengisytiharkan bahawa Perdana Menteri Seri Najib Razak telah menghentikan “tsunami politik” 2008 dengan pelbagai ikrar dan program transformasi sejak April 2009.
Beliau berkata: “pada 2008 kita khuatir ada tsunami politik, tetapi 2013 saya yakin ia sudah lama berhenti.”
Ahmad jugalah yang tahun lepas meluahkan keyakinan bahawa Barisan Nasional akan mendapatkan semula 20 kerusi perlimen yang dipegang Pakatan Rakyat untuk memperoleh majoriti dua pertiga parlimen dalam PRU13 – mengekalkan 140 kerusi parlimen yang dimenangi dan merampas lime daripada 23 kerusi yang dipegang PAS, lima daripada 29 yang dipegang DAP dan 10 daripada 31 kerusi PKR.
Persoalan yang terlintas di fikiran adalah mengapa Najib berterusan berbolak-balik tentang tarikh pilihan raya umum ke-13 sekiranya kepimpinan UMNO begitu yakin telah menghentikan tsunami 2008 dan mampu mendapatkan semula majoriti dua pertiga parlimen – selain itu memenangi kembali semua lima negeri yang tewas kepada Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihan raya umum 2008? Read the rest of this entry »
Graft, financial waste definitely wrong, be it RM30k or RM100m
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Monday, 7 January 2013, 12:36 pm
By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
January 07, 2013
COMMENT
Jan 7 — The RM30,000 bribe to muzzle a complainant in a sexual harassment case in Penang has hit the headlines, reinforcing the point that no one in Malaysia should accept or tolerate corruption and any financial misconduct in the country.
So, while it is refreshing and laudatory to see mainstream newspapers reporting the Penang case that involves a civil servant and a political aide, questions remain why the local media is silent on the RM100 million National Defence Education Centre (Puspahanas).
Why are they wasting so much ink over RM30,000 and not a drop for the project which has seen government land being swapped and sold but no building in plain sight in Putrajaya.
Is RM100 million just change compared to the raft of multi-billion ringgit federal projects? But RM30,000 is a lot and makes news because it involves a political aide from the federal opposition?
What is the greater crime here? A company with no track record gets a RM100 million construction job in 2005 and is paid with three parcels of government land worth RM72.5 million and RM27 million cash. Read the rest of this entry »
Zero success rate
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Good Governance, Media on Monday, 7 January 2013, 11:20 am
R. Nadeswaran
The Sun Daily
6 January 2013
A SEARCH of the archives shows that in the past year, more than 100 columns and commentaries were penned covering about a couple of dozen topics.
Away from the office for a fortnight, there was plenty of time to reflect on what had happened in the preceding year, in between reading opinions and commentaries of fellow scribes regaling what a great year 2012 had been.
On reflection, what was there even to put down as a thought after having written on issues ranging from wrongdoing, inefficiency, insubordination, misuse to abuse of public funds and many more? These were issues of public interest – affecting every citizen of this country.
There is no way or equipment to measure the success of this column. The success rate in informing the public of such nuances and allowing them to draw their own opinions may have been excellent.
However, when it comes to getting responses, let alone results in bringing about such issues to the fore, the rate has been dismal – absolutely ZERO! Read the rest of this entry »
Corruption? It’s OK lah
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Monday, 7 January 2013, 10:53 am
by Khairie Hisyam Aliman
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 07, 2013
JAN 7 — “It’s amazing how much shit people put up with, as long as you give it to them slowly.”
The above quote from Mack Leighty echoed in my head as I read that we are ranked second out of 150 countries in Global Financial Integrity’s latest report on illicit financial outflows worldwide. According to GFI, in 2010 alone we lost RM196.84 billion in funds to tax havens and Western banks, second only to China.
Earlier this month, it was Transparency International’s survey. They asked this: “During the last 12 months, do you think that your company has failed to win a contract or gain new business because a competitor has paid a bribe?” We scored the highest out of 30 countries with 50 per cent.
The same survey also found that respondents feel the misuse of public fund by public servants and politicians is common. They also said they feel it’s common for public officials to demand or accept bribes. On the whole respondents perceive government efforts to fight corruption as largely ineffective.
How did it become so bad? Read the rest of this entry »
Talking about heights of arrogance
– Aman Ally
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 06, 2013
JAN 6 – These past few days, Malaysians have been entertained by the spectacle of the Barisan Nasional-owned media attacking Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang for his “Amanat Hadi” and the DAP for its inability to count votes in ints internal polls.
It reached a point today when Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim opened another attack on Pakatan Rakyat for revealing its “height of arrogance” in deciding to hold a rally in Stadium Merdeka next weekend without even discussing the venue with the stadium board or the police.
Now, I wonder if Rais knows what is “height of arrogance” actually is?
Isn’t it the height of arrogance for the Information, Communication and Culture Minister to decide that Hadi cannot appear on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) because of this so-called “Amanat Hadi” and that there is a fatwa on it?
Who owns RTM? Umno? Barisan Nasional?
RTM is a state broadcaster paid by public funds and not his personal fiefdom. Who is he to arrogantly decide who can appear on the station? Read the rest of this entry »
95-Day Countdown to 13GE – If Deepak had made only 10% of allegations against DAP/PR leaders he made against Najib and UMNO/BN leadership, he would be crawling all over BN MSM in past six weeks instead of total blackout
The past three days have been the most difficult days for DAP leaders, members and supporters in the 47-year history of the party, testified by the fact that the DAP had dominated the front-pages of the Barisan Nasional mainstream media (MSM) in the past two days and hogged the Barisan Nasional-controlled air waves.
The following are the screaming front-page headlines in the BN MSM in the past two days:
DAP silap kira undi? – Pengarah pilihan raya parti itu letak jawatan (Utusan Malaysia 5.1.13)
Drama DAP – Lagi persoal isu silap kira undi (Mingguan Malaysia 5.1.13)
DAP election FIASCO – Error raises doubts about party’s ability to rule country (New Straits Times 5.1.13)
‘Embarrassing glitch’ – (New Sunday Times 6.1.13)
Sandiwara DAP pujuk Melayu – Ambil masa tiga minggua akui kesilapan pemilihan CEC (Berita Harian 5.1.13)
Tindakan DAP ‘luar biasa’ – Pinda keputusan pemilihan janggal, timbul banyak persoalan: Muhyiddin (Berita Harian t6.1.13)
It doesn’t add up (Star 5.1.13)
When DAP appears in the BN MSM, especially on their front-pages, it is not good news. In fact, often they are about lies – as in the infamous case on May 7, 2011 when Utusan Malaysia carried a front-page article headlined “Kristian agama rasmi?” (“Christianity the official religion?”), claiming that DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to instal Christianity as the religion of the federation instead of Islam and the other infamous case on July 9, 2012 on the Utusan Malaysia front-page about the falsehood that the DAP would contest 90 of the 222 parliamentary seats to dominate Pakatan Rakyat and appoint the Prime Minister in the 13th general election. Read the rest of this entry »
Pengiraan Detik 95 Hari ke PRU13 – Sekiranya Deepak membuat cuma 10% dakwaan terhadap pemimpin DAP/PR sepertimana yang dia lakukan terhadap Najib dan pemimpin UMNO/BN, dia mungkin kini sedang muncul dalam semua media perdana BN sejak enam minggu lalu dan bukannya digelapkan terus.
Sepanjang tiga hari lalu merupakan hari-hari yang sukar buat pemimpin, ahli dan penyokong DAP di dalam 47 tahun sejarah parti, kerana DAP telah memenuhi muka depan media perdana Barisan Nasional sejak dua hari lalu dan memenuhi semua siaran yang dikawal Barisan Nasional.
Berikut adalah tajuk berita muka depan yang lantang di dalam media perdana BN sejak dua hari lalu:
DAP silap kira undi? – Pengarah pilihan raya parti itu letak jawatan (Utusan Malaysia 5.1.13)
Drama DAP – Lagi persoal isu silap kira undi (Mingguan Malaysia 5.1.13)
DAP election FIASCO – Error raises doubts about party’s ability to rule country (New Straits Times 5.1.13)
‘Embarrassing glitch’ – (New Sunday Times 6.1.13)
Sandiwara DAP pujuk Melayu – Ambil masa tiga minggua akui kesilapan pemilihan CEC (Berita Harian 5.1.13)
Tindakan DAP ‘luar biasa’ – Pinda keputusan pemilihan janggal, timbul banyak persoalan: Muhyiddin (Berita Harian t6.1.13)
It doesn’t add up (Star 5.1.13)
49,000 youngest drop-outs?
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, Education on Saturday, 5 January 2013, 10:20 pm
by Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
12:22PM Jan 4, 2013
If it is indeed true, as recently reported by Malaysiakini that 49,000 ‘stateless children’ are not going to school because they do not have identity cards, then something must be done to immediately address this issue of fundamental human rights. They must be allowed to go to school by any means necessary as the government resolves the issue of their ‘stateless parents’.
This ruling regime will be committing an act of the worst form of mental slavery should these children not be allowed to have the basic education and the right to be intelligent. If, as alleged, this regime can grant identity cards to newly-arrived immigrants in prepration for the coming elections, we must insist it to be able to do this for these children.
You, in the government, will be called a ‘pariah regime’ if this is not done for those children. The implications of not having those children schooled will be devastating; a reaffirmation of the vicious cycle of poverty, alienation, dehumanisation, and the fast-track way to build Malaysia’s prison-industrial complex. These children are already ‘drop-outs’ even before they enter schools!
What is wrong with our education system when we are now seeing a ruder apartheid-isation of schools? We continue to see the growth of a hideous class and caste structure in schools, from smart schools for the children of the rich to ‘pariah schools’ for the children of the abject poor. And now in the case of the ‘children of stateless parents’, we even have no schools for children of the abyss of the underclass, especially Malaysians of Tamil origin. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno-BN, stop the lies against Selangor
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor, UMNO on Saturday, 5 January 2013, 6:51 pm
Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
Malaysiakini
11:20AM Jan 5, 2013
COMMENT
2012 has been a productive year for the Selangor state government, and I along with other state leaders begin 2013 with the firm intent of redoubling our efforts to serve the rakyat.
It is saddening to see the deputy prime minister, on the other hand, begin the new year with low class politicking, stating that the people of Selangor have been fooled for four years under Pakatan Rakyat.
In reality, it is Barisan Nasional that has fooled the people of both Selangor and Malaysia for 55 years.
This article intends not to rely on rhetoric, but to provide conclusive evidence regarding the priority given by Pakatan Rakyat and the Selangor government to the welfare of the people as well as our commitment to the highest standards of good governance.
We are confident that comparable evidence cannot be shown by any state administered by BN, including in Selangor before 2008.
In terms of financial management and allocation of funds for welfare programmes, Selangor under Pakatan Rakyat by far outperforms any other Barisan Nasional state, as well as the federal government itself. Read the rest of this entry »
96-Day Countdown to 13GE – Honesty and humility must always remain qualities of DAP leaders if DAP is to continue to command trust and confidence of Malaysians
Questions have been raised as to how there could be such a huge “recount” discrepancy and mistake in the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) election results where Zairil Khir Johari’s votes for election to the DAP CEC increased by 498 votes from the 305 votes announced on 15th December 2012 to the actual vote of 803 (placing him in the 20th elected position), while Vincent Wu Him Ven could drop 533 votes from the 1,202 votes announced on 15th December 2012 to the actual vote of 669 votes (putting him in the 26th elected position).
The blunder however did not arise from any vote counting, as Zairil and Wu’s votes were properly counted and tabulated as 803 and 669 votes respectively but from a computer error resulting in the votes for the last eight candidates (i.e. No. 61 – 68) also being posted with the same votes as those of Candidates Number 31 to 38, as follows, viz:
| No | Candidate | Votes | No | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | LIM LIP ENG | 448 | 61 | WONG SAI HOONG | 448 | |
| 32 | LIU TIAN KHIEW (RONNIE) | 761 | 62 | WONG SZE PHIN @ JIMMY | 761 | |
| 33 | LOKE SIEW FOOK (ANTHONY) | 1202 | 63 | WU HIM VEN (VINCENT) | 1202 | |
| 34 | M. KULA | 984 | 64 | YONG WUI WUI (VIOLET) | * | |
| 35 | MANOGARAN A/L MARIMUTHU | 305 | 65 | ZAIRIL KHIR JOHARI | 305 | |
| 36 | MANOHARAN MALAYALAM | 216 | 66 | ZULKIFLI BIN MOHD NOOR | 216 | |
| 37 | NG CHIN TSAI | 39 | 67 | ROSELI BIN ABDUL GANI | 39 | |
| 38 | NG WEI AIK | 407 | 68 | TAN BOON PENG | 407 |
Pengiraan Detik 96 Hari ke PRU13 – Kejujuran dan rendah hati mestilah sentiasa menjadi kualiti pemimpin DAP sekiranya DAP mahu terus mendapat kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat Malaysia
Telah dibangkitkan persoalan bagaimana boleh berlakunya kesilapan “kiraan semula” yang begitu besar dan kesilapan di dalam pemilihan Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Pusat (CEC) DAP yang mana bilangan undi Zairil Khir Johari untuk pemilihan CEC DAP meningkat sebanyak 498 undi daripadas 305 undi kepada 803 seperti yang diumum kan pada 15 Disember 2012 (meletakkan beliau di tempat ke-20) sementara Vincent Wu Him Ven boleh bilangan undi jatuh sebanyak 533 undi daripada 1,202 undi kepada 669 undi seperti yang diumum kan pada 15 Disember 2012 (meletakkannya di tempat ke-26).
Kesilapan itu bagaimanapun bukan hasil daripada mana-mana kiraan undi, kerana undian Zairil dan Wu telah dikira dengan betul dan terjadual sebagai 803 undi dan 669 undi. Akan tetapi kesilapan itu adalah daripada ralat komputer yang menyebabkan jumlah undian untuk lapan calon terakhir (iaitu No. 61 – 68) dikeluarkan sama seperti undi calon-calon nombor 31 hingga 38, seperti berikut:
| No | Calon | Jumlah Undi | No | Calon | Jumlah Undi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | LIM LIP ENG | 448 | 61 | WONG SAI HOONG | 448 | |
| 32 | LIU TIAN KHIEW (RONNIE) | 761 | 62 | WONG SZE PHIN @ JIMMY | 761 | |
| 33 | LOKE SIEW FOOK (ANTHONY) | 1202 | 63 | WU HIM VEN (VINCENT) | 1202 | |
| 34 | M. KULA | 984 | 64 | YONG WUI WUI (VIOLET) | * | |
| 35 | MANOGARAN A/L MARIMUTHU | 305 | 65 | ZAIRIL KHIR JOHARI | 305 | |
| 36 | MANOHARAN MALAYALAM | 216 | 66 | ZULKIFLI BIN MOHD NOOR | 216 | |
| 37 | NG CHIN TSAI | 39 | 67 | ROSELI BIN ABDUL GANI | 39 | |
| 38 | NG WEI AIK | 407 | 68 | TAN BOON PENG | 407 |
What change? A reply to Dr M
― Pak Sako
CPI
Jan 04, 2013
JAN 4 ― Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad published a piece called “Change” yesterday in his blog.
In it he asked why change governments.
He then criticised the socialist ideology. He strangely claimed that “Malaysia has no ideology”.
That is completely untrue.
When Dr Mahathir came into power in 1981, Malaysia was introduced to the neoliberal ideology.
This is an ideology that is biased in favour of corporations and capitalists.
It is the opposite of socialism, which aspires to put people first.
The neoliberal ideology was aggressively promoted around the world in the early 1980s by influential global networks of business interests and their supporters.
Their mantra? Read the rest of this entry »
Time to set up a Ministry of Minority Affairs
Posted by Kit in Lim Teck Ghee, Public policy on Friday, 4 January 2013, 5:37 pm
By Dr. Lim Teck Ghee | 04 January 2013 09:19
CPI
As we begin a new year, a rash of old issues and challenges confront the country. Chief amongst them are racial and religious tensions and a rising sense of marginalization and alienation among our minority communities while at the same time the majority community feels threatened and insecure.
Many of these problems are deeply entrenched. Their effects are no longer confined to a small part of our body politic or emerge as isolated and unconnected events. They have infiltrated into all sectors of society and cast a shadow in the life of every Malaysian – in our everyday thought processes, in our consciousness and in our actions.
The problems that are associated with the ethnic and religious divide between Malays and non-Malays and between Muslims and non-Muslims will not be resolved quickly. There is no magical remedy.
Many of these problems stem from our seriously weakened social cohesion and the growing disunity that our nation has experienced during the past four decades. The intangible but potent glue of harmony, sense of community and commitment to realizing the common good that binds countries and their people together has long broken down in Malaysia.
Read the rest of this entry »
