Dear PM, revamp MACC now!
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Tuesday, 28 February 2012, 12:06 pm
By Gomen Man | February 27, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
FEB 27 — Memo to the prime minister: There is no need to wait for the next general election to revamp the discredited Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to The Malaysian Insider’s report, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that if the Barisan Nasional wins two-thirds majority, his government would legislate the setting up of a service commission for the MACC so that it can have its own powers to hire and fire officers.
You don’t need to wait for the polls. If you are honest and sincere about change, I am sure you will have to support of the opposition to make the changes as early as next month when Parliament meets.
And I am not even sure you need a two-thirds majority because this is not some constitutional change. I can only assume that you threw the “two-thirds majority” line in as a carrot for the electorate.
Read the rest of this entry »
What every Malaysian needs to know about ‘race’ (Part 5): ‘Race’ and the reform of public language in Malaysia
Posted by Kit in nation building on Tuesday, 28 February 2012, 12:01 pm
By Clive Kessler | February 28, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
FEB 28 — The term bangsa — so this extended commentary has argued from the outset — is sorely in need of clarification, “disaggregation” and so-called deconstruction.
Perhaps the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka will oblige.
The Dewan has done much — it has undertaken so many nationally significant projects of “linguistic engineering” and “semantic” or “lexical innovation” (the invention of new words, especially technical terms) — in the course of its long history of service to the nation.
Yet somehow it has overlooked this crucial and nationally fateful task of providing the lexical means — or “suite” of words — for differentiating among the various referents of the term bangsa, and in that way to make possible some necessary clarification of its several related yet distinctly different uses.
Read the rest of this entry »
Mahathir past cascading into the Najib present – powerful reasons for full accounting for the RM100 billion “black hole” caused by Mahathir’s financial scandals
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Mahathir, Najib Razak on Monday, 27 February 2012, 4:40 pm
Recently, the past has fast cascaded into the present – or to be more specific, the Mahathir past cascading into the Najib present.
Today the High Court in Kuala Lumpur fixed March 5 to decide whether to end the multi-billion ringgit legal battle between Malaysian Airlines (MAS) and Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli, by striking out MAS’ mega claims against Tajudin as well as his RM500 million counter-claim against the government and the national carrier.
Tajudin has been entangled in a complicated series of expensive suits, countersuits and appeals with various parties arising from his failure to service a billion ringgit loan he took to purchase a major stake in MAS in 1994. Read the rest of this entry »
Decision to strike out Tajudin-MAS suits on March 5
Posted by Kit in Good Governance, Mahathir, Transport on Monday, 27 February 2012, 1:26 pm
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 27, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — The High Court here will decide on March 5 whether to strike out both Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) claim against Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli as well as his counter-claim against the government and the national carrier.
Tajudin, who was the executive chairman of the airline from 1994 to 2001, is applying to cancel MAS’s suit over losses due to the relocation of its cargo operations in Amsterdam and Frankfurt to a single hub in Hahn, Germany.
Putrajaya is also seeking to strike out Tajudin’s RM500 million counterclaim, in which he alleges the government and MAS defamed him with a civil suit for abuse of power while heading the flag carrier.
Lawyers for all parties declined to comment after meeting trial judge Rosilah Yop in chambers for just under two hours.
“The decisions will be on March 5. I’m sorry I can’t comment because it will be subjudice,” Tajudin’s counsel Lim Kian Leong told reporters. Read the rest of this entry »
Alangkah leganya jika terlepas dari cengkaman ‘bapa-bapa ayam’ ini
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Mahathir, Najib Razak on Monday, 27 February 2012, 1:16 pm
By Aspan Alias | February 27, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
27 FEB — Selepas arahan dari Putrajaya, kini rakyat sedang berhadapan dengan isu berapa kah “settlement figure” yang sebenarnya yang telah ditetapkan untuk penyelesaian diluar mahkamah diantara Tajudin Ramli dengan MAS. Rakyat ingin tahu kerana semua wang yang terlibat dalam kes ini adalah wang rakyat. Tidak perlu menyalahkan sesiapa termasuk parti-parti pembangkang kerana apa yang berlaku dalam kes ini adalah di sebabkan oleh kelemahan dasar dan perlaksanaan kerajaan.
Semasa Tajudin mengambil alih MAS dalam proses perlaksanaan dasar “pengswastaan” kerajaan dahulu, banyak pihak telah membuat kritikan terhadap kerajaan pimpinan Dr Mahathir tetapi maklum sajalah Dr Mahathir tidak peduli dengan pandangan ramai kerana beliau berkata pengswastaan MAS itu adalah satu perkara yang “necessity”’ untuk dilakukan.
Pandangan pihak lain tidak perlu diambil kira. Entah apa sebabnya MAS yang begitu berjaya semasa itu hendak diswastakan sedangkan syarikat penerbangan kepunyaan kerajaan itu sangat maju dan MAS adalah diantara syarikat penerbangan yang “premium” dipesada antarabangsa. Hanya Dr Mahathir sahaja yang tahu kenapa ianya dilakukan.
Read the rest of this entry »
Raking in the Bounty of FELDA’s IPO
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Corruption, Felda on Monday, 27 February 2012, 11:34 am
In the run-up to the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of FELDA Global Ventures Holdings (FGH), there is little, in fact no discussion on how the exercise would benefit FELDA settlers. Surely that should be the foremost consideration. The only criterion upon which to judge the wisdom or success of any FELDA initiative, including this proposed IPO, would be to assess its impact on the settlers.
Instead the focus has been on bragging rights, as with trumpeting FGH to be the biggest IPO for the year, among the top 20 on the KLSE, and the world’s biggest plantation company. Such milestones are meaningful only if achieved as a consequence of the usual business activities and not through fancy paper-shuffling exercises. Apple recently surpassed Microsoft in market capitalization, but that was the consequence of Apple’s much superior products like iPads, iPods, and iPhones. Contrast that with earlier achievements of such now-defunct financial giants as AIG and Lehman Brothers that were based on fancy “financial engineering” instead of solid products and services.
Instead of delineating the potential benefits that would accrue on the settlers from this IPO, its proponents are content with dismissing the critics and imputing evil motives on their part. There are legitimate concerns that this exercise would prove to be nothing more than yet another fancy scheme for the politically powerful to cash out on a lucrative but under-priced government asset. We already have many ready examples of such greed. Read the rest of this entry »
What every Malaysian needs to know about ‘race’ (Part 4): Race and history
Posted by Kit in nation building on Monday, 27 February 2012, 11:28 am
By Clive Kessler | February 27, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
FEB 27 — It is now nearly over.
We are nearing the end of our long and winding journey across the “landscape” (as people these days like to say, as if they were all architectural gardeners and designers of country-house grounds!) of “bangsa”, “race” and all the various contending, and often mutually incompatible, ideas that are thrown indiscriminately together within the bangsa “suitcase”.
There remain just a few more things to sort out: first about “race” and prejudice; then about “race” and “racism” in the context of worldwide European imperial domination; and finally to address in Part 5 a familiar old question:
“What is to be done?”
My discussion ends with some suggestions about how to proceed towards the kind of “linguistic engineering” and conceptual clarification of which Malaysia, and users of the Malaysian national language, are now greatly in need.
Read the rest of this entry »
What every Malaysian needs to know about ‘race’, Part 2 c
Posted by Kit in nation building on Monday, 27 February 2012, 11:21 am
By Clive Kessler | February 26, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 26 — The many faces of “bangsa”: “People”, “nation” and “state”
My step-by-step, and idea by idea, disaggregation of the Malay word bangsa now proceeds to, and concludes with, a discussion of modern political developments.
It explores the “folding” of these further new political meanings into the already overworked, semantically overburdened, and hence multiply ambiguous idea, or concept, of bangsa.
This disaggregation and “deconstruction” is intended to serve as a warning of the great risks of confusion — of the distorted understanding and communication — that lie deceivingly, even treacherously, in wait whenever the termbangsa is used casually, lazily and unreflectingly.
Read the rest of this entry »
What every Malaysian needs to know about ‘race’, Part 2 b
Posted by Kit in nation building on Monday, 27 February 2012, 11:17 am
By Clive Kessler | February 26, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
Note: Part 2 of Clive Kessler’s series on race was not published in full. It comes in three parts and only Part 2a was published previously. All three parts of Part 2 should be read before Part 3 which was published yesterday. We apologise for the publishing glitch.
FEB 26 — Part 2b — The many faces of “bangsa”: “Stocks” and “common descent” My step-by-step, or idea by idea, disaggregation or “deconstruction” of the Malay word bangsa continues.
iii. The idea of a “stock”
Sometimes people do not wish or intend to speak — in the ways discussed in Part 2a — about total “racial” groups or “blocs” confronting one another globally in inescapable and unremitting life-and-death struggle.
Read the rest of this entry »
Mat Zain: ‘No doubt’ Shahrizat’s husband, children committed multiple CBT
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Crime on Sunday, 26 February 2012, 11:13 pm
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 26, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Former senior police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim asserted today that the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFCorp) controversial condominium purchases are clear examples of CBT (criminal breach of trust), adding the Attorney-General should have “no doubt” of this when deciding whether to press charges.
Mat Zain said that based on provisions in Section 409 of the Penal Code, the husband and children of minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who run the NFCorp, should each be slapped with numerous counts of CBT.
If convicted, the former KL CID chief said they would be liable to a jail term of between two and 20 years, whipping and a fine.
“After having sighted the NFC (National Feedlot Centre) loan agreement that was made available yesterday, coupled with the public statement by the Commercial Crimes Investigations Director (CCID), I would say that the Attorney General’s Chambers should not have any doubts in their mind now, that these are clear cut case of CBTs by agent as defined under Section 409 (of the) Penal Code.
“There’s no two ways about it. This is not like a breach of an agreement,” he said in an emailed statement to The Malaysian Insider today. Read the rest of this entry »
The shameless lot
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, MCA, PKFZ on Sunday, 26 February 2012, 10:36 pm
– Spencer Gan
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 26, 2012
FEB 26 – When exactly did Malaysia reach this point: where those sullied by wrongdoing (NFC) and the mother of all wrongdoing (PKFZ) speak without shame, even with arrogance.
There is no remorse or humility. Aren’t those who are wrong or who have misused public funds supposed to show some sorrow or at least keep silent?
Not so the people at the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) or the political party whose politicians fleeced Malaysians of billions of ringgit, the MCA. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP calls for PSC on Lynas plant
by Nigel Aw
Malaysiakini
Feb 26, 2012
DAP has called on the federal government to form a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to probe the safety of the RM700 million Lynas Advanced Material Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, Kuantan.
Party vice-chief Tan Seng Giaw (right) said the federal government should do so as it had called for a PSC on electoral reforms immediately after the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 last year.
“Like the Bersih 2.0 rally, the government set up a parliamentary select committee so this should be the case (for Himpunan Hijau 2.0), a parliamentary select committee should look into Lynas,” he said.
Tan said the government must take heed of the people’s concerns and review decision to allow Lynas to operate in Malaysia, by taking into consideration of the effects caused by the now defunct Bukit Merah rare-earth refinery in Perak. Read the rest of this entry »
Another cock-and-bull story from Mahathir
Kee Thuan Chye | Feb 25, 2012
Malaysiakini
COMMENT
Dr Mahathir Mohamad should talk straight or just shut up.
Whenever he rebuts allegations of wrongdoing during his tenure as prime minister, he appears to sound not only defensive but deceptive as well.
Now he says the government’s bailout of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in 2000, during his premiership, was “not the worst”. What does that mean? Is he saying that the bailout was all right simply because it was not the worst?
If he is still of sound mind and can understand this, let me say it is not all right. So what if it was not the worst act of using public funds? It was nonetheless committed. Should only the worst be held accountable?
That bailout cost Malaysians RM1.8 billion. And the government paid for the MAS shares at more than double their market price. Why was this so?
Well, Mahathir has become famous for blaming others; this time, he points to the Finance Ministry – for recommending the purchase at such a price. Has he forgotten he was the country’s chief executive officer then, and that it wouldn’t have gone through without his say-so, no matter which ministry or individual recommended it? Read the rest of this entry »
Lynas: Long-term public relations nightmare
— by Strategia
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 25, 2012
FEB 25 — It all began many years ago with MIDA (MITI) that reportedly lured and attracted this controversial polluting Lynas rare earth industry to Malaysian shores. Apparently, some promises have been made.
Then the fiasco began. Firstly, the fast-tracked approval of the sloppy PEIA by the DoE. The RIA was not even completed then. Secondly, only upon public outcries was the quietly approved and equally sloppy RIA was made available to the public by AELB. Note that the PEIA and RIA are not up to international best practices and standards, showing clear deficiencies. More public outcry over the poor governance and the regulatory bodies’ substandard competency. The government had to invite an international review panel from the IAEA to quell public anger over Lynas. The IAEA panel put forth a slew of recommendations for Lynas as well as for the Malaysian government’s regulatory bodies — showing up their deficiencies.
What a public relations nightmare for both Lynas and the incompetent Malaysian regulatory bodies!
Then, more fiasco. Read the rest of this entry »
Loan agreement shows NFCorp broke terms, says Pua
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Saturday, 25 February 2012, 2:39 pm
By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 25, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — DAP MP Tony Pua today revealed the loan agreement signed by the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), which he claimed proved the company had violated conditions attached to the RM250 million facility.
The DAP publicity chief pointed out that Clause 3 of the agreement clearly states that the federal loan should be used to “part finance the project as described in the First Schedule of this agreement”.
The First Schedule states that use of the loan must be “consistent with the government of Malaysia’s policy of developing, promoting and nurturing the production of beef and beef products through the National Feedlot Centre as a centre for commercial and integrated cattle feedlot”.
“It cannot be more obvious. Use of the funds can only strictly be used to part finance the setting up of the centre and nothing else,” Pua told reporters at DAP headquarters here.
“So all the claims made by the executives and directors of NFCorp that they can use the money for anything is complete rubbish.” Read the rest of this entry »
Najib – is RM589 million out-of-court settlement of Tajudin Ramli’s debts proof Malaysians today are still paying for RM100 billion Mahathir financial scandals?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Mahathir, Najib Razak on Saturday, 25 February 2012, 2:17 pm
Malaysians are entitled to a frank and honest answer from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak whether the RM580 million out-of-court settlement of Tajudin Ramli’s debts is proof that Malaysians today are still paying for the RM100 billion financial scandals perpetrated in the 22 years Tun Dr. Mahathir was the Prime Minister. And if so, they want to know of other such instances.
More and more Malaysians are asking this question as there is total lack of transparency, accounting, explanation or details for the RM580 million out-of-court settlement with government-linked corporations (GLCS), raising the question whether the Barisan Nasional government has achieved another entry in the Guinness Book of Records in being the first government in the world to surrender a court judgment for RM580 million.
One big controversy among Malaysians today is who is to be believed, Mahathir or Tajudin Ramli about the “double bail-out” of MAS. Read the rest of this entry »
What every Malaysian needs to know about ‘race’ (Part 3): Distorted reasoning — or thinking ‘bamboozled’ by language
Posted by Kit in nation building on Saturday, 25 February 2012, 1:27 pm
By Clive Kessler | February 25, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
FEB 25 — The word bangsa in modern Malaysian usage is semantically overworked. It serves to convey a number of related but different meanings.
Whatever advantages of economy and compression of thought and expression this “semantic condensation” may provide, it carries with it enormous dangers.
In its preceding parts, this extended discussion has explored the “folding” of those various meanings into that overworked, overburdened, and hence multiply ambiguous idea, or concept, of bangsa.
That disaggregation and “deconstruction” was offered for a most serious purpose: to serve as a warning of the great risks of confusion — of the distorted understanding and communication — that lie in wait whenever the term bangsa is less than thoughtfully used.
Read the rest of this entry »
Perhaps Lynas should turn back
— Tay Tian Yan
The Malaysian Insider
February 24, 2012
Feb 24 — I recently met director Tan Chui Mui. She told me she had moved her studio from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
KL is too small in the world of film-making; Beijing is somewhat larger.
Tan needs a bigger space to develop her career and fulfil her dreams.
She has won several awards in international film festivals. She is so young and there are lots of potentials she could exploit outside the country.
She does come back to her native Kuantan every now and then, not so much for making a movie, but for her hometown.
Lynas Corp plans to set up a massive rare earth refinery plant in Kuantan, and Putrajaya has issued a conditional temporary licence to the Australia-based firm. Read the rest of this entry »
Tell us everything, Najib
Posted by Kit in Mahathir, Najib Razak on Saturday, 25 February 2012, 9:11 am
— Sam Peh
The Malaysian Insider
February 25, 2012
FEB 25 — Once again, Prime Minister Najib Razak disappoints with a ridiculous statement, aimed at absolving Mahathir Mohamad, the champion of double-speak.
Najib said that the government will consider releasing correspondence between Mahathir and his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak, to show that Mahathir did not soften Malaysia’s stance on Palestine.
Obviously, Najib wants to do that because otherwise his statement against Anwar Ibrahim for saying in an interview that the security of Israel should be guaranteed unmasked him as Jew sympathiser would be hypocritical. It is also possible that since Mahathir seems to be running the country, Najib has really no choice.
I suggest that since Najib is on disclosure mode, he also consider revealing facts that are far more important to Malaysians such as:
1) The confidential agreement between Danaharta and Tajudin Ramli which allowed the favoured businessman to stop paying RM590 million to the government agency. Can you imagine any government giving up a court award of RM590 million? Read the rest of this entry »
Najib says Sabah RCI still ‘under consideration’
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Sabah on Friday, 24 February 2012, 10:28 pm
Abdul Rahim Sabri
Malaysiakini
Feb 24, 2012
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has apparently refuted claims that a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the alleged citizenship-for-votes scam in Sabah had already been approved.
“We are considering it,” said Najib in a curt reply to a question on whether the RCI would be established after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting last night.
Najib’s response came as a surprise as high-profile Sabah BN leaders had claimed that cabinet had approved the establishment of the RCI on Feb 8. Read the rest of this entry »
