Muhyiddin’s folly
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Friday, 18 November 2011, 11:49 pm
— Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 18, 2011
NOV 18 — Now I know why Najib Razak is always out of the country: the prime minister wants to show us what he also knows — that he has a pretty mediocre deputy.
Muhyiddin Yassin is at best of mentri besar quality, but unfortunately because of the dysfunctional system of Umno’s president and deputy president being given the number one and number two leadership posts in Malaysia, Muhyiddin is one position away from being the PM.
His handling of the National Feedlot Corporation scandal has been ridiculous and shifty. From the beginning he has tried to shift the responsibility of explaining the project to Noh Omar and others but he was the man who helmed the Agriculture Ministry which promoted and endorsed this project!!!
Today, he is quoted as saying that he leaves it to the public to accept or reject the explanation put forward by Mohamed Salleh of the National Feedlot Corporation but quickly says that as far as the government is concerned, these are all stories created by the Opposition.
Really? But the failure of the feedlot project was highlighted by the Auditor General, not Anwar Ibrahim or Lim Kit Siang. Read the rest of this entry »
Asia must safeguard its growth by protecting its people
By Noeleen Heyzer | November 18, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
NOV 18 — While European and North American leaders struggle to regain fiscal credibility by cutting back social entitlements, those of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Bali this week at a historic turning point, an economic coming of age for their region, which may require them to move in the opposite direction.
Asia remains by far the most dynamic region in the world and the locomotive of global growth. Its growth rate is one and a half times that of any other region. But this growth has been accompanied by growing inequalities, and remains fragile.
The region’s recovery has come under pressure in recent months from multiple crises — increases in food and energy prices, the continuing global financial crisis, and severe disruptions in Japan and six ASEAN countries caused by adverse climate conditions and natural disasters. Because of these multiple shocks 42 million additional people will fall into poverty by the end of 2011, according to estimates by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia’s economy likely to slow despite earlier boom
By Debra Chong | November 18, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — Malaysia should brace for a protracted economic slump despite the expected announcement today that its economy has grown by up to 4.8 per cent in the past three months, analysts have warned, as the mushrooming debt cloud from the US and Europe spreads eastwards.
As the country heads into the last six weeks of the year, Bloomberg News reported today that most Asian currencies have been falling in the past three months on concern the nations that led the recovery from the 2009 global recession will falter.
“It’s part of monetary easing if they let their currencies weaken,” the business news agency reported United Overseas Bank economist Ho Woei Chen as saying.
The ringgit has fallen more than five per cent in the past three months while the Thai baht has weakened 3.3 per cent but neither countries have cut their rates even as Indonesia and Australia lowered borrowing costs in this last quarter.
Read the rest of this entry »
Empty vessels make the most noise
By Douglas Tan | November 18, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
Remember the adage: silence is golden? I’m sure many parents have taught their children that if you do not have anything nice to say, you should keep quiet.
However in politics these days, we have mud-slinging from both sides of the political divide.
It appears that the less relevant you have become, the more you have to shout at the top of your lungs.
For the MCA, it is able to see that it is fast disappearing off the political scene just like Gerakan.
The party has been criticised over the years for being gutless and pandering to the demands of Umno, just to ensure that it still gets a slice of the pie.
Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a mad, mad world
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Zairil Khir Johari on Friday, 18 November 2011, 11:07 am
By Zairil Khir Johari | November 18, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. So goes the ancient phrase that has, throughout the millennia, remained an appropriate and relevant dictum to this very day.
The systemic trait of madness has been an inherent hallmark of declining autocratic regimes since time immemorial. Take, for example, the story of the Roman emperor Caligula, whose reign began with much promise and great popularity, but who quickly succumbed to the luxuries of power and who, towards the end of his short-lived rule, attempted to appoint his favourite horse as a consul of the Roman Senate.
And then of course there is the late totalitarian President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan who, apart from styling himself Turkmenbashi (Leader of Turkmens), also deigned to rename calendar months after members of his own family, in addition to outlawing long hair and beards for Turkmen men and advising the citizenry to gnaw on bones in order to strengthen their teeth, because apparently it works for dogs.
Read the rest of this entry »
NFC beat target, says Shahrizat’s husband
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Friday, 18 November 2011, 12:00 am
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 17, 2011
GEMAS, Nov 17 — The controversial national cattle farming project went beyond its set target, chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail said today, disputing a federal audit describing the scheme as being “in a mess”.
“In fact, [National Feedlot Corporation (NFC)] has raised 8,016 head of cattle in 2010, surpassing its target of 8,000 head of cattle. We are importing cattle from Australia and we have to feed them for between four and six months. Read the rest of this entry »
NFC boss says twin cattle condos are rental cash cows
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Thursday, 17 November 2011, 11:55 pm
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 17, 2011
GEMAS, Nov 17 — Dogged by claims of irregularity, the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) finally broke its silence today to defend its purchase of multi-million luxury condominum units in Bangsar as a “good business decision”.
In a press briefing opened to selected mainstream media organisations, its chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh reasoned that the investment had helped yield better returns for the NFC project compared to keeping the money in a bank.
It was also revealed then that the NFC owns two units at the upmarket condominium, as opposed to one as previously reported.
According to Berita Harian Online, however, Mohamad said the condominium units had cost over RM6 million each, instead of the RM9.8 million originally alleged by PKR.
Mohamad reportedly claimed that the money, if held in a bank, would have only yielded 2.6 per cent in annual returns. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP says toll extension punishes Penang folk
By Shannon Teoh | November 17, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — The DAP said today PLUS Expressways is “cheating” the public especially Penang folk by extending toll collection on three highways as part of a deal that sees the highway concessionaire waive RM6.5 billion in compensation from the government.
Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the 17-year toll extension on the Penang Bridge to 2038 was “in fact a toll increase.”
“What waiver? They are cheating. I thought only my children will pay the toll but now even my grandchildren will pay. This deal punishes Penangites,” the island’s chief minister told a press conference.
Publicity chief Tony Pua also said that with two of the three extensions affecting Penang specifically, “most of the burden of covering the waiver falls on Penangites.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Malays feel Penang under Chinese rule, survey shows
Posted by Kit in Penang Government on Thursday, 17 November 2011, 5:16 pm
By G. Manimaran, Bahasa Malaysia Editor | November 17, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — Malay voters in Penang say the state is being run by the Chinese despite backing Lim Guan Eng over other leaders.
A survey of 720 Malay voters by researchers Ilham Centre found that when the island was under a Gerakan-led administration until 2008, Malays saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) government as being led by Umno.
“Lim Guan Eng (picture) is popular and respected for being humble, approachable and being on the ground. But because of the sentiment and prejudice from Umno, he is seen as a Chinese who is threatening Malays,” said the study on perceptions of Malay voters towards Penang and its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government.
It said this showed the media has indoctrinated Malays to see the current administration as “a Chinese or DAP government.”
“It is seen as a DAP, not a Pakatan Rakyat government,” the study concluded, despite nearly 30 per cent of respondents picking current Chief Minister Lim as the most popular and respected leader in the state.
Read the rest of this entry »
Koh’s sacrifice, BN’s future
The Malaysian Insider
November 17, 2011
Fact is, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s fate was sealed the day Gerakan lost all its state seats and the government in Penang on March 8, 2008. It took him more than three years to realise that.
The Gerakan president’s announcement today that he will not contest in the next general election has been a foregone conclusion in Barisan Nasional (BN) circles for some time now. Both the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and MCA-owned The Star have been harping on the party’s poor leadership and performance over the past few months that there is nothing shocking about Koh’s decision.
So what use is it to hold on to his political posts? Why remain Penang BN chief and state Gerakan boss?
In explaining his “ultimate sacrifice” today, Koh said he meant that he would continue devoting his time and energy to campaign for his party’s candidates in the coming polls. “When I talk about sacrifice, I am talking about time and energy for the party,” he said.
Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat MPs are the real heroes fighting for the interest of Malays and poor Malaysians
Posted by Kit in Economics, nation building on Thursday, 17 November 2011, 5:11 pm
By Tony Pua
Pakatan Rakyat members of parliament have over the past 2 weeks exposed the fact that many of the goods sold in Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) were not only substandard, illegal and unhealthy, many of these products were also not cheaper than products sold in existing hypermarkets.
We were criticised by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, Dato’ Ismail Sabri as being unfair by not comparing “apple to apple”, that is we should not be comparing 1Malaysia products with house-branded products from Tesco, Giant or Carrefour.
However, we have proven that the comparison was indeed not “apple to apple” for products such as the “oyster sauce” because the sauce from Tesco contained real oyster extracts, the 1Malaysia product had only flavouring and no oysters.
At the same time, the comparison of 1Malaysia milk powder with that of Nestlé’s Nespray 1+ demonstrated not only that the former is a far inferior product but also the fact that the latter was 24% cheaper. The 1Malaysia milk powder was short of at least 15 legally required vitamins and minerals, deficient in calcium and iron and provided a 802% overdose of Vitamin A, putting at real risk our very young children.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bantuan Khas Awal Persekolahan RM100
By P.P.
The purpose of this note is to share my thoughts with you.
Today my daughters received a notice from their teachers at school. My younger daughter studies at SK Taman Perling 1 and my elder daughter studies at SMK Dato Usman Awang (Perling 2). This notice was in reference to Bantuan Khas Awal Persekolahan where my daughters are entitled to RM100 each.
My younger daughter only received the note today and my elder daughter did not even receive a note but a mere announcement of the same.
This exercise requires the parents to be present with the child when the monies need to be collected. This is hardly fair given that the notice only comes the day before the event. What then happens to parents who cannot come, the school will not give the monies to the children alone.
My point is that due notice must be given to parents knowing that almost every household on the average has both parents working to support their families. This being so when due notice is given, parents can take time off to be with their children to collect these monies which can be useful.
Read the rest of this entry »
The 2012 Budget for a class of seven-year-olds… and voters
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Economics, Education, Elections on Wednesday, 16 November 2011, 7:05 pm
By Shern Ren | November 16, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
NOV 16 — Tomorrow my younger brother is going to school to collect the RM100 that the government has promised him as a school-goer. It’s all well and good for him to get a bit more spending money, but what difference does it make in our national Budget? Here’s an imaginary conversation that will take place tomorrow in a school far too close to home…
Hi, and welcome to Class 1 Malaysia in SJK Pelancar(1). As you’re all aware, our class president (who’s also the class treasurer) has magnanimously decided to give RM100 to all schoolchildren — that’s you and me! But before you all line up to receive his magnificent gift, he’s asked me to make a little speech about how far we’ve come as a class.
There are fifty of us in this class, 1 Malaysia. Who’s bringing in the dough? Well, 21 of us are employed, but only six of us will have any qualification higher than the SPM. Only three working people earn enough to pay any class fees at all to the class fund, which makes it all the more interesting that two of you guys are actually working for the class and earning your living from that same class fund. Don’t get too comfortable in your job though — there are eight fellows from other classes like 1 Donesia willing to do our jobs for half the price, or two of them for every five of us.
Read the rest of this entry »
Kenapa Yang Berhormat dan bukan Yang Berkhidmat?
By Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos (loyarburok.com) | November 16, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
Saya kerap bertanya soalan tersebut selama hampir 20 tahun: Kenapa dipilih untuk mengelar wakil-wakil rakyat dengan istilah “Yang Berhormat” dan bukan dengan istilah “Yang Berkhidmat”?
Semalam, saya ditanya oleh seorang pemuda aktivis soalan yang sama! Katanya ramai pemuda-pemudi hari ini kurang senang dengan isitlah “Yang Berhormat” kerana mereka merasakan ia tidak tepat menjelaskan kedudukan wakil-wakil rakyat. Saya setuju.
Pertama, pada faktanya, wakil-wakil rakyat diundi oleh rakyat jelata untuk berkhidmat kepada pengundi-pengundi yang berada didalam kawasan Dewan undangan negeri atau dalam kawasan Parlimen mereka. Mereka tidaklah diundi untuk bermegah atau untuk mencapai kejayaan peribadi sebagai seorang wakil rakyat atau untuk memperkayakan diri. Maka jika mereka menawarkan diri sebagai calon dan diundi untuk berkhidmat, bukankah lebih tepat mereka digelar sebagai “Yang Berkhidmat”?
Read the rest of this entry »
Minister changes testimony, says Liong Sik’s letter not government guarantee
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Court, PKFZ on Tuesday, 15 November 2011, 8:42 pm
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 15, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop changed his testimony today, reversing his assertion made a day earlier that Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik’s support letter in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project amounted to a government guarantee.
The former second finance minister testified yesterday that only the Finance Ministry could issue a letter of support with the Cabinet’s approval, and that every time such a letter was issued, the government would have to bear the responsibility if anything went wrong.
Nor Yakcop also said that Dr Ling’s letter of support was actually a “guarantee letter” as it helped secure a top-tier rating for bonds raised for the construction of the scandal-hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and was sold for a profit of RM40 million.
But the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department also stressed that the support letter from the transport minister had not received the approval of the Finance Ministry or the Cabinet. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan says will back constitutional changes to allow indelible ink
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Rakyat on Tuesday, 15 November 2011, 4:38 pm
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 15, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — The federal Opposition said today it will support amendments to the Constitution to allow the use of indelible ink in future elections.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters today that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will back such a proposal if it is tabled in Parliament during the current session.
“The Attorney-General (AG) has said it cannot be done without amendments. This is just a trick to delay.
“But PR agrees to support the amendments if they are done immediately and tabled within this sitting,” the opposition leader said. Read the rest of this entry »
Why indecent hassle to distribute RM100 to schoolchildren?
Posted by Kit in Education, Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday, 15 November 2011, 12:53 pm
By D.C
14 November 2011
My wife and her colleagues were called for an emergency meeting at about 12.30pm ! The school will be dismiss at 1pm! The Headmistress just came back from a meeting with the Officers at the Gombak District Education Department (GDED). She wanted to pass some instructions to all the teachers. It was regarding the RM100 to be given to the pupils.
The teachers have to fill in the names of the class pupils, their parent or guardian’s name( who ever come to take the money) and their IC number. It must be completed tomorrow! Because the ADUN from Taman Templer YB Dato’ Subahan bin Kamal will be coming on Wednesday at 10.00 – 11.30am to hand over the money to the parent/guardian! The school must get ready about 100 pupils for the occasion. The rest of the pupils will be given by the class teachers to their parent/guardian. The parent/guardian must bring along a photocopy of their IC before they can sign and take the money. The GDED already have a schedule for YB to visit a few schools on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Some school teachers will be ask to go back in the afternoon for this purpose, if their school is given the afternoon schedule! Her school was lucky to be given in the morning!
Now, she has a big problem. She has to withdraw about RM150,000 cash from the bank, rush back to school for the occasion. The bank will only open at 9.00 am! Moreover she said there might be other school as well at the bank. So she need some men teachers to go along with her. Each male teacher will be given about RM10,000 to be taken back to school and distribute to the class teachers! She doesn’t want to be responsible if anything happen! My God!
Read the rest of this entry »
‘Cattlegate’: For BN, business as usual
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Mariam Mokhtar on Tuesday, 15 November 2011, 11:50 am
By Mariam Mokhtar | Nov 14, 2011
Malaysiakini
Hey diddle diddle,
The MP on the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
Khairy laughed to see such sport,
And Noh cow-ed like a buffoon
‘Cattlegate’ has exposed the Women Family and Community Development Minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s ill-advised foray into the cattle business.
Shahrizat and her family are alleged to have misappropriated the taxpayers’ money; with RM250 million for the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), an RM800,000 overseas junket and a further RM10 million to purchase a luxury condominium in Bangsar.
Shahrizat’s husband operates the NFC and her three children, Izran, 27, Izmir, 31, and Izzana, 25 are chief executive and executive directors.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysians being ripped off (2) – with photos
Posted by Kit in Brain drain, Economics, nation building, Prices, Singapore on Monday, 14 November 2011, 6:38 pm
By Mimi Chih
Thank you for putting my article online.
The reason I enclosed those photos was to drive home the point how much more expensive those same items are in Malaysia. If you go back to Sarawak, they are even more expensive. e.g. even after conversion to RM, it is still more expensive in Malaysia e.g. Yoplait yogurt is SGD7.05 while in KL it is at least RM22, Farmhouse milk is 2 litres for SGD4.85…in KL it is RM10 per litre. Did you see how much the US imported cereals are selling for in Malaysia?
As for simple foods, look at how cheap it is, especially when you are earning SGD. You can still get kopi si peng is still SGD90 cents.
That is the reason why my niece sent out her resumes so many times since last year. She finally got a job in Oct, 2011 as an auditor (2 years experience). Her salary is gross SGD2600. When she earned RM2850 at Ernst & Young, she would never eat at Starbuck, didn’t even dare to look at Farmhouse milk or SPAM luncheon meat, and definitely, would never indulge in Yoplait yogurt. She is now able to enjoy all of those and more and she can send home SGD300. Her parents had to subsidize her when she was in KL even though she lived frugally.
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Assembly sitting ‘illegal’, says Sarawak DAP
By Joseph Tawie | November 14, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s budget announcement this morning at the State Legislative Assembly was ‘illegal and unlawful’, according to the state opposition DAP.
State party chairman Wong Ho Leng added that the proceedings was a ‘breach of the standing order’ and that the CM’s budget introduction was ‘tainted with impropriety.”
Taib, who is also state finance minister, had tabled the Supply (2012) Bill, 2011 during the State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.
According to Wong apart from failing to give the opposition assemblymen advance copies of the Supply Bill 2012 and the Supplementary supply Bill as mandatorily required by Standing Order 63, the assembly had also switched off all their microphones.
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