What’s really choking investments in Malaysia?
by Edwin Yapp
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 21, 2011
JULY 21 — In my many years as a journalist, one of the most oft-asked questions I’ve put to interviewees who have business interests here in Malaysia is: “What are some of the factors that have prompted you to invest in Malaysia?”
The answers that I get, though not exactly the same every time, can be summarised into one or more of the following major points: low costs, multilingual workforce, skilled labour, and political stability. This was especially true in the heydays of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia, when multinationals began pouring their investments into Cyberjaya, building their shared services and outsourcing centres there.
Thus, I read with interest an article last week which quoted our deputy minister of international trade and industry as saying that one of the main features that attracted investors to Malaysia was political stability.
He went on to say that it was “unfortunate” his ministry will now have to rely on other “features” in its bid to promote the country, especially coming off the back of last week’s Bersih 2.0 rally. Read the rest of this entry »
RCI: Senior graftbuster launched Selangor investigation on ‘mere belief’
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 10:52 pm
By Debra Chong
July 21, 201 |The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — A senior Selangor anti-graft officer launched a full-scale fund abuse investigation solely on an informant’s “mere belief” and without supporting facts, the royal panel reviewing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) procedures said.
In its report released today, the Foong Commission found Hishammuddin Hashim (HH) “passionately involved” in the graft operation against a Selangor DAP lawmaker, leading to the death of his political aide Teoh Beng Hock.
“There was no direct evidence to prove that HH had a hand in the death of TBH. But as the senior most officer involved in the operation… he should be held responsible for the actions taken by him and his officers which propelled TBH to commit suicide,” the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) said. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Fourth interrogation’ broke Teoh, postulates RCI
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 8:33 pm
By S Pathmawathy
Jul 21, 11 | MalaysiaKini
The Teoh Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report claims that the MACC instituted the “fourth interrogation” during the wee hours of July 16, 2009, from 3.30am to 7am, which “must have been the final straw that broke the camel’s back”.
According to the report, after having to endure three strenuous rounds of interrogations, the RCI panel believes that DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock was put through yet another round of intense interrogation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
This is the theory postulated by the RCI to explain how Teoh was pushed to the brink and eventually committed suicide. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: Forced suicide is homicide
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 4:44 pm
By Yow Hong Chieh
July 21, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Lim Kit Siang has likened Teoh Beng Hock’s suicide under duress from graftbusters to murder and said that those responsible for his death must “face the full consequences”.
The DAP parliamentary leader said any layman would agree that being forced to commit suicide by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers was not the same as suicide but was “equal to homicide”.
“You cannot have a situation it’s not homicide but (rather) forced to commit suicide,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Read the rest of this entry »
RCI rules Beng Hock committed suicide
Posted by Kit in Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 3:07 pm
By Debra Chong
Jul 21, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — A royal commission has ruled that Teoh Beng Hock committed suicide as a result of pressure from aggressive and continuous questioning by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers.
The MACC officers had wanted to pressure Teoh to be a witness in their case against a DAP assemblyman for alleged abuse of public funds.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Nazri Aziz disclosed the finding today which, he said, was unanimous. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP Dayak Consultative Council (DCC) formed
by Dr. John Brian Anthony
Chairman
DAP DCC
On his visit on 11th of June to Sarawak, DAP Adviser Saudara Lim Kit Siang proposed the formation of a Dayak Brain Trust (DBT) which was discussed in this blog earlier.
LKS vision for DBT is for it “to advise DAP Sarawak and DAP Malaysia on a strategy to end Dayak marginalization and spur a Dayak awakening as a integral part of a Malaysian renaissance”.
DAP has also stated that it is interested to go into some Dayak areas in Sarawak and are looking for Dayak who has interest in joining DAP. In this respect, DAP is interested to get the support from Dayak and also their services.
Formation of Dayak Consultative Council
After some serious work and preparation the name “Dayak Brain Trust” has now being changed to “Dayak Consultative Council” (DCC) to capture the essence of the role and spirit of the new organization. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 2.0 rally – a basketful of faux pas by BN Government, before during after and still ongoing!
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, Jeyakumar, Najib Razak, nation building, Police on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 11:54 am
If someone had been assigned beforehand to a special task to script the worst-possible scenarios for the Najib administration in relation to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 peaceful rally for fair and free elections, nobody could be so creative as to pre-plan the basketful of faux pas committed by the Barisan Nasional government before, during and after “709” and still ongoing.
Before
The basketful of faux pax before 709 included:
1. Arbitrary declaration of Bersih 2.0 as unlawful.
2. Ban on Bersih T-shirts and paraphernalia, to include even yellow T-shirts, coupled with indiscriminate arrests.
3. Police and government disrespect to the Yang di Pertuan Agong who had met with Bersih 2.0 leaders and suggested a compromise of a stadium rally instead of a march – accepted by Bersih 2.0 but reneged by the authorities. Read the rest of this entry »
Use indelible ink for GE, not on the Economist
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jul 21, 11
‘It would have been more beneficial if the ink was used to blank out racist hate articles in Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia.’
‘Economist’ to investigate censored Bersih report
Malaysian Born: Someone should get a message to Home Ministry Publications Control and Quranic Text Division secretary Abd Aziz Md Nor. Next time you want an opinion on what to do, please check with someone at the ministry and the police who are qualified, preferably someone with a basic level of common sense.
Read the rest of this entry »
Daddy’s letter brought tears to my eyes
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jul 21, 11
‘My son asked what is Bersih and why people want to march? I told him I’m marching so that he does not have to do so in future.’
Why Daddy chose to stand with the crowd
Anonymous 7: Well done, Da Huang Daddy. Your letter brought tears to my eyes. Yes, this is our country, and I want it for my child too. I feel sad for not being there, but thank God for people like you, Da Huang, and the tens of thousands of others.
Judging by the numbers of people at rally, that itself is a victory.
Read the rest of this entry »
Auntie Bersih: The arts my political awakening
By Nigel Aw | Jul 21, 11
Malaysiakini
EXCLUSIVE When Anne Ooi arrived in Kuala Lumpur eight years ago, this Penangite was no political animal. But the move to the city centre was a pivotal change – climaxing in the events of July 9 – the day an iconic picture of ‘Auntie Bersih’ was captured.
The image of a lone, elderly and frail woman clad in a yellow T-shirt, drenched to the bone in chemical-laced water amid the backdrop of a vanguard of riot police flanked by water cannon trucks, has become a symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression.
Read the rest of this entry »
Applying Prospect Theory To Ending Affirmative Action
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Economics, NEP, UMNO on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 10:44 am
By M. Bakri Musa
An insight of cognitive psychology (that sub-discipline dealing with mental processes like thinking and decision making) is that humans are far removed from the ideal of a rational self-interested Homo economicus (Economic man) when making decisions, contrary to the core assumption of traditional economics.
Two factors weigh heavily when we make decisions, given a set of alternatives. One, we are loss averse; that is, we magnify the value of a potential loss and minimize the potential gain even if the two are quantitatively the same. The other is that how those alternatives are framed very much influences our decision.
Although these insights refer to individual decision-making processes, nonetheless they can be extrapolated to the societal level, on how we collectively make decisions. This has relevance to the central wrenching issue dividing our Malay community today, on whether to continue or do away with affirmative action.
Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang labels Najib, Hisham ‘instant jokes’ over Economist black-out
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Hishammuddin, Media, Najib Razak on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 9:45 am
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 20, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 – Putrajaya’s decision to black-out portions of international magazine The Economist’s latest issue has backfired on the prime minister and home minister who both are now the target of jokes worldwide, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said today.
The veteran opposition lawmaker recommended that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also overhaul the home ministry led by the latter’s cousin Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and appoint as officers in charge those who were more tech-savvy and up-to-date on current affairs.
Lim poked fun at the Najib administration for blotting out large segments of the weekly magazine’s July 16 edition that covered the Bersih 2.0 rally earlier this month, despite the article being also available online . Read the rest of this entry »
Why Daddy chose to stand with the crowd
Posted by Kit in Bersih, nation building on Thursday, 21 July 2011, 9:27 am
Da Huang Daddy | Jul 20, 11
Malaysiakini
EYEWITNESS
My dear daughter, Daddy told you this morning that I was travelling to work; in fact, I was travelling to Kuala Lumpur to participate with the so-called “bad” people, as the TV had labelled them.
Early in the morning, after giving you a kiss while you were sleeping, Mummy took Daddy to the airport. Why didn’t I drive? Because I heard that the police uncles had surrounded Kuala Lumpur, and as such, I might not be able to arrive there by driving.
Mummy: “What if you are caught?”
Daddy: “That is why you must stay – to bail me out.” Read the rest of this entry »
The political impact of Bersih 2.0
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 10:51 pm
By Johan Saravanamuttu
Free Malaysia Today
July 20, 2011
The BN is still haemorrhaging from the Sarawak state election of April 16, where it lost the urban vote. Bersih 2.0 shows a continuing slide.
COMMENT
The repercussions of Bersih 2.0 will no doubt be profound. It has already been dubbed as Malaysia’s “Hibiscus Revolution”. The question that is now uppermost in the public imagination is whether the current government will also suffer a severe blow for its inept handling of the event.
Bersih started out in 2006 as a movement of civil society forces and political parties calling for clean and fair elections. Its demands for cleaning up the electoral rolls, reviewing postal votes, including allowing for voting from abroad, fair access to the media, the elimination of corrupt practices are nothing radical or revolutionary and yet the government’s resistance to it has allowed the opposition parties and those not in support of the present government to easily latch on to a ready-made platform for galvanising support.
Bersih’s first political rally on Nov 10, 2007 saw some 40,000 Malaysian streaming into the heart of Kuala Lumpur, setting a benchmark for peaceful political protest in Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
Scorpene subs: The French edge closer to Najib
Posted by Kit in Defence, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 10:11 pm
John Berthelsen
Malaysiakini
Jul 20, 11
The noose could be tightening on one of Malaysia’s greatest military procurement scandals, the US$1 billion purchase of French-built Scorpene submarines, commissioned by then-Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak in 2002.
The latest developments come at a time when Najib, as prime minister, toured Europe, meeting with Queen Elizabeth and Pope Benedict XVI in an effort to repair an image battered by an ugly crackdown on July 9 against tens of thousands of protesters asking for reforms of Malaysia’s electoral system, which is regarded as rigged to keep the ruling national coalition in power.
The scandal allegedly involves French politicians, the giant state-owned defence contractor DCNS and politicians and military procurement units across the world.
The scandal netted a company owned by Najib’s close friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, €114 million in “commissions”, according to testimony in Malaysia’s Parliament. Some of the money is rumoured to have been kicked back to French and Malaysian politicians. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib, the Queen and the Pope
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Foreign, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 9:37 pm
By Luke Hunt
The Diplomat
July 19, 2011
Marrying the demands of international diplomacy with the political realities of home is a tough ask for most countries and their foreign ministries. The two can be a difficult fit, as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has found out all too well.
Some back home seem determined to provide an unwanted backdrop for his whistle-stop European tour designed to shore-up his country’s vastly improving relations with the West and bring in some much needed foreign investment.
However, echoes of the Bersih movement and their demands for electoral reform have dogged Najib and his entourage from London to Rome, while the prime minister’s own supporters have provided the nastiest thorn in his political side with wild and unsubstantiated claims of unwanted foreign meddling in domestic affairs. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih rally was 1Malaysia in action
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, nation building on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 3:47 pm
Yin Ee Kiong | Jul 20, 11
Malaysiakini
EYEWITNESS
There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it is not from an on-coming train.
Malaysians are slowly but surely emerging from the dark hole that we have been in for well over 40 years. I am once again confident of our country’s future; recent events have convinced me of this.
I would be the first to admit that I have often doubted the resolve of Malaysians in the face of repression and abuse of power by its authorities. I look at Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, even Myanmar, and wonder at the courage of their citizens who fight for change against almost insurmountable odds.
Then I look at ourselves and wonder why we seem so useless. Or perhaps we are not really useless – perhaps we are just a little more patient. However, 40 years of abuse of power will wear away even the patience of a saint. On July 9, that patience evaporated. Read the rest of this entry »
Utusan hitting the streets with blacked-out headlines, blotches of black and full pages in black if it gets “Economist” treatment from Home Ministry
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Hishammuddin, IT, Najib Razak, Police on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 3:24 pm
The UMNO official organ, Utusan Malaysia, will be hitting the newsstands every day with blacked-out headlines in front or inside pages, blotches of black or even full pages in black if it is given the Economist treatment by Home Ministry “censoring incorrect and misleading information”.
And what a sight it would be!
This is because no other mainstream media in Malaysia could compete with Utusan for the tonnage of garbage, lies and falsehoods it purveys everyday!
It would undoubtedly make Utusan Malaysia the only one newspaper of its kind in the world as to justify to get into both the Guinness and Malaysia Books of Records! Read the rest of this entry »
Najib, ministers to distribute flags for Merdeka month
Posted by Kit in Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 2:30 pm
Malaysiakini | Jul 20, 11
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and cabinet ministers will distribute Jalur Gemilang to the public in conjunction with the upcoming independence month celebration.
Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said the flag distribution would be carried out at KL Sentral after the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
“The prime minister and cabinet ministers will take a ride on the ERL from here to KL Sentral,” he told reporters in Putrajaya.
Earlier, Rais accompanied Muhyiddin who were shown the batik shirt to be worn by cabinet ministers at the launch of the flag-raising campaign.
Read the rest of this entry »
Auntie Bersih spooked by Facebook attention
Kow Gah Chie | Jul 20, 11
Malaysiakini
Eleven days after inspiring netizens for her heroic role in the Bersih 2.0 rally, Auntie Anne Ooi has gone into hiding.
Ooi, 65, said she is stunned by the attention she has received on the Facebook page set up for her, which has gained more than 40,000 ‘likes’ to date.
She has been praised as the ‘Malaysian Lady of Liberty’ and held up as an icon of the Bersih 2.0 cause for clean and fair elections.
For a retired teacher who has led a simple life and who has no knowledge of social media, the intense attention has come as a culture shock.
Read the rest of this entry »
