Wednesday, August 15, 2007

"There is something rotten in the state of Malaysia"

Dr M slams Pak Lah for corruption, incompetence. Dr Mahathir renewed his attack on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad's administration and his mainstream media today, telling bloggers, web-site owners and on-line writers in Putrajaya during a 3-hour meeting that, paraphrasing Shakespeare, "There is something rotten in the state of Malaysia."
"If you read the mainstream media, everything smells like roses ... but there's a definite stench from the rot in the current administration, in politics, social as well as economic matters.
"Take the crime rate, for example. There are people who will not leave the safety of their homes. And according to former chief of police Tun Haniff Omar in his column in the Star, the police force is divided into two: - one led by the IGP and the other by a police director and a deputy minister."
On the economy, Dr M said the media have painted an extremely optimistic picture of Malaysia, with the announcement of mega projects and economic corridors.
"But on the ground, nothing is happening."
Dr M was especially cynical about the administration's progress in fighting corruption. He questioned the award of contracts to companies that nobody had heard of, including the Italian firm called Gevi that supposedly bought MV Agusta for 1 euro, of how the Securities Commission said it was OK to sell the Proton subsidiary and lose RM500 million "because Proton has RM10 billion worth of assets", and how those accused of corruption have been cleared by the Attorney-General because they had denied giving bribes.

He said even where it was clear that corruption had taken place, the government denied it.
"It happened in Ijok and in Batu Talam (by-elections). What will happen at the next general election? Tonnes of money will be used to buy votes.
"What will happen to this country? It is one thing if the Opposition resorts to corruption; but if the Government and the ruling party resort to corruption to win the elections ...."
Dr Mahathir said Malaysia's status in terms of corruption has also worsened. "When we tell the people it's OK to accept bribes, we are on the road towards self-destruction. This is what frightens me."
He said he is not confident that the Malay voters, especially, will be able to resist accepting bribes in exchange for their votes. A Malay voter's vote is worth only RM200.
"(At the next GE) billions will be used. I am told that the process of accumulating the money to bribe voters has begun.
"Of course they will deny this and the A-G will say I have no case because they have denied any wrong-doing."
The meeting with bloggers was organised by an NGO called Prima, which is short for Majlis Prihatin Malaysia.

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:09 pm

    There was a time when I (a non-bumi) proudly said that I would be coming back home to my country after completing my doctorate in Australia coz M'sia was my motherland unlike most of my other friends of mine. Well, it's true that pride always comes before a fall and my misplaced trust in my country has gone to the dogs. Now, I deeply feel I should have never come back to this cesspool.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Once upon a time when I was a young lad I was glad that it was Indonesia that was the most corrupt country in the region and not Malaysia, today I have lost my political will to defend the Bangsa, Agama, Negara dan Raja-raja dan! What is the point!
    Even during the Langkawi International Dialogue in Langkawi recently, Malaysia Foreign Minister the son of Singa Umno, who is a Singa Circus, did not even mentioned the name of our Deputy Prime Minister during his speech, so that say a lot about repect!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:21 pm

    Nothing on the PKFZ scandal?

    Mahathir did not say anything on it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6:36 pm

    Rocky, we all know what has been going on. The evidence is there for all to see. But the system in this country is such that the govt of the day decides - who should be prosecuted, etc, so it is ridiculous to expect them to catch and jail their own selves!!

    So who is going to help us? Don't tell me the votes will bring about change, as dr m himself said votes can be bought. So?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6:39 pm

    Sometime back, I use to visit Jakarta. Though not that regular, it was often enough for me to mix with the local and understand how deep corruption has permeated the society there, and how deeply it has affected them. 2 examples of it are:

    1. You'd need to pay the district Military General just to be a soldier.

    2. It does not suffice to graduate from a bank clerical school; you need to pay the middlemen just for your name to be mentioned. If you don't, you namer is blacklisted.

    I thought how lucky Malaysia's level of corruption has not reached such a level. But things deteriorated further soon after and I see we are fast heading towards what happened in Indonesia, maybe even worse. The sad part is, the perpetrators and many Malaysians do not see it coming. Deep within I cry for all Malaysians.

    Please, let us put a stop to corruption. Stop voting the BN!

    If you do not like the opposition, then exercise you right NOT to vote! - Amir

    ReplyDelete
  6. frank,
    sorry bro. i though i would have the opportunity to ask him on the PKFZ during the press conference, but there was no pc after the do.
    just as well, i think. chan kong choy or the PM should have the privilege or explaining to us what's going on before we - including the former pm - respond.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6:59 pm

    Are those responsible Malaysians who are loyal to the KING and COUNTRY doing something to activate the second line of defence?

    Its RED ALERT!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous7:57 pm

    pasquale & anon 6.39pm,

    I can't agree more....

    ReplyDelete
  9. When a leader is asleep
    On the dreams he can’t forget
    He has no time to run the nation
    He lets go on auto-pilot

    On one direction flies
    Smoke in the sky
    He can’t be bothered
    He has his dreams
    Smiling to him so good
    You think he remembers what he said?

    Every Cabinet member
    Says what he thinks is best
    The leader is on auto-pilot
    The little devils run free
    Across the country

    Many projects announced
    In major newspapers, what now?
    It that all to say?
    No check and balance?

    Oh I forget it is on auto-pilot!
    Cruising along in the sky
    Dreaming of the golden lights
    Sunbathing it in its glory

    And the people suffer
    High costs dwindling income
    On the streets the haggard faces
    Toiling long hours to pay bills
    And the leader dreams in the sky
    Cruising at a leisurely drive

    The leader only talks
    Dare not comment on things wrong turn
    Because there is no check and balance in place
    Costs over-runs no one takes the blame

    The songs of yesterday
    It haunts him in his sleep
    He tries to find answers
    He has none to give

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:56 pm

    Does rotten even begin to describe it ..personally don't think so folks...

    and to those who try to compare Indonesia's level of corruption as a barometer......u need to be on the ground to know and to understand how things are during the New Order Regime and how it is now under "full fledge no holds barred democracy"

    The level of freedom in media is miles away in comparison to KL folks...u do something wrong...next 5 min its in the news... a minister does not answer or evade a question then u r guilty until proven innocent......

    They even have a very powerful "KPK = Komisi Pembantasan Korupsi" made of independent individuals who have authority to question anybody including the President...folks... and best of all it is not an extension of the government arm...so our ACA have a long way to go.....

    Our biggest problem is "Information Transparency" which lead to poor accountability of the decision making process in the Government or in public companies.....

    We the man on the street need to understand our rights as citizens or shareholders.... i personally don't know the level of access to information which we are suppose to get especially with regards to govt decisions or policies or contracts with private sectors etc....our elected representative in the parliament who is supposed to provide some element of check n balance are the same people in the government decision making process...this is a critical flaw in the process.....the whole whip voting system in the parliament is another defunct function which should go ASAP....Opposition voice power in the parliament in rather minuscule in comparison to the ruling power..hence complete failure of the process....

    So where do we go from here....perhaps we need to find disgruntled government officers who dares to pass on all the critical piece of information for us out here to decipher, use and put them on OUR OWN Public Court of the Internet....

    The power to govern lies in the control of information flow...in the new world of information technology....to balance of power have shifted....the time is now folks for the future of our young ones.....do not let Malaysia becomes a failed nation state

    ReplyDelete
  11. On the economy, Dr M said the media have painted an extremely optimistic picture of Malaysia, with the announcement of mega projects and economic corridors.

    "But on the ground, nothing is happening."
    ______________________________________________

    how true indeed... ask people in construction business... no, ask me... nothing happen...

    just giving "gula-gula" to malaysian...

    ReplyDelete
  12. "(At the next GE) billions will be used. I am told that the process of accumulating the money to bribe voters has begun.

    ____________________________________________

    billions are nothing... our PM is a billionaire... he always talk million and billions... and it is such a small amount to him...

    ReplyDelete
  13. satd has got it on the dot.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Rocky hope u dont mind i put a link here.....finally got my blog up

    http://satdthinks.blogspot.com/

    thanks bro..

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous4:01 am

    Securities Commission said it was OK to sell the Proton subsidiary and lose RM500 million "because Proton has RM10 billion worth of assets",
    ________________________________

    Some spin accountants/doctors must have taught the SC that it is OK as the value of Agusta value had been written down to one ringgit due to "losses" and when sold to GEVI spa at one euro, PROTON made profit of three ringgit which is a gain of 300 per cent.

    Make profit what and so much, why cannot approve??

    Furthermore one euro is only 0.00000004 per cent of Proton's asset os RM10 billion, so the amount is immaterial. Percentage so small, SC only looks into multi millions deals and not peanuts????

    Since the amount is only one euro no shareholders approval(EGM) is also needed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous7:46 am

    Mr M. (aka Mr x %) should know a lot about corruption : Renong, Eric Chia... these are not pet projects and friends of Abdullah, as far as I know. When do we impose a mandatory retirement date for motor-mouth senile former head of state?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dang! And rumour has it they were going to kiss and make up and destroy PKR at the coming general election. Goes to show how relentless the great Tun Dr Mahathir is. Wonder who TDM despises more - Pak Lah or Anwar?

    ReplyDelete
  18. My upmost respect towards Tun.

    Nevertheless, to be fair and neutral, during his era Tun made several biased decisions as well.

    Just because we have alternative means of getting infomation, doesn't mean that the past was rosy and now it's rubbish. It could have been rubbish all the while.

    There are more accidents these days. Is it because there is lack of enforcement or simply there are more cars on the roads.

    Crime rate is surely higher than it was 10 years ago. Is it because there is lack of supervision by the authorities or simply because there are more foriegn elements..or perhaps the population is growing but not the police force.

    The same in politics.

    Still..my upmost respect towards Tun. It will be very biased, but Tun carries himself better than anyone else in the cabinet today.

    -The Man Who Sold The World-

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous2:08 pm

    How pathetic it is to raise issues of Renong, Eric Chia, ... We got strategic highway and a very strategic steel plant. And I do not deny that their CEOs very bloody corrupt, but to raise issue is such a cheap trick. It is undeniable truth that corruption is more rampant than ever and that we do not have any confidence the country will be steered well, no matter what. Economy is surviving, but more due to God's blessings of petrol and palm oil, rather than good policies. However, our appetites are ever large and the economy is sure to take a hit, if new "fat cats" are to be fed. At least with Tun we had confidence that leader will pull the country in its best interest when needed. He is a great leader and you can raise another 100 Eric Chias if you like!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous3:56 pm

    aha, confirmation of corruption in IJOK by-election by none other than TUN. Hmm...PKR is not without hope in the coming election, no? or the party will be hounded until being wiped out as brandished by SIL?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous5:10 pm

    there was once a man who planted the seed of corruption.. the seed grows into a big tree with many fruits.. now, who's gonna chop off the fruit bearing tree? corruption is here to stay!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. very interesting....

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous1:44 pm

    Welcome to the club, Tun Dr.M!

    Just to set things straight Tun, we've been smelling this rotten stench for years, waaaay before 2003.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous12:36 am

    Hi Rocky,
    I've had the opportunity to travel quite far and wide due to the nature of my job. The worst country I've ever been to is Nigeria. Was there for 2 whole months. Nigeria is a member of OPEC and is the 5th or 6th largest oil producer in the world but look at the state of the country. It's so bad, I just thank god I was born in Malaysia. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that, sadly it looks very much like we are going down the same road as Nigeria. Corruption so rife it's appalling. I myself don't know what we can do to stop the rot here in our beloved Malaysia but it has to start somewhere. 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step' a wise man once said all I can say is we as Malaysians who care and love our country have to do something anything for that matter to save our future. We all have kids, I for one want my kids to have a better future. Lets all do something anything to ensure this.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dari 1981 hingga 2003, negara membangun dengan pesat, permasaalahan sentiasa terurus dan pertelingkahan amat kurang sekali.

    Kalau ada yang berbau busuk sepanjang 22 tahun, itu kerana budaya dia tak mandi wajib.

    Yang memburuk keadaan ia-lah dia tak pernah buang taik mata, tak gosok gigi, tak korek telinga, tak cebuk selepas melepas dan suka makan kasut yang busuk selama 22 tahun.

    Letak sesiapa yang wangi pun dia tetap kata bau busuk juga.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous4:09 pm

    People often paraphrase Shakespeare. he is a famous author and some of his phrases became popular all over the world.

    ReplyDelete